Una was sitting at the edge of her bed, embroidering over a tear in Wilona's underdress. She had torn it when it got caught on a briar in a forest thicket earlier this day. Una still wonders why Wilona was following her. Una was only walking through the forest to get some fresh air and alone time.
Una caught Wilona following her when Wilona's dress got snagged, and she was struggling to duck away. When confronting her, Wilona said she was merely making sure that she would not get lost in the forest. It was dark, even in the daytime. Una found this suspicious, but instead of cornering the queen, Una pointed out the tear in her dress. Wilona admitted that she did not have a new handmaid. She was soon to get one. That was when Una offered to help her. In exchange, Wilona promised that she would not tell that Una was wandering off when people were looking for her. That was when Wilona introduced her second excuse, that her husband Gareth was beseeching her.
"Ouch!" Una winced as she pricked the tip of her pinky.
"Are you alright, Una?" Ingrid said, jumping up.
She was organizing the colored threads on the floor for Una.
"Yes, I'm fine. It's getting dark, and It's been a while since I've done this." Una said as she quickly sucked the wound.
"It looks like you do this for a living!" Ingrid declared.
Una was trying to match the pattern on the dress's hem, but it proved more difficult than Una imagined. It was tedious work, and trying to match the threads to the dress was even more troublesome.
"How are you so good at everything?" Ingrid said with a pout as she walked back over to the floor.
Una put down the dress and looked down at Ingrid rolling her eyes.
"There are so many things that I can't do, Ingrid. A slave or servant possesses more skill than I. Besides, I cannot say that I get very many compliments, so I have always been inclined to think my work was subpar compared to others. I've had to work towards my own gratification." Una laughed.
"Your standards of gratification must be really high! You're much too modest, I think, to the point where you can't realize your talent."
"Nay, Ingrid, I know there are many embroiders who do finer work than I. It is not talent. It is patience. People feel like they can't do something, not because they lack talent, but because they lack the patience to realize that they possess aptitude." Una laughed again.
Ingrid smiled and looked back down at her threads.
"You're saying that I can be the best archer in the land if I just shoot a few arrows to see if I'm any good or not? That is how you became good?" Ingrid jested.
"Yes, and many of the talents you possess won't be things you like, so you are inclined not even to know because you never tried." Una smiled and returned to her work.
"What do you hate most?" Ingrid said, looking up crossing her arms.
Una put down her embroidery and looked off to the side.
"That's a tough question to answer," Una admitted.
"No, really, what do you detest the most?" Ingrid pressed.
Una sat and thought for a moment.
"Honestly..." Una began.
"I hate being a queen." Una finished.
Ingrid looked up again, startled by what Una had said.
"What do you mean, you hate being a queen?" Ingrid said with a frown.
Una looked down at her embroidery. She thought back to when it all went wrong. She remembered how it all began when Una lost her wolf friend, Selene. Then she lost her other friend, Yvar. Her father banned her from ever seeing him again with no explanation other than that he was a Dane. Then her whole family was slaughtered. She had to grow up so fast, with little time to stay a child. She was still a child when Eurion became King, and then he was slaughtered too. Darren and Marged, the man she loved and her best friend, died within the same few days. Una's life had become a bloodbath due to her name, her prestige, and her family. If she were not born a princess, perhaps she could have married Darren instead of him wedding Marged. Marged and Una would still be best friends to this day, and she would have never been forced to leave Yvar. Her family would not have died. Una thinks she would have been more content as a slave or servant girl.
"I don't know," Una said with her eyes stinging.
Una quickly looked down at her sewing and began to stitch with more force.
"Una," Ingrid said with a solemn tone.
"I'm fine. I just need to get back on the right path." Una said quietly.
Una got one of her stitches snagged behind another and tried to trace her steps back to correct it. In the process, she created a larger knot.
"That's kind of selfish to say. King Gareth said that you are a really esteemed queen, though. Why would not be on the right path? Are you giving up or something?" Ingrid blurted.
Una got frustrated and ended up breaking the thread behind the knot, destroying all the labor-intensive work she had just done.
"Damn it!" Una screamed and threw the dress across the room, knocking over a vase and shattering it.
"Why are you interrogating me!? Who cares what Gareth said? It means nothing!" Una shouted as she stood up.
She walked over to the door and threw the door open.
"Una! Wait, I didn't mean to say that!" Ingrid implored Una as she slammed the door behind her.
Ingrid looked down at all the threads on the floor.
"Lord, why can I not hold my tongue!" She sulked.
Suddenly Gareth came rushing into the room, flinging the door open and surprising Ingrid.
"What did you do to her?" Gareth begged.
Ingrid blushed at the sight of Gareth. He was wearing Idris's old armor that was once locked up in the armory room. She wondered why he was wearing it. Ingrid could see Wilona peering in behind him with an evil grin.
"I don't know, she broke a thread and went mad, my king!" Ingrid said, looking down.
"You stay here, Wilona. I'm going to go talk to her." Gareth said as he ran off.
Una was rushing down the hall to the garderobe room. Tears were in her eyes. She was so frustrated with herself. Now that she has admitted what she always knew, it feels more real to her now than ever. She was a queen, but she hated being queen. Una slammed the door to the room and sat in the empty corner next to a tall plant. She picked one of the leaves and twirled it in her fingers.
"Tell me what I'm doing wrong!" Una cried as she pulled her knees up and leaned her head on the cool stone wall.
"You're doing nothing wrong, Una," Gareth said as he slowly opened the door and peered in.
Una looked up, her eyes wide with tears.
"May I come in?" He asked.
Una nodded and looked away from his gaze, trying to dry her tears. Gareth walked in, shut the door, and crouched down in front of her.
"Hey, what's wrong? You can talk to me. I want to know why you think you are doing something wrong?"
Una closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"You can tell me, Una. We're friends. I'm not addressing you asking."
Una squinted her eyes tighter.
"Do you ever wish you were not King?" Una asked.
Gareth was taken back by the question and sat down on the other side of the wall.
"I'd be lying if I said I wish I had a simpler life. I envy my cousin, Sion. He lives in blissful ignorance. He has no responsibility. He lives comfortably, and he has nothing to worry about other than me dying." Gareth said, sitting a knee up to his chest.
Una opened her eyes and leaned forward, but still slouched against the wall.
"I don't think that is the real reason you are upset, Una."
"I want to leave Wessex." Una blurted out.
Gareth furrowed his brow, and he looked concerned.
"What do you mean? Do you not like it here?"
"I have overextended my stay. I feel that it would be best if I leave before..." Una trailed off.
"Before what?" Gareth asked.
"I'm tired of hurting everyone." Una's voice cracked, and she began to cry again.
Gareth knew in this instance what had happened. Una was homesick, and the anxieties of the tragedy of her friend are catching up with her.
"That's precisely why you are here. Under my roof, you have my protection. No one can come for you or anyone else you know."
"Who do I have left?" Una cried.
Gareth took a deep breath and leaned his head back in the corner.
"What was to be a few days of stay turned into a month, Una. You have hurt no one. In fact, we love you, Una. It is us that should be apologizing. We are the ones who hurt you. You are supposed to be on a journey north, and we are binding you with friendship here." Gareth said.
Gareth knew deep down that he never wanted Una to leave. He wanted her to give up on her kingdom, resign her throne as she said she would, and come live peacefully with him. Una was the only shining light in this kingdom. Since king Idris died, the town has loomed with this darkness that Gareth had never seen before. Una's spirit reminded Gareth of his father's kindness, humor, and enthusiasm. Perhaps he was selfish by keeping her here because she was the last sliver of what Idris fought for.
"There's another thing, Gareth," Una said softly.
Gareth sat up and looked intently at Una. She would not look at him. She continued to play with the leaf.
"I fear for your life. That is why I can't leave just yet."
"What do you mean!?" He said, shocked.
"I can't say it here. We must go somewhere where there is no one."
"By all means, we may go now if you wish. Is that what you're worried about?" He asked.
Una gently nodded her head and looked away.
"You're worried for my safety." He smiled and sucked out his hand for Una to grab.
Una took his hand, and they both stood up.
"That's something I can say I've never encountered. Then again, I never thought I would have a wife from Mercia." He laughed.
Una grinned, but she knew deep down it was a very serious matter. Una knew that Wilona was planning something grave for him. It has been a week since Alaric revealed what Ingrid went through and what Wilona kept in the dark. Una has been carefully observing Wilona this week, following her like a scout. What she found was truly unsettling and disturbing.
"We must make haste. Time is running out." Una said.
Gareth nodded and opened the door. Standing there was Wilona with a smirk on her face.
"I thought I told you to stay put!" Gareth exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, my love. I wanted to show you what a beautiful correction Una did to my under gown. Isn't it lovely?" She said, holding it up, still with a gaping tear in it.
Una knew she used that as an excuse to come eavesdrop.
"Una and I are leaving for a little bit." He said, still holding Una's hand.
"Where are you going, and why?" Wilona said, staring that their hands.
"She wishes to show me some maneuvers with her sword in the forest. I need to get back to training, and Una is a formidable opponent." He said.
Una could see the discomfort in Wilona's eyes. Gareth spotted a guard walking around.
"Sir David!" Gareth shouted for him.
He came rushing over.
"Please escort the queen to her chambers, and make sure she does not leave. Understood?"
Wilona's mouth gaped open, and the look of shock traced over her face.
"Yes, my king." He said with a bow.
Una could see Wilona's knuckles turn white as she squeezed her hands. She grinned, but it was a grin of malice.
"Of course. By all means, I hope she likes your swordplay." She hissed and turned around, not acknowledging Una at all.
"Childish whore." Wilona whispered under her breath as she walked away.
"What was that, my queen?" Sir David asked.
"Irish... lore, I would love for you to read me some Irish lore." She hesitated and laughed.
"I'm afraid I can't read, my queen." He said as they made their way down the hall.
"What a pity. Perhaps I can read it to you then, to occupy my time." Wilona smiled.
"You are most kind, my queen. Thank you for the generous offer." He said with much enthusiasm.
Wilona huffed in irritation, but at least she knew that she didn't have to put up with Una much longer. Wilona has a plan for Una. A war is coming for her and everyone that gets in her way.