**Smut Warning**

They all sat around the table dejectedly, Uhtred at the head, Osferth and Finan to his right, and Sihtric and Astrid, holding hands under the table, to his left. Since Bloodhair and Haestan had left earlier that morning, Ragnar had allowed Astrid to carry her weapons after some convincing from Uhtred that she didn't pose a threat. Before anyone had the chance to talk, the bell at the gate sounded.

"Two on horseback!" Yelled the Gatesman, "traders, maybe!"

Ragnar and Brida climbed the stairs to the top of the wall to get a better view of the arrivals.

"Let them in." Said Ragnar, a look of confusion across his face for a split second. Everyone's attention was on the gate now. They opened, and a Saxon priest and a red-haired Dane girl came through on horses. Uhtred and his men, and even some of the other Danes seemed to recognise the pair, some letting out gasps of shock at seeing them there.

Sihtric, seeing Astrid's confusion about the identity of the pair, turned his head towards her and leaned in so his lips were almost kissing her ear. He brushed her hair out of the way and whispered, "that's Father Beocca, one of the few priests Uhtred trusts, and his wife Thyra, who also happens to be Uhtred's sister."

"Thyra, what are you doing here?" Ragnar ran up to the red-head, and helped her off of her horse.

"Are you not glad to see me?" She responded jokingly. She embraced her brother tightly and carried on chatting to him as the priest approached the table where Astrid, Uhtred and his men sat.

Noticing Uhtred's annoyed look at his presense, the priest addressed the rest of the men first, shaking Osferth, Finan and Sihtric's hands.

Looking at Astrid, he said, "Dane girl, look like a rat."

Astrid was used to worse insults under Bloodhair, so she laughed it off and was about to introduce herself, when Sihtric put his arm around her shoulders.

"This is Astrid, she worked under Bloodhair, but now she's loyal to Uhtred," Sihtric explained, rubbing his thumb along her shoulder.

"Careful you don't hump this one, Uhtred, you have enough children running around," the priest joked, trying to get him to warm to his appearance.

Before Uhtred had a chance to respond, Astrid said, spinning her knife on it's point on the table, "don't worry Father, if he tries anything, I'm sure there's a dog somewhere here who would absolutely love having his balls for dinner." That remark got a hearty laugh from everyone at the table and even some of the men nearby.

"Some privacy?" Asked the priest, obviously talking about Uhtred.

"Sit down Father," said Finan, "we all need a piss." He yanked Osferth up from the table, and Sihtric took Astrid by the hand to help her up. She didn't need any assistance, but it felt nice being helped by a man such as Sihtric, and every time she looked at his hands, she was reminded of the magic they had worked the night before. The four of them walked out of earshot and proceeded to talk about the Danish push further south. Astrid and Sihtric leaned against a wall, while Finan and Osferth stood facing them with their backs out to the courtyard. As Astrid leaned into Sihtric, he put his arm over her shoulders in such a way that his hand occasionally brushed her boobs, and if she was lucky, her nipples. Osferth and Finan didn't seem to notice, or if they did, they knew this was nothing compared to what they had gotten up to previously. They all agreed that they shouldn't be going back down south, Astrid because she had always been content up north, and especially now that she had people to loose, she didn't want to fight unnecessary battles. The men felt that it was a waste of time going from north to south and back again, when they should just be focussed on reclaiming Bebbanburg, which was explained to Astrid as Uhtred's birthright that was taken from him by his uncle.

All of a sudden, Beocca stood up from the table, said a few more words to Uhtred and walked away. Astrid and the others walked back to the table and grabbed ale and five cups on the way back. They all sat down at the table with a sigh. Finan looked pointedly at Uhtred, guessing that whatever Beocca had told him had made him conflicted about following Ragnar.

"Don't say it," Uhtred groaned, looking anywhere but at the other four at the table.

"I won't so much as fart in your direction Lord." Finan said, keeping his voice low so that no one else but those at the table could hear, "I'll simply say to Sihtric here that this great army we're gathering can never hold."

Sihtric, taking hold of Astrid's hand under the table, said "Agreed."

Oh, my Gods is he handsy when he's anxious about something. Astrid thought, placing her free hand on his knee to comfort him. He smiled slightly at this, evidently calming down slightly.

"And I'll mention to Osferth," Finan continued, "that I did not come north only to turn and march south."

"Nor me, Finan," Osferth agreed, finally making brief eye contact with Uhtred.

"Lord, I will follow you wherever you go, but we have allies in Wessex, Finan has his family, and you have your kids," Sihtric said, squeezing Astrid's hand. "Men like Bloodhair and Haestan are no better than Kjartan." He paused before his father's name, not liking the memories associated with him. Astrid loved the amount of concern he showed for the Saxons, a group of people, as Kjartan's son and a Dane, he was supposed to hate. She moved her hand from his thigh to his back and started rubbing in circles.

"If the north is your home, your birthright," Finan whispered, "then why are we not looking towards Bebbanburg? That is a fight we can believe in. I am begging you, as your friend, please do not do this."

"And abandon my brother?" Uhtred's loyalty to his adoptive brother was so strong that he overlooked reason and the loyalty of his own men to keep it. "How can I do that?"

"You must," Finan said, maintaining eye contact with Uhtred for the longest he had that morning.

That night, at dinner, Sihtric and Astrid found a quiet corner to eat their dinner in, switching between eating and telling each other about their lives. The atmosphere in the hall that night was mellow, given the events of the last 24 hours, and the ale ran surprisingly slow for a night close to battle. Eventually, Sihtric was leaning on the wall that the table was up against, straddling the seat. Astrid sat between his legs, resting her head under his chin, playing with the multitude of rings on his fingers.

"We could run away together, you know?" Astrid said, rubbing Sihtric's hands. "We could find a trader ship happy to take us and sail to Ireland. We could settle in a small village, open up an alehouse, and never have to worry about the politics of the Saxons and Danes again." She desperately wanted to leave this complicated island behind and be with Sihtric for eternity, in this life and in Valhalla.

Sihtric moved her head with one head so she was looking at him. "I know, Astrid, but I couldn't do that knowing that my friends here still need me. I mean look at Uhtred..." at this moment, Uhtred looked like he could be starting something with a Saxon man sitting with Cnut. "He needs as much help as he can get."

"You may be right about that," Astrid chuckled, taking the split second where Sihtric was distracted by whatever fight Uhtred had decided to pick to kiss him on the neck, adding a bite to the end as to leave a mark there. Sihtric seemed startled, but unphased by Astrid's move.

"Oh, so you wanna play it like that do you, claim me for your own in front of everyone?" Sihtric inquired, a smirk widening on his face.

"Have you got a problem with that, my lord?" Astrid said, turning around to face him, straddling the seat herself.

"Not at all, but let me show you what a proper mark looks like."

Sihtric was about to stand and lead Astrid to his bed when all of a sudden, Uhtred yelled "Rangnar, make the square!"

"He is not worth it, Uhtred, leave him be," Rangar responded, taking a bite out of his bread.

"I will not. Make the square." Uhtred's rage at this measly Saxon seemed unfounded to Astrid, there certainly were Saxons that deserved Uhtred's wrath, but what made this man so special in this moment. She was about to ask Sihtric, when the Saxon answered himself.

"Why? Because I have found the truth," he said, "you would rather go running back to Aethelflead like her lapdog than stay and fight with your brothers." Uhtred walked towards him, unsheathing his knife.

Cnut spoke up in a calming tone, "Uhtred. We are supposed to be one army, my friend." This made Uhtred stop in his tracks, remembering who's roof he was under. He didn't want to loose the respect of his brother."

"I predict," the Saxon said, "that Lord Uhtred is about to desert this great army for his one true love, the Queen of Mercia herself!" This comment earned the Saxon a backhanded slap across the face from Uhtred, and it would have been a lot worse if they had not been sitting in Ragnar's hall.

"And there, ladies and lords, is the proof!" Exclaimed the Saxon, nursing his face.

"Proof of what, Saxon runt?" Uhtred was the angriest he'd been in a while, based on Sihtric's shocked face.

"You are torn between Saxon and Dane!" The Saxon man was good at pitting people against each other. Perhaps that was why he was here, to break apart this army, for Wessex or maybe for whatever personal goal he could have.

"Brother, are you with me or not?" Ragnar stood and approached Uhtred. He didn't answer for a few moments, so Ragnar repeated, "what do you say?"

To Astrid's surprise, Uhtred repeated the sentiments that his men held, telling the room that the army could never really hold, that there was no bond between them.

"No bond you say? Then who am I?" Rangar looked genuinely wounded by Uhtred's statement, a sad look passing over his face quickly before returning to the usual subdued expression.

"You are my brother, Ragnar."

"Then does a princess not compare to a brother?"

The Saxon spoke up again, "it would appear not."

Ignoring him, Ragnar continued, "choose. Are you with us, each of us, or not?"

There was another few moments of silence. At some point, Sihtric had wrapped both of his arms around one of Astrid's, ending in a tangled mess of fingers.

"I will be leaving," Uhtred announced.

Brida stood and said, through tears, "you a whore to Alfred. A whore to the crown of Wessex. You are no more a Dane than your priest friend. You would do this to me? To Ragnar?"

"I must."

Ragnar spoke again, saying "yes, of course, you must. You swore an oath. But it is because of your oath that you lose your name. You are no longer Uhtred Ragnarsson. I can not call you my brother. Go. Before I kill you." Uhtred took one last look at his brother, then turned and walked out the door, and Astrid as well as the rest of Uhtred's men followed. They climbed onto their horses and rode off into the night. Once they found a place to camp, Sihtric and Astrid found themselves too tired to carry out the things they had planned earlier, but they did fall asleep in each other's arms.

After a full day of riding towards the nunnery where Aethelflead was hidden, Astrid and Sihtric were starved for the affection they had gotten used to giving and receiving, so they were keen to stop for the night.

Once everyone had settled down with their dinner, Sihtric said, "I need a piss," and stood up, tracing his hand up Astrid's spine, and along the plait that she put her hair in for travel. A few seconds after he walked into the woods, Astrid said she would find some more firewood, and tried not to seem suspicious walking in the same direction Sihtric did. However, Astrid could not immediately find him and was about to call out his name when a man's hand covered her mouth. She felt a body press up against hers, and place a second hand on her stomach. She turned her head up and found Sihtric smiling down at her.

He bent his head down to her ear and whispered, "shhh..."

The hand on her mouth slid down and came to rest at the top of her neck, her chin resting between Sihtric's thumb and pointer finger. His other hand then slid down Astrid's body, landing on her crotch. Even though her trousers were in the way, Sihtric's fingers still managed to create a wonderful sensation, working their way around. The hand on her throat pulled up, forcing her to look at the stars. She whispered his name, imagining all of the things he could do with her out here. Back at Ragnar's, he mentioned wanting to leave his mark on her and claim her. Astrid would welcome any mark, permanent or otherwise, from this man.

Astrid raised her arms behind her and started to undo Sihtric's armour, prompting him to move the hand on her throat down her body to the buckles of her own armour. She slowly turned around and kissed him on the lips. They were now only in their undergarments, and Sihtric could not keep his hands, eyes, or mouth off of her. He grabbed her face in a strong grip with one hand, thumb rubbing her cheek, and fingers behind her ears. The other hand returned lower, grabbed her hips, and pulled her close to him. With the minimal amount of clothing they had on, she could feel the erection he had through his trousers.

Whispering, he said "I want to fuck you. So much. I want you to be mine, and only mine. I want to follow you to the ends of the Nine Realms, and I hope you want to do the same for me."

Astrid went on her tiptoes, and said into his ear, "I would turn to Christianity and burn for a million lifetimes in their fiery hell if it meant getting to spend one more second with you."

Sihtric seemed to melt at this, as Astrid found she needed to support more of his weight. After a moment, he regained his composure and said, "good" in the most commanding tone she had heard from any man, Dane or Saxon, and she found it endlessly sexy. He pushed her back lightly until she sat on a nearby rock, with him a few paces away. He took his shirt off, revealing his toned abs, and strode towards her. He took her hands and pinned them above her head.

"Stay." He commanded, keeping a hushed tone. They could still hear the rest of the group chatting around the fire. He moved his hands from hers and moved them down to the hem of the shirt. He slowly brought the shirt over her head, easily lifting her up slightly with one hand on the small of her back so the shirt wouldn't be ruined on the rock. He pulled down her pants slightly with one finger, and licked a line from the top of her pants up to her mouth, giving her a quick kiss before turning his attention to her boobs. He sucked on the left one, and she grunted, having to bite her lip to keep herself from moaning Sihtric's name loud enough for even far off Wales and Wessex to hear. He was somehow even better with his tongue than last time, and he paused sucking her left momentarily to kiss a line over to the right, his hands on her waist keeping her steady on the rock. He repeated the same action that he had done on her left on her right, sucking her breast, occasionally licking the nipple, making her whimper. He stopped, and backed up slightly, out of breath. He then unlaced his trousers, and Astrid sat up to watch him do so.

"I thought I told you to stay, lovely?" He dropped his pants and tossed them aside.

"Come over here and make me," Astrid said, smiling at him. Sihtric did just that, pressing his torso onto hers, one hand on the back of her head and the other on her waist. His mouth then made its way down her body again, kissing, licking, and nibbling every place he could without actually hurting her. Once he arrived at her pants, he grabbed the lace in his mouth and pulled it with his teeth, placing his hands on her hips. He easily undid the knot with his mouth, evidently having to untie many a knot with his mouth over his lifetime, and proceeded to slide his hands down her legs, taking her pants with them. Without breaking eye contact, he crawled up the rock, hands on either side of her body until he was almost right above her. He thrust into her, knowing from previously exactly how hard and fast she liked it, although almost anything Sihtric did to her at this moment would have made her cum. As he continued to thrust, he stared up and away from her, quickly running out of breath.

Astrid found it hard at this point to keep quiet, especially when she felt herself about to climax. Sihtric did so then, and she felt it inside her, and after another moment, she felt herself come as well. They both moaned from the pleasure, not caring if the others heard. Sihtric had heard his fair share of sex from Uhtred, so it was only right that the roles were reversed, even once. They were both out of breath as Sihtric removed his cock from inside Astrid and stood up. She was disappointed that he'd stopped, but at least she enjoyed the view she was looking at. Bending his arms, palms facing up, he motioned for Astrid to walk over to him. She did just that, to Sihtric looking at her up and down and biting his lip. Astrid got to Sihtric and placed her hands on his neck, and ran her thumbs along his jaw. He placed his hands on her hips and drew her close, kissing her in the process.

There was suddenly some rustling in the bushes, and the pair stopped kissing and turned around, only to find Finan standing there, leaning on a tree, hands on his belt. 

"I knew that you were taking way too long on that piss break Sihtric." He said, keeping heavy eye contact with the ground, evidently trying not to look at how naked they both were. "As punishment, we've decided that you two should take the first watch tonight. Hurry up and get back to the camp so we don't die of exhaustion."

"On our way, Finan." Astrid said, trying her best to cover herself up with her hands, which was a task Sihtric happily took up once Finan left. His right hand reached down to her pussy, while his left went over her shoulder, too her boobs. He pecked her shoulders, slowly working up to her neck. Astrid, not wanting to get Sihtric in any more trouble than he already was, wrestled herself out of his grip and made her way to her clothes, not breaking eye contact with Sihtric.

Seeing his slightly disappointed look, Astrid said, "something to look forward to tomorrow, my beloved." Sihtric looked happier now, with Astrid now calling him beloved. They both got dressed, helped each other with their armor, and made their way back to camp to watch. Sihtric got impressed looks from Finan and Uhtred, but they both stayed as quiet as the sleeping Osferth. As Finan and Uhtred went to sleep as well, Sihtric and Astrid sat down near the dwindling campfire, back to back and whispered the occasional "I love you" to each other.