Northumbria ✓

7



She leaned more onto the wall. The rampart had big stones lying around. Peculiarly at the places that had open space for weapons. Were they ready to start throwing them at Alfred's men if he came with an army? Would he even come? She watched as men hammered those spikes into the ground. It looked like they were building a fence. The pikes were sharp and put tightly together.

"What is the long face for," the rough woman's accent with broken English couldn't be confused. Aethelthryth didn't have to turn to know who it was. The heavily pregnant woman leaned next to her. She had an annoyed expression as she stepped from foot to foot.

"I am surprised that you could come up with something smart." She gestured towards the defense. Ronja answered with a snort. Aethelthryth's brows furrowed as she watched her fidget before she slid down the wall. She turned to the pregnant woman, now sitting on the stone ground with a relieved expression. Aethelthryth raised a brow.

Ronja raised both back, "My feet hurt." Aethelthryth did her best to push the smile down. Sometimes the woman acted weird. So having already nothing to lose, she sat next to her. Ronja's face overtook a smirk.

"You know there is still no sign of your husband," Ronja pointed out. Aethelthryth shook her head. "It is more of an affidare. And it hasn't even been confirmed if this won't work, he'll marry a noble Mercian woman. They'll rather let me here to die." Ronja stared at her. Aethelthryth could feel that stare from her dark eyes.

"What is an affidaire?" Ronja asked. Aethelthryth let out a breathy snort. Then she shook her head and corrected the ruler, "Affidare, it is a promise of marriage, a deal, betrothal." Ronja nodded in understanding even though Aethelthryth doubted that she understood.

Ronja squinted her eyes, making them look almost black, "So he will let his future wife die?" Aethelthryth shook her head, was she even listening. "It hasn't been verified. Besides, there are many women out there." Ronja grimaced before nodding again.

"Now you can marry for love then," the pregnant woman nodded her head at her own words. Aetheltryth shrugged, "Not many women get married out of love, and besides, love is fleeting." Ronja shook her head, but before she could oppose something else, Aethelthryth stopped her. She did not want to hear the woman's confessions about how love was beautiful.

"Did any letter from the Lords arrived?" Ronja wrinkled her nose, probably because of the interruption, before reaching behind her belt. She pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper. She recognized the seal, Lord Hal.

Aethelthryth opened the letter while speaking, "This is from Lord Hal, Lord of Rheged, he rules a small town Carlisle, but likes to say he manages all of Rheged. My father used to say he is a man with many ambitions and a too-small cock." Ronja burst out laughing, but Aethelthryth ignored her and read on.

The letter contained his disgust with her question of even dining with pagans who killed their King. His frustration with her for even proposing such blasphemy. Then finally, his agreement, for the greater good of his people. What a lie. Aethelthryth scoffed in disgust. Lord Hal was maybe the least disgusting of all the lords they invited, but he was still a prick.

"He agreed," —she stated— "you know threatening them with their lives isn't exactly going to work." The second they would return to the safety of their castle they would hardly care, she thought. Ronja nodded her head before grinning slightly. Then she reached with her hand for the paper.

"They will either agree" —she started ripping the paper— "or even their God will beg mines to spare them." Aethelthryth scoffed. Torture seemed like the answer to all of it. These pagans killed for what they wanted. After all, she saw that in the hall. You disagree, you die, easy as that.

Ronja gripped her chin with a smirk, "Besides, you know them, and you will convince them. They are your men, after all." Aethelthryth raised a brow at her before wrapping her fingers around the woman's wrist. Why did any word that came out of the woman's mouth sound like a threat?

"I will tell you everything I know about them. I will make those pigs agree. I will give you land and freehand, but for that, you will leave my castle and agree to make me a Queen!" Ronja's smirk only widened, and for a moment, Aethelthryth could swear she saw a spark of admiration in her eyes. Then she nodded and pulled her hand away while dragging her nails over her chin. Aethelthryht did her best to not flinch.

Then Ronja pushed herself to stand while supporting herself onto the wall. This time her smirk was more mischievous than scary, "Fine, you will get what you want when I get what I want. Now be good and start talking about those Lords." The pregnant woman missed a few words, but Aethelthryth understood to most of what she wanted to say.

Ronja raised her hand to stop her when she wanted to start talking, "Not to me, to Ubbe, he's here for peace and knows your language better than I do." With a spark in her eyes, she turned away from her and tottered away. Aethelthryth grimaced. She didn't want to talk to that man.

He was like a brute, so tall, and looked ready to smash anything. She especially didn't want to talk to him about their exchange on the topic of love. He looked stupid, and he smelled. Aethelthryth grimaced at her blatant lies. She wanted to stomp her foot like a child, and demand for that pregnant woman to take it back. So instead of going to find that handsome brute, she marched to her room, determined to ignore everyone.

OH MY ODIN ★ Berserker just hit #27 in the Vikings category (or whatever they're called)
Hope everyone is staying safe, much love