Painted Blade || sihtric

32.

   BEMIA was quietly talking with Brida while they cooked stew near a fire that warmed their skin when Sihtric approached, a faint smile on his face, one that his wife returned when she saw him.

"What has you smiling?" Bemia questioned him, placing a wooden spoon down on a flat rock as she stood up, quickly wiping dirt off her trousers.

And she honestly did wonder what had him smiling because since a few hours ago when Cnut left with half his men to a nearby village where Uhtred was, she had been on edge. Haesten hated her guts, and she knew that without Cnut around, the pigheaded arse currently lounging in his tent, would try something—try to harm her in some way.

It also didn't help that Ebbe had been brooding in his tent since he buried his father with Bemia and Sihtric. So not only did she have to watch her back and her husbands against Haesten, but she had to watch Ebbe's too.

"I'm just happy to see your beautiful face, my love." Sihtric slithered a hand around her waist, pressing a soft kiss to her lips that she smiled into before he pulled away, looking down at a smirking Brida. "Do you mind if I steal her for an hour?"

Bemia slightly widened her eyes, feeling her face and neck flush at the question—a question many of the men around them heard, their attention drifting to the married couple for a second with chuckles.

Brida raised a brow, that smirk growing. "You can take her if you keep it down," she mused, laughing as Bemia's face grew even redder. "We all heard you two last—"

"Thank you, Brida," Bemia quickly cut her off, her voice taking a higher pitch as she grabbed Sihtric's hand, already hurrying away.

Behind her, Sihtric was howling in laughter. "Oh, come on, darling. There's no shame in—"

"Can we just walk to our tent in peace and quiet?" She groaned, dropping his hand.

But he calmed down, grabbing her hand again and pulling her in the opposite direction of their tent, instantly confusing her. "Our tent is too close to others," he said, leaning down to press a kiss to her head, but he added first, "Play along. I spotted a friend in the forest." And then kissed her head.

Bemia blinked her confusion away, instead replacing it with a fake, small smile as she wrapped an arm around his back, looking up at him while they passed tents and men. Truth was, she was a little disappointed. "I thought you didn't like doing it in the forest because it made your arse itchy?" she sweetly hummed.

Sihtric sent her a tight-lipped smile as he looked down at her, annoyance clear in his eyes. "You are so lucky I love you," he muttered, holding that smile.

All Bemia wanted to do was burst out laughing but she forced herself to keep her composure and looked away just as they walked past the last line of tents and toward the forest. She had no idea who they were going to see or who this 'friend' was, but she knew Sihtric would never lead her to danger so she placed her full trust in him.

When they reached the line of trees and bushes, Bemia removed her arm from his back, holding Sihtric's hand instead as he pulled her deeper in. And then her heart skipped a beat as Sihtric dropped her hand, slowing down with her at the sight of Uhtred staring at them with Finan and Osferth behind him, weapons in hand.

Finan's eyes darted between the two with hurt and longing, a hand tightly holding the hilt of his blade as if he would hurt them if needed.

But when Bemia looked at Osferth, the boy's eyes were sullen, only looking at her and so much hurt contoured his face. That felt like a physical blow to her heart.

And then she felt truly ashamed as she stared at her brother—the same brother she snapped at, telling him that he wasn't part of her family anymore. That was before she knew it was all an act, when she truly meant it at the time, and she knew he knew the same because they never planned for her to get involved.