#the title is soo fuckin cheesy i hate 15 y/o me

[osferth]

love's a strong word - chapter two

pairing: osferth x oc

tagging: @lauwrite1225 @lannisterdaddyissues @othermoony (if u would like to be tagged/removed lmk!)

chapter one

Roseburh had been relishing the chance to have a lazy morning for a while now, but living with a hyperactive seven-year-old boy meant that could never be more than a dream. At what felt like the crack of dawn, Eadwin was shaking her awake.

“Rose!” he repeated insistently, “Rose, get up!”

Exhausted from work the previous night, Roseburh groaned. “Whatever for?”

“I want to play,” said Eadwin firmly.

His sister stared incredulously at him for a moment.

“It’s hardly dawn!” she protested, sitting up. “And from what Baldwin told me, that was all you did yesterday. You promised me you’d study.” Eadwin looked up at her in an act of convincing remorse, but she shook her head. “Don’t give me that, Eadwin, it won’t work on me anymore. Come on, out.”

But the boy persisted, determined to convince her against it. “I have a headache,” he said, changing tack.

“You shouldn’t be playing if you have a headache, then, should you?”

Eadwin scowled, clearly not having thought his strategy through. “Fine,” he muttered, sloping off to find his book.

Their mother, Eadignes, had been the youngest daughter of a noble Centish family before her marriage, and although her children did not have the same status, she had wanted the best for them. Despite their father Rowe’s initial misgivings, she taught them the basics of reading and writing, to broaden what little opportunities they had.

He had eventually come around to the idea, seeing a chance to improve the family’s social standing in the future. The only problem was that none of the children were interested in books or learning, save for Roseburh.

After Eadniges passed away, Roseburh shouldered the responsibility of teaching Eadwin, albeit without the support of her older brothers. Their priority was training; had Rowe not supported his daughter’s endeavour, Eadwin may well have been raised as a fighter too.

It was certainly not in vain - he was proving to be incredibly adept, faster than any of his siblings had been at picking things up. The only issue remaining was his interest, or lack thereof. Rowe would regularly remind his daughter to be strict with the boy to overcome this, but Roseburh sometimes found it difficult.

So much so that when his friend Derian came knocking ten minutes later, inviting Eadwin to break his fast at their house and spend the rest of the day there to play, she decided to let him leave his book on the table and go.

Of course, that left Roseburh alone in the house, and with nothing else to do, she elected to wander around the markets of Coccham, basket in hand. There was little she actually needed to buy, but she figured she would treat herself with the money she had earned the night before.

After half an hour or so, her basket remained relatively light… as did her purse. A beautiful copper necklace had caught her eye earlier, which she impulsively bought before she changed her mind. It went well with the earrings her mother had given her, she justified to herself.

Not wanting to continue spending frivolously, as Erian would put it, Roseburh moved away from the market towards the dock. Sitting on the edge, she carefully drew the necklace out from her pocket and clasped it around her neck with a little smile.

The dock was where she could enjoy the relative quiet of the morning before midday brought the bustle and noise. She much preferred being alone by the water than at home.

However, it seemed her solitude would not last for long.

The sound of wood creaking behind her snapped Roseburh out of her thoughts. Turning around, she saw with a jolt of surprise that it was the boy she had bumped into from the night before… and by the look on his face, he hadn’t expected to see her, either.

“Sorry,” he said, “I didn’t know you were sitting here. I’ll just be going-”

“No, no, it’s alright,” Roseburh said quickly. “You can stay, if you like.”

The boy fidgeted with his hands for a moment before deciding to do just that. As he sat down beside her, Roseburh got a good look at him for the first time. The darkness of the previous night had cloaked much of what he was wearing, so it was only then that she properly noticed.

“Are you a monk?” she asked curiously, taking in his robes.

He shook his head. “No, Lady, not anymore. I was a novice in Winchester, but I left to become a warrior.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never heard of anything like that before. How are you finding it?”

“It’s only been a few weeks,” he admitted, “so it’s tough. But I’m learning a lot,” he added quickly. “Lord Uhtred is a good teacher… if a little hard on me.”

“Lord Uhtred is training you?” Roseburh repeated in surprise.

“Yes, Lady,” the boy said. “My uncle fought alongside him, so I went to find him so that I might do the same one day.”

Roseburh hummed in appreciation. “What’s your name?”

“Osferth. What about you?”

“Roseburh.”

“You have a lovely name, Lady,” Osferth said a little shyly.

The sweet compliment brought a small smile to her own face. “Then I would like you to use it,” she said. “I am hardly a lady, Osferth.”

“Alright, la- Roseburh,” he quickly amended. It made her chuckle, which in turn emboldened him enough to smile back.

He had a lovely smile, she thought briefly… before remembering what it was she had intended to ask. “Do you not have training today? I would’ve thought with Lord Uhtred being so strict…”

She had seen for herself once the harsh training that his men underwent, albeit in passing on her way to visit a friend some weeks before. If Osferth was here to escape it for a while, she would not blame him.

He grimaced. “Don’t remind me. By now I would’ve been on those grounds for an hour already had they not been drinking last night.”

Now that he mentioned it, Roseburh dimly remembered leaving the alehouse at the same time as several of his men entered, although he had not been with them at the time. “You weren’t there when I left.”

“You were there?” he exclaimed.

“I work there,” Roseburh laughed. “I’m a barmaid. But I had to leave to collect my brother, that’s when they arrived.”

“And that’s when I nearly sent you sprawling,” Osferth finished sheepishly, making her laugh. “You have a brother?” he added out of interest.

Roseburh grinned. “I have three. Ealdian and Erian are my elder brothers, but they’re usually off fighting. Eadwin’s the youngest, he’s seven. You’ve probably seen him running around with his friend Derian. He spends more time with him than with us, I think.”

“Is he with him now?”

“Correct,” she smiled. “But I don’t mind much. If I’m not working, it means I get a lie-in, or I can come down here before it gets busy.”

He gave her a smile of his own. “It’s lovely here. Is this your spot, then?”

“I s’pose, yeah,” she said, “although you’re welcome to join me whenever you like… or whenever you’re free,” she added, raising an eyebrow as she looked up.

Osferth’s smile faded as he realised what had caught her attention.

“So this is where ‘yer hidin’!” exclaimed the burly Irishman Roseburh recalled seeing the night before, stopping just behind Osferth. He grinned at her and raised a hand in greeting. “Good mornin’ to you, lady!” he said cheerfully.

“Morning,” she said, giving him a polite smile. He seemed nice enough, although she still sent Osferth an apologetic look when he was all but dragged away to the training grounds. “It was nice meeting you!” she called after him.

“You too, lady!”

Roseburh supposed she could forgive his slip-up just the one time as she watched the Irishman guffaw and throw an arm around him.

~~

“Was she the girl from yesterday, then?” asked Sihtric as he sharpened his sword.

They were taking a break after an hour's training, which meant Osferth was being subjected to a thorough grilling from his friends.

“‘Course she was,” he muttered.

“He likes her,” Finan grinned.

“She’s - we’re hardly friends!” Osferth protested, although clearly in vain.

“Doesn’t mean you can’t like her.”

“Like who?”

Osferth grimaced as Uhtred appeared, his daughter Stiorra in his arms. “No one, Lord,” he mumbled.

Sihtric snorted. “What I told you about this morning, Lord.”

A look of recognition passed across Uhtred’s face. “Oh, I remember now,” he said and, much to Osferth’s chagrin, smirked. “Who is she, baby monk?”

“She’s called Roseburh, Lord,” he finally admitted. “But there is nothing of the sort that they imply is going on.”

They completely disregarded that last sentence.

Sihtric smiled. “You got her name, though.”

“Yeah, the silly bastard forgot to ask last night,” Finan supplied.

Seeing Osferth roll his eyes for the hundredth time, Uhtred decided to ease all the questioning. “You’ve relaxed long enough,” he said, handing Stiorra to a maid and grabbing his sword, “let’s continue. Come on, all of you.”

Although Osferth did not particularly enjoy the thought of being knocked on his arse by Finan for the fifth time in a row, he greatly preferred it over the embarrassment he was facing. Training would help to clear his mind, especially now that it was being filled with thoughts of the girl on the dock.