Everyone split up almost as soon as they got into the gate. Sihtric and Astrid took a moment together to calm each other's nerves, placing their foreheads together and touching their Thor's Hammer necklaces together.

"I love you," Sihtric whispered, placing a hand on the back of her head.

"I love you too." Astrid planted a quick kiss on Sihtric's mouth then broke free of his embrace and jogged to where Aethelflead was waiting for her, leaving Sihtric standing there in shock.

Astrid and Aethelflead locked eyes, looked back at Sihtric, and burst out laughing. Their laughter was only strengthened when Finan came up beside Sihtric and placed his arm around him, consoling him sarcastically. This broke Sihtric out of his trance, and he rolled his eyes at her and blew her a kiss, which  Astrid gladly returned before they all headed off to execute the plan.

Aethelflead and Astrid first stopped at the armoury, having made the excuse of Astrid needing to sharpen her sword to not raise suspicion. Astrid chose a small dagger, easily concealed in her armour and they made their way to the master bedroom where Aethelflead's cunt of a husband would be likely to be waiting.

"Lady, please let me at least take his balls before we actually kill him. He doesn't deserve the satisfaction of a clean death." Astrid tried to keep her voice clear of the nerves that she was feeling. She had gone on many a clandestine mission in the past, but she'd never felt nervous like this. Maybe it was the fact that she actually cared about the people who were involved, she loved one of them and had gotten close to everyone else. She had never had that connection with Bloodhair's group, not even Skade, who was usually the only other woman at camp.

"No, Astrid. This has to be perfect. If one thing goes wrong, then Uhtred doesn't get Bebbanburg, Mercia will be thrown into disarray, and you..." she paused and looked at Astrid, "won't get to marry that loverboy of a Dane."

"You're right... but from what I've heard, he needs to suffer."

"Where he's going, he'll be suffering plenty." Athelflead breathed in sharply and picked up the pace. Astrid quickened her pace as well.

"I'm sure that Forseti, and maybe even Odin, will want a turn with him if there's anything left after your God is finished with him." They arrived at the bedroom and the cunt was indeed inside, and after introductions, he motioned for Astrid to stand outside. Aethelflead gave a nod, and Astrid stepped outside and shut the door. A few moments later, Sihtric appeared with an Aeldorman tied up. Sihtric lit up when he saw Astrid standing there, twirling her Danish blade. Astrid moved a finger to her lips in a silencing motion, and gave a cough, letting Aethelflead know that they were ready. Aethelflead then coughed back. Astrid counted to three on her fingers while switching her Danish blade for the Saxon one. She burst into the room, followed closely by Sihtric. She rushed up to Aethelred and knocked him over the head with the pummel of the dagger before he could even get a word out. While he was dazed, she dragged him to the window with the help of Aethelflead and they pushed him out. Luckily they were high up enough for the fall to kill him, especially with the head injury that Astrid had just given him.

"Sihtric! Go get the rest of the Whittan, now!" Astrid grabbed the Aeldorman from Sihtric and he ran off. Astrid held her dagger to his throat and said, "Aethelflead is going to untie you now and give you the dagger I just used to kill your king. When the other Aeldormen get here, they will be convinced that you killed him. If they are not convinced, I will kill you. If they are convinced, they will kill you. Either way, you will die. So, it is in everyone's best interest that you die helping us to place Aethelflead as the new Mercian ruler or you will wish that Mercia's true name was Mercy."

"...yes...lady..." The Aeldorman looked like he was about to piss himself. I might have to try out knifeplay with Sihtric at some point, this is fun Astrid thought. Aethelflead handed him the dagger, which Astrid had dropped at some point during the scuffle.

"Lady hm?" Yet another thing she'd have to talk to Sihtric about. She looked at Aethelflead, "I could get used to being called a lady." They both chuckled, but quickly stopped as they heard footsteps approaching.

"Just in here, lords!" Sihtric appeared in the doorway, stepping aside to let the Aeldormen into the room.

"Lords, this man barged passed me, claiming to have important news for the King, but when he got into the room, he tried to kill the Lady but the King got in the way, ending with him getting shoved out the window. Luckily I got in here in time to at least save the lady." Astrid explained. "Look, he even has a knife from the armoury, with blood on it!"

"Is this true?" One of the Aeldormen asked, taking a small step forward. Sihtric, noticing this, also took a step forward, eyes narrowing, and his hands moving towards his sword. Astrid found his concern incredibly sexy, but she had to stay focused.

"Yes. It is. She failed to provide heirs to the King so I thought it easiest if he could find a new wife which can't happen unless she's dead." He was a good liar, or maybe he genuinely thought it. One could never tell with politicians.

"Girl, can you use that dagger?" Another Aeldorman asked.

"Of course, Lord." Astrid made a barely perceivable wink at Sihtric, whose cheeks turned bright red.

"Kill him. Kill him now. None of us liked you. Your son is not fit for the throne anyway." This Aeldorman seemed to be one of the few good ones. "I move that Aethelflead be made Queen, just until another suitable person is found. She is the daughter of Alfred, who has proven himself to be a good ruler. His daughter might be the same. All in favour, say I."

He was met with a resounding 'I' from the group. Then Astrid slit the Aeldorman Sihtric had brought her by the throat, killing him in one foul swoop.

The coronation happened with in a few days, and almost immediately, Athelflead proposed they take Bebbanburg.

"The Scots have successfully taken Bebbanburg. If we want a peaceful Mercia, a peaceful England, we need it." Aethelflead was standing at the head of the table in the feasting hall, Uhtred, Astrid and Uhtred's men to her right and the Aeldormen to her left. "It's also of strategic importance to the Scots and the Danes, as it provides an easy gateway south. I propose we form an alliance with the Danes using Uhtred's connection to them, and we drive the Scots out. We then place Uhtred and his men in charge, and allow the Danes to settle there. This means we don't have the Scots on our border, the Danes have no reason to push south as they have a home, and Uhtred gets his birthright back."

"I'm sorry lady," one of the Aeldormen spoke up, "but how are you so sure that the Danes won't push further south?"

Uhtred spoke up, "the Danes are here to find a place to settle. If we give them that, they won't need to push further into Saxon lands."

After a long while of debate and discussion, the Aeldormen were finally convinced of the plan. They, along with Aethelflead and Uhtred, went to gather the bannermen, and the rest of them went to get drunk.

After a few, Astrid was still sober, afraid of hurting the baby, but everyone else was pretty much the drunkest she'd ever seen them. Yet, they kept going. Eventually, they made it to a new bar. They walked in, Osferth and Finan first, followed by Sihtric and Astrid. Sihtric, Astrud had discovered, got awfully clingy while drunk and could not keep his hands off of her, especially not her boobs or her stomach. He would occasionally try to talk to the unborn child by getting up close to her belly and whispering nonsense to it.

Finan walked up to the barkeep and leant on the bar. "Now, have you ever met the personal guards to the Lord of the gateway to the north before?"

"I can't say I have. Have you? Cause I can't see any anywhere." The barkeep was clearly amused at this group, a drunk Irishman, a tipsy monk and a drunk Dane hanging off of a completely sober Dane girl.

"Well, m'lady, you're looking at them! Four pints..."

"Three, Finan!" Sihtric yelled, embracing Astrid in a hug.

"Three pints! Of your finest ale, and one pint of whatever you have for a lady with a baby!" 'Lady with a Baby' was drunk Finan's new nickname for Astrid. She wondered if any of them would remember it tomorrow. They spent the rest of the night in that bar, and stumbled back to their rooms after the moon had reached it's peak. Astrid almost had to carry Sihtric back to bed, and he let out a quiet "to Bebbanburg!" before he fell fast asleep. She smiled at her loverboy and whispered, "to Bebbanburg."