Aeleva; The Viking Saxon

Chapter 28

"I must go sister." Osric burst into the room. He was half dressed, only in nightwear. His shirt untucked and was missing his shoes. He Immediately began to throw his belongings on the bed. I'd never seen him in such a panic. I was in my room and had heard cluttering about in his and so went to investigate.

"Osric, what has happened? Go where?" I asked trying to make sense of what was happening.

"Queen Cynethryth is mad." Osric turned to me. His eyes were red and puffy, his face was red and his left cheek was bruised.

"What happened Osric? What did you do?"

"Ecgfrith is leaving tonight, to join Aelfflead to go to Northumbria. I will ride out to meet him." Osric continued to pack his things. He grabbed shoes and shoved his feet into them. He had not stopped to regain his breath since he entered.

"Brother you are making no sense!" I moved towards him. He was sat on the bed, dressing into a different shirt and tunic. I knelt in front of him to see his face better. There was so much pain in his eyes. A lone tear fell down his cheek. I raised my hand to wipe it away. It pained me to see him like this.

"I must go now, before Cynethryth finds me." His words stung. I just ran back to him, I never wanted to leave him again.

"But why? Why must you go with him?" Osric's motions stopped. He paused to take deeper breaths. He finally looked up at me. His eyes searching mine. He seemed to be drawn on what to say. Ever since I had returned to him, he never let me in. We were so close as children but the last months had made us grow. We grew further apart from each other. We no longer understood each other, the pain and loss we had experienced had been different for both of us. I had been captured and thrust into Danish life, a life I understood better than my life in Canterbury. My brother was drowning in shame, he did not say but I knew my face reminded him of how he ran from our family. The pain was etched into each crease, each tear. As I looked at him then, I could not see the boy I knew in Marden.

"I have devoted my life to him, Aeleva. I must be with him." Osric whispered. He placed a hand on my cheek. The touch reminding me of so many times he had done before, in a different time. I closed my eyes at the comfort he was bringing me. I know what he was saying, yet I was scared to ask.

"I fear you have given him more than your life." I admitted. His hand left my cheek and I opened my eyes at the change. I saw he was full of panic and shock from my meaning. He stood from the bed and walked past me to his drawers. He moved out of my sight to steady himself. I heard him sigh and turn to face me.

"Osric," I said. "You must be careful. People would think..." I trailed off. I could not say the words.

"You would not accept that?" His face on the edge of breaking. His eyes darted between mine, finding any and all clues to my thoughts.

"I... No." I did not know what to say. My mouth moved but no words came out. "It is wrong," I whispered. Osric turned his back to me. "Brother what are you saying?" I stared at his back, wishing him to turn around. To tell me, but I am not sure I wanted the truth.

"Osric?" He turned to face me.

We stayed staring at each other for a moment. I could see he had come to the same realisation that I had. He was staring at a woman he hardly knew anymore. At one point he could glance at me and read every thought in my mind. But standing there in the small room in the quiet of the Abbey, neither of us understood the other.

"It seems we will part again." Osric said gently. The realisation he was truly leaving was heavy. The lump in my throat stopped me from saying all the words I wished to say. How I loved him even though he had left us. How I was so very glad he was alive. How the thought of joining him once more had got me through all the cold and terrifying nights I had spent in Daneland. I wanted to tell him everything in that moment. I wanted to tell him how I was struggling with my faith. How I wished to kill every Dane that had ever set foot on Kentish soil.