The Last Kingdom One-Shots

Leofric- The Quiet Dane

"You didn't bring any trouble with you, did you?" The farmer said gruffly.

"No," Elisif shook her head, beginning to feel a tear fall down her face. "They killed my father. My mother. Even my brother, sister, and everyone in my house. I do not think any have escaped," Elisif bit her lip. "They got what they came for."

It was quiet for a few moments as the man and woman exchanged looks.

"Give us a moment, would you, my dear?" The woman said, a soft smile on her lips as she suddenly grabbed the man by his arm and pulled him into what appeared to be the only bedroom in the tiny farmhouse.

Elisif sat silently for a moment, their voices barely audible as they spoke in hushed whispers, presumably about what to do with her.

For a few moments, Elisif looked around the room, wondering where the little boy had ran off to was hiding.

"Osferth?" She called quietly, remembering the name that he had been called. She stood from her chair and looked behind it, only to see two small blue eyes peering back at her from their hiding place.

"You are Osferth?" Elisif asked the little boy.

He nodded, turning his head slightly as if studying her. She was different than any woman he had ever seen before. She was young, with a strong but small figure. She had long brown hair that was tied back into an intricate braid he had never seen on a Saxon before. Her eyes were a deep blue-green, and she wore clothes he had never seen before.

Before he could speak to ask her a question, the talking between the farmer and the woman grew louder.

"I know he is your son, but Alfred told you he has to go to the monastery," the farmer said. "He's a bastard, he has to go. And that girl with him. Tomorrow. I will take them both to Winchester, hand her over to your brother so he may speak to the King in some way, perhaps put her in an abbey, and then Osferth goes straight to the monastery. It's settled, Eadgyth."

"Faenin. Please, he's just a boy! He's my son," she replied.

"For your sake and for his, he will be better off at the monastery, where he can be safe. Then you can forget him and move on with me. We will be wed and have a proper family, and this will all be forgotten," Faenin replied.

"Please-"

"That's enough Eadgyth. I've decided, and that's the end of it.

Suddenly, the door open, and the farmer, Faenin, and the woman, Eadgyth entered the room again. It was clear that Eadgyth was fighting back tears as she looked back and forth between Elisif and the boy, Osferth.

"Tomorrow, you two will be coming with me to Winchester. You," Faenin spoke, pointing to Osferth, "will be dedicated to the church, and to God. And you," he pointed to Elisif, "will meet a man they call Leofric. He is a good man, and will see to it that you are properly taken care of."

Elisif furrowed her brows.

"He is a good man. He is my brother, and I know he can make sure you are safe in Winchester," Eadgyth spoke.

"I am grateful to you for your help, but I must return to my people," she said. "I am a Dane. I do not know Saxons or their ways. I will go seek the great warrior, Ubba, and seek his protection. The gods will protect me until then."

"The gods?" The big man sputtered, clearly becoming less and less controlled as they continued to speak. "No. God. God will protect you. And you will be coming to Winchester, where you will see that the only god is God himself. May He forgive you for your foul ways."

"You have your God, and I have mine," Elisif replied, back towards the door. She could tell that this would not end well.

But her words had already done their damage, and the farmer lept at her. He was much faster and stronger than she had anticipated, and soon she was knocked to the floor. She wriggled in his grasp, clawing, biting, and scratching, desperately trying to get away from the burly man, but he managed to grab her by the head, despite Eadgyth and Osferth's protests and slam her into the floor, and all fell into darkness.