The Forgotten Princess | Avery x Leofric x Uhtred | The Last Kingdom

The lord of betrayal

When Avery had finally opened her eyes the following day, she was concerned by how quiet it was. She changed quickly, into a black dress and when she looked around the town, she could already see that half of the horses were missing. Uhtred, Ragnar and Finan had disappeared during the night. The deceit truly hit her in the stomach like a punch to the gut, but she hid it well behind a smile as they left to make the final last leg of their journey back to Wessex.

But when the men and Steapa stopped at the Mercian borders she felt her heart skip. She had made a promise to Alfred, but she didn't expect it to happen so suddenly. Steapa walked her into the gates, handing her over to the Mercian guards who accompanied her to her rooms. Her belongings had already been sent here and she felt tears building in her eyes. Only able to blink them away quickly when Aethelflaed ran in, excited to see her aunt after these weeks away.

"Father said you wanted to be here with me. Are you sure? You do not need to do this. It is unfair for us to both be unhappy." The pair held hands, just enjoying having each other. But then she heard the doors open again and both of their smiles disappeared when Aethelred showed his smug face.

"Two Princesses here in Mercia. How did I get so lucky. Will you be joining us for a feast tonight?" He moved to stand behind his wife, placing his hands against her shoulders and smiling over at Avery. It made her feel sick. "This is your home now too."

"Then I guess I will see you at dinner. But for now, I wish to be alone with my niece." Avery forced a smile, reaching for her nieces' hands again before pulling her closer. Sitting her down in front of her mirror and starting to plait her hair, Aethelred deciding to finally leave them alone and when the room emptied, she smiled at her niece in the reflective surface. "Has he been leaving you alone?"

"The other women in Mercia seem to keep him busy. I have my own chambers, we barely interact. It works." Aethelflaed sounded so defeated. All she wanted was the love story her parents had promised her. "I hear you found Uhtred. I'm glad. He is an honourable man."

"Maybe not as honourable as you think." Avery finished braiding her hair, decorating her hair with small jewels and smiling at how beautiful her niece looked in that moment. "Not all men are the knights in shining armour we are told to believe in. We sometimes have to be the hero of our own stories. I will do anything to protect you."

"I envy you. I wish I had your strength." Aethelflaed whispered softly before Avery moved down to kneel in front of her, taking her hands in hers again.

"Oh, my sweet girl. You are one of the strongest women I know. You are your father's daughter. A warrior. A Queen. You are a force to be reckoned with, I see great things in your future." She smiled and moved back to her feet. Helping her niece to her feet. "Now let us put our masks back on and enjoy our dinner with your husband."

The dinner went without a hitch which was surprising, but Avery hated how often she found Aethelred's eyes on her. Did he truly think that she would be his plaything again? She was tired of men using and abusing her.

"King Alfred requests our presence back in Winchester by the turn of the next full moon. To discuss our new alliance." He spoke plainly while eating some of the food on his plate, washing it down with goblets of wine.

"It will be nice to see how much Edward has grown since we all saw him last." Avery spoke softly, she obviously missed her family. She loved her niece, admired her – but she missed everyone else close to her. Mercia wasn't her home.

When she returned to her chambers there was a gift box on the end of her bed, with a small sigh she pulled on the ribbons to open it. Inside was a silver bracelet, sapphires and emeralds decorating the plain band. It was beautiful, but she knew where the gift had come from, who it had come from, and it made her feel sick. But she had to wear it. While Aethelred fixed his attention on her, he left her niece alone. She would take her suffering, for now.