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"Thank you." Yrsa accepted Sihtric's hand, clambering onto the docks from the boat as they followed behind Uhtred and Finan. "This place is loud."
"They say Lunden is dangerous." Sihtric tightened his grip around Yrsa as he spoke.
"Oh, it is. But Lunden is alive with every kind of life." Finan cheered, wrapping his arms around the pair as he stepped in between them.
"I hear women do not walk the streets unguarded," Sihtric turned, watching as Yrsa shoved Finan's arm off of her and went to stamp on his foot. "that bodies are found in the river daily."
"Twice daily, with each and every tide." Uhtred brushed past the trio.
"You know," Uhtred's eyes narrowed as Yrsa started to talk, turning to send her an unamused glare. "I could through Aethelwold into that river and all our problems will be solved."
"Do not keep plotting the murder of the king's nephew." She rolled her eyes.
"Lunden is not Winchester," Finan drew Yrsa back into his side, as she struggled. "but one year here is worth ten elsewhere."
"Then why do you not live here?" Sihtric questioned.
"And end up dead in the river? Do I look like a fool?" Yrsa opened her mouth. "Do not say a word, Yrsa."
"I can see how this will end up before we even speak to Eric and Sigefred." Uhtred turned, before pointing at Yrsa and Sihtric. "You two will go and observe the walls and the guards whilst we talk to them. Then you will report back."
"That is not a problem for me." Yrsa shook her head, looking up at her lover, who shrugged. "Negotiations are boring anyway."
"Uhtred, how is it that you know these streets?" Aethelred, Aethelflaed's husband, spoke up. In Yrsa's humble opinion, there were too many people with names that started with 'Aethel' or something similar. It was all very confusing.
"I stayed for a time, with Earl Ragnar the Fearless, when I was a boy." Uhtred revealed with a careless shrug.
"When you were a Dane?" Uhtred turned to shoot Aethelred an unamused look, as Sihtric and Yrsa bristled. They were both still Danes.
"As you can see, the one fact in our favour. is that the whole of Lunden cannot be defended, it's too big," Uhtred sighed. "Even the walls surrounding the old Roman city would need many hundreds of men."
"So, the brother's position is weak?" Aldhelm, not too be confused with Aethelred, spoke up. He and Yrsa had an unfortunate encounter before they got onto the boats where she had mistakenly called him a different name.
