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Chapter Twenty: An Audience With The King
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"I think you have some hay in your hair still, Finan."

"What are you on about, Sihtric?"

The Irishman narrowed his dark eyes and rubbed at his head to make sure there were no strands of hay in his dark locks.

"Do not play dumb. We all know what you did last night." Osferth chimed in with his own smirk forming upon his lips.

Finan's cheeks burned red. He looked over at Osferth with a huff.

"You are so easy to tease, Irishman." Eawynn giggled from the other side of Finan as she shot a wink over at both Osferth and Sihtric. "Do not let these barbicans ruffle your feathers."

Osferth blushed and looked away. "Sorry, Lady Eawynn... I keep forgetting that you are here with us."

Sihtric snorted.

"I don't consider myself a lady, baby monk." She shrugged her shoulders, "so do not feel as though you have to rein yourself in when talking amongst the men."

The group fell silent once more as they continued on their travel to Aegelesburg. Eawynn kept Haesel close to Finan and his own steed, her eyes finding his every so often before looking away to focus on what lay before them.

Aegelesburg was beautiful. Eawynn could see why Aethelflaed wanted this to be her home. Her eyes fell upon the rolling hills hidden deep in the vast expanse of land behind the town.

"It is beautiful here." Finan seemed to have been reading her mind. His brown eyes fell upon her own and she smiled in return.

Once they got settled with the horses, Eawynn wandered away from the group to speak with Aethelflaed before joining the rest of them in the hall with Edward and King Alfred.

"How is he?" Aethelflaed glanced out of the doorway, eyes not meeting those of the man she was seeking, before turning to look back at Eawynn.

They had received news from Brida about the death of Ragnar. Eawynn shook her head and kept her arms tightly bound over her chest. "Not well, lady. He is broken. But he will never let those around him see him that way."

Soft sighs had escaped from both of the women as they sat down beside one another. The silence was comforting, as the two women had a bond like no other.

"Do you think your father will agree to sending an army to Beamfleot?" Eawynn finally broke the silence and turned to make eye contact with Lady Aethelflaed.

"If I am being honest, I do not know. He has changed in his old age, but I think I may be able to sway him. Being his only daughter, a most cherished gift as my mother says, it may work." Aethelflaed shrugged her shoulders after speaking her thoughts aloud.

Eawynn nibbled at her bottom lip, thoughts of the kings mental status coursing through her mind. She was concerned, more so than before this conversation, about getting the location of Uhtred's children. After all, she believed that King Alfred was under the impression that Uhtred has not heard the news since he was not in Coccham when they were taken.

"What is plaguing your thoughts, Lady Eawynn?"

Aethelflaed's voice broke her spell and Eawynn brought her attention back to the woman sitting beside her.

"I am concerned that the path my life is taking is only bringing me further and further away from what I truly want." Eawynn admitted, the corners of her lips drooped down to form a frown before she shook her head to rid herself of the sadness.

"And what you truly want..." Aethelflaed paused and glanced back to the doorway where she could clearly hear the thick Irish accent of Finan, as he berated Osferth about the way he had tied up the horses.

Eawynn giggled softly. "The Irishman?" Aethelflaed asked. Their eyes met and the girls giggled together.

"Yes. The Irishman." Eawynn let out a breath at the memory of being with him in the stables the night before. "He is kind and caring. And well, I would be dishonest if I did not mention his good looks."

Aethelflaed grinned. "So, why do you think your life path is directing you away from him?"

"Because in my heart," Eawynn pressed one of her hands against her chest, mentally noting that her heartbeat was slightly elevated - just at the mere thought of that man, "I know what I must do and there is no way of knowing how long, and how far away, this choice will take me."

"A choice you have already made?" Aethelflaed inquired innocently.

"Yes."

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As Eawynn lingered by the closed doors of the hall, her palms felt sweaty and her knees felt weak. She was started to doubt her confidence while seeking an audience with the king, even though there had been some kind of history between the two due to the captivity of Lady Aethelflaed.

She could hear the voices within, picking out Uhtred and Alfred above everyone else. Uhtred didn't sound happy so Eawynn could only imagine that Alfred did not agree to provide him with the army he sought out.

The moment the doors crashed open, she bounced further back and watched Uhtred storm past her without so much as a second glance. Osferth and Sihtric followed him with frowns on their faces and Finan had been the only one to stop and look at her.

"I take it our lord king did not agree with Uhtred." Eawynn sighed with her own frown tugging at the corners of her lips once more.

Finan nodded. His hand reached forward to gently cup the side of her face as he watched her. "There is still no changing your mind, is there?"

"No." She shook her head but pressed her cheek further into his touch before she took his in her own hand and placed a gentle kiss to each of his knuckles. "I love you, Finan. No amount of distance, nor time, will change that."

Finan could only smile down to her. His lips touched hers, the moment was brief, but the emotion behind it was as strong as ever. "I know, mo grá."

Eawynn had never heard him use those words but she didn't have to ask him about what it meant. Judging by the look on his face, the sincerity in his voice and the love in his eyes, she knew. As he walked off to find Uhtred and the rest of their group, Eawynn turned herself around so she wouldn't feel tempted to chase after him and have her way with him in public again.

She didn't think twice, entering the hall and nodding to the guard standing by her side to close the doors behind her.

"Lord King." She spoke calmly, her head bowing down the moment she stepped up to where he had been seated beside his son, Edward.

"Lady Eawynn." Alfred smiled warmly, rising slowly to greet the woman. His touch was cold, and Eawynn could sense that he was not feeling himself. She felt selfish, but was praying whatever was plaguing his body was also not plaguing his mind.

"Edward, my you have grown." Eawynn turned slightly to the young boy - well, now he was seemingly a young man.

"Lady Eawynn, it is a pleasure." Edward smiled and accepted her hand as he placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. Alfred nodded his head to his son, gesturing that he may leave them.

"Is there something that I may assist you with, Lady Eawynn?" The king took his seat once more, offering the chair beside him to Eawynn. She graciously accepted his offer and sat down with her knees pressed against one another, turning slightly to face him rather than face front.

"Yes, lord king." She paused for a moment, "well, rather I was hoping you could." She forced the corners of her mouth up into a smile as she met his gaze. "Uhtred's children,"

"They are to remain under the care of the crown, Lady Eawynn." Alfred responded rather quickly, his eyes boring into hers as he tried to read her and her intentions.

"Yes, lord king." She broke away from the stable eye contact they had held with one another. "I was only inquiring about the children having a mother figure with them." Her hands were now clasped together firmly in her lap, her eyes glued to the floor before them before she gathered the courage to look back up at him. "Surely you understand that an abbess can not provide the same comfort as someone who has been with them from the moment they took their first breath in this world."

"If I am to understand, you are asking to join the children?" Alfred cleared his throat and met Eawynn's gaze once more.

"Yes, lord king." Eawynn nodded eagerly before bowing her head towards him. "It would please me so, to watch those children grow under the crown's guidance. I helped birth them, I-I guess I have a certain affection for them, lord king. I love them as though they were my own."

Alfred stayed silent as he watched her. Eawynn was unsure of what he was thinking, avoiding his stare for another moment or two before she pulled back and sat herself up straight. She met his gaze and realized that he was looking at her in a loving sense.

"You are a brave woman, Lady Eawynn." Alfred spoke slowly, "and my wife, Lady Aelswith, would agree with you. Whole heartedly." He smiled fondly at the mention of his wife.

Eawynn smiled in return. She was starting to feel giddy at the thought of being reunited with Stiorra and Uhtred.

"You are not looking to settle down with a lord of Mercia any time soon, then?" Alfred continued, a brow raised high as he looked at her curiously.

Shaking her head, Eawynn did her best to not think of a certain Irishman. The one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The rogue gentleman who had stolen her heart entered her mind and she was certain that he was there to stay.

"There is a man that I love, lord king." She smiled softly, her eyes finding Alfred's. "But he is no lord." She wasn't sure why she was telling him this. She felt oddly comfortable with him - almost looking at him like a fatherly figure.

Alfred nodded in acknowledgment. He said no more about the declaration from Eawynn about loving a man who was not of her station. He pushed himself up, waving to the guards to open the door as he was going to leave the hall. He held his arm for Eawynn to take, which she did with no questions asked. She walked with him through the corridors, her arm linked with his.

By the time they had made it back to his quarters, Alfred told her the location of the children and provided a single guard to escort her for safety purposes.

She did not head straight for the local alehouse - the establishment where she knew for a fact that Finan, Uhtred, and the rest of her mismatched family would be. Instead, she remained close to the hall. Taking in the village life around her, sensing that this was almost the calm before the storm.

As she lingered in the court yard of Aegelesburg, Eawynn noted the different hues of sunlight brightening up the sky as the darkness prepared to spread across the valley. She was set to leave at first light, which did not give her much time to say goodbye.

So as the darkness took control of the sky, Eawynn made her way through the village. She had no idea where she was going, but the loud sound of laughter and yelling made her believe she was heading in the right direction.