Painted Blade || sihtric

83.

   THE next day, Bemia sat in an alehouse, nursing an empty cup of ale while she watched Katja and Aethelstan quietly talk to each other beside her.

Through the night, Bemia had a restless sleep, worrying over the safety of her sons' who would have found a ship by now and hopefully were heading back to Norway.

It truly felt weird to her that she was now just a Lady and not a Queen—all her children were on their own life paths without her. Katja may be by her side, but the mother knew her daughter had started her journey at a young age with Aethelstan.

Sihtric sat down beside Bemia, pressing a kiss against the side of her head. "Are you okay, love? You didn't sleep much last night."

Bemia nodded, looking away from Katja and looking up at Sihtric with a small smile. "Just hoping that my sons are traveling well, that is all."

"Espen has the men of Norway and Sweden with him," Sihtric lightly reminded her. "They will be safe and return to Norway soon enough."

"Plus, I'm sure those twins know how to fight," Finan spoke up across from them. "I taught them a few things."

"They're so screwed then," Bemia groaned and Finan rolled his eyes.

At the door of the alehouse, a figure walked in and Sihtric smiled. "Lord!"

Bemia sat up straighter, looking over to see her brother walking toward them. "And he's returned."

"Ah." Finan stood up with a smile. "You're alive."

"I am." Uhtred nodded before the two briefly hugged.

"And Brida?" Aethelstan questioned, an arm wrapped around Katja's shoulders.

Uhtred pulled away from Finan with a sigh. "No."

"No?" Bemia raised a brow in surprise. "I truly wasn't expecting that."

"Bemmi," Finan murmured in quiet warning as Sihtric stood up, walking away. When she rolled her eyes, he faced back to Uhtred. "I know you did what you could. At least it's over now, hmm?"

Sihtric returned, placing a chair down at the head of the table before he quickly sat back down beside Bemia, refilling her cup with ale.

"We know you will have chosen the right path, Uhtred," Aethelstan quietly said as Uhtred sat down.

"And now we are safer without her breathing," Katja mused, earning a nod of agreement from her mother.

"You should take some time, rest yourself," Finan advised, sitting back down.

"Espen and the twins have gone back to Norway," Bemia informed her brother who nodded. "They will remain there until I see fit."

"Yes, I heard," Uhtred admitted and then sighed. "I was thinking it is time we go back to the peace of Rumcofa."

"Peace?" Bemia couldn't help but let out a laugh as the others straightened their backs. "There is no peace there."

Uhtred furrowed his brows in frustration. "I promised I'd return you to your families. The danger's over now. We can stop running for Wessex, make some coin from the toll on the trade river. Fight the raiders, build your home, Bemia, go back to how things were."

Finan swallowed thickly, looking away from the others to Uhtred. "Lord, no."

"The families have fled to Wessex, Lord," Sihtric informed him. "They have settled. They are waiting for us."

"Our lives in Rumcofa are destroyed. Let the dead rest in peace, hey?" said Finan.

"I planned to return there when Osferth was alive," Bemia bluntly said, taking a sip of her ale, and staring at the flame of the candle on the table. "I don't plan to return after he died in my arms there."