Lady Luck| Finan The Agile| The Last Kingdom

ELEVEN

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Wyre Forest was the strange place Osferth had led me to after a night of restless sleep beside Aelfwynn.

Uhtred had paid an old woman to give up one of her strange tents in the forest, one built out of thick tree branches and covered in bearskins instead of cloth. Bearskins also littered the ground, making a soft and warm place to be.

We let Aelfwynn sleep on the bearskins while we sat outside the tent, trying to cook up something in a large pot.

"She worsens by the minute," I croaked out softly, trying to cover up the fact that I was shivering despite the warmth in the air around us.

"I have tried to give her water, but she can barely stay awake long enough to drink it," Osferth sighed, slowly stirring the pot of hot water with bits of grain and carrot inside it.

Nausea wracked my body, and I bit down on the inside of my cheek to stop myself from doubling over. My head felt heavy, as though I was being smothered by a thick pillow. The only way to stop my legs from bouncing up and down to try to try and collect warmth was by digging my nails into my skin.

"Lady Cissa?" Osferth called out softly.

I cleared my throat quickly, sniffing before meeting his eyes, "Perhaps we should try a natural remedy? Plants or... grass? I do not know."

"I know very little about plants," Osferth admitted quietly, glancing over towards the tent where Aelfwynn slept, "maybe someone in Wulfrunetun knows something we could use."

I raised my hand slowly, my fingers shaking as I unclasped my cross necklace, and it fell harshly into my lap.

Osferth watched me, his eyes going wide, and he understood my intentions, "Lady—"

"I... will hear no protests," I mumbled out, picking up the cross between my fingers and holding it out to Osferth.

"Lady, I can not, as a Christian and as you friend, I can not." Osferth clasped my hand in both of his, trying to push it back.

"It is not that you can not," I cleared my throat softly as my chest rattled and tickled, "but that you will not. Now, is not the time for will not's." I pushed one of his hands off mine, turning over the other harshly before stuffing the cross into his palm. "Sell it and save her."

Osferth looked down at the cross in his hand wearily before he lowered it into his lap, clasping his fingers around it. "If you insist."

"I do," I fired out easily, "I swore to protect her, and I will not fail."

Osferth rose up from his seat slowly, "Very well," he eyed me carefully, his fingers fidgeting with my necklace, "Lady, are you well?"

I swallowed thickly, forcing myself to look up at him despite the way my eyes stung upon making contact with the daylight. "I did not sleep well."

Osferth did not seem to believe me, and he nodded non-committally, "It is just that your cheeks are very red."

"I have a natural colour to my face," I fired back weakly, "I have always been complimented on it."

"I'm sure," Osferth forced a small smile, "you would tell me if you were unwell, wouldn't you?"

My lips twitched up slightly, "Of course I would."

Osferth hummed softly before nodding slowly and pointing behind him into the woods, "I shall be off then. I will try and come back as soon as I can."

"Make sure you come back with a cure of some kind," I called out after him as he turned, "we are her only hope."