Leofric and Godiva Pt. 05

Leofric and Godiva -- Part 5

"And that summer, the evil barbarian Viking king spilled endless floods of innocent English blood upon our peaceful shores, enslaving women, biting and beating children, and defiling our holiest places. It was upon the savages' attack at Humber that King Aethelred's fearsome heart failed, and he followed the cowardly ill-advice of the Witengamot and fled England to his Queen's homeland of Normandy," Sir Hulgar intoned, his tortured eyes far away as if seeing each atrocity anew. Whether out of mortal fear, or catatonic shock, the huddled children remained motionless, breathless, and clutched their arms and legs around their vital organs waiting for the knight to continue his story.

Godgifu leaned over, her veil brushing Leofric's arm on his chair next to hers on the dias, "I can't tell you how glad I am that you offered your help in entertaining the children on Visiting Day," she murmured.

"I... I am so sorry," Leofric repeated, yet again. "He said he had a story he could tell them... how... how could I know--" he stumbled, nearly tongue-tied in a mix of horror and awe.

"Ask, dear. Or spend two minutes with the man. Either would suffice," Godgifu said through tight lips.

"Then, the savage beast cut a path paved with English flesh and blood toward London, intent upon carving out the beating heart of our homeland. The Witengamot bowed their heads to the heathen King and sent their innocent and beloved kin to be the barbarian's hostages, as proof that they would keep to their word and acknowledge ungodly monster as their king," Sir Hulgar growled.

"Oh good, I was afraid he might skip over the mutilations at Sandwich..." Godgifu whispered, pinching the bridge of her nose between her eyes.

"So... so sorry..." Leofric said, slowly turning a greenish color.

"But, God was watching!" Sir Hulgar raged, thrusting his gnarled and scarred finger in the air. "The Danish demon defiled the blessed throne of England but a few weeks, before his own horse threw him to his death, ending forever his accursed reign!" At this point, almost all the children cheered, for indeed Sir Hulgar told the tale with such verve and animation that most people would not have believed it possible from a man who spoke mostly through grunts and threatening glares.

"His kingdom, freed from the ravages of the invaders, the Witengamot restored King Aethelred to his throne... and there was much rejoicing," Sir Hulgar said, nodding at the divinely just outcome. Then, he frowned as he noticed a small hand raised over a head canted in deep thought.

"Don't do it... don't do it..." Godgifu quietly urged through clenched teeth.

"Yes?" Sir Hulgar barked to where Frederic sat with his question.

"He did it..." Godgifu sighed, her shoulders slumping.

"But... why did King Aethelred come back? The Witengamot agreed to make the Danish one king, so why wasn't his son the king, after that? Wasn't that the bargain?" Frederic asked, frowning at the discontinuity.

"The barbarian King's son was a mere youth at the time, and the Witengamot saw the chance to place God's chosen English king on the throne, once more. It came at a dear price, but one they were willing to pay," Sir Hulgar answered, his face grave.

"But what happened to the hostages, then? The kin that the Witengamot gave to the invader to back up their promise?" Frederic pressed.

"The Viking's son discarded the hostages on the beach at Sandwich, after carving off all of their noses, ears and hands," Sir Hulgar answered, gesturing to show the carving motions of the knife and making a wet ripping sound for effect, "returning the wretched victims to their families mutilated, if they even survived their terrible wounds at all. You still see some of them around... veils and gloves covering their hideous scars, forever a burden to the families that sacrificed them to free their land."

At these words, the children all turned with wide eyes to where Godgifu sat, ominously gloved and veiled.

"Uh, I can attest that Her Ladyship has all the proper body parts, having seen--" Leofric began, before receiving a swift kick from his future spouse.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Godgifu sighed, unbuttoning her long gloves and wiggling them off her hands and displaying her whole limbs for the children's benefit. Their concerns only partly relieved, the kids remained dubious and continued staring, trying to fathom the violent secrets her veil no doubt kept hidden.

"In for a pound?" Leofric asked Godgifu, quickly glancing to Sir Hulgar who stood at the ready and glared threateningly at the assembly in the hall.

Leofric and Godiva had talked about this, about her someday shedding her veils and allowing herself to be seen as she was. Knowing he would love her and be by her side, no matter what happened, gave Godiva courage. She nodded, deciding that, if only for the sake of the children, she could do this.

"I..."Godgifu began, her mouth suddenly dry, then spoke to the assembly. "The veils, were for the comfort and tastes of my late husband, Lord Wilfred. God rest him," she said, carefully lifting her veils only enough to show the children that each ear was intact and whole. "They became a comfort to me after he died, but also a barrier between me and all of you. I believe every comfort has the potential to become a weakness that keeps us from being whole..." she said, steeling herself. "And so, I must ask your pardon, if my weaknesses have caused any of you injury... and ask your forgiveness, for hiding from you for so long," she said quietly, slowly raising the veil in front of her face.

Godgifu's cheeks flushed and people gasped as her neck, her chin, and then her lips were revealed. She paused and swallowed, screwing up her courage to raise the veil a little more... just enough to show her nose, when her entire face was suddenly revealed when Leofric decided to be helpful and took the entire covering off her and threw it to the floor.

Wide eyed and speechless, she whipped her face to him, shock clearly written upon her features. Leofric, suddenly realizing he had erred, lifted her veil from the floor and folded it clumsily before returning it to her in a haphazard bundle, but the damage had been done. Terrified, Godgifu nonetheless straightened her neck, squared her shoulders and looked out at the assembly.

Face after face staring at her, seeing her... not shielded by a translucent cloth, but bare and unadorned. She loved them all... and she had lied to them. She had held herself above them out of need, claiming a false standard that she failed to uphold. She was a fraud. She deserved to be dragged through the streets and left to die. The people of Coventry deserved so much better than her.

No one moved. No one spoke. Indeed, it seemed no one even breathed until Frederic rose from the group of children and came to stand before her. "It's nice to see your face, my Lady," he said, head still canted in thought, his eyes taking in every detail. "I don't think there has ever been a beauty like yours seen in Coventry..." he said, offering her a wildflower.

"Hear, hear!" cheered Reverend Palmer, clapping enthusiastically from the back of the room. Cheers and yells of agreement filled the hall, as applause gradually broke out amongst the assembly.

"Thank you, Frederic," she whispered, taking the flower from him with a shaking hand, she looked over the cheering assembly in bewilderment. How was this possible? Did they not recognize her? She hadn't been brazen in her appearances as the outlaw Godiva, but she had been known generally about the town.

Blushing, she stood and nodded to the assembly in thanks, "I don't understand... don't they see?" she asked, glancing at Leofric who smiled down at her.

"Of course, they see you... they've always seen you," Leofric said, looking out at the assembly. "But, as is often the case, people will see what they want to see... and I think they've been waiting to see you for quite a while."

"Do you... do you think they knew it was me? Godgifu and Godiva? All this time?"

Leofric chuckled to himself, wondering how his future wife could be so completely self-delusional as to think her unique height and build would go completely unnoticed when perfectly duplicated by a mysterious outlaw. "I think Coventry is a small village... and that these people love you," he replied.

The gathering winded down and people gradually went on about their business, taking one last look at their unmasked Lady before leaving. The boys, thrilled with their new storyteller, surrounded Sir Hulgar and pelted him with questions about Viking raids and other gory conquests, eventually pulling him from the hall to show them the proper shape and heft of a Viking battle axe.

At length, only a solitary figure remained in the hall. It was a man, extremely tall and broad, and shrouded. He kept himself to the shadows, though the hall was not brightly lit. Uneasy, Leofric watched the man gradually approach the dias. Taking care not to give the appearance of doing so, Leofric maneuvered his own body to be between the stranger and the unveiled Godgifu, at all times.

"This 'Visiting Day,'" the man's accented voice called to them as he approached closer and closer to the dias, "Is good, I think, yes? You see the eyes, and the eyes... they see you," he said, thoughtfully.

Leofric's senses sharpened, exactly as they had before going into battle, and he quickly searched the room for the others that must surely have come along with this shrouded stranger. This was not how such things were done... and the secrecy of it did not bode well.

Sensing Leofric's tension, but not understanding the cause, Godgifu took his arm and petted it, peering awkwardly around his large body to the stranger. "Hello, sir," she greeted him, "Are you new to Coventry? Welcome."

"I am new to many places, here, yes?" the man said, still approaching at a measured pace. "This story... to this, I am not new. This story I hear many times, but not told just so," the voice continued. "This story... it is told in whispers and not to children. But this story is not finished, yes? What happened to the son?" he asked, quietly.

The hairs on her neck rose, and Godgifu looked more closely at the tall shrouded stranger and suddenly understood Leofric's tension, his hand carefully pressing her behind him, resisting her efforts to come forward. This was not how such things were done... but, regardless, she would not allow Leofric to be harmed for her offenses.

With swift resolve, she darted backward until she was free of Leofric's restraining arm and quickly skirted out of reach around him and ran to the approaching figure, kneeling in a low curtsy as she replied, "The son returned to England with a great force and took back the land he ruled by rights, and despite the violence needed to establish his rule, he showed great mercy in marrying Aethelred the Unready's widow Emma, in sparing her remaining children's lives, and in showing great patience as the people recovered from the wars and accepted him, Cnut the Great, as their ruler and King of the English, Danes and Norwegians... Your Highness," she whispered, bowing her head and closing her eyes.

The hall was silent, but for the heavy beating of her heart. She wondered, briefly, if the king could hear it, as well. As she waited for her fate, other thoughts drifted unbidden through her mind. For one, Godgifu realized she never knew how drafty it was in the hall before, feeling the chill air creeping across the back of her vulnerable, unveiled neck for the first time. Would she be killed immediately? Her blood spilled across the floor, staining the stones until time washed them clean of all but the memory? Or would she be left alive but mutilated, the newly unmasked mistress of the town turned into a grotesque warning to others? Would Leofric stay with her, if she was hideous? Would he even be allowed to live?

Then, she heard the rustle of a hood being pushed back. A hand took her chin and tilted her face upward to a face that was so strikingly handsome that, despite her terror, she found herself blushing. Stunning eyes examined her face and she let out a shaking breath, wondering if this was the last expression so many of her countrymen had seen before they died. Cnut the Great should have looked like a crueler man, ugly and savage, but he didn't. His face was mind-numbingly beautiful... and yet, strangely annoyed.

"And *some* of the Swedes..." he said, as if reminding her for the hundredth time. "Swedes! Stubborn! Smiling and stubborn! You tell them 'do this!' and always they say 'ja, ja' and then go do what they want! Why no one remember I win them, too? Very difficult people," he grumbled to himself, turning her face from side to side, an appraising look in his eye. Looking up to Leofric, he canted his head with a glint in his eye, "I did not know this was under the veils. If I had..." he trailed off, a hint of a smile on his face.

Relaxing a little, Leofric took a knee himself, "You're better off as you are, Sire. With this one, you would be without the support of the Witengamot, have gnome-sized children, half as much money, and twice as much trouble," Leofric replied dryly. "Your choice of wife was faultless. Your choice of *my* wife, however..." he said, folding his arms in exasperation.

Cnut returned his attention to Godgifu's recently unwrapped face. "You marry this one, yes?" he stated sternly, nodding toward Leofric, still holding her chin.

"Uh huh..." she said breathily, unable to think clearly beyond a few simple words. The blue of his eyes made her feel like she had fallen under the ice of a frozen mountain lake.

"Mmmmm..." he said dubiously, "You be good? Let this one wear pants?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Uh huh..." she agreed, her eyes drifting leisurely down over his large muscled frame, "Well, some of the time," she amended, swallowing and staring unthinkingly at his groin.

"Seriously?" Leofric complained, arms akimbo.

Cnut pulled her chin upward until Godgifu was standing. He bent over until they were eye-to-eye. "And you will give me what is mine. What I use to protect you. What feeds the soldiers. What builds the ships. And for being bad and making me wait, you will submit to your... punishment," he said, his eyes glinting as Godgifu shivered involuntarily at his last drawn-out word.

Swimming in a haze of terrified lust, Godgifu's mind formed the words "Yes, Your Highness," with enormous effort, but what came out of her mouth was more akin to an acquiescent moan.

"Good," Cnut said, releasing her chin, "Go wait in his bed. I send him soon," he ordered, straightening and turning his gaze to Leofric as Godgifu nodded and obediently wandered out of the hall.

Bewildered, Leofric waited kneeling, as was only proper. One did not question the king about why he came to a town in his own kingdom, much less alone, to all appearances. The fact that Cnut came without pomp was one thing. Many men had little patience for the trimmings and splendor of royal life. But, coming without any apparent companions was another thing altogether. Sir Hulgar would have returned instantly if there had been a regiment of soldiers outside. No, the king was almost certainly alone... and cloaked to hide his identity. Something was wrong... and he needed it kept quiet.

Cnut looked down at him, haltingly opened and closed his mouth several times, seeming to search for words, and eventually becoming frustrated and cursing in Danish. "Shall I search for an interpreter, Sire... or will yours be joining us?" Leofric asked.

"No... no interpreters. A little gold makes their tongues go bad... mine speaks with hands, now," Cnut said darkly. "Stand. We use your English. Aelfgifu of Northampton... you are kin to her, yes?" he asked.

Leofric blinked in surprise, then frowned, "Well, only by marriage... I think my father's brother married her second cousin... or cousin once removed... how does that go?" Leofric fumbled, wondering how his distant kinship with a Northampton noblewoman could possibly matter to the king.

"You are kin," Cnut barked, as if that settled the matter. "Pack for travel and go fuck wife. After dark, we ride north."

"Sire, I... I'm supposed to get married in three days. What will I tell Lady Godgifu? She'll be furious!"

"You not married yet?" Cnut asked, a look of piqued curiosity on his face and a small smile playing on his lips. "Tell her you go, but after you fuck. Say with handsome face. Marry after we return. This is not problem," he concluded, looking appraisingly around the hall.

"Can you tell me where we're going, at least, Sire? When we'll be back?"

"Yes. We ride north. Torskey. Tell no one. Go fuck not-wife. Everything fine," Cnut said, looking at the door through which Godgifu left.

Leofric kept his face calm, despite his inner thoughts. Torskey was not the average out-of-the-way English town... it was an off-season Viking camp where the raiders' ships were pulled up on shore and the populace wintered in tents and rough huts together. Cnut was inviting him to ride along into a camp full of bored barbarians for reasons unknown. Well, Cnut was ordering him to go, more than inviting him -- for no Englishman in his right mind would go there voluntarily. Everything was definitely not fine.

*** *** ***

"Where are his troops? How many?" Godgifu asked, leaning out the window looking over the town trying to spy out the king's companions as Leofric entered the room.

"Why?" Leofric asked, going about the room collecting items to pack, "Did you want to fuck them, too?" he growled under his breath.

Stunned, Godgifu turned to look at him, "What's that supposed to mean? What's going on?" she asked, from her precarious window perch.

Scowling, Leofric pulled her bodily from the window by her waist and tossed her onto the bed. "He wants me to go with him. North," he snarled.

"But... we're getting married! Can't it wait? Why is he going north?"

"Oh, I have no clue! Maybe Cnut the Cuntwetter intends to subdue the English populace with his Nordic good looks! You certainly didn't put up much of a fight! I need weapons -- where's the armory?" Leofric said, stalking out of the room.

"What are you talking about?" Godgifu yelled, running after him. "Are you seriously angry with me?"

"Uh huh..." Leofric cooed breathlessly, mocking her reaction to Cnut. Shocked at his demeanor, Godgifu retreated a few steps, the man before her seeming nothing like the one that had so easily won her heart.

Then, anger replaced her shock and she stomped back into the forfeited space, "Well, fine! So, he's handsome! Like... really, really handsome! So what? Is it really so important to you to be the prettiest face in the room? Why the hell are you mad at me?" she asked, grabbing his arm.

Leofric leaned in, blocking her against the wall with his body, "I guess I just didn't realize a pretty face was all it took to turn your head... I guess you really are all the same..." he sneered, tracing her neckline with his finger, dipping deeply into the crevice of her breasts.

Angry, Godgifu slapped his hand away, only to have it return with ruder ambition, "What are you talking about? Just because I thought he was handsome, doesn't mean that I--" she said, suddenly cut off by Leofric's lips crushing hers, his teeth scraping hers uncomfortably. She broke the kiss and struggled against him, trying to see his face to read it, but he grabbed a handful of her hair and bent her head back, kissing down her neck roughly, as if to prove a point.

Godgifu ducked under his arm to escape, but Leofric pinned her to the wall of the stairway, reaching under her dress as she struggled and kicked against him. "Are you telling me that I won't find you dripping and ready after just a few sultry looks from a handsome face? Who cares if he cuts people's tongues out... why should that get in the way of a good time?" he growled, pushing her legs apart with his thigh and hiking up her skirt.