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The last few months had been wearing on all of Uhtred’s men. The losses taken during the attempt to take back Bebbanburg had cut deep. Relentless trekking from Northumbria, Mercia and Wessex with little resources had left them all run down and hungry. Being stuck and powerless, waiting outside the gates of Wessex for the King to return had seen them all short tempered and frustrated.
While Finan had been a ball of unchecked anxiety while they were out in the open in lands with the sickness, he seemed to have calmed some since returning to Wessex, his frustration now lay in not being able to do anything but wait. That was a frustration shared by Uhtred.
As a leader he was always concerned about all of his men. As a man, his lovers Sihtric and Finan were his highest priority along with his children. Sihtric was the one Uhtred was concerned about currently. He had seen Sihtric and Finan squabbling earlier, as warriors none of them did well being unable to act to protect their families. Uhtred’s own daughter was being held captive in the city, Sihtric’s family had fled here for safety months ago. Now they sat, locked out of the city and unable to breach the city walls.
Uhtred had watched as Sihtric had stalked away from the camp, deeper into the treeline and hills behind them. He sighed, frowning as he tried to rub the tension out from between his eyebrows. Uhtred pushed himself up and slowly made his way towards where Sihtric had disappeared. He knew Finan would calm, his anger flared brightly but would burn out quickly.
Sihtric on the other hand had had an unsettling and uncharacteristic fire bubbling just under the surface, flaring up in violent outbursts. As subtle as he tried to be, Uhtred and Finan had noticed their younger counterpart sleeping and eating less. His eyes darker with tiredness and his already chiselled cheekbones standing out even more sharply. Sihtric’s normal stoic calmness had been replaced with fidgeting and restlessness, constantly searching the area around them for unseen dangers. The changes in his demour had been hard for them to miss since they had all been strung up and left to die by Hæsten.
Uhtred focused on looking for his rogue man, expecting him to be hiding himself with his full ability. Uhtred wavered as he walked when he saw the other man. He sat in open view, his back against a tree, his feet on the ground and knees up with his head hung between them. To Uhtred’s dismay he could see Sihtric’s body shaking, soft sobs racking his whole body. Uhtred ran to Sihtric, gripping his shoulder and calling his name.
“Sihtric!” Uhtred gently hooked his finger under the younger man’s chin and firmly pushed his head up to face him. “Please look at me?”
Sihtric’s wet, red rimmed eyes slowly made their way up to meet Uhtred’s concerned ones hovering above him. Uhtred’s heart broke at the sadness, fear and uncertainty he could see in Sihtric’s mismatched eyes.
“Oh baby boy! Come here” Uhtred cooed as he dropped to his knees, pulling Sihtric’s body firmly into a fierce hug. He didn’t know what was wrong with his boy, he only knew he and Finan would do whatever it took to see him smile again.