It's not the easiest task in the world to haggle with a merchant when one side refuses to speak. The blacksmith was easier to deal with after Aestas offered him more than the agreed amount due to the fact he had done the requested work in a single night. In her mind, more was owed for such a feat. On the other hand, the man who made her armor and clothes demanded more, even though he had already been paid a decent amount. In the end, Aestas put a blade to his throat. He haggled with words, and she negotiated with steel. It yielded bountiful results and even earned her a wool cloak for the winter months.
When she arrived back at the castle to dress, Finan was still sleeping off the ale in her room, so Aestas went back to the stables. All the noise coming from Gisela's room made it clear she was far too busy with Uhtred. The few pairs of spare clothes were packed away into her saddle bags before she started to change into her new clothes as well as her armor. She was so focused on her own dressing that she didn't realize she was no longer alone.
"Is it normal for you to get dressed amongst the horses?" Aethelflaed wondered as she couldn't help but stare. There were plenty of stories of warrior Dane women, but seeing one up close made the tales fall short. Strength looked as if it was carved into her soul, with scars that told stories of great battles that were probably ones of legend. Then there were the tattoos. They were the deepest shade of blue that looked like small river bands around her, thighs, forearms, arms, and even a design over her chest and shoulder blades. She was a warrior, but her beauty alone made Aethelflaed feel jealous for the first time in her life. So much so that she worried she would have to confess her jealousy to Father Beocca.
Aestas slowly shook her head as she clutched the black tunic to her chest to cover her nude body. Out of all the people who could have caught her naked, she was glad it was a girl. She was young and pretty with soft, flush cheeks against her pale complexion. Doe eyes held a kind curiosity, but hidden deeper was something far more clever that warned Aestas not to dismiss her due to her age. Soft brown hair was braided back with care, and her dress was far too nice to be owned by a servant. Aestas almost prayed she was the daughter of an ealdorman or maybe even one of Alfred's military men.
"Would you like to dress in my chambers instead?" She questioned as the strange woman had piqued her curiosity by her silence."I would think it would offer you more privacy than your horse," Aethelflaed added with a polite smile as she slowly walked over to pick up the stack of armor before motioning her to follow.
A useless nod was her answer as Aestas quickly tugged her tunic over her head before picking up the rest of her clothes and rushing to follow after the young girl who didn't really give her a choice. It came as no surprise when she introduced herself as the princess. It seems Aestas was doomed to break every rule of her banishment within the span of two days, and the princess was making her suffer for it without even realizing it. Her enthusiasm was overwhelming, it was practically suffocating. It reminded her a bit of Finan, but even he knew when to cut his wit short.
Aethelflaed's curiosity was insatiable as the strange woman had yet to respond beyond a nod, shrug, or shake of her head. Even as she dressed and adorned her armor, the woman said nothing. "Are you a mute?" She asked finally as she sat crosslegged on her bed. "Or are you like one of the priests who take a vow of silence?" A hand quickly clasped over her mouth with a horrified gasp. "Did someone cut out your tongue?" She worried, having berated the woman with constant chatter since finding her.
A snort of amusement followed her question about a vow of silence or losing her tongue. It was the first decent reaction she had given the young Princess, considering it was the first thing that actually made her listen. "I am Aestas. Sister of Finan. I am definitely not a priest, and my tongue is very much intact." She added, enjoying how the young princess's eyes lit up at the joy of her response and in relief that her tongue was still in her mouth. Aestas had a soft spot for children. Well, most children. They were young and had yet to grow into the monsters their parents were. Aethelflaed still had some of that innocence in her eyes as Aestas waved her over and offered out her arm. She had caught the young Princess staring at the blue ink and decided to let her take a closer look at one of the ones around the muscular part of her forearm.
