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"This is it, Skald's Hall. It was given to Eilaf by his lord, for great service." Aethelwold tells them as they are perched on high ground looking below at the rundown homestead.

"Sihtric, you will go no further. Not until we are at the hall and inside, at all times you will remain unseen." Uhtred orders the dane, Gene looks at Aethelwold in suspicion, and he turns to her with a flirty smile. She looks at him in disgust and revels in the crestfallen expression the boy wears.

"Yes, lord." Sihtric answers next to her. Gene turns to the man and catches his eyes, she gives him a small smile.

"If the dead man rises when he returns to his grave, you will keep watching." Sihtric grows uneasy and looks at Uhtred.

"What if he sees me? Lord, what if....what if he knows that I am near?" Sihtric asks with a spooked voice.

"Then you shit yourself." Clapa exclaims and chuckles, Gene doesn't find it funny. She sent the older man a glare that had him shutting up.

"You will remain unseen and keep watch." Uhtred declared simply.

"Yes, lord." Gene stretches out and clasps Sihtric's arm startling him, Uhtred turns to them with a raised eyebrow. She ignores Uhtred's questioning look and instead pulls Sihtric close to her and she grips his neck to hold him in place.

"Genie, what—" Sihtric is soon cut off by her kissing him. One of his hands instinctively moves to her neck to deepen the kiss while the other is soon bunching her once neat hair in his fist. She fights against the moan trying to work its way up her throat and instead bites his lip drawing blood.

Sihtric doesn't bother hiding his moan when the kiss starts to turn more passionate, he bites her lip intending to stop the kiss. That does not happen, instead, their blood blends within their mouth. Normally, he would be repulsed but knowing it was Gene's he couldn't stop himself from swiping his tongue against her cut to consume more.

Uhtred overcame his shock by whistling and grinning widely as they grew flustered and hid from his gaze. Uhtred turns to the other men, Finan isn't looking at them but Uhtred knows he is fighting the impulse to separate the two, his fatherly instinct with Gene making itself known. Aethelwold was scowling at the display and Uhtred almost laughed at his face as if he stood a chance against Sihtric, and Clapa looked at Uhtred with an equally big grin.

Sihtric and the group separate as they head down to Skald's Hall when they notice the men around them grow alert seeing the new arrivals.

"These are men, warriors." Finan says with an uneasy voice.

"It's a trap, Uhtred. I am just unsure of the reasoning." Gene muttered as she leaned closer to Uhtred, the Dane frowned before nodding. At least he listened to her.

"We are here to see Eilaf, the Skald. We have an invitation." Aethelwold declares loudly, clearly anxious to continue the ruse, Clapa turns to Gene and Finan with apprehension, and she gives him a slight nod to reassure him.

"Who leads here?" Soon a stocky blonde Dane walks forward, she tenses up when his eyes stop on her and trail down her body. She clutched the reins in her fists and fought the urge to strangle him.

"You?" Uhtred says he angles his horse closer to hers to block the man's view.

"I do. I am Hæsten. And you are Uhtred of Bebbanburg traveling with the infamous seer, Genevieve," Gene hissed under her breath at the man and reached for the hilt of her sword when Uhtred stopped her, he shook his head no before turning to glare at the blonde male. "You spared me at Eoferwic, lord. You are expected and welcome." Finan narrows his eyes at the Dane when he once again gazes lustfully at Gene, Uhtred nods at his group. Finan looks at Clapa with a hesitant expression as they dismount.

When they walk into the hall Hæsten tells some men to scatter and motions for them to sit, she moves to Finan's side as the others sit across from them, unfortunately, Hæsten sits in the spot to her left.

"Who is he?" Uhtred asks looking up at the man in a cage, the said man whimpers in fright.

"A thief, lord." He pours them all some ale, Uhtred smells his as she pushes hers back to the blonde male. " I serve Erik, Sigefrid's brother." He says with a tone she couldn't decipher.

"And mine." She snaps in aggravation. He just grins at her and trails his eyes along her figure once more. She noticed that the group, including Aethelwold, were giving Hæsten murderous looks.

"He sends you both good wishes."

"Erik is not here." Uhtred looks at her silently asking a question. She nodded and watched as he clenched his jaw, Hæsten knew of the false prophecy.

"He is not. And if I had my way, I would not be here. My men...are afraid." He said slowly.

"Then leave. No one is stopping you." She replies to him and feels Finan tense beside her when Hæsten moves closer to her face with a gross smile.

"Of ghosts?" Finan speaks, thankfully catching Hæsten's attention.

"It is not a sight you will forget. My lord, wants you to know that by now he will be at Beamfleot and not Frankia," He then turns back to Gene. "And he wants to remind you of the offer they gave you back at camp." Uhtred turns to her with a brief look of betrayal before covering it up with a blank stare at Hæsten.

"With Sigefrid."

"With their brother and with the fleet, he insisted you were both told."

"And where to after Beamfleot?" Finan questions the dane.

"I can't say but it is hoped that you both will join us there. Eilaf is resting, lord, in preparation for tonight. You may wish to do the same." The man reaches out to twirl his finger in some of her hair before getting up to leave.

"I do wish you join us." He whispered and jerked back when she spat in his face. Hæsten scowled at her before walking away, no doubt wanting revenge. Finan wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her into his side before looking at Uhtred.

"They have a fleet, how many I wonder?"

"Nineteen ships." She retorts instead.

"That's more than five hundred men, plus those already there." Finan grimaces.

"And those who will come."

"Then it has started," Aethelwold says dramatically. "The end of the peace." She chooses to dismiss him and turns to Uhtred.

"The offer was to join them in Frankia, Uhtred. I refused them. My loyalty is with you. I swore an oath, I do not take that lightly." Uhtred reached over to pat her hand in apology.

"My brother, my ex, and now my oathman?" Uhtred says instead, a teasing smirk on his handsome face.

"I met Ragnar by accident, you know that. Though I do love him and I believe a part of me always will. And Brida was just a few shared kisses, a source of entertainment for us and Ragnar." She says casually, Aethelwold looks between the two in interest.

"And Sihtric?" Uhtred questions her.

"I'm not sure, yet. He's my best friend and that's a bond I will treasure no matter how much or how little it may grow. But I do love him too, that wasn't planned either."