A Moment in Time

Caddaric Aethelmaere rose to his feet shouting, 'You will go nowhere, Welsh woman! You and your children will remain at Aelfdene, and you will whore for your son's keep! You might have been my woman, but since you find that so distasteful, you will be any man's woman. You will service the guests in my hall as the bitches in my kennels service the hounds. Do you understand me?' He grasped her upper arm, his fingers digging into the flesh hurtfully.

The rage boiling over in her, Wynne slapped him with her free hand, using every ounce of her strength. Then pulling away from him, she fled to the relative safety of her little chamber. It was there that Eadgyth found her, half tearful and frightened, yet angry and defiant. 'I will kill him!' she said to her friend through gritted teeth. 'I will cut his black heart from his hairy chest and eat it before his very eyes!'

'Do not fear,' Eadgyth said calmly. 'Caddaric may say what he wishes, but you will not be forced to whore for your living, Wynne. We will protect you. I promise you!'

'How?' Wynne demanded of Eadgyth. 'You are all terrified of Caddaric. You will not defy him. I must leave here! There is no other way, and in that you can help me, for I will not leave my children behind.'

'Caddaric need never know that we are helping you,' Eadgyth explained patiently. 'Calm yourself, Wynne, and think a moment. Few visitors pass through Aelfdene. When any do come and Caddaric offers you to them, we will see that the offer is not accepted. Trust us in this matter. We are your friends.'

'How can you prevent a lustful man from his desires?' Wynne said. 'And you cannot offer such a man another woman, for Caddaric would then wonder why his whore of the hall was not doing her duty. No, Eadgyth, it is impossible. I must flee Aelfdene!'

Eadgyth chuckled and replied, 'Your fear is making you act irrationally. Think, I beg you! How did you stop my husband and keep him from his vile purpose, Wynne? You frightened him and made him believe you had cursed his manhood.'

'But that was simple given the fact that Caddaric is known to be superstitious, and given the fact that he was already having some difficulty in performing his manly duties,' Wynne said. 'I had but to play on his weakness, but the men who pass through Aelfdene will be lusty fellows, filled with energy and pent-up passions, and eager to fuck a pretty woman. I will not be able to deter them in their intent,' she finished. 'No, Eadgyth, it is impossible!'

'You will not have to frighten these men away from you, Wynne,' Eadgyth told her. 'We will! Berangari, and Dagian, Haesel, and Aelf, and myself. We will convince any man coming into this hall and offered your services that you are a sorceress. That you have rendered our poor husband useless, and if they value their own manhoods, they will not go near you. If there is one brave enough to attempt to breach your walls, we will drug his wine before he has the chance. Caddaric need never know of our deception. No man would dare chance the loss of his manhood, but neither will he admit to fear, particularly fear of a mere woman. And what can Caddaric do about it? He cannot force his guests between your thighs, can he?' Eadgyth laughed aloud. 'It is really quite a good plan, I think. Don't you?'

Wynne nodded slowly. It was a good plan! 'Eadgyth,' she said, 'why is it you are constantly amazing me?' She hugged her companion and then continued, 'Thank you, Eadgyth! And the others too. You are truly the best friends I have ever had.'

The winter drained away and the days grew longer as the springtime approached. The women at Aelfdene went about their daily tasks in a calm and orderly manner. There were no visitors, but they all knew that come the warm months there would be. It was simply a matter of time. Then one day a thegn, whose holding was farther to the northwest, stopped overnight at Aelfdene on his way to Worcester.

'May I offer you the services of the whore of the hall?' Caddaric said jocularly to his guest as they sat sharing a jug of wine after the meal. 'She's a particularly toothsome and spicy wench. Wynne! To me! We have a guest in need of pleasuring.'

'She is not Saxon,' the thegn, whose name was Wilfred, remarked.

'Nay, a Welsh wench. My father fancied her before his death,' Caddaric replied, and then, looking up at Wynne, who now stood before the high board, he said, 'Show our guest your breasts, Wynne.'

It had been agreed amongst the women that Wynne would behave meekly in any situation like this where Caddaric was present, to allay any suspicions on his part when afterward he learned, if indeed he did learn, that she had not been used by a stranger. Expressionless, Wynne removed her tunic dress and then her under tunic before unlacing her chemise to bare her bosom.

'Are those not fine, big tits upon which to pillow your head?' Caddaric chortled, poking the half-drunk Wilfred, who, leaning forward, licked his lips with relish and leered suggestively at Wynne.

'Aye,' he said, and his words were faintly slurred. 'I would enjoy a tumble with your whore, Caddaric Aethelmaere. I dislike travel intensely, for I am a man who services all his women daily. When I am forced to travel, my energies become pent-up and I sicken. I have been on the road for three days now, with the prospect of another two days of riding before I reach my destination; not to mention the return trip. She looks like she'll be a juicy fuck.'

'Wait at his bed space for our guest, Wynne,' Caddaric ordered her with a pleased grin.

With a cold nod, Wynne restored her clothing to their proper mode and moved away from the high board. Berangari leaned over from her place at her husband's left and whispered something in his ear. Arising, he asked that his guest excuse him for a brief moment and moved off with his woman. Eadgyth slipped into her husband's place and said softly to Wilfred, 'Do not use the woman Wynne, my lord.'

'What?' Wilfred looked puzzled.

'She is a sorceress, my lord. My husband sought to have her after his father died. She cursed his manhood so that he has not functioned in a normal manner since. She has threatened to do so with any man who tries to mount her.'

'This is truth, lady?' The thegn, Wilfred, looked distinctly worried regarding Eadgyth's revelations.

'Aye, my lord,' Eadgyth said, nodding her head vigorously.

'Why does your husband offer such a woman to his guests then?' Wilfred contemplated aloud. 'Why does he not just send her away?'

'He will not send her away because he promised his father to look after her. Wynne was the old thegn's favorite. She is our healer,' Eadgyth explained logically. 'My husband is a generous man, but somewhat shortsighted at times. He would be the best of hosts, you see, and foolishly offers the woman to you, hoping to please.'

'You're certain the woman would curse me?' Wilfred asked, his eyes moving down the hall to where Wynne stood. She was a most toothsome female, and he was very reluctant to give her up.

'Did you see her smile, my lord? She never smiles. Ever. She had a soft spot for the old thegn, but she is a cold, hard woman with no heart. She wouldn't hesitate to hex you. I think she enjoys hurting men. Ahhh! The suffering she has caused us all!' Eadgyth sighed, her hand resting dramatically over her heart. 'I would not wish such tragedy upon your wife and women. My poor Caddaric! He will never be the same again, although,' and here Eadgyth lowered her voice so that the thegn, Wilfred, was forced to lean forward to hear her, 'you must not tell him I told you of our mutual misfortune.' And Eadgyth wiped a tear from her eye, or so at least the thegn, Wilfred, thought, sympathy rising in his breast for this gentle, good woman who but sought to save him.

'There, there,' he sympathized with her, patting Eadgyth's hand. 'Caddaric will not know that we have spoken on this matter, lady. As for the whore of the hall, tell her I have changed my mind. Caddaric need not know of that either.'

The next morning the thegn, Wilfred, departed, promising to stop at Aelfdene on his way home, but he did not return. During the warm months of summer that year there were several visitors to Aelfdene, for Caddaric was foolishly involving himself in the politics of the day. King Edward was not well, and Harold Godwinson was lobbying hard for the English throne. None of these visitors, however, availed themselves of the hall's whore. Caddaric was at first surprised, but as the days went by and Wynne remained untouched by any other man, he began to grow angry.

'Is there no one who will help me to bring this proud bitch to heel?' he grumbled to Eadgyth.