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ladyinred2248 · 28 days

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The Scottish Princess, Finan x Reader

Summary: Finan meets King Constantin's daughter in Winchester, who is emotionally manipulated by King Alfred and is seeking a reprieve. Multiple parts, WIP.

TW: Emotional manipulation, Panic attacks, Sexual Themes. Mature. Minors DNI.

Your father had secured the borders of Scotland from all directions and felt steadfast in his treaty with King Alfred, a new treaty of peace that you had organized almost singularly during a visit to Wessex. What he did not know is exactly how you had managed to achieve this peace treaty between your nations.

You were coming of age now, a young woman of 20 years and for the past few years since the treaty had been enacted, you would journey to Wessex every Spring through Autumn and bestow news of the north and surrounding kingdoms to King Alfred as part of the union between nations. Well, at least that is what it seemed to outsiders and to Lady Aelswith. Alfred took a great liking to you, and the two of you had been having an affair for two years now. Although sexually you were pleased to share Alfred’s bed, emotionally you felt unfulfilled, and the guilt of the affair was tearing you apart. You knew Alfred did not think of you as indispensable, as he would never betray his beloved Aelswith - whether for personal reasons or political - so you were determined to end the affair this Spring when you arrived back in Wessex. Any feelings that had grown for the King inside your heart were unrealistic, and you often reminded yourself of this during the winters back home in Scotland when you missed his presence and his touch. When you were in Wessex, you spent months together whilst knowing that he had an obligation to fulfill his husbandly duties as well as those of Kingship, giving him space to do so. However, you were always at his beck and call to return to him every other night as he demanded. It was youth’s foolishness at its peak, and you were consistently manipulated by his handsome charms. It made you feel like a simple whore rather than a woman of nobility. When Alfred sent word that he wanted you to travel to Wessex again this Spring, you had decided to obey, if only to escape the monotony of palace life, yearning for a glimpse of the outside world away from your duties and decorating your father, the King’s, presence. But you were determined to end the affair this year, once and for all, in hopes you could find a noble man and start living again.

You arrived in Winchester on a Spring morning, arriving through the gates with your guard and almost immediately being gestured to the palace by Alfred’s men.

“Your Highness. The King awaits you urgently.” His guardsman stated, taking you away wistfully into the palace.

As you were guided through the palace corridors, three men passed you by. There was one leading while two others walked slightly behind him, the leader seemingly a Dane judging by his looks with long hair pulled into braids, and kohl blackened eyes that were as blue as the ocean. The second was young, perhaps younger than you, a true Dane it seemed as you took in his armor and stature. The third man was different, a bearded Saxon man with tall, broad shoulders and a breathtaking physique.

The Leader nodded to you with a smirk as he passed, and you managed a small smile. As you passed them by, you turned your head back in order to gain another glimpse of the Saxon, who met your gaze as he did the exact same thing.

You entered the King’s hall, a guard gesturing for you to enter the bedchamber. You pushed the door open slowly, peeking in and around, and it instantly made you feel dread in the pit of your stomach. The feeling of being deceitful that you knew all too well.

“Lord King,” you addressed Alfred as soon as he made his presence known from the back corner.

“Hello, Princess.” he managed to speak out before moving for you quickly, lustfully grabbing your body and bestowing a searing kiss to your lips, his tongue tracing yours as you wrapped your arms around him. You fell into his embrace with ease for several moments until he motioned you closer to his bed. You pulled away from him to speak.

“Lord King, I - we must speak,” you managed to get out as his lips came to your neck and his hands ravaged across your body.

“Later,” he whispered as he tugged at the straps of your dress.

“Lord King!” You addressed him sternly, pushing him away from you. Alfred paused and adjusted himself and his clothing, then looked into your eyes.

“My apologies, Your Highness. My hunger for you is… unwaning, it seems. We have been apart for a long time. Come, sit.” He said calmly as he gestured you over to the table in his chamber. You smirked at him, grabbing his hand in yours to squeeze it for a moment which led him to give you a soft, half smile. He always had a very serious demeanor.

“Tell me how your Kingdom fared this past Winter. Tell me what is on your mind.” He said quietly as he looked at you from across the table.

“It fared well, Lord King, despite a raid or two to the East.” You replied softly. You continued to update him on current events, and then grew silent as your mind switched to the inevitable.

“Lord King, we cannot… I cannot keep traveling to Winchester to live a lie.” You spoke.

Alfred looked down and contemplated for a moment.

“Life is rarely fair,” He said softly, his half smile returning as he took your hand in his. “Are you telling me that you no longer want me?”

You hesitated to answer his question. It’s not that you didn’t want him. The physical chemistry between the two of you was there. It was the dynamic, the politics, the deception of it all.

He waited a moment for you to reply, and when you didn’t, he stood from the table and walked over to you. The King gestured you up from the table, taking your hand and leading you to the bed. He kissed you hungrily, his hands running up and down your body as you returned his gestures. Before your mind could catch up, you were naked in the presence of the King, in his bed with his body on top of yours. He gave your body what it had been aching for all winter, bringing you to the edge beneath him several times, but the emotional connection was lacking. You wondered if you loved him. How could you not? This was the third Spring that you had answered his call. It was impossible to not get attached. But love? That had to be deeper, you thought. You knew it had to. This could not be love; It could only bring misery to all. You succumbed to desire, the desire to feel wanted or cherished, even if it wasn’t ideal.

You left Alfred’s chamber in a haze, the guards showing you to your quarters. As you got settled and tried to calm the nerves festering within you, you decided that you would go for a walk, perhaps to the Alehouse in Winchester to blow off some steam. After all, being Scottish royalty in Winchester gave you discretion as you were not well known. You adorned your cloak and left the palace, being careful not to be seen by Alfred’s guards.

You approached the bustling Alehouse as dusk settled, taking care to be aware of your surroundings but also moving with confidence. Another reason that you agreed to come to Winchester every year was so that you could feel a sense of freedom, normalcy even that was not alloted to you by your overbearing father. You stepped inside the Alehouse, coming to the counter to request a drink.

Uhtred, Finan, and Sihtric had been at a table nearby, laughing and chatting as they drank. As you stood at the counter you took the hood of your cloak down and as Finan glanced over, he recognized you from the palace instantly. His typical boisterous confidence waned as he watched you from across the room, tempted to walk up to you and speak but he hesitated.

As you took a few large gulps of ale, you glanced across the room and caught the Irishman staring at you. He looked down quickly, but you held your gaze on him and recognized him immediately as well. You held your gaze until he felt your eyes on him, looking up again to meet your eyes with a smirk before getting pulled back into conversation with the men. You assumed that this had to be Lord Uhtred and his men, as you heard everyone address Uhtred as “Lord.” Alfred had told you of Uhtred, hearing valiant stories of him and the men who followed him, but you had yet to have the pleasure of introductions. The King preferred you to be discreet.

As you finished another mug of ale, you placed coins on the counter and stood to leave, walking back out into the crisp night air, knowing that the King would get suspicious of your whereabouts if you stayed away for too long.

A presence in the dark startled you outside as you reached for your dagger, only to come in contact with Lord Uhtred’s mysterious Saxon man.

“I, uh, sorry.. I didn’t mean to scare ya.” Finan said with a soft chuckle and his hands raised.

You giggled as you sheathed your dagger. “That’s alright... I’m sorry, but I don’t entertain men from Alehouses.”

Finan laughed. “I didn’t assume that you did. You are a noble, yes? This can’t be a safe place for ya.”

You observed Finan’s stance and assumed his kindness was genuine. He smiled softly at you with twinkling dark eyes and you returned the smile as you spoke.

“I am fine, thank you. I can take care of myself.” You replied, turning to walk away down the street.

Finan nervously hesitated, trying to think of what to say to make you stay with him for a moment. He thought you were enchanting and your confidence attracted him. He moved quickly to catch up with you.

“Hey! Uh, maybe I could escort you back?” He asked.

You noted his accent. It wasn’t Scottish, it was Irish.

“Well…I suppose.” You answered.

He walked next to you quietly for a moment.

“Your accent.. you are far from home, lady.” Finan said as you met his eyes, giving him a smirk.

“So are you.”

Finan was easy to talk with and comfortable to be around, something you had experienced so seldomly at the palace or back home with all the intolerable noble men. He coaxed deep laughs from your belly, making you realize how long it had been since you had laughed at all. He flirted with you subtly, pinching your side to tickle you as you giggled.

As the two of you got closer to the Palace after your long walk, the same familiar dread festered in the pit of your stomach. You took a hand to your belly, taking a deep breath as anxiety hit you again, stopping to lean against a tree. You couldn’t keep living this way. But as far as you knew - Alfred could have as much control as he wanted over you. Especially now that you had submitted yourself to him again.

Finan looked at you and witnessed the disdain and discomfort you held, his brows furrowing with concern as he leaned his arm above you against the same tree.

“Hey, are ya alright?”

You hesitated before answering, taking a gulp as tears filled your eyes.

“No… no I am not… I cannot go back, I cannot!!!” You responded as your hands started shaking, a panic attack festering inside you as your heart raced to no end.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Finan said lightheartedly as he took your arms gently, gesturing for you to sit down with him. “Just breathe, you’re okay… you’re okay,” he whispered as he took your hands, looking into your eyes. He was so familiar with what you were going through.

“I cannot… I cannot…” you continued to pant as you sat with Finan on the ground, tears falling from your eyes onto your warm cheeks. He interlaced his fingers with yours as he sat with you, looking at you intently.

“Breathe with me, pretty girl… it's going to be okay. I’m here with ya.” He comforted, bringing you back down to earth slowly.

After your breathing had come closer to normal and you stopped shaking as much in Finan’s hands, he took the back of his hand to your cheek, a slight caress that continued to bring your awareness back.

“What is it that you fear? Has someone mistreated ya?” He whispered.

You brought your eyes to Finan’s again, hesitating to answer for a moment as you looked into his deep brown eyes.

“I…the King, he… I am ashamed…” is all you could muster out, tears filling your eyes again as Finan looked at you.

“I’ve heard he’s a real arse when it comes to women...” Finan responded with disdain.

“I just… I can’t do it anymore. He controls my life and I can’t live like this anymore,” You replied sternly as your anxiety turned to anger. You got up from your seated position, starting to walk in the opposite direction of the palace.

Finan stood and trudged after you. “Lady, uh, where are ya goin’?”

“Anywhere but here.” You mumbled, just loud enough for Finan to hear.

“Lady,” Finan started as he caught up to you and sighed. “… it’s not safe for ya to wander the streets at night. You can have my room at the Inn.”

Tears fell from your eyes again as you turned around and came closer to Finan, burying your face in his chest as your arms wrapped around his torso. He let you grasp him for a moment, hesitant at first, then brought his strong arms around you to hold you. You stayed with him like that for a moment, until Finan grew nervous, looking around for onlookers for fear of being seen with you. He pulled away and took your hand in his.

“Come, let’s go.”

You nodded and followed him to the Inn, his large strong hand enveloping yours. It was quiet and only a few townspeople were out and about. He took you up the stairs to a modest room, and as you entered Finan fumbled with his things, nervously preoccupying himself with making space for you. He then lit the hearth, quietly keeping to himself as you took in the space.

The King had noticed your absence as the night hour grew late, and he was silently furious.

“Lord King, she is not within the Palace.” Alfred’s guard told him after they had searched high and low for you throughout the grounds.

Your anxiety had ceased now that you were within four walls, but you were aware of Finan keeping his distance from you as he sat at the table, pouring you both a glass of wine. He turned to look at you and handed you the glass.

“You can, uh.. have the bed.” He mumbled as you looked at him, searing into his gaze and making his heart race. You took the glass from him, taking a sip before setting it down, your eyes remaining on him. He was stunning, even with all of his armor you imagined his body would be tantalizing underneath it. You hadn’t been in the close presence of a true warrior such as this, and he was treating you so sweetly, a pure gentleman. He had settled your body and mind just by being near. In a strange way, it made your heart and your core ache for him.

You took Finan’s hand again, this time turning his palm up and bringing it to your mouth, bestowing a wet kiss to his calloused palm. He took a deep breath as he watched you, his eyes lingering on your lips as you traced his hand with them. He felt his cock grow hard and pulled his hand away from you, holding your eye contact.

“Do you not crave a woman’s touch?” You whispered to him as he held your gaze.

He smirked at you, his eyes deep with lust.

“And if it gets me killed? I have a feeling that you are an important woman.”

You looked at him innocently, moving closer to him until your noses almost touched. You longed to kiss him and feel his tongue, the combination of ale and his handsome gaze on you making you feel steadfast in your feelings of wanton desire. You longed for him to touch your body and fulfill your needs as you witnessed the light red flush across his cheeks.

“You can take pleasure from me, Irishman. I permit it.” You whispered in his ear, giving Finan a deep shudder throughout his body. You bravely brought your hand down to graze at his hard cock in his trousers, causing Finan to let out a soft moan.

“Not… until you tell me who ya are.” He replied sternly as he jumped away, looking at you with the same desire but a change in his eyes.

You sighed, turning away from him as you stepped away slowly. He watched you as you crossed your arms and turned back to face him. You didn’t want to admit who you were to him. You would rather enjoy yourself and be ravaged by a man who didn’t seek to control your life.

“The daughter of King Constantin.” You replied hesitantly.

Finan’s eyes widened as his breath caught in his throat, causing him to cough before he spoke.

“No. No way. This is not happenin’. Absolutely not!”

You released your arms and came closer to him again, putting your hands on his arms and seeking to align with Finan’s gaze again as his shocked expression didn’t fade.

“I only seek to be my own woman.” You muttered to him.

“No. Not only are you a royal, but Alfred desires you? No. I value my freedom, lady.” He said, pulling away from your grasp.

You sighed as you watched him walk back to the table, pouring a glass of ale and turning back to look at you as he gulped it down, then sat down with a sigh.

“You can stay here for tonight. That… is all.” He commanded.

You smirked at him. “Thank you, Finan.”

“No, don’t thank me. In fact… stay over there,” he gestured at the distance between you, chuckling lightly.

You grinned at him and took a few steps closer to him, grabbing your cup of wine from the table and taking a drink. Finan immediately stood from the table, begging distance from you.

“No! Nope,” he said with his hands up as he stepped away from you. His actions made you giggle again.

“Finan, I am not the devil!” You chuckled.

Finan laughed deeply, grabbing his ale and taking a gulp as you continued to slowly come close to him, backing him into a wall.

“Keep your distance from me, temptress!” He chuckled, signing the cross at his chest with his hand, dodging your attempt to come closer to him.

You grabbed his hand with yours and pulled him towards you as he continued to pull away.

“Agh,” he groaned.

You giggled and brought your face close to his, your noses touching as you both became serious. You grazed your lips softly over his, waiting for him to deepen your soft touch into a kiss as he bestowed his hands upon your hips, pulling you closer to him.

Suddenly, a harsh knock came upon the door, Uhtred shouting from behind it.

“Finan, the King requests our assistance!”

You pulled away from Finan, holding his eye contact as he shook his head.

“No, please… don’t answer.” You pleaded. Finan sighed as he looked at you, then walked away and gestured to open the door. Uhtred looked in and saw you standing there, keeping his gaze on you for a moment until he looked to Finan. Uhtred rolled his eyes.

“And what is this?!” Uhtred asked sternly, recognizing you from the palace.

“It’s… the reason the King asks for our assistance, I presume.” Finan smirked.

Sihtric had followed and joined Uhtred at the door, looking to you in surprise. He then looked at Finan and laughed, which brought a small smile to Uhtred’s lips.

@gemini-mama @bhxrdy @alexagirlie @whitedarkmoonflower @persephones-journey @king-alfred @itbmojojoejo

#finan the agile #the last kingdom #finan tlk #finan tlk fanfic #tlk fandom #tlk fanfic #finan x reader #the last kingdom smut #the last kingdom finan

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aimeedaisies · 9 months

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✨ 15 days of Princess Anne ✨

August is Princess Anne’s birth month and her 73rd birthday is on the 15th so until then we will look at her fascinating life, one photo for every year!

The 2010s

2010 Princess Anne taking the Newcastle Metro train from Jesmond to Haymarket in March 2010. (I’ve been on this metro route 😂)

2011 Grandma Anne and Grandpa Tim pushing their firstborn granddaughter Savannah Phillips in her pushchair at Gatcombe Horse Trials, on 26th March 2011.

2012 Zara Phillips presented with a silver medal by her mother, Princess Anne, after the Eventing Team Jumping Final Equestrian event on Day 4 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Greenwich Park, on 31st July 2012.

2013 Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Anne at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in November 2013.

2014 Princess Anne and her husband Tim Laurence, looking ever so bored, at the Short Track on day 3 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Iceberg Skating Palace on 10th February 2014 in Sochi, Russia.

2015 Princess Anne and King Constantine II at the Beat the Retreat ceremony in Cowes, Isle of Wight on 5th June 2015.

2016 Princess Anne at the annual Founder's Day Parade at The Royal Hospital Chelsea on 9th June 2016.

2017 Princess Anne attending the London Lord Mayor's Banquet at the Guildhall during a State visit by the King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain on 13th July 2017.

2018 Princess Anne and Sir Tim Laurence attending the World War I commemorations on the Isle of Islay in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland on 4th May 2018.

2019 Princess Anne with her husband Sir Tim opening the new Commonwealth War Graves Commission Visitor Centre, the CWGC Experience at Beaurains, France on 26th June 2019.

#happy birthday for tomorrow anne 🥰#15 days of anne #princess anne #princess royal

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cas-kingdom · 2 years

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In the Air

A/N: Set after season 5, so spoilers for that. Reader is Uhtred’s younger sister, taken with him by the Vikings when she was a baby. Enjoy!

Title: In the Air

Summary: After Osferth’s death, Bebbanburg doesn’t much feel like home. Uhtred’s there to help you grieve.

Words: 3366

In the grand scheme of things, everything had fallen neatly into place.

Bebbanburg had been restored to its natural splendour with Uhtred as its lord and protector. King Constantin had returned to Scotland and the sounds of the previous week’s battle were growing more distant by the day. A general peace had blanketed England with Edward’s return to Wessex and some semblance of order between the Danes and the Saxons.

The air was calm for now, and breathing was easier than it had been in a long while.

And yet, there was still something. Something that felt just that bit wrong. Because despite it all…all the celebratory drinking into the early morning, and the feeling of somewhat-safety within four walls people could proudly call home, and the laughter resounding throughout Bebbanburg as the men sang intoxicated versions of explicit songs they were insistent they’d made up on the spot…the losses hung heavy.

Uhtred had often lain awake at times years ago, visualising what it might be like to invite Ragnar to Bebbanburg, to see where he’d been born and raised for a time. Then, he had wanted to see Beocca back in the library, where the priest had used to usher him in for morning lessons after he had arrived late with breakfast stuffed in his mouth. He’d wished to show Gisela the view from the barricades, where he’d once watched the ships come in as the sun rose above the horizon. And he’d longed to sit with Aethelflaed in a room somewhere, safe, where they could talk, away from prying eyes, about anything they wished to talk about. Because he believed they had both deserved such a trivial thing.

Part of him had held all these thoughts in one tight embrace as he fell to the floor once Bebbanburg was securely in his grasp. The grievances they caused had spilled from him in tears, mixing with the blood and the rainwater on the ground. Relief and happiness and pure joy had blurred into one, but a mountainous anguish had tainted it. Because though he had won back his homeland, many of the people he had yearned to share such a long-awaited joy with were gone.

It had been just two weeks since Bebbanburg’s reclamation, and those grievances were smoothing out. Slowly, but surely nonetheless. His home was not as he remembered, but he had expected as much. Not only had the land itself changed in the decades he’d been away, but the recent fire, no matter how much the rain had helped quench it, still scarred the settlement. He and his men had been steadily working to return it to its rightful glory, rebuilding what they could—in between the drinking and songs, of course—and for the most part, Uhtred found himself content. He had his family within his walls, safe and relatively happy, and though there was much to be done, he was grateful for the here and now.

The only relief, selfish as it was, that helped slake the ache in his heart, was the fact that he was not alone in it. Perhaps his ache differed to others who had lost people, but there were enough similarities to feel as though he was not going through it by himself. He knew the majority felt it, too. The bond that had inadvertently, yet gratefully tied itself around each being in Bebbanburg. But his thoughts loitered on you more than they did anything else, too long for personal comfort.

You were an independent person. You had not lived the easiest life, following Uhtred through battles and paths of disloyalty, catching yourself in the centre of the animosity between him and Ragnar, all the while attempting to find you own way throughout it all. You’d been too young when Bebbanburg had first been taken, a baby Uhtred had held onto during his ordeal with the Vikings you both would come to know as family. He hadn’t yet been given much of an opportunity to sit and talk with you like you often had in your life before, to gauge your feelings on being home, to understand if there was anything he could do to help. Though you’d lost all he had lost, you still clung onto one that he knew he could only feel less.

Osferth.

The two of you had never shown any obvious affection that couldn’t be passed off as something between two friends, but those within your close circle had seen every lingering glance, every secret kiss on the cheek, every moment in which you’d excuse yourselves in the evening to sit in a corner to talk. None had commented on it, but they hadn’t needed to. They had all, including you and Osferth, accepted that you were each other’s love, and it had never required verbal confirmation. Uhtred had often wondered why you hadn’t been more open with it, wondering if it was perhaps the monk part or the Viking-Saxon part, but he had settled some time ago on it being something else. Something no one could touch or disturb except you and Osferth. If it wasn’t public, nobody could use it against you, as love so often was. It was yours and yours alone. Or…had been.

You had withdrawn into yourself since his death, though you tried to be present. They had all noticed it…Finan, Sihtric, Stiorra…though they missed him too, they were more careful to bring him up when you were around. They’d seen you react to passing mentions of him, the glaze in your eyes and the dampening of your mood…yes. They’d known. And they still knew.

Uhtred followed the sound of loud voices into the hall of his home. Shouting wasn’t uncommon in such a place, but after the life he’d lived, he’d learnt to be careful. As he’d expected, the voices and those they belonged to were rather…harmless. Perhaps more some than others, if he had you to go by. You were stood in front of a lounging Finan, your arms raised hopelessly as you yelled at him. Finan’s eyes were wide, but that didn’t stop him from popping grapes into his mouth as he assumedly maintained the notion that he was seriously listening.

It was very obvious that you had been seconds away from starting a physical fight when Uhtred interrupted.

“What is the matter?” he asked above the clamour of noise. Your hand stopped mid-exasperation and Finan ceased chewing.

“Finan stole my room,” you insisted breathlessly, the furious expression on your face set in stone.

Finan clearly disagreed. He shook his head and pointed a finger earnestly at you. “Ah, I think you mean: Finan won his room.” He turned to Uhtred then, who was watching on closely in case he had to step in. The growing anger on your face told him that may be more plausible than not. Finan shrugged. “It was a bet, Lord. It’s got the best view.”

“You can have the one beside mine, Y/N,” Uhtred said. “It was once to be yours, after all.”

“And hear you and whichever woman you bring home to hump?” You scoffed and Uhtred rose a brow. “No, thank you. I’ll take the one beside Stiorra.”

Sihtric spoke up then, his silently grinning face swiftly making room for an irking smile as he interrupted your brief acceptance on the bedroom situation. “Actually, I think we—Finan? Yeah. That’s my room.”

“Sihtric, you flaming ball of—”

And there was Uhtred’s cue. He caught your fist before it connect with Sihtric’s laughing face, tugging it back to hold against your chest. You didn’t struggle, instead fixing the man with a deathly stare that, if anything, only had him laughing harder. Finan was no better off, snorting into his fist while attempting to keep from choking on the grape in his mouth. No doubt you wished he would stop attempting.

“Calm,” Uhtred said. “He is teasing. You can have the one beside Stiorra. It is biggest.”

“Right, and do I get the closest stable for my horse too?” It would be untrue to say Finan had received no warning. It would also be untrue to say he had not deserved it. Needless to say, when you wrenched yourself from Uhtred’s hold, grabbed the bowl of grapes, and began to launch the fruit at his face, Uhtred felt no need to thwart it.

“Ow!” Finan yelped most undignifiedly—as if he had ever been dignified to begin with—and brought his hands up to shield his face. “You little shit!”

Since the reclamation of Bebbanburg, Uhtred had certainly noticed your sensitivity to certain situations, and this seemed to be one of them. On any other day, in any other part of England, after any other loss, you would have engaged in Finan’s friendly repartee, enjoying infuriating him just as much as he did you. But the Irishman had chosen the wrong time to open that opportunity back up, and as he continued to be pelted with grapes, he seemed to realise that.

When you had emptied the bowl, a satisfied glint appearing in your eyes as Finan rubbed at the sore spots, Uhtred stepped forward.

“Go to the tavern and drink,” he ordered, directing his attention at both Finan and Sihtric. When they didn’t move, he jerked his head at the door. “Now. Come on, out. You too. Sihtric.”

“Lord,” Finan grumbled as he got to his feet, “I think you’re supposed to discourage the drinking.”

“You can help the maids in the kitchen if you would prefer—”

“First round’s on me, Sihtric.”

They disappeared quickly, and your shoulders sagged in relief. You looked exhausted, and Uhtred was reminded once again of his desire to speak to you alone. He reached forward and squeezed your shoulder, waiting for you to turn your weary eyes on him before he nodded in the direction of the back door leading out of the settlement.

“Come,” he said.

“Where are we going?”

“I want to show you something.” The sea air hit him as you exited the hall. He nodded to the guards stationed on the ramparts and led the way around the back of the walls, cautious with his footing against the unsteady rocks and the harsh breeze.

“Careful,” he called back, extending an arm for you to latch onto as he reached a part he could tell was unpredictable land. In the decades away from home, much had changed to the landscape, and he knew that he would need to reinforce the ground at some point. As a child, he had easily been able to travel along this route to reach this particular destination, not at all anxious about the ground’s ability to keep him safe. Now, it was a mess of loose rocks and corroded hillside, and he made sure to grip you tight in case you happened to put your foot on an unforgiving stone.

“It was heated back there,” he spoke loud over the waves, keeping his gaze below in case he put his foot on an unforgiving stone and pulled you down with him.

“Finan gets away with too much,” was your response, and Uhtred chuckled. You were far from wrong.

There was a spot on the cliff edge where Uhtred had once used to spend hours of his time, watching the ships in the horizon and the gulls up ahead as the sea crashed against the rocks below. He would shut his eyes and breathe in the salty air until his lips were chapped and his palms were dry, and then he would go in for lunch, or for a lesson with Beocca. Often, in the years before now, Uhtred had thought of it foremostly whenever memories of home surfaced in his mind. It had been the one true way for him to feel peace unlike any other. He had never shared it with anyone, but in this new life, this new opportunity that he had won back, he wished to share it with you more than anyone.

In the distance, the sun was readying to set, its sleepy orange glow dousing the blue of daylight. The ocean shone with its reflection as it called for the moon. Uhtred bent to check the ground beneath the wet tufts of grass before lowering himself down. You stayed standing, gazing out across the sea with an innocent wonder in your eyes that your brother adored. Eventually, you sat beside him, stretching your legs out in front of you.

“It is beautiful,” you breathed out.

Uhtred was vigilant but direct with his words. “Osferth would have said the sky was painted by the Lord himself.”

As he had expected, your wonder dwindled quickly. You blinked, your face falling and your body instinctively tensing. You did not turn to look at him. Your mood had plummeted.

A frown marred Uhtred’s features and he leaned forward slightly in an attempt to look you in the eye. “Oh, sister. I wish you did not hurt so much.” Your forehead creased and your jaw clenched, but Uhtred did not let it sway him. “Let me help,” he said. “You shy away from every mention of him.”

It was then that you flicked your eyes towards his. “Because every mention of him reminds me,” you stated tersely, your fists clenched by your sides. “He died in my arms, Uhtred. Everything before that is now damaged.” You turned back to the ocean and shook your head. “I cannot think of him without thinking of how it ended, so I do not think of him at all. And yes,” you said as you rubbed your eyes with a fist, “it hurts both ways.”

Uhtred could think of nothing to say for the moment, so he extended an arm and gently rested his hand between your shoulder blades. You didn’t respond to the pressure except to lean slightly into it, effectively giving him enough reassurance to know that his touch was what you wanted.

It was alleviating to hear you finally free your thoughts. Now that you had, he had an opportunity to help you through your heartache. You had done so enough for him, after his countless losses, many of which had been yours too, and he knew that he was not the easiest person to help ease through grief. You had been more than patient with him, and he was more than ready to turn it around.

“You remember when Gisela died?” he asked quietly, his voice travelling towards you with the breeze. You did not respond, but Uhtred had expected as such. He continued. “I locked myself within my mind. People were afraid to bring up her name. I’m sure you remember; you were the first to do so…something about her brooch, I think.” He caught what might have been a sliver of a smile pulling at the corners of your lips. “Once I moved past the initial frustration every time, I realised it felt…relieving. To hear someone speak of her in the light I wished to remember her in always. I began to welcome these passing mentions, to let them overwhelm my last painful memories of her. Not to eradicate them completely…no, they still need to be felt. But to let them subdue them.” He turned purposefully towards you. “That is what you must do, Y/N.”

You shook your head. “I can’t.”

“Not alone, no. Let me help. Let us all help. Even Finan, the bastard…you know how he adores you. Start slow.” There was a moment of hesitation in which he reconsidered his next words, but decided they had to be said at some point. Right here, right now, on this collapsing cliffside that Uhtred had once dubbed the most peaceful place on Earth, he knew it was the right time. “Can you tell me something about Osferth?” he asked.

“No.” Your response was not harsh, instead riddled with rising emotion, your breathing hitching before and after you uttered the defining word.

“Look past your last moment with him,” Uhtred gently instructed.

“I cannot do that, Uhtred. It’s there.”

“Alright.” Uhtred moved his grasp from your back to your hand, pulling it up and towards the left side of your chest. He pushed it into you enough for you to tip only slightly backwards with the force, emphasising his words. “Then think of it,” he said instead. “Think of it hard. Allow yourself to remember it, and then look behind it. At everything you had together. Every look, every touch. Remember the good. Remember him.”

With each movement of your brother’s lips, your expression morphed into something one could only describe as anguished. Your eyes glazed over so suddenly, and your free-falling tears quickly followed. Your lips trembled, your cheeks grew red, and the hand enclosed in Uhtred’s grabbed at his in desperation. When your entire body deflated and you fell against him, in need of his comfort more than anything, you burst into sobs.

“I miss him, Uhtred,” you spoke around your tears. Uhtred wrapped his arms so tight around you, shutting his eyes against your heaving body. “I miss what we created and—and our plans for the future. We—we wanted to settle once we returned to Bebbanburg. He said he wanted a family with me, and I—and I wanted the same. All our years together…our time spent loving each other…they have all gone.”

Uhtred cradled the back of your head. “No, sister,” he said, “never gone. They are here still. They are yours forever to keep safe until you see him again.” He opened his eyes, unsurprised to find his vision bleared with his own tears, and stared out across the ocean. “Don’t hide from the memories of him. Let them in and let them soften the blow. Soon…it will not get better, but it will get easier.”

You let yourself settle against your brother’s chest, and Uhtred welcomed it. He neither moved to pull away, nor rush you into doing so yourself. He stayed in the position you had caught him in, not a muscle moving except to stroke the back of your head and subconsciously sway barely-obviously from side to side, a motion he used to soothe himself as much as you. His eyes were ahead, watching each wave, his ears listening to each crash against the rocks below, his lips slowly drying from the salty air. He had not felt such peace like this, his arms wrapped around his precious sister, in time too long to count.

You sniffed and moved your head slightly against him, resting your cheek against his chest so you too could look out across the sea. Tears still clung to your lashes, and you blinked them away. “I feel him sometimes,” you muttered, “when I’m alone. It’s like he is watching over my shoulder.”

Uhtred smiled. “I feel the same with Gisela. So does Stiorra. Perhaps you can talk to her too.”

You waited a moment before nodding once, and Uhtred’s smile widened. You were one step further.

“You know…” You shifted again, taking in a deep, shaky breath. “I have never felt a love like I did with Osferth. He was like another part of me, something I was unaware existed until we met. That is why it agonises me to feel his loss. He has taken that part with him to his Heaven.”

“I believe it better to have been in love and feel such loss, than to never have been in love at all,” Uhtred said. The breeze lifted, blowing past you both in a way that seemed to nudge you even further towards each other. He dipped his head and kissed your crown, resting his lips there for a moment as he glanced up at the sky, searching for someone. “Each day, you will grow stronger. We will all be by your side, every step of the way. I promise you.”

You pushed yourself away then, just enough to raise a hand and place it on his cheek. You smiled and leant forward to kiss the other side. “I love you, brother.”

“And I you,” Uhtred said, knowing he spoke for more than simply himself.

The breeze seemed to agree.

TLK Masterpost

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racefortheironthrone · 5 months

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It's command to refer to pre Norman English Kingdoms as Anglo-Saxon, but would the people /kings have considered themselves as such? Or was there still a separate Saxon / Angle / Jutish identity?

The answer is that it changed over time. After you had the Saxons, Angles, and Jutes, you had the Heptarchy, and so forth. So for many years, people would not have considered themselves Anglo-Saxon and probably had never heard that word used in that way.

However, one of the major long-term ideological projects of the House of Wessex was to promote a broader identity beyond one's local region, as part of their project to beat back the Danes and eventually unify England under their reign. Thus, Alfred the Great started his reign as the King of Wessex, but in 886 CE started styling himself as King of the Anglo-Saxons after he had reconquered London from the Vikingers. His son Edward the Elder continued that claim, using it to leverage his claims to Mercia and East Anglia.

Then with Edward's son Æthelstan the Thunderbolt, you get the first of the House of Wessex to style himself as King of the English, which is really where you start to see an attempt to construct a unified "English" identity, although he also used the title "Rex totius Britanniae" (King of all Britain) after defeating King Constantine II of Scotland and forcing him to swear vassalage.

#history #english history #house of wessex

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scotianostra · 10 months

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On 12 July 927 King Constantín mac Áeda, King Hywel Dda , Ealdred of Bamburgh, and King Owain ap Dyfnwal gathered at Eamont, near Penrith, to accept Æthelstan as their overlord.

Æthelstan was king of the Anglo Saxons and later England, regarded by many as their first King, Constantín mac Áeda, giving him his old Gaelic name, was King of Alba, mostly covering lands around the Tay down to the Forth, King Hywel Dda, it won't surprise you was ruler of Wales, Ealdred of Bamburgh, King of Northumberland and Owain ap Dyfnwal ruled Strathclyde, which included parts of modern day Cumbria.

After defeating the Norsemen at York Æthelstan started to stamp his authority in the North and according to the ‘Annals of Ulster’ in 927 AD Constantine and Owain had met with Æthelstan, on what was probably the Northumbria/Strathclyde border, where:

“... they surrendered themselves and their kingdoms to the sovereign of England. Out of regard to this treaty, the king himself stood as sponsor for the son of Constantine, who was ordered to be baptized at the sacred font.”

The ‘Anglo-Saxon Chronicle’ also records the meeting its list of attendees differed and it's a wee bit more dramatic, so I'll classify it as the tabloid of the day!! “In this year [927] fiery beams of light appeared in the north part of the sky. And Sihtric died; and King Athelstan succeeded to the kingdom of the Northumbrians, and he subjugated all the kings that were in this island: first, Hywel king of the West Welsh, and Constantine king of the Scots, and Owain king of Gwent, and Ealdred son of Eadwulf from Bamburgh:+ and with pledge and with oaths they confirmed peace, in the place called Eamont, on the 4th of the Ides of July [12th July], and renounced every kind of idolatry; and after that departed in peace.”

It led to six years of peace between the Northern Kings and the new King of England, by 934 things had taken a turn as “In this year King Athelstan went into Scotland, with both a land-force and a ship-force, and ravaged a great part of it.”

Other sources tell that Constantine's son was taken to England as a hostage to keep the peace.

There is loads more info on how things developed in the tenth century and beyond here http://www.dot-domesday.me.uk/athelstan.htm

The pic shows how the British Isles looked back then.

#scotland #scottish #history #england #anglo saxon

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ariadnethedragon · 1 year

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‘No slaughter yet was greater made e’er in this island; Of people slain before this same, with edge of a sword.’

The Battle of Brunanburh was fought in 937 between Æthelstan, King of England, and an alliance of Olaf Guthfrithson, King of Dublin, Constantine II, King of Scotland, and Owain, King of Strathclyde. The battle is often cited as the point of origin for English nationalism: historians such as Michael Livingston argue that "the men who fought and died on that field forged a political map of the future that remains [in modernity], arguably making the Battle of Brunanburh one of the most significant battles in the long history not just of England, but of the whole of the British Isles."

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tiny-librarian · 9 months

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Royal Birthdays for today, July 22nd:

Joan of England, Queen of Scotland, 1210

Philip I, King of Castile and Léon, 1478

Catherine Stenbock, Queen of Sweden, 1535

Marguerite of Lorraine, Duchess of Orléans, 1615

Adolphus Frederick V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, 1848

Sobhuza II, King of Swaziland, 1899

Constantin, Prince of Nassau, 1988

Noriko Senge, Japanese Princess, 1988

Felix of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, 2002

George of Wales, British Prince, 2013

#prince george #princess noriko #count felix #catherine stenbock #philip i #prince constantin #sobhuza ii #adolphus frederick v #Marguerite of Lorraine #joan of england #long live the queue #royal birthdays

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beardedmrbean · 17 days

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Oh here some that I didn’t know until I played ac games. I mean I pointed out I didn’t the Iroquois was a confederacy. Though there were two Npcs in game arguing about it

But also

I didn’t know Argos is a real place in Greece

Or how most Greeks myths we know are Mycenaeans rooted and the Mycenaeans are more like….uuuuh…probably another better idea. But the Mycenaeans are to the classical Greeks what the Pilgrims are to Americans

Or that London is actually a city founded by the Romans under the name Londinium until a saw it name from a sidequest

Okay ac Valhalla England is very bastardized (as in the Brit’s are annoyed but hey it from a French company lol) and they heavily cheated with this one where a lot of Roman structures are still around despite realistically they should be gone. Because they want to have post apocalyptic feeling of England after the fall of Rome where everyone is fighting to survive and you’re in the ruins of a great empire

I also didn’t know Ellis Island is named after the region Ellis where the og Olympics took place until I saw it

I also did know Philadelphia and Memphis are old names-wait a minute

Alexandria= Named after Alexander the Great

Constantinople: Named after Emperor Constantine no?

Is Philadelphia named after King Philip? Man I’m dumb

But I interested in how they will do Japan like pointing out the pre feudal era and how it lead to the warring states. Oh maybe they can shown me what books they used for inspiration in the discovery tour

Ya most native groups worked as a loose alliance of people that spoke the same/similar language, it's wild how little they actually teach about all of that, but there's a lot to learn and we now have the internet to help.

I didn’t know Argos is a real place in Greece Or how most Greeks myths we know are Mycenaeans rooted and the Mycenaeans are more like….uuuuh…probably another better idea. But the Mycenaeans are to the classical Greeks what the Pilgrims are to Americans

Guy I knew from Macedonia, fun to ask things about Alexander the Great and such since they're totally different places.

If you want extra fun, look up the history of Anatolia, all kinds of ethnic fun there, might leave you asking the question "where did the Turks come from"

Or that London is actually a city founded by the Romans under the name Londinium until a saw it name from a sidequest

Ya lots of England is like that, one of the more foolish things any roman emperor did was Hadrian's wall, you're an empire you don't build something that's supposed to be a permanent barrier and line on the map about where your empire ends, did save Scotland from getting roman names tho.

On of my pet theories on why the British empire got as big as it did is looking at how many times that island has been conquered, each subsequent group that conquered it had to be better at conquering than the last, right up till there was nobody better at conquering, and it's not like that's a skill you're going to abandon so time to branch out and conquer other places.

That last bit is still modern England too

I also didn’t know Ellis Island is named after the region Ellis where the og Olympics took place until I saw it I also did know Philadelphia and Memphis are old names-wait a minute

Is Philadelphia named after King Philip? Man I’m dumb

it's not, it's for the Greek philos and adelphos which when joined, translates to Brotherly Love, sometimes it's even more simple than we thought. Pholos is loving adelphos is brother it's still backwards but ya there's a reason it's the city of "Brotherly Love" even still after Big Willy left for Bel Aire.

Closest England has had to a King Philip was Philip II of Spain, co ruler with Mary I (tudor) AKA Bloody Mary if you weren't Catholic, and Prince Philip who was the recent Queen's husband and never would have been king to begin with and is also too young to have Philadelphia named after him.

New York was New Amsterdam since the Dutch settled it first BTW.

Georgetown on the other hand, as well as the other two you mentioned, that and the 5700 different places and or things in this world named Victoria or some variation of.

So ya you're good.

Was looking to see if Yasuke and William Adams (Miura Anjin) would have crossed paths irl, does not look like it, still possible since there's no actual date of death for Yasuke just says after June 1582 Adams would have been 18 then, so not in Japan but still no definite date of death it could happen, especially in fiction.

I do hope they get all the links to inspiration that there are too, I think that would be one of the more rewarding, for me, outcomes if I were making a game like this.

That and stacks of cash

#zoomer huey anon

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lllostgirlll · 1 year

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AAAAAAAAAAAAA?????

#BARK BARK #the last kingdom #tlk #tlk fandom #the last kingdom fandom #king constantin of scotland #king constantine of scotland #king constantine #king constantin

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catie-does-things · 1 year

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Partial List of Royal Saints

Saint Abgar (died c. AD 50) - King of Edessa, first known Christian monarch

Saint Adelaide of Italy (931 - 999) - Holy Roman Empress as wife of Otto the Great

Saint Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury (died 944) - Queen of the English as wife of King Edmund I

Saint Æthelberht of Kent (c. 550 - 616) - King of Kent

Saint Æthelberht of East Anglia (died 794) - King of East Anglia

Saint Agnes of Bohemia (1211 - 1282) - Bohemian Princess, descendant of Saint Ludmila and Saint Wenceslaus, first cousin of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

Saint Bertha of Kent (c. 565 - c. 601) - Frankish Princess and Queen of Kent as wife of Saint Æthelberht

Saint Canute (c. 1042 - 1086) - King of Denmark

Saint Canute Lavard (1096 - 1131) - Danish Prince

Saint Casimir Jagiellon (1458 - 1484) - Polish Prince

Saint Cormac (died 908) - King of Munster

Saint Clotilde (c. 474 - 545) - Queen of the Franks as wife of Clovis I

Saint Cunigunde of Luxembourg (c. 975 - 1033) - Holy Roman Empress as wife of Saint Henry II

Saint Edmund the Martyr (died 869) - King of East Anglia

Saint Edward the Confessor (c. 1003 - 1066) - King of England

Saint Edward the Martyr (c. 962 - 978) - King of the English

Saint Elesbaan (Kaleb of Axum) (6th century) - King of Axum

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (1207 - 1231) - Princess of Hungary and Landgravine of Thuringia

Saint Elizabeth of Portugal (1271 - 1336) - Princess of Aragon and Queen Consort of Portugal

Saint Emeric (c. 1007 - 1031) - Prince of Hungary and son of Saint Stephen of Hungary

Saint Eric IX (died 1160) - King of Sweden

Saint Ferdinand (c. 1199 - 1252) - King of Castile and Toledo

Blessed Gisela of Hungary (c. 985 - 1065) - Queen Consort of Hungary as wife of Saint Stephen of Hungary

Saint Helena (c. 246 - c. 330) - Roman Empress and mother of Constantine the Great

Saint Henry II (973 - 1024) - Holy Roman Emperor

Saint Isabelle of France (1224 - 1270) - Princess of France and younger sister of Saint Louis IX

Saint Jadwiga (Hedwig) (c. 1373 - 1399) - Queen of Poland

Saint Joan of Valois (1464 - 1505) - French Princess and briefly Queen Consort as wife of Louis XII

Blessed Joanna of Portugal (1452 - 1490) - Portuguese princess who served as temporary regent for her father King Alfonso V

Blessed Karl of Austria (1887 - 1922) - Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, King of Croatia, and King of Bohemia

Saint Kinga of Poland (1224 - 1292) - Hungarian Princess, wife of Bolesław V of Poland and niece of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

Saint Ladislaus (c. 1040 - 1095) - King of Hungary and King of Croatia

Saint Louis IX (1214 - 1270) - King of France

Saint Ludmila (c. 860 - 921) - Czech Princess and grandmother of Saint Wenceslaus, Duke of Bohemia

Blessed Mafalda of Portugal (c. 1195 - 1256) - Portuguese Princess and Queen Consort of Castile, sister of Blessed Theresa of Portugal

Saint Margaret of Hungary (1242 - 1270) - Hungarian Princess, younger sister of Saint Kinga of Poland and niece of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

Saint Margaret of Scotland (c. 1045 - 1093) - English Princess and Queen Consort of Scotland

Blessed Maria Cristina of Savoy (1812 - 1836) - Sardinian Princess and Queen Consort of the Two Sicilies

Saint Matilda of Ringelheim (c. 892 - 968) - Saxon noblewoman and Queen of East Francia as wife of Henry I

Saint Olaf (c. 995 - 1030) - King of Norway

Saint Olga of Kiev (c. 900 - 969) - Grand Princess of Kiev and regent for her son Sviatoslav I, grandmother of Saint Vladimir the Great

Saint Oswald (c. 604 - 642) - King of Northumbria

Saint Radegund (c. 520 - 587) - Thuringian Princess and Frankish Queen

Saint Sigismund of Burgundy (died 524) - King of the Burgundians

Saint Stephen of Hungary (c. 975 - 1038) - King of Hungary

Blessed Theresa of Portugal (1176 - 1250) - Portuguese Princess and Queen of León as wife of King Alfonso IX, sister of Blessed Mafalda

Saint Vladimir the Great (c. 958 - 1015) - Grand Prince of Kiev and grandson of Saint Olga of Kiev

#saints #history #royalty

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