Uhtred was soon accompanied by Finan and Sihtric as he left the palace. Lilith shared a glance with Sihtric as they walked, Uhtred was not happy.

"Now is not the time," He mocked with rage. "Years, I've waited. Years, I've given my sword. Years, my home has been denied to me. There's no debt." He scoffed at that.

"Winchester is a snake pit." Finan says as they stop at an alehouse. Lilith walked behind Finan and Uhtred and sent a glare at Sihtric when he groped her ass, he sent her an innocent smile as she narrowed her eyes.

"We will think of another plan." Uhtred informed them as they sat. "Do you think our band can take the forty men at Bebbanburg?" Uhtred questioned seriously.

"Two on one? Ask me when I'm drunk." Finan mumbled. "Lilith, however, she is crazy enough to try." Lilith grinned at the image, her standing in the middle of forty men, dead men.

"Is that an option?" She asked hopeful and leaned forward on her forearms. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Sihtric subtly looked down the neckline of her dress, she reached out to pat Uhtred's hand to get his attention while knowingly giving her husband a show.

"Come on, Finan. Our men are three times the fighters Aeofric's are." Sihtric said softly as he forced himself to look away from her breasts.

"I know. It's just in unreachable walls and boiling tar that worries me." He mumbled. Sihtric takes his cup of ale and as he drinks he looks up almost seductively at her and she bit her lip to avoid saying something inappropriate.

"Not to mention the Scots waiting to take it all for themselves." Osferth graced them with his presence a moment later in confusion.

"What are you doing here? Is the plan off then? Are we just staying here to get drunk?" Osferth asked and ignored the glare Finan sent his way when he slapped him, she snickered at the look and slid her ale to Finan. She wasn't thirsty and the drunker the Irishman gets the easier it is to convince him to do things he normally wouldn't. Like the one time, she urged him to sing an Irish song to Uhtred, the village of Coccham assumed a cat was being strangled that night.

"The plan is unchanged we head to Bebbanburg." Uhtred said and shot her a look. "We will not send in our secret weapon, you might burn it down in your bloodthirsty haze."

He had a point, she probably would.

"Take the fortress, then we get drunk." Sihtric and Finan share a worried look as Osferth looks over at her, she arches an eyebrow at the priest.

"Just us? Without an army?" He asked and looked to her for answers.

"You don't need an army to kill one man. We kill Aelfric, the gates will open." Uhtred said confidently.

"Maybe not. But I doubt he will allow himself to be caught." Lilith spoke with a glare and Uhtred sighed. They soon leave and as they walk the streets of Winchester Uhtred's men begin to speak.

"It's getting into Bebbanburg, that's the problem." Finan said as he tossed an arm around her shoulders.

"I say we just turn up and ram the gate." Sihtric said with a smirk.

Or her. He could just ram her.

"Or we just ask nicely to be let in. Next idea." Finan makes the sign of the cross when he sees a nun, Osferth turns back to watch the nun with a small smile.

"We are not dressing up as nuns." Finan said as he tapped Osferth's chest. Lilith cackled as Finan grew horrified, Sihtric smiled fondly at her laughing so freely.

"I wasn't going to say that." Osferth defended.

"But you were."

"No, I wasn't." Osferth said.

"Lord Uhtred! Thank you for offering your men to help clear the stables." Hild said with a warm smile.

"What!" Finan shouted as the three men became confused.

"Ladders." Osferth says as he points at Finan. Sihtric and Finan share a look of disbelief before walking away. Lilith grabs the monk's wrist and pulls him with her.

"Ladders, that's your brilliant idea?" She whispered teasingly and he frowned.

Uhtred overlooked the garden from his place on the wall as monks walked about. Lilith was picking the dirt out from under her nails with her blade, she wanted Sihtric to take her behind the nearest tree the first chance they got.

Sihtric and Finan hide behind a wooden wall as they wait for Uhtred's order. He then suddenly points to a boy and his friends immediately grab the boy and put a bag over his head.

"Hey! Get off! Who are you?" The boy shouts as he struggles.

"Shh, he's a sinner, father." Finan claimed as they dragged the boy away. Once they manage to bring him into the woods and out of sight they remove the bag.

"Hello, father."

"Men," Uhtred then turns to them. "Lilith, this is my son young Uhtred." The boy scowled at the name.

"I don't use that name. It belongs to a priest killer." Young Uhtred snapped. "And she has killed men of all kinds. She should have been executed." The boy hissed in disgust. Finan glared at the boy, she was like a daughter to him and he wouldn't stand for any disrespect sent her way.

"I am here to guide you back to your family." Uhtred ordered.

"The church is my family."

"No, it's not. You were placed there without my permission." Uhtred grimaced at the memory. Lilith crossed her arms and smirked at the father and son, she was going to enjoy this.

"Praise be to King Alfred for that." Uhtred and Finan share a silent look.

"We are leaving this place and you are coming with me." Uhtred demanded and the boy scoffed.

"Am I?"

"Yes, you have no choice. Take off the woman's garb, wear this. And, uh...I have a gift for you. Sihtric!" Sihtric brings out a pony from the darkness, it grunts loudly. Sihtric fights back a smile as Finan attempts to cover up his laugh. Lilith and Sihtric make eye contact and she motions in the direction of the dark woods with her head, Sihtric's eyes darkened with lust.

"Impressive beast." Young Uhtred says with anger.

"Hey, I did not realize how much you'd grown." Sihtric reached around the scratched the pony on the neck, he was trying not to laugh at the exchange. "Ride to Coccham with us. In time, we will find you a proper horse."

"Why would I go to Coccham?"

"To collect the ship that will take us north.. to reclaim your birthright and mine. To seize back what was lost and unite our family. I'm taking you to Bebbanburg."

"Never heard of it." Finan quickly covered his mouth as his laugh threatened to spill out, she punched her father figure to stop him from ruining Uhtred's living nightmare.

"He doesn't seem to like you much." Finan shouted as Uhtred began walking away.

"That's Alfred's legacy, the man torments me still." When they reach Coccham they start preparing the ship, Finan doesn't seem to like the quality of the boat. Lilith hissed softly as she leaned against the wooden post, taking cock against a tree wasn't nearly as comfortable as she thought it would be.

"It's sturdy enough."

"Do we not need something more...agile? We're not taking pelts to sell to Frankia." Finan claimed softly.

"Do you want Aelfric to know that we're coming?"

"I suppose not. Pelts it is." Finan mumbled. Uhtred turned and smiled when he noticed Beocca had shown up. Lilith could feel how sore her legs and pelvis were as she moved out of Uhtred's way and vowed not to let Sihtric ravish her against another tree ever again.

"Uhtred!"

"Beocca? Are you kidding?" The two men hug.

"Do you have room for half a man more? I flee the wrath of the lady Ælswith." Uhtred chuckles.

"As do we all. I'm sure we can make space for you." Uhtred says with a grin.

"I'm afraid I'll not be much use to you as a fighter."

"Happily for you, I am desperate." Beocca laughs loudly. They gather in the hall as Osferth prepares the meal. Lilith has to use Finan's head to help stabilize her as she sits down and Finan makes a sound of distress at the action.

Sihtric chuckled at their childishness and handed her a bowl of broth as she kicked Finan when he punched her arm. She immediately regretted it as she hissed in pain. Lilith sent Sihtric a glare as he acted all innocent and quiet as if he wasn't trying to be cock deep in her womb a few hours ago.

"We'll require more ale, for sure." Finan said as he spoke to Sihtric who was too busy rolling his eyes at the two.

"Did Hild send you to keep an eye on me?"

"No. It was entirely my decision. You were right. I've allowed myself to get old too quickly. I shall leech off their youthfulness, revive myself." Finan chuckled at Beocca and drank his ale.

"What is the real reason?"

"Word reached me...of the abduction of a young deacon." Sihtric and Finan look at one another. "So, I felt I should, uh..." Uhtred sighs.

"You came to help me be a better father." Uhtred stated bluntly.

"Well, there is that."

"And?" Beocca smiles sadly at the man.
Come morning, Sihtric was hiding the weapons under furs while Finan made it his mission to tease Osferth. Uhtred shook his head and walked over to his son who was watching the interaction. Lilith ran her fingers down Sihtric's back softly as she passed him and her husband slapped her ass as the others were distracted. She yelped quietly in a mixture of surprise and pain.

"Sihtric." She whispered in a warning tone.

"You seemed to enjoy it last night and the time before against the tree." Sihtric spoke with a shit-eating grin. Lilith grinned mischievously as she walked closer to him, her husband gulped as he glanced down at her.

"And yet, all I had to do was tell you I wanted to have your child and it was over for you," Sihtric grew flustered at her claim and gasped when her fingers brushed against his crotch. "Oh, look at that. You are hard, too bad." She said teasingly and walked away just as Osferth and Finan climbed onto the boat.

"Get your saintly arse on the bench, Osferth!" Finan shouted at the monk.

"Let's go." Uhtred ordered.

"He gets sick traveling backward." Sihtric added when Osferth complained. Lilith sat on the edge of the boat as Finan stood next to her.

"I do not! I just like to see where we're going." Osferth said. Sihtric cackled at the boy. Uhtred turns to the sunset and smiles as he unsheathed his sword.

"To Bebbanburg!"

"Raise the sail!" Finan added with a grin.