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queers-gambit · 1 month

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Now and at the Hour of His Death

prompt: any who say, "it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all," were never loved by him.

pairing: Osferth x female!pregnant!wife!reader

fandom: The Last Kingdom

word count: 6.1k+

note: fuck you, Netflix.

warnings: you already know - author needs therapy, projects hard, pregnant wife, Lord’s name in vain, Christianity (obviously), and a fuck ton of fucking ANGST because fuck your feelings. hurt NO comfort, drama, oneshot, cursing, canon-typical violence, injury, and blood. character death and spoilers - yeah, i'm giving you THAT scene. requires maturity and caution. good luck.

also please note: NO, i do not age Osferth to be 16 - that's just a reference age for when he eventually runs away from the monastery.

again, you are missing nothing if this upsets or triggers you and you choose to skip. value your wellbeing, my angels. author is not responsible for the media YOU choose consume, but still, as usual, minors MDNI

"You should not be doing this sort of work," Ingrith's voice scolded you, and when you turned, you saw the blonde woman standing with her hip cocked and a stern expression. "It's bad for your health to be in such filth, we've stable boys for this sort of chore."

"I do not mind," you sniffled in the brisk air, shoveling the horse shit of the stable into a muck bucket to be dumped into the fields later. "It keeps me busy," you grunted lightly, sure to bend your knees when lifting the pitchfork, "keeps me humble," you listed, dumping the waste to grin at your friend, "and keeps me young."

"In what way?"

"Reminds me of my childhood," you eased, continuing your work. "I slept in a stable from the ages of 4 to... Oh, shit, I guess I was about 16 before I left The Loft."

"What?" She breathed in confusion. "Never knew that."

"Yeah, yeah, true story," you beamed at her, still shoveling shit. "I slept in the stalls with the horses, sometimes in the grain rooms - basically anywhere I could since my work didn't include official room and board, so, I had to make do with what was available. Then, one day when I was about ten, Old Man Rivers said I could use the hay loft if I cleared it out, fixed the rotten planks. Stayed up there till I was about 16, and after that, I kinda ran away."

"Old Man Rivers?"

You nodded, "My mother lived on his homestead, but she was real sick, you see. So, he kinda took me in without assuming responsibility for me," you cleared your throat, shrugging, "let me stay in his barn if I worked with the horses and livestock for him."

"Why would you want to be reminded of that?"

"Seems simpler when I look back."

Ingrith sighed, "C'mon, put the pitchfork down. Come help me prepare the rabbits. The scouts say the men aren't too far off, they'll want a hot meal."

You chuckled with ease and set your pitchfork aside, giving a hearty pat to one of the horse's necks as you passed by to exit the stable. Ingrith made sure you washed up before you were both mounting rabbits on the rack to start skinning them.

"Could I ask something?" She wondered after a time.

"Anything you'd like."

"Why'd you run away? From Old Man Rivers?"

You laughed, "I was in love."

"Oh, you and Baby Monk go that far back, huh?"

"Try even farther," you teased. "Our mothers were friends, and when I worked in the stable, he was in the monastery, but when he came to me, saying he couldn't do it any longer, I couldn't let him go alone. Life was supposed to offer more than what we were given, so, we set out to find the legendary barbarian, The Dane Slayer," you teased, both giggling, "our Lord, the legendary, Uhtred of Bebbanburg."

"And all this time...?" She smiled, watching you shuck hide like you've done it your whole life. Ingrith inferred you probably did.

"Yeah," you eased, "all this time, he's been by my side. Kept me close, never left me behind. The others weren't too sure about me on account of being a woman, they told us to piss off a few times - but they came around after Osferth refused to send me away."

"He's a good lad, Osferth," she nodded.

"Arguably one of the best ones," you agreed, nudging her arm gently, "but look who I'm telling, right?"

"Oh!" She giggled, swatting at you loosely before going back to your work for a moment. Suddenly, the townspeople of Rumcofa stirred to life, and over the voices, you heard them announcing their Lord's return - which meant all of your men were home. You both grinned and breathlessly left your post, Ingrith pausing a young lad to ask, "How many return to us?"

"Does it matter? Come, c'mon, let us see ourselves!" You all but squealed, overwhelmed with excitment; eager for your own reunion with the man you've loved since you were a young lass.

"Warn the alehouse!" Finan was heard shouting. "Osferth's thirsty!"

"Jesus," you laughed, dodging around the procession of people waiting to greet their warriors on their return home so you could approach the white gelding your husband rode.

His face was absolutely priceless when he caught sight of you. As Osferth eagerly dismounted, your hands smoothed over the small swell of your belly - purposefully wearing a dress that accentuated your ever-changing figure. "Am I dreaming?" He laughed, a stablehand taking hold of his horse so his hands were free to caress your belly. "Oh, my God, I'm not, 's real, oh, God," he beamed, laughing with you. "You're pregnant? Truly? Yes? I-I am not - I am not being deceived?"

"No, my love, I guess our prayers were finally heard."

"OH-HOOOO!" You heard Finan holler as Osferth finally pulled you in for a sweet kiss; both ignoring the Irishman. "Lord! LORD! Uhtred! Hey! Did you hear!? Baby Monk's got some spunk in 'im afta all!"

"Oh, God," you laughed against Osferth's lips, but he was quick to shush you with another breath-stealing kiss.

"A baby Baby Monk! AHA!" Finan was still laughing, your husband's hands caressing both your cheeks when he pulled back just in time for Finan to descend. You grunted lightly when his heavy arms dropped over both yours and Osferth's shoulders, his laugh still booming as he gave a squeeze and cooed, "Oh, congratulations, yah two love birds! Wasn't sure you had it innyah, boy!"

"Don't be so rough with her, Finan, for God's sake," Osferth scolded, nudging his friend to get out from under his arm.

"What?" Finan looked at you gobsmacked. "Sayin' I gotta treat yah different now or somethin'?"

"I didn't say that," you told him prettily with fluttering lashes, fist quickly balling up to jab him in the weak spot of his armor - making him grunt and wheeze. "Aht-aht!" You warned with a pointed finger when he flinched as if to retaliate, "Can't hit a pregnant woman."

"Oh, yeh li'l shite," Finan laughed, Osferth pushing him towards his wife so he could stand in front of you and command all attention.

Osferth took a moment to simply look at you; thumbs gently tracing over your cheeks in sweeping motions, a slow grin breaking across his lips. "This almost doesn't feel real... But how I have to praise God for this blessing. A baby," he breathed.

"A little you and me," you agreed softly. "Sound okay to you?"

"More than okay," he chuckled, pecking your lips, "sounds like a lifetime together."

"Good by me." His nose nuzzled up yours, the sweet moment broken when he sighed sadly; eyes shut and smile dropping. "What is it? What's wrong, love?" You asked, stepping into his embrace so you were nuzzled into his neck and his arms were wrapped around your form in a vice.

"Uhtred means to move us again," he whispered in your ear. "Brida, she... She's got Father Pyrlig, and - "

"What!?" You snapped, rearing back slightly to pin him under your hardened glare. Pregnancy hormones would surely give Osferth whiplash.

"My love, I did not - "

"Brida's got Pyrlig? Fuck are we standin' here for, let's go!" You reached for his hand, ready to march off.

"Uh, no, no, no, no," he pulled you back to him; anchoring his hands on your hips so you could not escape. "You are not going anywhere. Not now - especially now," he glanced at your still-growing bump. "The men will go, you know we will return, but you have this new responsibility, and that's keeping this little one safe. For us," he smiled at you.

You huffed, "I'm not unfit to do what needs done, Osferth."

"I did not say you were unfit, but look at the timing of it," he frowned. "I should've been here when you learned, but I was not, and I am truly so sorry for it. Look, I do not know how long this venture will be, but you know I will return. We've waited for our family for far too long, I will not jeopardize this - so I will return. If you go with us, and something were to happen," he shook his head, "my angel, I would never forgive myself. So I need you to stay here, stay safe, if for nothing else but for me."

"But Pyrlig - "

"Will be saved," he assured.

"And Brida - "

"Will be dealt with," he eased, chuckling lightly. "My angel, you worry too much about everyone and yet never about yourself."

You pouted, "Well, why is it just me meant to stay back? This is your child, too, Osferth, and should have the right to meet them! You can't always control what happens, accidents are real, what if you don't return - "

"Don't think like that - "

"But it's a real threat to us - "

He agreed, "Of course, but - "

"Yeah, I know," you nodded, cutting him off, "we serve Lord Uhtred. This comes first, and I'm not - "

"I've made a vow to him."

"You made one to me, too, you know."

"Angel, please, don't do this. Do not ask me to choose," he begged with a frown, and you caved.

So, with a sigh, you nuzzled into his embrace and relented, "All right, yes, fine, go after Brida and Pyrlig. And when you find them, tell him I am waiting for his safe return, he is dearly missed. Ideally, I'd have him birth our child."

"Of course," he breathed, finding a small reprieve of relief that you did not fight him further about leaving - about choosing which vow to fulfill: the one to his Lord Uhtred or the one to his wife.

Both made to God.

Luckily, Osferth married his best friend and you were never one to pick fights with him. You liked the harmony you had; the peaceful environment you had both cultivated to preserve the trust and love you built through the years. He was genuinely one of a kind; a man who walked many lines between faith, humanity, right, wrong. He was the voice of reason, constantly striving to do better than he did before, learning all he could as if a rag soaking in water. For all he was, Osferth has always been enough for you, and for that reason alone, you never felt the need to argue.

To fight. To voice contempt.

"Question," you perked up, smirking at him as your pregnancy symptoms ran a little wild, "think we've time to, you know, really give our thanks?"

"Angel - "

"What?" You grinned. "You fucked me on the alter all those weeks ago and look - your seed stuck. We might as well go give thanks in the same manner, just to really show God how thankful we are for this blessing he's given us."

"Think the Devil's gotten into you," he laughed.

"Or your child is ruining my hormones," you countered, his lips meeting yours in another passionate display of his excitement.

"C'mon," he whispered, taking your hand, and leading you to the chapel - thinking you were being sneaky, but your matching giggles made Ingrith and Finan beam at each other.

"He does know she can't get more pregnant, right?" Finan teased, flinching when Ingrith smacked his upper arm.

"WHY!?"

"My angel, please - "

"What the fuck is going on, Osferth!?"

"I'm trying to explain - "

"The Queen? The fucking Queen is dead in our village! How can that possibly be explained!?" When Osferth didn't answer, just sat in the wooden chair before the shared hearth of your humble home, you snapped, "Well!?"

"Are you finished? May I speak now?"

With a huff, you nodded and gestured for him to speak; arms crossing around your swollen tits. He explained to you the reason for Haesten's arrival, the wagon his men toted, and why he brought the Queen's dead body to the settlement of Rumcofa. He told you Haesten wanted to keep the peace when King Edward found out, claiming Uhtred's son-in-law, Stiorra's husband, Sigtryggr, had ordered this death - thinking war would surely roll over his lands.

You never knew Haesten to be a generous man, nor much of an honest one, but it seemed the severity of the situation made everyone eerily on-edge. Uhtred dispatched his men; leaving Finan and Osferth in the village with you, developing a plan that would save both Saxon and Danish life. And yet, it was all futile when evil forces worked against good.

You didn't feel safe in Rumcofa anymore, there was a stench in the air; tension that mounted to embrace all residents with discomfort. Something was about to happen, but nobody knew what. You didn't claim or pretend to know what was happening, but Haesten's abrupt appearance spelled danger for everyone involved. So, as a security measure, you kept a long sword buckled around your swelling waist and a dagger strapped under your skirts. With Lord Uhtred gone, there was no invisible fence protecting Rumcofa - leaving it up to you, Osferth, Finan, and Cynleaf to pose as guard.

Yet you'd never be enough.

Like the surf over sand, a group of angered men descended on Rumcofa. "Who's men are yah?" Finan asked, you lingering at Osferth's side to watch the interaction from a short distance.

"We come from the King," a burly Saxon replied, your head cocking in interest - swearing you've seen him before. "Dane murderers are hiding here and you must hand them over."

"You're mistaken, sir," you kindly offered, the man's eyes shifting over you, "because we live in peace. Any murderers have surely moved on from here. We do not host them."

The man growled, "Don't think that's true, love."

Finan held a hand back at you, meeting your eyes and nodding simply. He turned back for the man in fur, diverting, "Of course, my men will attend to it."

Finan turned from the group, his eyes connecting with yours as he passed by. There was urgency, a quickened pace he adopted; having no intention to hand anyone over, wanting to remove these men without bloodshed. However, that was a distant thought because Father Benedict tried to assure the Saxon leader that nobody in Rumcofa would murder Queen Aelflaed.

You wanted to step in when the Saxon evidently didn't know about the Queen's demise - getting in Benedict's face and demanding to see what he spoke of.

"No, no, no," you muttered nervously, "he can't see the body, love, no, no, no, this is bad. Very bad."

"We can't stop Father Benedict without altercation," Osferth whispered back, keeping a tight hold of your hand, just watching the group. "If something happens, you need to get yourself safe."

"How do we truly know they're from Edward? What credentials do they have?" When Osferth shook his head, you worried, "Got a bad feeling 'bout this, angel."

Then the violence began.

The strange men took charge when their leader walked away, starting to physically harass the citizens; making both you and Osferth step in to try and diffuse the tension. You pushed men off unarmed women, got in between them and the children, did what you could without drawing a weapon.

When a man shoved you away from him, Finan wrangled him away, sneering, "Get yer hands off of her!" He kept the violent men at bay for a moment, telling you, "You need to go, darling - "

"Not now, Fin, look around us! We need to contain the situation, you'll need all hands you can get," You snapped, the two of you forced to part way.

Osferth panted nervously and looked left and right, turning to meet the Saxon and demand, "Tell your men to stand down!" But then, his eyes squinted when you joined his side to pull him back a step or two, recognizing him just as you did.

"I don't think they're here for the Queen, love," you heaved for breath in warning, still backing him up. "They've planned this."

"Finan!" Osferth barked, "These men have been here before!"

The Saxon roared over the fray, "Danes of Rumcofa have murdered our Queen!" His men jeered in anger, making Finan brandish both swords and for Osferth to push you back further from the attention. "Do your duty and rid the cockles from the wheat!"

You were left no choice. Osferth and you both armed yourselves, starting to fight off the Saxons as their leader demanded Danes and Christians be separated. You were unable to help, engaged in battle, but Young Uhtred gathered the Danes and begged Father Benedict to declare the church a sanctuary - thinking it would save lives.

It was only leading the Danes to slaughter.

The Saxon, Bresal, punched Father Benedict when he tried to stand in the way; his men holding Young Uhtred in the doorway to let their men enter the church the Danes were gathered in. They forced Young Uhtred to watch the massacre - men, women, and Danish children all slaughtered with no escape. No hope. No answer to a single prayer. Nobody to stop this bloody situation.

You fought on, Osferth, Finan, and Cynleaf doing their best to protect you by keeping you in the middle of their wee group. But you still got plenty of action.

"This is madness!" You cried out, slicing a man's throat open. "We need aid! We need more men!"

"This way!" Finan encouraged, "We must cut a path for Ingrith! Check the docks! Check the docks!"

You and Osferth ran towards the water, Cynleaf not far away. You searched for Ingrith, but you had no time to linger; engaged one-on-one again, forced to protect yourself and unborn baby. Not a minute later, you saw Ingrith on horseback, being stalled by a Saxon and for your husband to rush to her aid. He punched the man away from the horse, you hacking at another enemy, in time to see Osferth engaging with two Saxons - one being the leader, Bresal.

It all happened so fast.

You were already racing towards them when the unexpected. Osferth was battling on two fronts, holding Bresal at bay, fending off the other Saxon, screaming for Ingrith, who only managed a few paces before the Saxon's dogs spooked her horse. The noise was deafening; people screaming, crying, dogs barking, horses whinnying, swords singing as they clashed.

You watched it happen in slow motion.

You sprinted faster than ever before.

"INGRITH!" Osferth bellowed in worry when her horse reared back and dropped her to the dirt. It left an opening for Bresal to stab his dagger into Osferth's lung - freezing time and wrecking your world.

"NO!" You screamed, Bresal smirking at you and yanking his dagger free. Osferth wobbled, eyes wide as he met yours, the Saxon walking away as Osferth dropped to his knees. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Oh, God, no, no, you can't take him - not yet! Please, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no," You repeated, sliding on your knees in the dirt to catch him. "No, no, oh, my God, no, Osferth, no, please! Not now, not now, please, no, God, no! Don't do this! Please, please, please," you rambled, readjusting to better hold him, hearing Cynleaf and Finan yell for Baby Monk, too. You raged at God, "You can't take him yet! You can't have him! He's mine!"

But you heard nothing except your husband's labored breathing.

"An-Angel, angel, my angel," Osferth choked, wheezing and crying as he couldn't hold himself up and completely slumped back into your body. He pawed at your arms in an attempt to get closer.

"No, no, no, you're all right, you're okay, you're okay, my sweet love, you're all right," you insisted, hands stained in his blood as it poured from his wound. You knew it was essential to add pressure to a wound, but also, that this was all futile. Yet you needed to try. "Hey, hey, hey, look at me, just look at me, sweetheart, please, only look at me, nothing else matters," you pleaded with him in a rush, the lads sprinting to where you held your husband to your lap.

Nobody interrupted you.

"Where's the wound?" Osferth sobbed, trembling, blood spurting from his mouth; going paler by the minute. "Angel, please, the wound? Where's the wound?"

"No, no, no, don't worry 'bout that, hey? Don't you worry, you just keep looking at me," you sobbed, holding his neck and cradling him to your swollen belly. "Just at me, my love, okay? Just look at me - don't look anywhere else, okay? Nothing else matters."

"H-How bad? How ba-ba-bad-bad is i-it?"

"You're going to be all right," you lied to Osferth for the first time.

"Oh, my God, oh, my God," Osferth repeated through his tears and fears, "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die."

He held onto you desperately, sobbing, you slowly rocking. "No, you're all right, Osferth, it's okay, just look at me." You caressed his cheek, smearing blood, but locking eyes. "My love," you whispered, "listen to me - "

"I don't wanna die, please, please, angel, my love, please," he coughed, holding your arm tightly as if it would give him life. "Don't let me die," he wheezed, "don't let me die, my love, please, please. Don't let me die, I don't wanna die. I-I wanna meet our baby, please, I want to meet our baby, I want to be a father. Don't let me die, love, please, I-I wanna be your husband longer - "

"You'll never not be my husband and you'll never not be a father, hear me?" You sniffled, trying to smile at him. "Don't you worry, you're gonna be okay, you're okay, Osferth. You'll always be my husband, nothing will change that - I swear."

Blood pumped with each beat of his frantic heart, making it gush over your fingers. You didn't even feel it.

"Please," he choked, more blood bubbling from his lips, "don't let me die, I don't wanna die. Don't let me die, please, not now, not when our baby isn't here yet, please, I just wanna meet 'em, be a family, I wanna stay with you, don't let me go. Please, don't let me go, I don't want t'go! Don't let me - "

"Shh, it's okay, you're okay. I'm here with you. I'm right here, Osferth, you're not alone, you're never alone. I'm here. I've got you. I'll always have you, I won't ever let you go. Never."

He sobbed harder. "I don't wanna leave you. Please, I don't wanna go, I don't wanna be without you - " But the words choked him, a splatter spraying across your face when he coughed; you didn't even flinch.

"Listen to me," you begged, "I commend you, my dear, sweet husband, to Almighty God, and entrust you to your Creator."

Finan was heard behind you, retching jarring sobs as you read Osferth his death rite prayer. "Don't let me die," Osferth begged still, as if you held that power.

He had always looked at you as if you hung the sun and stars, and now, as if you were his very reason for living. You hated God in that moment for forcing you two through this.

"May you return to Him who formed you from the dust of the earth. May Holy Mary, the angels," now, you choked on your words, emotion clawing your throat, but still continued, "and all the saints come to meet you as you go forth from this life. May Christ who was crucified for you bring you freedom and peace." You sobbed, "May Christ who died for you admit you into His garden of paradise. May Christ, the true Shepherd, acknowledge you as one of His flock. May He forgive all your sins, and set you among those He has chosen. Amen. Please, please, say amen, Osferth, say it, please!"

"A-Amen - Amen!" He coughed, trying to get closer to you, nestling into your warmth as he felt impossibly cold. "Don't leave me, don't leave me, please, please, I don't wanna go, I don't wanna be alone. I can't go without you, please, don't let me go - don't let me die, angel, please, I can't go without you. I-I’ve never been without you my whole life, I don’t wish to start now. I love you. I-I love you, please, don't let me go, I love you. I need you."

"You'll never be without me," you promised, face coated in blood, grime, dirt, and ash; all streaked with your tear tracks. "You will always be my husband, hey? Hear me? You're always gonna be with me, I will never be apart from you. I'll love you forever, Osferth, I won't ever stop." You felt your chest cave in as you sobbed, "Please, don't you leave me - "

But Osferth was wheezing and panting, only staring up at you. "I only need you," he whimpered, "I've only ever needed you, I can't do this without you. Please, I can't - I can't go without you. I don't want to leave you, I can't leave you, please!'

"So don't leave me," you sobbed, him still clawing at you in desperation. "I love you more than life, Osferth, please, don't leave me, okay? Don't go. I love you so much. Being loved by you was my greatest pleasure in this life, I want our child to know your love, too, Osferth, please, don't go."

"I-I wanna meet our baby, I wanna hold 'em, love 'em," he repeated. "Please, this can't be the end, don't let this be the end. W-We have so much more - we were supposed to have eternity together, my love, my angel, please! This isn't the end, I can't - I can't go without you!"

"You're okay," you soothed uselessly, rocking more prominently. "Just stay with me, my love, okay? Stay with me. Don't go. Only look at me, all right? You hear me?" You sniffled, caressing his cheek. "You're the best thing in my life, Osferth, yeah? Understand me? Where you're going, y-you'll be welcomed a hero, with open arms. You'll be my own angel. My real angel. The reason I keep going for our child. An-And you'll stay there just for a little while until I join you, okay? You'll watch over us, me and the baby, right? Our own angel? Hey? 'Cause you'll never be part from us - you'll never be apart from me. You and I are a forever sorta thing, we'll never be apart, we'll always be part of each other no matter what."

Osferth lost his words, eyes widening and pulling you closer.

You just soothed, "I'm here with you, my love. I'm here, I've got you. You're not alone, I'm right here, I have you. I've got you. I love you. I love you so fucking much, Osferth, okay? I love you more than anything, you're my everything. I love you," you sniffled, breaking down in worse sobs, repeating, "I love you, I love you, I love you so much, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry I wasn't faster, I love you, this shouldn't be happening. I'm so sorry, I should've come faster! I love you, I'm so sorry."

With his last breath, Osferth choked, "L-Love y-y-you."

"I love you," you hushed, bending at the waist to rest your forehead on his, "I love you so much. You're gonna be okay, you're gonna be all right, you'll be safe - where you're going, you'll be safe. I'm so sorry, my love... I'm so sorry."

You felt him go still. You felt the last of his breath exhale, his body deflate. You felt his soul detach from his body.

You froze.

"Oh, my God," you breathed, pulling back to look down at his petrified features. "Oh, my God, no, no, no. God, please, please, give him back," you sobbed, "give him back to me! Do not take him! It's not his time, you selfish cunt! Give him back! It wasn't supposed to end like this! Give him back to me, please! Please! This isn't how this was supposed to happen! We promised eternity together, please! Let us have that! Let us be together, give him back to me! I need him!"

Your shrill hysterics were heard all over Rumcofa.

Finan sobbed into his wife's arms behind you, Cynleaf knelt to slowly extend his hand onto your shoulder. "I'm so sorry," he offered, but you pushed him away harshly; knocking him into the dirt.

"No! I don't want your fucking condolences!" You snapped, holding Osferth tighter, "I want my husband! I want my husband back! Can you give him to me? Can you, Cynleaf? Can you give him back to me!?"

"No - "

"Then you have nothing to offer me! I want nothing else, nothing from you! I only want him!" You looked away from the young lad, finding Osferth's wide open eyes staring up at you. You whimpered, "I only need him, so, please. Please, give him back to me. Please. I need him, I need him, I can't do this without him, please, God, don't do this. You take so many lives, why add him to the mix!? Give him back! C'mon," you begged the cooling body, "c'mon, love, get up. Get up for me, please, just wake up. Come back to me, get up... Get up, Osferth, get up! Please! WAKE UP!"

But Osferth never moved. Never blinked. Never drew breath. And God never answered your pleas. Your dress was saturated in your husband's blood; a pooling puddle seeping into your knees, bodice drenched, his baby moving in your belly. You wailed into the still air, holding your husband tight to your chest; mouth agape to release the terrible screams of anguish, tears never ending, rocking on your knees. You didn't know what to feel... But devastation was prominent.

You wept until your throat went raw, jaw tender from your open mouth. "I'm so sorry!" You repeated, "I should've been quicker! I should've been at your side! You shouldn't have been alone! This is my fault! This is all my fault, I shouldn't have been away from you. I should've been with you, you did not deserve this end. Please! Forgive me, wherever you are, forgive me, I did not intend for this, I shouldn't have left you, I should've been at your side, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault, I'm so sorry."

"No," Ingrith whispered, "no, do not say this is your fault, you did nothing - "

"Exactly!" You snapped at her, eyes ablaze, her husband silent. "I did nothing, I wasn't with him! I wasn't where I was supposed to be! And he was stabbed because of you!"

Finan whispered your name in reprimand.

"No! How many times have you rode a fucking horse, Ingrith!? And now, today, the time it truly matters, you fall; you posed distraction," you sobbed, crumpling in on yourself. "He was distracted by your fall... This shouldn't've happened, this is all wrong!"

The trio just watched you, knowing your emotions were raw and unwavering, that your words did not have meaning because your husband had just died in your arms. Hours passed, you did not move. Hours passed, your husband did not return. Hours passed, and your heart shattered with each passing breath you selfishly drew.

Because living felt selfish now without Osferth.

"Sweet one," Finan whispered, the sun setting, "we should move him. Bring him to the church so Benedict can pray."

Your head shook, "No."

"Darlin', we have to - "

"No," you whimpered, "because if you take him to Benedict, it's real. If we move, he's truly gone... He can't be gone, Finan," you sobbed, meeting your friend's eyes. "If you move him, he's gone, I'm not ready to say goodbye, please. Please, don't take him from me."

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, "but he should be laid to rest."

"Don't take him from me," you begged, a new wave of tears starting. "I just - we were supposed to be a family. We were supposed to have this baby, and now, it's just me? This cannot be, so please, don't take him from me, I only need him back. Give him back to me, Finan, please, I can't be without him."

"I know," he nodded, gently encouraging you into his embrace. It meant you had to let go of Osferth, something you did slowly and gradually, leaning into the Irishman's chest. "All right, I got yah," he whispered, looking to his wife. "C'mon, stand with Ingrith. I'll carry him."

"Be gentle," you sobbed, feeling Ingrith grip your arms to help heave you to your feet; watching Finan scoop Osferth over his shoulder. The change of position made more blood splatter to the dirt, your heart stalling in your chest when you heard the mess.

You felt your soul shriveled and hidden somewhere deep in your chest, following as if in a trance. You watched Finan and Cynleaf slowly lower Osferth to the ground with the other dead Danes, feeling yourself drop to the ground in shock.

Seeing Osferth amongst the dead made it so much more real.

"It's all my fault," you sobbed, Finan moving to your side, "it's all my fault, I got him killed. I should've been quicker. This is my fault, my fault, I did this, 's my fault."

Finan knelt beside you, bringing your foreheads together to hold you tightly and let you sob into his embrace. "You didn't do this," he promised, "you did nothing wrong. You are not at fault. Do not carry this guilt."

You sobbed without reprieve.

Young Uhtred halted Father Benedict from praying over the Danes, telling the older man they had different customs, but looked back at you. He asked your name softly, wondering, "Do you wish for a prayer for... Him?"

Even Young Uhtred couldn't stomach the truth, avoiding using Osferth's name out of sheer disbelief.

"That'd be nice," Finan agreed, turning to sit beside you and hold you under his arm. You leaned into his embrace, head to his shoulder. "She read him his death rites when... It happened."

Young Uhtred nodded, bowing his head, leading, "Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, On earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Then, you joined from under Finan's heavy arm, sobbing through your words, "Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death."

Benedict finished, "Glory Be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end."

Together, you, Ingrith, Young Uhtred, Benedict, Finan, and even Cynleaf ended, "Amen."

Feeling the most level-headed, Ingrith stepped in and directed the men; informing that Young Uhtred should lead the remaining Danes to Daneland, Finan and Cynleaf would meet Uhtred on the road, and she would accompany you to Wessex - where Osferth could be laid to rest at the place of his birth. Then, the people mourned together for their fallen.

Finan disagreed initially, telling his wife you were his responsibility now that Osferth was passed. But there was no way you could continue with the company, not in your pregnant state. Finan didn't like the idea of you being without him, considering you close to a sister; something of a best mate, someone he couldn't turn his back on - no matter the situation. However, he understood the predicament and finally agreed to part ways, but not before he untied Osferth's crucifix and latched it around your neck. At the gates of Rumcofa, before separating, Finan gifted you his rosary; thinking it might bring comfort in his physical absence.

Years from then, you would bring up a single son named Gabriel (a name your husband favored, a name benefitting an Angel) under Lord Uhtred in his birthplace of Bebbanburg. You never remarried. You never even so much as looked after another man with lust. Gabriel would grow into a handsome warrior and a devoted man of God, satisfied on tales about his father; being painted as a man of honor, integrity, and bravery. Osferth, too, was a man of God, a man of the sword, and a man of his word... Until the very end. And when your time came, you were brought back to Wessex to be laid to rest with your husband; your son having a son, naming him Osferth, and knowing, both his parents shined down on him in pride.

It was a comfort for everyone to know, somewhere in the afterlife, in God's warmth, you and Osferth were reunited; looking just as you did the day you parted from one another.

requesting rules and masterlist

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tlkfaerie · 8 months

Text

Impossible

Pairing: Sihtric x reader x Finan ✩࿐

⋆｡˚☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩ wc: 5.9k

note: I'm sensing a pattern arising where the reader is related to Uhtred in my writing pffft I just love it lol. this fic is a bit shameless of me tbh, consider Sihtric and Finan to be your mindless Kens in this.

summary: Sihtric and Finan do not take kindly to your attitude after they catch you with another warrior, leading to a night filled with confession and obsession. ✧˖°

MDNI! 18+ ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･TW!: mentions of potential assault, period-typical misogyny, mentions of blood, pining, F/M/M, oral (male receiving), p in v, slight domination etc

You had been resting all day, abandoning any duties that had been bestowed on you by Beocca or the others. Osferth had been with you for a while, but had run as soon as he saw some of your lady friends approaching, fearing that they would hassle him. Though he was sweet, he was incredibly oblivious, a trait that had gotten him into serious trouble - and by default, you too.

It was always you that seemed to be involved in some kind of dilemma, Uhtred's sister, clumsy and short-tempered. You always likened yourself more to Brida, wanting to follow in her wild, mildly assaulting ways with people. Ragnar cherished you, but always decided that Uhtred would be able to keep you safer, as he had a mixed band of trustworthy individuals.

You wandered in the nearby woods, collecting random flowers that interested you and occasionally stuffing them in-between the threading of your dress, which by now was soaked with a layer of mud from the terrain beneath your feet. Thyra had warned you not to arrive back too late. You knew that you shouldn't be too long, not on your own like this, but for now, everything in Uhtred's world seemed remarkably peaceful. For someone who liked to play with Alfred's commands, this was a miracle.

You revelled in your own company for a little longer, feeling your heart stop when your peace was finally disturbed by hooves. Before you turned around, you feared the worst, that it was some enemy of Uhtred's come to claim you and sell you for ransom. Fingertips going cold, you rested your thumb on the hiding place that you usually kept a small blade in, feeling its absence and cursing wildly.

Shit.

"And why do I find you out here all alone, lady?" you vaguely recognised the voice to be Gudrun, one of your brother's warriors and somewhat of a childhood acquaintance. You turned swiftly, to find the man looking down at you from his horse. He was handsome in his own right - but you had often seen him night after night sitting with a cup of ale, and whatever company he could find for the night. You did not blame him, finding yourself at the mercy of ale from time to time, but wondered why he squandered his talents on such wasteful hobbies so often.

"Please don't let me stop you on your journey Gudrun, I wouldn't want to slow you down," you began to dismiss him somewhat, feeling a fool for straying so far from the village with so little to protect you. You knew he was one of Uhtred's men, but the company of men was a tumultuous one.

"Not at all, Y/N. In fact, I can think of no better way for my journey to be disturbed," he smiled rather darkly, a tone of strange flirtation in his voice. You assumed he was harmless, relaxing a little as you accepted his compliment. You wanted Uhtred to come behind him at any moment to protect you, but he had his own children and wife to worry about now, so you were forced to remain.

"That's too kind, Gudrun, where are you headed?"

"To Lunden, just on some small duty. It's nothing serious. You should accompany me, lady."

You grimaced at that, knowing what had occurred at Lunden not too long ago. Gudrun seemed pleased at your discomfort. You felt bad for characterising him as a brute, wanting to remain pleasant to him, but you had observed how he was with his women before, often leaving them bruised and in need of comfort.

You politely refuse, wanting to be done with the situation, but then he dismounts from his horse, the poor thing jolting slightly. You watched the animal relax, returning your gaze to the much taller man who now hovered above you, blonde hair cascading in layered pieces around his face.

You stood your ground when he spoke. "Are you sure, pretty? I would not want to leave you out here alone, where any man could claim you for his own," he whispered, forehead practically touching yours as he took a few steps closer. You didn't like what he was saying, cheeks burning with his words, feeling your own brows furrowing. You were perfectly capable of defending yourself, or at least you thought you were.

Uhtred's best men and your closest friends, Sihtric and Finan, spent hours with you teaching you basic movements of defence, and when you were in the company of Brida and Ragnar, which wasn't often, you often challenged them to silly fights that you had occasionally won.

You didn't think before you shouted at him, "have the weight of your disgusting balls dragged your brain down with them? Or did you not hear what I said?"

You realised all too late that you had escalated the situation, watching the surprise on his face grow into anger, stalking backwards as you realised Gudrun's intentions may not have been as pure as you once thought. You didn't want to cause Uhtred any more unnecessary problems or create new tensions, but the way Gudrun was now staring at you reminded you that you were truly at his mercy.

"Those are such vulgar words for a lady like you, Y/N. I could have your tongue for that, but I can think of a better use for it first," he grinned, closing in on you. Your back quickly hit a tree, and you felt an immediate flush of nervousness. Nevertheless, it quickly subsided, and you allowed yourself a moment to breathe, readying your next words carefully.

"What would your mother think of the way you speak?" you were quick to spit in his face, acutely aware of the danger you were putting yourself in, but strangely loving it, "have the women around you not civilised you? Not taught you manners? Or were you raised by wretched wolves?"

Slipping away from under him and past the tree, you had expected to make somewhat of a swift escape, but Gudrun grabbed you before you could even think, his entire hand encircling your arm, squeezing until you felt yourself going cold, a tear making its way down your cheek.

"So stubborn for such a pestilent whore," he returned the favour, spitting onto your cheek as he bared his teeth at you, almost growling, "so stupid. I was taught how to treat a woman, and I will show you-"

Before he could continue, the scene was disturbed by more galloping, and the unsheathing of a sword. You recognised the voice that you heard next to be Finan's, and you resented it.

"Gudrun, what the hell do you think you're doing? Is this what you call being a warrior?" He shouted, immediately dismounting from his horse, sword in hand. He looked at you, eyes swimming in concern for you, which you returned with a scowl. You hated that he had come to your aid, and what was worse, you could see Sihtric coming towards the three of you as well.

Normally, you would be happy to see the two of them, but not on this occasion. The three of you had become incredibly close as things had settled down. Before, they had always seemed too busy, but over the year they had sought your company more and more. But their attention meant a watchful eye was always on you. As Uhtred built his family, you thought you had escaped your scoldings, but to no avail, the two of them always had something to say.

And now they were saving you. As they always seemed to do when you were in trouble. It infuriated you; feeling so inferior to the both of them, hating the way they coddled you as though you were some sort of child. You wanted them to see you as a woman. The whole situation made you act in a way you weren't entirely proud of.

"Finan just leave this, I can handle myself," you yelled, feeling shame run through you as Gudrun still gripped you tightly, not allowing you to go anywhere as you pulled and thrashed, practically kicking him. You wanted to literally sink into the ground when you felt Finan's eyes on you. He stood in all his seriousness, but knowing that he would win this altercation with Gudrun, there was also a hint of amusement.

"I'd listen to the lady, Finan, just leave me with her tits and I'll be finished."

Sihtric, who until now had been quiet, looked at you disapprovingly, which only spurred you on further. You loved him at the best of times, but the feeling of inferiority was eating you alive. You kicked and scratched, watching as Gudrun's sword went from pointing to Finan to pointing at you, its sharp end slightly piercing your arm.

"You bastard!" you practically screamed, but it fell on deaf ears. Sihtric, always careful, stepped slowly to your left, as Finan moved to your right, dominating Gudrun's line of sight.

"Go on, Gudrun, go to Lunden, spend all your money on women as you always do, forget this one," Sihtric taunted, rendering your own words invisible as you saw how Gudrun reacted. It seemed as though you had lost your voice. You huffed, wriggling further in his grip, which caused his sword to pierce you even more, drawing blood.

Finan tutted, looking over the both of you to Sihtric, as though they shared an invisible sort of signal that had you torn from Gudrun in seconds. Now you felt yourself in Sihtric's arms, binding you to him. Finan wasted no time, stabbing Gudrun's leg, leaving him there. He whispered something in Gudrun's ear, most likely a warning not to come back , which you thought was wise.

Just as quickly as he had finished with Gudrun, Finan stormed over to you and Sihtric. You hated to admit that Sihtric's grip was warm and welcome, and relief had you practically melting into him, but you knew what was to come.

"How I've missed your childish insolence," Finan remarked, smiling despite your very obvious scowl. Sihtric, however, was more serious, tending to your arm as blood seemed to pour from it endlessly. "You were naive to think you could take him, Y/N, you should not have further endangered yourself." He was quiet, raising a cloth to your wound, pursing his lips as the fabric quickly soaked into a dark mess.

"I had no choice, what would you have me do? Let him take me right then and there?" you knew you were digging yourself a deeper hole, ripping your arm from Sihtric's grasp, letting the cloth he had been holding fall to the floor.

"You know what Sihtric means. You shouldn't have to reason with him, I know, let's just be glad the prick is passed out." Finan kicked the unconscious body of Gudrun, which rocked, but did not muster. Finan looked at you, sensing frustration. He understood you, that you had been placed in an impossible situation, but they had truly only wanted to help you.

The three of you had briefly explained to Uhtred why he would be missing a man from now on, and with that you avoided Sihtric and Finan like the plague for over a week, much to their mutual dismay.

Both Sihtric and Finan sat on a table outside of the ale house, Osferth off somewhere training whilst Uhtred had gone to help Gisela with the children. Left to their own conversation, which was usually a blessing to the both of them, they began to talk about you.

You who hadn't been seen leaving your own home in days other than to bathe or eat. You who used to wander so recklessly, spending days in fields and forests with whoever you could get to join you.

They missed you pestering them with silly questions of battle and fighting, how you observed them with awe when they told stories of their lives before they had met you. Your innocent eyes no longer lit up in front of them, bringing them a pure sense of life after days of death and destruction.

"I must have left my mind on the battlefield," Finan muttered, Sihtric responding with a quiet grin as he sipped on ale. He knew what Finan was saying; the two of them had gained somewhat of an understanding over the past few days, realising that they both had feelings for you.

"Just what the world needs," Sihtric responded, looking at Finan, "two men in love with the same woman who speaks to neither of them." They both chuckled, refusing to let such a thing come between them.

"Something needs to be done, we can't just sit here like miserable bastards." Finan spoke, giving Sihtric a knowing glance. Sihtric scowled as he usually did, wanting to act entirely irrationally but holding himself back for the sake of everyone in the village.

As if their prayers had been answered, you came stumbling out of your home not even seconds later, in full view of the ale house and the two men you sought. Sihtric and Finan, you mentally scoffed.

Your frustration had been brewing for an entire week now. How embarrassed you had been at your outburst, and at your rejection of Finan's help and Sihtric's aid. You were equally as furious at the constant prominence of men in your life. They were everywhere all at once, consuming you, believing they could take whatever they wanted from you.

But what was even more sickly was that you missed your two friends dearly. Playing stupid games of stones with Finan who laughed at the most utterly unfunny things, and Sihtric, ever the affectionate friend, always one step ahead to ensure your safety. You felt like a fool for not realising that you liked them. You really liked them.

You set your sights on the hall and the ale house, where you knew they would surely be, stomping over as if it were your birthright. Once you saw the two of them sitting outside, you recognised their smiles. Wanting to make that short lived, you struck the back of their heads at the same time, plonking down onto the bench nearest to them.

"Y/N-" Sihtric began, but you held up a finger in his face, wagging it infuriatingly.

"No. You must listen to me. I am thankful for what you did to help me with Gudrun, and I'm sorry I haven't reacted as though I were. I was merely upset that a man felt he could do such a thing to me, and that I couldn't do anything about it without help," you didn't even manage a breath as you continued, "I just don't want to be seen as some kind of incompetent fool that needs to be saved. And what makes it worse is that I wanted to teach you both a lesson by being independent, you slugs!'

"Y/N, breathe." Finan chastised, causing your eyes to widen.

"Shut up and let me finish!" you stomped your foot, aggravated by his pretty smile and the way he seemed to unconsciously reach for the hem of your dress to play with. Sihtric also amused you for a second, his expression one of deadly seriousness as he listened to you intently.

"There's more I could say, but I just think I'd rather we go back to normal," you huffed, slightly annoyed at their downcast expressions, "and against all of my judgements about men, I've found myself pining pathetically for the both of you."

"Well, sorry for inconveniencing you so much, lady." Finan smiled, simply thankful that you were back on speaking terms with them. Your anger sat well within him though, and they didn't want to take advantage of the moment, not when your point was very much valid.

"We will teach you to be a great warrior, Y/N," Sihtric smirked rather proudly, punching your arm, to which you responded with a slap and a request for ale. Looking down at your hands, you briefly missed the longing look that the two men gave you.

Another week had passed, and the two men still hadn't confessed to you of their true affections, but the three of you understood that there had been some sort of shift in your relationship. Uhtred had been called to and from King Alfred's company once or twice, leaving you absent of your friends for a few days.

This didn't bother you at all, in fact, you were somewhat relieved from the break. Gisela kept you busy, with walking and games that Beocca had gifted her, you had even swum once or twice with her, entirely free and content. But when she took up her motherly duties, you were free to roam as you pleased, ignoring all civilisation as you wandered further and further from the village.

It was hours later that you returned, feeling anything but fresh, with some cuts and bruises from when you had decided to climb up a tree to take an hour's rest. Much to your dismay, you were not very good at climbing trees.

You hadn't even been entirely sure where your brother and the others had been sent to, as they were constantly marching north and south for some reason, but you had not expected to see them all gathered in the centre of the village walls when you returned from your own rough excursion.

Uhtred ran to you, picking you up in a forceful hug, laughing at your state. "I see you do not know how to stay out of trouble, Y/N. You limp like a fat man!" His shining eyes were somehow swimming with both excitement and exhaustion, and you returned his affections, realising he most likely needed them.

"I see things went your way this time, Uhtred." you let him hug you for just a little longer, sensing he must have faced great struggle to be so affectionate towards you. "How was everything?"

"Fine, sister, fine. I faced nothing quite as fearsome as you." Uhtred allowed his fondness for you to take over him for a moment, glad to be reminded of home and family. You rolled your eyes, patting his shoulder and letting him return to his children.

The air caught in your throat when you finally saw both Sihtric and Finan, talking casually with a few other warriors in the corner. They were dirty, even bloody, furs and capes draped over their enormous frames, sharp faces laughing as they were finally free from duties for a little while longer.

Finan spotted you first, a smile growing on his face as his arms opened warmly to greet you. He had removed the straps clinging to him, so that his sword fell to the floor. You walked slowly towards them, head tilted to the side when you welcomed Finan's embrace, not wanting to say too much as you felt his grip tighten.

You opened your scrunched eyes briefly to see Sihtric next to the two of you, placing a gloved hand on your head, patting it slightly. You blushed at the way he looked at you, realising you had been staring slightly too long, and that Finan had been hugging you for a while now, chin resting on your head.

Finan took you in, your once clean dress swimming in mud and loose leaves. Your braids unravelling slowly, a tad of mud on your face. You looked like you had gone on the journey with them. But, as he stared into your wide eyes, he thought that you had never looked more beautiful.

"I missed the two of you," you finally spoke, words hanging in the air. Sihtric looked down, grabbing your hand and holding tightly. Finan busied himself by fiddling with your braid.

"We missed you. I swear I saw Sihtric cryin' at one point, poor rat was devastated to leave our weakness." Though he spoke in an amusing manner, his eyebrows remained firm, and his smile did not last. The tension was ripe.

"Hey, Finan was the one telling all the men about you. Uhtred nearly had to send him away," the Dane responded, lightening the tone, but confusing you even more. They had been talking about you as their weakness, missing you, and now they couldn't stop touching you in some small form. Why didn't they just do something?

You knew they were polite men in their own regard, and that it would be up to you to initiate something. But what you didn't know, is that once you did, there would never be any going back. The two men wanted you so desperately; they had been discussing logistically how two men could share one woman forever, and had come to the conclusion that they simply just would. Now they were bursting at the seams waiting for you to say you wanted it too. They needed your confirmation.

"You should both come to my home," you said to them, shuffling your feet in the direction of your house. Gisela had taught you a little something about seduction whilst the men had been away, and you wanted to be the one in control of the situation. For now, at least. "For food, I mean. And drink."

"I never knew you could be such a kind hostess, Y/N." Finan said, pulling Sihtric towards him. You scoffed, squinting your eyes at him which caused him to stick out his tongue, a slight chuckle from Sihtric.

They had been to your house plenty of times, even staying over sometimes with Osferth or even Uhtred when they wanted peace and quiet. But this time, something in the pit of your stomach told you it was going to be different. You trotted quickly as they prowled behind you, already knowing the way themselves.

You felt their eyes burning holes into the back of your head as you stood at your door, the two me hovering over you, heads above you. You fumbled a little with the door, sighing in frustration.

"Take your time." mumbled Sihtric, surprising you slightly. Your face burnt like molten lava, and you refused to look at them. The two men gave each other a knowing look, a sense of unfinished business hovering in the air.

Sihtric's words affected you more than you had realised, his soft, deep voice reverberating in your head. You felt a hand on your shoulder, unaware as to which of the men it belonged to, and before you could control your reaction, a minuscule whimper came shooting out of your mouth.

Thankfully, you managed to regain consciousness for the moment and opened the door, ignoring any consequences of the sickly noise you had just let out. Little did you know, the noise had stirred Finan's cock, and Sihtric had had to take a deep breath to control himself, nostrils flaring.

You were teasing them, and you had no idea. Soon realising you had actually promised them food, you decided to make good on that, telling them to sit down, where some meats and a little fruit and bread were waiting. You took a moment to breathe, unable to focus on anything but their figures as they passed you and made a point of touching you as they did.

After some normal chatter, you realised that they weren't eating. At first you thought the food you had brought to them was sour, but upon further inspection of them, you began to fidget in your seat. They were practically ogling you, Finan's eyes carrying a sort of apologetic lust, whilst Sihtric gazed at you as though he was drunk.

A shiver ran down your spine, which caused you to fidget even more, hands picking at your dress. This movement did not go unnoticed by Sihtric, who took this as the perfect opportunity to initiate what you were all clearly thinking,

"You are cold, Y/N, you should come closer," his lips parted, and he truly felt in this moment that the Gods had gifted him with some kind of angel, as you stared open-eyed at him. He felt himself getting impatient, reaching out to you with an open palm when you stood hesitantly, like some sort of animal trapped between wolves.

Finan seemed to enjoy this, stretching back into the chair as you made your way to Sihtric, accepting his hand, not entirely sure on what to do next. After a moment of lingering, Finan answered your prayers with a simple "Sit, Y/N."

Sihtric groaned when you finally placed yourself in his lap, staring into his dual-toned eyes, unable to keep his intimidating gaze for longer than a second. Though you knew in reality he was a sweetheart, in this moment, he seemed dangerous.

Before you could lower your chin, Sihtric gripped it with his rough fingers, forcing you back up to face him, his other hand sliding down to your backside. He did nothing for a moment, each movement incredibly slow.

Other than the crackling fire in the corner of the seating area, all was silent. You realised your braids had unravelled entirely now, wild hair hanging loosely around your face. You hadn't realised how close Finan was until you saw him behind you, standing above you and Sihtric, a tight grip on your loose hair forcing your face even higher. The way he looked down at you, eyebrows furrowing and seemingly glazed with lust, you almost couldn't take it.

"She likes this," Finan muttered, Sihtric humming in agreement. You gasped when the iron grip tightened, forgetting that you were in the presence of two of the greatest warriors in the realm. It turned you on to no end.

Sihtric took advantage of your open mouth, sliding a finger inside, the others holding your chin still. You sucked on the digit rather insatiably, to your own embarrassment, unable to be satisfied until it was soaked and you yourself were drooling onto his trousers. But just as the moment was getting good, as they always did, they found a way to chastise you.

This had been a long, long time coming.

"You must never ignore us like that again, lady," Finan said, "I mean, could you not have just spoken to us? I imagine that would have been a whole lot easier."

The patronising tone had you feeling mildly embarrassed, but the sickly sort of degradation came with sweet caresses, so you managed to forget your pride for a moment.

Instead, despite the grip in your hair and the fingers in your mouth, you nodded, moaning profusely as your eyes rolled back when Sihtric forced another finger in.

"I'd ask for a verbal answer, angel, but I see that probably won't happen." he observed sarcastically, finally loosening his hold for just a moment, your head lolling to the side, wanting to be closer to the both of them. You were rather ashamed of the mess they had turned you into in a matter of minutes.

The feigned sympathy on Sihtric's face was infuriatingly attractive, so much so that you found it within yourself to quickly nip his fingers as he was removing them from your mouth, earning a genuine smile and a strike to the thigh, which was now exposed as your dress had bunched up.

"We own you now, Y/N," Sihtric finally spoke, voice barely above a whisper, "We both own you. You are our woman to love." That was all the confirmation you needed.

As quickly as you could possibly manage, you were kissing Sihtric, barely remembering to breather as you moved rhythmically on his lap, lips disconnecting and soon returning to a forceful kiss with Finan. You were beside yourself, wild like some kind of animal as you felt Sihtric on your neck and Finan on your lips.

It was all too much, and the feeling in your arms seemed to give way, not helping your case as you began to push the both of them.

"What do you need, love?" Sihtric asked, entirely ready to give you everything you needed. If only you could find the words. You didn't answer as Finan worked some sort of sorcery on your neck, sucking and biting just where you felt the most sensitive. "I should not have to ask again."

Sihtric's eye contact became so strong that you immediately cowered, any snide comments you had exiting your brain for the moment.

"Please, please just do something, take me," you panted, Finan's subtle laughter doing nothing to stop your whining. With that, you were transferred into Finan's arms as Sihtric rose, removing unnecessary leathers and protection, leaving himself only in his tunic. Meanwhile, Finan so gracefully laid you down on the bed of furs, your head leaning against the headboard.

"My lady," he half joked, quick to join Sihtric in the removal of his clothing. You followed their lead, untying the laces at the back of your dress with great effort before letting it slide off, kicking it to the ground.

"God," Finan stood staring at you, at your breasts, watching as your skin reacted harshly to the cold. You were drowning in the furs around you, your naked body like some sort of holy piece that priests would surely covet. Sihtric was by your side in seconds, bare chest colliding with your own skin, ecstasy rushing through you.

"we shall have to keep you like this forever, lady." Sihtric wasted no time in fulfilling your pleas, fingers inside of you before you could react, so filling and long, reaching every crevice inside of you. The welcome intrusion was heightened by Finan's body on your other side, playing with your clit, rubbing over and over until the stimulation became unbearable.

A void inside of you had been entirely filled, and your two friends were now wrapping you slowly around their fingers. A part of you wondered what Uhtred would think, whether he would welcome the strange union or dismiss it altogether, but there was no time for that, not when Sihtric was pumping into you, whilst Finan methodically worked his fingers, making you scream.

"Poor thing," Finan drawled out, watching your trembling frame as if it was pure entertainment. "Should we give you what you want? I think we should." Without consulting you, he simply looked at Sihtric, who seemed to have different ideas.

"I don't think she deserves it, I think that temper needs to be controlled a little more." You flinched as his fingers curled inside of you. Finan gave you an apologetic glance, and you couldn't believe he was listening to Sihtric in this moment . . .

"But!-"

"No," Sihtric mumbled, and Finan saved himself from your glare by hiding his face in the crook of your neck, his finger's methodical patterns becoming slower and slower, delaying your release. You were becoming numb at this point.

"Perhaps things could change if you told us who you belonged to?"

You grunted as you were kept on the edge, feeling constant resistance, and unable to admit your feelings. That was until Finan pinched your clit, and Sihtric slapped your inner thigh, rubbing the red skin as he worked himself in and out of you slowly.

"mmfph"

"Who?"

"Sihtric," you breathed, "And Finan."

"Good," Finan moved now, quickening his pace on the outside whilst Sihtric also followed through on his promise, "good girl".

That was all you needed, the praise making your chest blister and ache. It was intoxicating, being able to come entirely undone beneath the two men, feeling them observe you, kiss you, worship you.

"Our turn now."

One of them mumbled. You weren't entirely sure, blinded by your orgasm, feeling muscles in your thighs twitch as your back arched off of the bed. Before you could even come down, You were flipped onto your stomach. The action was nothing to the two men, so strong they could barely feel the effect they had on you. They made you feel weightless.

Finan couldn't help himself, gripping your ass so tightly you felt like it would bruise. The skin ached when he gave it a small pinch, enjoying your jolt into Sihtric as he kneeled close to your face, petting your hair as he often did, except never in this context.

A kiss to your forehead drew you back into consciousness for the moment, but it did nothing to distract you from Finan's actions behind, his cock now trailing up and down your sex, an agitated grunt coming from the Irishman.

"Good god," Finan muttered, no longer uttering some quip or joke, instead relishing in the feeling of the both of you two against one another. Your softness did something to him, tore deep inside of him; a man so consumed with life of battle did not deserve something so pure, he thought.

On the other hand, Sihtric felt like a God himself. His thumb returned to your mouth, feeding the oral fixation you didn't know you had. "Will you take the both os us?" He taunted you, asking you questions while he filled your mouth. The thought of them both intimidated you, and you shuddered when Finan aligned himself with your entrance, slowly pushing in before you could even think.

"Yes, yes, yes," you chanted like a mad woman, drool slipping past your lips in excess amounts, pleasing Sihtric, whose thumb was soon replaced with his thick cock. It slid straight to the back of your throat, slowly beginning to match the pace of Finan's thrusts.

Though Finan was attempting to be gentle, he did not recognise his own strength, apologising out of habit when you squealed. The sound was muffled by Sihtric's cock, his pelvis now hitting your nose. Both men shared a look above you, in silent agreement, realising this is exactly what they wanted in life. You.

In all of Winchester, nothing had more of a pull to them like you did. Not even Uhtred's command would keep them away from you now.

"Fuck," Finan practically spat, his hips quickening their pace, his long cock coming inside and outside of you, feeling the tightness grip harder and harder until he was nearly coming.

Sihtric equally had his way with you, hand in your hair simply moving you as he pleased, loving the way your tongue lolled out to welcome his cock.

"You are so beautiful, lady." Finan moaned, head facing the sky as if in prayer. It did not take much longer before he was coming undone within you, cursing as he realised he had selfishly come before both you and Sihtric.

Sihtric gave one final stroke before he too came straight down your throat, a choke coming from you as he waited before moving out of you. He decided that he wanted to take you next.

"Swallow."

His final command had you tightening around Finan, disturbing him from his moment of meditation with great force. Gritting his teeth, Finan barely managed to keep his composure as he finally slid from you, both men letting you slump underneath them.

Exhaustion hit you with a sharp thump, and your eyes began to close before you could say anything to the two men above you. Your eyes glazed over as Finan turned you onto your back to face them. They towered over you, Finan smiling, assuring you he was only trying to help when he let go of you for a moment, going to fetch a rag.

"When can we bind you to this bed? I want to keep you here forever."

#sihtric #sihtric x reader #finan #sihtric smut #the last kingdom #finan x reader #tlk finan #the last kingdom x reader #finan imagine #the last kingdom fluff #uhtred x reader #sihtric x reader x finan #finan smut #tlk #tlk fanfic #tlk fandom #sihtric kjartansson #finan the agile

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king-alfred · 3 months

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"You look tired."

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loveslibrarywp · 4 months

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Worship and desire

Osferth x Fem!reader

Summary: You and Osferth have been in a secret relationship for some time. After a long day of traveling, Uhtred’s crew settle down in a secluded forest for the night. When the men fall asleep, you pull your lover away for some…quality time.

Warnings: NSFW. Cock worship. P in V sex. Outdoor sex. Praise kink. Blowjob. Mentions of religion. Lowkey subspace.

Authors note: Just a silly little thought that’s been on my mind. Enjoy ❤️

“Where are we going, my love?” Osferth whispered as you drug him deeper into the forest. You didn’t answer and continued to guided him through the trees until you were far enough away from the sleeping men.

You softly pushed him against a nearby tree, pressing yourself against him. Your gaze was full of lust and desire. You wanted him. You smiled up at the man, finally getting a moment of alone time with him after so long.

“Hi.” You said, your breath fanning onto his lips because you were so close to him. He laughed, “Hi.” He replied as he pulled you closer by your waist. Your arms slung around his neck and you pulled him into a fierce kiss.

Your lips moved together. All of your emotions pouring out into it, your bodies connecting as one. The kiss was hot and wet and messy, just how you liked it. “I’ve missed you..” you mumbled against his lips, which made him smirk against yours.

“I missed you too, my sweet lady.” He said into the kiss. Your hands were all over him, as were his. You both had gone so long without touching each other, you were burning in desire. “Osferth..” you whined as you pulled away from him and stared up at him with lusty eyes.

“Yes, my love?” He asked, your hands held his face and caressed his cheeks. “I need you..” you said as your hands trailed down his chest and your head dipped into his neck, nipping at his soft skin. His breath shuttered at your words, making you let out a little giggle at his nervousness.

No matter how many times he had laid with you, he was still so shy. Your sweet little monk.

You felt his cock harden in his trousers. You knelt down on your knees in front of him, your eyes never leaving his. Your actions made his own eyes go wide because he knew exactly what was about to happen.

You yanked down his trousers to pull out his semi-hard cock. “We’re doing this here? Right now?” He asked with a ‘are you crazy?’ Look on his adorable face. You only nodded your head with that crazed look in your eye.

You pumped his cock in your warm hand, making him throw his head back in pleasure. “Look at me, sweet boy.” You demanded with a soft voice. His gaze fixed back onto you. As you stared into his eyes, you licked the tip of his cock. The salty taste of his pre-cum made you close your eyes and groan, as did he at the feeling.

You began to kiss along his length, savoring the feeling of it against your soft lips. “Such a pretty cock, baby..” you mumbled, licking up his cock and kissing the tip. He gaped at you with a look as if he were in love with you. He was in love with you.

“I love it so much..” you sucked on the tip, licking up all the pre-cum that leaked from it. You moaned and whined as you sucked his cock, the feeling of it in your mouth made you all needy and whiny. Your undergarments were practically soaked in your own arousal. “I love you so much..” you said as you ran a finger down a vein.

“I love you too!” He breathed out. He was whimpering and groaning as you bobbed your head on his cock, stumbling on his words as he spoke, “just…just l-like that.”

You took your mouth off him and began stroking him again, your eyes were pleasing with him, a pout plastered on your messy and wet lips. You looked angelic, like the most perfect being that ever walked this earth. He thought he had died and gone to the heavens when he was blessed with your presence. You were truly a gift from God.

“It’s so perfect..” you said as you gazed at the tip of his cock, watching a bead of cum drip down the side of his cock, which you quickly licked up. “You’re so perfect, Osferth.” You gleamed as your eyes fixed onto him, looking fucked out as can be.

“N-No, my love. That’s you..” he stuttered. A soft smile came from his panting lips. You giggled as you shook your head, disagreeing with him.

“Please, I need your cunt..” he begged for you. His begging ignited something inside you. You quickly nodded at his pleads, giving his cock one more kiss before standing up.

He pressed you against the tree and bent you over. Osferth hiked up your dress and stopped at the sight of the growing wet spot on your cotton panties. His fingers reached for the spot, the tips of them rubbing against the cotton, making you moan out.

“Please, Osferth..” now you were the one begging. His hand yanked your panties to the side and grabbed his cock, running the tip over your dripping slit. He pressed himself into you, the first thrust making you both moan in pleasure.

He started at a slow pace, like he was making love to you. You often adored when he treated you with such kindness and devotion but you wanted to be fuck tonight.

“Os, baby? I need you to fuck me. Hard.” You said with an urgent tone. He nodded his head, fulfilling your need as swiftly as he could. His once soft thrusts turned into hard and deep ones.

He continuously hit that one spot deep inside you that had you seeing stars. Your moans grew louder and echoed into the darkness of the night. “Fuck! Right there, sweet boy. Keep fucking me like that!”

He fed on your praises and savored the feeling of your wet and warm cunt as he fucked it as if we’re a toy. “Lord-“ he groaned out, his cock throbbing inside of you as you clenched down onto him.

A smile was painting on your fucked out face as he slammed his hips onto yours, your ass jiggling at the motion. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as he gave you a particularly hard thrust, almost hitting your cervix.

“Your cock is so good, Osferth! You fuck me so well!” You moaned as you gripped onto the tree in front of you. You felt your arousal drip down your thighs and the wet sounds of your cunt mixed with his groans only added to the pleasure you were feeling.

“Holy-, don’t talk like that, my love. I’ll finished too quick.” He breathed out as he held your hips hard, he was definitely going to leave bruises with his death grip on them.

“I’m so close! I want you to finish with me..” you gasped. The two of you were so near the edge of your peaks, so close to finishing together. His cock was throbbing inside of you and you were clenching onto him like you life depended on it.

“-‘m cumming!” You barely managed to shout out, your cunt spasmed onto him and your legs began to shake. Osferth fucked you through your orgasam as he chased his own, groaning at the feeling of your mixed arousal dripping down his balls.

“Fuck!” He quickly slipped out of you, jerking himself off onto your back, His spend shooting out onto your ass and back.

You both panted as you caught your breaths from the intense sensations. You shook as he took a handkerchief from his pocket and cleaned you both up. He leaned you up to press a delicate kiss on your cheek and held you close to him by the waist. He moved your cotton panties back in place and fixed your dress.

“I love you, my beautiful lady.” He whispered into your eyes, pressing his lips anywhere he could reach. “I love you too, sweet boy.” You said as you leaned your head back and rested against his shoulder, savoring the moment together.

• • •

You had finally woken up and walked out of your shared tent to see the men huddled around the fire and eating some breakfast.

“Oh! Look who finally decided to wake up!” Uhtred laughed, which made you roll your eyes and sitting down next to him as you hit him in the arm. “She needed her beauty sleep after the…rough night she had last night. Baby monk here really did a number on her if you didn’t hear it last night!” Finan laughed as he shook Osferth who was beside him.

Your eyes went wide and Osferth went red. They had heard you. You were sure you went far enough so they didn’t.

“I think we all heard it..” Sihtric sighed.

#osferth fanfic #osferth x reader #osferth x you #osferth #the last kingdom #tlk fanfic #tlk #tlk fandom #tlk uhtred #finan tlk #ewan mitchell smut #ewanverse #ewan nation #ewan mitchell #aemond targaryen

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ariadnethedragon · 1 year

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Finan ♡

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ladyinred2248 · 10 days

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#finan the agile #the last kingdom #finan tlk #tlk fandom #the last kingdom finan #uhtred #uhtred ragnarsson #sihtric kjartansson #sihtric #thelastkingdomsihtric #thelastkingdom

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mommytauriel · 1 year

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hiiii, I absolutely LOVED your sihtric x reader. I read that requests are open so I thought about making one right away.

could you write an aethelstan x reader where the reader grew up with uhtred's men just like aethelstan, like they treated her like a little sister/daughter. maybe reader and aethelstan are together but they, especially aethelstan, don't want to tell the others because they know that they would tease them to death, but they find out or something like that. idk i just want some fluff with him, nobody writes for him. also the reader could be dane? I know it's really simple, I hope it's okay for you!

I hope I explained myself, if i did not sorry but english in not my first language

- 🕷

+ · 。~ teasing is another form of love

pairing: aethelstan x female! reader | genre: fluff, hidden relationship | warnings: slight cursing, kissing. | wc: 5k |

synopsis: Aethelstan hates Finan's teasing, but he loves you more.

request: yes

note: I’m so glad you liked my sihtric fic! And I’m so happy that you sent a request! I love aethelstan sm and I was really happy to write this! Also, your English was perfect, I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you @destinyisall-tlk for letting me use the lovely gif!

Aethelstan had only one thing on his mind while he ran through the town of Rumcofa, and that was you. He had been with Finan and sihtric for most of the day, helping with the preparations for blood month and you have been helping ingrith for most of the day, with the both of you being busy helping with the preparations, you had no alone time with each other. Which Aethelstan was finding very difficult.

So, when Finan told him he didn't need any more help for the day, Aethelstan knew he had to take this as a chance to go see you. He didn't have much time though; he would have to go help uhtred soon at the docks. But for now, he didn't worry about that, now he just had to worry about not getting seen coming to see you.

Aethelstan looks behind him to see no one looking at him, before quietly walking into the stables. A smile spreads across his lips at the sight in front of him. You were standing with your back to him as you brush your horse. Aethelstan recognized the dress you were wearing; it was a green dress ingrith had made for you for your birthday. Aethelstan thought you looked beautiful in it. Well, Aethelstan thought you looked beautiful in anything.

“I only have a little bit of time before uhtred needs me” a voice behind you said breathlessly. You quickly turn around, surprised you didn't hear them approach. In front of you stood Aethelstan, out of breath from what you assumed was running.

“And what do you plan on doing with your little bit of time?” You questioned with a teasing smile, setting the brush on your horse's stall door. Stepping back a few steps when Aethelstan steps closer to you. The hay on the stable floor crunching against the weight of your feet.

“Well, this of course” Aethelstan smiles as he walks closer to you, closing the gap between the two of you as he seals your lips in a kiss. Your eyes flutter close and your hands go up to cup your lovers' cheeks, while his hands rest on your hips and pull you closer. When you hear the sound of faint laughter you remember where you are and that you could be seen. You move your hands from his cheeks down to his chest and softly push away from him and the kiss.

“Aethelstan, you can't just kiss me like that. We could have been seen” you say with a flustered whisper, your hands not moving from his chest. Aethelstan smirks and makes you step back a few steps, softly pushing you against the wall, and out of sight from others.

“I apologize I just couldn’t couldn’t control myself” he flirts as he tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear. You smile at the sweet gesture and lean your head back against the wall, looking into his beautiful hazel eyes.

Aethelstan smiles and cups your cheek, his thumb caressing the soft skin of your cheek. His eyes not leaving yours as he leans down, his nose brushes against yours as he looks deep into your eyes, asking for permission.

When you give him a small nod, he wastes no time and captures your lips in a hungry kiss. His touch on your cheek was soft while he squeezed your waist and pushed you further against the wall if it was possible. Your hand trailed up his side and to his nape, leaving goosebumps in your wake. Just as his tongue met yours, your horse let out a loud whine, startling you and making you pull away from the kiss.

Aethelstan huffed in annoyance at the disruption, and you couldn't help but laugh from the cute pout that found its way on his face. You smile and run your fingers through his hair, fixing it. Aethelstan closes his eyes again at the feeling of your touch and leans forward, resting his forehead on your shoulder.

“What has gotten you so touchy?” You whisper, you didn't mind it of course, but you couldn't help but feel a little worried. You just had a feeling that something was wrong. Ever since you and Aethelstan confessed your feelings for each other he's been touchy, But only when you were in private and when he knew there was no chance that the two of you would be caught.

But there was definitely a high chance of the two of you getting caught now, but it seemed like he didn't care and all he wanted was to feel you. As if he was craving your touch.

“Maybe i just missed you” Aethelstan mumbles as he lifts his head to lock eyes with you, you smile and move one of his loose curls from his face, your hand resting on his cheek, he leans into your touch. You lean forward and close your eyes giving him a chaste kiss before whispering against his lips. “I missed you to.”

The sound of more talking nearby makes Aethelstan sigh and take a step back, his hands moving from your waist to hold your hands. His thumbs gently rubbing over the top of your hands. He gives you a small smile before saying “I should get to uhtred before I’m late.”

“Yeah, or uhtred will send a search party” you say with a teasing smirk, you liked teasing Aethelstan on how protective uhtred was over him. You thought it was cute, sweet, but Aethelstan thought it was annoying. But you both knew deep down that he appreciated it.

“Don’t act as if Finan wouldn't do the same. '' Aethelstan teases back and you can't help but smile at the mention of the Irish man. It was true Finan would do the same. Ever since he found you hiding behind some barrels in your now raided and slaughtered village, a small dagger in your shaking hands, tears streaming down your face. And at the moment he found you he knew he had to protect you, take you in and give you a good life. And he did.

“I’ll see you tonight” Aethelstan promises, he leans down and kisses your forehead giving your hands one more squeeze before letting go and walking backwards towards the large stable doors.

“Tonight?” You gave him a confused look, you don't remember making plans with him tonight and besides tonight was one of the nights where you had to be home early, have a family meal with ingrith and Finan then spend some time with them before going to bed, there was no way you could sneak out to see him.

Aethelstan doesn't say anything else, he just winks at you before turning around and walking out of the stable's door, leaving you to contemplate on what he could have meant. You are brought out of your thoughts when your horse lets out a loud wine, you look away from the doors and walk to your horse's stall and pet her mane. “I know girl, sometimes i want to hit him too.”

It was late when you next saw Aethelstan. You were laying in your bed curled up in blankets, watching the fire in the small fireplace Finan had built for you. Ingrith and Finan went to bed not too long ago, leaving you as the only one awake in your cozy home. Dinner was great, ingrith had made a delicious stew that warmed your body from the cold weather, Finan had you laughing through dinner as always, he loved to see you laughing along to his jokes.

Your eyes were fighting to stay open; it was late and the warm blanket you were wrapped in, and the fire was basically begging for you to close your eyes and drift off to sleep. But you couldn't, you had to stay up to see Aethelstan and as much as you wanted to sleep, you wanted to see Aethelstan more. It was as if the gods heard your thoughts because a few moments later you hear a soft knock on your window.

A smile spreads across your lips at the familiar knock. You sit up in your bed and fling the blanket off your legs and quietly rush towards the window, wincing when your bare feet touch the cold floor. You quietly open your window, scrunching your nose in distaste at the gust of cold wind that hits your tired face, but your look of distaste goes back to your smile at the sight in front of you. There stood Aethestan dressed in dark clothes as always, a small smirk on his face.

“You gonna let me in or am i gonna freeze out here while you stare at me?” Aethelstan says with a cheeky grin, finding it adorable how your eyes lit up when you saw him and the way your eyes looked him over. You give him a shy smile, feeling flustered that you were caught.

You step back, giving him enough room to climb through the window. Mumbling to be careful and not step on the creaky floorboard. Aethelstan rolls his eyes and climbs through the window, mumbling that he knows and that you don't have to keep reminding him. When he successfully climbs through the window he gives you a smirk, but the smirk is whipped off his face and replaced with a look of wide eyes, when he accidentally bumps into your side table. Thankfully nothing fell off.

“What were you saying?” You whispered in a teasing tone as you stepped closer to your lover, finding it funny how he was just about to brag about his ‘sneaking skills’. Aethelstan just smiles and grabs your hand, pulling you to his chest and wrapping his arms around your waist for a hug.

“I was about to say how much i missed you” Aethelstan says quickly as he leans down to kiss your cheek, wanting to change the subject. You laugh quietly and move your head up from his chest to look up at him, your arms on his shoulders.

“You saw me a few hours ago?”

“So? I’ve barely seen you at all this week” Aethelstan smiles, bringing his hands up to fix your messy hair, laughing when you try to slap his hands away. Your eyes widen and your hurry to cover his mouth with your hand, muffling his laughter.

“Finan is going to kill you if he finds you here, you have to be quiet” You whisper, your eyes looking to your door before focusing back on Aethelstan. You take your hand off his mouth and he gives you a shy smile whispering back. “Sorry, Sorry”

“You wouldn't actually let him kill me, right?” Aethelstan says with a faint smirk, watching as you move to go sit back on your bed, getting under the blanket and making room for him. Aethelstan leans down and takes off his boots, knowing that you would be the one killing him if he got dirt in your bed.

“No, I still have some use for you” You joke as you lay on your side, propping your chin on your palm as Aethelstan lifts up the blankets and quietly gets in your bed laying on his back. He felt his body relax into your warm and comfortable bed, his head tilting to look at you.

“Oh, really like what?” Aethelstan whispers with a smile as he pulls you closer to his side, wrapping his arm around you and resting his hand on your hip, absentmindedly playing with the fabric of your nightgown.

“Who else is gonna keep me warm on cold nights like this?”

“That’s true… i am pretty good at it” Aethelsyan says in a cocky tone, a small smirk on his lips as he looks into your eyes, his hand having an itch to caress your cheek. You smile and playfully roll your eyes at his response, nudging his side with your knee making his smirk turn into a smile.

“The best” You whisper as you put your hand on his cheek, leaning forward and pressing your lips to his. Aethelstan let out a hum of surprise, but he was eager to kiss you back. His hand on your waist moves to the middle of your back as he presses you into his side, the warmth of your body moving to his. The sweet and gentle kiss didn't last long but it still left you both breathless when you slowly pulled away from his soft lips.

Your eyes flutter open and meet Aethelstans hazel eyes, a smile on his lips. You never failed to make him smile. You return the smile and lay your head on his shoulder, your hand resting on his chest, Aethelstan moving his free hand to rest over yours on his chest. You couldn't stop your eyes from fluttering close as your body relaxed in his hold. But your eyes don't stay close for long when you remember something Finan had told you at dinner earlier.

“Finan mentioned at dinner that you seemed a little off earlier, is everything okay?” You mumble as you tilt your head up to look at him. You thought back to earlier in the stables, when you had a feeling, something was wrong and with Finan mentioning it as well you knew there was something. Aethelstans eyes open at your question.

“Yeah, I’m fine” Aethelstan whispered with a fake smile, hoping that you wouldn't notice the dismissiveness in his tone. But you noticed his tone, and the fake smile, you knew him too well to not notice. A small frown adores your face, and you sit up and little, leaning on your elbow.

“Aethelstan, you know you can talk to me. Right?”

“I know that…I just” Aethelstan stops himself with a heavy sigh, closing his eyes so he could try to gather his thoughts. It's not that he didn't want to tell you he was just…embarrassed. Embarrassed that he let something so silly bother him.

“Hey…it's okay, take your time.'' You whispered in a comforting tone, your thumb rubbing the top of his hand reassuringly.

“Finan and sihtric keep on teasing me about my lack of a woman” he mumbled as he finally looked at you.

“They only tease because they don't know the truth” you tell him with a small smile.

“Well, I've become tired of their teasing” He rolled his eyes, annoyance clear in his voice. You sigh and nod, you understand where he was coming from. Finan and Sihtric’s teasing can get too much sometimes, you knew firsthand how their teasing was. They were never mean about it; they just didn't know when to stop. And it didn't help that they enjoyed teasing your secret lover the most.

“We could always just tell them about us” You said in a hopeful tone. You hated keeping things from Finan and ever since the two of you confessed you wanted to tell him, but you didn't because Aethelstan wasn't ready. But it's been many months later and you still hadn't told Finan, or anyone. You didn't blame Aethelstan, you understood his reasons, but it was hard for you to keep your relationship a secret, you didn't want to hide your love for him anymore.

“Finan truly might kill me if we tell them, hell uhtred might even let him” Aethelstan shuddered as he thought about the protective Irish man, it was no secret that he would do anything to protect you, and uhtred was protective as well, he treated you as if you were his own daughter. Yeah, I'm not surviving that Aethelstan thinks to himself.

“Finan is not going to kill you because we are together Aethelstan” you assured him as you tried your best to sound confident. You knew Finan wouldn't kill him, but he definitely will threaten him…many times. You let go of his hand and moved some of your hair from your face before resting it between you and Aethelstans body.

“You just were saying that he would kill me if he found me in here, '' retorted Aethelstan as he moved to lay on his side, moving his hand the was under your head to prop his chin on his palm, copying your position.

“Finding out we're together and finding us alone in my room in the middle of the night are two different things'' you giggled quietly, finding the small pout he had on his face adorable. You watch as Aethelstan closes his eyes and lets out a sigh, a look on his face showing that he was thinking. You let out your own sigh and bring the blanket up your shoulders to protect you from the cold.

“Okay” Aethelstan whispered after a few minutes of silence. You look away from the fireplace that you could see behind him and give him a confused look. “Okay what?”

“We'll tell them tomorrow” Aethelstan whispered as he reached for your hand between the two of you, squeezing it gently as he watched for your reaction. He knew it wasn't fair to keep asking you to keep your guy's relationship a secret, especially because he was the one afraid of the teasing, he knew the two of you would receive.

“Really!” You beamed loudly; you were so enthralled with the fact that you wouldn't have to hide your relationship anymore that you didn't notice how loud you spoke. You only noticed when Aethelstan let go of your hand and moved his to cover your mouth, like you did to him earlier.

“Are you trying to have me killed?” Aethelstan quietly jokes with a smile, his hand stifling your giggles, but he moves his hand when you pretend to bite him, laughing quietly himself.

“Really” You repeat in a whisper, a huge grin on your face. Aethelstan moves his hand to your cheek where he uses his thumb to caress your soft skin. His heart was beating fast, he loved seeing you happy. The way your eyes lit up and your beautiful smile, it made him feel a way he never felt before with anyone else.

“It's not fair to keep on having you keep us a secret, i love you and i want everyone to know that” he whispered as he leaned closer to you, his hand on your cheek moving down to your waist.

“No matter what they say?” You whispered as you looked into his eyes. You couldn't find words to describe the way you were feeling at that moment. Cold?, Tired?, A little. Shocked?, Happy?, Yes. Loved?, Absolutely. Was there a word that meant all that at the same time?

“No matter what they say” he promises as he repeats your words. Aethelstan lays back on his back and gives you a small smile. You return the smile and nestle in his side, laying your head on his chest. You closed your eyes when you felt his hand come up to play with your hair. The sound of the cracking of the fire and the sound of his heartbeat lulling you to sleep.

The first thing you normally notice when you wake up is the fact that you kicked the blanket off the bed, again. But not today, the first thing you noticed is that you woke up alone…Aethelstan was gone. He probably left when you fell asleep, like the other times before you thought with a small frown. You knew he had to or the two of you would have most likely been caught but you can't help but feel a little sad that you woke up alone.

You hear the distant voice of uhtred and you sit up in confusion, he never came over this early. You get out of bed and tiredly walk towards your desk, mumbling a few curse words in anger when you almost trip over your blanket that ended up on the floor. You grab your robe that was on your chair, before leaving your room and following the sound of uhtred's voice.

It leads you to the kitchen where you see Finan, Uhtred, Sihtric and to your surprise a very tense Aethelstan sitting at the table. The sound of your footsteps causes uhtred to stop talking and the four of them to look at you. Sihtric gives you a look as if he was saying good luck. Uhtred was giving you a small smile and a nod and Finan…well he didn't look happy. Uncomfortable? No, he looked more tense than Aethelstan.

“Goodmorning?” You greeted but it came out as more of a question, your hands nervously playing with the sleeve of your robe that Sidgeflaed made you. Feeling a little nervous under the gaze of the four of them, you could tell something was off.

“How did you sleep?” Finan questioned as he pulled out a chair at the table for you. You gave him a confused look at his odd tone but nonetheless you sat down. In Front of you sat Uhtred and to his left was Sihtric and to Sihtrics right sat Aethelstan at the end of the table. The atmosphere screamed tense.

“Uh good, you?” You questioned as Finan sat at the other end of the table to your left. Finan visibly flinches at your words, an uncomfortable look on his face, He looked as if he was in pain from your answer.

“Yeah, I'm sure you did” Sihtric snickers under his breath with a small smirk on his face. The confusion on your face becomes even more evident at his words. You watch as uhtred rolls his eyes and Finan gives sihtric a very angry glare but that only seems fuel sihtric on as he quietly laughs to himself.

You glance at Aethelstan to see if he had any idea on what's going on, but when you see him avoid your eyes and look down at his hands, fidgeting in his seat you realize what's going on. It was as if a vail had been lifted off your eyes. Aethelstan is still dressed in his clothes from last night meaning that he never changed. Finan asking you about how you slept, Sihtrics joke, the very tense Atmosphere. The two of you had been caught.

“And you uhtred, how did you sleep?” You gave him a nervous smile, hoping to steer the tense atmosphere away. Uhtred returned the smile with one of his own before he spoke in a calm tone.

“I slept fine, it was a good morning until i went to go check on Aethelstan in his room and saw that he wasn't there, I come here to see if Finan knew where he was and he had no idea, Finan gets the brilliant idea to see if you know, so we come to ask you and you will never guess what we saw. Can you?”

“I have an idea of what it was” You mumbled as you folded your hand in front of you on the table, avoiding eye contact from anyone. Embarrassed to be caught like that, it could've been worse but still…definitely wasn't the way you wanted them to find out.

“Y/n would like to explain why i found a boy in your bed, And not just any boy, Aethelstan!” Finan Finally shouts, he looked as if he was holding it back while you talked with uhtred but he just couldn't hold it in anymore. He had to know, why were you, his sweet daughter in the same bed as Aethelstan?

“We were sleeping” you say matter of factly as you look at Finan, raising your eyebrow. While Uhtred and sihtric were amused from your response, Aethelstan was feeling as if he was going to pass out. You were very similar to Finan, both of you were sarcastic and Aethelstan was worried that you would somehow make this situation worse with your remarks.

“Obviously! But why was he sleeping in your bed?!” Finan snapped as he looked at you expectedly, he wanted a good answer, the real reason why he was in your bed…holding you.

“Umm, I was cold” You remarked. Technically you weren't lying, you were cold…but you also weren't telling the full truth. Aethelstan sighs and leans back in his chair at your words, while Finan only seemed to get more annoyed at what you said.

“It was a cold night.'' Sihtric chimes in and Uhtred nodded in agreement, smirking slightly when Finan glares at the two of them, mumbling angrily that they aren't helping. Uhtred wasn't mad about what happened, he just had to put up the strict act and well sihtric…he was finding this all to be very amusing.

You glance at Aethelstan to see he was already looking at you, he gives you a small nod and you know it's best if you just tell them. You clear your throat and look at Finan leaning forward a little. “Me and Aethelstan are dating, we have been for months.”

It was silent for a few moments. Sihtric was smiling and patted Aethelstan on the back, he was happy for the two of you and he couldn't wait to tell Osferth this, they may or may not have made a bet, and seeing how happy sihtric is, he won. Uhtred just hid his smirk, he already had a feeling there was something between the two of you and was happy that he was right, he wants you both to be happy, you both deserved it.

“Him? You're dating him?!” Finan shouts as he points his finger at Aethelstan in disbelief.

“Hey! What's that supposed to mean” Aethelstan pouts as he crosses his arms over his chest, feeling offended by your dads' words. He completely understood and knew that Finan wouldn't be the happiest because of how protective he is of you, but like rude Aethelstan thought.

“God what did I do to have you betray me like this?” Finan grumbles dramatically as he puts his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. You roll your eyes at his dramatics and cover your mouth trying to stop yourself from laughing. Sadly, Sihtric wasn't so lucky and he quietly started laughing. A big mistake.

“Sihtric i swear to God! What are you even doing here?” Finan Shouts at his friend as he looks up from his hands. Uhtred sighs and rubs his temple while you and Aethelstan glance at each other with wide eyes, both of you slightly amused. Okay maybe more than slightly.

“You asked me to come? You said it was a fucking emergency!” Sihtric Shouts back. You felt your lips twitch up to a faint smile at the fact that Finan thought this was an emergency, gosh he's so dramatic.

“Well now I’m asking you to shut the fuck up!” Finan snaps, feeling extremely annoyed at his friend. Finan felt as if everything was happening too fast, you were his little girl. It was like yesterday when you would ask him to tell you bedtimes stories before bed or come to him for everything. He didn't like that you were growing up so fast.

“And this is an Emergency! My daughter is dating…She's too young” Finan starts, His voice going to a whisper at the end. Finan frowns and turns to look at you, shaking his head. “You're too young.”

“Dad, most girls my age are married and popping out babies” you tell him with a sigh, it was true. Finan looked at you as if he was offended that you would even tell him that. “Well, you're not okay!”

“Not for a very, very long time…Got it?” He says as he gives Aethelstan a glare. Aethelstan nods and gulps nervously. You roll your eyes for what felt the hundredth time since you woke up, you weren't ready for marriage and definitely ready for babies. Aethelstan looks extremely uncomfortable at the mention of marriage and babies, there was no way he was ready for that either.

“Finan” Uhtred said as he looked at his stressed-out friend, Uhtred shakes his head and gives him a small smile. Silently telling him that that's enough and that it's okay. Finan sighs and looks away from Uhtred and down to his hands before looking to Aethelstan. As much as Finan hated the idea, it was true. You were growing up and he had to get used to the thought.

“No more sneaking through her window, and if you break her heart I’m going to break your ribs, Uhtred won't even be able to protect ya” Finan says in an extremely intimidating tone that even made you nervous. You looked to uhtred, your eyes begging him to do something to stop Finan, he just shrugs. You glanced at Aethelstan, who looked to you when he felt your stare. You gave him a bashful smile, feeling sorry that he had to go through this.

Aethelstan returned the smile with one of his own, his eyes telling you it was okay. And it was okay, it was worth every single threat Finan gave him. You were worth it. Despite the dramatics from Finan, you were happy this happened. The sound of Sihtric’s voice breaks you out of your thoughts of Aethelstan.

“Gods there looking at each other all lovey dovey” Sihtric jokes, making you look down at your hands feeling flustered while Aethelstan blushes and takes a sip of water from the cup he forgot was in front of him. Uhtred laughs at the Flustered and shy couple. Finan just grumpily frowns and leans back in his chair.

Your eyes look up from your hands and towards the door when you hear it opening, a smiling Osferth walks in. His smile widening when he sees us all. “What's going on here?”

“So not the right time baby monk” Finan sighed as he closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, he didn't think he could handle Osferth after everything that just happened. Osferth looks at you in confusion when you start giggling, a few seconds later Aethelstan was joining you.

Yeah, it definitely was worth it.

note: I am soo sorry this took so long to get out. These past 2 weeks have been very stressful, with the weather and one of my very close family friend passing away, it been hard for me to focus on my writing. (Sorry for the small emotional dump)

But I do hope you guys enjoyed this! I love Aethelstan sm so I loved writing this! To the others who have sent me req, I have seen them and I will write them, I just don’t know when I will get them out :(

Please comment and tell me what you think about it, I would love to read all your thoughts!

#the last kingdom #the last kingdom x reader #the last kingdom fanfic #aethelstan x reader #aethelstan tlk #aethelstan the last kingdom #harry gilby #the last kingdom fluff #tlk fandom #aethelstan

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outlawedmando · 1 year

Text

SOMEWHERE SAFE

pairing: sihtric kjartansson × poc!reader

warnings: violence ; sihtric not married here

summary: scared of losing someone dear to you.

a/n: this is so inaccurate but i desperately wanted to write for my one love <3 kicking myself for not watching the last kingdom sooner (that's on me). this has not been edited/beta read.

also! would really appreciate reblogs + comments!!

word count: 1,3k+

SOMEWHERE IN DANELAND

The aftermath of any battle came with its own consolation prizes. Both sides of the war lost many on their sides. There were dead bodies scattered everywhere, decorating the barren field to completion. You do not remember being dragged violently on the ground, only that you could not see properly as blood had gotten everywhere—into your eyes and all.

Now as you sit on the bloodied earth surrounded by Danes jeering about how they caught one of Uthred's most trusted men. But, you knew how the men looked at you. You rather the Saxon's and their god smite you then be laid out on a platter for these savages. You did not know when your back up would come, if they would notice that you were gone. You could be dead for all you knew.

Your hands shuffled across your body, patting down all over. Your fingers had found the small dagger strapped alongside your pants on the right-side. You would die with honour if worst comes to worse.

A Dane you haven't seen before strutted in his glory towards you. You glared as he laughed drinking his ale. Most of it spilled all over the ground. He swiped his long dagger from his hip and brought it directly in front of you.

“What a prize you are,” He dragged the tip of the steel from your cheek down to your chest. “I wonder what Uthred would say now that we have one of his own.”

You spat at him, “I will cut out your tongue and feed it to you and I will watch you as you choke on it.”

His smile turned into a frown. He chucked his empty cup away as he dug his dagger into your throat drawing a sliver of blood. You winced but you sneered even more as you struggled in your binding—the rope cutting into your wrists.

“You shut your mouth bitch or I will make you.”

You swore under your breath. You eyed this man before you spat at his shoes. “Fuck you.”

“You little…” He grabbed the back of your neck. You knew there was going to be a large bruise left after. That was the least of your worries. You had endured worse. Women always bore the brunt of men’s actions. That was written in history.

The Dane brought the hilt of his dagger and smashed it against your cheekbone and switched the weapon so the blade got dragged down your neck. He was making incisions amongst your skin, the flesh open and gaping; letting blood run its course.

You steeled your face. You must show no fear. He kept on beating you, wearing your body down. Until, there was a commotion at their camp. One of the men came and addressed his leader that they found dead bodies scattered at a river.

“The sickness, it has travelled from afar. From those Christian bastards. We must prepare.” The leader addressed his men, he stared directly at you, “If you see anyone that is not a Dane, kill them.” He smirked.

You cowered in hurt as you coughed up blood. It splattered against the earth. Your body collapsed against the ground, eyes dizzy. You didn’t remember anything, only blackness.

—

Screams were heard, the ringing in your ears faded with time. The screams continued. Metal clanged against another, the sharp thrum of violence. You could hear a name being shouted, multiple times of different voices.

Everything rushed to your head, a sharp tinge rung through. White light blinded your eyes as they fluttered open, trying to refocus your gaze.

The chant of your name repeated until you saw someone crouch by your side, pushing your shoulders back and letting your body lay on the dirt. You settled your gaze upon the shadow overcast your body, you gasped.

Sihtric cupped your cheek gently, “I’m here,” his fingers caressed the cuts. “I am here,” he whispered. You groaned in pain. Whimpered at the soft touch.

He coaxed you from the ground, hand cradling the small of your back as he helped you up from the ground. Sounds of throats being slit reverberated in the decrepit environment; Uthred, Finan, Osferth and Aethelstan took care of the rest of the men.

Sihtric called Osferth over to tend to your wounds. His look of worry worsened as Osferth approached in concern. He swore openly in undiluted anger. He stabbed one of his weapons; his dagger into the ground. Uthred grimaced. Osferth tended to your injuries, mixing a salve to apply to the deep cuts. He tore fabric and wrapped it tightly around your arms.

Osferth gazed directly into your eyes, “You know he’s not angry at you. He’s angry at himself, right…?”

Silence filled the space. You replied, “I know.” Your hands scrunched into the dirt, burying your anger and sadness into the specks of soil. “I know.”

Osferth got up and smiled gently towards you. “Thanks baby monk.”

His ears tinted a pinkish red.

Finan called him over after he saw that he was done tending to you. Uthred came over. It seemed like a domino effect; each man lined up waiting to speak with you on Sihtric’s behalf. When all you wanted was that oaf of a man.

You glared at Uthred, “Do not speak of it.”

“I do not know what you mean.” He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. He lifted you up and brought you over to one of the horses and helped you up.

“Let’s get back home to Rumcoffa. We will ride as much as we can before we settle for camp.”

“Hmm.”

“You’re riding with Sihtric.”

“Really? I couldn’t tell by the way you placed me upon his horse.”

He laughed. Sihtric approached the horses side and pushed himself up and behind you. He snaked his hands around your waist to grab the reins. His left hand settled against your stomach and gently pushed you back into him. You felt the warmth of his palm. You relished in it.

A throat cleared and you snapped out of your thoughts. Finan smiled like a lunatic. You glared. The horses neighed and set off riding. Only the sounds of hooves hitting the wet ground as the group rode into the horizon safe from danger.

—

Night came upon the land quickly and Uthred decided to set up camp in favour of you being deeply unwell to continue riding in your state. Their were no complaints from the rest of the men. You needed rest.

The fire crackled, the rabbits spit roasted and charred from the fire, chewing of the cooked meat traversed the environment. No one spoke until Finan couldn’t handle the silence and started talking about one of the women in the taverns. An old tale, a tale heard many times before.

You smiled deliriously and yawned.

“Here use this,” sweet Aethelstan gave you a fur to cover yourself. It was a cold night.

“Thank you,” you said.

Sihtric stayed quiet. He stayed quiet until everyone finally dozed off into sleep.

He stayed right by your side; close by.

You awoke soon after. You could feel someone staring into your back or it could of been a nightmare. You’re not sure which. Sihtric gaze settled on you, his fingers clenched.

“Why do you hate me so?”

“I don't hate you. I hate them for turning you into this.”

“Into what?”

“Someone I deeply care for get hurt.”

“You know bloodshed will never end. Especially because of who our loyalties lie with.” You turned over to face him. You stretched your hand across and placed it onto his thigh.

“I still do not like it.”

“Well, you have to deal with it.”

“Doesn’t mean it doesn’t pain me to see you hurt this way.”

“Neither do I when I see you hurt.”

“I know.”

“Do you?”

“I do.”

Your hand grabbed his. “Then lay with me and rest.”

His fingers tightened around yours in agreement.