The Sixth Lost Tale of Mercia: Hastings the Hearth Companion (3 page)

He groaned, trying to awake, but the reality
was even worse. He winced with every breath, which only made him
struggle to inhale more deeply, and that hurt all the more. He
tried to open his eyes, but one of them was swollen, warping his
vision. He saw through a purple, throbbing haze, and it seemed as
if he was still in a nightmare. Despite all that, the room around
him was painfully bright. A fire blazed nearby, so hot that his
skin itched, and the flames seemed to lick all the sweat from his
body. He could not remember the last time he’d had something to
drink.

“
What’s wrong, Hastings?
Thought your pagan friends would rescue you?”

Hastings squinted in confusion at the shape
looming over him. It was Ulfcytel, and he smelled of horse. His
beard lay matted against his neck. His eyes seemed to gleam and
twirl like a lizard’s. Hastings felt dizzy.

“
You’re caught, Hastings. I
figured it out. The Danes sent you and that ridiculous scroll. You
did it so some of my best men would get killed, and so my cousin—my
own brave cousin—would be captured!
Captured!
”

Hastings’s memory tried desperately to make
sense of Ulfcytel’s anger. He recalled cheering, and joy, and the
elation of being alive. It was one of the last things he remembered
before passing out from the pain in his chest and his overall
exhaustion. So why was Ulfcytel so angry? A lot of men had died, of
course ... so many that it seemed impossible to tell one bloody
face apart from the next. But in the end, the Danes had fled to
their ships, leaving most of their plundered goods behind, and many
of their own mightiest warriors. It had seemed in many ways like a
victory.

“
What does he want?” growled
Ulfcytel. “Money? Women? Why would this Golden Cross want to
capture my cousin?”

Hastings moaned, too many thoughts rushing to
his brain to speak at once. He wanted to respond, to say that the
Golden Cross would never oppose a man so brave and loyal to the
Anglo-Saxons as Ulfcytel, that maybe Sweyn just wanted money for
this hostage; who knew? Maybe his men even thought Ulfcytel’s
cousin would make a good Viking? Whatever the case, Ulfcytel had
the completely wrong idea about everything, and Hastings wanted to
tell him so; but instead he could not seem to draw breath, mush
less utter a word, and all that came from his throat was a long
drawn-out groan.

Ulfcytel leaned closer to him, as if to try
and decipher the guttural sounds from Hastings’s mouth. Instead he
only grew more frustrated. “Tell me,” snarled the high reeve. “Tell
me now. Who is the Golden Cross? Whoever he is I’m going to find
him, and cut out his heart, and eat it for breakfast. I am
Ulfcytel!”

Even Hastings’s swollen eye opened wide as he
stared in bafflement at the warlord. How was this happening? Where
had it gone all wrong? How could the Golden Cross, someone who only
wanted to aid the Anglo-Saxons in defending their coasts, seem
suddenly like the cruelest of enemies to a man like Ulfcytel? It
would have been bad enough for the Golden Cross to go unheeded, for
the Vikings to collect their Danegald and sail off with sagging
pockets; but this ... this was something far worse.

“
TELL ME!”

The tip of Ulfcytel’s boot hurled into
Hastings’s chest.

He felt as if his insides were tearing apart.
He could not even cry out with pain. His chest seemed to collapse,
and all air and breath with it. His vision flashed red, his body
flailed, and then he went still.

Even if he could have talked, he would not
have. He would never give away the Golden Cross’s secret.

Ulfcytel stood over him a long while,
breathing hard. The next time his leather boots creaked against the
floorboards, Hastings’s heart made a painful lurch of fear.

But then Ulfcytel turned and walked out, and
closed the door behind him.

The last of Hastings’s breath was lost in a
whimper, and his mind spun into unconsciousness.

*

Aydith reached to him from the shadows.

“
Oh, Hastings, you have
fought so bravely.”

Now he only wore thin linens, and the sliding
fabric sent ripples along his skin as she raked her nails along it.
Her fingers trailed up his torso onto the bare skin of his chest.
When she put her warm palm against the bruise, it ceased to
ache.

He reached up and put his hand against
hers.

“
My lady … I am glad you are
pleased.”

“
Pleased?” She made a sad
sound. She leaned closer to him, her dark hair falling over her
shoulders and tickling his chest. Her fingers trailed up, scraping
the grizzly hairs of his neck, then cradling his face along her
palm. “I would, but I hate to see you in so much pain. You should
be rewarded for what you’ve done.”

“
My reward is to see you
happy, my lady.” He slid his hand along her arm, then under the hem
of her sleeve. “Although ...”

“
Yes?”

His hand kneaded the soft flesh of her
shoulder. “I would make you happy all my life if I could,” he said.
“We could reward each other all our lives, you and I, if ...” He
grew still.

“
If what?”

“
If I was your husband.” His
hand slid further into her dress.

“
Hastings,” she breathed,
and fell against him with a thud.

“
Hastings.”

Her hands shook him, then seemed to grow
larger. The grip tightened and yanked him across the floor more
violently. The pain returned to his chest.

“
Hastings!”

The hearth companion groaned and opened his
eyes. He looked through swollen, slanted lids at a face that was
bound to disappoint him, for it was not Aydith’s. But it could have
been worse. It could have been Ulfcytel’s.

“
Lord Aethelstan!” he
cried.

In his clearing vision the aetheling was a
thing of beauty, freshly groomed and glistening with ornaments, his
eyes soft and sincere as they searched Hastings’s body.

“
Are you hurt?” asked the
prince.

“
No, ah—” A hoarse, guttural
sound poured out of his throat as Aethelstan started to lift him
off the floor. “A little.”

A shadow fell over Aethelstan’s golden hair,
and both the men tensed. “Who’s there?” snapped the aetheling.

“
It is I,
Ulfcytel!”

Releasing Hastings, Aethelstan turned on the
high reeve with fists clenched. “I should have you thrashed for
treating a royal retainer with such cruelty! What did he do to
deserve it?”

“
I … I … I was confused, my
lord. I thought he had tricked me. I thought he had taken something
from me. I thought—”

“
But now you see that you
were mistaken?” Aethelstan hurried on.

“
Y-yes, my lord. I see that
now.”

Hastings searched his cloudy memories of the
last few days. How long had he been trapped in this hot, dusty
room? Days? Weeks? People had brought him bread and water.
Sometimes he had crawled to the latrine. He had slept a great deal,
and had a fever. But he had blocked most sensations and events from
his consciousness so that he did not have to think about the pain
in his chest. If he searched his memory deeply enough, he did
remember hearing things, sometimes. He had heard more celebrating,
more good cheer, and at one point he thought he had heard someone
announce that Ulfcytel’s cousin escaped and returned home. Later he
had dismissed it as a dream, for no one came to release him as he
hoped. But after that Ulfcytel had never returned to beat him.

“
I’m glad you recognize your
mistake.” Ulfyctel flinched as Aethelstan lifted his arm, but it
was only to clap the high reeve on the shoulder. “Because
altogether, you have done very well, Ulfcytel. I’m sure it would
not always be wise, but the decision to put your best men in front
in your situation was ingenious! The Danes themselves say they have
never faced such masterful hand-play as you gave them. My father is
pleased.”

“
I—” Ulfcytel looked
uncertainly at Hastings, then away again. Hastings just glared at
him. “I thank you, my lord.”

“
It is King Ethelred who
wishes to thank
you
, Ulfcytel,” said Aethelstan. He pulled a scroll from his
tunic and offered it up. “He brings you this message.”

Ulfcytel took the scroll, then his eyes
doubled in size. He was staring at the seal. “This is your
insignia, my lord?”

“
Why, yes.”

Gulping, Ulfcytel looked at Hastings.
Hastings smirked. Understanding passed between them. The seal on
this scroll was the same that had been on the one from the Golden
Cross. The high reeve was not very smart, but he seemed to be
piecing some things together, nonetheless.

Ulfcytel bowed low. “It was my greatest
pleasure to serve your wishes, my lord.”

“
Ah … thank you. And I hope
that you will continue to … serve my wishes, Ulfcytel. For you are
to become Ealdorman of East Anglia.”

“
My lord!” Words failed the
warrior, who planted his fist against his chest and bowed low. “My
lord, I am so honored.”

“
Good. But we have a great
deal to discuss, you understand. The first matter being your
marriage to my sister.”

Hastings’s mouth fell open. Surely he heard
wrong? He tried to say something, but his words became mangled by
the pain in his chest, and all that he said was a painful
grunt.

Aethelstan looked over at the hearth
companion, concerned. “Before we discuss anything, you should send
someone to tend this man’s wounds and provide him refreshment. Go
on!”

Ulfcytel bowed his head with a curt motion,
then stomped away.

Despite his aching torso, Hastings rose up to
his knees and shuffled closer to the aetheling. “Tell me, my
lord—tell me I heard wrong!”

Aethelstan’s pale brows furrowed together.
“What’s that?”

It was all happening too fast. He felt dizzy.
He reached out and gripped the prince’s tunic so he could steady
himself. He tried to look the aetheling in the eye. “I don’t …
understand. Marriage, already?”

“
Of course.” Aethelstan
looked confused. “Doesn’t it please you to see Ulfcytel
rewarded?”

“
But—Aydith!” Her name came
from his lips more desperately than he would have wished, but he
could not help himself, so great was his inner torment.

“
Oh, not Aydith. Hah!”
Aethelstan reached down and gripped Hastings’s hands, which were
starting to slip. “No wonder you were so confused, Hastings.
Ulfcytel will marry Aetheling Wulfhild.”

“
Ah.” Relief wrapped around
Hastings like a cooling salve, but left his mind roiling in
confusion. “But why not Aydith?”

“
Aydith wouldn’t have it,”
said Aethelstan. “As soon as she caught wind of Father’s notions to
reward Ulfcytel, she made her position painfully clear. If she were
married to Ulfcytel, she would make the new ealdorman miserable for
the rest of his life.”

Hastings smiled despite himself. “And why do
you think she would do that?”

“
Because she is a foolish
girl, and infatuated with someone else. Apparently enough so to
make my father pay attention.”

A tremble wracked the hearth companion. “Did
she … did she say with whom?”

Aethelstan brushed at Hastings’s fingers,
clearly tiring of their grip. “I don’t recall if she said it aloud.
She didn’t need to. Everyone knows. It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

Hastings felt as if he might faint.

“
It was many seasons ago
when that strange churl, Eadric of Mercia, visited the palace, and
yet she speaks as if it happened yesterday. You remember when he
visited Father two years ago? Well, of course you do. It was a
horrible day.” Aethelstan grew silent in respect for the gruesome
memories of that Saint Brice’s day two years ago.

But instead of feeling
reverent, Hastings found himself seething. Eadric of Mercia? What
did
he
have to do
with anything?

“
For whatever reason,”
Aethelstan went on at last, “Aydith goes on and on about that
conceited young swineherd. Although I suppose he’s not a swineherd
anymore. What does it matter? She keeps saying she’ll marry a man
of Mercia one day—as if it would be him! By the cross, I am
starting to believe that the nobility of her husband would hardly
matter, so long as she gets married, am I right?”

Aethelstan laughed, but Hastings only
glowered at the floor. He felt as if someone had reached out and
punched him in the ribs again. So, Aydith went on and on about
Eadric of Mercia? Or at least Aethelstan thought so? Could the
prince be wrong? After all, Hastings spent more time with Aydith
than her brother did, and he had never heard her say things like
that. Or had he? So many of his own thoughts were muddling together
in his head that he quickly grew confused.

His breath grew faster and heavier, making
him grind his teeth in pain. “Do you mean that?” he growled.
Aethelstan stopped chuckling and looked at him curiously. “Would
the nobility of her husband not matter to you?”

Aethelstan frowned. “Hastings, you don’t look
well. You should probably get some rest.”

“
I’VE RESTED
PLENTY!”

He exerted so much breath that his ribs felt
as if they were lit on fire, and the aetheling took a step
backwards. A long, terrible silence filled the emptiness his shout
left behind.

Aethelstan spoke through clenched teeth.
“Then perhaps you should eat, and return to Lundenburg. And … while
you’re at it ...” He forced his chin up indignantly. “You should
remember your place!”