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Laughter filled the air outside the walls of Coccham. Since the return of their Lord Uhtred with his men the people had become accustomed to the sound. The people were no fools, not completely anyway. They were wise enough to know that the new stray, a woman with fiery red hair, who had come home was the cause for it.
Eadith wiped away the tears that rolled down her cheeks as she looked upon Finan, who was rolling around on the ground with a giggling Aethelstan in his arms, growling and tickling the young boy’s sides. She brushed away a piece of her hair that had come loose from her braid and placed a hand on her aching side. The last time her side ached like so was after the Battle of Winchester. Most days now, the cause of pain in her side was Finan from making her laugh.
As Aethelstan let out a howl of laughter, Eadith was pulled from her thoughts and back to the present. The young boy’s face was red from squirming and playing with the burly Irish man. She smiled softly: “Finan, the boy needs air.”
Finan gave one final growl, pulled the boy to his chest and flopped onto his back, not caring at the moment that a rock dug into his shoulder. Eadith shook her head at both of them, God help us. She was sure that if the boy’s grandmother saw half the things her grandson got up to here at Lord Uhtred’s estate, she would go mad.
“You beat me,” Finan poked Aethelstan in the shoulder, taking in a couple of deep breaths. “I’m gettin’ too old to be doin’ this.”
Eadith snorted and shook her head. Too old? “Let it be known then,” she took a couple of steps toward the man and boy, a twinkle in her eye, “Finan, one of Uhtred’s greatest warriors was defeated by a little boy.”
“Little!?” Both Finan and Aethelstan exclaimed.
A shriek as Eadith was tackled by both Aethelstan and Finan, followed by laughter echoed throughout the air.
Silence was broken from the crackle of the firewood as the flames took hold of it, shedding light on some of the shadows of the main hall. Eadith was not surprised to find that Uhtred’s home matched that of a Dane’s. In all honesty, Eadith found comfort in the openness of it all. It was late in the night but sleep eluded the young woman. Osferth had come to keep her company earlier until he started to fall asleep and she sent him to bed, assuring him that she would be alright. She had come to develop a dear friendship with the would-be monk and was grateful for his company.
She wasn’t surprised when Finan came to join her beside the fire. He tossed another piece of wood into the flames, sending embers up into the air and allowing the fire to shed light on the dried tear marks that Eadith hadn’t bothered to brush away. He sighed but said nothing, she was thankful. They all knew, not just Finan and Osferth, that tonight would be a rough night for her. Uhtred had returned earlier from a visit to Mercia and with it, he brought a letter and gift for Eadith from the Lady Aelfwynn. She missed the young girl terribly. Eadith had never had a particular soft spot for children before but through her time spent with Uhtred and caring for the children, she had come to develop one. Two years have passed since Eadith has seen the young girl. The only comfort she had was when Uhtred would go to visit Mercia, to see the Lady Aethelflaed and return with a letter and occasional gift from Aelfwynn for her. Aelfwynn had finally stopped asking Uhtred why Eadith hadn’t traveled with him for his visits.
The gift from Aelfwynn is what tore at Eadith’s heart this night. She brought her right hand up to her neck and brushed her fingertips over the silver bird that hung loose around her neck. Aelfwynn had made matching necklaces; two silver bird pendants with their wings spread that matched, so they would be together in some way. Eadith was touched by the sentiment and wondered how Lady Aethelflaed reacted to her daughter’s gift for the other woman.
“Do you think I will see her again?”
Eadith didn’t look away from the fire when she asked Finan. She could feel his eyes on her but she couldn’t bring herself to face him. No one knew, but she prayed to God every night that he would let Eadith visit with the girl again. She was grateful that not only Finan, but Lord Uhtred and the other men never mocked the way she cared for the girl.
“Yes.”
Without thinking, Eadith slid over on the bench and laid her head to rest on his shoulder. He moved his arm so that she could lean into him more and resisted the urge to bury her nose into his neck, an urge she found herself having more and more these days. They remained that way, staring into the flames, finding comfort in each other’s silent company until dawn.
The sound of the river soothed Eadith’s soul. She had discovered a hidden path in the forest that led to a small stream that ran off from the river that flowed along Coccham’s borders. When she was able to, Eadith would sneak away for time to herself, and this spot remained her little spot of heaven. Finan, Sihtric and Uhtred were off hunting while Osferth and Stiorra watched Aethelstan. If she listened closely, she could hear Stiorra and Aethelstan playing in the short distance. For a moment she was lost in memories of her and Eardwulf playing as children, her heart ached for her brother. He treated her unkindly but he was still her brother and she couldn’t bring herself to hate him completely.
A twig snapping behind her pulled Eadith from her mind and onto her feet before she could blink. Spinning on her heels she placed a hand on her thumping heart as Finan stood before her, hands held up palms out and a sheepish grin upon his face.
“Sorry, sorry, it’s me,” his Irish accent thick in his voice, “I thought you heard me.”
Eadith’s heart was returning to normal and she shook her head, “I was lost in past memories of different days.”
Finan dropped his hands and frowned at her but said nothing. He took a quick look around the small clearing hidden in the trees, “quite the little hide out you’ve found for yourself.” He gave her a smirk, “being alone with the wee ones and baby monk for the past few hours made you have enough?”
Eadith rolled her eyes laughing as she turned and retook her seat on the ground. Staring into the clear stream, she sighed and stretched her legs out in front of her. Her feet were bare, her shoes placed neatly beside her. “I was thinking of my brother.” She glanced down at her hands in her lap and began to play with the rings on her fingers. “When Stiorra and Aethelstan play together, they remind me of my brother and I as children.”
“You threatened to hang your brother upside down by his toes in a branch? Here I was thinkin’ you a more mild mannered lass.”
Eadith laughed and shook her head, glancing at the Irish man who sat beside her. He was close enough that his hot breath blew on her face when he laughed but distant enough that she could move her shoulder without touching his. She noticed how Finan always kept himself just out of her reach, allowing her enough personal space but so close that she could see the tiny scars that marked his face.
Both of them became quiet, listening to the sound of the stream and the songs of the birds nearby. Eadith cherished these moments of peace that she shared with Finan. She didn’t question how Finan found her secret spot because she wasn’t surprised. Finan was the one to always find her. She was glad to be able to share this spot with him, if only for him to have this little haven when he needed to get away and have time to himself.
Friends.
Somewhere between the day Eadith found them on the road that day, carrying a message from Aethelflaed and now, Finan and her had become more than friends. She knew that Finan was just following her lead, remaining on the friendship side of things until Eadith told him otherwise. She stopped playing with her rings and placed her hand at her side; her palm flat to the Earth and fingers spread out like branches in a tree, reaching out for Finan’s hand as though it were the sun. She stopped herself, their fingertips just touching. From the corner of her eye she saw Finan’s own hand twitch but his fingers remained still. Once again proving to the woman that she was the one in control and Finan, her loyal follower.
Their moment was brief. From the start of the path they heard Stiorra call to Finan: “You are home, Aethelstan is YOURS now!”
“Lord help me,” Finan grumbled as he rose to his feet and called out:“Can I not have a moment of peace?”
Eadith laughed as Finan gave her wink and made his way back down the path. She wanted another moment to herself before she followed after him. She turned to look up at the sky, noticing how the sun peeked through the top of the trees. Too brief a moment with the man, she thought to herself. God had quite the sense of humor, Eadith was finding.
“Aethelstan!” She heard Finan yell in the distance. “LEAVE THE TOAD ALONE!”
Eadith laughed as she rose from her spot on the ground, wiping away the dirt from her bottom and shook her head. She took her time walking down the path to the chaos that awaited her. She smiled as she heard Finan’s laugh, quickly joined by Aethelstan. These were the moments she thanked God every day for.