The Last Kingdom imagines

Aldhelm imagine

The prompt is: "You can put your cold feet on me".

Warnings: mentions of murder, mentions of sex

You hadn't intentionally witnessed Lord Eardwulf murdering Lord Aethelred, but to your demise you had to say that you did.
It was horrible to look at, you hadn't meant to watch, and you certainly hadn't wanted the danger this would put you in.
Not knowing what to do you went to your Lady with the news, and she arranged some of her most trusted advisors and protectors to take care of you.
You had been working for the Lady Aethelflaed for years and you were now scared for your life, which led you to confess to the Lady of Mercia what you had witnessed.
She arranged one of her most trusted advisors, her friend as she had put it, to bring you to a group of men that could protect you from harm.
In the night she led you to the stables where Aldhelm was waiting for you with two horses already saddled.
He introduced himself to you kindly and you could see how careful he was when he talked to you, much more careful than the admiring but direct way he talked to your Lady.
It took about a day of riding to get to where your lady had suggested you meet her friends, and during this time Aldhelm was the perfect gentleman, taking care of you by watching you carefully to see if you were alright, making soothing conversation with you that eased your nerves and giving you all the blankets he had brought with him in the night to sleep on, whereas he chose the dirty floor for himself.
You weren't used to that much attention, and though you weren't a servant you were one of Lady Aethelflaed's lady's maids, women she rarely saw but who still had that function at court.
You weren't used to sleep outside nor with a man that close to you and you had trouble doing so, but Aldhelm cared for you and made sure you were as comfortable as you could be.
The nights were cold, and you hated having to go through the wilderness those few days because you quickly realized all the comfort you had at home, such as a well cooked meal, a warm bath or even a comfortable bed were gone.
You were scared too, being in the wilderness and a witness, which endangered you even more, but you quickly grew to trust Alfhelm with your life.
He was so kind and attentive, making sure you had enough to eat and drink and focusing on your wellbeing, and entirely forgetting his own.
When you reached Lady Aethelflaed's friends you were greeted by Lord Uhtred, his men and a beautiful redhead woman, and Aldhelm stayed to keep you company.
You would have asked him to stay because he was the only one you trusted had he decided to leave, so you were incredibly happy that he stayed.
You kept at his side for most of the time, and the group noticed it quickly.
Except for Eadith, whom you told about Lord Aethelred's murder you didn't often talk to any of the men, Aldhelm being the sole exception.
The Irishman jokingly mentioned your 'fixation' on Aldhelm to which the young man with the strange hair added that you would behave like rabbits soon enough.
Both the little monk and Lord Uhtred only chuckled while Aldhelm seemed to grow uncomfortable, redness tainting his cheeks as he shifted around uncomfortably, trying to shut up their babbling.
You could see how uncomfortable he was and you could entirely understand why, the sexual implications hadn't been lost on you and you knew that they were based on attraction, at least from your side.
You couldn't deny that you were attracted to him, he was the kindest man you had ever met and you just felt safe with him.
When you later sat around a fire, the group engrossed in a story the Irishman was telling Aldhelm leaned closer to you, red in the face, but it could as well have been the fire.
"I am sorry for their inappropriate behavior of a few hours ago, I can assure you that it was entirely unfounded", he told you and you nodded softly.
Taking a sip of whatever was in the bag Lord Uhtred had given you you looked at Aldhelm, your cheeks turning red quickly.
"It's alright. But I'm sorry you say it's unfounded, it's certainly not that way for me", you said and you quickly got up to bring the drink Uhtred was carrying back to him.
From then on you tried to avoid Aldhelm as much as it was possible for you.
You usually weren't that direct, and certainly not that brave, but you had acted that way because you wanted to show him it was alright to show affection towards you if he felt like it.
You avoided him nevertheless, because you felt awkward and because you felt like you had certainly overstepped your boundaries.
Aldhelm stayed away and you decided that it was because you had overstepped his boundaries as well as yours, and because he didn't feel what you felt towards him towards you.
A day later you arrived at a place to rest, which had a small waterfall and lake in its center.
It was an opportunity which all of you used to bathe, making you miserably cold in the process.
Whereas the men and even Eadith were wearing clothes made for the kind of weather you had had no idea what to wear in the wilderness, and it showed in how cold you were.
Your stockings were too light and already ripped so you discarded of them entirely, leaving you freezing after the icecold bath.
Even wrapped in one of the blankets Aldhelm had given you before you had met the group you were shivering, which he noticed.
You hadn't said a word to each other after you had made your advances and you were scared he didn't want anything to do with you anymore.
"You can put your cold feet on me. It'll warm you faster", you heard and when you looked up you saw Aldhelm standing in front of you.
You smiled widely as he sat down in front of you and he smiled back, visibly nervous but apologetic.
"I'm sorry I didn't talk to you before. I couldn't find the words to do so, but I felt the urge to tell you that I feel the same", he told you and you nodded, before he stretched his hands out towards you.
When you looked at him quizzically he smiled again, nodding towards your feet.
"Your feet, my lady", he smiled and you laughed slightly.
You had entirely forgotten about your cold feet because you had focused on the fact that he was attracted to you too, making butterflies almost painfully erupt in your stomach.
When you reached your feet out Aldhelm shivered as soon as your skin made contact with his but he kept his promise, holding onto your feet and warming them much quicker than a blanket could have done.