There was something interesting about being with Uhtred and his men. They were always laughing and making joke, but it was something that Saehild appreciated. There was never much laughing most days, there were small chuckles here and there, but there was there was never much joy like this. Most days, the children would sit around and learn scripture with the same routine every day. Being with this group on the road, somewhat made Saehild excited. The reason why they had to flee was a heavy one, yet in a way it gave the chance for the children to see life outside those walls.
"I'm not eating that." Finan scoffed at Sihtric as he tried to hand him some bread.
"--Come on, it just a bit stale." he joked.
"That bread is so stale, it'll take a tooth out!" Finan threw back.
"Leave the fresher bread for the children." Uhtred instructed.
To which they did, the three smaller children had shared a small soft loaf that Storria helped break up for them. She now sat in the cart, making it crowed, watching over the little ones. With the tiny cart, Saehild began to grow claustrophobic, with her sticking her head and arms out next to Osferth to get some fresh air, as she was staring to become restless.
"My men have the stomachs of dogs." Lord Uhtred explained to Eadith.
"That's very true." Osferth recall for all to hear, "In fact I once ate a dog." hearing that, Saehild made a disgusted look to monk making vomiting noises at him. Dogs were pets to her, eating them was not appetizing at all.
Finan laughed lightly at the baby monk, "I always said you were barking."
Without warning, two people attacked the back of the cart, causing Storria to let out a high pitched scream. The wanders snatched the bread, scaring the children, "No! No! Father!" Storria cried.
"Go back!" a man yelled stepping in front of the road, "The road is closed!"
The party came to a halt confused, while Storria fought for her bread behind. Immediately, Osferth jumped out of the cart, telling Saehild to stay inside. Turing around, she grabbed on to Aelfywnn making sure she was alright, the princess was startled but fine. Altered, Lord Uhterd came around drawing his sword to protect his child. Straight way, Finan and Sihtric went to investigate what was happening, but they were appalled by what they saw. Men half dead, implied by wooden spikes, a warning for others to not pass. It was very cruel way to die, a slow painful death.
"Stay back!" Finan urged running back to the band, "Lord stay back! Its the sickness! They're dying of the sickness!"
The three little ones, climbed to the front to see what was happening, hearing Finan panic. Curiously, Saehild sat between Aethelstan and Aeflwynn looking all around them. They watched as the Irishman frantically, washed Storria's hand with water, grunting in frustration. In his state, he thought of every precaution they needed to take, he even thought about killing the horses. The sickness was spread bad the air, and right now they were in the thick of it. The strongest warriors Saehild had ever met, where now struck by terror. Finan suggested that they travel back to Aegelesbrug, but it was to much of a risk, Edward would surly catch them. Lord Uhtred, however, suggested that they travel by foot, and avoid the bad air. In the panic of the conversation, Saehild saw Sihtric mumble something, in response Finan argued that they leave the children. This made Saehild swallow hard, she had never seen the sickness before. And by the looks of it, it was horrible and scary.
"I will not leave the children!" Uhtred scoffed back. Still Finan pleaded with him that they act quickly, for the safety of their lives. Luckily, Uhtred was there to reassure them, that they would be fine as long as they avoided the bad air.
Uhtred sat tall on his horse sighing, "We go to Wenloca! We find Aethelflead and we get to Ceaster." he dismounted, "Let's find a place to hide the horses."
****
"Is this St. Milburg's?" Aldhelm asked riding close to the lady.
"Yes. Trust the marker." she responded out of breath.
Dismounting his horse, first Aldhelm looked towards Aethelflaed as she looked to the land, "We should get off the road before night fall." he suggested.
"No, I will be here when my daughter comes." she shook her head thinking about where her daughter might even be, "Aldhelm what if Edward's men have taken my child? What if she is imprisoned somewhere at this very moment not knowing where I am?"
Aldhelm shook his head, "Lady do not torture yourself.", it had been what he was doing, Saehild was probably was terrified right now, and he could do nothing. But he could not let himself think of such a thing. "Uhtred will have rescued her and he will find us. He has never failed you."
"And yet this feels like failure." she gulped, "A daughter of Alfred riding as an out law in her own country!"
"Your father lived off the land for a while." Aldhelm told offering the lady some water, "He survived and prospered after. In time, we will return to Aegelesburg."
"I'm not certain we can." she paused, "I fear I may have led you along a path from which there is no return. Aldhelm they may spare me but I—"
"I--I understand, Lady. I understand."
Wholly, Aldhelm knew what would happen if Edward gained the upper hand. If he where to die, then so be it. But his daughter's life, that's what mattered most to him. She was so innocent, knowing nothing of what could come to her. There was no more place of refuge for her to hide, he wouldn't be able to protect her.
Hours had past, and yet there was still no Uhtred, no Aelfwynn, nor Saehild. While waiting, Aldhelm had cut up an apple for Aethelflaed, but her mind was to occupied by her daughter's fate to even think about nourishment. She kept pondering if she chose the wrong path. But, while in conversation, they were interrupted when a distant neigh of a horse could be heard. Quickly, they got up to move towards the sound. To their disappointment, it was not the party they were looking for, but a village of commoners.
"Hurry!" a women approached, "For your own safety, don't stay here!"
"Do the Danes return?" Aldehlem asked.
"No. The sickness is taking young and old. Escape the foul air while you can." the women informed.
Aldhelm looked to Aethelflaed tensing his whole body. The last time the sickness came around, he saw it tear through whole villages. The illness was not something to tread lightly on, it spread to anyone and everyone.
"The sickness has not struck for many years." Aethelflaed said in a hushed voice.
The women rejoined her party continuing to move, "Follow us, we go north."
"Join them." Aldhelm nodded his head. As much as it pained him to miss the chance to see his daughter, he had to be alive to do so.
"No, we'll miss Aelfwynn."
"Lady, do not be foolish. The sickness takes all regardless of rank." Aldhelm pleaded.
"I would rather be foolish than abandon my child."
Aldhelm shifted in the grass, sighing quietly. She did not mean the statement to be a stab, but it was said. He took no offense as she was a mother who just wanted her child safe in her arm, as he wished for it too. But right now, their safety from the sickness became his priority.
"Do not ask again." the Lady turned back returning to the marker.
****
After hiding the horses, Uhterd's party travelled by foot. Frist they went through the forest, where Aethelstan threw rocks into the stream scaring the frogs, and Seahild climbed over the roots and logs happy to be outside. Soon, their travels brought them out the woods to a grass fill area. The little ones were to small to go through the tall grass, with the vegetation being taller then them. Therefore, Uhtred carried Aelfywnn with him, Finan carried the boy on his shoulders, and Saehild hooked on to Sihtric's back.
"He's heavier then he looks." Finan commented.
The grassy area was filled with small pollen flowers that was filling the air, Storria began to sniffle at the air. Behind Finan, she sneezed at the grass loudly, "What's wrong with you?" he turned and asked through his thick Irish accent.
"I have a fever from the grasses. I do not have it!" Storria shot back.
"Finan." Uhtred dragged out the name, "The sickness would not strike this fast."
"You have not seen, what I have Lord." he said in a dark tone. In response the boy on his shoulder cover his eyes giggling, "Oh, Hey!" Finan removed his hands, "How many times do I have to tell you? You cannot do that!", he sighed, "Who are ya anyways?"
"I am no one."
"He's Aethelstan, Edward's firstborn son." Uhtred said with ease.
"Hidden child of Edward!" Finan said in a surprised tone, "How did he survive this long?"
"He's driven by a mission to annoy me, aren't you, Aethelsatn?" Storria joked.
"Better keep him safe, Finan. That's royal blood you're carrying." Osferth retorted, "Welcome to the bastard life, boy!"
Laughing, Sihtric ran up to Osferth, patting his back, getting the joke also being a bastard. It was funny, in this party they had four bastards in total; Osferth, Sihtric, Saehild, and technically Aethelstan. Who would have know that bastards could survive this long.
****
The sickness continued to spread throughout the land. At St. Milburg's, Aldhelm and Aethelflaed kept waiting, becoming impatient. Off into the distance, Aldhelm watched as a cloud of black smoke grew bigger. "You can smell it on the air. They're burring bodies." He said in a low tone to the Lady.
"It means the fever is just fields away." she finished his thought.
"Lady, no one has passed by for hours. They probably closed the roads to contain the sickness." Aldhelm proclaimed.
She did not look to Aldhelm, for he was right, "Uhtred will have gone on ahead to Ceaster. We should do the same." together they rode off from the marking leaving the bad air, off to Ceaster.
Just a field way, Uhtred and his party, where approaching the marker, "How much longer?" Aethelstan asked coming down the hill.
"Ask again and I will not reply!" Storria responded annoyed.
"It is right at the end of this field." the father intervene, "We should be able to see the cross at any moment."
Finally they had arrived, but the Aethelflaed, nor Aldhelm were to be seen. Perhaps the two were still making their journey, the ideal situation would be that they had already arrived, but the wait allowed the children to rest. In case, everyone took the chance to sit down and rest of a moment. Saehild opted to sit in front of the marker picking at the grass. When her father arrived, she wanted to be the first to greet him.
"Saehild.", Uhterd called, "Stop picking at the grass." he kneeled down to sit next to the girl, "I have something for you, from your father." he handed her the small piece of parchment.
Right away, she opened the paper revealing a small drawing of a sun and a moon. Saehild smiled down to the paper knowing that it was a sign of his love.
"What is it?" Uhretd asked.
"A moon and sun." she smiled to him, "It's my favorite story. The sun fell in love with the moon, and they spend entirety together."
The Dane smiled back at how happy the smallest thing made her. Rubbing the top of her head, Uhtred got up and continued to patrolled watching for signs of really anyone. As he walked away, Saehild traced the drawing with her fingers biting her bottom lips. She missed her father dearly, but a least now she had something of his to carry. Carefully, she folded it, placing the parchment in her pouch that sat next to her knife.
Although sitting further from the others, the Coocham trio could still be heard, "What are you looking for Finan?" Osferth questioned. Finan was swinging his sword through the fields as if he had lost his coin.
His immediate response was muffled, but removing the cloth from his mouth he was clear as day, "Bodies, I know the sickness is close."
"Why are you shitting yourself?" Sihtric asked, making Saehild giggle under her breath.
"I've seen men as strong as bears at breakfast time...gurgling blood and puss by supper time! You Little Runt!"
Saehild continue to laugh at the interaction. Finan was trying to be safe, but he looked so silly doing it. Looking back behind her, the little one saw how red Aelfwynn had grown. Maybe it was because of the sun, that had been drenching them for hours now, but in a way Saehild could sense it was not just the sun. Willing, Storria took Aelfwynn out of the sun and into a shaded area where she could sleep till they made their next move. All were growing impatient for the lady, and the sickness was close behind. In order to stay away, they needed to keep moving before it caught on. Not only that, the longer the stayed in one place, the higher the chance Edward had to catch them.
"Lady Aethelflaed is not coming. Let's go, not wait for the foul air to catch us." Finan pleaded waking back to be with the others.
"Lord, I promised her I would send you to meet her." Eadith remined.
"On horseback, she must have been here first." Lord Uhtred theorized, "She would have gone on to Ceaster as agreed. We move."
It was time to leave. Finan nodded to Saehild to stand up and take his hand, she groaned getting up, her feet were still swollen, but nonetheless she got up. Uhtred, Osferth, Sihtric and Eadith led the party in the other direction from the maker, while Finan had Aethelstan and Saehild on each side, and Storria held on to Aelfywnn's hand. The road to Ceaster was going to be long without the aid of horses, but they would have to make it.
****
The group had been walking for hours, with the sun beginning to fall. Out of energy, Saehild walked with Osferth at a slower pace, holding her dress up not to trip. Usually, she would be filled with energy, but the sun had drained all that she had for the day. Dragging her feet on the ground, all she wished for was to sit down.
Out of no where, Finan approached on the opposite side, "Hey! Look at Aelfwynn. Her face is red. She clearly sickens." he whispered.
"She just needs some rest. We all do." the monk replied.
"Go on." Finan kept his voice low.
"Yeah, let me talk to him." Osferth handed Saehild over to Finan.
In a jog, the Baby monk approached the lord telling of how the children need to rest, as they had been on the road for almost two days. There were no sign of a imminent threat and the moon was going to rise soon. Easily, the Lord agreed with what Osferth was saying, they would need to find a spot for all of them to rest before dark. Walking further into the woods, a large tree with exposed roots, seem to make a suitable place to rest for the night. It could fit all of them and was hidden well enough. Putting down some cloths and cloaks to protect their heads, Eadith and the children filled in the middle, with the men sleeping at the perimeter. The last person that wasn't in was Seahild, she stood on the hill fiddling with her belt anxiously looking down into the pit. Standing in the pit with his hands on his hips, Osferth looked to the girl confused.
"Come on then." he instructed.
Saehild didn't say anything at first but pushed her lips into a straight line, "What if someone finds us?" she asked in a quiet voice.
"Then I will be right here with my sword to protect you if anything happens." Osferth grabbed the hit of his weapon, "And you, little lady, have a weapon of your own too...alright?" he raised his eyebrows.
She nodded in response, allowing Osferth to lift Saehild down into the pit, and place her next to Aethelstan. He helped lay her down, and waited until she drifted off to sleep. She slept facing the boy monk, with her back toward the wall, oddly enough the little ones slept soundly. The heat had taken so much out of them, that it did not matter where the slept, it only mattered that they did sleep. It was the first moment of peace they had since Slatwic. Soon enough, the sun began to show again, and they needed to start moving.
The peace of it all, was ruined by the clanging of Finan's sword and knife, "Anyone who shits liquid will be left behind."
Slowly, everyone started to gather themselves, stepping out of the pit. Osferth and Eadith, helped the children out first before themselves. With Aelfwynn still sleeping, Eadith deiced to leave her till they made their departure. Almost like a family everyone ready for the day ahead. Eadith helped fix Saehild's and Storria's hair, fixing the braids. And after, Saehild went to Sihtric for water before rejoining the rest. But, right as everyone was ready to start their journey, Uhtred noted the absences of Aelfwynn. Frantically, the men started to search the near by grounds trying to find the girl. Storria grabbed on to Saehild hand following the men, not to lose each other.
Luckily, Lord Uhtred found her, but he also found a band of Mercian men. Hastily and quietly, they made their run for it. With the Mercian men were that close, it could have meant that they were so close behind all along. Holding her up her dirt rimed dress in one hand, Saehild held on to Finan with the other. He was quite faster then her, but looking back contently helped slow him down so that she could run. Out of breath, they would stop for a moment panting, but they had to continued. However when they did stop, Saehild noticed how pale Aelfwynn had grown, and how her eyes were closed in Lord Uhtred's arms.
****
Moving deep into the woods, it allowed the party to find a safe spot where they could rest for the night. The cool mist from the waterfall created a calm atmosphere which everyone apprenticed. Settling in place, Aethelstan played with a toy boat made of bark that Finan made, while the girls sat behind the waterfall, since Aelfwynn was not feeling well. Saehild worried for her, she did not want to play with the water and sat on a log holding her stomach. Faithfully, she stayed at her side, offering as much comfort as she could. Soon, Eadith had come to comfort the princess, and the bastard, seeing how grave they looked. To distract them, Eadith showed the little ones her rings that she had collected over the years. The both of them touched the metal in awe, the gold was so shiny and cool to the touch. The two only had one each, while the Lady had one on each finger. As Eadith explained it, each piece had a story behind it, making them smile. Whilst, the rings were a good distraction, it did not take away the fact that Aelfwynn was unwell. Pulling her in close, Eadith rubbed the girls arms, while Saehild held her hand, trying to offer support.
Concerned, Osfther too came to check up on his niece, seeing how visibly ill she looked, "Aelfwynn says she feels hot." Eadith explained standing behind her next to Saehild.
Secretly, Osferth placed some herbs in the water kneeling down to her level, "Drink this. It will cool you." he stood leaving his niece, "You did not see me so that." he told Eadith and winked to Saehild.
Smirking, Saehild returned to Aelfwynn, while the other two talked. She noted how Aelfwynn's face almost looked sunken in. She thought it might have been from the journey, they had not eaten much, yes, but there was still something telling her that there was something bigger wrong with Aelfwynn. Oddly, the princess did not mind the taste of the herb infused water, she could already feel herself cooling down.
"Thank you Osferth" Aelfwynn finished, twisting around to hand back the pouch.
Osferth, once again, bent down to speak to the girl, "If you feel any worse you tell me or Eadith."
"I will." she promised.
****
For the rest of the day, Aelfwynn moved very little, while Saehild and Aethelstan played for a little. Although, they played close to Aelfwynn so that Saehild could keep an eye on her friend. Once night had come, the small children, Storria, Uhtred and Eadith, all slept behind the waterfall, while the other men kept guard. Saehild cuddled up between Eadith and Aelfwynn to keep warm. The Lady allowed the little one to wrap her arms around her own, knowing she was missing the comfort of home. Even with the peace of the night, Saehild could not find real sleep. Closing her eyes, many thoughts ran through Saehild's mind. She worried for Aelfwynn, and deeply missed her father. It was not foreign to her to be separated, yet it was taking a toll. Indeed, at first she found this adventure exciting, but now it was becoming exhausting. In all honesty she was scared and just wanted to go home, home to her father. The worst part of it, was that Saehild knew that he was in some type of danger. She did not need the others to tell her, she could feel it within her heart.
The half-Dane may have never had a real place to call home, but no matter where she went the only constant was the presences of Aldhelm. To her, nowhere was safe, or a home at all, without her papa. Silently, she prayed to the gods for their precious reunion to happen soon.
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Sorry for the late upload, when I was reading it over I didn't really like how I initially wrote it, so I took some time to try and fix it. Ep 6 has a lot going on. Anyways, hope y'all are enjoying the story so far, there is still so much to go through, and I promise there will be more Aldhelm and Saehild together in upcoming chapters, and it will be worth the wait.
Happy reading!
SS xoxo