Dream of Me/Believe in Me

bustle of the court became too much.” She gestured to the bench. “I used to sit on that bench and watch our children play. Sometimes I can still see myself there just as I was years ago, and see the children as they were, throwing their balls and rolling their hoops. I must admit there are times when I miss them terribly.” Eahlswith sighed, then drew herself up and shrugged apologetically. “Forgive me, my dear. I had a letter this morning from my daughter, the eldest of my children, Athelflad. She is married to the Ealdorman Athelred of Mercia. Athelflad is a dear girl and we remain close despite the distance separating us. Yet we are little alike for she has always taken after her father. Now shewrites to say she and Athelred are beginning construction of more fortified burghs.”
    “This concerns you?” Krysta asked softly.
    “I suppose it should not. Towns where people feel well protected are good for trade and that alone is reason to build them. Yet I wonder if Athelflad and her husband have more than just that in mind.”
    As she spoke, the queen walked to the bench and sat down. Krysta followed her. Together, they looked out over the protected garden where the turmoil of the world seemed kept at bay.
    “Mercia is at peace, is it not?” Krysta asked. Mindful of kind Eahlswith's feelings, she thought to go very carefully. But the queen had inadvertently given her a chance she could not resist.
    “What is left of Mercia is at peace,” Eahlswith corrected gently. “Fully half the land was lost to the Danes years ago. Indeed, I suspect all of Mercia would be in Danish hands today had not Alfred's father, who was then King of Wessex, come to its defense.”
    “Was that when you and Alfred were married?”
    “Yes, after the battle at Nottingham where the house of Wessex turned back the Danes. Alfred was only a younger son then and none thought he would be king one day. But so it came to pass and Mercia has benefited from it. He has been a kind and just … adviser.”
    “Adviser? To the King of Mercia?”
    “There is no king of Mercia. The last one was a client of the Danes. When he died, the ealdormen and bishops of English Mercia declined to name a successor. Instead, they gave many of the powers of the king to one of their own, Ealdorman Athelred, my daughter's husband.”
    So Mercia lacked a king but did have a ruler of sorts, married to the strong-willed daughter of King Alfred of Wessex. No doubt that suited the royal house of Wessexwell, but Krysta could not help but wonder if it also suited the noble families of Mercia, including Esa's.
    Carefully, she asked, “Are there many Mercians at court?”
    “They come and go, although Athelflad is not able to visit as often as I would like. Others are here rather more often than I would prefer, but I understand that my husband wishes to keep them close.”
    “Is there anyone in particular he wishes to … keep close?”
    Eahlswith looked at her shrewdly. “Are you thinking of Lord Udell and the Lady Esa?”
    “They are the only Mercian nobles I know,” Krysta admitted.
    “Esa has made herself unpleasant, as usual, but I hope you will pay her no mind.”
    “I do not wish to give her any importance at all but I did wonder … what is Mercia's role in King Alfred's efforts against the Danes?”
    “The ealdormen and the bishops of Mercia provide men, arms, and taxes to support the army, as do those of Kent, Essex, and many other lands. They also lend their wisdom to the resolving of disputes and the judging of legal cases. All this is important to the king.”
    “Since your own daughter is married to the Ealdorman of Mercia, I thought perhaps they were most important.”
    “Not most, I would not say that. But Mercia is a rich land. I am certain Alfred counts on their support.”
    “Then did he ever consider other marriages to assure the loyalty of the Mercians?”
    Eahlswith sat back on the bench and looked at Krysta carefully. “He may have, but if you are asking me whether he encouraged Lord Hawk to look with favor upon marriage to the Lady Esa, no, he did not.”
    “May I ask why not?”
    The queen hesitated but then she clearly came to a decision. “Alfred is a very practical man—he has had to be in order to preserve the kingdom. But he is also deeply loyal to those he believes deserving of it. That combination of practicality and loyalty would make it impossible for him to urge such a marriage upon one who has served him as