The Last Princess, page 13
I SMOOTHED DOWN the fabric of the dress with my hands and spun in a full circle so Baldred could give me his honest opinion. It felt strange to be wearing something so fancy again after such a long time. I’d grown used to the woollen dresses, and the trousers and leather tunic of my shield-maiden’s wardrobe.
‘What do you think?’
‘You look beautiful, my lady. Like a proper princess again.’
I giggled and brushed out my hair, letting it fall in long ringlets rather than my braids. The last time Baldred had seen me, I was wearing a wedding gown, and he was walking me up the aisle. I’d been wed to an old man so that Aelle could get me out of Bamburgh, and it only dawned on me after Baldred’s revelation that my uncle and Elderman Parish probably set the bandits upon Elderman Wood’s estate in a bid to finish what they started. Now I was an orphan, a widow, a shield-maiden, and a queen-in-waiting.
There was one finishing touch I needed to make before I could leave. I dug into the small pouch I’d discarded with my servant’s dress and tipped my mother’s amulet and bracelet from the bag. Running my thumb over the precious stone, I remembered with fondness the moment my mother had given me the gift.
I put the bracelet on and slipped the amulet over my neck so the stone sat close to my heart. Now I was ready.
‘I’ll be back as soon as I can to check on you,’ I said, making sure he had water and food to hand. I hadn’t left Baldred’s side since dragging him away from the slave trader, and I was nervous to be leaving him now.
‘From what you’ve told me about Ingrid and the jarl, it’s important that you attend their celebrations tonight. Do you know what you’re going to say?’
I shook my head. Ingrid’s task was to convince Jarl Aaric to invade England to help me claim my crown rather than to take treasures, and before we’d spoken, I’d been troubled about how I could take on such a mission without compromising my soul, the people of Northumbria, and my friends’ lives. All that had changed now. My only remaining friend was here with me by some twist of fate, and although I cared deeply for the fate of my people, I held no regard for the witan who managed the kingdom with my uncle. In truth, I didn’t care about the damage a Viking army might cause if we invaded. Buildings could be rebuilt, and crops replanted. I only wanted revenge. My mind was consumed with rage at Aelle and Elderman Parish and the many ways I was going to make them both pay for what they had done.
There was a light tap on the outside of the barn, and my pulse raced. Ingrid had told me to make my way up to the hall after darkness had fallen and everyone was inside. She didn’t want the people of Hedeby to see me until the jarl made his speech, and she didn’t want me getting my head cut off by the guards, who would take me for an intruder—a well-dressed intruder. I couldn’t let whoever was outside see me like this, not yet. I worried that it was Leif, but I knew he would be with his family to start the celebrations for Harmod.
‘Edith, are you there?’ Solveig’s voice hissed through the door, and I relaxed a fraction. ‘I’ve come to escort you to the hall.’
I opened the door a crack to see Solveig dressed in her best leathers and full war paint, a spear dancing in her hand. My throat went dry as I took in the fierceness of her appearance.
‘Are you here to escort me or kill me?’
She laughed and brushed past me into the barn.
‘I’ll happily do both, girl. You know that.’
I smiled and my heartbeat slowed down.
‘This is your soldier friend?’ She stood over the cot and studied Baldred for a moment. He tried to lift himself, but Solveig placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
‘No, stay where you are. It’s important that you regain your strength; your princess is going to need you.’
I balked at her words.
‘You know?’
She turned to face me, her eyes taking in every inch of my dress and hair. I couldn’t tell from her expression if she approved or wanted to run her sword through my breastbone.
‘Ingrid told me everything and asked that I look out for you. She is unsure how the Vikings will take the news, and I’m here to…’
‘Protect me,’ I finished for her.
I still didn’t know if Jarl Aaric agreed with Ingrid’s idea, so when I stepped into that hall, I could be sealing my doom. My stomach churned, and I wiped my sweaty palms on the blanket over the end of the cot, not wanting to spoil the beautiful dress I wore.
‘Precisely. If all goes to plan, then you’ll have a Viking army at your back, but if the warriors can’t see the benefit for their families, then you’ll have something else in your back, and that’s where I come in.’
‘Thank you, my friend,’ I said. ‘I’m in your debt.’
She laughed and strode across the floor toward the door.
‘You can repay me with lots of treasure when we get to England, and perhaps I could have your soldier when he’s feeling better.’
Baldred’s face emptied of colour, and I suppressed a giggle. I didn’t doubt that Solveig and Baldred would be perfect together once he was back to his full strength, but I also appreciated that Baldred had never come across an opinionated female warrior. I would delight in watching my two friends get to know each other better and witness Baldred trying to grasp the Viking ways.
Solveig stepped out into the street to check it was empty, ushering me forward. Baldred gave me an encouraging smile as I vanished into the night.
The noise of laughter and song carried across Hedeby and enveloped me in its tender embrace as we wound our way through the deserted streets. These people were my people now, and I wanted to do the right thing by them.
I approached the giant doors of the hall. My skin began to itch, and my stomach tightened. A million what-ifs streamed through my mind.
‘Ready?’ Solveig asked as she gripped the iron handles.
‘Ready.’
The doors swung open. Jarl Aaric and Ingrid were sitting on their thrones at the head of the hall. The fire blazed in the centre of the room, and all the tables were full of Vikings sloshing their horns of ale in the air.
I took a step forward, preparing myself for whatever was to come, and at that moment, an overwhelming feeling of being in the right place came over me. I pushed my shoulders back and stood tall, and as I glided forward, a hush settled over the great hall.
Solveig led the way, heading straight for Jarl Aaric, and I followed at a slower pace, taking care to hold my frame tight and my head high. Whispers erupted around me, but I tried to tune them out. The only voice I needed to hear tonight was Jarl Aaric’s. In my peripheral vision, I saw Leif rise from his position between Torin and Gerda, but I refused to look over.
Jarl Aaric was on his feet by the time I arrived at the platform. Ingrid remained in her seat but nodded at me as I stopped in front of them. Behind them, the seer was resting on her stick and watching the Vikings’ reactions.
Silence fell once again as everyone waited for a worthy explanation as to why their shield-maiden now looked like a Saxon princess.
‘Many moons ago,’ Jarl Aaric boomed, his voice sounding even louder against the blanket of silence, ‘I brought a slave back to Hedeby who has since become like family to us. She has fought by our side and defended our home. She trained as a shield-maiden and is worthy of our respect.’
He reached for my hand with his, which I accepted, and then I stepped up onto the stage beside him. I saw the faces of the warriors I’d fought beside. I spotted Torin, Leif, and Eric, and I witnessed the turmoil in their expressions.
‘Our warrior slave girl was kidnapped from her home, shipped across the world, and found her way to Hedeby, and I believe the gods sent her to us.’
There was a rumbling of discussion around the room as the Vikings thought about their jarl’s words.
‘Odin chose to send Edith to us as a slave, but he knew the truth. He knew that she was, in fact, a princess of England.’
The rumbles grew in volume until the chatter was deafening. The men and women I’d fought with talked openly about me, considering the possibility that I was a servant of Odin, their god of gods. I didn’t dare look at Leif in case my betrayal shone in his eyes. I could have told him the truth about who I was, perhaps I should have done so, but Ingrid and the seer guided me, and I had to stand by the decisions we’d made together.
‘Do you plan to ransom her, Father?’ It was Torin who had spoken, and I swallowed down the unease that crept into my stomach at the murmurs of agreement that rippled through the crowds.
Jarl Aaric laughed, and it melted some of the fear that invaded my body.
‘Edith is not a prisoner,’ he said. ‘She is an ally, and our plans haven’t changed. We will head to England in the spring but with a different goal.’
He took a step back, leaving me isolated in the middle of the stage. Solveig had moved to the foot of the platform, ready to defend me should I need it, but as I surveyed the Viking warriors, the army that relished a battle and did not fear death, I knew exactly what to say.
‘My name is Edith, daughter of King Osberht and Queen Eadgifu of Northumbria. Before I arrived in Hedeby, my father, mother, and two sisters were murdered. The men who usurped my father’s throne also tried to kill me, but I disguised myself as a servant to escape and was sold as a faceless slave.’ The room remained silent as I told my story. ‘My Uncle Aelle took my crown for himself, telling me I was too young to command a kingdom, but that was the old Edith, a different Edith. The one who stands here today may be the last princess of Northumbria, but she’s also a proud shield-maiden who has fought in battle and has the scars to prove it, and she wants to honour her new family.’
There was an expectant air in the room; everyone was listening to what I had to say and seemed eager for more. My father would have been so proud.
‘Jarl Aaric wants us to raid England in the spring, but I ask him, and all of you, to consider an alternative action. I ask that you follow me to England but not only to gather spoils. I ask that you help me take back my crown, kill my uncle, and avenge my family.’
The room erupted into great cheers as the Vikings toasted the possibility of a bloody battle. I held my hands in the air to call for silence.
‘I ask you to fight for something that has no value to you, but I swear that I will repay you with more riches than you’ve ever seen, and land to farm. I swear fealty to Jarl Aaric and honour him with this pledge.’
Jarl Aaric was by my side and cheering along with his warriors. Pride bubbled up inside me at what I’d achieved. I was going home and bringing a Viking army with me to avenge my family.
‘We will sail for England, and we will fight for Edith,’ Jarl Aaric shouted. ‘More than that, she is giving us the opportunity to set up a permanent residence in her kingdom.’
That was what Ingrid had wanted all along. She’d told me I would give her a whole new world, and now I understood what she meant. Conquering Aelle and reclaiming Northumbria meant that I would be in a position of power and able to gift parcels of land to the Vikings. From the stories that had travelled the realm prior to my world falling apart, I’d heard about the invaders’ desire to farm and settle.
I held my hands up again, and the hall fell silent once more.
‘I would also like to offer another prize to the people of Hedeby, if they are willing. I would offer myself as a bride to Leif, son of Jarl Aaric, in the hope that he would rule beside me.’
When I looked for Leif’s reaction, I found his seat empty. Torin was facing the open door. I’d missed my chance. In all the excitement, Leif had slipped away.
The rest of the hall snatched up their ale and burst into song, happy to align their lord with a princess. I glanced behind me to where Ingrid sat, and the need for her to comfort me was overwhelming. Had I secured an army at the cost of love? A wave of exhaustion washed over me, and I fought to keep the tears at bay. I’d opened my heart and Leif hadn’t heard me. Upon seeing my discomfort, Ingrid rose from her seat and ushered me into their private chamber. Jarl Aaric followed, the seer and Solveig shuffling in behind him.
‘I’m so sorry, my lady. I know I should have spoken to you about Leif before my outburst, but I feared that he would be passed over to Gerda.’
Jarl Aaric waved his hand in the air as if dismissing my comment.
‘Gerda will find another to fill her heart,’ he said. ‘Leif is a good choice for you, and I am happy that he will become a king in England.’
‘He might not agree with you, my lord. I wasn’t honest with him, and I think he believes I’ve betrayed him.’
Ingrid took my face in her hands and smiled down at me like my mother used to do.
‘Perhaps it’s not us you need to convince, Edith. Go, find my son, and tell him your plans, and how you feel.’
I pulled away from her and sprinted for the door, gathering up the skirts of my dress as I ran. The Vikings cheered as I rushed through the great hall, but I was on another mission now, one to convince the love of my life that it was a good idea to follow me into battle.
I checked Leif’s private room, the stables, and even the ramparts, but he was nowhere to be found. He either knew I was looking for him and was avoiding me in an elaborate game of cat and mouse, or he’d left Hedeby. I rushed through the south gate and walked out toward the earthen wall. It was the first place he’d taken me when I’d arrived here, and I hoped that he would be there.
I spotted his outline first, hunched over with his head hanging low and his hands pulling at tufts of grass. For a Viking warrior and son of a jarl, he made it too easy to get close to him before he noticed me. There was a flicker of something in his eyes when he lifted his head, and I saw it as a mixture of pain and pride.
‘Can I join you?’ I asked him, gesturing at the ground.
He shrugged, and I took that as a yes. Dropping down onto the cold earth, I tucked my knees up under my chin and folded my arms around my legs, hugging them close. The fabric of my dress rustled as I moved.
‘You look beautiful,’ he said in a whisper.
I smiled in the darkness and hoped that all was not lost between us. If he could still think I was beautiful dressed in a fine garment rather than my shield-maiden leathers, then I would cling to that.
‘Who knew?’ he asked. ‘Who knew you were a princess?’
‘The seer pieced fragments together, but it was your mother who asked me outright. She was worried that I would bring an English army to Hedeby and harm you.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
I’d expected this question, and yet I still wasn’t sure how to answer. In hindsight, I knew I should have confided in Leif about who I was, but there was no guarantee that he would have still loved me, and the fear of rejection was too great.
‘You knew the slave, the girl who served ale and cleaned out the pigsty. You knew the shield-maiden who stood by you against Ozur’s men and who cradled your brother as he died. How could I tell you that I was none of those things?’
He fidgeted and then faced me, still looking warily at my dress.
‘You are all of those things and much more, Edith. I prayed to the gods that you would be mine one day, but I didn’t know how that would be possible because you were a slave. I told Gerda that I was in love with someone else but would marry her to honour Harmod. My parents think I’m a noble son for helping Gerda, and yet inside I’m mourning for you.’
I slipped my hand into his and squeezed his fingers.
‘If you’d waited around a bit longer tonight, you would have witnessed the rest of my speech. I talked about farmland and riches, but I also offered another gift to your people. What do you think it was?’
He shrugged the way I’d seen Eric do, and my heart melted at how young and vulnerable he seemed for the first time.
‘I offered myself as a bride so that when I take my crown, I’ll have a king to stand beside me. I asked your people to accept me as your wife, Leif—and they agreed.’
He leaned over and kissed me, pressing his lips to mine and spreading warmth and desire through my body.
‘Are you happy to have a princess as a wife?’ I asked him as he gathered me up into his arms.
He chuckled. ‘I’m happy to have my warrior slave girl.’
HEDEBY WAS ALIVE with activity as the snows began to melt and the first buds were seen breaking through the frosty ground. The promise of spring sat on the horizon, and with it came an air of hope.
Baldred was recovering well. Jarl Aaric had included him in the plans for our upcoming invasion, drawing on his expertise of the coastline, the newly built fortifications at Bamburgh, and the finer details of the men in power. I’d worried that my friend would resist, as these were his kinsmen, but like me, he had lost all faith in what was behind us and only held on to the hope of a prosperous future.
Bundled up in my furs to stave off the crisp air that still clung to the early mornings, I sauntered down to the harbour to see the longboats. I’d never seen anything so beautiful as the boats built by the Vikings. They sat sleek in the water, the keels almost as long as the great hall itself. Their square sails, attached to sturdy masts in the centre of the boat, were being tied up by the men working to ready the ships to depart. Ten boats moored in the waters of Hedeby’s port, twenty oars apiece. At the prow of each longboat, the boatbuilders had sculpted a ferocious dragon head, intricately carved out of the wood. The sight of these boats floating out of the mist would instil fear in any man.
From the jetty, I watched furs, weapons, and livestock being loaded into the belly of each longboat. It wouldn’t be long before the jarl gave the order and two hundred warriors took to the seas to fight for my crown.
Aaric and Baldred talked of landing on the coastline under cover of darkness and attacking Bamburgh while the eldermen slept in their beds, but part of me wanted Aelle to see me coming. I wanted him to watch the boats appear on the horizon and fill every inch of the sea, and I wanted him to fear what was about to happen.
Having his throat cut while he slept was too easy a way to die. When the light left my uncle’s eyes, it would be my face he saw standing over him, and I wouldn’t grant him a swift death. I vowed to make him suffer, along with Elderman Parish, for what they had done to my family.
