Ælfwynn Klüpfuchs

Princess Ælfwynn of Bernicia is the seventh born child of King Beornric the Shrewd and his second wife, Briganta ferch Cadwaladr. She currently serves as Bernicia's ambassador in the court of the Ard-Ri of Oileán Fiáin, together with her third husband, Caolán Ó Briain. She is a favored companion of Cianán Líathdhuine, the current Ard-Ri of Oileán Fiáin, mostly because she refuses to treat him with any deference at all, an attitude he finds refreshing. Ælfwynn is the mother of twelve children, ranging from twenty-two years of age to three year old twins, and she often treats most people as if they were members of her brood.

Early Life

Ælfwynn was born into a busy household, with six elder half siblings and one elder brother. She learned very young that she would need to shout to be heard, and quickly discovered that her voice was loud enough to drown out anyone. This remained true as she grew older, for she was the smallest of all the royal siblings at only four foot eight inches in height. For a time her siblings, especially the younger ones, teased her for her diminutive stature, but as she matured she adopted a voice and manner that projected an authority that could not be denied. She earned the nickname Little Mother among the Young Foxes, and her ability to quell nonsense with a single look and a word became legendary.

Her reputation only grew after her mother was poisoned when Ælfwynn was nine. She took charge of caring for her youngest sibling, Cyneburh, who was less than a year old, and she is said to have calmly instructed her father to marry again for his own good.

When Ælfwynn was sixteen she fell in love with Artair mac Baltair, a young nobleman from Rheged. He was the son of Rheged's ambassador to Bernicia and was two days younger than Ælfwynn. Most of the family found him handsome but somewhat dim, yet she adored him. Although she was small, she could never be mistaken for a child, for nature had gifted her a strikingly generous figure that contrasted sharply with her height. Artair later described their courtship as a hunt, and he was not the hunter but the prey. She pursued him with determination and caught him, and nothing could keep her from her quarry. Their wedding was set for Artair's eighteenth birthday, after which Ælfwynn locked the door to their chamber, and the pair did not emerge for three weeks.

Sadly, their marriage did not last long. Artair lived to see Ælfwynn bear their first and only child, Deirdre, but he succumbed to a hacking cough only months after the birth. Ælfwynn was devastated and threw her whole self into caring for her daughter. Before long Deirdre began hiding from her mother to gain a little space, and Beornric returned Ælfwynn's own advice to her. For her happiness and her daughter's, she needed to find someone else to share her attentions.

For nearly six months, finding the right match for her became a project for the entire family. Every eligible bachelor they could lay hands on was paraded through the court at Dunwulf, to Ælfwynn's irritation and general disapproval. When she finally chose a new husband, it was not one of the nobly born suitors her siblings had gathered but an Eiðbundinn mercenary who trained near the castle and was twenty years her senior. Oleg Gunddarsson was a giant, almost three feet taller than Ælfwynn, and the most skilled wrestler in the company, possibly the most skilled on Ynys. She first noticed him during one of his bouts, stripped to the waist and tossing his opponent as easily as a sack of flour, and she was intrigued by the power in his great frame. The wedding was arranged a few months later, quite hastily, and the happy couple welcomed twin boys seven months after.

During their marriage Ælfwynn and Oleg had nine children over twelve years, and she also oversaw the care of her nieces, nephews, and youngest half-siblings. She became the Mistress of Children in Dunwulf, ensuring that all were cared for and educated while her siblings handled the duties their father assigned them. Oleg loved being a father and was often seen carrying as many children as could cling to his massive frame, all of them laughing as they swung from him. But tragedy struck again when Oleg died unexpectedly one night. He simply lay down to sleep and never woke.

In the aftermath of his death, Ælfwynn needed a change. Grief waited behind every corner of Dunwulf, and she sought her father's counsel. He appointed her Bernicia's ambassador to the court of the Ard-Rí of Oileán Fiáin, giving her a new place to begin again, free of memories both joyful and painful.

Ambassador to Oileán Fiáin

Ælfwynn was thirty seven years old when she became the Bernician ambassador to Oileán Fiáin, and she was intimidated at first by the demands of diplomacy. This feeling did not last. She found that her years spent wrangling children had prepared her well for managing people, and even the ancient and powerful Fae lords responded to the calm authority she had honed throughout her life. Cianán Líathdhuine, the Ard-Ri of Oileán Fiáin, discovered quickly that he liked the small woman and her utter refusal to be provoked. He had long made a habit of needling overly obsequious courtiers, but she would not rise to the bait. Eventually she cornered the older man and scolded him for his antics. After that their relationship grew friendly, and she remains one of his favorite companions.

After a year in Baile Ríoch, Ælfwynn met Caolán Ó Briain. He was ten years younger than she was, from Ardena, and worked in the Ard-Ri’s stables. Their relationship began as a purely physical dalliance, but she soon found that she enjoyed his company and had grown tired of being unmarried. She brought Caolán home to meet her family one Kerzennächte and married him before The Candles had left the sky. Later that year she once again gave birth to twins. She named Cianán Líathdhuine as their godfather, and the children have become beloved terrors of his court, always stirring up mischief.