Mathilde (ˈmɑθ.hɪl.de)

"She is like a deer surrounded by hungry wolves - terrified and doomed."

— Prince Ealdred of Bernicia, in a ciphered letter to his father.

Mathilde is the Queen of Deira, recently vanished during the Reginnsþjóð sack of the capital city, Dunwych, in which her son Bernhard was taken hostage. Most believe she was killed in the attack, but some hold out hope that she found the courage to flee her marriage and is now in hiding. Others argue that she would never abandon Bernhard - that if she had survived, she would have surrendered to the Eyjamaður in order to remain with him, even in captivity. King Eadric has dismissed all tales of her possible survival as nonsense, writing her off as dead and gone.

Early Life

Mathilde was born to nobility. Her father was one of the Eot lords who followed Eotwulf north during his conquest of Deira, and was rewarded with lands and titles. Her childhood was sheltered - her father believed her a delicate flower, and surrounded Mathilde with poetry and music. She loved to read romantic epics and often daydreamed about the life she would lead once she left her father's house.

That day came sooner than anyone expected. King Eadric took notice of her during a visit. She was only fourteen at the time; he was thirty-two. He inquired about the timid girl who shrank back from the noise of the men, and learned she was the daughter of his host. When he tried to approach her, Mathilde fled and disappeared into the gardens. When she emerged, she found Eadric and her father sharing a congratulatory drink - celebrating her royal betrothal.

Queen Mathilde

The betrothal was brief. Within a month, Mathilde found herself a married woman, with a husband who was aroused by her tears. Eadric was not the kind and gentle lover she had dreamt of, and the first years of her marriage were filled with weeping. He was controlling and demanding. Each morning, he chose her clothing: restrictive, revealing garments calculated to make her feel self-conscious and uncomfortable. At night, his attentions left her in tears, and bearing marks the servants would later pretend not to see. She was surrounded by strangers, for Eadric allowed her no servants from her father's house, and those he assigned her seemed to despise her as weak and broken. When she became pregnant she received a brief flicker of approval - but when the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage her misery was tripled, and more. For five years, she endured this cycle of pregnancy and miscarriage, before finally giving birth to a son, Bernhard.

At the time of Bernhard's birth, the Albannach peasants of Deira were rising in rebellion. For years, Eadric was rarely at home, and Mathilde found great joy in raising her child. For the first seven years of his life, she was almost never more than a few feet away, insisting on caring for him personally. Only during Eadric's infrequent visits did Mathilde leave Bernhard's side - mostly to keep her husband and son as far from each other as possible.

A Mother Bereft

This period was the happiest in Mathilde's life, and it ended when Bernhard was seven. Eadric returned home to celebrate Kerzennächte, and chose to interrogate his son about what he knew. When Bernhard could tell him nothing of war and instead recited a poem, Eadric flew into a rage. He accused Mathilde of coddling the boy and swore to take command of Bernhard's education himself.

At first he planned to banish Mathilde to the distant castle where his mother Mahthildis was imprisoned. She pleaded upon her knees to remain near her son. Eadric relented only after publically humiliating and degrading his queen before the court, and permitted her to stay as a silent observer of Bernhard's "proper" education.

For the next six years, she lingered in the shadows wherever Bernhard was. She winced at the harsh discipline imposed by his tutors, but knew that any protest would only make it worse. She watched his progress with mingled pride and dread. As he excelled at the martial skills his father demanded, she admired his strength - and feared the kind of man he might become.

Now and then, she managed to smuggle him books of the poetry she loved. Bernhard always read them, and spoke to her with warmth and tenderness. Still, she could see that he was resolved to become the prince his father demanded - and she feared what kind of creature that might be.

Lost in the Fog of War

When the Reginnsþjóð came to sack Dunwych, Mathilde and the other non-combatants took shelter deep within the castle. When the defenders were overrun and the walls breached, chaos consumed everything. Bernhard was injured and taken captive - and Mathilde simply vanished.

Her body was never found. No demand for ransom was made. Her exact fate remains unknown. She has been declared dead by her husband, but some claim to have seen her since the battle.

Her, or her ghost.