Kingdom Come

IV. The Return

She nodded, keeping her smile, "yes, Earl," she answered him. Showing her that she had been there, listening.

"Of course you did," He answered with a chuckle. "Uhtred, I do not know where she got her brilliance from, but it certainly was not you," he joked, and they all laughed. "It's good to see you." his eyes found the dark-haired boy next to his niece. He liked the look of the dark-haired boy, he looked like a warrior. "You stayed with her? Kept her safe?" he asked the boy. Her father looked at Sihtric as well.

Sihtric gulped and nodded, "yes lord," he answered with a bow of his head.

Ragnar clapped a hand on the boy's arm, "thank you," he told him. "Uthred, you should keep this one, the gods know what trouble she put him through." Ragnar made a face at his niece, which she returned before the two shoved each other.

"It's good to see you uncle, Clapa and Sihtric and I were growing tired of the terrible saxon accent," She commented. "It was beginning to set my teeth on edge." Brida and the others shared a laugh. Spare the few Saxons that traveled with her father. Hild did laugh at the girl, missing her sharp tongue.

"Beocca!" Jaehaera greeted and hugged him as well, and he laughed.

"Hello Jaehaera," he greeted and held her shoulders gently when they pulled away. "I'm glad to see that the Lord kept you safe. I found myself worried from time to time when I heard about your father." She smiled and didn't say anything about him thanking his God.

"He kept you safe it seems too," she answered with a smile.

The dark-haired man in armor that stood next to her father stepped toward her. "Finan, lady," he greeted with an Irish accent, she had never heard one before, but she liked it.

She looked up at him with gratefulness, "you were with my father?" she asked him. She could tell, he looked just as skinny as he did, maybe even worse. He had scars on his face that seemed to be fading, and the discoloration her father had.

Finan nodded sadly, "yes lady, I was," he replied. The group watched their interaction with curious eyes. Her family knew how intuitive the girl was, and wanted to know what she would make of him. Hopefully, she would confirm their already positive thoughts.

She felt his exhaustion, and his pain as she placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Thank you," she told the man. "Thank you for staying with him."

Finan didn't expect the girl's reaction, but he smiled and nodded. Knowing he would protect her from this moment on. He saw her father in her, and her in her father as well. They were almost the same. "You're welcome lady," he answered.

Bjorn found her next and wrapped her in his arms, and the adults turned to their conversations. Sihtric bit back his jealousy and walked away with the others. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he held her tightly. Pulling his head from her neck only to kiss her gently. "Thank the gods you are safe," he whispered thankfully once the two pulled away. "I worried."

She shook her head. "I have Clapa and Sihtric with me," she replied at the same volume. "No harm would have come to me," she reassured him.

"I know, but still," He told her. Jaehaera sighed inwardly at the jealousy she felt from him.

She smiled at him. "You came for me," She smiled at him, repeating his promise to her back at him.

"I always will," he told her again before the two walked off to the others.

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Ragnar sat with Uhtred. He looked at his brother curiously, "your daughter has grown up," he told her father. "It seems like you will have some more trouble before you soon enough," he told him with a chuckle.