Unable to help herself, she giggled. ‘You said something similar in the cave. I swear to you, Iwilltell you if I change my mind about our kissing each other.’ Maybe it was the reassurance he would not kiss her again, or his confession that he liked her just as she was, but she felt the easy manner between them return.
‘Good.’ He nodded firmly as if she had sworn a powerful alliance with him. She tried her best to smother the laugh teasing at the corner of her mouth.
An owl hooted in the distance, and she watched as a river of green and red twisted over the forest like a serpent. It was beautiful, but so isolated...so lonely. She pitied Runar living here all alone, with no one to share these moments with.
Are you any different?Embla found herself wondering.What would you be doing in Gudvangen right now?
The answer was immediate; she would be sleeping in the Hall with the boys. No one would ask her to watch the lights with them, or run to fetch blankets or a brazier for her. She would have missed seeing them completely, as she usually did.
At least Runar wanted to spend time with her. Not because she was a trusted servant, or because he relied on her to manage his household.
He liked her.
When he had said that he was glad she was with him...that she gave him purpose, it had felt wonderful, as if he valued not only her skills, but also her presence. But surely, he just longed to have what he had dreamed of with Gertrud? Even if he saw her as different to her half-sister, Embla would still always wonder...
They were like two children playing at married life. It was sweet and enjoyable, but none of it was real, and she could well imagine her half-sister’s face if she could see them now. She would sneer at Runar, and tug Embla away by the elbow.
She had done it before. Warned her that marriage was unlikely for a poor, nameless woman like herself. Reminded her, not unkindly, that men would gladly lie with her—as she was not ugly. But she was...not tempting enough for them to offer her anything more.
What Gertrud had never understood, and probably never would, was that Embla didn’t need the reminder.
Two days later, they were up before the dawn. Runar had insisted it was best to leave as early as possible, so that they would arrive at his mother’ssiidawell before dark. Especially as he wasn’t certain where exactly his mother’s camp would be.
Runar explained it to her as they walked. ‘The Sami fish and hunt whales in the summer, so they live by the coast. In winter they follow the reindeer herds inland, and usually camp by the frozen lake at the bottom of the mountain. Sometimes they travel further east, depending on the herd, but they prefer to stay near me and give me their tributes instead of another Jarl—as I am part of their family.’
‘Tributes?’
‘Yes, for camping on my land.’
‘Yourland!’ she gasped.
The wild man owned land?
No one had ever mentionedthatwhen they whispered about him.
‘Yes, it is mine. My father claimed the land from this side of the mountain to the north... It is only a bit of forest and a lake. Difficult to farm and worth very little. But it is useful to the Sami, and they would rather pay tribute to their kin than a greedy chieftain further south or east.’
‘What sort of tributes do they pay?’ she asked curiously, wondering if all the furs and crafts Runar sold in Gudvangen were part of the price they paid to live here. It seemed an unfair exchange if that were true, but then it was no different to what other Jarls and chieftains demanded.... Except, after spending so much time with Runar, she never would have imagined him to be such a man. He had always insisted on a fair division of the chores and labour with her.
‘A share in their trades. I sell their furs and crafts to Gudvangen, and then buy things they need like hay and grains. A small portion I take for myself, and the rest they collect from me when they pass by. I pay to have it transported by boat to a much larger barn I have down by the coast. The small amount I take to my cabin is all that I accept in payment.’
She smiled, relieved that he did not take advantage of his position. ‘That is generous of you.’
‘They always give me far more in return than I expect...my mother especially. Which is why I have jars of pickled fish and honey filling my stores to the brim!’
Embla chuckled. ‘She worries about you.’
He nodded. ‘She does. They settled this autumn on my side of the frozen lake, which will not be too far a journey for us if they are still there. Travelling down the mountain is also easier on this side. It is not as steep a climb as it is on the Gudvangen side. The land is more forgiving.’
Embla nodded. ‘It does feel a gentler slope. But it is difficult to tell how far we have come, with so many trees...’
Runar gave her a bright smile. ‘Do not worry. I could walk there and back with my eyes closed.’
They walked for a long time through the forest, the winter sun rising and then falling back quickly.
‘We are almost there,’ declared Runar as they trudged through the snow in the increasing shadows of the forest.
Normally, Embla would have been frightened to be outside as it grew dark, but she trusted Runar to keep them safe. He wore his spear on his back, the axe at his belt, and dragged a hand sledge with him. Embla carried a small pack, but Runar said his mother would provide whatever they needed for the night.
