Did Aelswith survive being poisoned in The Last Kingdom?
At the end of The Last Kingdom season 4, Aelswith was poisoned. We didn’t know if she’d make it to season 5. Did she live or die?
There are some characters that we love to hate. From the start of The Last Kingdom, Aelswith has been one of those characters. She was extremely pious, but also extremely jealous of Uhtred’s hold over Alfred. It was only after Alfred’s death that she realized how wrong she had been.
Throughout the fourth season, she spent time with her grandson. Not the legitimate one, but the illegitimate one; the one that she’d forced out of her family. She’d realized what she had done was wrong, and she wanted to spend some time with the boy.
While she, Aethelstan, Aethelhelm, Aelflaed, and Aelfweard were all held captive by Sigtryggr during the fourth season, she mentioned a plant that would be poisonous. Aethelhelm found a way to get rid of Edward’s mother and poisoned the water that she drank. We ended The Last Kingdom season 4 with questions about whether Aelswith would life or die.
Aelswith became the comic relief of The Last Kingdom season 5
We learned Aelswith’s fate in the very first episode of the season. She had survived being poisoned, although she was looking a little frailer than she used to. There was a comment about how she would watch what she ate after that attempt on her life.
Aelswith had spent most of her time with Aethelflaed and Aelfwynn during the time jump to get us to season 5. When Aethelflaed died, Aelswith traveled with Aelfwynn and Eadith, and would end up turning to Stiorra for help when it looked like everything would go wrong for Edward.
Throughout the fifth season, she became somewhat comic relief. She certainly had some of the best lines, including “I killed him with my bare hands…I wasn’t wearing gloves” and “I, of course, need rooms with a sea view.”
How does a character go from being one to hate to one to love and want more of? Only The Last Kingdom can manage something like that.
What did you think of Aleswith’s storyline on The Last Kingdom? Share your thoughts in the comments below.