WORSHIPPING HANDS,          FINAN
chapter three. the union of wessex and mercia

THE RETURN OF former Princess Elvina had resulted in many of the serving girls within the castle of Winchester to buzz with excitement and greet her with stories of what she had missed during her absence. They had fretted over the Princess and cooed at her child once he had been brought out from the carriage he had been placed in along with his Father. Everyone had fallen in love with the babe, stroking his soft tufts of brown hair and pink cheeks as he giggled at the tingly sensation and amount of attention he was receiving. Cian would hide his face and giggle into his Mother's neck whenever another curious serving girl had approached and tickled his belly.

"HE IS JUST lovely, Elvina," a soft voice cooed as they tickled the baby boy with their forefinger, being gentle as they possibly could.

ELVINA HAD BEAMED a smile at her Aunt, hiking her son up higher on her hip as she stared down at him and nodded at Ælswith. "He is, isn't he?" She replied as she nuzzled her nose into the side of Cian's plump face.

          ÆLSWITH HAD BEEN on her way back from greeting the rest of the guests invited to Winchester,  catching her Niece walking around with her son on her hip.  The woman had immediately cooed and awed at the child once she approached him and Elvina.

"WHAT IS HIS name?" Ælswith asked, eyes full of admiration as she stared at the nine month old baby. Elvina hadn't really written any letters to her family back in Winchester so many of them had been shocked to see and find out that the woman had a child. They were ecstatic of course, immediately gathering around the babe as they cooed and babbled to him.

"CIAN," THE BLONDE replied as her stomach began to tie into knots. She knew that it was a very Irish name to give a child born to two peoples of Wessex and was often given strange looks by those who asked. It was an odd thing to do.  Give a child a name that does not stem from their parents native origins.

BUT ÆLSWITH ONLY smiles and babbled at the child more. "Such a lovely name for lovely child. It means enduring, does it not?" She asked as Cian wrapped his tiny hand around the Queen's pointer finger.

"IT DOES, YOUR Grace," Elvina responded as she looked between her Aunt and son as they interacted. "He has given me much strength since he was born. He's been my light at the end of the tunnel," she continued as she lightly pinched her sons cheek, Cian giggling in response.

"I FOUND THAT your firstborn child often gives you that kind of feeling," Ælswith awed as she proudly smiled at her Niece. "I am glad that you found another source of strength, Elvina," she added as she laid a tender hand on the other woman's forearm, "I do hope that your labors were quick and easy. They can be quite a pain after laboring too long".

ELVINA NODDED AND spoke, "He came quickly, but the labors were a bit difficult.  I am glad to have had Arthur and his Aunt there to aid me in them".

          ÆLSWITH ONLY AWED more at Elvina's statement,  admiring how her Husband willingly stayed with his Wife during her labors.  "I am glad you had support during those times,  my Niece.  It is good to have that kind of love in your life," she smiled,  placing a gentle hand on Elvina's cheek before excusing herself to go aid some of the maids in the preparations of her daughters wedding arrangements. 

          DURING THE TIME from Ælswith departure and the next person to busy the new Mother with fretting over her baby,  Elvina had paced up and down the halls of the castle,  carrying her son and showing him the intricate details of her old home.  She hadn't noticed nor felt the heavy weight of the eyes that followed her every move,  blissfully unaware of the owner just around the corner.  It was only when a serving girl bumped into the stranger and dropped an empty pitcher that Elvina had seen who was watching her from afar.

          THE IRISHMAN WHISPERED out curses as he bent down to aid the serving girl that ran into him in picking up whatever she had dropped from her grasp.  "Sorry," he hissed out as he scrambled to help pick up the broken pieces of the clay pitcher.  The servant girl copied his actions and profusely apologized for running into him,  quick and nimble fingers picking up the pieces scattered across the stone floor.

          "IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?" Elvina softly asked as she made her way towards the two figures crouched over the broken object.  She shifted Cian's position to rest on her other hip as she reached where the servant girl and unrecognizable stranger were positioned.  The child gurgled at the action and leaned his head slightly back so he could gaze up at the castle ceiling,  chewing on his hand as he did so.

          FINAN PRACTICALLY FROZE in his spot as the other girl continued to pick up the shattered pieces,  swiftly standing up and excusing herself from the pairs presence. 

           "ARE YOU OKAY,  sir?" The blonde asked as she leaned down a little to place a comforting hand on his shoulder,  quickly pulling it back when the stranger shot up and refused to turn their head completely towards the Princess.  Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as she was taken aback by the strange man's behavior towards her.  "Do you need me to fetch you a healer?  Or a priest perhaps?" She offered,  hand that touched the man's shoulder now supporting her sons body weight as he leaned his head on her arm. 

          FINAN DIDN'T KNOW what to do.  He could either ignore Elvina and walk away to most likely never see her again.  Or he could turn around and face the woman he deeply hurt and see her with her another man's child.  But before his brain could decide which route was best to go down,  he felt his body turn towards the woman on instinct.

          ONCE THE STRANGE man turned towards her,  Elvina lightly gasped as she saw who the stranger was,  "Finan?".

          FINAN WANTED TO cringe at the amount of sadness that laced in his dear Ellie's voice.  The way the concerned look on her face dropped when she realized who he was made his guilt increase tenfold.  She looked so happy when interacting with her child and showing him around.  Having her stripped of that happiness upon seeing him made the Irishman wish for the Lord to strike him down right then and there. 

           "ELLIE," HE GENTLY whispered,  afraid that if he spoke to loudly it would scare her off.

          HER STOMACH DROPPED at the familiar nickname he called her. Something dry crawling up her throat. "What are you doing,  Finan?" She asked,  straightening her posture as she pulled Cian closer to her body.  She could tell that the man before her had his eyes locked on her son,  gaze softening as he took in the sight of his previous lover with a child on her hip.

          FINAN DIDN'T GIVE her an answer as he continued to stare at Cian,  noticing how much he looked like Arthur.  He had the same dark hair and dark eyes at the Ealdormens Nephew.  Finan felt his heart constrict at the fact that Elvina had a child with the man she was arranged to marry,  probably in a happier relationship with said man than she was when she was with him.

            "WHAT'S HIS NAME?" He asked,  voice cracking as he spoke.

          ELVINA HESITATED TO tell him.  She didn't know how'd he react to her naming her son of Irish origin when he nor anybody else truly knew of her sons true parentage.  She didn't want to seem like the type of person to steal something of great importance to another and use it for no significant reason at all.  But that wasn't the case.  Cian is Finan's and he didn't know that.  His name did mean something to her and in time,  she hoped that the man before her would come to understand why she had done what she did.

           "CIAN.  HIS NAME is Cian," she answered,  patting down some of her sons rowdy hair that managed to stick upright from the rest of his neatly combed hair. 

          THE HEART WITHIN Finan's chest skipped a beat when she answered his question.  One of the names we considered,  he thought to himself,  despair wrapping around his heart as he realized she used a name from his homeland to give another man's child.

          "HE'S ONLY NINE months old," she spoke up,  not knowing what to say in the silence that had resulted in her revealing her sons name.  Deep down Elvina wished that Finan would do the math and ask her the question of if Cian was his or not.  But she knew that he often was too dense for his own good and it'll take him some time before he finally realizes.

          "HE'S A LOOKER that's for sure," he chuckled,  keeping his tears at bay as they threatened to spill.  He always dreamt of having a family with the Princess and with it only being just the two of them in the vacant hall,  he felt as if he finally was able to get a glimpse of it in real life,  even if it was for a fleeting moment. 

          WITHOUT THINKING,  FINAN gently reached out for the boy and lightly brushed his two fingers against the child's soft cheek.  Cian had gurgled and giggled at Finan's touch,  reaching out towards him as he gripped the Irishman's fingers and pulled his hand closer,  trying to gnaw on the calloused fingertips.  Finan laughed at Cian's actions and wiggled his fingers out of the child's grasp,  ruffling the boys hair as gently as he could. 

          "HE LIKES YOU," Elvina smiled,  slightly leaning her body towards Finan so Cian could be closer to the man.  The child still reached out for Finan as he widely smiled,  proudly showing off all four of his teeth. 

          "AH,  I'M SURE he's this friendly to everybody.  Isn't that right,  lad?" He responds,  lightly poking Cian's belly as he spoke.  Finan smiled brightly at the child before him,  genuinely enjoying the interactions they were having.

          THEY HAVE THE same smile,  Elvina observed to herself,  a sad smile covering her lips as she thought about how alike the two looked.  She didn't know how nobody else realized the similarities and the little physical traits he shared with Arthur.  She only hoped that it stayed like that until she was able to properly figure out how to get out of the marriage that was arranged her for.  Albeit being comfortable in the current relationship she was in,  Elvina still longed to be with Finan.

          A COMFORTABLE SILENCE had settled itself between the pair as Finan continued to play and interact with Cian.  If anyone else where to walk in and see the three,  they would probably think that it was a Mother and Father playing with their child.

          THE LOUD ECHOING of fast footsteps pulled Finan out of his distracted state,  pulling away from Elvina's child and clearing his throat,  straightening his back as he bowed his head towards the former Princess.  "Goodnight,  my Lady.  I hope you have a restful sleep and...may we see each other again at the wedding," he muttered,  quickly turning on his heels before Elvina could get a word out.

          SO ELVINA WAS left there in her thoughts,  holding her son close to her chest as he began to cry out to the strange man he only just met. She shushed and comforted her child, sadness filling her heart as she watched Finan walk away and as her son reached out for his true Father.

THE MORNING OF Æthelflæd's wedding Elvina had found herself blankly staring at herself in the rusted mirror. Her Aunt Ælswith had come by earlier to braid the young woman's hair, taking the top half of her hair into a braid, leaving the rest to freely move and only adding an additional two smaller braids on each side of the larger braid. The poor woman hadn't gotten much sleep last night after seeing Finan for the first time in nearly two years. She tossed and turned most of the night as her brain ran a million miles per minute and only fell asleep an hour before sunrise.

LOUD EXCLAMATIONS CAME from outside her chambers, the guests of the wedding making their way down towards the great hall of the castle where her cousins wedding was taking place. The noise pulled her out of her daze as she turned her head towards the source of the disturbance, standing from her seat as she inched towards her chambers door.

"AND WOULD YOU believe me if I told you that I was just about to knock on your door?" Lenora spoke as Elvina opened her door, revealing the brunette and the less than modest dress she was wearing. Devlin didn't care much for monitoring their women's modesty and so many of them often wore whatever they pleased, something Lenora gladly participated in. Her dress was a light blue color, had no sleeves, and had a deep neckline that barely dipped into the beginning of her cleavage. The woman leaned against the doorframe as she smiled at the Princess, hands interlocked in front of her.

"POSSIBLY," ELVINA HUMMED, stepping out of her quarters and to the side of Lenora, wrapping her arm around hers so they were intertwined. "You tend to have impeccable punctuation," she continued as the two made way to the main hall.

LENORA LAUGHED AT her friends response, bringing her closer into her side by gently pulling on her arm. "Only for you, Els," she spoke, widely grinning.

           THE TWO WOMAN had shortly arrived at the great hall,  spotting both of their Husbands talking amongst themselves and others,  nodding along to whatever the other men were saying.

          "AH,  SPEAKING OF the Devil," Ælflynn teased,  raising his eyebrows at his cousin before turning towards his Wife as she and Elvina approached.  "Hello my lovely Wife," he spoke,  grabbing Lenora's hand and placing a kiss upon it. 

          THE WOMAN ROLLED her eyes and shook her head at her Husbands antics,  removing her arm from Elvina's as she inched closer towards the man,  keeping her grip on the hand of Ælflynn's.  "Have you started drinking without me,  my love?" She asked,  giggling.

          ÆLFLYNN PLAYFULLY GASPED,  putting a hand over his heart,  "Of course not,  Norie!  I wouldn't dare to dream".

           "OKAY YOU TWO, stop talking nonsense.  It's nearly time for Lady Æthelflæd to make her entrance," Arthur stated,  clapping his cousin on the back as he guided the four of them to line up on the side of the room where the other guests where positioning themselves in preparation for the wedding. He gently lead Elvina towards where Ælflynn and Lenora were heading, allowing her to pick wherever she wanted to stand.

"I HOPE THE ale in Winchester is at least decent," Ælflynn whispered into the ear of his Wife. The both of them giggled at his comment and began to whisper amongst themselves.

ÆLFLYNN HAD PLACED himself on Lenora's right, his Wife being on Elvina's right, while Arthur was on the blonde's left. The four had been one of the first people to arrive at the hall, basically snagging a front row to the wedding.

"HOW WAS YOUR slumber last night?" Arthur asked, slightly leaning over to speak to his Wife, "I could practically hear you tossing and turning from your room".

THE CONCERN IN the man's voice made Elvina smile as she gently shook her head, "I didn't get much. But that's a discussion for another time," she replied, laying a tender hand on Arthur's bicep in an attempt to reassure him that she was fine and that she was going to discuss the reason with him after the wedding and celebrations had ended.

ARTHUR ONLY NODDED and smiled back at Elvina, placing his hand atop of hers in acknowledgment to her wishes. He then averted his attention to those entering the hall, eyes following the King and Queen as they walked down the aisle and towards the left of the room, where Elvina and her Husband's family were standing.

IT DIDN'T TAKE long for the room to completely fill up with the guests that King Alfred had invited himself, soft, but loud, chatter echoing the room as people got comfortable in their standing positions. Many of those invited where Ealdormen and those Alfred considered close confidants. All of their familiar faces made Elvina feel like she was a child again and attending her Uncle's courtly discussions. She never did like them.

AS HER EYES wondered over the crowd of people on the opposite side of the room, her blue eyes fell on another familiar face that she had only just seen last night. Elvina felt her stomach flip as she made contact with the Irishman, lips upturning into a gentle smile.

FINAN SMILED AND nodded back, his dark orbs locked on Ellie's blue ones as the wedding started to begin, three loud knocks silencing the hushed whispers of the guests within the room. While Elvina's gaze shifted from Finan to her cousin in order to witness Æthelflæd walk down the aisle, his eyes stayed locked on Elvina. His gaze never left the blonde's, the exception being her older brother who spoke of his cousin like she was an animal, threatening to kill him in his sleep if he didn't shut his mouth.

THE ENTIRE WEDDING went smoothly and swiftly, everyone within the room erupting into cheers once the couples hands had been tied together by a blue ribbon King Alfred had twisted around their interlocked hands. Elvina had clapped but didn't cheer. She knew that Æthelflæd found her betrothed to be a Godly man who she was smitten by, but she knew that eventually those rose colored glasses would come off and she would see her Husbands true intentions. Elvina hadn't interacted much with Æthelred, but she had a feeling that everything he did and said was just a front for the King. That he was just another power hungry man wanting to get closer to the English crown.

          "I'LL GIVE IT to Winchester,  they have decently made ale," Ælflynn spoke up,  mouth full of food as he ate practically everything in front of him.  Lenora rolled her eyes at the man and shook her head.  The wedding feast had barely even begun and he already had managed to stuff his face full of food and drink two cups of ale.

          ARTHUR RUBBED HIS eyes with the tips of his fingers,  sighing as he spoke,  "Cousin,  I fear if you continue to shove food down your throat before you're finished swallowing,  you're going to choke and die".

          THE ELDER OF the two,  Ælflynn,  rolled his eyes and scoffed.  "Arthur,  I am completely fine.  It is a celebration!  A feast in the name of Wessex and Mercia becoming one.  Ease up a little,  cousin," he spoke,  swallowing everything that was in his mouth with ease,  "Always so serious".

          ARTHUR CHUCKLED AT his remark,  taking a sip of his own ale before deciding it wasn't worth it to continue this kind of conversation with Ælflynn.  That man tended to always do what he wanted and ignored the consequences with it.  It'll catch up to him someday,  the man thought to himself as he shifted his gaze to his Wife,  who was invited to eat at the table with her King Uncle and Queen Aunt.  She had been seated at the end in between her cousin and Aunt.  Arthur insisted that she join her family when Steapa had approached the two from their seats and spoke of the King's request.  Elvina didn't want to leave her Husband all by himself with his cousin and Lady Wife,  knowing how difficult and rowdy they got during events like this.  But he assured her he'd be fine.  Maybe he shouldn't have been so quick to agree now that he thinks about it.  There's no way I'm going to get these two into bed all in one piece.

          "SO,  HOW IS baby Cian?" Æthelflæd pondered,  body turning towards her elder cousin.  When the young Princess had been informed that Elvina had a child,  she couldn't wait to meet the babe.

          THE FIRST TIME Æthelflæd had seen Cian,  she practically squealed in delight as her cousin handed him to her,  allowing her to hold him.  She thought he was the cutest thing to walk the Earth.  Cian had a small button nose,  growing and curling dark hair, and the biggest and darkest brown eyes Æthelflæd had ever seen.  She swore that she could get lost in them if she stared for too long.

          "HE IS GOOD!  I asked a serving girl to look after him for the day while I attended your wedding," she replies,  smiling at the brunette girl,  "Congratulations,  my sweet cousin.  I do hope that your Husband treats you well".

          "I'M SURE HE will,  Els.  I am glad that you were able to make it.  I have missed you desperately," Æthelflæd spoke,  gripping Elvina's hand that laid on the table in front of them.  The blonde squeezed back in response.

          "STILL,  IF YOU need anything,  you know you can come to me and I will happily aid you in whatever you need," Elvina softly said,  placing her other hand atop of her cousins,  thumb brushing the skin of her hand.  "I too have missed you desperately,  Æthelflæd.  I fear I'll miss you even more once you leave for Mercia".

          A FROWN OVERTOOK Æthelflæd's features as she processed her cousins last statement.  She knew that she'd have to leave her home but the full reality of it hadn't hit until this very moment,  making her already miss the place she had grown up in.

          BEFORE EITHER OF them could speak another word to each other,  Uhtred had approached the table,  King Alfred having requested his presence.

FROM WHAT ELVINA could gather from their conversation, Uhtred had been seen crossing into Daneland the night prior and Alfred wanted to know as to why he disobeyed his orders. Some Danes,  named Erik and Sigefrid, if Elvina remembered correctly, had taken over Lunden after they had been ordered to leave Northumbria following their defeat in combat with Uhtred. The rest of the table had been discussing the possibility of negotiations and ransom prices when the blonde excused herself, whispering about how she should go and check in on Cian, secretly feeling out of place within the conversation. She placed a gentle kiss on the cheeks of both her Aunt and cousin, bowing her head in a nod towards her Uncle before leaving. The older Dane warrior gave her a soft nod as she left, muttering a small Princess as he did so.

STRIDING THROUGH THE open aisle between the two full and busy tables on either side of the room, Elvina made her way towards the wooden doors of the great hall, the guards positioned at the entrance opening the doors for the former Princess.

THE WOMAN KEPT her eyes glued in front of her as she swiftly walked to her chambers and where her son was, narrowly missing a brown eyed Irishman and the Dane that accompanied him. As she was leaving, they were returning for their Lord. Paths barely brushing against each other, as destiny seemed to have always wanted.

authors note!
— i rushed the end a little bc
if i were to write what i had originally
planned out, it would be well over 5k words
lmao 😭
anyways, i hoped you enjoyed the small
interaction between finan & cian <3