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God Forgives - 1/1 - osferth x childhoodfriend!reader - COMPLETE 💝💘🔥
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Main Masterlist
God Forgives - 1/1 - osferth x childhoodfriend!reader - COMPLETE 💝💘🔥
Warmth in Darkness - 1/1 - osferth x witch!reader - COMPLETE 💘💀🔥
Chronicles
ACT 2
Osferth x OC!Dane (Diana)
Warnings: Threats of death, violence, fluff, innuendos and hints of sex
Rating: PG
Word count: 4.1k
Note: This chapter covers events from season 4, episodes 3-4. Of course, spoilers.
How do you get a highly religious man to break?
Diana pondered this question as she sits alone in her cell with nothing but the chatter of life in the fortress. She does not entirely know how to do it without touching him. Torture and pain were not options but that would not stop other Danes she knew.
She thinks back onto their conversation and the look of surprise when Aidan heard her words. Diana knows she is human and is worthy of every bit of love and respect that can be given to her, regardless of her background. Osferth has proven that. This is different.
She hears footsteps but does not turn to the sound. It is either her midday or evening meal. It is difficult to track the sun’s movements with such a little window.
“It is mealtime, Dane,” a guard speaks and then she turns. “You still do not deserve it.”
She smiles at him and sits up more against the wall.
“Did you spit in it this time?”
The guard scowls at her and slides the tray in through the slot at the bottom of the door. She takes it once the guard has stepped away. She pulls it to her and hears another set of footsteps.
“The Lord of Bebbanburg has questions for you.”
She looks up to see Aidan waiting and she shrugs. She did not think the new Lord to be frightened of her so easily but maybe it is to satisfy Aidan’s own curiosity.
“Ask.”
“Is there a plan in having you stay?”
“No,” she says between bites of the semi-cold but cooked chicken. “You think I would stay behind if I had any other choice?”
“Uhtred would have dragged you with him, if you are indeed carrying his child.”
She snorts and takes a sip of the watered-down ale.
“He knows better than to try to control me. I make my own way.”
“Surely these conditions are not beneficial for your child.”
“I have survived worse, priest. Ask.”
Diana continues to eat the chicken as she looks at Aidan. The priest tilts his head slightly as he observes her.
“Why stay loyal to Uhtred? He is known as the Dane Slayer, is he not?”
“His past is of no interest to me. I am only interested in securing my own future.”
“What of your parents?”
“Saxons set fire to my village and slaughtered many, my parents included.”
She finishes off the tankard of ale and sets it down. She breaks the bone in the chicken and sucks out the marrow before setting it down and wiping her hands.
“They are Saxons, aren’t they?”
“An Irishman, a Danish bastard and a monk…” She chuckles, thinking it is the start of a bad joke before sliding the tray back. “They are not as pious as they are led to believe. Besides, they did not harm my village. Why should I care how they follow?”
She listens as she hears horses neigh from above their heads. She hopes that Uhtred and the others are far from here and that it will give her time to escape. She will not die here.
“The messengers have not returned. You have three more weeks,” Aidan says before walking back upstairs with the guard.
Diana leans her head back against the stone and sighs. One week here already and she feels no closer to escaping but the hope lingers. If Osferth’s God is with her, and Freya for protection, she will escape. She has to be strong.
After the great defeat at Holme, regardless of the fact that Danes were already unwanted and feared, Diana was more careful in traversing the roads across Wessex. Her heart had led her to the hills of Holme, and she watched as the man she would known to be called Uhtred, plunge a sword into an unknown man’s chest.
She had galloped away to wherever her horse would lead her. It had been about a year since the battle when minor skirmishes along borders had popped up from time to time. She was unintentionally pulled into one along Cookham’s borders, from being disturbed at her camp.
But being a Dane, she was hauled to her feet, her provisions taken and her horse confiscated. She did not outwardly fight the guards who had handled her but her glare could cut through armies of men.
There were others who had been captured, most likely for questioning to execution, who were led to the grand hall of the town. She felt paraded and sneered at the guards who nudged her to move forward as the doors opened.
When she saw the same man from Holme, she knew her gods had sent her here for a reason. What truly caught her attention was the company the man kept. Three different men, one she immediately identified as Danish, and the other with a cross around his neck and chainmail across his collarbones.
Such a dangerous place for a monk, she thought.
“She was in the woods, Lord, gathering her provisions. She thought to make a hasty retreat.”
Diana rolled her eyes at the words.
“If I was fighting,” she speaks before the guard can continue, “you would have been dead.”
“If she was not fighting, then why have you captured her? There are others who would have been more important,” the Lord speaks.
“She is a Dane, Lord. We did not know what she was doing here.”
“Then why did you not ask her?”
Diana’s eyes caught back on the monk as the man and the guard argued. He does not fiddle with the string of his cross but with his hands behind him, he could be fiddling with the fabric of his tunic. And what would he have to be nervous about?
She grinned at him, and he recoiled a little. The Danish man beside him just smirked.
“Speak of your intentions or be gone.”
Diana looked back to the Lord and smiled, but not without a slightly predatory gaze.
“I am Diana of Daneland, and I have been traveling the roads for many years. I have come for provisions for my salves and tonics that I cannot find anywhere else. I am tired, hungry and in need of a bath.” She turned to the monk. “A hump or two if you’ll allow it.”
The monk turned a deep red at her words and satisfaction sang in her blood before she turned away.
One of her bags was given to the man, filled with her tools and other samples she has been cataloguing.
“You are a healer?”
“I do not categorize myself as such. I am cultivating knowledge.”
She lurched behind him as her bag was haphazardly throw behind him to the two men, who continued to search through it. The guard’s grip on her tightened.
“Careful,” she hissed. “There is glass inside.”
The Lord watched her as the man with a beard whispered to him from behind and handed him one of her bags back.
“You will be confined until we can be certain of your intentions. Finan, Sihtric.”
The man with the beard and the Danish man came forward and escorted her to a room. At least it was warm and had furs. She heard the lock turn on the door and huffed as she sat down on the edge of the bed.
She didn’t know the deep mistrust Uhtred had for women like her, after Skade. She thought it was because she was a Dane and too close to his home. But Diana knew that she could not fight her way out of this. Her gods wish her here and here she will stay.
Diana wakes to the sound of her cell being unlocked. She sits up on the cot and furrows her brow as she is adjusting back to there being little light beyond the torches.
Aidan is with a guard, and she has not longed for the comfort of her weapons more than she has now. But she is not entirely defenseless. Finan and Sihtric had been helpful in sharpening her skills in hand-to-hand combat.
The gods will protect me. I am not defenseless.
“Come,” he whispers, even though it just him and the guard.
Diana furrows her brow as she takes him in before he huffs and comes into her cell. Her body immediately tenses up, ready to spring.
“Come.”
She twists Aidan’s wrist as he tries to grab her, leaving him on one knee in front of her.
“You do not order me like a dog.”
She knows she’s a prisoner, but she will demand as much respect as she can get.
“I am to here to hurt you,” he says between winces of pain. “I am here for Bebbanburg.”
She furrows her brow again and releases his wrist.
“Explain.”
Aidan rubs his wrist as he gets up from the floor as her weapons are brought in and placed beside her on the cot. She eyes him.
“Wihtgar is… He has much changed. He is ruthless and riled easily. Such anger does not bode well for the people of Bebbanburg.”
Diana does not touch her weapons, lest this be a trick.
“And to what do the people of Bebbanburg care for the capture of a Dane?”
“Wihtgar seeks to continue his hold on the fortress. But I do not agree with the ways he has proposed.”
“Why not kill him? Send messages to mercenaries. I’m sure he has made some enemies.”
“It is not that simple.”
Diana sighs and looks away from him. She trails her fingers over the handle of the knife that is usually strapped just above the waistband of her breeches.
“If you are asking me to do it, I will not. Uhtred is not here, and the victory is his to claim.”
Aidan clears his throat and clasps his hands back in front of himself.
“I am here to secure the future of Bebbanburg. It will not succeed if you continue to remain here as a temptation to Wihtgar’s anger.”
“He might kill you.”
“I have ensured that the news will not reach him until morning.”
Diana looks to the guard who is standing just outside the open cell door.
“And what of the other guards?”
“It has been taken care of. Now come. We do not have much time.”
As the priest exits her cell, she looks to her weapons and armor she has worn when she was taken. The silent hand against her urges her forward.
She dons her weapons and armor before following him out into the silent courtyard. A brown horse nickers softly as Aidan frees it from the stall. The guard with him unbars the gate but she turns, holding the same knife to Aidan’s throat.
“If this is a trap, I will take your head.”
“I understand.”
She cautiously steps back from Aidan and lowers the knife from his throat. She clips her quiver across her chest and the bow. She carefully gets up onto the horse, who nickers beneath her. She looks at the open gates and then at Aidan.
“I will tell Uhtred what you have done. Bebbanburg deserves better.”
Diana rides off into the dark of night without a direction to go. She has trusted her gods before, and she trusts that they will lead her to where she needs to go. To home, to family, to Osferth.
She spends a few days on the road and eventually comes across the smell of smoke. The land has been semi safe for her travel and is does more for her to know that she is heading towards her family again.
Smoke usually means civilization, but she has little interest in being with other Danes. She leaves her horse in an alcove as she goes to spy on the camp. There are other Danes there, but she immediately spots the tall form of Finan and sighs in relief. She is home.
She walks in through the crowd of Danes until she spots Uhtred keeping Hæsten up against a tree. She cannot entirely tell what’s being said but she assumes it is an intense moment.
She then hears Uhtred ask Hæsten about the name of the man who ordered Ragnar’s death. She notches an arrow and fires it just beside Haesten’s face as he does not answer right away.
“My Lord has asked you a question. I suggest you answer before I put another between your legs.”
Diana lowers the bow as she feels the gaze of the men on her. She turns to see Finan and Sihtric focusing their attention back on Hæsten, but she softens as she meets Osferth’s gaze. She smiles at him and then moves out of the way as Hæsten walks out of the camp.
She turns as she hears the cries of the two boys with red hair. She steps forward but feels the anger radiating off of Uhtred. She shakes her head at the action as she does not agree on the action he has taken.
“I will get my horse.”
Osferth takes her hand and looks at her.
“Diana.”
“Osferth.”
He leans his forehead against hers and takes in deep breaths.
“I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Let me grab my horse.”
Osferth looks at her and then lets go. She gently kisses his forehead.
“You smell like shit.”
He laughs and it warms her heart. She retrieves her horse and ties it up with the other horses that are here. She sits by the fire and warms up before she retreats to one of the tents that Osferth has getsured to.
She leaves her weapons in the tent and goes to bathe in a nearby river. She comes back once she is clean and her mind has returned to the fright of the two young boys. She does not agree with putting fear into the boys and they are innocent and children.
She returns to the firepit and sits by the warmth. She then sees the sling that Osferth’s arm is in and she furrows her brow.
“What happened here?” She asks as she gently rests her right hand on top of the sling. “I’ll see if I have some salve to reduce the inflammation and pain.”
“The boat crashed upon some rocks. Sihtric set it as best as he could.”
She pulls her bag towards them and digs in through for her provisions. She takes out a jar and holds it between her knees as she gently unwraps the arm. He winces.
“Sorry. I’ll try to be gentle.”
Diana is as gentle as she can be as she holds Osferth’s broken arm in her hands. She gently tries to lift it so she can examine it, but she stops as he lets out a sharper wince. She starts to rub the salve along his arm.
“How did you escape?”
“I thought I was biding my time to break the priest, but he was the one who let me go.”
“Did he say why?”
“For the benefit of Bebbanburg.”
She can feel Osferth’s puzzlement. She takes another glob and does the underside of his arm.
“The…benefit of Bebbanburg?”
She chuckles before she speaks, “I know. It confused me too. He said Wihtgar, the new Lord, is volatile and if I remained, he would be more so.”
“Why didn’t he kill you?”
“I convinced him it would not be in his best interest. I said I was with child, but did not say whose child I was with.” She looks up at him. “I’m not with child, Osferth. Lies spun for the benefit of biding my time.”
“He believed you?”
“I can be very persuasive, my love.” She carefully rewraps his arm and sets it back in the sling. “I want to ask you something.”
“Anything.”
She wipes her hands on a piece of cloth as she puts the salve back in her bag.
“I know he grieves for Beocca. I do not blame him for that, but I do question whenever or not he is thinking logically.”
“He mourns, as do we all.”
She looks up at him and leans back against one of the stools.
“I will tell him, but I buried Beocca on a piece of blessed land. He is at peace.”
Osferth is quiet for a few moments as he looks at her.
“Is that why you stayed?”
“Yes. For Beocca and for his friends who could not mourn him.”
Osferth’s good hand reaches over and rests on her knee.
“Uhtred may be at peace when you tell him.”
She rests her hand over his.
“I do not think it is so easily to no longer mourn for someone he has known as long as he did.”
“He will appreciate it, Diana. He will know he is at peace.”
She smiles at him and sits beside him, on his good side. She rests her head on his shoulder and sighs. He kisses her head and entwines his good hand with hers.
“What now?”
“To Aylesbury. Uhtred will seek to protect Lady Aethelflaed against the armies of Danes converging.”
“Fighting against my kin again.”
He smiles a little bit and runs his thumb over her knuckles. She sits up as she sees Uhtred emerge from another tent.
“I will tell him,” she tells Osferth, who releases her hand.
She stands up and approaches him with the leaves crunching under her feet.
“Uhtred.”
He turns to see her and she the grief and anger that lingers.
“Diana, you have returned.” He hugs her. “Did he hurt you?”
“No, Uhtred,” she tells him and parts to look at him. “Aidan helped me escape.”
“Aidan? He is loyal to the true heir of Bebbanburg. Why would he let you go?”
“Wihtgar is volatile and me being there would only make him worse.”
Uhtred raises his brow but then sighs.
“I will never understand the mind of turds such as him.”
She smiles a little bit but knows it is time to tell him, for Beocca.
“I buried him.” She looks into Uhtred’s eyes. “Aidan blessed a piece of land and I dug the hole myself. I know it is not what he deserves it, but it is what I could do.”
“He could have killed you,” he whispers.
“I know. But I did what I did for those of us who could not mourn Beocca.”
Diana rests her hands on Uhtred’s arms.
“Uhtred, I say this with all respect, but do not let your grief and anger get the best of you. Hate the boys and their father all you want, but do not do something you will regret. They are children.”
He sighs and rests his forehead against hers for a few moments.
“I appreciate your advice, but I know what I am doing.”
She looks back up at him and releases his arms.
“All I can offer is advice, Uhtred. I will follow whenever you will go.”
He nods and walks off. Diana leaves him be and returns to Osferth’s side at the fire. She does not believe his words, but her faith in her gods is stronger than that.
She is home and her path will be laid before her.
Osferth rides in front of her as it is easier for him to hold onto the pommel while she has the reins. She swallows as she takes in the destruction and the death that Aylesbury reeks of. She turns away from it and focuses on Osferth’s back instead. She has Seen this and had hoped that it would not be true.
She takes Osferth’s good hand once they are off the horse. She watches the two boys being brought into the hands of Aethelflaed’s people. She hopes that the boys will be treated well. She feels Osferth squeeze her hand a little bit and she hopes that he will ease her worries.
They will leave at first light for Tettenhall. For now, she and Osferth take a few moments to themselves to relax in the moment of peace between them.
“You are coming onto me, Dane,” Osferth teases.
She chuckles and rests her head back against one of the posts of the barn as she drops her arms from his form.
“It’s not like we can do anything about it with your arm in the way.”
He turns a little red and she grins. She enjoys tormenting him, just a little.
“What of Tettenhall?” She asks.
Osferth looks at her as he fiddles with her pendant of Freya.
“For Lady Aethelflaed’s safety, we will fight.”
“Not just her safety, I hope.”
She rests her hand over his.
“I am happy to be at your side once more.”
She steps closer.
“Continue to pray for me, monk. I will be in your thoughts and mind.”
“Always.”
The peace has broken first when she wakes up in the room without Osferth at her side. She frowned to herself when she got dressed but when she hears of the Dane attack on Aylesbury again, it breaks a second time.
She stays in the monastery with the others as they try to keep the door forced shut against the Dane’s strength. But when she sees Finan and Sihtric leave, her knows that something is happening. She does not trust Uhtred’s judgement right now and her heart breaks upon hearing the screams of the two boys.
She races up the stairs and relaxes as she sees that both boys are safe. Her heart stops racing as she looks at the men above the children. Finan reassures one of the children’s cries, but it still breaks her heart.
She heads back downstairs as she does not know what to think. Grief can make people do different things, but she would never have put innocent children in danger. She is relieved to know that they will be leaving this place, and the ghosts of death will stop surrounding her.
“You are troubled,” Osferth says after they mount their horses to leave for Tettenhall.
She wraps both of her arms around his waist and under the leather plate as they move out of the gates.
“I would never have endangered a child as he did.”
She had watched as the two boys were sent on their way and she shook her head at that too. She doubted that the boys would survive on their own in the wild as they did not know where their Danes would be.
“You have been doubting lately.”
“These circumstances have been trying.”
She rests her chin on Osferth’s shoulder for comfort and to feel more of his warmth.
“Everyone would make different decisions, Diana.”
“That is not my point.”
She sighs but knows that this is the hill she won’t die on. Her mind might change after this battle is over.
He turns to look at her and she kisses his temple and cheek.
“I love you,” she tells him. “Once this is over, I am going to corner and ravish you. We haven’t had peace in the last few weeks.”
She giggles at his expression and plants a bigger kiss on his cheek as they continue on the journey to Tettenhall.
The night before, she wishes she could cozy up to Osferth alone, but she is glad to be in the company of her friends. She comes back with two rabbits as she hears Finan speak.
“I’m sure they are making up a battle plan as we speak.”
“If they’re not too busy humping each other.”
Finan laughs as she tosses the rabbits to Sihtric and her knife for him to skin. She sits down against Osferth’s good side.
“Maybe you and Osferth should get down to business yourself,” he remarks.
She snorts.
“What makes you think we don’t?”
Sihtric snorts and she kicks him in the knee when he isn’t skinning the rabbits.
She listens to the crackle of the fire and sighs as she leans her head back against Osferth’s chest. He entwines his fingers with hers as she revels in the silence among her friends. She knows that whatever happens tomorrow, they will see each other again.
She takes the tankard that Finan gives her as she’ll share it with Osferth.
“To family and friendship. May we live to create chaos for another day.”
Finan and Sihtric cheer in agreement as the tankards are clanked together. She hopes that the gods will protect them once more and that she has a chance to ravish Osferth as she wishes.
Chronicles
ACT 1
OsfethxOC!Dane (Diana)
This chapter covers events from season 4, episodes 1-3. Of course, spoilers!
Warnings: Death, violence, fluff, angst, threats of death, religious talk, flashbacks, hints of intimacy
Rating: PG
Word count: 3.7k
“The gods will lead you where you must go. Never forget that, Diana."
Her father’s words rung in her head as she pulls the reigns on her horse to stop. Her auburn hair tied back into small braids floats in the strong breeze on the cliffs of Bebbanburg. She takes in the scenery around her of the seemingly serene fortress and the land around it before she hears the calls of violence on the shore.
She watches the two forces battle on the shore, staining the sands with blood and tainting the serene landscape with screams and bellowed orders. She assumes that one of the forces is of Bebbanburg but the other she does not recognize. All she knows is that the gods have brought her here for a reason.
She leans on the pommel of the saddle as more opposing forces come from the other side of the shore, chasing the other force back up. She smirks a little before sitting up and nudging her horse forward to watch.
Her quiver of arrows and bow strung across her back bounce against her back but she does not mind. It is the rhytmn of travel that she has grown used to. Her comfort is second to her purpose. She does not see a good vantage point from where she stops behind some shrubbery leading up to the fortress.
A hand against her back urges her to turn to the woods and she curses at the lack of safe scouting places. She retreats into the woods for protection, not that she wishes for it. She ties up her horse to a lower hanging branch and starts to look for supplies. If she had stayed, perhaps she would have known that her lover was closer than she knew.
Three weeks ago
Diana hadn’t known the sweet comforts of home since she was of marriageable age. The Saxons had made sure of that. But allowing herself to settle in with Uhtred’s company at Cockham reminded her that home needn’t just be a place, but the people she surrounded herself with.
Coming back to the small house she and Osferth resided in, she furrowed her brow as she saw him strap on his leather chest plate and reached for his sword. She set her basket down on the table with herbs and flowers for tonics and salves.
“Going so soon?”
Osferth looked up at her and nods with no trace of a blush on his cheeks. That was reserved for other times that they were together.
“Uhtred has asked Finan and I to spy.”
“Spy?” She approached him and swatted his hands as she finished strapping the leather plate on his chest. “I think you and I both know that Finan cannot be a spy if he doesn’t shut his mouth.”
Osferth smiled a little at her comment and watched how her humble fingers traced over the cross design on the plate.
“It is important to Uhtred. He understands that.”
“And what do you think I will be doing when you are gone?” She asked as she returned her gaze to his. “Cowering and biting my thumb for you to return to me?”
“It would not suit you,” he spoke softly as he tucked some of her stray hair from her braid behind her ear. “But I will return, to you and to the men.”
She felt a retort on her tongue but kept it back. Now was not the time.
“I will leave you to your prayers.”
She knew not to disturb him before he left with Uhtred’s commands. She had her faith, and he had his.
He grabbed her wrist.
“Diana.”
She sighed and turned to face him once more.
“Osferth.”
He leaned his forehead against hers and moved the hand holding her wrist to the side of her face.
“I will return.”
“Then I will make a sacrifice to Freya to keep you safe.”
They breathed in each other’s breath before she pulled away.
On the outside back wall of their home, lied a covered altar. This was her sacred space for prayer and sacrifices, just as Osferth had his. She lit the candles to Freya and spoke out her desired incantation, willing for Osferth to return to her from his journey.
As she has felt before, the strong sensation of Seeing washed over her, and she woke up against the cold dirt, unsure of how much time had passed.
“Diana,” She heard Sihtric call to her. “The ship is leaving.”
She looked into his eyes and wondered if he also saw the powers washing over her. He helped her up and they dashed to the port where the last man was boarding. She pushed past people and practically jumped onto the boat herself to kiss Osferth, despite the whistling and cat calling of the men around her.
The blush crept up Osferth’s cheeks but her gaze remained on him.
“Do not forget your oath to me, monk.”
“I shall whisper it to God everyday, Dane.”
She grinned and pulled back as Finan ordered the boat to pull back from the port. She watched as the boat disappeared over the horizon, hoping her prayers would follow Osferth’s safety.
Diana wakes under the grove of trees and listens to the quiet of the forest around her before she hears her horse nicker softly.
The gods have brought me here for a reason, she thinks.
She feeds her horse and strokes the side of her horse’s neck, feeling the warmth and strength of the beast.
My thoughts and my heart lie with Osferth. Freya be with him.
Osferth
As soon as Finan gave the report to Uhtred about Bebbanburg, all his thoughts went straight to the little home he shared, and of an auburn Dane. He almost pushed the door off its hinges but frowned when there was no sign, nor smells, of life.
“Diana?”
The door shut behind him as he still heard nothing. He thought he would smell incense or whatever salve she was making at the moment. She was always doing that.
“Diana?”
Their house was not large with the kitchen, their bedroom and a small space for storage, which was currently being used to hang herbs to dry.
He ventured into the bedroom, resting a hand on the top of the sword to his left. He then saw a piece of parchment folded in half on the bed. His heart raced as he thought that she had been taken while he was gone but relaxed as he read over her handwriting.
Osferth,
The gods have willed me elsewhere. I do not know how long I will be gone but I am with you in every step you take. Do not do something stupid like Finan.
Diana
Osferth swallowed at her note but did not crumple or throw it. He tucked the note against his leather plate and prayed that wherever she was, God was watching over her.
Diana
She kept track of the days gone by of the sunsets. She did not have Osferth to spend her time with, but she prepares. She watches the torches blink on and off as the night closes in. She rarely lights a fire to not draw their attention towards her, but if she has to, does so far away from her camp. Her furs keep her warm during the night.
As she sharpens her sword one afternoon, she feels the power wash over her. She Sees them boarding a ship with supplies and sailing as if she is a crow flying over their heads. She watches Osferth board the boat and her heart is at ease knowing her prayers have been answered.
She moves her camp to the other side of the fortress, still moving under the cover of the forest, by the guidning hand against her back. Along the way, she collects herbs and flowers she recognizes to continue making her salves. Whatever is going to happen here, her talents will be needed.
“What are you doing?”
Diana looked up from her mortar and pestle to see Osferth watching her. She had not been at Cockham for longer than a year and often retreated to her own company for her tasks.
“Grinding herbs.”
“What for?”
“Salves.” She returned her attention to grinding the herbs into a fine powder and then set them aside before adding another herb.
“Why?”
She sighed and looked up at the baby monk, as she heard Finan call him. He was wearing no armor or sword, just a simple long tunic, which she did not know the name of.
“I am busy, monk. I do not have time to answer your questions.”
His face fell at her words and nodded.
“As you wish, lady.”
Diana snorted.
“I am no lady. I am a Dane.”
Footsteps approaching turned her attention to a frazzled young woman, clutching at the top of her apron.
“It..it is my son. His fever has worsened.”
Diana grabbed her supplies and turned back to the monk.
“I will need your steady hands.”
With her skill, the boy’s fever faded over the day and soon he was back to his usual energetic self. The young woman thanked Diana repeatedly.
“I do not need payment,” she had told her. “All I wish is to be of use.”
Osferth had done as she asked, whether it was to fetch more water or to help her keep the boy steady. She was unmoving and strong in her care of the boy. He recognized the same strength he had forged from his time in Uhtred’s company.
Diana was quiet as they walked over to the stream to wash her hands. She looked at her reflection in the water for a few moments before she stood back up, drying her hands on the piece of cloth she had tucked under her waistband.
“How did you know to help him?”
Diana continued to face the stream, but she felt Osferth’s curious gaze on her.
“I learned and documented my findings. It is a constant cycle of learning.”
She listened to the sounds of the birds around them ebfore he spoke again.
“Would you teach me?”
Some time went by, and she had returned to her own camp to collect herbs that she could not find at her new one. She stopped as she saw three horses approaching the gates of the fortress. She could not see more beyond that, or if the people were allowed inside, but the guiding hand told her to go back to her camp.
Tucking the salves and dried herbs into the pockets that lined her belt, she set the horse free to go back to his master that she had loaned him from. She settled in against the line of the forest to watch the fortress.
The torches were lit and for a while, nothing happened. She wondered if she had made a mistake, before she saw the longer flash of light along the side of the fortress. Tucking her sword against her side and stringing the bow along her back, she made her way over the uneven terrain to the side of the cliff.
“Wait,” a voice spoke in her mind.
Diana stops at the edge and then sees why. The water has made the rocks far slicker than she knew and takes her time scaling down and over to where she can see the familiar sights and sounds of Uhtred and his men.
At the sight of the sea gate and the guards, she looses an arrow easily, halting the raise of a sword against Uhtred. She grins to herself before she makes her way onto the flatter surface of the rock.
“Did not think I would abandon you, did you?”
Uhtred grins at her appearance and pulls her in for a hug.
“The gods have blessed us with your presence, Diana.”
“Among other things,” Finan comments and she rolls her eyes.
She rests her hand for a few seconds on his shoulder before she turns to see Osferth. He takes her in before joining the rest of the men on the flatter rock.
There isn’t much room for all of them on the rock, but she finds the space to pull him close and rest her forehead against his.
“The gods work in mysterious ways, my love,” she whispers to him amongst the sound of talk and the waves.
“My prayers have been answered.”
She looks up at him and turns at the mention of the gate.
“Come on, lift it,” Finan says.
She stands aside as the men work around her. She feels Osferth’s gaze on her as she is Seeing things, just flashes for now. Osferth tugs her along once the gate is lifted.
“What is it?” He asks as the bell rings.
“I do not know.”
Following Uhtred, she continues to sense that Death is near and she cannot do anything to stop it. She holds tight to Osferth’s arm as they climb up the stairs and only lets go for battle.
“Osferth.” She tugs on his sleeve, and he turns to look at her once the corridor is secure. “I do not like this. Something is not right.”
He looks to Uhtred for a moment before back at her.
“He knows what he is doing.”
“Osferth-”
“We move on,” Uhtred says and she almost whimpers from her spot.
“Osferth.”
Her love tugs her along to the courtyard where Uhtred has a man under his sword. She furrows her brow as a young boy joins their ranks.
“His son,” Osferth whispers to her with his sword drawn.
She looks through the crowd and still senses that something is not right. She lays her hand on Beocca’s arm.
“Father, something is not right.”
Beocca looks to her for a moment before back at the men surrounding them.
“Uhtred has a plan.”
Her eyes go up the ramparts where she sees the large bow pointing at Uhtred. Her vision narrows on the point of the arrow as this is what she has been Seeing. All other sensations in her body leave as all she hears is the whoosh of the arrow but cannot See where it lands, until she hears it.
Sihtric’s hand on her arm had pulled her out of the reach of the arrow and it has landed in Beocca’s chest. There is nothing she or anyone can do but watch the light leave Beocca’s eyes.
“May God protect you,” she whispers.
Uhtred’s rage is too much and so he loses himself on the men in the courtyard. She has no choice but to join the fray, but her mind lingers on Beocca’s body. They have to leave. They cannot stay.
“Finan!” She cries out. “Finan!”
She finds him and grabs him by the front of the leather he wears.
“Take Uhtred and go. I will look after Beocca.” She sees the hesitation in his eyes but shakes him slightly. “If you stay here, he will die. Go and do not tell Osferth.”
She rests her hand over the cross on his chest before parting. Diana continues to plow her way through the men that surround Beocca’s body with the screams of death surrounding her. She distantly hears Finan drag a grieve in Uhtred away and she prays to Freya in her mind to keep them safe.
She kneels over Beocca’s body as the bloodshed quiets, protecting him from any other desecration.
“May God be with you and protect you. May He welcome you into the halls of His house and keep you warm. May you be kept against His bosom and have peace.” She trembles slightly as she leans down to kiss Beocca’s forehead before looking up at the guards who watch her.
The gods will protect me. I have no fear.
She closes her eyes as she hears the remaining guards on the rampart say that they have escaped, and she smiles as the rain begins to fall. She tilts her head back, washing away the blood and grief from her body. She did not know Beocca that well, but she will mourn for her friends that cannot. For Beocca.
Footsteps approach and she lowers her head and looks at the man before her.
“He killed Beocca,” the same voice speaks.
“What a prize Uhtred has left behind,” the man says and the others around him chuckle. “So desperate to get away that he forgot you. Whatever shall I do with you?”
She deposits her weapons on the ground as she cannot take all the men around her by herself. She knows her limits.
“I am Diana of Daneland. I carry a son inside of me.” She sees the expression change on the man’s face. “He will bargain for my safe return, even for the loss of Bebbanburg.”
The man studies her as thunder roars across the sky.
“How do I know what you say is true?”
“You do not, but the messages you send will be clear.”
He laughs.
“And why would I send messages of your capture? I could kill you and hang your body on the ramparts for all to see.”
“They could not have gone far. Even I would not sail on these waters unless my life depended on it. Surely, they will crash somewhere on the shoreline, and I am worth more to you alive than I am dead. My corpse would only fuel his thirst for revenge and you and your men would not survive it.”
She looks at the priest, almost tucked away behind the man. I will have to get to him first. The priest avoids her look as the man turns to one of the guards.
“At first light, send messengers that I have Uhtred’s woman, and I will exchange her for Bebbanburg.”
The man beside him nods and leaves his side as her weapons are collected. She stands when she is instructed too but looks at the priest.
“I wish for Father Beocca to be buried, under supervision.”
“You are in no position to makes demands,” the man says.
“Aren’t I?”
Diana stares the man down and looks back to the priest.
“He will need a piece of land to be blessed. I will dig the hole myself. It is God’s will.”
The priest looks at her for another few moments before whispering to the man. Diana watches both of them as she feels the guards grip her a bit tighter.
“You will have what you wish, but if Uhtred does not come for you in a month, I will kill you myself.”
Diana smiles.
“Perfectly reasonable.”
She is put in a cell, and she lays her head back against the stone. For Beocca.
Osferth
Over the chaos of escaping and the suddenness of the storm, Osferth did not know that Diana was not among them. He should have listened to her and told Uhtred. Perhaps Beocca would still be alive.
With the pain of his arm taking up more of his mind, he did not think of the lack of warmth against his side until he was calm and at the fire.
He furrowed his brow and saw the lack of an auburn-haired Dane among the ones who remained.
“Sihtric, where is Diana?”
Sihtric looked over to where Osfeth was and Sithric’s own gaze did not find her.
“She was with you.”
“I lost her in the battle. I thought she had followed us…”
Osferth stood up, wincing slightly from his arm, as he stood back a little to take in the hair color of everyone present. She was not here.
He then sees Finan and Uhtred speaking together and makes a speedy move to their sides.
“Finan, where is Diana?”
Finan looks to the monk who swallows too heavily.
“She is not here, Osferth.”
“But…but why? Was she slain?”
His heart drops at the thought of Diana dying alone, like Beocca. His chest constricts and feels Uhtred’s desire to return spark in his own chest.
“She stayed behind, for Beocca.”
Osferth sees Uhtred look to Finan and he looks to Finan again.
“They will kill her,” Osferth whispers.
“Diana is stronger and cleverer than all of us. She would not have wanted to stay if she did not have a way out.”
It does little to settle the racing of Osferth’s heart as the pair walk away. He sits under the shade of the tree and brings out the note he carried all the way with him. From the water, it is soaked and crumbles in his hand. He rests his forehead against it and is unable to prevent his tears from flowing.
“God, keep her safe, for she is in my heart, and will never leave it.”
He prays that Diana is safe and that she will find her way back to him eventually.
Diana
The priest, who’s name she learned is Aidan, granted her wish. Under heavy supervision of the guard, Aidan had blessed a small patch of land by the cliffs for Beocca to be laid to rest in. She swallows as she rests her hands on the top of the shovel, wishing Osferth was here besdie her. Her hands tremble but she has to be strong.
She digs until the hole is deep and wide enough for Beocca to lie in. She is gentle with his body, wrapped in cloth, and with his cross on top of the cloth. She looks at the corpse for a few moments before climbing out of the hole.
“You should not have been digging so much in your state,” Aidan comments.
Diana looks at him before starting to shovel the dirt back into the hole.
“You could have contributed,” she remarks.
Aidan says nothing else as the hole is covered just as the sun begins to set.
“No matter how far, my love will travel with you,” her father speaks in her mind.
She shuts her eyes for a few moments before she follows Aidan and the guards back into the fortress.
“One moment.”
She turns at Aidan’s words, waiting.
“Why do you bury him? He is not a Dane, and you are not a Christian.
“I bury him for my friends who cannot. I grieve and mourn because they cannot.”
“But you are Dane.”
“I am human. I feel as you do. Why should my background keep me from that?”
She walks back to her cell and sighs to herself as she lays down on the cot. She is tired, not from the digging, but from being here. Three days already and she is ready to go. But she must wait. She cannot leave on her own and Aidan must break.
Chronicles' first chapter is being posted on Wednesday November 6th at 10am mountain time! The first chapter for Set List will follow sometime later in the week!
Chronicles
Osferth x OC!Dane (Diana)
Warnings: Violence, swearing, fluff, angst, religious talks. Each chapter will come with their own respective warnings.
Rating: PG, for now
Note: The primary story takes place during season 4 of The Last Kingdom with flashbacks filling in their relationship between the end of season 3 and the start of season 4.
“In which the times of the present also chronicle the times of Diana and Osferth’s relationship.”
First chapter on Wednesday November 6th at 10am mountain time!
ACT 1
ACT 2
ACT 3
ACT 4
ACT 5
ACT 6
Osferth and #35
White Mustang - Lana Del Rey - 'caught up in my dreams / you held me a little too tight in your arms / I couldn't stop the way I was feeling the day [...] I saw your white mustang.'
Based on some of the comments in s4-5...... Osferth has turned into quite the womaniser. So have some Osferth angst.
Osferth x established relationship!reader, allusions to smut
"He's got a different girl in every town."
"Some towns he's got half a dozen girls."
"You're nothing special to him, love. Don't pin your hopes on a man who doesn't want you like you want him. You won't be the one he chooses."
The summer sun is warm overhead as you wash the sheets with your friends. You push your hair back from your face and sigh. "I know. I know."
And you do know. In your little town, there are at least two other women whose beds he warms when he passes through. He doesn't talk about it openly, but it's not a secret, either. But he's your one and only. You hope that one day, he will change his mind. That he'll choose you.
The women washing with you give you pitying looks, and it makes your cheeks burn. Their advice is sage, despite the cut of their words, and anyone sensible would heed it. Love is rarely sensible, though.
Two days later, Osferth arrives. He clatters into the town square on his white horse with a smile that lights up the sky. You watch from the tavern doorway with your feet rooted to the ground and heart racing. He does not notice you. There is a flurry of activity around him, so why would he? His words carry across the distance in drips and drabs - hints of my lord Uhtred, four days past, and forces gathering to the north. Once upon a time, you would have listened with interest, but now? Now it is only the sound of his voice that you care for. It is not deep or high, mighty or weak. Mild and unremarkable, it is. It makes your soul sing.
That evening, you return to the tavern for supper. Your master has an arrangement with the establishment to feed his washer women twice a week in exchange for their services, and you have been in their number for a few years now. This summer's eve, fish is served to you. It is a fine meal. It does not distract you from the sight of Osferth across the hall with another woman in his lap. She is prettier than you. More lovely by far.
The food is ash in your mouth.
You know that you shouldn't try to approach him this evening and spoil his fun, for he is wild at heart, despite his calm disposition, and that has never been a mystery to you - but you can't help yourself. Jealousy curls in you like a serpent, and it warps your smile into a pained grimace that does not meet your warm eyes.
You approach his table where he is kept company by laughing men and women. His gentle gaze sharpens when he notices you approach, and his pretty lips part. "Oh. Good evening." Osferth says your name, and it sounds like a prayer. Such power he wields without even knowing. It kills your sorrow for a moment. "Would you care to join us?"
The woman in his lap looks at you as if you are truly welcome - no threat at all. You were girls together. She knows you. Knows you do not compare. His hand is on her thigh.
"No, thank you. I wished only to bid you a good evening, Osferth. Your company has been missed greatly."
"As has yours, kind lady."
What's the point in hiding your red eyes? Everyone here knows of your devotion to him. They pity you, for it is not you. It will never be you. But when it comes to Osferth, you have no pride. Only love. And so when your eyes sting and tears fill them, you only smile and nod, and excuse yourself. It's a moment of weakness that makes you look over your shoulder before leaving the tavern, and a moment of joy is your reward when you see him watching you go.
On your way home, you pass the stables and peek in. His pretty, white mare is boxed away for the night. You pass her an apple that you picked earlier and she takes it from you without flattening her ears back. It makes you feel close to him. His mount likes you. Or, at least, tolerates you. Much like him. Toleration. No devotion.
The moon is shining above you when there is a knock on your door. You wipe the tears from your eyes, and open it. There's rosemary oil in your hair.
Osferth stands in the threshold. "Forgive me for the hour." He holds out a handful of wildflowers. "For you."
Anyone with pride would send him away. You have no pride. "Osferth."
It's sickening how widely he smiles when you say his name. "I've missed your voice a great deal."
"I've missed saying your name."
"Say it again. Please?"
Your eyes sting again. "Osferth."
He kisses you.
What is worse, you think later, is that the kiss does not last long. For after a tender kiss, he closes the door and sits with his legs crossed on your bed, and he talks with you. For what feels like hours, you talk together of what has happened in your lives since the winter you saw him last.
"You're unlike anyone I've ever met," he murmurs as you lie, face to face, on your straw bed. He strokes the hair away from your face.
"Is that a good thing?" you ask, butterflies in your stomach.
"I think so. You make me... you make me feel understood."
"You are understood."
He whispers your name. His lips are gentle against yours, his hand warm on your waist. It slides down over your hip and around the back of your thigh, and he hooks your leg over his. "Please," comes his request between deep kisses. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you, too." You drag your fingernails across his scalp and it brings a moan to his throat. "Stay with me tonight."
"There is nowhere I'd rather be."
"Did you have her?" The answer doesn't matter really, for he can have you either way now, too. But the question escapes you before you have the chance to catch it.
"No," Osferth breathes. His hips slowly move against yours while he scatters kisses over your jaw and neck. "She tried, but... all I could see when she kissed me was you."
"She is prettier than me."
"Yes." He runs his nose through your hair and whimpers your name. "But you are dearer to me by far."
You make his toes curl later. You know you make him forget everything but your name, and it turns his tender touches harder and more demanding, until his sweet lovemaking devolves into rough fucking. You take from each other over and over, giving as much in return, too. In your arms, Osferth finds bliss. In his arms, you take the love he cannot give. It's too much. It's not enough.
Morning comes, and you roll over with an ache between your legs and longing in your heart. "Osferth," you murmur sleepily.
The empty room offers no answer. There is no trace of him left, and you wonder if you imagined it all. Across the town square, Osferth tucks a vial of rosemary oil into his bag. He cannot take you with him. But the memory of you is something he will keep.
Hi, I hope you’re okay.
Are you gonna do a part 8 for Destiny is all ? 🤗
my lovely spookycookie!! Am a bit stressed, but trying to relax with a bit of writing…. 👀 Hope you're doing well? 🖤
"Destiny is all" is finished…. there probably won't be another chapter…. but I'm glad you like this Osferth story so much!!
𝑶𝒔𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕
💗= 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒅 ✍ = 𝑶𝒏𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈
💗 Steadfast & Forever When Osferth and Æthelflæd's lady-in-waiting cross paths, a mutual fascination begins. Oneshot Pairing: Osferth x Unnamed OFC Genre: Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Period Drama (Middle Ages) Content Warnings: Language, Depictions of Religion, Adult Themes
✍ We Have This Hope Mini-series based on Steadfast & Forever Aefry heard much talk around Wintancaester of the young monk who had joined Uhtred's ranks. When he rescues her lady, the King's own daughter, and appears at her door, Aefry finds her interest far from quelled. Instead, it is piqued tenfold. Years of hasty meetings and stolen glances follow as Uhtred and his men pass through town, and Aefry determines to discover all she can about this mysterious warrior-monk. Multi Chapter Series Pairing: Osferth x Aefry (OC) Genre: Stranger to Friends to Lovers, Period Drama (Middle Ages) Content Warnings: Smut, Strong Language, Mentions of Violence, Religious Guilt, Depictions of Illegitimacy
💗Lacnunga, or, Remedy After a healer helps Osferth, it is his turn to help her. Oneshot Pairing: Osferth x Reader Genre: Fluff Content Warnings: Language