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"They say Lunden is dangerous." Sihtric pulls Gene close to him when he notices men giving her inappropriate looks.

"Oh, it is. But Lunden is alive with every kind of life." Finan slings an arm around Sihtric's shoulders to tug him close, Gene intertwines hers and Sihtric's fingers when he grows anxious.

"I hear women do not walk the streets unguarded, that bodies are found in the river, daily." Sihtric looks around and looks at Uhtred when he steps in front of them.

"Twice daily, with each and every tide." Uhtred adds.

"Lunden is not Winchester, but one year is worth ten elsewhere." Gene watches as Uhtred navigates them through the crowded streets.

"Then why do you not live here?"

"And end up dead in the river? Do I look like a fool?" They all laugh in return and when they walk into the fortress she notices Sihtric grows tense, his eyes glance around to asses all the danger surrounding them.

"It's alright, Sitty. No man would dare touch me here, not if they want to face my brother's wrath," She whispered to the man and she leaned up to kiss his cheek. "I do love how protective you are of me though, you will be rewarded tonight." Sihtric looked at her with a grin and pulled her closer.

"Uhtred, how is it that you know these streets so well?" The Mercian lord asks, an accusation ready on the tip of his tongue.

"I stayed here for a time, with Earl Ragnar the Fearless, when I was a boy."

"When you were a Dane." Gene and Uhtred both turn to give him a dirty look.

"I would watch what you speak, lord." She threatened and watched him scoff at her.

"As you can see, the one fact in our favor is that the whole of Lunden cannot be defended, it's too big. Even the walls surrounding the old Roman city would need many hundreds of men." Uhtred lectures the soldiers on some history he acquired at a young age.

"So the brother's position is weak." Another man stated.

"Not weak but Lunden's been open to all tribes for a reason. The grounds are not far now. Gene and I shall speak.." Uhtred informs giving Gene a nod in understanding.

"You should ask for food and ale, lord. My belly believes my throat is cut." Clapa announces. Soon they come across a priest nailed to a cross in the archway.

"God preserve us."

"It is a death, nothing more." Finan says to the Mercian lord as they walk past the cross. Gene cannot help but smile happily seeing both her brothers standing in front of her.

"Uhtred Ragnarsson, the future king of Mercia. Welcome to Lunden, your new home should you want it." Sigefrid announces, and she looks at Erik who has noticed her, Erik holds out his hand and she doesn't hesitate. She runs to Erik and throws herself into his arms, the Dane pulls her close and buries his face in her hair.

"Sigefrid, I thought you might want to kill me still." Uhtred said matter of factly, he glanced at Gene in worry. Uhtred knew she believed the brothers might not harm her but he didn't trust them.

"Oh, for a long time, I did. But then I grew to like my new hand. Though, I have to be careful when wiping my arse." He raised an arm and showed off the sword mounted to the stub, the brothers laughed at the joke. When Erik goes to speak she moves to Sigefrid and melts into his embrace, he wraps the sword arm around her back gently and uses his other one to pull her ear affectionately, something both brothers did when she was a child.

"I missed you, little sister." Sigefrid announced happily, out of the corner of her eye she could see Hæsten glare at her and the Mercian lord look at her with distaste.

"I missed you too." She replied and kissed his cheek and relaxed into his embrace.

"It is good to see you here, Uhtred. Though your friends are not familiar." Erik says casually.

"This is Aethelred of Mercia." Uhtred introduces the lord and looks at the brothers once more.

"Lord, my spies tell me you are to marry Alfred's daughter." Erik says walking closer, he places one of his hands on Gene's back and looks at the Mercian lord.

"You're spies are wrong, lord. I've already married Alfred's daughter."

"Oh, how does she ride?" Sigefrid asked with a grin.

"I've no complaint."

"Uhtred, why is he here?" Erik questioned.

"I am here, lords, to ask of your price for leaving Lunden."

"Alfred wished to negotiate." Uhtred corrects.

"I wish to negotiate." Aethelred demands.

"We have only just arrived, why would we want to leave?" Erik looks at his siblings with a smirk.

"You're warriors, you will know that Lunden is impossible to defend, so, let's get this done." Gene feels Sigefrid grow rigid with her arms around his torso and looks to Uhtred with a subtle nod.

"Is that a threat?"

"Your price."

"It sounds like a threat, doesn't dear sister?" Sigefrid says looking down at Gene.

"It would seem that way, yes." She speaks and watches the Mercian lord grow visibly frustrated and angry, she just smirks at him.

"I'm asking you to retreat, lords, for a price, for silver." The brothers glanced at one another in amusement.

"Flesh is our price. Your bride, Aethelflæd." Erik taunts hoping to get a reaction, and he does. "She has great beauty and a good mind. I'm in need of a wife."

"I am in need of a hump, we will share her." Sigefrid adds making Gene laugh softly into his armor, she and Uhtred both knew they were teasing the Mercian lord.

"She is my wife!"

"Aethelred, they're teasing you. Perhaps, we can begin with a cup of ale, it's a long walk from the river." Uhtred says attempting to gain control of the conversation.

"A cup of ale it is, lord Uhtred." Sigefrid walks them deeper into their newly gained home, his arm around Gene's shoulders. He leads her to a fur-covered seat and pulls her against his side, he leans in to kiss her forehead when she pulls her legs up so her knees touch his thighs. He stretched his sword hand along the chair to avoid accidentally harming her, she sighed and chose to lay her head in his lap instead. Sigefrid reached down to play with her hair absentmindedly as he watched Erik and Uhtred.

"Could you guarantee Ragnar and all the men he commands? Are you with us?" Erik questions.

"I'm here."

"Yes, but are you here for Alfred, yourself, or us?"

"Ragnar's in the north. It would take some time for news to reach him, and more time for him to decide. I guarantee nothing, lord. Your prisoners are from where?" Uhtred asks looking at the priest that was kneeling in the dirt.

"They are from Guthrum's ass."

"The Earl Guthrum is called Aethelstan now." The Mercian guard named Aldhelm corrected. She rolled her eyes at the annoying man and closed her eyes to relax into her eldest brother's touch.

"Guthrum is a shit stain, he sends priests to Beamfleot begging for peace. Begging for warriors to settle and do what? Raise sheep?" Sigefrid said bluntly and glanced down at Gene, when he noticed she was starting to doze off he gave a brief smile before glaring at the Saxons.

"Many men do, lord."

"There are no sheep farmers in Valhalla." Sigefrid spoke with smugness.

"Do you intend to put all the priests on the cross?" Uhtred questions and sees Sihtric and Finan both grow tense when Sigefrid uses his sword hand to push some of Gene's hair away from her face.

"It is Sigefrid's game."

"I do not understand how it kills a man." Sigefrid said with a shrug.

"Slowly, lord. It's a cruel death." Finan stepped away from the background and stood front and center looking at Gene instead of the dane. Sigefrid and Erik both raised an eyebrow at the Irishman's protectiveness.

"Is what the priest there said."

"The priest is right." Finan said sharply.

"The priest looks like a pale bag of bones and dough, you should let him fight. The Romans used this square for just that purpose, combat." Uhtred looked at the brothers hoping to sway them to his idea.

"He would die too easily." Erik replied instead.

"Give him something to fight for....his freedom." Sigefrid gently moves Gene off his lap to stand, Gene, sits up and runs at her eyes. Erik oats her thigh with a grin and watches as Sigefrid and Uhtred exchange some words, Sigefrid chuckles and slaps Uhtred on the arm before turning to the door.

"Bolton? We need to be entertained! Are you man enough to kill a dane?" Sigefrid calls out and soon the men cheer.