Words: 1,739
Trigger Warning(s): Brief mentions of violence & misogyny

My life was very simple before Uhtred's return. With my Uncle's permission, I studied under Father Beocca. He taught me the Christian way, the history of our people, and life before the Danes. Most Englishmen did not enjoy speaking of life before Danish invasion, but Father Beocca did so with passion. He would often tell me that one day, the men of England would unite to push back the Danes and reclaim our kingdoms. My Uncle found his passionate rants amusing, dismissing him as a feeble old man.

"A United England" He would chuckle, "What's next? Are you going to tell me I've grown feathers out of my arse"

Father Beocca was not amused by my Uncle's jokes. He would often travel south to Wessex to met with Prince Alfred regarding Wessex's strategy to keep out the Danes, leaving me alone with my Uncle and my younger cousin Wihtgar. Wihtgar was younger than me by 2 years and was the only children of my former Stepmother and Uncle. Sadly, she died shortly after giving birth to Wihtgar, leaving my Uncle a widower.

The years after Danish conquest were hardly peaceful. There were many attempts at rebellions in Merica and East Anglia, none of which were successful. The first ever successful rebellion against the Danes came from Northumbria, although we did not know at the time it was not a true rebellion. Word had spread that a Saxon slave had rebelled against his master and killed a village of Danes during a wedding party. There were no survivors. This greatly angered the Danes while sparking hope in Englishmen in the surrounding kingdoms.

By the time this occurred, Father Beocca had long ago left the service of my Uncle in exchange for a seat on the council of Wessex. This left me alone with only the comfort of my cousin, which I had found to be more awkward lately as my Uncle began to search for a man to marry me off to. Wihtgar had offered himself as a candidate, which his father quickly refused on account of him not yet being a man. However, he had quickly grown frustrated in the lack of interest shown by suitable men in Northumbria. I was 14 years old and rumor had begun to spread about why I was still unmarried a year after becoming a lady.

Uhtred's arrival could have not been more badly timed. My Uncle was already in a bad mood on account of the lack of men interested in his marriage proposals and some of his Danish men had grown restless from lack of battle. Kjartan, who had up until this point been among the men who tired from lack of battle, seemed oddly satisfied after returning from a mission that my Uncle had refused to share the details on.

I did not know what was going on, but I could feel tensions rising among the men as they prepared for possible rebellion from the Saxon men my Uncle ruled alongside his Danish overlords. The winds howled and thunder rumbled in the distance. Wihtgar and I had been playing in the grassy fields just outside the fortress when we were quickly ushered in. It was not along after this that two riders approached the front gates. Though I could barely see them from where I stood upon the battlements, it was easy to tell from their fur coats that they were Danes. Few Saxon men, aside from the proxy "Kings" in Dane controlled lands, wore such clothes. One had a hood over his head while the lady proudly looked up at us. She held back as the hooded rider guided his horse to the gates. With a swift move of his hand, he removed the hood while simultaneously displaying the head of Scallion, a trusted advisor and right hand man to my Uncle.

I watched my Uncle bristle with anger as the man below proclaimed himself the rightful heir of Bebbanburg and promised to return one day to claim the fortress. Before I had time to ask him how he knew the man and what he was talking about my Uncle had gathered a small group of men to chase after the two strangers. I waited for what seemed to be hours for his return, quickly calling after him when he came through the gates. My cries fell on deaf ears as my Uncle angrily stormed off to his chambers and I was quickly ushered away to my own.

The next day I was ushered out to the fields with Wihtgar while the men discussed how to address the events of the previous day. He had seemed quieter than usual and absentmindedly stared off into the distance. He had not say a word, even as the tall grass tickled his face or the wind harshly blew into us, making us have to fight to stay standing. Finally, he had looked at me with a sad look in his eyes.

"He's going to send you away." Wihtgar had murmured.

"To where?" I had asked.

"I don't know. Somewhere far away from what I heard" He had replied.

I smiled softly. "Is that what has you all worried? That they're going to send me away?"

He had avoided my gaze, choosing instead to look down at the beautiful flowers that had begun to grow among the tall grass.

"My Father said that marriage binds two people together forever." He had said softly.

I chuckled quietly to myself, taking care not to be loud enough for him to hear me. "Is that why you offered yourself? You thought if we were married I wouldn't have to leave you behind?"

"Yes" He had whispered.

"You do realize marriage is a lot more complicated than that. How exactly do you think you or I were born?"

His cheeks had rushed a bright red. "I didn't mean it like that! How was I supposed to know that was a condition of marriage?!?!? All my Father ever said was that it was about alliances and power"

"Of course he would say that" I had said dryly. "Most people marry for love, not just the alliance the marriage creates. He wouldn't know anything about that."

"What do you mean?"

I had sighed. "Surely you've noticed that your Father cares more about the power he has and his own reputation than having the love of his people.  He's only worried about rebellions because like the Danes he rules with an Iron fist."

"What's wrong with that?" Wihtgar had questioned.

"Nothing, it's just if you want your people to love and respect you, you must love and respect them as well. You can't ignore their needs because it takes silver out of your own pockets. You can't treat them like vermin and expect them not to hold some hatred for you. Your Father doesn't quite understand either of those" I had answered.

"And how do you know all of this? You're just a woman!" He had sneered.

"Do you really think so lowly of me? My womanhood has nothing to do with my capacity for knowledge. Besides, if I'm to marry a Lord or King of a neighboring kingdom, wouldn't it do me good to know how to rule with my husband?" I had responded.

"I suppose so" He had muttered quietly.

"Exactly. Think about that the next time you speak down to me or any other woman" I had snapped.

Before either of us had time to process the gravity of our conversation, horses approached and Wihtgar was brought back inside the fortress. I was left alone with my Uncle, who looked quite pleased with him. I however, was dreading what he was about to say. Not many things pleased my Uncle, but anything that did was bound to be dreadful in one way or another.

"I have found you a husband" He said announced proudly.

"Who?" I had asked with a sigh, already dreading his answer.

"It was a bit complicated to sort out, but I managed to convince the Lords in Wessex that it would be a marriage in name only."

"Wessex? Who did you go to in Wessex?"

"If you would allow me to finish without interrupting" He had growled, "I would have been able to tell you that already"

"Fine, I'll be quiet" I had huffed, "Continue"

"As I was saying, it was difficult for me to find you a match on account of your much contended status. Many Lords did not wish to marry their sons to a woman who is considered a bastard. So, I had to find you another bastard to wed. That itself was also difficult because of the issues that most Lords take with bastards having children."

"So, you have selected for me a bastard to marry who also cannot have children"

"Precisely"

"And how did you manage this?"

"You are aware of the vows a monk makes, yes?"

I had looked at him dumbfounded. "You can't be serious"

"I am very serious"

"You have decided to marry me off to...a Monk?"

"Yes, is that a problem?"

I had bit my lip. "Not exactly, but I fail to understand how this arrangement does not contradict itself. Is it not God's command that all men and women who are married must consummate the marriage? How is that possible if I'm being married off to a man who cannot partake in such acts due to his commitment to God?"

"That is why I said, it is a marriage in name only."

"So what you're saying is, I am to marry a man who cannot bed me and I am supposed to just, accept this? Should he decide one day to no longer be a Monk, what then? Would the marriage be over?"

"You think too much. You ask too much! Can you not be grateful that I have found you a match, as unideal as it may be?!?!?!?"

"I am sorry, Uncle. I was merely confused. I did intend to appear ungrateful."

"Yes, well whatever you may feel about this arrangement I do not care. You will pack your things and be ready to begin your journey to Wessex by daylight. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Uncle"

"Good, now be gone. I have matters of importance to deal with."

I had headed to my chambers and begun to pack, blissfully unaware of the chaos that awaited me upon my arrival to Wessex.

Author's Note: I apologize that it took so long to get this chapter up. I had finished drafting it about a week ago but unfortunately I was unable to finish editing it since we lost power in my area last Friday and did not get it back until the late evening Monday. As much as I would have loved to immediately finish editing this chapter so I could have published it earlier in the week, I also had coursework to do for the week that I had been unable to do Monday to finish the last 3 days. That being said, I hope you enjoy the updated chapter and I will be working on bringing you the next one as soon as I can.