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"So do you have an army, lord Cnut?" Finan asks as they sit around eating, she wishes Sihtric had joined them but he valued the trust Uhtred had in him to stand guard.
"I do. Two hundred men, two hundred good men."
"Are they all as entertaining as you are?" Finan said playfully with a grin.
"You are headed where?" Uhtred cut in. The sight of the meat Cnut was eating made her stomach queasy and she had to fight down the bile fighting its way up.
"Undecided. Though if Alfred of Wessex is now without his dane-slayer, I may consider heading south." Luna places a hand on Uhtred's arm when she sees him grow tense, Ragnar shoots her a worried look as she grows paler.
"Call me Dane-slayer once more, I will make the square and we'll fight." Uhtred snapped with a threatening tone.
"Why the anger, lord? You sent you killed many of us? Many Danes, many Northmen?" Cnut taunted and Luna sent him a glare as she worked to placate her lover.
"Only the ones who were trying to kill me or Luna." Cnut stands with a fake smile.
"And I'm only teasing, unfairly. You must be tired from the journey and your...." He trailed off. "Illness, so be sure to rest." Luna sighs in ease when he departs, Uhtred gives her a worried look when she grips his arm tightly, but she just shakes her head.
"I don't feel well." She whispered, he nodded in understanding and kissed the hand on his arm softly.
"I like him." Finan says making Luna frown. She didn't trust the Dane, he was selfish and would undoubtedly betray them.
"Not as much as he likes himself." Finan chuckled at Brida's remark as she left, he looked over at them with a grin.
"Well, he's not wrong. The prospect of Alfred without Uhtred will bring fire to the bellies of many Danes." Ragnar speaks and she and Finan share a quick look.
"You included." Uhtred claims and Ragnar sighs.
"Wessex is still the jewel and in getting too comfortable in my fortress." Ragnar says honestly and Uhtred grows nervous.
"My children are in Wessex." Luna missed the children, Stiorra especially.
"We have many friends in Wessex, lord." Finan adds looking at the man, she briefly worried about Hild and if she had managed to keep Uhtred's children safe.
"More reasons to visit." Uhtred and Finan share a look. "Well, all this talk is for another time, another time soon." Ragnar gets up and starts to leave.
"You've not asked about Thyra."
"The boy Osferth told me. She is Christian and she's married. She is happy." He smiles at the thought and leaves.
"Uhtred, I don't like this." She whispered as Finan leaned in.
"Uhtred, I can here to rest, to hunt, sleep with our woman, maybe." He winks at Luna playfully and she laughs quietly. "I did not come here to talk of war against Alfred. And I refuse to put Luna and the children in danger." Uhtred looks at the two in silence as Brida sits down.
"I will be outside drinking ale, finish your plate." Finan says teasingly as he stretches out his hand for Luna, she takes it immediately. As they walk outside the smell of the ash from the bonfire and freshly cooked meat makes her nauseous, she stops briefly to slowly breathe in and out to settle her stomach.
It doesn't work.
She kneeled over behind the building to vomit up what she had eaten not long before, the feeling continued for a while as Finan rubbed her back.
"There you go, let it all out." He muttered soothingly. She sighed in comfort when she felt, what she knew to be, Sihtric pull her hair into a messy ponytail, his fingers grazing her neck to get any loose strands.
"They are unsettled, Finan. They can feel how uncomfortable she is, being here is not good for them." Sihtric uttered as he looked down at her in apprehension as she heaved.
"Or us." Finan mumbled as he felt her tremble from the cold. The two men helped her stand as Finan placed his arm around her waist to steady her and Sihtric used his sleeve to wipe away any sickness on her face. Once they reached the room they were staying in they quickly dressed her into a sleeping gown to bring her some solace.
"Talk to them, Sitty. They have been restless these last couple of days." She said as the two men climbed in on the bed beside her, Finan rubbed her stomach in hopes of soothing away the nausea. Sihtric all too happy to bond with his unborn children leaned down to kiss her belly and started to hum the Danish lullaby. Sihtric had a lovely voice that could put anyone to sleep, more often than not Finan. She smiled when Finna hugged her close and started to snore into her ear not long after the lullaby started.
She petted Sihtric's head as he started to speak to her belly about stories of his gods, she didn't know these men or creatures he spoke of but she knew that their children would be nothing but Dane. She didn't want her children to believe in Saxon's customs, she wanted them to be adventurous and loyal like the men around her. She allowed the tune to drift her into a peaceful slumber and she heard Sihtric mumble under his breath as she did.
"If my mother was alive, I'd tell her about you and Finan." Sihtric said quietly and she felt her heartbreak at the sadness in his voice, she wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear the confession but she swore right then and there to give Finan and Sihtric a family to make up for the family that was stolen from them.
