Aelswyn and the Angels

Chapter Nine - New Ventures and Swift Partings

 876AD, Wightshire, England to Dorsetshire, England

Trystyn was pacing back and forth on the deck, impatient to be on his way. Alexander was a wonderful second-in-command, but the king needed the additional protection Trystyn’s presence would provide. He had enemies all around him; and without someone he could trust nearby, his illness would act up and Aelfred would suffer untold pain.

He was so worried about Ael, he became absorbed in his thoughts, and didna notice anything until his wife rode her black mare up the plank. She was beautiful in her emerald traveling cloak, with her fiery curls up and cuffled as a proper married lady’s hair would be. She smiled shyly at him and he scowled. The wedding was fine and wonderful up until the moment he kissed her, and his head still smarted from where it had hit. It seemed he would be injured any time he touched her bare skin. His eyes went the reins almost automatically, and he let out a sigh when he saw the gloves on her hands.

Being a gentleman, it was in his nature to treat a lady as she deserved, and he was grateful he could at least do that for her.  He walked the few steps from the rail he had stopped by, and reached his hands up to her waist. She placed her hands on his shoulders as he assisted her in dismounting, and he had to suppress a shudder at the fear that crawled up his spine, but again, he came away unharmed. Apparently, cloth was a protective barrier for them. “How can we live like that?” he wondered. As he set her on the ground, he felt a slight spark emanate from her exposed skin, but nothing too detrimental.

“Hello, Trystyn.” Her eyes were wide, and she looked a bit frightened, so Trystyn was careful no’ to hurt her feelings.

“Hello wife.” He smiled at her, and the blush that crept into her cheeks gave her the most becoming flush. Lowering her eyelids, she shifted her gaze away. He glimpsed sadness in them, and he wanted to make it go away. He understood it was no’ her fault that it hurt him whenever they connected, but since he didna know how to fix it, he decided to make the best of a bad situation and become friends with Aely. “Let me show you to your cabin,” he suggested gently. “Ye may wish to spend your time there in comfort. We will be on the water for several hours, and not many can handle it the first time on board ship.”

Aely glanced at him through her lashes. By the sound in his head, he could tell she was nervous and hesitant. He placed his hand under her elbow and gestured the way with his other. Giving him a tremulous smile, she allowed him to guide her across the deck. When they reached the stairs, he preceded her and gave her a hand down.

Once she was safely at the bottom, Trystyn turned to show her the cabin, but a cough from overhead had him turning back to the stair and a solemn Lady Iborae. She extended her hand for him to take, and glided down the stairway. Sweeping past him at the end, she took her daughter’s arm and gazed at him expectantly.

He mentally shook himself and squeezed past them in the narrow hallway, stopping at an open door. Voices came from within, and Trystyn got a quick glimpse of an old woman and a young girl in servant’s garb before the two ladies brushed past him. As he turned to go down the hall, he heard his name being mentioned and turned back to answer what he thought was a question for him. As he opened his mouth, another voice, her voice, answered the question. “I dinna know, Môdor. I havnae really spoken to him yet.”

“Ye must tell him, Aely. ‘Tisnae good if ye start your lives together without telling him of your destiny. Ye must, min elska.” Lady Iborae sounded urgent, and Trystyn was intrigued to finally hear more of what the angel had mentioned to him on the battlefield. He had known that there was something important for her to do simply because the angel had told him to protect her. It made sense to him that she would have to do something dangerous in order to need protection, but at the same time, he didna wish to see her involved in any intrigue. She would be safe at Corfe Castel, and that was where he intended to keep her.