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Luna walked around Droitwich looking for Uhtred, she knew they needed to speak and she wasn't sure how things would go. She stopped at the stables and was about to enter when she heard Aethelflæd speak.

"I would like you to kiss me." Aethelflæd whispered as she hovered her face next to him.

"And then?"

"Begin with a kiss and see where it leads if you would rather not—" Luna clutched her stomach to fight back the tears.

"It is something I would enjoy and then regret. Lady, in Erik, you chose someone you could not be with and I am the same. I would not see you hurt again." Uhtred spoke softly and Luna wasn't sure what to think about this entire thing.

"Who has to know? Who would need to know?" Aethelflæd says watching him pace.

"Skade. Skade would know. She would see everything I care for destroyed. She must be found, recovered." Luna wiped away her tears and realized she had never felt so betrayed.

"I would say it is impossible for you to recover her."

"I must." He said and Luna hid behind the door as Aethelflæd left with a frown on her face. Luna inhaled and slowly walked in, Uhtred turned to her with a smile but soon dropped it seeing her crying. He went to comfort her but she stepped away, he tensed when she almost seemed to refuse to look at him.

"I believe it would be best if we were not together anymore if we ever were. I've realized that without Gisela, I'm no longer enough for you. So I am releasing you to pursue who you want, whether it be Skade or Aethelflæd." She forced a smile on her face and turned to leave, Uhtred quickly grabbed her wrist and shook his head.

"No, do not do this. I love you, I only want you. You are the light of my life, Luna. I don't want anyone else." He explained quietly and she knew that he had tears in his eyes.

"You have kissed both Skade and Aethelflæd. I know in my heart, that if Gisela was here you would not have allowed them to kiss you. I am the other woman, it seems I will always be the other woman when it comes to you. I cannot allow my children to be born into an unhealthy relationship, they come first." She said and pulled away from him.

"I'm sorry." He whispered and she truly believed he was. But she couldn't count on it not happening again.

"I know, Uhtred. I know." She left him alone in the stables as she angrily wiped away her tears, she ignored the growing pain in her stomach and searched for Sihtric.

"I knew you would be with your princess." Brida snapped as the gang rode out to the unexpected guest.

"Something had happened." Uhtred said as he walked to her.

"You left him." Brida said harshly.

"Ragnar?" Uhtred asked with dread.

"He had waited years for you to come home and within a matter of days, you were gone. You should have left the Saxon bitch to die." Brida snarled as they watched.

"Where is he? I will go to him."

"He's dead! Ragnar is dead! He doesn't feast in Valhalla. Instead, he lies under a pile of stones at a lake near Loidis. There was no honor in his death," Brida grabs Uhtred's furs and pulls him close. "None. He will spend eternity in the cold of Niflheim because of you Uhtred of Bebbanburg. You chose her. You chose Alfred and you left him." She puts a dagger to his throat and Sihtric makes to move to his aid.

"No, Sihtric." Finan said holding out his hand.

"I should kill you but I want you to live with the pain of his death. He was your brother." Brida and Uhtred cry as the woman leaves and Finan moves to comfort his friend.

Normally, she would have comforted Uhtred. And she wanted to so badly, even if they weren't together she still loved him. But thankfully, Finan understood and went to comfort the man.

Ragnar was dead, her friend was dead. Neither she nor Uhtred could win, it seems.

At Aylesbury, horns are sounded as Steapa and Æthelred greet them with swords. Aethelflæd and Uhtred dismount and approach them. Sihtric and Finan watched their wife with worry sensing that things weren't alright.

"I ought to kill you where you stand, lord." Steapa snarled looking at Uhtred.

"You could try, my friend. I'm here to see the king." Uhtred says.

"You ride with outlaws, my dear."

"He's an outlaw of Wessex, not Mercia. We're here to see my father." Aethelflæd spoke looking at the two men.

"What is it you have to say to the king that you cannot say to your husband?"

"I wish to speak of treachery and traitors. The Dane Hæsten did attack us at the nunnery at Wincelcrumb. It was his purpose to kill me." Aethelflæd told them.

"Hæsten claims to be a friend to Alfred. He's not."

"Let the outlaws pass, no weapons. None at all."

"Lord Æthelred, like you, we stand against the Danes!" Finan shouted in disbelief as he reached out to hold her hand.

"No weapons is the command, Irishman. None at all." The group reluctantly hands over their weapons as they walk in. Finan had her tucked against her side as they walked, Uhtred glanced at them sadly.

"My father cannot suspect my husband is the traitor."

"We should kill your husband and be done with it." Finan spoke with a grin.

"And begin a war between Wessex and Mercia now?"

"Lady, I'm joking. We'll kill him tomorrow." Finan and Sihtric look at one another with a grin. She would rather kill the princess and her husband.

"We halt. Stop!"

"We know what hall means, big man."

"Steapa, we are both thirsty and hungry." Aethelflæd speaks softly.

"You may enter the hall, lady. The outlaws do not."

"Then I choose to remain here with the outlaws." The princess spoke. Luna scoffed, of course, she would.

"As you wish."

"Um, what if I need to piss?" Finan calls out, and Uhtred turns away with a smile. Sihtric reached out to hold her close to him and kissed her head softly.

"Then take out your cock." Steapa deadpanned.

"And if you mistake it for a weapon, what then?" Steapa went to move towards and Steapa pats Finan's chest and grinned at Luna when she giggled.

"Steapa, food, and ale would be appreciated." Uhtred interrupts.

"I will arrange it."

"And Steapa, good food. Meat and lots of ale!" Sihtric and Uhtred watch Finan with a smile, Finan fights back a grin. They move to a table to eat some food with Steapa keeping watch. Finan feeds her bits of the meat on his plate quietly as Sihtric watches them with pure love.

"Steapa." Sigebriht said walking to them.

"Lord Sigebriht."

"An approximation to a Witan has gathered. The outlaws are required." Sihtric chugged his ale down and immediately moved to her side.

"What is an approximation to a Witan?" Sihtric asked, she was about to explain but Finan quickly did so.

"It's almost a Witan, but not quite." Finan answered, she figured that was a good enough explanation.

"We must be without the king." Uhtred whispered to Aethelflæd as he waited for her, Luna could not help but feel sadness at that. He used to wait for her and now he's replaced her with the king's daughter.