The Lost Tales of Mercia by Jayden Woods
Chapter 2
Eadric felt elated with power yet sickened by anxiety all at once. He wondered if it would have been better to have never met Aetheling Edmund, and thus King Ethelred, at all. Perhaps meddling with nobles and royals was not such a pleasurable pastime as it appeared. Perhaps a life among pigs, muddy though it may be, was in some ways preferable. All he wanted to do now was return to Bram’s estate and flirt with the curvy brunette in the kitchen.
For better or worse, an alternative appeared before Eadric quite suddenly. A young woman approached him, and judging by her attire of embroidered linens, she was not a girl he could ignore. For the third time in a week, he would speak to a member of the royal family; and as it so happened, she was the most beautiful young girl Eadric had ever laid eyes upon.
This aetheling was younger than Edmund, perhaps only twelve years of age. She must have shared his mother, Ethelred’s first wife, for her features were much darker than the king’s. She had long hair the color of a maple tree ripe with syrup, and deep brown eyes like the floor of a forest dappled with shadows. But her beauty was not so striking as the determination sharpening her gaze and pinching her small pink lips.
“Who are you, and what did my father want with you?”
Eadric just blinked at her at first, still dazed by the strength of her presence. How could a small, bony girl—of royal lineage or otherwise—have this sort of effect on him? “My … my name is Eadric. I’m from Mercia.”
“Mercia.” Her dark eyes sparked slightly, like the embers of a fire. “Go on, then.”
“I don’t know why your father wanted to see me, to tell you the truth.”
“You’re the one who made such an impression on my brother Edmund?”
“Why … yes.” He wondered how often the repercussions of that chance encounter would thrash against him.
She did not look pleased. “Your advice to him was foolish. I hope you did not give the same speech about ‘protecting one’s own’ to my father?”
Eadric shrugged helplessly. Was it possible that he felt more nervous in front of this sharp young girl than he had before the king?
“Tell me what you said.”
He struggled to regain his composure and lift his chin high. He brushed back his thick curls with one hand. “If he wants to share that with you, then he may. Otherwise, our conversation remains a secret.”
“I am Aetheling Aydith, and I asked you a question. You will answer it.”
Her show of authority sparked a flare of rebellion in Eadric’s spirit, and a sharp smile curled up his face. “Peace, my girl; you are far too beautiful to let these grueling matters ruin the pleasure of your company.”
Her mouth gaped open a moment, and then the water struck his face before he saw her move at all. He did not even understand where the liquid had come from until he saw the empty animal-skin in her hand. Icy cold drops poured down his neck and matted his hair against his tunic. He blinked desperately to clear the droplets from his eyes. Then he could do nothing but stare at her in awe and fury.
“Churl or noble,” she said, “you’re either a fool or a coward, like all the others. And I hate both.”
And then she stormed away.
Eadric rode back to Bram’s estate in a daze. The water on his head turned to frost on his lashes and hair. Even so, his body felt flushed with warmth. The events of the day made his blood burn with both excitement and foreboding. Though the manner of Aetheling Aydith had grated his nerves, he could not wipe a ridiculous smile from his face. What an incredible girl!
Eadric the Grasper released October 5, 2010
Now available as an ebook or paperback from many retailers
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AUTHOR’S NOTE