DREAM OF ME, sihtric & finan

2. left out in the cold

CHAPTER TWO; left out in the cold

The last time she had made a flower crown had been the last time she had seen Sihtric. Unfinished, it had remained, just like them — no goodbyes, just her friend being banished for the horrid act that came from his older half-brother. Tova cried in her Mother's arms that day, unable to speak to anybody for her Father and brother were just gladdened their land was rid of the blood of that family.

Years went by from that day.

"It matches you," Tova complimented her elder sister who questioned her for the opinion of the necklace she had for the wedding. Thyra was to become a wife to a kind man across the field, a fact that upset their Mother and made her cling to her youngest even more.

Uhtred and Tova were the two youngest of them, Young Ragnar was off making a name for himself and now Thyra was being married to a man she did love. She knew her brother, Uhtred, was possibly marrying Brida, the Saxon girl turned Dane, and they'd be given their own home, and so Tova would be the last one that remained with their parents.

She found she did not mind that. If she couldn't reunite with Sihtric, she'd rather ride to battle and glory.

Thyra appreciated her sister's opinion most, who always had an eye for the beautiful things in life. Though she no longer made her favourite flower pieces, she still loved to braid hair, sit by the fire with their Father, and playfully combat train to bring comfort to Uhtred on days he missed his only brother.

"Thank you, sweet sister," Thyra blushes, closing the lid on the box as she smiles back, their looks the complete opposite of each other. "I wish to save it after my wedding for the day you have yours."

Instead of saddening Thyra, Tova nods, her blue eyes flickering between the box and her sister's brown. "I would wear it with pride from you, Thyra. Ask Uhtred for his opinion," She nods to their brother who had just walked into the hall, and her sister wasted no time in doing so, basically skipping over to him.

She smiles at her brother's smile, before glancing down and continuing to clean her Father's blades as he had asked of her to do so. Young Ragnar used to do this chore when she was younger, so it only reminded her of the brother on his travels.

A hand laid on top of her head, fingers then scratching at her skull and she huffed a laugh, lifting a hand to swipe at Uhtred who laughed in amusement, "Leave me be, pest," She fires at him, eyes narrowing but her brother loved to annoy her. It was never Thyra, always her, perhaps because their sister was so close to their Mother and Tova spent more time with her brothers.

She wasn't sure why.

"If you do not leave me be, I will put dirt in your lungs, brother," She warned, her hearing making him laugh louder as it did every single time. His laughter dies when their Father tells him to clean the pigs, having just washed, but he does so anyway. She waves her fingers playfully, "Have fun with your kind, Uhtred."

He rolls his eyes, his long dark hair half up in a bun at the back and strands over his shoulders. "Finish cleaning, Tova."

Sigrid sighs, always hating whenever her children bickered. Her own two brothers had bickered so much one day it had led to a fight moving outside, and within minutes, her elder brother had sliced their younger one dead out of pride and anger. "Follow your Father, Uhtred," She tells her younger son, moving over to her daughter.

Placing the blade she had been holding down, that was now clean, Tova smiles up at her parent, quickly looking to see her sister disappearing through the doors that led to Tova's room where she was placing the box down. Usually, her sister would do this instead of travelling all the way up to the second floor.