Post by zinnoy on Feb 9, 2016 8:51:04 GMT -5
Alianwe Aelfwig
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The sun was starting to set, its rays already struggling to find their way over the Northumbrian trees. It was a warm summer day, one of those days that you wish would last forever.
“My love, the crops are looking good this year!”
Alianwe turned to her right, taking her eyes off the forest in front of their humble house, and resting them on her husband. She smiled warmly at him.
“I’m glad to hear it, Tredan. Maybe this year we will be able to get through winter without having to buy food from the villagers.”
Tredan reached out to his wife, pulling her into an embrace.
“No need to worry about that, I will bring an offering to Nerthus tomorrow and pray for a good harvest. Come, let’s get inside before it gets dark.”
Alianwe was born into a simple family of Anglo-Saxon farmers in Northumbria, as the only daughter of her father Cerdic and her mother Elswyth. The family had Germanic roots, and still revered the old gods of their homeland, instead of adopting the “new” Christian god. Alianwe was a curious child, always wandering off into the fields, chasing small animals and collecting mushrooms. Her parents were hardworking people, and taught Alianwe everything she needed to know about work on the farm. She didn’t mind working the fields and tending to the crops, but her true passion was cooking. Cerdic loved his daughter’s cooking so much, in fact, that he allowed her to spend more time collecting and cooking food, instead of spending all her time working on the farm. At the age of 17, Alianwe met a man called Tredan Aelfwig while looking for goods at a local market. Tredan was 20 when they met, and the two immediately fell in love. Tredan was a farmer too, living on his own on a small farm in the north. It didn’t take long to convince her parents, and they allowed her to start a life of her own with her newfound love.
“Alianwe, what’s in this soup? It’s delicious!”
Alianwe couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of her husband enthusiastically putting the bowl of soup to his lips, disregarding the spoon he had been using earlier.
“Just some brown mushrooms I found in the forest, and a few pieces of bread soaked in warm milk. Is it really that good?”
Tredan placed the empty wooden bowl down on the table, grinning at his wife.
“Have I ever lied to you, Alianwe?”
Alianwe took a sip from the cup of milk she was holding in her hands, raising her eyebrow at Tredan.
“Aside from that time you came home with a cut in your leg that was caused by ‘the mightiest boar you had ever fought’?”
Tredan laughed, rolling his eyes.
“Alright, alright. Maybe that was not.. completely true. But that was a small lie!”
Alianwe sighed, looking at Tredan with a faint smile.
“My love, who will defend me if you manage to fall on your own spear?”
Tredan rose from his chair, letting out a soft yawn.
“Well, you are getting better and better with that spear of yours, so I wouldn’t worry about being defenseless. A few more months of practicing and you might be able to land a hit on me someday”
“Sure, sure.. off to bed with you, hero, there are boars for you to defeat in dreamland”
“Miss, where is your husband?”
Alianwe looked up from the patch of grass she was searching for mushrooms, at the source of the hoarse voice. Her eyes met those of a rider wearing chainmail, sitting on a brown horse.
“Why are you looking for him, sir? Is something wrong?”
The rider shook his head at Alianwe, speaking to her with a hint of sadness in his voice.
“Some trouble with a Pictish warband, up in the north. The king has ordered all able-bodied men of the province to be gathered into his army to face the enemy near the old Roman wall.”
Alianwes eyes widened at the mention of a warband, but she gestured towards the farm behind her.
“He.. he is working the field, behind the house.”
The rider nodded at her, and made his way to the field. After a few minutes, Alianwe saw the rider returning from the field, with Tredan following behind him. Alianwe looked at Tredan, failing to hide the fear on her face as Tredan approached her and embraced her.
“It’s going to be alright, my love. Don’t fear, the king has a strong army and I will never allow those brutes to come down here. I will not allow anyone to hurt you”
Alianwe looked up at her husband, who was still stroking her hair in his embrace.
“But what if something happens to you? What will i-“
“Shhh.. don’t say that.” Tredan gave his wife one last kiss, and took a step back. He took off his necklace, placing it in Alianwes hands and folding them around it.
“Hold on to my necklace for me, and return it to me when we meet again, my love.”
Tredan turned to the rider, and nodded at him.
“I am ready to come with you, and to fight for the king.”
The rider nodded at Tredan, and turned to Alianwe.
“I know it is hard, miss. I hate to be the one to take so many men away from their wives, but I promise you I will do what I can to make sure he returns to you safely.”
Alianwe stared at the men as they left the farm behind them, making their way towards to the north. Before they left her view, her husband turned as he was walking and waved at his wife. Alianwe waved back, and was glad that her husband wouldn’t be able to see the tears welling up in her eyes from this distance. When the men had disappeared behind the horizon, Alianwe opened her hand and looked at the necklace. In her hand was a small piece of stone, carved into the shape of a heavy hammer with a thin cord of rope attached to it. It represented the god Donar, protector of mankind. Alianwe turned around and made her way to the farmhouse. All she could do now, was to wait.
It was a warm summer day, one of those days that you wish had never happened.
Alianwe waited, and waited. Days passed into weeks, and weeks passed into months. Every now and then she would see soldiers returning on the road, but never was her husband among them. Winter came, with its bitter cold, and the cold eventually turned into the warm touch of spring. The harvest failed, the crops withered, and so did Alianwes hope. The soldiers stopped returning, and Alianwe knew in her heart that her husband would not return either. She prayed, she prayed to all the gods she knew, but Tredan would never return. Tredan had fallen in battle fighting the Pictish raiders, but Alianwe would never know how, or where. Only the gods knew that in his final moments, Tredans thoughts were with his wife as the cold grip of death embraced him and his soul was lifted from his body.
Alianwe made a decision, exactly one year after her husband left the farm. She could not stay at the farm, despite the many years of happiness she had spent there. When she looked at the house, at the fields, at the empty bed, the only thing she could see was the loving smile of her husband, the warmth of his embrace, the happiness that was so cruelly taken away from her. She had to find a new life for herself, a life away from the painful memories of a happier past. Alianwe managed to sell the farm to the local villagers, and took up the spear her husband once trained her with. She put on the necklace of Donar he gave her on their day of parting, and she looked back at the farm one last time with a sad smile.
“Farewell, my love. One day we will be reunited.
One day, we can be happy again.”
“My love, the crops are looking good this year!”
Alianwe turned to her right, taking her eyes off the forest in front of their humble house, and resting them on her husband. She smiled warmly at him.
“I’m glad to hear it, Tredan. Maybe this year we will be able to get through winter without having to buy food from the villagers.”
Tredan reached out to his wife, pulling her into an embrace.
“No need to worry about that, I will bring an offering to Nerthus tomorrow and pray for a good harvest. Come, let’s get inside before it gets dark.”
Alianwe was born into a simple family of Anglo-Saxon farmers in Northumbria, as the only daughter of her father Cerdic and her mother Elswyth. The family had Germanic roots, and still revered the old gods of their homeland, instead of adopting the “new” Christian god. Alianwe was a curious child, always wandering off into the fields, chasing small animals and collecting mushrooms. Her parents were hardworking people, and taught Alianwe everything she needed to know about work on the farm. She didn’t mind working the fields and tending to the crops, but her true passion was cooking. Cerdic loved his daughter’s cooking so much, in fact, that he allowed her to spend more time collecting and cooking food, instead of spending all her time working on the farm. At the age of 17, Alianwe met a man called Tredan Aelfwig while looking for goods at a local market. Tredan was 20 when they met, and the two immediately fell in love. Tredan was a farmer too, living on his own on a small farm in the north. It didn’t take long to convince her parents, and they allowed her to start a life of her own with her newfound love.
“Alianwe, what’s in this soup? It’s delicious!”
Alianwe couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of her husband enthusiastically putting the bowl of soup to his lips, disregarding the spoon he had been using earlier.
“Just some brown mushrooms I found in the forest, and a few pieces of bread soaked in warm milk. Is it really that good?”
Tredan placed the empty wooden bowl down on the table, grinning at his wife.
“Have I ever lied to you, Alianwe?”
Alianwe took a sip from the cup of milk she was holding in her hands, raising her eyebrow at Tredan.
“Aside from that time you came home with a cut in your leg that was caused by ‘the mightiest boar you had ever fought’?”
Tredan laughed, rolling his eyes.
“Alright, alright. Maybe that was not.. completely true. But that was a small lie!”
Alianwe sighed, looking at Tredan with a faint smile.
“My love, who will defend me if you manage to fall on your own spear?”
Tredan rose from his chair, letting out a soft yawn.
“Well, you are getting better and better with that spear of yours, so I wouldn’t worry about being defenseless. A few more months of practicing and you might be able to land a hit on me someday”
“Sure, sure.. off to bed with you, hero, there are boars for you to defeat in dreamland”
“Miss, where is your husband?”
Alianwe looked up from the patch of grass she was searching for mushrooms, at the source of the hoarse voice. Her eyes met those of a rider wearing chainmail, sitting on a brown horse.
“Why are you looking for him, sir? Is something wrong?”
The rider shook his head at Alianwe, speaking to her with a hint of sadness in his voice.
“Some trouble with a Pictish warband, up in the north. The king has ordered all able-bodied men of the province to be gathered into his army to face the enemy near the old Roman wall.”
Alianwes eyes widened at the mention of a warband, but she gestured towards the farm behind her.
“He.. he is working the field, behind the house.”
The rider nodded at her, and made his way to the field. After a few minutes, Alianwe saw the rider returning from the field, with Tredan following behind him. Alianwe looked at Tredan, failing to hide the fear on her face as Tredan approached her and embraced her.
“It’s going to be alright, my love. Don’t fear, the king has a strong army and I will never allow those brutes to come down here. I will not allow anyone to hurt you”
Alianwe looked up at her husband, who was still stroking her hair in his embrace.
“But what if something happens to you? What will i-“
“Shhh.. don’t say that.” Tredan gave his wife one last kiss, and took a step back. He took off his necklace, placing it in Alianwes hands and folding them around it.
“Hold on to my necklace for me, and return it to me when we meet again, my love.”
Tredan turned to the rider, and nodded at him.
“I am ready to come with you, and to fight for the king.”
The rider nodded at Tredan, and turned to Alianwe.
“I know it is hard, miss. I hate to be the one to take so many men away from their wives, but I promise you I will do what I can to make sure he returns to you safely.”
Alianwe stared at the men as they left the farm behind them, making their way towards to the north. Before they left her view, her husband turned as he was walking and waved at his wife. Alianwe waved back, and was glad that her husband wouldn’t be able to see the tears welling up in her eyes from this distance. When the men had disappeared behind the horizon, Alianwe opened her hand and looked at the necklace. In her hand was a small piece of stone, carved into the shape of a heavy hammer with a thin cord of rope attached to it. It represented the god Donar, protector of mankind. Alianwe turned around and made her way to the farmhouse. All she could do now, was to wait.
It was a warm summer day, one of those days that you wish had never happened.
Alianwe waited, and waited. Days passed into weeks, and weeks passed into months. Every now and then she would see soldiers returning on the road, but never was her husband among them. Winter came, with its bitter cold, and the cold eventually turned into the warm touch of spring. The harvest failed, the crops withered, and so did Alianwes hope. The soldiers stopped returning, and Alianwe knew in her heart that her husband would not return either. She prayed, she prayed to all the gods she knew, but Tredan would never return. Tredan had fallen in battle fighting the Pictish raiders, but Alianwe would never know how, or where. Only the gods knew that in his final moments, Tredans thoughts were with his wife as the cold grip of death embraced him and his soul was lifted from his body.
Alianwe made a decision, exactly one year after her husband left the farm. She could not stay at the farm, despite the many years of happiness she had spent there. When she looked at the house, at the fields, at the empty bed, the only thing she could see was the loving smile of her husband, the warmth of his embrace, the happiness that was so cruelly taken away from her. She had to find a new life for herself, a life away from the painful memories of a happier past. Alianwe managed to sell the farm to the local villagers, and took up the spear her husband once trained her with. She put on the necklace of Donar he gave her on their day of parting, and she looked back at the farm one last time with a sad smile.
“Farewell, my love. One day we will be reunited.
One day, we can be happy again.”
