The next few days were a blur as Eivor tried her best to pick up the pieces. With Randvi gone, she was responsible for planning the raids and expansions, as well as keeping the settlement happy and thriving. Ciara was doing her best to keep Eivor calm and Sigurd was doing his best to pick up the slack, but it was growing difficult as the stresses added up. She had warned Sigurd not long after Randvi had stormed out that this was coming and informed him briefly about her actions that lead up to the circumstances they were going to be in. He saved her the brotherly talk of telling her how wrong she had been and took the news with ease, but it seemed like none of them were prepared for the storm that had been brewing.

The thought that she had made a grave mistake had crossed her mind more than once. Sharing a bed with someone she loved had alleviated some of what she felt, but she could not shake the feeling that it would have been better to suffer and pretend that what they had was real, or to let Randvi decide they were done, no matter how many years it took, so Ravensthorpe would not suffer; so she would not suffer.

It felt cruel, telling Ciara to stay during all of this. She should have told her to leave and she would find her in Ireland when she was ready, but she couldn't. There wasn't anything she could do to stop her heart from telling her to stay. She just hoped that she would not drive Ciara away by showing her the worst of how everything could be. She knew she was used to performing in the hectivity of a king's court, but this was not what she had asked of her.

"Ara, you look stressed, Eivor. You really should take a moment." Ciara placed her hand gently on Eivor's shoulder. The war room was a disaster, and she was trying to pick up the various maps and figures Eivor had torn down from the neatly arranged shelves that lined the walls, but her efforts were fruitless in Eivor's frenzied state.

"I can't Ciara, I have to get this done. So many people are counting on me to do this right. I can't let them down." Eivor haphazardly scribbled away on the parchment before her. There had been a sudden development since Randvi had left; a new camp had settled on their major river route, making it hard for her men to travel to gather and trade supplies. Eivor was tasked with not only taking out the camp but also putting forth all the planning while trying to reroute her current supply.

Ciara's eyes had only wondered for a moment to study the conversation Sigurd was having with one of Eivor's Jomsvikings when she heard a commotion behind her. In her rush to finish the letter of request for aid, Eivor had knocked over her inkwell, painting everything before her black. Everything had gone flying in a fit of rage. Ink dripped from the table's edges and stained her fingertips; splatters covered the walls.

"Eivor!" She grabbed her wrist before she could shatter the now empty inkwell on the wall. "It's alright." Her voice was calm and rehearsed as she pried the bottle from her fingers. "I think it is time you stepped away from all of this. You are of no use if you are not taking care of yourself. I understand the importance of the situation, but it cannot be rectified with anger and sleeplessness."

"Yes." Eivor sighed, her ink covered hand falling to her side and her heart racing out of her chest. "You are right. I have pushed myself too far." She felt like a fool, forcing Ciara to deal with the aftermath of her choices. She needed to get ahold of herself before she lost everyone.

"Ara, why don't you go wash the ink from your hands and change into something more comfortable while I clean this up. You need to rest."

Her teeth clenched almost as hard as her fist as she walked away from the mess she had left; everyone paid for her mistakes.

"Eivor, sister, what is going on?" Sigurd's voice was low as he noticed her frustrations as she clipped his shoulder with hers.

"I fear that my choices have come at a price, brother." All tact she had was replaced with pain and shame.

"Randvi is.. she is strong willed, much like you, Eivor. She would not have been the woman at my side for so long if she had not been. Our marriage was not built on love. I cannot speak on how you or her are feeling, but I do know that she will come back around. She loved you, even before she developed feelings. She is not one to abandon those she loves or her duties, she just needs time. We will get through this."

"I hurt her, Sigurd. Why would she still love me, even as a friend?" Her eyes fell to her soiled hand. The ink was drying and her fingers felt as though they were glued in place. Her head only lifted when she felt a familiar hand grip her shoulder.

"Do you still love her?"

"Of course, she is my friend. I have never stopped loving her. My romantic feelings may have faded, but she is still very close to my heart."

"Then what makes you think that she stopped loving you in that way? We have all broken one another's trust; done things that cause others to question our sanity, yet we have lost no one. One thing I love about our clan is that we forgive one another when we make a mistake. Your romance may have been fleeting, but deep down you two are almost as inseparable as you and I."

"I don't know if I agree. There were some that did not agree with me being in charge when you were gone; I lost people."

"You lost no one. Those who saw you as weak, they were not truly a friend of yours or mine. They were not worthy of being in our clan. Those who truly cared for you did not leave, even when you made questionable choices. You did not leave me even when you disagreed with who I had become. I have no choice but to believe that those who are meant to be in my life will stay and those that are not will leave. Randvi is one that will stay through anything. Just give her some time."

"I hope you are right, brother." She turned to face him, her clean hand resting atop his as he gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"When have I ever been wrong?" His yellowed teeth showed with a broad smile as he pulled his hand away.

Sigurd was right. If Randvi was going to leave, she was going to leave and there was no reason to fret over it; it would only hinder her in the long run. She was not sure if she felt the same as he did, however, about her coming back because she loved her. She made a horrible mistake that would hurt most anyone beyond forgiveness. All she could do was hope that he was right and that Randvi would come back for the sake of Ravensthorpe; she could not do this without her.

Ciara pushed her way into Eivor's room to find her sitting at her desk, going over papers and letters. It was interesting seeing her at work like this. She knew Eivor to be the one who put others first and to make sure everything was in order before she would let up, but it was normally in action and on the fly, not deep and calculated over papers. This was a side to Eivor she did not get to see when she was working with Flann; none of what she had seen lately had been.

"Eivor, I thought I told you to rest." she sighed.

Eivor continued to pour over her work, ignoring her efforts to get her to relax. The tension in her shoulders was tangible even through her clothes, and the stiffness that greeted her when she leaned in to place a kiss on her neck let her know that she had made the right decision.

"Why don't we take a hot bath and relax? It will do you well to get away from all of this."

"It will take too long to get all of that ready Ciara, but thank you. Azar's presence disrupted much of my daily duties that I now must catch up on; along with Randvi's absence, I am drowning."

"I could help you. You have provided me with a bed, food and warmth; I could easily take some of this off of your plate. Flann did not only treat me as a fancy pet."

"My burden is not yours to bear, Ciara. I appreciate your efforts, but I do not have the time to get the bath's ready, nor do I wish to thrust papers into your lap. You have done more than enough to clean up after me." Eivor's voice was hoarse as she spoke.

"And what if I told you that there was a warm bath waiting for you?" She placed another kiss on Eivor's neck, this time with more intention.

Eivor's breath caught under her touch and her fingers loosened, dropping the ink soaked feather to the desk. The stresses of the day ebbed away as each kiss placed brought a new wave of pleasure.

"We can deal with the work you have here when we are done. Come."

Eivor focused her eyes on the burning candle and feigned reluctancy as she waited for her body to come back to Earth. She stacked her papers in a pile off to the side and placed her quill back in its well before she allowed Ciara to drag her to the bathhouse and lock the door behind them.

The heat elicited a quick sweat as they both stood, fully clothed, in the humid room. Eivor sighed in protest as they walked further into the bathhouse. Ciara left a trail of clothes behind her as she walked. She had to admit, Eivor could be stubborn when she wanted to be, but she could be convincing when she wanted as well.

The waters of the bath were just as hot as she had left them and the flowers she had placed atop evoked a sweet aroma that filled the room. There wasn't much to do in a bathhouse to make it romantic, but she hoped her lack of clothing would help ease Eivor into a better mood.

She spun on her heel after checking the bath to see Eivor's back to her. Her fingers worked at her midsection, loosening buttons and ties to free herself from her warm clothes. To Ciara's dismay, Eivor was taking her time. She watched her walk to the hooks near the door and hung her coat and neatly folded her shirt on the bend beneath it. She couldn't take it anymore.

"Ara, do you need some help?" She watched Eivor's shoulders stiffen at her words.

"I think I can manage." Her voice gained more depth as massaging hands replaced the heavy furs that weighed her down, but it was still low and mostly lifeless.

"By the time you're finished, the water will have gone cold and your clothes will need a wash from the sweat." Ciara reached around and grasped the belt that held up Eivor's pants.

"Ciara." Eivor hissed.

"I told you to relax." Her words dripped like the condensation gathering on the rafters.

"Ciara, I don't think this is the right time." The battle of want and duty waged on in her mind.

"Then when will it be?" She sauntered around and placed her bare body, glistening from the heat, in front of Eivor.

Eivor tore her eyes from the floor as Ciara's bare feet came into view and sucked in the heavy air as she took in the view before her. Her pale skin was shining in the dim light and her arms were crossed under her breasts, placing them front and center for Eivor's viewing.

"Is this your way of trying to cheer me up?" Her eyes darkened at the sight before her.

"That depends. Is it working?"

A smirk formed at the corner of Eivor's mouth as her cold exterior fell. "It may be starting to."