xiv. weapon
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Revna watched as Finan and Osferth trained with a wooden weapon, Finan tapped the boy making the monk grunt. She laughed when Osferth glared at him.
"Osferth, fetch Uhtred. Tell him we have a guest, a woman." Finan points in the distance and Revna moves to his side as they share a worried glance.
"How can you tell it's a woman?" Osferth asked quietly as both Finan and Revna looked at him in disbelief.
"You have to ask? Fetch Uhtred." Finan ordered as he shoved the monk. Finan and Revna moved to get their horses meeting the others in the stable.
"I knew you would be with you princess." Revna realized it was Brida when they rode to the visitor. She and Finan exchanged worried looks.
"Something had happened." Uhtred said as he walked to her.
"You left him." Brida said harshly.
"Ragnar?" Uhtred asked with dread.
"He had waited years for you to come home and within a matter of days, you were gone. You should have left the Saxon bitch to die." Brida snarled as they watched.
"Where is he? I will go to him."
"He's dead! Ragnar is dead!" Revna looked at Uhtred who paused, she didn't care much for the Dane but he was Uhtred's brother. "He doesn't feast in Valhalla. Instead, he lies under a pile of stones at a lake near Loidis. There was no honor in his death," Brida grabs Uhtred's furs and pulls him close. "None. He will spend eternity in the cold of Niflheim because of you Uhtred of Bebbanburg. You chose her. You chose Alfred and you left him." She puts a dagger to his throat and Sihtric makes to move to his aid.
"No, Sihtric." Finan said holding out his hand.
"I should kill you but I want you to live with the pain of his death. He was your brother." The two cry as she leaves and Finan moves to comfort his friend. He and Revna share a concerned look fearing for Uhtred's mental state.
At Aylesbury, horns are sounded as Steapa and Æthelred greet them with swords. Aethelflæd and Uhtred dismount and approach them.
"I ought to kill you where you stand, lord." Steapa snarled looking at Uhtred.
"You could try, my friend. I'm here to see the king." Uhtred says.
"You ride with outlaws, my dear."
"He's an outlaw of Wessex, not Mercia. We're here to see my father." Aethelflæd spoke looking at the two men.
"What is it you have to say to the king that you cannot say to your husband?"
"I wish to speak of treachery and traitors. The Dane Hæsten did attack us at the nunnery at Wincelcrumb. It was his purpose to kill me." Aethelflæd told them as Revna turned to Finan with a bored expression. The Irishman kicked her foot playfully making her roll her eyes but she couldn't help but smile.
"Hæsten claims to be a friend to Alfred. He's not."
"Let the outlaws pass, no weapons. None at all." Revna glared at the man.
"Lord Æthelred, like you, we stand against the Danes!" Finan shouted in disbelief.
"No weapons is the command, Irishman. None at all." The group reluctantly hands over their weapons as they walk in.
"My father cannot suspect my husband is the traitor."
"We should kill your husband and be done with it." Finan spoke with a grin.
"I agree. I can do it for you, princess." Revna answered.
"And begin a war between Wessex and Mercia now?"
"Lady, I'm joking. We'll kill him tomorrow." Finan and Sihtric looked at one another with a grin and Revna snickered.
"We halt. Stop!"
"We know what hall means, big man."
"Steapa, we are both thirsty and hungry." Aethelflæd speaks softly.
"You may enter the hall, lady. The outlaws do not."
"Then I choose to remain here with the outlaws." The princess spoke making Revna raise an eyebrow at her in curiosity.
"As you wish."
"Um, what if I need to piss?" Finan calls out, and Uhtred turns away with a smile.
"Then take out your cock." Steapa deadpanned.
"And if you mistake it for a weapon, what then?" Steapa went to move towards him but paused when Revna slung an arm over Finan's shoulders as she sent him a warning look.
"He's just jealous, Finan. I guarantee the big man has a small cock." Revna taunted with a smirk.
"You have not seen it, lady." Steapa said tensely.
"I have not seen Finan's either."
"Then how would you know?" Steapa questioned with narrowed eyes.
"Because his cock grows hard at just the sight of me and it's quite visible through his trousers. You cannot relate, I would assume." Uhtred looked up at the sky holding in a laugh and Revna kissed Finan's cheek with a smug smile. Finan grew flustered and cleared his throat nervously, he could not deny the claim, however.
"That's disgusting." Sihtric said with a horrified expression. Steapa pats Finan's chest and grinned at her.
"Steapa, food, and ale would be appreciated." Uhtred interrupts.
"I will arrange it."
"And Steapa, good food. Meat and lots of ale!" Sihtric and Uhtred watch Finan with a smile, Finan fights back a grin and instead pulls Revna close by grabbing her waist. They move to a table to eat some food with Steapa keeping watch.
"Steapa." Sigebriht said walking to them.
"Lord Sigebriht."
"An approximation to a Witan has gathered. The outlaws are required." Revna laughed at Sihtric when he chugged his ale down.
"What is an approximation to a Witan?" Sihtric asked them and she shrugged just as clueless.
"It's almost a Witan, but not quite." Finan answered and grabbed her hand to pull her along with them.
"We must be without the king." She hears Uhtred whisper.
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