A Saint To A Sinner

3.24

"Look how quiet they become when you feed them." Y/N whispered as if she had put her son to sleep. The children were oddly quiet amongst themselves.
"Yeah, but just yu wait until they see the last bit of bread. They'll become animals again." Finan pointed as he looked back at the children quietly eating in the cart.
"Here. Since you've started bickering!" Y/N said as she passed Finan some bread, who looked at in disgust.
"I've not even asked." Finan stated.
"Come on, it's just a bit stale." Sihtric laughed as he pushed his bit of bread forward to Finan.
"That bread is so stale. It'll take a tooth out." Finan joked before snatching it out of Sihtrics hand. The bread was stale, but it was all they had.
"Leave the fresher bread for the children." Uhtred turned around with a mouth full of food. "My men have the stomachs of dogs."
"That's very true. In fact, I once ate a dog." Osferth pipped up.
"I always said yu where barking!" Finan shouted back.
"Poor Osferth, he thinks he's been forgotten." Y/N laughed. Every so often, Osferth would make a little remark so they know he was there.
"That's because he has." Finan loudly whispered, making him shout back at them.
"You tired of the sight of your horses head." Sihtric taunted.
"I'm tired of looking at your ugly Dane head." Osferth pushed back as he made them laugh. Y/N clutched her stomach, almost howling with laughter till her a wave of sadness dropped. It reminded her of what Halig once said to Clapa.

Sihtric noticed her frown and nudged her gently, asking her what was bothering her.
"Do you remember when we were on that hill scouting for Erik and Sigefrid?" Sihtric frowned. Trying to remember what she was talking about. There were lots of times they scouted for those men.
"Was it the one where we were looking for the Lady Æthelflaed?" Finan asked.
"No. You did not exist then." Y/N said, making Finan huff as he crossed his arms. "It was when Uhtred had allowed you to join him, and he sent you with me, Clapa, Halig and Hild." Sihtric nodded at her words, the memory coming back to him. "When you antagonised Halig about Sigefrid's men where not Kjartan's and he got so stressed that we laughed at him."
"I remember, he told Clapa 'to shut his ugly Dane mouth." Finan laughed at the story. He had always wondered what Halig was like before they met in Iceland.

The laughter ceased when Stiorra let out a scream, alerting them. Y/N turned her horse around, drawing her sword out of impulse as she headed to Stiorra to find two beggars had approached them. It was a man and a woman who were looking for food.
"Stay back!" Finan cried our, making her look back to see what they had found. Eadith quickly shielded the children when she realised what Finan and Sihtric had found.
"Lord, stay back! It's the sickness. They're dying of the sickness!" Finan panicked as he ran back, heading towards Stiorra with a stressed look on his face, grabbing her hand to wash it.
"Which hand did he grab?" Finan called out.
"Leave her be." Uhtred scolded, but Finan would not have it, believing the sickness was spread by touch.
"No, it is the air that spreads it." Uhtred assured.
"And the animals. We should kill the horses." Y/N looked at Finan with a confused look. She had never seen him so paranoid.
"Father, what if I breathe the air?" Stiorra asked worriedly, but Young Uhtred believed it only killed sinners.

Y/N looked around for Sihtric as he was oddly quiet.
"Siht? You alright?" Sihtric looked up as he wiped his knife down with a frown on his face.
"Hmm." He replied back. "We need to get Finan to calm down before he scares the children." Y/N nodded, agreeing with him. She wasn't sure why Finan was so worried, so she got off her horse to approach him.
"Finan!" Y/N said, but he ignored her. She could see his eyes shaking in fear as she looked at him.
"We should return to Aeglesburg. If there is sickness in the land-"
"We can not go back. We can not defend ourselves against the men or Mercian Guards." Uhtred interrupted. They could not go back at this stage.
"Better to die in a fight that choking in blood, Lord." Finan said as he crossed his arms like a child.
"We go across land to Wenloca, abandon the path, avoid the bad air." Uhtred assured.
"The children will not make it on foot." Sihtric said worriedly as he looked at his wife. It would take too long, and it would he too much for them.
"Then we leave them." Finan said, making Y/N and Sihtric look at each other with shock in their eyes.
"Leave our son." Y/N said.
"Somewhere safe and then-" Finan said, causing Uhtred and Y/N to yell at him for his stupid idea.
"But, Lord." Finan huffed, "Lord, I have followed yu without complaint, but do not inflict this on men who've been loyal to yu." Uhtred reached down to grab his hand, making him calm down. "Finan! We have no choice but to alter the plan. We'll leave the horses somewhere safe. We'll go across land to Wenloca on foot. We'll be safe from the sickness, trust me." Finan nodded as he looked down at the ground like a defeated man.
"We go to Wenloca! We find Æthelflaed and we go to Ceaster."

Y/N tapped Sihtric to go and tie up the horses so she could talk to Finan.
"Fin!" Said softly, pulling him out of his thoughts. "What is worrying you, ay? Tell me?" Finan grunted, his eyes watching his son play with Æthelstan.
"I've seen men die of the sickness and it tortures them." Y/Ns face dropped as she looked at him. She pulled him into a hug, pushing his head against her shoulder.
"Finan! You are not in Iceland, you are with me and Cynlæf. It will not strike this fast and it will not kill you as quickly. I swear it to you, Finan." Finan wrapped his arms around her tighter, trying to believe in her words.