Longings for Home

Bertha’s Tale: A Novel - episode 2

A creative retelling, based on truth but not intended to be read as historical fact.

Her eyes narrowed to focus on the group of figures waiting on the clifftop above her, their horses unsettled by the icy wind that whipped off the sea. One whinnied, shaking its head; another paced on the spot as if trying to escape an invisible assailant. She couldn’t make out their faces clearly through the drizzle, but the stillness of the men, despite their horses’ protestations, made them seem emotionless, cold, as they took in her little party on the shoreline. One pulled his thick furs tighter around him; her friends had, at least, been correct about the English weather.

As one of her companions motioned her to start moving towards the king’s men, hot tears welled up, then tumbled over her lashes and down her face. Heavy sobs heaved her chest as uncontrollable grief spilled out of her. Her legs buckled and she crumpled into a heap, the beach pebbles hard on her knees. She felt so far from home, so alone, although she was told that Francia was visible from here on a clear day. She didn’t believe it; she could have been at the edge of the earth as she thought back to that day when her life had changed forever.