Broken Princess (Last Kingdom)

One

She stares out of the sunrise ignoring the anger burning in her veins, the pain she wants to unleash on her parents and instead she tries to feel something else. When she was a little girl she thought that knights or her father would protect her, that priests were holy and Danes were sent by the devil. She was wrong on all accounts, a lesson she learned painfully and it ended with her being brutally scarred both emotionally and physically. Her parents, the king and queen, threw her out like shit on the bottom of their feet and her only salvation was the same man, the only person besides her that knew the full truth of what happened to her. 

"You and Uhtred both with your dark thoughts," Hild says storming up with Uhtred's sword in hand. 

"Now Hild I'd say it's just me since Uhtred and Halig seem to enjoy drinking and whoring more," she says. 

"Adelina," the nun admonishes before they both laugh. 

Adelina was born to Alfred and Aelswith, otherwise known as the current king and queen of Wessex. She remembers being a little girl, curious of the world and yet scared of Danes. She remembers the way her father used to tell her he would protect her while her mother said that priests would protect and pray for her. Adelina remembers the day she learned there was no priest as kind or caring as Father Beocca and that her father could not protect her all the time. She can still after all these years feel her skin crawl like there were phantom hands grabbing her. That day did more than take the light from her, it showed her the true nature of her parents' love and how far Uhtred would go to protect her. 

"Lina we must go," Uhtred calls out and she looks over to see that some time has passed as Uhtred has his sword back and everyone is ready. 

"Only you Uhtred could get away with having a nickname for me," she says smiling at him as he helps her up on the horse. 

"I take care of you and I train you Princess so I say I can," he jokes with a smirk on his face and she rolls her eyes. 

As they ride she finds out Alfred has sent them to protect a priest on a holy mission and has to roll her eyes once again. It seems even after he abandoned her, her father liked to order people around. She wonders if he likes having this much power over others, where he judges them like he's all holy. Adelina used to think all Christians and Saxons were holy as long as they prayed, confessed their sins and obeyed their king. Now she knows different, now she knows they judge like they are God himself, they hurt others because they think it holy and they are hypocritical arses. 

~Broken Princess~

When she entered the tavern with the group and heard his voice she smiled and almost ran to him. Seeing him lightens her heart, one of the few Christians she loves and trusts, a man who stood up for her and tried to change Alfred's mind on condemning her from the family. She hears him joke with Uhtred and the others before his eyes turn to her. He gently grabs her face placing a kiss on her forehead and wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug and she leans into it. The only other person to give hugs like this is Uhtred. 

"Little Lina you have grown into a beautiful woman. I would say you have to be protected from suitors but considering how you are dressed I say you don't need much help," Beocca tells her with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I can fight now. Uhtred says I am close to being as good as he is but it still helps hearing that there are those that would fight for me if needed," Adelina tells him smiling softly.

Later she finds herself sitting beside Uhtred and feels the eyes of the other Father on her. She scoots herself closer to her protector hating that men of the cloth still scarred her like this. She feels him wrap his arm around her in comfort and it gives her strength to look up at him, her green eyes staring at him. The man seems to give her a look like he's trying to say something but not sure how and she narrows her eyes daring him to say something to upset her. Luckily Uhtred seems to sense her unease because he spends the rest of the night questioning the mission and learning about Kjartan, the man who slaughtered his family and took his adoptive sister, that by the time they are done it is time to sleep. 

"You sense something from that man," Uhtred says, leading her to set her things beside his.

"No more I felt his stares and it instantly caused memories to resurface," she says truthfully untwisting her reddish brown hair from its braids. 

"It will ease as more time passes," Uhtred tries to reassure her. 

"It's been almost a year. It happened right at Odda the traitors home and instead of blaming them I was blamed. Alfred didn't even have the whole story just looked at me like I was the most disappointing thing around. If it hadn't been for you I'm not sure I would have survived," Adelina yells remembering the fifteen year old girl she had been. 

"You would have Lina. I walked into there and saw you taking on men who were twice your size. Men who were numbered greatly. You may have not been able to stop what happened but you fought and you still fight. In fact I would say you are one of the greatest warriors I have trained and I do not say that lightly," Uhtred whispers to her, seeing her tears of frustration. 

Lina feels him kiss her forehead and she watches him make up his bed roll in front of her guarding the door. She lays down pulling a thick blanket over her and wishes she could change what happened, change being separated from her family, change who her parents were but she could not. 

~Broken Princess~

Lina is still laughing at the way Uhtred disguised himself as the Dead Horsemen and scared everyone as they came up to Cumbraland. She doesn't think this man, Guthred, can be king. His voice alone sounds like a weasel and he is always unsure of himself and she knows he can be easily manipulated. She is thankful that Uhtred stopped to allow them to bathe in a river though he tried flirting with Hild and that had been a sight to see. Lina wonders if Hild hadn't been so devout that maybe her and Uhtred could find happiness together. 

"They mistook you for Guthred," she says days later sitting with him privately, "And don't think I didn't see the way you looked at the lovely Gisela."

"I confess I am more worried about Abbot Eadred. I don't dare say it here but it is suspicious," Uhtred tells her. 

Lina sees the look he gives her and she knows the meaning. They both have seen the way the holy men act, seen the way Guthred acts and feel the way their instincts tell them something is amiss. She just hopes they are not too late to figure out what before someone pays the price.