A/N: I appreciate every single inquiry as to where I was with the latest update! I'm sorry this hasn't happened sooner but life has been busier than I expected the last we saw one another, though luckily for the better. I traveled out to California to visit a friend, started my new job, and passed my boards (so I'm officially a nurse). I sat down SO many times to write this chapter and yet nothing really would come to me. I didn't want to force it and so that's why I waited until things died down a little. I hope you all enjoy this
P.S. How about kick ass Athelstan in the new trailers? Funny, it's as if they had popped inside my head or read this story haha So excited for the new season, as I'm sure you all are as well! Just wish that I could have had this story done before then :/
And I took you by the hand
And we stood tall
And remembered our own land
What we lived for
-Mumford and Sons
Athelstan stood and watched as Helena plucked a blossom from a tree and, noting no insect or bee in its depths, breathed in its sickly sweet scent, bending down for Finn to take a whiff as well.
"Mmm," the little one noted with appreciation. Helena smiled radiantly at him, tickling his thin belly.
"My mother used to pick the most wonderful flowers and sell them at market. I used to love when she would make daisy crowns and necklaces for my sisters and I; we felt like royalty," she explained to their son as she weaved the steam through her braid.
Finn walked over to Athelstan and slipped his small hand in his father's calloused one. As they strolled along, Athelstan would take long glances at Helena and found himself smiling more and more as she did. Her dark hair gleamed red in the bright sunlight of the early summer, reminding him of the early days in their relationship when they would sneak picnics in the small valley between the house and the forest.
Athelstan's heart only ached when he found himself thinking of Scandinavia and the events that they had lived through recently. He felt better about their chances back in England with every step they took on the dirt road, every grin Helena or Finn gave him, the sunny days that they had been blessed with. It also helped that the barkeeper from their first stop had given them English clothes to bring less attention to them as they traveled on to the south.
They had no idea if there would be anyone left in Canterbury in which Helena would be able to claim as her family, but her happiness on their journey was infectious and Athelstan would never linger on the idea; only pray that it wasn't a complete dead end on their part.
During the day they would walk as far as they could before either making camp in the dense forestry or stopping at an inn in a small town. The travel reminded Athelstan of all that he missed in this country; its simple beauty, the smell that told of both an old history and yet the freshness of nature, that even after all this time and the worry he still felt welcome as if the land itself was trying to wrap its arms around him in a fierce hug.
It also made him aware of just how much Finn was growing up.
How was it possible that his child was speaking, walking with ease, eighteen months of age? Though his words had a touch of baby to them, he was learning more and more, teetering on the edge of forming sentences. Their constant exercise was making his normal chunky toddler body smaller and his legs less bowed. And then there was the thinking that he could boss his parents around on occasion; wasn't that meant for the teenage years when everything was full of angst and the unknown?
"Boo bird!" Finn exclaimed, pointing high up into the tree tops at the vibrant color that poked out of the leaves and branches. "Catch it!"
"We cannot catch it, darling," Helena explained gently. "It is a wild animal and needs to live among its kind."
Finn frowned but kept on until he could make it no longer, needing to take his daily nap on his father's shoulder. Athelstan relished the bit of quiet that he and Helena had, holding hands as they marched along, Finn snoring lightly in Athelstan's ear. It was almost as if everything that had happened weeks ago was merely a nightmare.
If only that were true.
It happened with a squint, a furrow of the brow, a bite of the lip, and a huff of frustration. They had been traveling for several days when Helena's entire demeanor changed; she appeared as if she were searching for something. Both Athelstan and Finn gazed upon her as if the several days of sun had caused her to lose her mind all together. Then she began her wondering within the trees alongside the road.
"Helena, love, what are you doing?"
She snapped back her attention to the two men in her life, as if she had forgotten their presence for a moment. "Oh, just looking for something."
Athelstan, who was holding Finn, shared a concerned expression with his son. The little one simply shrugged his shoulders and leaned over to be put down. He started up with patting the trees that his mother visited, as if making some sort of sound would tell him that there was something different or important about a certain one. Honestly, Athelstan found himself wondering as he watched the two of them, what was going on? He smiled and gave a short wave to a man who rode past them in the opposite direction, attempting to keep his curiosity at bay.
"Ah hah!" Helena exclaimed from a few feet up ahead, hands around a skinny tree and beaming. Athelstan and Finn caught up to her and gazed upon the bark but could not visualize that which made her so happy.
"Would you like to share what you see with us before I become too concerned?" Athelstan asked, fighting between laughing and crying.
Helena rolled her eyes ever so slightly before curling her nail around letters etched decades prior by small children. "C, K, E, H."
Now that she pointed it out, Athelstan could see but continued to not understand.
"I was barely three years old when my older brother and sisters walked us out here to put our initials in the tree. Cenhelm, Kinsley, Etheldred, and Helena. We never did add on my younger brother's initial…"
"I'm sorry."
She considered him. "Whatever for?"
"That you lost them. That even though we are going back to your home that you most likely will not have any family to welcome you with open arms and delight in the surprise of Finn. I wish I could change that for you."
She placed a loving hand on his cheek and offered up a smile. "I thank you, but it is not necessary. They are in a better place, I am sure of it. As I suppose we will find out our fate shortly. Canterbury is right down this road."
It was fantastic to watch as the road turned into a town bursting at the seams. Even Helena seemed amazed as well, as if she did not expect there to be so many people left after the Viking raid years prior. The market place was a bustling commotion as the townsfolk darted to and fro from one vendor to the next. Athelstan held Finn tightly and attempted to keep up with Helena as she pushed her way through the crowd.
"We just need to make it past the market and then I can find…" Helena called back to him before stopping both her steps and her words. Athelstan nearly knocked her over as he pummeled into her form.
"What's wrong?" he questioned, following her gaze to a man in stately robes that glided with ease past them. Was he the ruling authority over the town?
Athelstan watched as her hand reached out to touch the man's arm, completely comfortable with the action. The man stopped and turned to find the intruder to his personal space. Athelstan worried for their safety as Helena acted so bold; the man looked none-to-pleased to have been interrupted.
"Uncle Edward?" she asked, quiet but loud enough for both men to hear her above the noise that surrounded them.
The frown and creased eyebrows smoothed themselves as the other party appeared to have recognized her. He let out a choked gasp and held her face as if she would disappear if he didn't. Athelstan was afraid of that as well as the crowd pushed past.
"Helena?" Edward breathed. "How…? How is this possible? Is it really you?"
The two grabbed at each other and held on for dear life. Athelstan and Finn watched in wonder as seamlessly a relative popped back into their dear matron's life. An uncle, and an apparent rich one at that. How was it that they were to be brought such luck so early on?
"Thank you," Athelstan mouthed wordlessly to the heavens above as Helena continued to hug Edward in the middle of the chaos. Finn gazed upwards as well, wrinkling his forehead in confusion as to who his father could possibly to speaking to. Athelstan chuckled in sincerest delight, kissing away the furrow.
"I do not mean to interrupt, but could we possibly take this somewhere else with a little less people?" he suggested, becoming keenly aware of the stares of others.
Helena and Edward broke apart and Athelstan felt self-conscious as the other man became aware of him.
"Uncle, this is my husband, Athelstan." The men shook hands as Edward smiled upon the disclosure. "And this is our son, Finn."
"A son?" Edward sounded astonished and proud, as if he was Helena's own father. "You all must follow me to my home so that we can catch up on all that has happened."
Home was putting it lightly. The place that Edward had shown them to, along with two guardsmen, was more of a smaller version of a castle. Even Helena seemed flabbergasted by the revelation, which made Athelstan even more uncomfortable than being the outcast on this family reunion.
"I can see from your faces that you weren't expecting something so vast, especially my dear niece." Edward laughed, opening the enormous doors to the dining hall. "Please, sit and eat with me. You all look as if you have journeyed quite a ways." He paused, pulling Helena's hands into his own. "And from what I know of your disappearance, I would say that you have journeyed much more than any feet can tell the tale of."
After ordering some of his servants to bring food for his guests, Edward sat down and stared lovingly at Helena. "You must tell me dear girl where you have been and how you became a wife and mother in the span of time since I have seen you."
"It's quite a long story," she warned but grinning all the same.
"You will stay with me and we will take however long it will until I hear everything that you have gone through, you brave girl. And you as well, Athelstan, I'm sure of it."
"I brave!" exclaimed a defiant Finn before backing down under the stare of this stranger.
"I am sure you are, young Finn." There was a twinkle in the eye of the older man.
This seemed to please the little one as he tried to hide his smile in Athelstan's shirt.
"Uncle, I would love to share this meal with you as well as our story, but first I have to inquire as to how you have received…whichever title you have come across."
Edward chortled, scratching some at his beard before answering. "The title in which you are searching for would be King of Wessex, dear one. And it is short story, though quite complicated."
Athelstan choked on his gulp of wine. Not only was he not used to the mix of sweet and bitter, having been so many years away from it, but the revelation of a king in their midst was too much. Finn patted his father's back in sympathy. "I'm sorry? You said that you are a king?"
Edward grinned at the younger male. "The raids upon England have changed lines of succession along the way, and what was once a distant relation became closer and closer until it was on my door steps. I did not wish to move to another town; my ancestry lines are here, my memories are here, and…my children's graves are here. So I commissioned for there to be a castle built here and have stayed where I feel safest and among my people."
"So the boys were lost as well?" Helena whispered, saddened by the information.
Edward was empathetic. "Yes. They ran after the caravan of prisoners taken that day and the strangers at the end saw them off. I tried to stop them before they left but they would not listen."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Athelstan offered.
"But what happens to the line of succession if the boys are not here to claim it?" Helena interrupted before Edward could acknowledge his new family member. "Your nephew from your wife's side?"
"I have not decided. John is…not mature enough to run a portion of the motherland. And I'm unsure if he ever will be. I have considered another distant relative down the line but hopefully I have some time to think it over."
Helena nodded and proceeded with her meal, as did the others, enjoying the company and the reassurance of a place to stay.
"I fear that I am dreaming and when I wake we will still be traveling to Canterbury, shivering and hungry, running out of money only to find out that there is no one left in your family and unable to find our way into the town's good graces," Athelstan confessed later that evening as they prepared for bed.
Helena threw the sheets to the large bed back and jumped in like a small child. "You worry too much, my love. I promise you that you are quite awake and that my uncle is very much alive."
"Yes, well, dream you could also promise that as well."
She laughed at him, attempting to keep it down as Finn lay nearby in his own bed, fast asleep. "Come here, Athelstan. You need rest after this long journey and time to take in all that has happened in only a short bit of time."
He could not argue with her and climbed in the bed with her, wrapping his arms around her waist and taking in her scent at the crook of her neck. "I only hope to wake in the morning and find that we are still in this comfortable bed in this wonderful place and that our luck continues. I am hoping that your uncle can help me find a place of work so that I can support us."
"I am sure that he would love to help you and in turn us. Please rest your eyes and we will discuss this more in the morning."
Athelstan did not fight his exhaustion any longer, the words 'I love you' on his lips.
