the invisible string. Sihtric Kjartanson

Chapter seventeen: dear Aethelflaed

Our live in Lundene was not bad. At first living with a child was hard. When he wasn't crying he was shitting and he was rarely ever quiet. We raised little Sihtric on goats milk. While he was at first very annoying and woke us every other hour he had now settled into a sweet child. He was starting to speak some words and grew every day it seemed.
Little Sihtric and Stiorra were great companions. They played together often because Gisela had volunteered to watch our child as well as her own because I was often busy fixing the walls just like Sihtric.

One day at the wall I was summoned by Uthred. I hurriedly came to see him as me specifically being summoned was odd.

"Kendra" He said harshly but with sadness in his voice. "Aethelflaed has requested that you go visit her. But do dress as modestly and piously as you can with Erkenwald lurking" He suggested. I had overheard Uthred talking to Gisela that Aethelred was prone to hitting his wife. If Aethelflaed would request I kill her husband I would happily oblige. I dressed in a blue gown with my hair as un-fancy as I could manage. The guards were expecting me and informed me that Aethelflaed wanted to take a walk with me in the gardens. My breath caught in my throat when I saw her. Her face was bloody and bruised. Her eyes used to be so bright but now they had taken a sullen colour, clouded by sadness. She had always had a thin frame but now her clothes hung from her body like rags.

"It took a lot of persuasion of my husband to let you visit me, but it is so kind of him to allow it" She announced as she loped her arm through me and pulled me away from the guard that had a very watchful eye and was no doubt reporting back to Aethelred. "But I'm glad you came. I heard you had a baby and I want to talk to you about it. I never knew you were pregnant"

"I wasn't. We took him in because your husbands men killed his mother" I said neutrally thinking the tone that would match my emotions would frighten her, her smile faltered. "He's good with us I think, do not worry yourself. But so make sure to keep him out of my way, your husband I mean. I do not trust myself enough that I will not harm him" She looked shocked but quickly overplayed it with a smile. Even if she was mischievous as a child she had a timid nature regarding violence.

"That's very-" She was looking for the right words. "Kind of you to say but he treats me well so you mustn't worry" I scoffed.

"Aethelflaed, Darling, you're everything but not a good liar. I can see the bruises, I'm not entirely blind so you don't have to pretend with me" I told her harshly, too harshly I think, but I didn't care. She let out a desperate breath which was more similar to a sob.

"Well what is it that you do in order to be obedient to your husband?" She asked me, there was desperation in her voice. I could only laugh coldly even if it was cruel.

"You do not know how my husband and I met. I hated him and I was the one who beat him half to death once. We were arranged to be in this marriage. If he'd ever raise a hand against me I think I'd kill him" I said. None of this  was helping Aethelflaed never the less. "What I'm trying to say is that you're not the problem. It's not your fault that your husband is cruel and violent. Love should be tender and gentle. But the very foundation should be respect" I took her hand tenderly and pulled her sleeves up to reveal dark blue and purple marks. God I grew nauseas looking at her. "What he is doing to you I wouldn't even do to my cattle. He doesn't respect you anymore than he respects his hounds he deserves to-" I wasn't sure what he deserved but it was probably more than a beating. I said harshly before letting her go. She was after all just fourteen, barely just a child and already going through so much hardship. I despised Alfred for doing this to her, trapping his own daughter in such a horrible marriage.

"But it's my fault. He said it's his duty because I'm not obedient. A good christian wife must be obedient to her husband. She is below her husband and her children even below that " She said quietly, she was close to tears I could tell. I hugged her quickly and felt her quietly sob.