#Aethelred Imagine

[justanoasisimagines]

Beautiful

Requests are open! Credit to @cafekitsune for the divider and banner

I am not versed in poetry like my brother. I do not dedicate myself to books like my brother. So I can not pretend this will be a mighty prose that will stand the test of time. I am amazed my Grandsire helped find me the most beautiful woman in all of Wessex. Someone who does not compare me to Alfred. Someone who can see my strengths and loves my weaknesses. I was warned before we were wed that many marriages are not full of love but rather for duty. Yet I hoped. Hoped with all my might that God would grant me both. He answered my selfish prayer and brought you to me.

To be frank, I don't know why I'm writing you this letter. I do not know if I'm going to allow you to read it. There was a sudden urge to write down how grateful I am to be blessed with you as my wife. Perhaps it is because now we have a son. A product of our union. He was not born from duty, but rather two people who passionately love each other in the rawest of forms. Many often gossip about us, but they cannot deny what we have. Those who attempted to would be foolish.

I will love you as long there is breath in my body

Aethelred

[miss-madness67]

Chapter Thirteen: Limbo (Vikings)

The Mistress

Vikings

“What are you doing out here alone?” A voice calls to my right. When I look, I notice that Aethelred is examining me with curiosity in his eyes. He seems to be questioning my sanity, and I do not blame him because I am currently in the courtyard contemplating the rain that falls from the sky. I am in the part that has a roof, though considering that no one else but the guards are out here, I must appear strange.

“I was just thinking,” I answer quietly. I expect Aethelred to leave after it, but instead, he only hesitates for a moment before taking a seat beside me on the bench.

“Does this thinking have anything to do with my brother?” People, including his own mother, do not give him credit enough for his sharp mind. I have seen time again others preferring Alfred, either because of his cleverness, or prioritizing him given his weak body. I wonder what would have happened if I had fallen in love with Aethelred instead. Would we have married, unlike Alfred and me? He is not in line for the throne the way Alfred is, but even so, would Aethelred have chosen me over the crown?

Continue reading on:

AO3 / PA / WAT

Tags: @youbloodymadgenius @cdauni @justsomecreaturewandering

[tisafearfulthingtolovewriting]

Justice (1st Scenario)

Setting: Benjamin's torture chamber.

Jack (your husband) and Marcus are looking for you. It's cloudy and dark outside with little light. Once inside, they start calling your name. They're both expecting Benjamin to smell their scents and rush out to stop them.

Nothing. Not a single sound. The silence is deafening. Making Jack and Marcus feel terribly uneasy.

Marcus: You know her scent better than I do. Is she here?

Jack: She's here.

Curling his lip in discust

Jack: And so is he.

Marcus: I thought he would have shown his face by now. He knows we're here.

Jack: He's waiting for me.

A few moments later. They see you in a room at the end of the hallway. Your back is towards them. You're covered in blood and dirt, kneeling over a black, human-like figure

Jack and Marcus run to where you are. Jack kneels in front of you.

Jack: Y/N?

He then takes a closer look at the dark figure in front of him. It's Benjamin, dead. And then back at you. You meet his eyes.

Jack: Y/N?

You: His first mistake was crossing me.

Pause.

Jack: And his second?

You: He knows damn well what his second mistake was.

[withlove-fanfiction]

Justice (1st Scenario)

Setting: Benjamin's torture chamber.

Jack (your husband) and Marcus are looking for you. It's cloudy and dark outside with little light. Once inside, they start calling your name. They're both expecting Benjamin to smell their scents and rush out to stop them.

Nothing. Not a single sound. The silence is deafening. Making Jack and Marcus feel terribly uneasy.

Marcus: You know her scent better than I do. Is she here?

Jack: She's here.

Curling his lip in discust

Jack: And so is he.

Marcus: I thought he would have shown his face by now. He knows we're here.

Jack: He's waiting for me.

A few moments later. They see you in a room at the end of the hallway. Your back is towards them. You're covered in blood and dirt, kneeling over a black, human-like figure

Jack and Marcus run to where you are. Jack kneels in front of you.

Jack: Y/N?

He then takes a closer look at the dark figure in front of him. It's Benjamin, dead. And then back at you. You meet his eyes.

Jack: Y/N?

You: His first mistake was crossing me.

Pause.

Jack: And his second?

You: He knows damn well what his second mistake was.

[tobyregbocharacterfanfiction]

Cold Case.

TRIGGER WARNING: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, AND INFIDELITY.  DRUNKENNESS. MURDER.

Over a century ago your husband died an agonizing death. Detectives still to this day are floored by the case which has since gone cold. Now with Jack's return and his apparent blood rage. The wheels in your mind start turning as to what truly could have happened. You sit in front of the fireplace going through everything in your mind. Jack walks into the room, you quickly glance at him before talking.

You: The last time I saw my husband, he beat me so bad I lost consciousness. When I woke up the sun had just gone down and he was gone...I assumed he was doing what he always did. Storm out, go to a pub, and talk to other women before bedding them. Except for this time, he didn't come home the next morning.

Jack: (nervously) What happened?

You: Two days later they found his body just outside of town, deep inside the woods. Lying in a pool of blood. His blood. The police detectives told me it looked like he had been savagely attacked by an animal.

Jack stays silent

You: But the thing is my husband died in the middle of winter. Bears were in hibernation and mountain lions don't live in the area of the woods he was found in. And there were no gun or knife wounds on him. They never did figure out what killed him. His case quickly went cold. Now I wonder if it was a vampire that killed him. One with blood rage.

Jack: You think I killed him?

You: Did you?.... I'm not angry Jack, I just want to know the truth.

He takes a deep breath before continuing.

Jack: I saw you with him several different times walking down the street.

The way you looked. The way you were around him. I knew something was wrong. One day I followed you home and I saw him slap you across the face before you even walked through the front door. I should have killed him then and there, but I knew I had to wait. That last night I followed him to a pub and then to a woman's house in the country. I waited outside and when he walked out that's when I...afterward I dragged his body into the woods as far as I could go and I left him there.

You: Was Benjamin with you?

Jack: No.

You: And the woman he was with?

Jack: I didn't harm her. She was innocent. She didn't deserve to die.

You're tempted to ask why, but in your heart, you already know. You get up from where you're sitting and put your arms around him. He returns the gesture.

You: (softly) Thank You.

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

Fighter chapter 12

Note: shoutout to book Sihtric. Earlier chapters are: here.

Warnings: fluff/light smut/suggestive. Mention of blood.

pairing: Modern!Sihtric x you (f)

summary: Your husband faced his opponent in the cage.

wordcount: 3,3k

Masterlist

You stared at Sihtric from across his bedroom while he was looking down at his phone, his back turned towards you. You looked him up and down as he stood there shirtless, wearing only his red sweatpants, and you smiled at the sight of his scarred yet perfect muscular back, and even at the several bruises he had earned only about twelve hours ago. Your husband had won last night's fight but hadn't walked out of the octagon unharmed either. You remembered how he had been wrestling with his opponent, Aethelred, for several long minutes, gaining those clearly visible marks on his back before he had managed to get back up at his feet again.

You snapped out of your memory when Sihtric turned while grabbing a few shirts, his eyes still glued on his phone as he was reading a text from his car dealer, who just wrote to him that his brand new Bugatti was ready to be picked up. You kept your eyes on him as you thought he was so handsome like this, when he was just doing his own thing, quietly, not opening his mouth. His long hair was tied back, the sides recently shaved just before the fight, and despite the cuts and bruises on his face he still looked like a sculpture to you, like a God. You couldn't deny that you felt a heat rise inside of you when you looked at his arms, which flexed lightly whenever he moved, and you felt a sudden urge to feel those arms around you, squeezing you tightly from behind while you'd sink your teeth into his wrist as he'd fuck you relentlessly, just like he had done the night before his fight.

After a long moment your husband felt your eyes on him, and he looked up, pulling you out of your steamy fantasy, and you felt yourself swooning at the sight of his mismatched eyes. You still counted yourself the luckiest girl alive by being married to that fine piece of man, despite all the hardships that had been thrown at you. You always made it through together, and you couldn't imagine ever wanting someone that wasn't him. But then… then Sihtric smiled at you as he was about to tell you about his new car. 

And it was not just a sweet small smile, no, it was a full smile. One that caused wrinkles next to his eyes and exposed his teeth, and you felt that rush of desire for him fade away instantly. You made a face before you looked away and walked out of the room, down the stairs, leaving Sihtric on his own upstairs as he continued to pack his bags.

He just sighed and then chuckled, because he knew you still loved him despite his most recent fuck up, which he only had himself to blame for.

When you and Sihtric got home after his car crash and had a good talk, you decided to stay the night with him after he had asked you through his tears. You finally slept in the same bed again, but you both couldn't help feeling it was rather strange after the distance there had been between you. It took a few days for things to slowly feel like normal again, and you finally found support in each other when grief took over on the bad days.

But as life simply seemed to continue just like that, Sihtric was still training for his fight, which was closing in. He usually would move out of his house for a little while to focus on the fight and his training, but as circumstances were a little different now, he wanted to stay with you and prepare at home. His team had told him that there was no shame in cancelling the fight either, as everyone would understand he'd need time to heal and be there for you too, but he said he was doing okay. And you knew more than anyone else that he needed the fight more than ever, so you wouldn't even let him cancel it if he had asked you.

And in a way it was good that he continued his training, as it kept you busy too by being his physiotherapist and doing exercises with him twice a day. It gave you both a sense of routine again and an understanding that life goes on, no matter how hard it may be. To keep things going and to distract yourselves, and also because you really wanted to move to a different home, you and Sihtric spent evenings together in bed with his laptop after his training, hunting for houses, and you had already scheduled a few viewings only a day after his fight. You had asked him if it was a good idea to plan a viewing so short after the fight, as you never knew in what state he'd climb out of that cage afterwards, but he promised it would be fine. You only later wished you hadn't listened to him.

Then, when there was only one day before the fight left, Sihtric came up to you in the kitchen and asked if you had a moment to talk.

'What is it?' you asked, a little anxiously when you saw his troubled face as you sat next to him on his couch, 'are you okay, tiger?'

'Yeah, I just… I- I, you know, I mean, like, are we … good?' he asked, hesitantly.

'What?' you frowned, confused, 'yeah? I mean… I thought we were good? At the very least we're trying to live normally again. What makes you think we're not good?'

'Well,' Sihtric shifted and fidgeted with his wedding ring, 'it's just that… I'm not sure if you're, you know, still- still attracted to me…'

You stared at Sihtric and blinked, dumbfounded. Even with the messy, uncombed hair he had right now you still could not think of a more beautiful man than him, inside and out, and you snorted.

'You think I am not attracted to you anymore?'

Sihtric mumbled something and shrugged, 'Are you?'

'Of course I am,' you said and took his hands, 'honey, why do you think otherwise?'

'Well… we haven't been really intimate in a while, and I know it's because of everything that happened and now because of my fight but I just,' Sihtric sighed and shook his head lightly, 'I just worried maybe I fucked up. I mean I know I fucked up, but after we spoke about things I figured we were okay and working on our relationship again but I just… I- I feel less desired by you, I guess.'

'Sihtric,' you cupped his cheeks, 'of course I am still attracted to you, silly,' you pecked his lips and stared into his duo-coloured eyes, 'you are still wildly arousing to me,' you said, to which you both chuckled, 'but yes, things have been different lately due to everything. My sex drive was just not what it used to be for a while, that just happens when you're going through lows. And I assumed it's been the same for you?'

Sihtric nodded, 'Yeah, but, it's… I guess it's fairly normal again now,' he paused, then gave you hopeful eyes and asked, 'kiss?'

You smiled and pecked your husband's lips softly.

'Well, I'm getting back to fairly normal again too, but now we can't do anything because of the fight. Therefore I also wasn't going to tempt you when I wanted to,' you shrugged, 'I promise, you do not need to worry about us. We're good. I'm still attracted to you and I still love you, okay? I guess after tomorrow's fight we can explore each other again,' you smiled, 'if you're not too battered that is.'

'But I want you now,' your husband whispered, almost whining as he sat back and looked at you, then pulled you in his lap, 'now, bunny,' he hummed, and his hands roamed over your sides.

You bit down on your lip and smiled. It had indeed been too long since you had been intimate with him, but you didn't want to risk him losing his fight just because you wanted to have sex. Sihtric knew this as well as you, but he was too cocky to admit it could be his downfall during the fight. Because of his fighting success he thought he could simply have it all, and you hated his ego as much as you loved it. You hated a cocky guy, but yours was just so sexy when he was overly confident, he was hard to resist.

'I want you too,' you murmured against his lips, 'but we shouldn't. You know we shouldn't.'

'Doesn't that make it more fun?' Sihtric smiled in between hungry and sloppy kisses, 'I have nothing to lose, baby.'

'Except for your reputation as a new MMA fighter,' you scoffed as he held your face and looked into your eyes.

'Fuck that reputation,' Sihtric said softly, eyes darting all over you, 'I have everything I need right here in my lap. I don't need that reputation,' he smiled slyly and pulled you back in, 'I'm still getting paid, win or lose,' he brushed his lips over yours while his hands found your buttocks, and he squeezed your ass firmly, 'I still get to buy my wife a new house, win or lose,' he chuckled and flicked his tongue against your lips, then bit your lower lip and lightly sucked it before he kissed you again. 'And I still get to fuck my wife in every room of whichever new house we move into, win or lose.'

'Oh, you think so?' you purred teasingly, your hands sliding under his UFC shirt that had his last name on the back, 'you think I'd let you fuck me when you lose that fight?'

Sihtric smirked as he hummed and shoved his hand down your sweatpants, 'I don't think,' he said, and teased you by lightly dragging his fingers over your soaked panties, 'I know for a fact you'll let me fuck you by how wet you already are for me.'

'And you thought I wasn't attracted to you.'

'I thought wrong.'

You exhaled sharply when he brushed his fingertips over your lips and, as you exhaled, pushed two digits in your mouth while you began to desperately grind his thigh.

'That's my good girl,' Sihtric breathed as he watched you with heavy lidded eyes, 'you want me?'

'Mhm,' you hummed pathetically as you sucked his fingers with greed.

'I didn't get that,' he said with a low voice and removed his fingers, 'do you want me?' he asked again as he slowly licked his lips.

'Y-yes,' you whispered, 'but we… we shouldn't. They don't want you to have sex before a fight-'

'Then they shouldn't have let me marry a wife as arousing as you.'

'Sihtric,' you chuckled and blushed, 'honey, we eloped.'

'Exactly,' he smiled, 'so no one can stop us now either.'

He pulled you back in again to kiss your lips, and he then smoothly flipped you over on the couch, face down, ass up, just the way he liked it. He pulled your sweatpants down and you felt his warm hands on your ass while he teasingly rubbed his hands over your exposed skin.

'We… shouldn't be doing this,' you murmured, not very convincing, to which Sihtric chuckled softly.

'I know.'

Fight Night.

Just like at the other fights you witnessed before, your heart was pounding out of your chest while you watched your husband walk out to the centre of the arena. This time you weren't in the crowd, near the octagon, instead you watched the fight on the tv screen in Sihtric's dressing room as you didn't want to draw any attention to yourself. You and Sihtric were both aware of the rumours that were being spread online lately. The latest gossip was that you and 'the bad boy heart-throb fighter' were divorced after Sihtric had posted those selfies of him without his wedding ring, when you had "left" him for a short while.

Sihtric didn't like the fact you weren't in the crowd as he knew it would fuel the gossip even more, but he completely understood and also wanted to shield you from the media right now, so he had Finan watch with you while Uhtred, his coach, was right outside the octagon. You watched the screen and saw how your husband's opponent, one Aethelred, made his way to the octagon and Finan huffed beside you.

'Little shit.'

'What?'

'That guy,' Finan grumbled, 'he's a weasel. Everyone knows he doesn't fight fair.'

Because of your personal worries as of late you hadn't even looked up Sihtric's opponent, as you usually did, so you actually had no idea who he was up against and hearing Finan's words made you anxious.

'What do you mean?' 

You suddenly feared for your husband's wellbeing as you watched Aethelred enter the octagon. He did look like the type of guy who would cheat his way out of anything, and by the crowd's reaction he wasn't very popular amongst them either as the arena was filled with their loud booing, so loud you could even hear it in the dressing room.

'He'll try some shit, believe me,' Finan said, 'he always does.'

You watched the screen and saw how the camera closed in on Sihtric, and he grabbed the camera to kiss the lens, which you knew he did for you and you felt yourself tear up already. He looked so good, so handsome, with his hair braided while wearing black and green Venum fighting shorts, and you got lost in your own thoughts for a moment about how you couldn't wait to wrap your arms around him again and pull down those shorts. But then before you knew it, that horrific sound of the bell rang through the sold out arena, starting the first round. The crowd roared while you kept your eyes fixated on the screen in front of you as you held your breath. You kept your fingers crossed and muttered 'come on, love,' and 'don't get hurt,' under your breath, desperately wanting Sihtric to come out as unharmed as possible.

'And we're off!' Erik announced excitedly as the two fighters approached each other.

'Ow!' Sigefrid yelled when Aethelred immediately received a jab to his face, 'that was a hit!'

'That was just a slap,' Erik laughed, 'if that was a full hit he would've been down already.'

'You're right, you're right,' the brother chuckled, 'Sihtric's punches are mean and this wasn't one at full strength- OH! Goodness!' he suddenly yelled as the fight continued before his eyes.

You jumped up from the couch as you saw how Sihtric and Aethelred had collided and were down wrestling on the blood smudged canvas, and Finan shouted at the tv when he saw Aethelred holding onto the cage fence when Sihtric had him backed into it.

'He can't bloody do that!' Finan hissed, 'see!' he turned to you, 'I told you! He always does things that are not allowed!'

'Is he holding onto the cage?' Erik asked his brother.

'Is he? He is!' Sigefrid scoffed, 'that's… that's… how is the referee not seeing this?'

'He's just not seeing it,' Erik said, 'I can't believe this- oh, now he sees it!'

You saw how the fighters got pulled apart and Aethelred got a first warning for breaking a rule. The fight continued but it only took about a minute before they were wrestling down on the canvas again, and once again your husband's opponent held onto the cage for a better grip when he was clearly losing the game if he didn't cheat.

'He's doing it again!' Erik shouted in disbelief, and the crowd booed as they witnessed it.

You looked at Finan, who was again shouting at the screen when the referee acted late upon Aethelred's action, and you looked back at the screen when you heard your husband's name. You saw Sihtric had taken out his mouthpiece after the fight was interrupted again and he yelled something inaudible towards Aethelred, who feigned innocence as the referee gave him another warning.

'What did Sihtric yell?' Erik asked his brother, as he had also missed it.

'I'm pretty sure he told Aethelred to stop being a pussy,' Sigefrid laughed, to which his brother broke in laughter too, as did Finan next to you and you couldn't help but chuckle too.

The fight then continued again, and you proudly watched Sihtric throw a few punches and nasty leg kicks, which earned him some good points if the fight would end by decision. But then, as the first round was almost over, Sihtric received an uppercut which caused his mouthpiece to be punched out. You saw it, Finan saw it, Aethelred saw it and the brothers commenting saw it too, but the referee didn't see it as everything happened so fast. Aethelred decided to use the moment, even if it wasn't allowed, and Sihtric received another punch to his face as he was distracted by losing his mouthpiece for a split second, and you saw the blood pour out of his mouth immediately. 

But instead of stopping the fight as he should have done, Sihtric decided to throw a punch back which landed right between Aethelred's eyes and knocked out his opponent in an instant. While Aethelred fell down on the canvas, unconscious, Finan jumped up to celebrate the knockout and the brothers began to scream and shout in their mics as they were blown away by what had just happened. But you stared at the screen with wide eyes as you saw Sihtric get down on his knees, and when the camera zoomed in on your husband as he brought his hands up to his mouth, you saw it and gasped.

'His fucking teeth!' you shrieked, 'his fucking front teeth got knocked out!'

About an hour after your husband's latest victory you sat with him and a part of his team in his dressing room. Sihtric held an ice pack to his mouth while Finan was clearly amused by what had happened, and then Uhtred stepped in the room after he had made a phone call.

'Yeah, so,' Uhtred said awkwardly as he scratched his head, 'I called his dentist and his teeth cannot be fixed until next weekend.'

'What?!' you shouted, 'no… no, this can't be,' you looked mortified as you glanced at your husband, who gave you his big puppy dog eyes and a sheepish smile, which exposed the gap where his two teeth had been until recently. 'We have… we have a house viewing tomorrow, he can't show up like this!'

'What? Why not?' Sihtric asked with a heavy lisp.

'Baby, stop talking!' you snapped.

'What? You don't think it's sexy?' Sihtric taunted, his lisp getting worse the more he spoke.

'No! You sound like Mike Tyson!' you cried, 'this is a nightmare, look at him!' you yelled at Uhtred and Finan as you pointed towards Sihtric, who bared his teeth just to rile you up.

'Well, you know, he could… he could wear a grill,' Finan shrugged, knowing he was adding fuel to the fire, 'you know one of those golden-'

'He's not going to wear a grill, Finan!' you snarled.

You stared at your husband, who pushed the ice pack back to his mouth again, and then someone you had never seen before entered the room with an empty glass. Or at least, you thought it was empty, until Uhtred handed it to you and you saw it held Sihtric's teeth. A soft sob escaped you as you stared down into the glass.

And it was about twelve hours later when you stared at your husband again as he packed his bags to leave for another city, where you'd stay in a hotel as you'd view several potential houses. You loved him more than ever and thought he was the most handsome man you had ever seen. You desperately wanted to jump his bones, but then Sihtric turned and smiled at you, showing off the gap between his teeth, and you were instantly turned off. But Sihtric still smiled, because he knew you loved him, and because he would soon pick up his other baby; his new car.

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[illtakeyoutowonderland]

The One (Part 14)

The one with the wedding

Sihtric x Reader

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The journey was, once again, uneventful until they made it to the gates of Winchester. It took some convincing to Steapa to make him finally open the gates. But once he did no one wasted time to enter the walls

Finan, Sihtric and Y/N were the last ones and Steapa was already down the stairs and next to the big doors when the three crossed them "Lady Y/N" Steapa greeted her with a big smile "Nice to see you doing well"

"Nice to see you, too, Steapa" She returned his big smile with one of her own only to turn and find Sihtric and Finan giving her a confused look "What?" She said shrugging but the men said nothing

Once they got off their horses she stood close to both men, not really wanting to get lost in this unknown place

"Is that Aethelwold the sword-Dane I see?" Finan said to a man that sat on a table near by drinking "Looks like you've mislaid an eye" And Y/N took notice of the short blonde man

"I see you perfectly, Finan" The man replaied unamused "Though I do not see your master. Uhtred, where is he?"

"Standing at your blind side, perhaps" Finan said shrugging making Sihtric laugh

"Finan" Y/N slapped the man's arm scolding him but he just laughed and the group of three walked away, not without noticing how Aethelwold looked at Y/N

Osferth appeared out of nowhere scaring Finan a little as they all made it to a corner "So, we are inside the walls of Winchester. Where will he go? To Father Beocca?" The monk said once they were sure no one listened

"Yes. He'll find us. Be sure of it" Finan replied

"And he is free of his curse"

"She's dead?" Y/N asked in surprise and both her and Sihtric shared a look

"Very"

"Then we're all free of the curse, baby monk" Finan said and went off to talk with the Bishop, to say some excuse for them to stay so no one would find them suspicious

The three of them left went to find a table at an ale house so they could eat something and wait for Finan to figure out what to do next. This time Sihtric decided to sit next to Y/N and she suddenly felt very warm. Osferth sat across them once he made it with two jugs of ale and a few cups. They drank mostly in silence, Y/N looking around her as much as she could, taking in the new big city she was in and she saw Hild talking to some of the priests not far from them

"Apparently there is a wedding" Finan said as he sat next to Osferth and grabbed a cup for himself "Looks like you lost your chance with the princeling, Lady" Y/N rolled her eyes as he winked at her

"What do you mean?" Osferth asked

"Finan have this amazing imagination where he believes Edward was courting me somehow" Y/N explained

"It wasn't Finan's imagination, Lady" Sihtric said next to her looking at his cup and Finan gave her a I told you so look "We all saw it. Ask Lord Uhtred"

"You could've been queen" Osferth said with wide eyes

"You have all lost your minds" Y/N scoffed as she left the table to find Hild who welcomed her with a warm smile "Please let me stay with you at least for a while. I cannot stand those three any longer"

"You are more than welcome to make me company" Hild said laughing at Y/N's words "I know exactly how you feel" They both laughed in complicity "And I think someone would like to see you" She said and once inside the palace they were met with Aehelflaed and her husband who had come to the wedding

"Lord" She said to Aethelred not wanting to start a fight but he only gave her a exagerated smile and went on his way. She did not complain, on the contrary

"Oh, it is so nice to see you again" Aethelflaed said as they both hugged each other 

"We have some catch up to do" Y/N said to her hoping to have a moment alone with her friend

"We do" Aethelfaed nodded "But first we must find you a dress. For the wedding" She explained at the confuse look on Y/N's face

"Oh, I don't think I should come to the wedding..."

"Of course you should" Alfred's voice was strong, once again, on contrary to his looks. He walked with Edward at one side and a woman on the other "You would not reject the invitation from a king, would you?" He said with a warm smile on his face 

"I wouldn't dare" Y/N replied and he nodded satisfied

"Mother, this is Y/N" Aethelflaed introduced her to Lady Aelswith

"You must be the famous Y/N my husband and children keep talking about" Lady Aelswith said qith an emotionless tone

"I do not know about famous, Lady" She replied "But it is an honor to finally meet you"

"Is that so?" Lady Aelswith said with surprise 

"You are the mother of one of my dearest friends" Y/N explained as she pointed to Aethelflaed and she saw how a smile formed on the Lady's face

"She also fought bravely at Beamfleot" Edward said nodding at Y/N

"You were on the battlefield?" Aelswith asked with a disaproving tone and shock on her face "That is not place for a Lady"

"Unfortunately, yes" Y/N said to her "And trust me, Lady, I do not plan to find myself in that situation again any time soon"

"Now come, my love" Alfred said to Aelswith "We still have some preparations to make" And with that the pair were gone, followed by Hild

"It is nice to see you again, Lady" Edward said once they were gone

"And on a merrier scene as you wished" Y/N replied with honesty "I am happy for you Edward" 

"I am too, Y/N" He said and that was the first time both had said each others names, which warmed Y/N's heart to had found a new friend amongst them

"I'm sorry to interrupt, brother, but we must find Y/N a dress for tomorrow" Aethelflaed said 

"Do what you must" Edward said with a smile and the two woman were gone

After hours and hours of talking, catching up and trying dresses Aethelflaed was more than satisfied and let Y/N make her way back to the three men at the ale house 

"What's with the bag?" Finan asked as she joined them at the table

"Wouldn't you like to know" She replied as she sat next to him, only to have him reach for the bag but she slapped his hand away "Take your dirty hands of it!" She said at his smirking face "It's a dress"

"A dress?" Osferth asked "What for?"

"The king has invited me to the wedding" She simply said making them all surprised at her words "And also, I just met lady Aelswith" Y/N said with a sigh. She wouldn't rate the meeting too bad, she knew it could've gone so much worse, but there was something about that woman that frightened her a little

"Oh, you poor thing" Finan said as he handed her some ale and she could do nothing but laugh

The next day Osferth, Finan, Sihtric and Y/N made their way to Father Beocca's house so Y/N could get ready for the wedding. And also, to ask Uhtred their next steps

"Lady Y/N" Father Beocca greeted her in surprise "It is good to see you. I see you still wander with this trouble makers"

"I happen to have grown fond of them, unfortunately" Y/N replied making Beocca smile at her

"Oi! She is more troublemaker than all of us together, Father" Finan said as he sat in the kitchen table as Y/N gasped faking innocence. And once the door to his house was closed Uhtred came out from one of the rooms with a red haired woman

"Lady Y/N" Beocca said to her once again "This is my wife, Thyra. Uhtred's sister" 

"It is so nice to meet you" Thyra said and welcomed her in a big hug which Y/N happily returned "Uhtred has told me everythign about you"

"Seriously, you ask him to keep this one secret and he tells everyone" She mumbled scolding him but he only laugh

"You can trust Thyra. She is family"

"I know" Y/N gave him a look "I'm just starting to think maybe I should not trust you" She raised an eyebrow at him 

"Oh, he means well" Thyra said earning an See? I told you look from Uhtred to Y/N who just rolled her eyes at him. The arrongance of this man... "Now come, you have yet to change"

She pushed Y/N to a room and left her alone so she could change in peace. Which Y/N thanked as she put her bag on one of the tables. She sat on the bed trying to catch her breath. She didn't know why she was suddenly this nervous. 

Y/N heard Finan's voice followed by Sihtric's laugh and her heart melted a little. It wasn't very often Sihtric was loud, unlike the former Irishman. But everytime he showed this side of him made Y/N's heart grew bigger and for a second she wondered what it would be like to make him laugh that hard by herself. But, she pushed the thoughts aside as she reached for her bag and the new dress.

She walked out of the room and into Thyra and Beocca's kitchen, wearing the dress Aethelfaed had chose her not feeling entirely like herself "It is weird isn't it? I feel weird" She said and everyone went silence as they looked at her with wide eyes "I knew it!" She said as soon as she saw their reactions "It's too much, I'm changing" She started to made her way back to the room when she was suddenly stopped

"No!" Everyone said at the same time 

"You look beautiful" Sihtric suddenly said breathless and they all stared at him for a second before looking over to Y/N to see her reaction

"Thank you" Y/N said softly and she already knew she was blushing at his sincere words and intense gaze

Finan stood up and made his way to her "Let me see you" He said as he place both hands on her shoulders and looked at her to then look into her eyes again "They will be some lucky bastards" He smirked and she rolled her eyes at him "You look really nice, Lady"

"You really do, Y/N" Uhtred said to her and she saw Osferth nodding at his friend's words

"You have to let me do your hair" Thyra said with a big smile on her face and Y/n did not have the heart to tell her no

A few hours later, Y/N stood next to Thyra and Beocca watching the beautiful bride made her way down the aisle and towards Edward

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

@secretdreamlandmentality

@superawesomegeek

If you wanna be tag, let me know! 💜

[holy3cake]

Confess your sins tag game!

Rules: Any character from any fandom can be used for this game. Pick a character that you consider a guilty pleasure/background character aside from your blorbo, and confess why you like them 😊

Okay so anyone who knows me will know that I'm an absolute whore for Aethelstan, Osbert, Aethelred and Aldhelm lmao but after a conversation with my dear @lord-aldhelm, I wanted to do this game.

My pick is: ODDA

Yes, I think Odda is a hot older gentleman. He is very distinguished, and yes the guy made some very valid points in the show! I mean can you imagine him in his twenties in Devonshire? The man would be MELTY. I am mad we never saw his wife either, but his protective nature is also very attractive.

In conclusion, Odda is daddy material. Thank you for coming to my TED talk 🤣🤣

No pressure tags: @lord-aldhelm @lancedoncrimsonwings @grinningkatz @waterfallsilverberrywrites @book-and-music-lover

@errruvande @thenameswinter99 @whitedarkmoonflower @persephones-journey @paula-in-dreamland + Anyone that sees this and would like to participate:)

[lord-aldhelm]

Writing Interview Tag Game!

Thank you for the tag @bagheerita! This one has taken me a while to do since it is so long. As with the original post I have pasted the template below the "read more" cut so you can copy and paste if you want to do this.

About Me:

When did you start writing? Specifically for The Last Kingdom: it was sometime late in 2022, probably October or November. My original drafts kept getting over-written due to some stupid bug in Word which, when the auto-save was triggered, it would force me to save as a new document. So I have no idea exactly when, unfortunately. Besides this, I used to write a bit when I was a teenager, for my OC, but I never got further than a few chapters.

Are there different genres or themes you enjoy reading other than the ones you write? For fanfics: I mostly read TLK fanfics at the moment, and I suppose that falls under historical fiction/period drama. For genres, I like happy endings with some angst and mutual pining to make it interesting. For books: I am a fantasy nerd for sure.

Is there an author you want to emulate, or are compared to often? For fanfics I cannot think of one specifically, although reading fanfics has influenced the way I write. I have learned to incorporate more sensory descriptions in my writing, and trying to use more metaphors and poetic descriptions rather than the literal way of writing I normally do. For authors, I love JRR Tolkien, Tad Williams, and GRR Martin, so I suppose they influence me as well.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space? I write on my laptop in my home office, using Microsoft Word.

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse? Oh I cannot muster up a muse. They sneak up on me and invade my fantasies, highjacking my thoughts and holding me hostage until I write them down. lol! Although sometimes I might be inspired to write something based on a deranged convo with one of my friends, so there is that! Also, having people give me feedback on my writing definitely motivates me to write more.

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and/or places you write about? Not particularly. I grew up in a lower middle class family in the suburbs, not really very inspirational. I do however have a very vivid and overactive imagination.

Are there any reoccurring themes in your writing? If so, do they surprise you? I have not written very much so I cannot say for sure. I only have one long fic and a few smaller fics, and they all center around the same character. I do like to take a deep dive into character development and introspection though. I really love thinking about what motivates the characters, and their inner thoughts.

Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character? Aldhelm... um... I have literally written whole entire essays about him so I won't go into detail here lmao!

Which of your characters would you be friends with in real life? Aldhelm for sure. He would be my bestie. And more...

Which characters would you dislike the most of you met them? Probably Aethelred.. he is such a whiny brat.

Tell me about the process of coming up with your characters? I am assuming this applies to OC's... which I have a few of in my stories! The first is Beohtric, which is Aldhelm's brother. Aldhelm needed a family and a backstory and I felt, most importantly, he needed an advocate, so I created Beohtric to be that person. Someone who supported Aldhelm and gave him some kind of center for his life. I have other OC's which are more kind of side characters created for a purpose, like Wulfstan in the fic about how Aldhelm became captain of the guard. Then there are other characters which are deceased at the time of writing, but I still came up with personalities and backstories for them because they were relevant to the plot. There is another major OC for a story I am working on, who is based on a few characters from other series/movies, as well as being a sort of alter-ego.

Do you notice any reoccurring themes/traits in your characters? Not particularly for my OC's, no? I mean I try to make them more three dimensional, and realistic. Not purely evil or not purely good. Having flaws as well as good characteristics.

How do you picture your characters? In my head? Sometimes I can form an image of them using an existing person as a template (character reference I think this is called?) But most of the time they are kind of generic.

My Writing:

What’s your reason for writing? The reason for writing my fanfics is because of my deep love for Aldhelm and The Last Kingdom, and the overwhelming urge to tell my own story about him. It started out as a series of daydreams that kind of spilled out into a Word document and then it all went downhill from there lol!

Is there any specific comment or type of comment from readers that you find particularly motivating? Anything! Any comments are welcome, even the generic "I love your fic!" types. Although I really love the people that take the time to go into detail about a particular scene or chapter and tell me what exactly they loved about it. That really makes my day!

How do you want to be thought about by your readers? That I am passionate about the characters in the stories that I write.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer? I suppose character development.

Have you been told is your greatest strength as a writer is by others? Writing a story that is easy to read, has good sensory descriptions, and a compelling storyline.

How do you feel about your own writing? I think it could be better, but I am definitely seeing improvements since I first started almost two years ago.

If you were the last person on earth, would you still write? Yeah I would. Because I write for myself. I love seeing my stories work themselves out on the page.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, do you write purely for yourself, or is it a mix of both? A little of both? I mostly write for myself, but I also consider if someone wants to read it. I try to make it enjoyable and interesting.

No pressure tags: @thelettersfromnoone @holy3cake @paula-in-dreamland @errruvande

@sihtricfedaraaahvicius @gemini-mama @foxyanon @grinningkatz @thenameswinter99

@alexagirlie @synintheraven @freddie-foxs @st-eve-barnes and whoever else wants to participate!

This took me FOREVER to do so I am not expecting that any of you will do this soon.

BLANK TEMPLATE:

About me

When did you start writing?

Are there different genres or themes you enjoy reading other than the ones you write?

Is there an author you want to emulate, or are compared to often?

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and/or places you write about?

Are there any reoccurring themes in your writing? If so, do they surprise you?

Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character?

Which of your characters would you be friends with in real life?

Which characters would you dislike the most of you met them?

Tell me about the process of coming up with your characters?

Do you notice any reoccurring themes/traits in your characters?

How do you picture your characters?

My writing

What’s your reason for writing?

Is there any specific comment or type of comment from readers that you find particularly motivating?

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Have you been told is your greatest strength as a writer is by others?

How do you feel about your own writing?

If you were the last person on earth, would you still write?

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, do you write purely for yourself, or is it a mix of both?

[mrsarnasdelicious]

Puppy Boy - Animal Shelter Sihtric Long Fic

Ch 1 - This Fucking Kid

"Heya kiddo." Finan ruffles his young tennant's hair. Sihtric groans, almost spilling his milk. "I am not a kid, I am 21!" He yells. "You're a kid, kid." Finan chuckles, sitting opposite the young Dane. "How was yer day?" He asks. "A lot." Sihtric murmurs. "Oh?" Finan furrows his brow. "Kinda overstimulated right now." Sihtric replies.

Finan owns a construction company, he's well off and unattached. He lives his best life in a house he built himself and works from his home office. He's Irish and does everything his Catholic upbringing forbids.

Sihtric is all but a decate younger and rents Finan's attic. He works at the local animal shelter and could not be more different from Finan even if he tried. He's shy, peculiar and more often than not straight up bad with people. He gets along much better with the animals he takes care of. And he hasn't had a girlfriend since he was sixteen. He is not at all unattractive, though somewhat dorky and clumsy in the way he dresses. Even the glasses he wears are kind of cute.

"Need to leave ya alone for a while?" Finan asks. He knows how Sihtric is by now. Sihtric peers at his watch. The thing looks like he's had it since he was twelve. "When's Uhtred gona be here?" He asks. Finan throws a glance at the digital clock on the oven. "In half an hour or so." He replies. Sihtric groans softly and gets up. "I'll go take a shower and try to decompress a bit." He says. "Just be down by dinner. And it is okay if you go back up when it gets too crowded." Finan assures him.

Sihtric nods and heads upstairs to shower.

He let's the hot water run over him, pictures it washing him clean from all the stimuli of today. He takes Finan's body wash, liking the scent of it, much better than his own. He can't afford the luxurious products Finan has, but he knows Finan doesn't mind if he uses them from time to time.

Once's he's cleaned up, he allows his mind to wander.

At first, they don't go anywhere in particular, meandering to the pretty woman who adopted one of the bunnies today. Sihtric liked the look of her freckles and full, round breasts. His cock swiftly hardens and his hand wanders south. Groans tumble from his mouth as he strokes himself. His imagination runs wild, picturing warm, full breasts, leaking with milk. "Mama, please." He whimpers, tugging firmly on his cock. "G-gods." He sputters.

He cums quickly, painting the tiled wall of the shower generously with his seed.

He comes down for dinner, find Uhtred, Halig and Leofric already there.

"Hello boy." Uhtred purrs, eyeing Sihtric up and down. Sihtric flushes so brightly his glasses almost fog over. He knows Uhtred well, but never really gets used to the covetous way he's being looked at. Especially considering Uhtred has a wife and kids. "Heya nerd." Halig grins at Sihtric as the youth sits down. Sihtric smiles a small smile at him. Leofric just grunts at him. Leofric is in his 40s, he's got nothing in common with Sihtric. But it's fine, Sihtric does not mind.

Over dinner, Uhtred starts whinging about his employer and Leofric, who works for the same firm, assures Finan it is not that bad. Sihtric just sits by, shoving Finan's superior cooking into his face.

After dinner, the others pile in. Aethelwold, Edward, Aethelflaed and Erik, Haesten, Dagfin, Aldhelm and Aethelred, Eadith and Ragnar and Brida. Sihtric is pretty sure Finan wants to shack up with Eadith. The Irishman can barely keep his eyes off of her.

Sihtric joins in for a few round of whatever card game has been brought out, but quickly gets overstimulated, so retires to his bedroom. Only Aethelwold hassles him for it, but Sihtric doesn't care for that guy's opinion.

He puts his headphones on and listens to Valhalla Calling on repeat for half an hour at first.

He touches himself again after that, his jumper between his teeth, abs glistening with a fine sheen of sweat as he strokes his thick, long cock. He doesn't really fantasize about anything. He just focusses on the feeling of fucking his fist. But of course he can't keep his mind on track. He wonders what it would feel to fuck a warm wet pussy, or a tight hot arse. To just slip into another person's body, feel their heat and pressure. "Oh Gods." He groans. He imagines what it would be like to drown in another person's scent. To press his face between two warm breasts or a firm chest and just inhale. He feels his climax building, his mind wandering further to suckling on hardened, sensitive nipples. To feel fingers rake through his hair and be praised.

It is the undoing of him. He spends himself all over his chest and abs.

It isn't that Sihtric is unattractive and he's had a few girlfriends in high school. He's kissed a boy in a club once. It was the only time he'd ever been to a club. And he made out with Uhtred when he got genuinely wine drunk. But all of that has been at least two years ago. He hasn't gone to a club in aaages. He hasn't made out with anyone in what feels like a decade, which it of course is not.

He's not a virgin, but the first time he's had sex, when he was seventeen, was uncomfortable and he just avoids it now. Not because he does not want to fuck. Gods he wants to fuck and be fucked in return. He has desire in spades. But he gets anxious when he thinks of the discomfort. He isn't even sure what the discomfort stemmed from, all he remembers from the entire ordeal was a fierce rash on his cock, but a clean STI test.

He doesn't have to work weekends. But still he spends all his time at the shelter. The animals never judge him for being odd. And the other people working the shelter got used to him being a bit a lot peculiar by now.

So eh heads out to the shelter saturday morning, after his morning work out. He works out twice a day, before work and before dinner. Working out makes his mind calm. He does the hard labour, bringing in heavy bags of kibble, cleaning the kennels and wrangling the big dogs. The weekend volunteers are very grateful that all they have to do now is feed the animals and socialise them.

After lunch he takes the dog for a run, each in turn. Running makes his head empty too. And the dogs love to get out of the kennel and show their best side. He does not draw too much attention, with his thick glasses and oversized hoodie. No one would suspect those hoodies hide rockhard abs and behind those glasses are mischievous eyes.

"Ah, Sihtric, there you are." One of the volunteers calls out, once he comes back from walking Tusker, a young staffie husky mix.

Sihtric quickly puts Tusker back into his kennel and goes up to the volunteer. "What's up?" He asks gently. The volunteer gestures him to follow into the office. Sihtric obliged, following to the elder lady in charge for today. "What can I do, ma'am?" He asks politely. "I need you to take Pretty to the vet, that hairball has been bothering her long enough now." The elder woman says. "Yes ma'am. I'll grab a carrier." Sihtric says diligently. "No need to, we already have her ready to go." The volunteer mixes in.

So he is brought Pretty, in her carried. "Thanks." He mumbles. Pretty hisses, she is uncomfortable. "Yeah yeah, I know." Sihtric cooes soothingly. He takes the carrier to his beat up old ford. Carefully he secures Pretty on the passenger chair and drives to the vet office in town.

You hear the front door bell chime. A walk in!

"Be right with you!" You cry out, making sure the file you were working on is saved. You get up from your desk and head into the waiting room.

You stand eye to eye with possibly the cutest boy you have ever seen. Holding a crate with the angriest cat you have ever heard. "Hi, who's this?" You ask. crouching before the crate. You peer into the crate, facing a moody calico persian. She hisses at you and you cast your eyes up at her person, waiting for an answer. You gaze up into dual coloured eyes, through glasses that magnify his long lashes. He looks so innocent it almost breaks your heart.

"What's her name?" You ask sweetly.

The youth swallows thickly. "P-pre- .. Pretty." He stammers. "And what is going on with Pretty?" You get back up and smile up at the young man. Fluster dusts his cheeks. "She .. she has a hairball stuck in her tract." He stutters. "Oh goodness, that is why she is so crabby, huh?" You cooe. "No... no, she is always like this." The youth shakes his head.

"How about we start with some paperwork, I'll get Pretty comfortable while you fill it out.¨ You cooe. "Yeah.. s-sure." He nods, extending you Pretty's crate. You take the crate and smile sweetly at him. "Come, follow me." You lead him to the treatment room. He eagerly follows after you.

You pull out some papers, handing them to the young man, while you put the crate on the sterilised table.

"Come here, pretty Pretty." You cooe. The persian hisses. "Alright, you take some bribery, I see." You chuckle. You grab a tube of chicken paste from a drawer and open it, holding it for Pretty to smell. Pretty cranes her neck and takes a little taste. "Good Gal." You cooe, slowly pulling your hand back. Pretty follows along to keep licking the chicken paste.

Sihtric feels his ears burn when he hears you praise Pretty. It unlocks something inside him and his jeans tent. He swears under his breath. This is not a bodily reaction he needs right now. He does his best to will his boner down, but you again praise Pretty for being so cooperative in exchange for yummy snacks. His cock throbs eagerly and he pulls his hoody over his crotch.

"I .. erm..." He has no idea what to say anymore, handing you the paperwork. He pointedly avoids looking you in the eye. "Thanks." You cooe, quickly reading through the form. "Sihtric Kjartansen?" You ask, to verify his name. "Yeah, I work for the local shelter." He replies. "So, Pretty is a shelter cat?" You ask. Sihtric nods. "Y-yeah." He stammers. "Why hasn't she been adopted yet?" You asked. "Cuz she is a bitch to everyone." Sihtric replies. You can't help a soft giggle.

"Now what is going on with Pretty?" You. "Hairball, won't pass. We have tried everything." Sihtric replies. He finds that it is easier to talk when he talks about the animals. Though he can't look you in the eye. "Are you giving her baths?" You ask. "N-no.." Sihtric stammers.

[soulhollow]

Work title: An evening on Uhtred's Lundene terrace Chapter title: Sunset Chapters: 4/5 Fandom: The Last Kingdom (inclusive/inspired by the original books and BBC/Netflix series) Rating: M (overall work), this chapter General Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Alfred, Uhtred, others Summary:

A brief scene from Sword Song, a re-imagining, a fleshing-out. Alfred's unannounced visit to Lundene following the recapture of the city by Uhtred and Aethelred's forces. Inspiration drawn from the original books by Bernard Cornwell as well as the BBC/Netflix series.

[mirdaniaa]

32 x

Whenever he has imagined his death, he has imagined it would be not unlike Aethelred’s knife going into his belly; that sudden, sharp pain followed by the warm blossoming of blood around the blade. He has even dared to imagine the same gentle sinking to the ground, guided by a pair of hands, cruel in their tenderness.

There is nothing tender about the rope which waits for him now.

He has spent so much of his life walking on the edge of a blade that he has always assumed he would meet his end at the point of one. At the end of this walk, there will be no blade’s point lovingly thrust beneath his ribs, no warmth slowly seeping through his tunic. There will only be a noose tightening around his neck, choking, choking, choking him in the cold morning air. 

It is so cold. He wishes they had let him dress before they brought him out here. He wishes he did not feel so naked. The Danes say a man must have a sword in his hand to enter Valhalla. Christians do not need a sword in hand to enter Heaven, but Aldhelm would like one. He would like something, anything, to give him some dignity. 

He steps onto the block and feels the eyes of Aethelstan’s men follow him up. Once, he had been a young man who lived for the attention of a crowd. Now he wishes he was invisible. He wishes he was not real. You cannot kill a man who is not real. 

They cannot kill him. He has too much to do. He has not finished drafting that charter, and Aethelstan’s instructions were so precise. And he was planning to meet with Constantin’s nephew Domnal to personally apologize for the supplicant incident, before it turned into a war. And Aelfwynn’s baby is due any day now. He was going to–

The noose slips over his head. 

They are going to do it. He is going to die. The charter will be written by someone else. Domnal will leave in a foul mood and tell his uncle how he was treated. He will never hold Aelfwynn’s baby, will never see her again. She will believe her cousin killed him because he was a traitor, he, who used to lift her onto her horse because the stirrups were too high, traitor–

The noose tightens, the rope scratching and jerking against his throat. Instinctively, he gasps, his heart pounding against the calm, still morning. 

Perhaps Aethelstan is right. Perhaps he did turn his back on him. Perhaps he should have seen Ingilmundr for what he is, the way Ingilmundr has seen him for what he is. Like, it seems, recognizes like. 

You turned your back, Aldhelm. Now I turn mine.

Should you live, Aldhelm, never disobey me again. Never.

The man on the block steps down and Aldhelm closes his eyes. He longs for a knife in his belly, for the hope of a second chance.

A gut wound is a slow death.

A gut wound can heal. It will heal.

But the block is knocked out from under him and Aldhelm’s eyes fly open, the calm, still morning tumbling over his head. 

should you live, aldhelm

will you do me one more service, lord aldhelm

you turned your back, aldhelm

aldhelm aldhelm aldhelm

[maskedemerald]

Heads Up, 7 Up

So I got tagged by @thetruearchmagos and also @pb-dot a few days ago. Its been a busy time and I wasn't sure what I was meant to do but now I do! Excuse my noobishness when it comes to some of these tag games.

Gently tagging: @vaultofqueenorion @squarebracket-trick @jasperygrace @card-queen @akiwitch @cat-esper @wmlittlemore-is-writing No pressure!

Rules for the confused like me: Share 7 lines of writing and tag 7 people.

I'm going to share more because I was tagged twice!

Check out the writing below the cut, I've gone with a scene I was editing for The Last Straw!

Aelfraed woke to a bellow crashing through his dreams. “Aelfraed! Get down here now!” His eyes shot open this time for real after several scattered anxious dreams of what might happen. The shout turned into muffled loud voices not quite loud enough to reach him through the floor. Aelfraed frowned dragging himself out of bed, that was Aelthelric he could just about hear along with the angry raised tones of their father. He couldn’t let Aethelric take the blame for this. He would try, even if Aelfraed didn’t deserve the help. He slipped out of the bedroom and into the corridor, softly stepping down the narrow stairs to the landing overlooking the hallway. Their father stood at the bottom gripping the banister tightly, turned away to face Aethelric. He couldn’t see his face but could imagine the deep scowl and crunched eyebrows along with the tinge of red to his skin. “Don’t try that with me Aethelric.  I know he’s here,” his father demanded, folding his arms. Aelfraed stilled, half wanting to escape back up the stairs unnoticed. “Fine okay, he’s here but why are you?” Aethelric said pointedly, “he’s allowed to go places.” “He isn’t allowed to just up and abandon his responsibilities on a whim. I should have kept a closer eye on him,” their father ranted arms waving.  “Father, he’s not a child,” Aethelric said with an incredulous expression on his face. “Then he shouldn’t act like one!” His father snapped. “Clearly he can’t be trusted to make the right choices.”

Please consider checking out the Kickstarter if this caught your interest! You can pre-order the e-book for just £1 or get a physical copy for as little as £10. There's just 24 days left! and just over 2 months before release day on the 25th of November!

Hit the K to get to the Kickstarter because Tumblr keeps insisting on turning the link into the video! (Maybe watch the video too if you want more teaser stuff.)

[garunsdottir]

@lord-aldhelm thank you for tagging me! ✨

Tag game: tag 9 people you’d like to get to know better

Last song: The Consequence of Imagination Is Fear by Junie & TheHutFriends

Currently watching: Percy Jackson and the Olympians! This is my childhood! The desire to re-read the whole series after the first episode 📈📈📈

Three ships: Faramir x Eowyn [lotr], Aleksander x Regina [the dark], Felix x Wendy [ouat]

Favourite color: green green green !

Currently consuming: well, it’s like ten pm, so only water before bed.

First ship: it seems like I always write different ship here haha but for now, Jasper x Alice from Twilight

Relationship status: super single

Last movie: Little Women [1994], for me a must in December

Currently working on: is it wip if I imagine a great interaction between two characters but haven’t written a word? I guess so! Yeah, I’m working on this fic for some characters from a visual novel I'm currently playing.

I love these tag games and I hope it’s okay if I tag you, no pressure tho: @aethelreds @aelswiths @kingslionheart

[ivarthebadbitch]

“We are taught to endure it” well DONT

@aethelreds god this line is like nails on the chalkboard for me, it's so clearly meant to be this profound statement on the nature of womanhood or whatever but what it really does is reveal the limits of the writers' imagination. alas, women must suffer, such is the world!

i'm impressed you have thoughts (please share) I just had an increasing buzz in my ear while watching it

@dragonsoftheeast well, these are maybe not super coherent thoughts or anything, but the ongoing thread throughout the series is that suffering is this integral part of womanhood. while men definitely suffer in tlk, it's not integral to manhood in the way violence is integral to manhood. a man acts, a woman is acted upon (sometimes she might get to stab an abusive man in retaliation as a little treat!). the most virtuous woman bravely suffers without complaint and never loses her instinctively nurturing and supportive nature. see: thyra, eadith, hild, so on and so forth.

[emblematicemblazer]

World building and theories of Engage

Alfred and Alfred the Great

Alfred, The Crowned Prince of Firene, has a real life inspiration, the Anglo-Saxon king Alfred the Great (849-899). Alfred the Great is probably best known for successfully defending his kingdom, Wessex, from Viking attacks. The surrounding kingdoms of Northumbria, East Anglia and Mercia had fallen and the odds were stacked against him, Alfred the Great and his father King Aethelred, were driven back into the heart of their kingdom and had to employ guerrilla tactics.

Alfred has similar claims to fame, with the help of the Divine Dragon he successfully defends his kingdom from attacks by the corrupted and Elusian forces. 

There are other similarities between the two kings. When Alfred the Great was a young boy, he went on a pilgrimage with his father to Rome. This visit inspired a view of kingship based on religious morals and values. Alfred visited the Divine Dragon as a boy as well. These visits helped Alfred form a close friendship with the Divine Dragon. 

Alfred the Great was a champion of education and taught himself Latin so he could translate important texts into English. He also set up schools to educate all young men. He also made military reforms which included: a rota systems fields were not neglected, fortified towns which formed the basis of the English system of boroughs and shires and strengthened the navy with the aid of foreign skilled craftspeople. To restore faith in the economy he increased the silver content in coins and created a new design, he introduced a fairer tax system, and introduced written laws. Alfred the Great was a reformer who improved his people's quality of life.

Alfred the Great had a condition with symptoms similar to Crohn's disease. He often went through periods of great pain and sickness, especially after grand feasts. He died early, (early 50s), but still managed to marry and raise an heir. Alfred has a similar condition and dies early because of it. His dislike of spicy food and strong tasting food could be because they make him unwell. There is no mention of Celine becoming Queen so I imagine that Alfred also married and had an heir.