I contemplated upon the prior events of several day's past- when Uhtred had returned from his discussion with king Edward. Uhtred had told us of his business with the king, and of our new mission up north. We were to ride north (much to the dismay of my ass which would likely end up calloused at this point from so much time spent on horseback) and meet with some of his former allies and friends- acquaintances from his former life as a Dane. He had mentioned to us all that the intent of this mission was for the lobbying of peace while simultaneously gathering whatever information we could in the likely event of another war breaking out.
I had very soon come to realize that life as one of Uhtred's oath-bound was an unsettled life- one of constant travel whereby we oftentimes would be ferried away from one end of the isle to the next. I had come to accept that fate and that future- but that didn't mean that I particularly enjoyed it.
Stealing away a moment of relaxation and self-care; I found myself floating on the surface of a nearby lake- the sun beating down upon my bare body. My dark hair- wet and loose fanning outwards all around me. The water was a bit murky but more or less clear- not crystal clear, but not muddy or dirty...and certainty not as polluted as many of the bodies of water back in my own time had become. There were bits of grass, cattails, and some kind of aquatic strand of flowers floating with me on the surface of the bluish green tinted lake.
I was relieved to finally have a chance to properly clean my hair and body from its natural oils and the built-up levels of sweat and grime which come from prolonged travel. It had been awhile since I had last bathed- the last time being back in Cookham when I had desperately needed to wash the blood, grime, and trauma of past events from me...and even then, it hardly was an actual proper honest to God bath. It was nice to be able to steal away a moment or two by myself and away from the others to enjoy the cool water of the lake. It was also equally nice to float lazily upon the still surface and peacefully mediate under the shining early morning sun. I had grown quite accustomed to being able to swim and bathe in the open air by now, and even found myself to enjoy it.
(I mean...a lake was inherently a pale comparison to a bathtub and certainly bathing in a river or lake was nowhere on par with a bubble bath...but, I had to admit it was quite freeing- liberating even to float upon the surface of the water. All in all, it was peaceful, it was serene...or well, at least it had been.)
When I heard the sounds of splashing and male laughter- I moved so fast I damn near drowned.
(I don't know why I dived down exactly...but, I suppose it was all in some kind of stupid and vain attempt to hide and preserve an inkling of my own modesty.)
"Bloody hell woman, I've never seen someone move so fast in my life- 'ya part fish lass?" I hear Finan croak out.
I rise up out of the water; after having dived down into its depths in an absolute panic; and begin to cough and spit up water and bits of leaves.
"Ah, baby monk- 'ya getting shy on us?" Finan continues.
"Osferth is here too?!" I manage to sputter out- horrified.
"I'm sorry milady, I didn't know you were going to be bathing...I'll just be over here." Osferth says with a fiery blush splattered across his face, as he swims further away from view to hide behind some tall overgrown cattails.
"Aye baby monk she don't bite- "
"Try me Finan." I growl.
Finan cackles. "Eh, is that a promise then? A tad bit cheeky of 'ya lass isn't it? And here I thought 'ya havin' a semblance of respectability about 'ya..." He says teasingly with a cocked brow- swimming closer.
YOU ARE READING
The Maiden Who Fell Through Time
Ficción históricaIn the 3rd century there is a story which tells of a man whom had carried a child across a river; a child unbeknownst to him, who was later revealed to be a savior. Time is fluid. It flows like the stream of a river, and also grows like the tendril...
