They stood upon the Deeping Wall, on guard together. The others of the patrol were also on guard, but spread further along the wall. Gaeded felt strange in this moment, though she thought that it should feel like any other day. Ælfræd stood next to her. He said nothing, looking out to the grassy plains before them and the silhouette of the ruined town of Marton in the distance. It was a quiet day, as usual, as no enemy dared to approach the great fortress. Normally Gaeded would feel content on days like these – happy to be amongst her fellow soldiers as the shieldmaiden she had once dreamt of being.
What made this day odd was that as Ælfræd stood next to her, she felt a strong feeling that she could not place. It was like the content feeling, but stronger. It had only really started as she’d begun her guard duty today, standing and talking with Ælfræd. They didn’t talk about anything special, she thought, just of home and family, which was a common topic of conversation here. But it was something about Ælfræd and family that started the feeling.
It was true that she and Ælfræd were closer than she was with the other men in her patrol. When she joined the patrol, Ælfræd was the first to talk to her and from then on they grew quickly to be good friends. It felt like they had been friends all their lives, despite only knowing each other for a few months. He was kind to her and was always the one to help her out when she asked and even when she did not ask. It was…
Gaeded didn’t know what is was and… and she started to feel she did not want to know. She shuddered and took a step to her left, widening the distance between her and Ælfræd. He turned his head, looking to her with concern in his eyes.
“What is it, Gaeded? Are you cold?” he asked, only with good intentions.
Gaeded looked away, “I don’t know. I think I have been standing in one spot for too long. I will go stand with Uhtric for a while.” She turned and walked further along the wall without giving Ælfræd a chance to respond, to stand with Uhtric who was able to lighten her mood with his usual jests.
