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Eadith didn’t know how long she’d been staring up at the outline of the canopy of trees. It felt like hours. Usually it didn’t take her long to fall asleep but the aching of her ribs wouldn’t let her rest.
Earlier, once they’d had a moment to talk, Sihtric had told her she’d cracked a few of her ribs.
Apparently he was the designated healer of his team.
Eadith didn’t care why her ribs were so sore all she cared about was that the group had gone to bed hours ago but she was still awake.
“You’re thinking too loud,” Finan whispered from where she thought he’d been sleeping beside her.
“Sorry about that,” she said.
At the sound of her voice, Aethelstan turned where he slept on her other side. He threw one arm over her chest making her hiss before she could stop herself.
She moved his arm gently as she could.
She’d already managed to wake up Finan. No need to wake anyone else too.
“Ribs?” Finan asked.
Eadith nodded before remembering he couldn’t see her.
“Yes. Have you cracked ribs before?”
At that, Finan laughed.
“Aye. More times than I’d like.”
Eadith snorted a laugh but that just made her ribs hurt worse.
Once was more than she liked.
“First time I cracked a rib,” Finan said, “I was still young. I was outside with my brothers and we were up to no good. I fell down a steep cliff and landed wrong.”
“I didn’t know you had brothers.”
She couldn’t see him, but Eadith thought he was nodding.
“There were seven of us.”
Usually she wouldn’t have pried but Eadith was tired and her ribs still felt like fire when she breathed, so she asked,
“What happened to them?”
Finan didn’t reply at first and Eadith was stating to think he wouldn’t when he finally spoke up.
“I never met my oldest brother. He died young. The second oldest died when I was twelve. The, uh, last sickness got him.” Finan paused before continuing. “It shouldn’t have though. I know what they say about only sinners getting it and my brother wasn’t a saint but he didn’t deserve to go like that.”
“I’m sorry,” Eadith said, knowing it wasn’t enough. She knew what it was to lose a sibling. And though she and her own brother had never been close he was still her brother.
“Ah, don’t worry about it. It was a long time ago. But the other four… As far as I know they’re still alive.”
Eadith nodded. She wanted to ask why he left them, left his home, but she decided this wasn’t the time.
“I broke my wrist when I was eight,” Eadith said. She couldn’t remember what the insult the kid said was. Only that it was an insult toward her family. She didn’t even remember the boys name.
She did remember the feeling of rage after the boy had spoken. She remembered the looking shock on his face when she’d punched him with all the strength of her eight year old body. She remembered the sound of her wrist breaking and the pain that followed. And she remembered thinking the pain was worth it as long as the boy never spoke against her family again.
Finan was silent for a moment after she told the story but when he spoke she could hear the smile in his voice.
“Well, did he insult your family again?”
Eadith grinned. “No, he didn’t. Not to my face at least.”
“I…” Finan paused as if trying to pick a story. “I broke my toe.”
“What?” Eadith asked, turning to look at him even though she couldn’t see him.
“Yeah, Uhtred’s fault. He dropped a jug of ale on my foot. I didn’t walk properly for a month.”
Eadith actually laughed when he said that, cracked ribs forgotten.
He joined in a moment later but he laughed too loud because suddenly there was the sound of an elbow hitting flesh followed by a small oof from Finan.
“Shut. Up,” Sihtric said in what could only be described as a growl. “Go to sleep.”
Finan laughed again but this time much quieter.
“Hmm, he’s probably right,” Finan said. “Good night, Eadith.”
Eadith told him goodnight and before long, she finally fell asleep.