The Shadow of a Star

Housewifely little Gunnilda has never been the sort to believe in fairy tales. At fifteen she picked out and won her own husband for practical reasons – simple-​minded, hard-​working Alwy Hogge – and set straight to work raising a family. But soon she was swept up into another man’s fairy tale life of elves, magic, curses, and tragedy. No matter how far onward and upward his life has carried him, she has never quite let go.

Her storyline closely parallels Egelric’s at the beginning, but in later years we see her soldiering on without him. Her story is still being written, so it remains to be seen whether their destinies will cross again someday.

Theme: Gunnilda, with and without Egelric

Rating: PG (nudity)

Chapters: 138
Written between December 12, 2005, and July 4, 2010.

Alwy Wants To Know	February 3	1070
Gunnilda has a late visitor	July 18	1070
Egelric pays another visit	July 18	1070
Alwy wakes alone	October 21	1070
Elfleda and Gunnilda help at the Ashdowns'	December 21	1070
Gunnilda goes to the stable	January 10	1071
A feast and a fire	February 10	1071
Gunnilda runs into the fire	February 10	1071
Gunnilda walks out into the snow	February 15	1071
Gunnilda follows after	February 15	1071
Egelric sees another sign	February 15	1071
News from the King, and another sign	April 18	1071
Bertie is accused	April 20	1071
Egelric asks about a cat	April 25	1071
Bertie tells his secret	June 4	1071
Midsummer Eve	June 23	1071
Midsummer Night	June 24	1071
Alwy waits up	June 24	1071
Alwy tries something new	July 28	1071
Gunnilda escapes	July 28	1071
Egelric stops by for a chat	July 29	1071
Egelric looks into his father's eyes	August 12	1071
Iylaine talks to Gunnilda	August 18	1071
Egelric comes for Iylaine	October 4	1071
Alwy tells Gunnilda	October 5	1071
Gunnilda goes to Egelric	October 5	1071
Egelric brings Iylaine	November 14	1071
Alwy knows something good	November 14	1071
Egelric clears up a misunderstanding	December 4	1071
Egelric says goodbye	December 9	1071
Egelric keeps his promise	March 10	1072
Egelric comes home	March 10	1072
Egelric 'pologizes	March 10	1072
Egelric tells Gunnilda and Alwy	March 11	1072
Egelric has a late visitor	March 16	1072
Egelric arrives at the Hogge farm	May 14	1072
A messenger comes to Gunnilda	July 14	1072
Bertie brings news	August 26	1072
Gunnilda meets the cousins	August 26	1072
Gunnilda comes with news	February 5	1073
Egelric watches	February 10	1073
Egelric speaks with Father Brandt	July 19	1073
Gunnilda runs after Egelric	August 3	1073
Egelric asks Iylaine for a story	August 16	1073
Gunnilda comes again to say goodbye	August 18	1073
Alred says too much	September 11	1073
Gunnilda wakes	September 20	1073
Iylaine wakes	September 20	1073
Egelric learns of Iylaine's dream	September 20	1073
Alwy shows Egelric	October 25	1073
Egelric is startled by Iylaine's hair	January 5	1074
Father Brandt comes for Bertie	March 7	1074
Gunnilda goes to fetch Alred	March 22	1074
Gunnilda gets a surprise	April 7	1074
Egelric offers more help	April 9	1074
A visitor comes to the new house	April 28	1074
Egelric leaves a knife	April 28	1074
Alwy returns	April 29	1074
Egelric comes again	April 29	1074
Alred asks a favor of Gunnilda	May 6	1074
Githa gives some gentlewomanly advice	May 13	1074
Gunnilda gets a dress	June 6	1074
Alred is surprised	June 10	1074
Egelric asks for Bertie	June 17	1074
Colburga tells Matilda a few things	June 24	1074
Alred comes with an offering	July 5	1074
Egelric gets the news	July 21	1074
Alred asks about Bertie	July 23	1074
Egelric has a warning for Alred	August 11	1074
Alwy counts up to seven	August 25	1074
Alred tries to see nothing	September 22	1074
Matilda confirms her suspicions	September 24	1074
Matilda confronts Egelric	September 25	1074
Egelric is not needed	October 23	1074
Iylaine asks about her cat	November 21	1074
Iylaine is told about her cat	November 22	1074
Bertie is forgotten	November 23	1074
Iylaine wonders about a prayer	November 24	1074
Githa comes for a visit	December 1	1074
Matilda lets something slip	December 23	1074
Gunnilda learns her lesson	December 24	1074
Matilda wakes and forgets	December 24	1074
Gunnilda sends Egelric out into the rain	January 15	1075
Egelric is angry with Matilda	January 15	1075
Alred is angry with Matilda	January 15	1075
Alred goes to apologize and needs to explain	January 16	1075
Alred goes to explain	January 16	1075
Matilda finds the clue	January 28	1075
Githa reads a baby's character	February 24	1075
Alred goes to get some sense and some cake	April 19	1075
Egelric asks for help	July 20	1075
Gunnilda comes home	November 17	1075
Something is wrong with young Egelric	February 6	1076
Bertie is shaken awake	February 10	1076
Alwy does not expect	February 18	1076
Gunnilda wonders something	February 20	1076
Iylaine hears a familiar sound	February 20	1076
Egelric and Gunnilda don't have a conversation	October 11	1076
Alred asks Gunnilda what she would do	January 15	1077
Gunnilda sees something new	March 12	1077
Alwy is disappointed	June 14	1077
Matilda comes to tell Alwy and Gunnilda	July 12	1077
Gunnilda gets a lesson	September 7	1077
Alred proposes a kiss for a worm	September 14	1077
Alwy worries about his pigs	November 12	1077
Alred comes for another difficult conversation	December 23	1077
Ethelmund comes home	January 10	1078
Gunnilda has an unexpected visitor	February 15	1078
Bertie pays an unexpected visit	October 20	1078
Gunnilda has a birthday visit	June 15	1079
Egelric is told	May 18	1080
Alwy and his son quarrel	December 20	1080
Bertie learns how clever was his mother	May 9	1081
Alwy gets a namesake	July 29	1081
Alwy is late for dinner	August 20	1081
Ethelmund misses dinner	August 20	1081
Alred invites Egelric	November 25	1081
Bertie brings gossip	January 12	1082
Ethelmund gives Gunnilda an idea	July 23	1082
Alred announces the news	August 5	1082
Ethelmund understands	September 19	1082
Gunnilda acts as a distraction	February 14	1083
Alred turns talk from the subject of turtles	April 26	1083
Gunnilda is just something	July 20	1083
Gunnilda tells Ethelmund what happened	August 8	1083
Ethelmund has a few ideas	September 12	1083
Gunnilda is informed	November 20	1083
Ethelmund is informed	November 20	1083
Gunnilda goes to tell	March 1	1084
Alred hears a new song	March 1	1084
The Philistine draws nigh to meet David	March 1	1084
Gunnilda gives her blessing	July 24	1084
Gunnilda uses her last arm	January 22	1085
Myrddin offers aid and advice	February 8	1085
Gunnilda sees the son	November 6	1085
The ladies have an indelicate conversation	February 16	1086
Gunnilda prescribes the appropriate remedy	February 17	1086
Iylaine says the unspeakable	March 1	1086