War and Fire

- Chapter Four -

It had been a few days since Uhtred and his men had left to go to Beamfleot. King Alfred had given them orders to negotiate a ransom for his daughter, the Lady Aethelflaed. Neither Gisela nor herself knew when they could return; all they could do was wait.

Odetta was worried for Osferth. She knew he had not had the proper training or had not started for the matter. There was too little time. She missed him and his company. Odetta was often alone, and she loved it most of the time. It was, however, nice to have a friend like Osferth.

Days had turned into weeks and still there had not been any indication of when the men would return from their journey. Just as she told Osferth the morning they'd left—she prayed each morning and evening.

She had continued to spend most of her days in the fields, and often her sister would bring the children and leave them in her care—not that she minded, of course.

The sun shone warmly one afternoon. Both sisters had gone into the garden, collecting all sorts of herbs and vegetables for supper that night. "So, Odetta, want to tell me about you and Osferth?" Gisela said cheekily

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Odetta says softly. "He's just a dear friend, sister. And I suppose I enjoy his company," she said as she walked over to the thyme and picked a few sprigs.

"He makes me laugh"

"He seems pretty taken with you," Gisela said, looking towards her sister. "I wish to see you happy; can he make you happy?"

"Gisela," she pauses, "how did you know Uhtred was the one?" Odetta aks turning around to face her

"Well, I guess it was before we had gone into hiding; we had fallen in love despite the wishes of others around us. He had made me happy. And when he had come for me after being forced into a loveless marriage to another, I knew" Gisela explained

"Osferth makes me happy"

A smile forms on Gisela's face. "Are you falling for him?"

"I think I'm starting too"

——
Osferth Pov.

We had been on the road for a while now—a couple days at best. Aethelred had joined us on our journey to Beamfleot. And now we were headed back to the King. The journey on horseback was pretty much in silence, besides the horses' hooves on the ground as they walked and the soft whispers from the men behind us.

"What binds a man to a land?" Father Pyrlig says, "You have a poor wretch, toiling in the fields, burning in summer, shivering in winter." He takes a pause and continues, "He works all day, every day, for nothing more than a loaf of bread and a pot to piss in."

"His children die of disease; his wife dies giving him children." Yet when that land is threatened, something stirs. Why?"

"It is that land that feeds him."

"More than that." he replies

"Uh, the trees of the land are used for shelter, fire."

"More than that."

"Is it love, Father?" says Osferth after a brief pause.

"Oh, for the Lord's sake, can you not remain quiet?" He hissed rather aggressively.

Feeling embarrassed, Osferth lowers his head.

"But yes, that bastard has it"

Bastard.

That word cut right through him—he was the bastard son of King Alfred, and that's all anyone ever saw of him. It made him feel small and unimportant, and he hated it. He wanted to prove to everyone that he could become a warrior. He would do it for her, to make her proud. 

Oh, by the gods, did he miss her. He missed her smile and her presence. He missed how she smelled. Strange, he knows, and yet he couldn't seem to remove the familiar smell of lavender, orange blossom, and honey from his mind. It relaxed him

Osferth gives a small smile, feeling proud, and Finan turns to look at him.

"It can only be love."

"It is a powerful thing. Would you not agree, Lord Uhtred?" Father Pyrling says once more, and Uhtred says nothing but remains looking at the path ahead, most likely thinking of his wife and children.

"From wretch to warrior, love gives man strength, often at the cost of his mind."