#aethelflaed x aldhelm

[lord-aldhelm]

The first chapter of my newest fic, "Darkest Before the Dawn", is published on AO3. Continue reading for a snippet of the first paragraph.

This is still in progress, but is a multichapter fic. It details the story of how Aldhelm fell in love with Aethelflaed, something that is completely missing from the series. It starts off taking place at the end of Season 2 during the Battle of Beomfleot, and continues into the time in between Seasons 2 and 3, and concludes with a Season 3 rewrite, focusing on Aldhelm's thoughts and feelings (with one minor scene change from canon).

Rated M for violence and blood.

This is technically a prequel to Springtime in Saltwic. However, you do not have to read that first to enjoy and understand this one.

I have no timeline for publishing, but will try my best to publish a new chapter every 2 weeks. I have 6 chapters finished now, and just need to edit them and post, while I continue to write future chapters.

Enjoy!

Snippet from Chapter 1:

The humid night air was cooling from the heat of the day, and a thin fog had started to rise from the damp earth. The pale waning moon hung high in the clear sky, casting its cool light over the fields where King Alfred and Lord Aethelred were leading the West Saxon and Mercian armies in haste to intercept Lord Odda and the Devonshire Fyrd. They had ridden hard through the entire day and night to the fortress of Beomfleot, where Odda and his men were certainly stationed, in the hope of preventing war. As the armies crested the hill near the outskirts of the fortress, the Devonshire fyrd came into full view in the valley below.

Thank you @holy3cake for your help in making the moodboard for this fic!

Tagging:

@gemini-mama @thelettersfromnoone @synintheraven @thenameswinter99 @garunsdottir

@bagheerita @solinarimoon @errruvande @paula-in-dreamland @freddie-foxs

@waterfallsilverberrywrites @holy3cake @hexenheim @whitedarkmoonflower @bilbotargaryen

@thedarknone @grinningkatz @ladyinred2248 @hikaruchen @st-eve-barnes

@king-alfred @alexagirlie @thedarknone @soulhollow

Please let me know if you want to be added/removed from my tag list.

[vinca-majors]

- henry james

[rebeccawangart]

Post Tettenhall Forehead touch, but Aldflaed

A rough pencil sketch I did today while waiting for the background to dry on my next painting. I will do a colored version of this soon; I can't decide if I want to do pastels or colored pencils...

I still suck at drawing people, and I had a very difficult time finding a reference of Aldhelm with him facing sideways, so I hope this looks ok proportions-wise.

[emilyhufflepufftlk]

AETHELFLAED X ALDHELM SEASON 3

‘If you love someone, you tell them. Even if you’re scared that it’s not the right thing. Even if your scared that it’ll cause problems. Even if you’re scared that it’ll burn your life to the ground, you say it, and you say it loud and you go from there.’ Mark Sloan, Grey’s Anatomy 9.02

For @lord-aldhelm

Requested as part of my 600 follower celebration

I’ve been experimenting with layering images, let me know what you guys think 💜

@morosemagick @lauwrite1225 @solinarimoon @medievalfangirl @persephones-journey @93xdiagonxalley @trenko-heart @cibs @blah-blah-blah-bla @anotherwinchesterfangirl @muddleofnervouswords @magravenwrites @aadmelioraa @wildwren @sylasthegrim

[skatingthinandice]

I probably wasn’t the man for that task.

[bagheerita]

How it started

How it's going

[aadmelioraa]

PLEASE tell me the context of the line, "If this fails and there is no escape for you, please tell me you'll find a man you trust to kill you softly." that is THE most intense line of dialogue i've ever ready holy shit i need to watch this show??

AHHHHHHHHH Beth it is literally SO intense, like…ok, so…Uhtred, the main character and guy who says that line, is at this point in a relationship with Aethelflaed, the woman in the gifset. I very decidedly do not ship them together, I resent how often her character is sidelined to prop him up, among other things…the historical Aethelflaed is an incredibly impressive figure, but a lot of her achievements are given to the fictional Uhtred in the show…I will stop there, just…I really really do not ship them for a variety of reasons and that is a big one lol.

I do, however, ship Aethelflaed with the bowlcut dude, aka Aldhelm, our favorite morally flexible Mercian who at this point is ride-or-die for Aethelflaed. Their storyline makes me feral, which you know at this point given my unhinged posts. But like…Aldhelm is canonically in love with her and has been for a while (he confesses it during the s3 finale while bleeding out in Aethelflaed's room, having been stabbed by her abusive and nefarious husband for siding with Aethelflaed's leadership tactics over his, after he'd spent many years being loyal to the husband, scheming on his behalf, etc).

It's a GREAT scene, his s3 arc is just him slowly shifting to her side entirely and it is so FUN, the actor (James Northcote) is excellent and provides so much depth to what, in s2, had been a fairly straightforward characterization (though still very fun, I loved him in s2 also). Anyway, Aethelflaed never reciprocates Aldhelm's affections (which I personally think is a great writing choice) BUT they are like…functionally a team, very much operating as partners, he is supportive of her and she can rely on him fully in her function as a leader but also in a personal capacity. 

So the thing with that find a man to kill you softly moment: they're about to fight in a huge battle with the odds stacked against them and there is a risk that Aethelflaed, as Lady of Mercia, might be taken as a political prisoner and be tortured, used as collateral, etc. Uhtred, her love interest, tells her to be sure she won't be taken alive, and then Aethelflaed reveals SHE ALREADY PICKED SOMEONE TO KILL HER SOFTLY and that THAT MAN IS ALDHELM because OF COURSE IT IS!! BUT THE ACTUAL THING IS when it comes down to it…ALDHELM CAN'T KILL HER. HE HAS A KNIFE TO HER THROAT AND THEY'RE SURROUNDED AND SHE'S LOST HER SWORD AND HE'S WAITING TIL THE LAST SECOND but HE CAN'T KILL HER!! LOOK AT HIS FUCKING FACE WHEN HE REALIZES IT!!

They're only saved by the last minute archery intervention from her brother, their ally, who shows up with his army in the nick of time. This is a mere season and a half (though this does include significant time jumps, tbf) after Aldhelm suggested to Aethelflaed's husband that he HAVE HER ASSASSINATED. And a season after ALDHELM WAS SENT TO BE THE ONE TO ASSASSINATE HER! He has a knife to her throat there too, though he doesn't intend to actually kill her, he's just a lowkey dramatic bitch. There is so much fucking knife kink in their storyline, I swear to GOD. 

Also, back to the original question (sorry)…the writers made the choice to have Aethelflaed be in a battle couple with Aldhelm during this ep, not Uhtred (her canonical love interest), and it FUCKS. The whole sequence is just FLAWLESS. I have my issues with that season (season 4 out of 5 total) as it relates to her storyline, but the ship moments are so good. I can't recommend watching the show on the basis that it's good but I can recommend watching it on the basis that those two have burrowed into my brain and live there permanently. I have never written so much fic for a ship as I have for those two, they make me insane, I love them. The show is very much not about either of them (they both appear in s2, also), but they have a really satisfying joint arc for the most part. It's the perfect recipe for shipfic, for me: I am dissatisfied with enough that I have plenty of canon-based ideas, and that pairing has an extremely compelling relationship that's never consummated. Plus it hits all of my kinks: loyal advisor/queen, enemies to lovers, pining, angst, repression, and there is sooo much fic potential for secret relationships, and of course my beloved sexy paperwork feat competency kink as they tackle administrative duties together.

Thank you for letting me yell at you about them, I hope this answers your question hahaha.

[ladyinred2248]

@lord-aldhelm I thought of you ❤️ this scene and those thereafter are 🔥

THE LAST KINGDOM Season 4 Episode 4

[lord-aldhelm]

WIP Wednesday!

Another week, another tag game! Please share your last sentence; or, if you don’t have one, share a plot bunny or idea! (OR sketch for your artwork!)

I haven't been tagged by anyone (yet) so I get to be the one to kick it off this week! lol

From Chapter 6 of my Aldflaed WIP "Darkest Before the Dawn", which, if I can get a decent moodboard made, I will start posting soon.

“Follow me, Lord,” the abbess instructed. She led them both down a series of corridors that led to smaller rooms at the back of the palace. They entered the small room at the end of the hall, and inside was a plump young woman who was sitting in a chair next to a bassinet, and accompanying her was Sable, one of Aethelred’s older servants. They both tensed as the two men entered the room with the abbess. Aethelred approached the bassinet and glanced down at his daughter, then left the room without saying another word.

No Pressure Tags:

@gemini-mama @thelettersfromnoone @synintheraven @thenameswinter99 @garunsdottir

@bagheerita @solinarimoon @errruvande @paula-in-dreamland @freddie-foxs

@waterfallsilverberrywrites @holy3cake @hexenheim @whitedarkmoonflower @bilbotargaryen

@thedarknone @grinningkatz @ladyinred2248 @hikaruchen @st-eve-barnes

@king-alfred @alexagirlie

If anyone wants to be added/removed from my tag list please let me know!

[vinca-majors]

[rebeccawangart]

Aldhelm and Aethelflaed

My gift to the Aldflaed nation.

This is the colored final drawing of the Aldflaed post-Tettenhall forehead touch that I sketched a few weeks ago. Prismacolor colored pencils in 11" x 14" (28 x 35.5 cm) Strathmore drawing paper. This was the first time I have attempted a bokeh (out of focus) style background; I hope it turned out ok.

After seeing the post yesterday I realized that their height difference is wrong but let's just pretend Aethelflaed is standing on a rock or something, LOL!

Drawing/painting chainmail remains the bane of my existence...

I am shocked that there are no Aldflaed fanarts! At least not as far as I have seen. That needs to be remedied. I will continue to make it my personal mission to increase the number of Aldhelm and Aldflaed fanart in existence.

[lord-aldhelm]

Source: James Northcote Instagram

[emilyhufflepufftlk]

I am here because I am a Mercian. And because I believe that we would be a poorer land without the Lady of Mercia.

AETHELFLAED X ALDHELM | 3.03

@morosemagick @persephones-journey @medievalfangirl @solinarimoon @trenko-heart @aadmelioraa @thesophiawestern

[skatingthinandice]

[aadmelioraa]

Posting some Aethelflaed x Aldhelm fic recs for @justhereforfandomandfriends featuring pining, competency, and teamwork. I have written some longer fics that definitely include those elements but I wanted to stick to oneshots here, so I will recommend of my own fic:

Ritual Three times Aldhelm helps Aethelflaed put on her armor, and the reflections that ensue.

Falling Lady Aethelflaed is a capable leader. In fact, she is an excellent leader. And if Aldhelm is honest with himself, it’s becoming a bit of a problem for him. (Aldhelm + efficiency kink)

I also recommend from my bookmarked fics:

This series of oneshots by @skatingthinandice is so wonderful and definitely checks the boxes you're interested in.

Also, this season 3 fanvid (tw: minor blood/stabbing) is amazing, it's the gold standard in fanvids as far as I'm concerned. If you watch the fanvid that's probably as much context as you need to get into canonverse fics lol. I can also rec some modern AU fics, if you are interested!

[queenofcarrion]

❤️ her

@lord-aldhelm this is for you 😊