Aetheling Five

[ismenin]

Here is a smashing pic primulabaggins made for this story. Isn't it great? Hugs her tight.


It is Sunday, again, and although we lost an hour this morning, it is bright and the sun boldly shineth upon us. So there!

Richie thanks you all for your kind birthday wishes - he had a great time with his Dad and Bro at the theatre watching some comedians. :D

Right ho. Onward we go, delving into dark places with the Bois in Anglo-Saxonish times. Here be the next part....





Thanks to ladysunrope for beta.


Aetheling Five

DP:

The Aetheling, Aethelighe - Lijah
Dominic of Amiens, Frankish prince - Dom

Cerdic the King, Lighe's father - Bernard Hill
Mirdred, Lighe's mother - Miranda
Hilda, Lighe's sister - Hannah
Thrydwulf, Lighe's younger brother - Hayden Christiansen
Ermyngarde, Mirdred's sister. Lighe's aunt - Judi Dench
Seaned, Lighe's uncle: Bro of Cerdic, father of Leofric - Sean Bean
Leofric, Lighe's cousin - Jason Isaacs (as Lucius Malfoy)
Emgel (Emm), Seaned's daughter - Emma Watson

Siglandus, The Bastard of Orleans (Lando). Dom's cousin - Orli
Danwald, Lighe's squire - Dan Radcliffe.
Rufwald, Dan's friend - Rupert Grint
Ragno, Dom's servant - Sean Connery




As Dom and Lando walked to Dom's room they saw Eafa, Cerdic's spying servant, coming out of Lighe's chamber. They were not close enough to ask him how his master fared that day. It would have been interesting to see if the man would lie.

Lando closed the door behind them, casting a shrewd glance at his cousin, then went to a bag that hung on a hook in the wall, extracted a foot-high gold cross from it, and put it on the table. "I think we could do with a little assistance, coz, " Lando remarked, keeping his eyes carefully averted from Dom's face.

Dom clapped his cousin on the shoulder. "I do not think it will do him or us any harm to pray for him." and they both knelt before the cross, and thought their own thoughts, until Dom rose, and put it back in the bag.

They talked together for some time, and when Ragno returned, questioned him as to what those in the keep thought of Lighe's disappearance.

"No-one has noticed it, I think. Certainly there were no questions being asked as to where he might be." Ragno put down the tray of meats he had brought with him, and shook his head at Dom's offer to join them. "No, I thank you, I've eaten. You must remember, my lords, it is early in the day. He'll hardly be missed before the evening meal, at which he'd be expected to attend. I do not think you'll hear anything said before then."

Dom reluctantly agreed with this, and determined that the day should be spent in as natural a manner as possible. Therefore he sought out Swefred and the young lords of the keep, and enjoyed a few hours indulging in the manly pastime of wrestling.

Swefred and his friends were pleased to learn several new moves which were unknown to them, and Dom was able to use the frustration he felt at knowing that he could do nothing to help his new friend to his advantage.

Towards twilight Leofric returned to the castle, and was immediately summoned to the king's chamber. He emerged looking thoughtful, and it was he, at the evening meal, who wondered aloud where the Aetheling could be.

He asked Dom if he had seen his cousin that day as he had searched for him to give him a trifling object he had brought for him from the mainland. A silver and amber cloak clasp he thought the prince might like. He showed it to Lando, who was seated beside him, and, as he exclaimed over its fine workmanship, Leofric gave it to him, saying it would suit him better than it would the Aetheling, being as it was, now he looked at it more carefully, a large ornament for such a small man.

Dom kept his face bland. "No, my lord, I have not seen the prince since last night, when we played taefl together. I was wondering, myself, where he could be."

The king stared at Dom under lowering brows, and sent a servant to the Aetheling's room to call him to his presence. Dom glanced over the table at Lando and wondered what the outcome would be when the man returned with no news of Lighe.

It was predicable, Dom thought, wryly. The king exhibited anger at his son's absence. "It is so like my son to absent himself from my court without obtaining permission from me. He is careless of his duties to the point of negligence. I shall have harsh words to say to him when he returns," he said so that all in the Hall could hear. He then murmured briefly in his brother's ear, and afterwards applied himself to his meats, his son's absence apparently forgotten.

Dom knew Cerdic was careless of his heir, but he was hard put to to say, from his demeanour, whether the king was complicit in his son's disappearance or not. Could it be that Lighe had, indeed, left willingly? Dom crushed the thought in his mind. He had taken no clothing with him - had worn none, either. Dan had to be right. He had been abducted. But by whom, and for what purpose?

Dom slept little that night, or the night after that. He had nothing to report to the young folk at the stables, and the two boys had observed nothing, either. Emm, it was said, was not well, and kept to her room.

On the third day, the king sent for Dom.

The man wasted no time in coming to the point. "My son is missing, my lord prince. He has not been seen for three days. Some of my counsellors are beginning to think that the matter has something to do with you."

Dom looked, startled, into the king's hard, grey eyes. "Me, your grace? Why should I wish to...hide... the Aetheling? And for what purpose? Never mind how this may be accomplished by six men - myself, the Lord Siglandus, his servant, my servant, and two horse-men, all unfamiliar with their present surroundings."

The king shrugged. "I do not know, Amiens. All I do know is that you are the only person at this court to have a grievance against us. The Aetheling is much loved by us all."

And that is a blatant lie! You care not a fig for your eldest son!

Dom tamped down his temper, which, when unleashed, could be scalding, but he could not help but show his anger at the suggestion. "What grievance should I be said to have? I am here of my own free will, unlike the lord Thrydwulf, your younger son, who is presently with my father."

Dom left unsaid the fact that Thrydwulf had been found in the royal personal writing closet, gathering the king's private papers, and had subsequently discovered to have been spying amongst the sons of the French court, gathering information - who knows to what purpose? for it was a bungled, amateur affair.

"I do not know where the prince may be, your grace. Neither do I have any reason to remove him from his home. I know nothing of this island, or of any place on it, other than this castle. Where may I be holding him, do you think? In the cellars? In my room, under the bed? It is a ridiculous suggestion."

The king paused for a short time before he answered. "I must sift this matter, carefully. I am not convinced you know nothing of it, my lord. You are excused, for the time being."

Dom left the king's chambers in a dark mood. It would have been laughable, had it not been so serious a suggestion, that he was thought to have anything to do with Lighe's disappearance. It made no sense. Why would he be thought to have taken him? And where?

He returned to his room where shortly afterwards he was joined by young Rufe. "The lord - Lando told me to tell you he was going riding with Leofric, Dom. He managed to tell me that you might be able to ask a few questions if Leofric was out of the way. I don't see how. His father and he - never mind the king - have spies everywhere. No-one will say anything, even if they know. Not the servants, anyway. My only hope is that not every noble family here agrees with the king's policies. Some side with Lighe - my own family for instance, would agree with him that a more peaceful rule would benefit the people. The war-lords cannot be fighting each other for ever. There will be nothing left of the land if it does not stop soon."

The lad sat on the bed, his face troubled. "I haven't been allowed to see Emm, either. They say she is not well, and is kept abed. I don't know if it is true or not. She was well the last time I saw her. I wonder if she found out something..."

Dom patted his newest friend on the shoulder. "Tell me where her room is. I will try to see if they will let me in. Who knows whether being a prince - even a foreign one - may sometimes have its advantages."

A few minutes later he was outside Emgard's room being denied entrance by a sour-faced, fat woman with a red nose. "The Lady Emgard is not well enough to receive visitors, my lord."

A cross voice came from inside the room. "Do stop being stupid, woman! I am perfectly well enough to speak to the prince. Let him in!"

Dom was ushered in by the woman, whom Emm wasted no time in asking to fetch some mead for Dom. The woman shrieked in horror.
"Leave you alone with a man, my lady, and you in bed?"

"Oh, do go away, you silly thing! It is the Frankish prince, as you see, not poor Rufe, whom you have kept out for the last two days, and as far as I know, the prince has molested no maiden in her bed since he has been here. Go!"

The woman muttered under her breath, but curtseyed obediently, and left.

Before he had a chance to open his mouth, Emm rushed into speech. "We haven't much time, so do be quiet and listen!" she urged.

"I spoke with my maid, as you asked. I did not have to pretend to be sick - I was very sick. My old nurse - that was her, just now - said it was a green goose I had eaten - anyway - I got Winfrith talking again about the wagon she'd seen, and the men, and she said..."

Here Emm paused and gulped, her face growing even paler. She rushed into speech..."she said that if she didn't know better she could have sworn one of the masked riders was on Leofric's horse. Of course, she said, it could not have been him because he had left the castle on the king's business, after all, and why would his lordship be accompanying a rude cart in the middle of the night, but it had had the one white sock on its left foreleg just like..."

She stopped abruptly. "I am afraid for Lighe, Dom. Leofric is my brother, but I know his ways well. He is a dangerous man to cross. I have seen what has happened to others who have tried to do so. Or rather, I have not seen them, for they tend to vanish without trace. The healer says I may get up tomorrow, if I stop being sick. We must find Lighe - we must!"

Dom smiled at her. So ardent a spirit; such loyalty in one so young. "Do not fear, little maid. I will continue the search, alone, if I must. We..." Here the door opened and the nurse came in with the mead. She was scarlet, and panting as if she had run all the way from the kitchens, and Dom could not help it, he burst into laughter.

"Your mistress is safe with me, woman. It is obvious to me that you do not listen to the castle gossip, or you would know why."

She cast him a look of outrage and, curtseying, rushed into the small adjoining room, and slammed the door.

Emm blushed. "She is a notorious gossip, Dom, and she...she... does know. I just think she likes to wield the little authority she thinks she has over me, that's all. I listen to her, sometimes, and allow her to have her way in small matters because she has always been kind to me, and to my mother while she lived. Neither of my father's wives outlived the second year of marriage, and I had no-one, before Dan and Rufe...and my dear Lighe. My father thinks of no-one but his son, and the king. It is hard for a woman in a man's world. They - my friends - make it brighter. Find Lighe, Dom. Find him for me, for us..."

The girl's eyes filled with tears and Dom reached out for her hand. "It will not be from want of effort, I promise you. If they let you get up tomorrow, meet me in the scriptorium with Rufe after the midday meal. It is quietest then. We are less likely to be observed if there are no servants cleaning, or otherwise engaged nearby."

He left, then, and went to sit on the outside wall, watching the denizens of the castle go about their daily business. He had not the remotest idea of how to go about finding Lighe, if he was still alive...

He thought about what Emm had said concerning Leofric's horse. There were many horses in the stable. He would go down and ask old Horsa how many there were with a white sock on its left foreleg. But he thought, before he went, that he already knew the answer.

"Only my lord Leofric's, and that's a fact. Its a fine animal, large, of course, for Leofric is a tall man, but this horse is gentle. Not like his master."

He spent an hour with Dan who was chafing under the restriction of being kept in the stables. He did, however, tell Dom that the day before, Eafa, the king's spying servant had come to the stables, and as anyone approaching was clearly seen, he had hidden, and heard Horsa deny seeing Dan or Lighe since the night the colt had been born. Which was odd, he had heard the old man say, as Dan loved Lighe's favourite mare as much as did Lighe. Horsa had said he was even more surprised that Lighe had not come to see her and her foal since ... and the fellow had cut Horsa off in mid-sentence and stormed back up the path.

"Eafa seemed very angry that I wasn't here, so I am glad to be hidden safe. The ostlers are - have always been - good friends to my lord and I. They would not give me up, I know. Although it is not where I'd like to be - Rufe and I wish to be out looking for Lighe. I wonder why the man wanted me? I think you are right. I am not safe, either."

Dom left the stables, thinking hard. Why did Eafa want Dan? Why was he annoyed that he could not be found? It may be...

He went to the scriptorium for an hour, for there, he found, he could think. Still, no solution came to him, and he went to his room to see if Ragno was there with anything to report. On the way he met the Lady Ermyngarde.

"Do you know where Lighe is to be found, my lord? He can be a tiresome young man on occasion. He knew I wished to change his bandages today at this hour."

Dom thought quickly. "Lady, do you think a visit to my chamber with the door shut would be harmful to your reputation?"

Ermyngarde laughed. "I think my character well-established enough amongst my peers to risk it. Shall we go in?"

Seated across from her in front of the fire, Dom wasted no time in coming to the point. He had a feeling that time was of the essence; he did not know why.

"Dan is convinced the Aetheling has been abducted, my lady."

Her eyes were fixed upon his face and she had paled, perceptibly. "Go on, man. Why does he think this?"

Dom explained about the knife and the clothing, gave his own thoughts and notions on the matter, and finished by telling her Dan was safely hid in the stables, for the time being.

"Rightly so. Keep him there. I agree with the lad concerning the knife. It belonged to Lighe's mother's father, and Mirdred gave it to him when he was sixteen. He has never been parted from it. He would never have left it behind of his own free will. Nor would he have forgotten to take it with him, if he intended to leave in secret for some purpose of his own. I, too, find it difficult to believe that he left willingly without his clothing. Lighe is very modest - for a man."

Dom thought of the Aetheling stripping and then dressing in front of him, and wondered if this delicacy only extended as far as the ladies of the court. He smiled.

"Ah!" The perceptive lady inclined her head. "He must trust you very much, my lord, to allow you to see him thus."

Dom blushed slightly, to his own annoyance. In his world it meant nothing to see a fellow naked. But here, things seemed different. He brought his thoughts back to the problem at hand.

"Lady - Cerdic knows Lighe is missing. He sent for me this morning to tell me so, and to inform me that he thought I had something to do with it."

Ermyngarde screwed up her face in thought. "Dom - if I may call you so - do not trust Cerdic. Be watchful. I do not know how it may be that you can be kept safe if this is a ruse to implicate you."

Dom looked surprised. It was what he had thought, but why did Ermyngarde think it might be the case?

"It is just a feeling I have," she said quietly, observing Dom's face. "I will go to Cerdic and tell him I cannot find Lighe to tend his foot, and that no-one has seen him for three days. It might give him something to think on - that I know Lighe is not here."

There was a slight pause, and Dom could see that the lady's hands were clasped tight upon her lap.

"I am afraid for him, Dom. Cerdic, and Seaned with his unholy spawn, Leofric, wish Lighe nothing but harm. However, they are careful not to show too much in public. They merely criticise Lighe when it proves convenient to do so. Let me tell you, my lord, that it is Lighe who supports the sick, and the needy in the king's domain."

"It is from his not inconsiderable wealth, inherited from his mother's father, that improvements are made. It is he who rides, with his small band of friends, to outlying places in the kingdom, seeking out those whom he may help, and righting wrongs, if he can. Not Cerdic, oh, no! Not the king, whose duty it is to succour the needy, and build up the kingdom. He gathers his wealth to him, and covets it in secret, never spending a penny beyond what he has to, except upon what suits his own comfort and convenience."

"Except of course, for Thrydwulf's needs - so very much like him as the lad is - and his wife can usually wheedle things out of him for Hilda. He grudges no expense in the matter of Mirdred's apparel - showers her with fur and jewels, and she has her own fortune, which, wonder of wonders, he allows her to control. She is his only weakness, for he is a most doting husband. He cares for no-one else, except Thrydwulf, and of him only so far as it suits his own secret purposes, whatever they may prove to be."

She sighed. "I would have returned to my father's estates in France - oh, yes, I still own them - but I stay to watch over Lighe. Now, of course..."

She left the sentence unfinished, but Dom was far from stupid. If Lighe was dead, there was nothing to keep her here. She rose, and bowed her head politely, but her eyes were red rimmed with sorrow. "I shall let you know what Cerdic has to say. If not tonight, tomorrow morning. Be careful!" and on that warning, she left.

*****

Neither Leofric or Lando appeared for the evening meal. Dom thought nothing of it that night, and went to bed as usual. However, in the morning Lando's man came to Dom and told him that his master had not returned to change his clothing, nor, he said, pale with concern, did lord Leofric know where he could be. He had not seen my lord Siglandus since they had returned from a ride yesterday afternoon. He had been busy with the king's business since then, and had not looked to see him until later this morning.

Dom immediately sent a servant for Ragno. When he came, Dom strode about the room in great agitation, his arms folded tight across his chest. "It is a serious matter, man. My cousin has come to harm, I am certain of it. He would never absent himself without telling me - and where could he go? He knows no more of this place than I."

He dressed quickly and went to find the king. Cerdic was not interested. "It seems odd that your cousin has left the keep, my lord Amiens," said the king, his tongue as sharp as a razor. "I hold you responsible for his good behaviour until he returns."

Dom controlled his anger with a visible effort. "Why would he leave without letting me know? Where could he have gone? He knows nothing of this island. I demand you search for him. Send men..."

Cerdic put up his hand, silencing Dom. "I will do no such thing. If the men of this court choose to leave it, that is their business. I am not sending my men to search for them. Either they return of their own free will, or they do not. I give you leave to search the island, if you will. It may be that you will find my wayward son whilst you are about it."

Dom could not help it. He bowed low. "As you wish, your grace. But it seems to me you are somewhat careless of your sons lives. I wonder that you can spare both of them to be from you so... easily."

He stormed out of the room, and found Ragno. "I want you to stay here in case Lando returns. No, I know you wish to come, but I need someone to stay. Tell Lady Ermyngarde I have gone, and why."

He changed his clothing quickly for riding gear and left for the stables. Dusk was falling, and the sky was blood red in the west. Dom hoped it was a good omen for the morrow.

When he got there he found Eafa and two of the king's guard searching amongst the stalls and in the hay loft.

Horsa shook his head and whispered, "don't fret - they won't find him, my lord." So they stood aside and watched the search, until there was nowhere left for the hunters to look.

The three men gave up soon afterwards and went away, cursing. It was obvious the king would be displeased at their failure and Dom was glad of it. He hated spies.
Then Horsa pulled up a hidden trapdoor and out climbed Dan and Rufe - dusty but unharmed.

Quickly he told them that Lando, too, was missing, now, and that he was going to search the island until he found him. "I do not know if they are still here or have been taken to the mainland, but I think now is the time to act."

Dan nodded. "We're coming with you."

Dom shook his head. "No, you stay here. I will have enough to do to without looking after you two..."

Rufe folded his arms. He had straws sticking out of his shock of red hair and there was dirt on his face, but his expression was implacable. "We're coming, my lord, whether you want us or not. We know this island - you do not. You will never find either of them on your own."

Dom shook his head, but he had to agree. Besides, he thought the lads would be safer away from the keep - both of them.

Suddenly, despite the gathering gloom, they saw a boy walking quickly down the path from the main castle door, and Dan and Rufe hid behind a pile of hay, as he walked in.

Then Dom saw who it was. Emgard.

She wasted no time. "The king has ordered the lady Ermyngarde to his sister's holdings. There is a great fuss, because she is refusing to leave. The king has her confined to her rooms by armed guards and her servants are packing. We must leave now. Before they act against any other of Lighe's friends."

Rufe and Dan joined her and goggled askance at her male attire, but, noting the set expression on her pale face, wisely said nothing.

Horsa had disappeared and was heard issuing urgent orders to the ostlers. He was back in moments. He handed a bag to Rufe, and one to Dan. "Here's some food and a flask or two of mead. Luckily the island is covered with clear streams where you can refill them."

Soon a lad came rushing in to say the horses were saddled in the back yard, and the blankets and stuff strapped to the saddles.

"Get you gone, masters," the boy said, urgently. "There are men coming."

The four of them mounted, and with a swift word of thanks to Horsa, rode down the back slope and into the copse at the bottom of the rise. When all was clear they moved quietly along the outer wall, using the trees as a screen, until they were clear of the castle.

Dan glanced over at Dom, wondering what to do next. Dom returned the look, but it was with an expression of grim determination, completely devoid of humour.

"Gallop like the wind, my friends, or else we will have the hounds of hell itself on our heels!" Dom set his spurs lightly to the horse's flanks, and, knowing his master, the beast leapt into a gallop, his hooves pounding the dry earth.

Without another word to each other, the three youngsters followed him into the darkening night.