Chapter Text
Gloucester, Kingdom of Mercia, 887 AD
Something was definitely wrong. She had woken feeling groggy and disoriented. It was stronger than the dozy feeling that comes from a mid-afternoon nap and felt more like the morning after an ale-fuelled binge. Not that she was supposed to know about such things, but having lived among fighting men most of her life, she was fond of a jug of ale.
Except that she hadn't been drinking. Her head ached and felt dizzy so she sat up and reached for some water. There was a clink as metal touched glass. That was odd - she couldn't remember putting her wedding ring back on. She had taken it off with much relief when her husband died a few months ago after a year of marriage. Dignified in widowhood, the Lady Aethelflaed had impressed everyone with her bearing and courage in grief. She had always been a good actress.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat thinking for a moment. What had happened to her? Absent-mindedly she twisted the ring on her finger and bit her lip in thought. Her fingers met with roughness where she had expected smooth gold. Puzzled, she stretched out her hand to examine it.
A silver ring with a raised pattern shone from her fourth finger. The image was a knotwork design in the shape of an animal with its mouth open and about to swallow something. She had never seen the ring before in her life.
What had happened to her?