━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━━

       A day had passed since the initial saving of Uhtred and Finan. Uhtred had been left to sleep and regain his strength, but as much as Signe persisted, Finan would not sleep during the day. His appetite had slowly started to come back to him which made Signe happy to see. He slowly added more to his plate over every meal. She had found Finan new clothes to change into, the pants were a little loose but over time he would fill them out. The tunic hung low on his chest, but the armor he had been given fit against him well.

       "Here we go, I found something a little lighter for the time being." Signe spoke proudly, approaching the man with a sword in her hands. It was smaller than hers, but she had not been the one that was starved and weak from months as a slave. The blade was sharp and balanced, and over time Signe would ensure to find him something more suitable. "It's a little small for you, but it'll be good until you regain your strength."

       "Thank you, Lady." Finan spoke quickly, taking the sword from her offering hands. Signe was right, it was small in his hands compared to what he was used to, but the weight didn't make him buckle underneath it.

       "Would you like to practice?" Signe asked, her hands tucked behind her back. "It could help build muscle again."

       "I think that would be good." Finan agreed, making Signe grin.

       The woman unsheathed her sword quickly, holding it up defensively as Finan copied her actions. "Don't hold back on the Irishman, sister." Ragnar quipped, walking up to the pair when he saw them pulling out swords. The oldest brother was almost concerned, until he saw the smiles on both of their faces.

       "I wouldn't know how to do that anyways." Signe grunted, making the first lunge that Finan blocked.

       "I thought you had a boastful reputation?" Finan snickered, lunging forward quickly. The sound of swords blocking one another caught the attention of several men in the camp, and before Signe knew it, the pair had drawn an audience.

       Finan's hands shook slightly as he gripped the sword tightly, something that Signe noticed quickly. "You are capable of more than this Irishman." She grunted, blocking a blow he threw her way. "We will find that strength once more!" She pushed forward, ducking under the man's arm as he swung. Signe was small, which was something she always appreciated during battle. She would weave her way in and out of opponents easily, giving her the upper hand. Signe wrapped her arm around the man's neck before he had time to process where she was, holding her sword against his throat which made several people around them cheer at her victory.

       "You did well." Signe panted, releasing the man from her hold. Finan's breathing was labored, but he couldn't shake the smile on his face. Even if it was just a simple spar, that was the most alive he had felt in months. "We will find that warrior in you again, I'm sure of it."

       The pair walked further into the camp, Signe grabbing two cups of water and handing one to Finan. The man wasted no time gulping the cool water down, making Signe laugh over the rim of her cup. "What's so funny?" Finan asked, raising an eyebrow at the woman.

       "Your beard seems to be just as thirsty as you." Signe quipped, noticing the water that didn't make it into his mouth, drenched the hair on his face instead. "Let me cut it please, I'm sure it would feel like a weight being lifted off your shoulders."

       Signe had worked on cleaning out his wounds all morning yesterday, and scrubbed any dirt she could see from his skin. She had only asked once if he would like for her to cut his hair, but Finan was sure when he declined her offer. The man eyed her carefully, weighing out her offer as she sipped the water from her cup slowly. It didn't take a fool to know that the overgrown beard was itchy, as well as heavy. If he did it himself, he was sure to cut his face.

       "Fine. But you make sure those hands stay steady." Finan finally agreed, pointing an accusing finger in her direction. Signe laughed at the demand, she had never had wavering hands once in her life.

       "You have my word." Signe mocked surrender, holding up her hands in defense. She grabbed his arm lightly, pulling him towards a log to sit on. "All you have to do is sit still, wouldn't want to hurt this pretty face would I?" Signe hummed, pulling her dragger from her belt.

       "Did you just call me pretty, Lady?" Finan asked, raising his eyebrows in questioning as Signe guided his chin to look up at her.

       "I would never." Finan chuckled, closing his eyes. The man sat as still as he could, Signe standing between his legs as she stood above him. Her tongue poked out between her lips slightly, her eyebrows frowned in concentration as she slowly trimmed down the beard. It had taken longer than Signe had originally anticipated, but she made sure not to nick his skin, and worked as gently as she could. "There we go." Signe spoke, breaking their silence as she stepped back to admire her handy work. "I knew there was a man underneath all that hair."

       Finan reached up, running his hand over his jaw slowly. He thanked God that she didn't get too crazy and get rid of his beard completely, but he couldn't help but feel relief. He felt lighter, almost like himself again. "Should I do your hair next?" Signe asked, looking at him expectantly.

       "No. Thank you though, Lady. I do appreciate it." Finan declined, standing up as she secured her dagger once more. He wasn't ready for that step just yet. He was happy to clean up slightly, to take care of himself for the first time in many months. Finan would never have to know the life at sea again, but he needed to accept that on his own terms.

       "Well you'll know where to find me when you change your mind." Signe told him, patting Finan's shoulder as she walked away from him and towards her brother. Ragnar watched his sister approach him from under the shade of one of the tents, a small smile on his face.

       "The Irishman is fond of you." Ragnar spoke once she was closer to him. Signe rolled her eyes before sitting on the bench beside him.

       "He needs a friend, brother. That is all." Signe denied, her eyes finding Finan as the man spoke with Hild.

       "He needs more than a friend." Ragnar pushed, nudging the younger girl with his elbow. Signe let out a laugh as she shook her head in disbelief. "He has not left your side since the day before yesterday." That was true. Finan had gravitated to Signe ever since she had initially taken care of him. She didn't mind it nearly as much as she had thought she would. Signe did not do well with people following her around, but it never felt like Finan was. They conversed freely, the words never failing either of them. He didn't push her when she would go quiet, the both of them enjoying the peacefulness of each other's presence.

       "He's not so bad." Signe finally said, smiling when Finan met her gaze from across the camp.

       "You are fond of him as well?" Ragnar questioned.

       "He's tolerable." Signe said with a shrug. Ragnar let out a laugh at the response. Signe was stubborn, something that seemed to run through the bloodline. She had never shown interest in any man, always saying how she would never become the type of wife that stayed home with the children. "For a man." She added in, making Ragnar shake his head in disbelief.

       "I do hope you get married before the end of my days." The man told his sister, making the woman shrug her shoulders before standing up.

       "Don't get your hopes up."

━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━━

AN: you guys really don't have to be ghost readers :,) comments and votes are always appreciated! i would love to know what you're thinking so far! comments truly do encourage me to write and upload! also feel free to check out my tiktok account that's essentially dedicated to edits for this book :)