Our Character Panel Reports Some Research

Pictured: Leofwen

Leofwen bustled about the alehouse preparing the potage for the day's guests. At one long table near a narrow window whose shutters were open, ;Rory and Aedan sat with their heads together. Rory looked at her with admiration as she pored over a strip of parchment, reading aloud what was scratched there. Rory had never learned to read.

"There doesn't seem to be anything certain about the date of King AEthelraed's first wedding. The Author can probably choose any year in the early 980s."

Rory nodded. "When was their first child born?" He watched as Aedan drew her finger down a column of text

"Ummm, it doesn't say. AEthelstan was the first. The seond is Edmund Ironsides. It says he was born around 988. They aren't sure though." She looked up into the clear blue eyes that always took her breath away.

"Och, then I imagine the marriage was no more than two years prior. D'ye think we could say 986?"

Aedan considered, her lower lip thrust up against her upper, and nodded. "I think we can say that. The queen's name was AElfgifu." She looked down at the parchment again. "So Sean's mystery would be from about the early to mid-960s..."

Rory admired the way her soft brown hair waved wher it ecaped from her headdress. He knew she had been wed briefly, that her first husband died and there were no children. That was why she wore the headdress. Her sister Ystradwel, unmarried and a maiden, need not cover her hair. He wished Aedan left her hair flowing as well. He longed to touch... "So who was king then?" he quickly censored his own thoughts.

"Oh!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Rory asked, leaning over as if he could see and read what surprised her. Leofwen heard the the exchange and came to stand by them , her broom clutched in two hands.

"Edgar! Edgar the Peaceable." Aedan read.

Leofwen chuckled. "AEthelred's and Edward's father. None too peaceable, though he put an end to the heptarchy peaceably enough."

Rory looked up puzzled. "Wasn't he the one who...?" he began.

Leofwen replied, "Kidnapped the nun? Oh aye. Wulfthryth, she was, a nun at Wilton. St. Edith was their daughter. Got himself in hot water with St. Dunstan, but that didn't stop the old man from letting himself be made Bishop of this and that and finally Archbishop of Canterbrigge.""

"So what was going on in Wessex in say, 960-965? Rory prompted.

"Not a lot of information here..." Aedan began. She looked up at Leofwen. "My family came from Cumbria, but you lived here all your life, didn't you?"

Leofwen leaned her broom against the wall and took a seat next to her. "After I was teleported from Lincolnshire in the lat 8th century, after the first novel, aye."

"Do you remember what went on after 960 here?"

Leofwen reached for Rory's bowl of ale and took a sip before answering. "Hmm, I know Edgar stuck around for another ten year's or so. He got Edward the Martyr on his wife, AEthelflaed, then our noble AEthelraed on his second or third wife, Ælfthryth, depending on who's counting." Rory raised an eyebrow at the mocking tone she used on the word "noble". "Then later on there was a comet and a famine and the Danes came and..."

Aedan interrupted. "Sounds like we need to do more research and another blog post."