Chapter 1
The sun slowly crept onto the land, starting to warm up its cold lands as it began to lighten up the sky. Eadith's eyes slowly opened. Her long strawberry blonde with the red tints laid across the sleeping man to her left. The man slept on his stomach with his head turned away from her with a soft snore coming from the sleeping human. She couldn't help it, but a gentle smile pulled at her lips as she then reached out and let her fingers entangle into the dark brown hair that was unkept and disheveled from sleep. Fingers slowly made to the many battle wounds that made up his arms and those on his back.
She remembered the first time she laid with him. He would not allow her to see his back. She never pressed him. Just like he was gentle with her and all she had been through, she showed him the same compassion. Eadith knew it would be only time before Finan would show his vulnerability. Of course, it took him being two sheets to the wind piss ass drunk for him to open up but nonetheless, he opened up with humor and pretended like it didn't bug him when he ripped his shirt off and finally let her see the back where many of times a whip had found it's mark multiple times. Eadith walked up to Finan with his now back exposed to her, as her fingers lightly traced some of those that had scared, leaving a trail of horrid memories. She had to hide the horror and gasp on her face from the abuse he sustained while with the slavers. When he turned to look at her, to see her reaction, Eadith saw one tear rolling down his cheek. Her own eyes shined brightly with empathy as she then captured his face into her hands and softly kissed his cheek, and then found his lips.
Finan never talked about his past life, about what happened before he was sold into slavery on the ship that would unite him with Uhtred. When Eadith would bring it up, he would smile and say that his past meant nothing to him; his home was wherever she was. She always jokingly told Finan that he was probably some King who bore of his life in Irland. He would laugh and always direct the conversation onto something else. He was always great at dancing away from the conversation, and she finally let it go. Yet, she knew Finan would never harm her. He would die to protect her and never dishonor her or cast her aside, and for Eadith, that meant everything to her.
Finan slowly turned around to lay onto his back as she shifted to ensure her hair didn't get trapped under him. He blinked his eyes open and looked at her; a smile came to his face.
"Why are you smiling?"
"Because I feel like the de luckiest man in de whrld, to wake up next to ye every morin'." He put his hand on her face and then gave her an intense kiss; his accent always came out very thick in the morning. It deepened as his hand slowly moved to her breasts that she then pulled back quickly. Knowing if she didn't stop, she knew where it would lead.
"Oh, not now; they are so tender." Her eyes glanced down. His hand dropped and went to her swollen belly.
"Aye, already this little bugger is ruinin' our lives."
"Hush, only ruining your life." Her eyes giggled with laughter as he rolled back onto his back with his arms crossed under his head. "Well, at least ye could release the tension, woman." She slid over slightly and started to kiss his lips, then slowly moved down to his neck and chest and was starting to make her way down when a knock on their door stopped her from going any further down.
"Finan, are you in there?" Osferth, the bastard son of the dead King Alfred, could be heard from outside.
"Baby Monk has the worst timin." He said out loud softly, annoyed with the sudden interruption.
"Send him away quickly and will continue what I began." Eadith whispered into his ear as she began to head south again.
"What do ye want, Osferth?" Finding his voice coming out a little shakier as Eadith continued kissing and getting closer to bliss.
"Lord Uhtred asked me to retrieve you. It sounded urgent." Osferth would not go away until Finan answered him.
"Aye course it is. I'm on my way."
"Okay, I shall tell him for you."
"Ye do that." Finan said out loud, not wanting to move for no man, Lord or King. It wouldn't be until Osferth came back to the house knocking on the door and mistakenly thinking he heard someone yell, "Come In." Instead, what Osferth walked in on was Eadith and Finan enjoying themselves in morning sex. Osferth was glued to his spot, his brain literally shutting down at the scene before him and kicked back into gear as Finan found the nearest object closets to the bedstand and threw it at the door.
Osferth was nowhere to be seen; as Finan left the house, Eadith and he shared as he went to the great hall to talk to Uhtred. After seeing Eadith and Finan naked and having sex, Finan wondered if the boy was praying somewhere or washing his eyes out with holy water. He couldn't wait to hold this over the Baby Monk. To say it would make Osferth uncomfortable was putting it lightly.
"Ye summoned me, Lord." Finan did not take long to find Uhtred, who sat at the long table in the great hall looking at some papers.
Looking up from his papers, Uhtred spoke, "Take Osferth and a few men. Word is there are small raiding parties near our area and getting closer. I want to know if this to be a concern."
"Lord." Without question. Finan turned on his heel to gather the men and ride out quickly.
Watching him go, Uhtred gave a soft smile. He couldn't have asked for a better second in command than Finan. The Irishman had been with him for years now, and though sometimes Uhtred worried Finan would just one day have enough of everyone and sail out on a boat back to his homeland, Finan had made it quite clear he was never going to leave Uhtred's side. Finan always said they were bound for life. What made Finan great is Uhtred only had to glance over, and the other man knew instantly what he was thinking or planning. When Uhtred fell into despair after Father Beocca's sudden death, Finan was right there to lift the men and him. Take charge and do it on his behalf, yet Finan had been doing that ever since they were slaves. He never gave up. Never lost hope. Uhtred wondered where he would be without Finan by his side. He dare not think of it.
Eadith watched as Finan collected his belongings for the ride out. She couldn't help but grab her belly again for fear of Finan not coming back. She had been part of this ritual a few times since being with Finan. Him getting ready to ride off into some unknown danger and her having to wait for him to come home and pray that he came back alive in one piece. There had been too many times it felt he came back with a new scar or unconscious and had to be nursed back to life. Too many times, she thought him too close to him meeting their God and savior. Yet, he always came back. But, she always asked herself, what if today was the day he didn't?
For whatever reason, she just got this feeling that she couldn't ignore. This whole thing felt off to her, yet she couldn't explain it. She didn't want to mention it to him for fear of putting some concern into his mind and not allowing him to focus on the task at hand. Besides, wasn't this the job she had signed up for? He leaves, and she worries over his safety.
"Come back safe please." She finally spoke as he was about to head to the door.
"Darlin, nothing in this whrld would keep me away from ye love. I'll be back; ye can count on it." He cupped the side of her head as she leaned into it, closing her eyes. He reached down and tenderly kissed her. He then stepped back, kissed his hand, and placed it on her belly. She opened her eyes and gave a soft smile. He then turned and walked out the door, Eadith hoping and praying this would not be his last.
Finan and Osferth had been riding for a few hours when they had started getting closer to one of the villages they protected. Finally wanting to break the quietness, Finan spoke up, looking over at Osferth.
"Baby Monk, ye have not said or looked at me since we rode out. Did ye not like what ye saw earlier?" Then, Finan smiled, seeing the blush hit Orferth's cheeks.
"Finan, I would not like to discuss this." Osferth shifted in his saddle, showing how uncomfortable he was with the whole conversation.
"Aye but it was a beautiful thing you saw. W'en a man loves a woman as I do Eadith. Someday Baby Monk you will do the dance with the woman, ye shall make 'er proud. Make us all proud av ye. Maybe ye can learn a few tricks by what you saw."
"I would gladly have my eyes plucked out of their sockets and walk on hells lava then have to bear witness to what I saw earlier today again. Please can we change the subject."
Finan just chuckled and smiled to himself. Thinking how easy it was to get Osferth all riled up. Osferth had difficulty letting go of his monk-like ways, yet he wanted to hang with the boys and act like them but didn't want to partake in any of their off-color shenanigans. To the men, Osferth was their baby brother in their group, and they all loved teaching him the ways of the world and corrupting the poor bastard in the process.
Finan called the formation to a halt once they spotted the village and the smoke pillaring into the clear blue sky as they listened to hear if anyone was screaming or if they were still being attacked at that very moment but found it to be eerily silent. Death was in the air catching in the wind. It was such a distinct smell that anyone who had been around battle and seeing the demise of individuals could always place it and know it with eyes closed. It was thick in the air.
The villagers never stood against the raiding forces. How could they? They were not warriors; they were not skilled with blades or the art of combat. Instead, they were good at farming and pulling things to plenish their stock for food for the winter. Not to best swordsmen or murderous blood-seeking Danes who wanted to go on a rampage.
"Baby Monk, I will ride in with de men. Ye will stay out 'ere in de outskirts. Ride along de village and meet me on de other side."
"Finan what with the precaution? The only ones left is the dead?"
Osferth was not sure why and what had the Irishman spooked, but he was acting somewhat out of character. Every other time they had walked in together. Now he was acting like he was suspecting some ambush.
"Just do as I say."
Finan couldn't explain it. Maybe it was the earlier words from Eadith still plaguing him, the look of concern in her eyes that she tried to hide as she asked him to return home safely, or just every instinct in his body was telling him to get the hell out of there. Yet, he had a job to do. He couldn't just high tail it out of there just on a hunch. He couldn't send someone in there in his stead. No, he had to do this. He waited till he could no longer see Osferth, then he kicked his horse on the side, sending it into a small trot as the few men followed him in.
Smoke started filling his nostrils, and he tried not to choke on it as they entered the village. The smoke made it hard to see deep into the town until they were actually in the heart of the tiny village. He found his heart had started to pump with adrenaline—his hand resting on the front of his armor as his eyes glanced around.
"Search for any survivors." Finan called out to the men giving them directions.
It didn't take much to realize there were no survivors. Not even the animals made it out alive, it seemed. Just as Finan was about to get down from his horse to check the houses, a sharp whistle came from somewhere behind him. He turned, and the village started coming alive within seconds. Some men who pretended to be dead rose from the ground. Others strolled out of the small huts. They were coming from all angles, closing the gap between the men and enclosing them into a circle. Finan had two options. Fight until he was brought down from his horse and possible death, or run. Some would say there is no honor from running. Finan didn't believe that. Irishmen believed if you lived and successfully survived an ambush, well then, the attempt failed, and you could live to fight for another day. So he went for the second option.
'AMBUSH RUN!." He yelled at the top of his lungs. He unsheathed his sword as someone made to grab for his horse's reigns. He felt another hand on his leg and arm. They were going to try and unseat him from his horse. His horse reared back from the approaching men, scared with the sudden crowd of men rushing forward. Finan's horse understanding the desperate situation took off without even commanding the horse to do so. He was able to knock a few Danes out of his way, another with his sword. He saw the clearing of the village, somewhere Osferth would be standing if he wasn't already attacked on the outskirts. Finan dared to look behind him to see where the Danes were and to see if his men were following. When he turned back around, he saw a Dane with a spear aimed at him and his horse.
There was no dodging it. There was no way he could get his horse to evade death. His horse was sprinting for its life, unfortunately right into the wooden spear of a Dane, killing his horse instantly as it pierced its skin past its rib cage and into the heart. The only problem with a horse dying so violently is what happens to the rider in the process. As the horse's legs collapsed out from underneath it dying before its head would hit the dirt, Finan was then catapulted into the air with the sword still in hand as gravity brought him down to the ground hard. When he hit, Finan lost his sword in the process as he rolled and felt his head smack the earth's surface.
His men had seen him go down and not to leave him vulnerable, and also knowing he was Uhtred's second in command, they stopped their escape came off their horses and made a circle protect the vulnerable Irishman. Finan struggled to stand up; the knock to his head made him dizzy, and everything was foggy, and he barely could understand the words being yelled and thrown around. He tried shaking it lose, but it just made it worse. He tried a few times to get up to his feet but ended up just collapsing to his knees. The Danes had surrounded them surprisingly, very quick and fast pressing his men almost to stand on top of him to have some breathing room from the axes and swords trying to find their mark.
Finan realized he couldn't see out of one of his eyes because of a wound that had split open above his eye, causing it to shut automatically to close in protest. With only one eyesight open now, he saw the sea of Danes make room for their leader who had led this snare.
"Haesten, ye hairy arse. Nice to see ye again." He said with clenched teeth. He was finding no energy to stand just yet. He hated that he seemed weak in front of the Danes, but it wouldn't stop him from throwing insults at the Dane.
"Ah the pig that likes to squeal. Tell your men to drop their swords and they will not be harmed."
"Coming from de Danes, that's hard to believe."
"I give you my word." Haesten grabbed his chest to prove his loyalty.
"Your word means shite Haesten."
Finan was no fool. He knew what they would do to his men the minute they dropped their swords. They were Danes; they did not need his men. They were either going to be put to horrible deaths or sold as slaves. He was not entirely sure which fate was worse right at that very moment.
"Lay down your swords, I just want you Irishman."
If his head wasn't hurting before, it was now reeling. What in the hell would they need him for other than to use a bargaining chip against Uhtred? But why? Why not just kill him and spare everyone the misery of carting him around? Didn't they have peace? What was the purpose of all of this? Was Sigtryggr going back on his word? There were just too many questions that Finan wanted to ask but knew nothing would come of it.
Some of his men did not take kindly to Haesten's words and what would happen if they came back without Uhtred's second in command, "You can't have him heathen." A young warrior said, trying to sound strong in the face of death.
Haesten rolled his eyes, growing tired of the wait. "Fine have it your way."
Everything happened too fast for Finan to figure out his options, and before Finan could yell stop or no to have his men drop their swords, they were cut down with such ease, leaving Finan in the middle, blood slowly seeping towards him. Every single one of his men dead. Haesten stepped over his men like they were nothing but shit to him as he came to look down at Finan, who still hadn't been able to get up from his knees.
The burning hatred in Finan's eyes was evident for all those to see.
"Now Irishman, you will come with me."
TBC….
