- "perhaps I can teach you something unholy, my sweet monk"
lady alora of mercia was always seen as a witch, a devil worshipper, but she was none of those things, and the baby monk was going to learn who she was...
[the last kingdom]
[doesn't follo...
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CHAPTER TWELVE
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A boy, a beautiful baby boy. Alora smiled, hours of intense labour and screaming at the midwives, nearly breaking Osferth's hand as she had gripped it too tight. Her hair stuck to her face, rocking the small babe in her arms, she couldn't stop fawning over his small nose, and small fingers which had quickly wrapped themselves around Osferth's long fingers.
Osferth had set next to her and not left her side yet. Staring at his son, their son, as he cooed softly. "We need a name" Alora smiled, not taking her eyes off her son. "Dallin" Osferth said as he looked at Alora, caressing her hair. "What does it mean?" Alora asked, knowing Osferth wouldn't choose it for no reason. "People's pride" Osferth said as he looked at Alora.
"I love it" she said as she smiled at her baby boy. She eventually gave him to Osferth, who had placed himself in a chair, pillows, and blankets around him to make sure Dallin was comfortable as Alora was washed and the bed changed with the help of the midwives as she had still been sore. Eventually they went to the section which deemed as their living room, sitting near the fire as Osferth handed their son back to his mother before a soft knock was heard on the wooden door.
Osferth opened it to reveal everyone, cooing the moment they saw the small babe. "Shh" Osferth immediately shushed them, and everyone had to hold their laughter. Alora had not paid much attention to whatever they said, her attention was given all to Dallin and Osferth.
She was pleasantly surprised how fast Osferth had taken on the role of father, perhaps because he never had one himself and wanted to best for his own son. And while—technically—their son was born a bastard, Alora would never see him as such, she hoped to wed Osferth soon, joining them even further as one.
Osferth was a good parent to their son, and while Alora was healing and recovering from childbirth, Osferth would take care of their son whenever he was needed, even if Alora was willing to bite through her discomforts in the beginning when her body still felt sore, Osferth would rock Dallin in his arms to calm his cries, change his nappy whenever was needed or helped the babe latch onto his mother's teat to drink milk.
Alora could not describe the sensation of seeing Osferth like this, but she had never been as in love with him as she had been now, until their son reached the six-month mark. She had finally healed, but there had been little to no joy in her life like it was in the beginning. She hated to say she often felt jealous of her son for the attention he got from Osferth, and sometimes—as much as she loved her baby boy—she wanted to say she resented him. Her body had started to feel foreign to her, her hips had been wider, and her breast larger than before. Her thighs had been a little plumper now too, and she sometimes hated the sight of herself. It had not helped her racing mind that Osferth only seemed to have time for his duties to his Lord Uhtred or for his son.
