CHAPTER FIFTEEN ─── proposals

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"Thank you." Yrsa accepted Sihtric's hand, clambering onto the docks from the boat as they followed behind Uhtred and Finan. "This place is loud."

"They say Lunden is dangerous." Sihtric tightened his grip around Yrsa as he spoke. 

"Oh, it is. But Lunden is alive with every kind of life." Finan cheered, wrapping his arms around the pair as he stepped in between them. 

"I hear women do not walk the streets unguarded," Sihtric turned, watching as Yrsa shoved Finan's arm off of her and went to stamp on his foot. "that bodies are found in the river daily."

"Twice daily, with each and every tide." Uhtred brushed past the trio.

"You know," Uhtred's eyes narrowed as Yrsa started to talk, turning to send her an unamused glare. "I could through Aethelwold into that river and all our problems will be solved."

"Do not keep plotting the murder of the king's nephew." She rolled her eyes. 

"Lunden is not Winchester," Finan drew Yrsa back into his side, as she struggled. "but one year here is worth ten elsewhere."

"Then why do you not live here?" Sihtric questioned.

"And end up dead in the river? Do I look like a fool?" Yrsa opened her mouth. "Do not say a word, Yrsa."

"I can see how this will end up before we even speak to Eric and Sigefred." Uhtred turned, before pointing at Yrsa and Sihtric. "You two will go and observe the walls and the guards whilst we talk to them. Then you will report back."

"That is not a problem for me." Yrsa shook her head, looking up at her lover, who shrugged. "Negotiations are boring anyway."

"Uhtred, how is it that you know these streets?" Aethelred, Aethelflaed's husband, spoke up. In Yrsa's humble opinion, there were too many people with names that started with 'Aethel' or something similar. It was all very confusing.

"I stayed for a time, with Earl Ragnar the Fearless, when I was a boy." Uhtred revealed with a careless shrug.

"When you were a Dane?" Uhtred turned to shoot Aethelred an unamused look, as Sihtric and Yrsa bristled. They were both still Danes.

"As you can see, the one fact in our favour. is that the whole of Lunden cannot be defended, it's too big," Uhtred sighed. "Even the walls surrounding the old Roman city would need many hundreds of men."

"So, the brother's position is weak?" Aldhelm, not too be confused with Aethelred, spoke up. He and Yrsa had an unfortunate encounter before they got onto the boats where she had mistakenly called him a different name.

In her defence, as she had said many a time before, all Saxon names sounded similar.

"Not weak..." Uhtred shook his head. "but Lunden's been open for all tribes for a reason. The ground's not far now. I shall speak."

"You should ask for food and ale, Lord." Clapa brushed past Sihtric and Yrsa. "My belly believes that my throat is cut."

"Aye." Uhtred nodded, before shooting the pair of Danes a pointed look. "Go on, you two, away with you."

"We're going." Yrsa and Sihtric nodded, grinning as they past Finan, before pushing back into the markets again. They'd make a few laps of the city before going back to the boats and heading to Winchester. "That Aethelred is a useless fool. Uhtred is going to have little joy with these talks."

"I am glad we are not present." Sihtric smiled, before nudging the girl. "I prefer exploring with you over anything else."

"You are sweet."

"Just truthful, nothing more." Sihtric shook his head, before smiling down at her. "What do you think of Lunden?"

"It's shit." That drew a loud peal of laughter for Sihtric's lips as he tilted his head back. Yrsa smiled at the sound, glaring at anyone dared look at them twice. "I prefer Coccham."

"Why? You do not think that this is a fit place to live?"

"I think this is a fit place to live if I wanted to die." Yrsa shook her head. "It seems full of life, but not someplace that I'd want to come back to after a battle and feel safe. I'd always have to have one eye open."

"I suppose you're right. Children wouldn't have too much fun here either." Yrsa nodded, though she shot her lover a suspicious glance. "What?"

"Children? I've never heard you speak of children before." Sihtric shot her a look.

"I have."

"You have not."

"I have!" Sihtric protested.

"Sihtric Kjartansson, you have never once spoke about children and where would be a safe place for them to live in the entire three years that I have known you." Sihtric opened his mouth to protest. "Don't. You will be lying."

"Fine, then maybe I want to start thinking about where would be a safe place to raise children."

"Are you talking of settling down?" Sihtric went quiet, walking off as Yrsa narrowed her eyes and hurried after the man. "Sihtric."

"I didn't want to talk about it here."

"Well, now we are talking about it, so speak." Sihtric shook his head, as Yrsa rolled her eyes. "Sihtric! Come on, just tell me."

The older Dane rolled his eyes at Yrsa's whining, before finally turning to look down at her.

"Fine, I want to marry you and that's why I'm thinking about children, happy?"

"Yes, very happy." Yrsa smiled. 

"What?"

"Thank you for confirming it." Sihtric's eyes narrowed, as Yrsa's smile grew. "I will marry you. Why did you not ask me sooner?"

"I had to ask Uhtred to marry you."

"Why did you ask Uhtred?" 

"And then I asked Hild."

"I completely understand why you asked Hild." Yrsa nodded, knowing that the nun cared for her deeply. "What did she say?"

"That if I hurt you, she'd kill me. Uhtred said the same thing, but it is more terrifying coming from Hild." Sihtric nodded. "That woman is terrifying."

"She's wonderful." Yrsa smiled, before wrapping her arm back around Sihtric. "I will marry you, but I will tell you what I said to Uhtred when he asked what I would like in my future."

"What is that?"

"Do not make me stay behind while you go off to fight. I'm a warrior and I will not abandon what I know to play at being some stay at home wife."

"How could I ever do that?" Sihtric stopped her, placing both of his hands on her face as he brushed back her auburn curls. "Being a warrior is part of you and if I took that away then what sort of husband would I be?"

"A shit one."

"That was rhetorical."

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Yrsa stood by that she hated weddings. They were terrible, with boring songs and prayers and she just despised them.

But Norse weddings were different. Yrsa hadn't been to one in years, not since she had fled her home, but she still could remember them and most of the traditions. It helped that Uhtred and Sihtric knew of them as well.

Neither of them had felt the need to wait. Sihtric and Yrsa had already been together for near to six years and this was just to make it official for the pair, more than anyone else. Thus, on the first Friday that they were back in Coccham, Sihtric and Yrsa decided to wed.

"Almost ready, Yrsa." Giesla stood behind the younger woman, plaiting her curly hair and clipping beads into the end of it. "There we go." 

The older woman squeezed Yrsa's shoulders as she let out a shaky breath and stood up. Giesla had somehow found a dress for Yrsa to wear in a short amount of time, and had spent the morning helping the younger girl prepare.

"Yrsa?" They both froze, turning at the sound of Hild's voice. The nun's head appeared above the stairs as she walked up to join the two women on the top floor. "Oh my."

"Hild." Yrsa smiled, as Hild pressed a hand to her cheek and looked her up and down.

"You look stunning. Sihtric will not know how to react." That drew a laugh from the trio. "Come, I've brought you something."

"What?"

"Well, Uhtred and Lady Giesla were telling me of what is expected on a Norse wedding day and with a little help, we made you something."

"You did not have to." Yrsa's hand went up to fiddle with her arm band, as Hild carefully unwrapped something in her arms and Yrsa's eyes went wide. "Is that...?"

"I think it is a bridal crown?" Hild placed it into the woman's hands as Yrsa's eyes filled with tears. "I know that you're also supposed to wear a kransen?"

"I do not have kransen." Yrsa shook her head. "It burned in the fire, when Kjartan destroyed my home. I do not have one."

"That is of no matter." Giesla smiled, before pushing Yrsa to sit once more. "Come."

Hild lifted the crown up, before helping Giesla to settle it in Yrsa's wild curls, brushing her hair from her face.

"You look beautiful." Hild smiled, and Yrsa was surprised to find tears welling up in her eyes.

"Are you not annoyed that it is not a Christian wedding?"

"I am not annoyed in the slightest. I am happy that you are marrying Sihtric." Hild pressed a kiss to Yrsa's cheek, as the girl smiled and leant into the woman's touch. "Your mother would be so proud."

"I wish she was here."

"She would have loved it more than anything." Hild patted Yrsa's shoulder. "Come, the men are waiting."

"How nervous is Sihtric?"

"He is not too nervous, actually. Uhtred, on the other hand, is very nervous." Yrsa laughed at that, standing up with the help of Hild and Giesla as they made their way down the stairs. As Yrsa joined them at the bottom of the stairs, she began to hear the sound of laughter and cheering that she had been too nervous to pay attention to in the slightest. "Come, let us get you married."

Yrsa nodded, before the doors were opened, and Yrsa was met with a wave of sound as she emerged into the main courtyard of Coccham. The cheers grew louder as the two women walked her through and down towards the lake, where the men were waiting for them. As they approached, Yrsa faltered.

"What is it?"

"My sword. I don't have a family sword. I knew I was forgetting something." She hissed, turning to look back in the direction of her home.

"That's all sorted."

"You have my sword?"

"We have your family's sword." Lady Giesla promised.

"Who's sword is it?"

Hild and Giesla shared a look, before smiling.

"Uhtred's."

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Hiya,

I was actually gonna save the wedding for another chapter, but then I had a lot of ideas and so it all got put into one chapter. Basically, the bride and groom use their family sword to give to each other to bring them into the family so this is Uhtred basically fully adopting Yrsa as part of his family.

Let me know what you think, 

Love Li xx