Lynet was of Wessex. She was born on the soil, raised from the ground up to be a lady of Winchester. Taken by Odda and raised under Alfred, the truth was hidden from Lynet. Until the night Lynet overhears the secrets kept from her.
Betrayed and want...
Lynet belonged to Wessex from the moment she was born. No one could change that. To be a Saxon, to be a Christian, to keep Uhtred in line, that was what Lynet was born for.
Despite the oaths he was forced into and the lies given to him, Uhtred loved her from the moment he held her. His first child, his only child. Who could regret creating someone so blissful and unaware of the cruelties in their life? Lynet was his, no one could take that from him. She was free of his burdens. He would shoulder any tribulations of hers if it meant Lynet would not suffer. And Uhtred wondered much about her future as she grew. If she would one day live in Bebbanburg, if she would be more like her mother or like him, or if Lynet would follow in his steps, follow the ways of life in which he was led as a child. He imagined occasionally, though some concepts were short-lived.
As the water, as described by Beocca, cleansed her, Uhtred convinced himself the water was just that. Frivolous water that satisfied Alfred and made Mildrith proud as they observed the procedure. Lynet barely cried, though her slight whine made Uhtred want to rip her away from Beocca and any Christian who dared to put her in harm's way.
With flared nostrils, Uhtred reminded himself it was just that, water she would be submerged in for a moment. It was the same as he was dumped into as a child and it had no effect on him. Perhaps it would be the same for her, he thought. The occurrence of these thoughts was often for Uhtred, that his daughter would believe in the Gods as he did, but the leash the church and Alfred kept on her was a short one. A short mangled rope dug into their skin and reminded Uhtred each day that they belonged to Wessex and the church so as long as Uhtred kept his oath to Alfred. Although it pained him, as long as everyone was pleased, Uhtred would have no complaint with how they wanted her to be portrayed and with how they would keep his growing family in line.
Lynet's birth had eased the tension between him and Mildrith. It was her birth that brought the two closer than either ever thought they would. Duty was an expectation thrust upon them, carried out through her birth, but caring for one another was a concept entirely foreign to them. Yet, years after her birth, Uhtred uttered the words, "god is good". Like a fool, Mildrith believed it.
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It was after the birth of young Uhtred that Uhtred believed he must have been a plaything of the Gods, existing solely for them to torment. Just as he was gaining respect, focused on his future, on his children's future to return to Bebbanburg one day, the Gods had a way of shifting around his fate like pieces on a board.
Mildrith and Uhtred grew apart, and his family was on the verge of ruin. Uhtred was absent, as many warriors were. Mildrith was left with their two children, like any wife of a warrior. Mildith had realized though, that she was not the wife of a Saxon warrior. Her husband was raised a Dane. She was left to pick the pieces of their lives up, as Uhtred was ready to disown Alfred and life in Wessex entirely. Uhtred was shamed on his knees before the people of Winchester by Alfred. Doubt was sown in Mildrith's mind. There was no possibility that Uhtred would be the man she wanted. Mildrith, despite all her efforts, resented Uhtred and doubled her efforts to not resent her children.
Lynet was shielded from the harsh realities and each shift in their lives was a blow to Mildrith that she could not handle.
Lynet only watched with confusion as Mildrith buried the baby with care, leaving a makeshift cross at the base of the shallow grave. The journey from their home to Odda's home was not a quick one, but Lynet could not garner her mother's attention.
Upon Mildrith and Lynet's arrival at Odda's estate, Odda saw the withdrawn woman who could barely look at her daughter. Looking back on how sweet she was, practically glowing long ago he was horrified to see how a void took over. She was so pale as if ready to join her son. He blamed himself, of course, and it only worsened as Mildrith begged him to do something about the life given to her. To her, Uhtred had strayed to Iseult and their son was dead. The death of her son was too great to bear and to have another child at her feet left her detached, worn from the truth, that Uhtred would love another woman and would not accept God.
Mildrith had already pleaded with God to give her the strength to either keep Lynet in her arms as a mother should or lead Lynet into a life that she deserved. She did not dare to speak the truth aloud. It was Odda who took the step. It was he who saw a bewildered young girl, a girl who hardly knew her father and cried for her mother.
When Odda offered to take care of everything, Mildrith only saw one outcome for Lynet, an uncertain future for her daughter. Odda had failed many times, as a father, as a godfather, and as a Lord. He would not fail again.
So Odda played as God. He took Lynet away from her parents in the hope that everyone would benefit from his decision. He told Mildrith to inform Uhtred of Lynet's unfortunate demise and after, she could retreat to the convent.
When Uhtred presented himself at Oddas estate, he wondered where Lynet was. Mildrith broke the news that she too died of the same ailment as the baby. Nothing tethered them. He was free to be with Iseult. She was to go to the convent. It took all her willpower to not say something spiteful, to leave their marriage while she still could. Perhaps Lynet needed to be saved, rescued from the hands of her and Uhtred so that she would not be punished like her brother, Mildrith wanted to say. Blasphemous thoughts trickled into her head and she withheld them from leaving her lips. Lynet would fare better anywhere else. The baby was punished for having Uhtred as his father when Uhtred abandoned his family for a witch and disgraced God with his words. Or that Lynet would soon fall like her brother though she was strong and healthy. Like a festering sickness that would never end, Mildrith's grief turned to a pained hate for Uhtred.
And while Uhtred grieved his children, pained that he could not even say goodbye, Odda pleaded with Alfred to take Lynet in. To save Mildrith from what the two of them had subjected her to by marrying off Mildrith to Uhtred.
As battles were waged, Lynet's future was taken from her grasp and into the hands of Alfred and Aelswith who pitied a poor child of God.
To Wessex, to the Saxons, and above all to Uhtred, Lynet was Lyn, their daughter. She was no longer the daughter of a disgraceful pagan lord. And though she bore resemblance enough to pass for their child, Lynet was very much Uhtred's daughter.
- Lynet of Wessex
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A/N: So contrary to the show, there will be a bit of a time skip between season 1 and season 2. It shouldn't affect much, to be honest. Mainly because I didn't realize there was only a few months skip between s1 and s2. Pretty much everything is the same if you don't think about the timeline before season 2 lol
Chapter 1 should be published in not a long time so stay tuned!
