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"I'll join you," Fion said to Osmod. He had no desire to remain in that charred village any longer than he needed to. And he had no desire to look weak and hesitant in front of Raedwald, Meghan, and Eostre. Fion suspected that most of them-- Eostre and Raedwald in particular-- saw him as nothing more than a foolish child. That morning, while he was trying to feign sleep for a little while longer, he had caught a soft and humorous exchange between Meghan and Raedwald: "If it hadn’t been for young Fionn, tossing and turning in his blankets, I would have slept right through ‘til daybreak!"
Young Fionn can't handle the horrors of war. Young Fionn should just go home and tend his chickens, as Young Fionn is just as silly and featherbrained as they are. That was pure angry exaggerating on Fionn's part, to be sure, but Raedwald's comment had hit a nerve.
Fionn thought Raedwald had been sincere when he asked him about joining the Riders. But now, he could see that it had all been a jest. And the joke was on him. They were all laughing at him, or shaking their heads in pity behind his back. Poor little Fionn thinks he can take on the world.
Were they laughing at him, or was it just his imagination? Fionn didn't dare look over at their faces. What did they really think of him? He had his own ideas about Eostre's opinion, and one or two new outlooks on Raedwald's, but what about Meghan and Osmod?
Fionn wasn't sure what he should do, but he did know that he'd be better off with Osmod while he thought about it.
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