‘Embla would never accept me. Unfortunately, she does not wish to stay.’
Lejo and Iskko shared a surprised look. Lejo stepped forward. ‘Unfortunately?So, youdowant her...more than the last one?’
It took him a moment to understand Lejo was talking about his past flirtation with Gertrud. It seemed so long ago now, so childish. And yet, the main problem was still the same...Him. ‘What does it matter? She wishes to go home in the spring. Living the rest of her life in my cabin does not appeal to her.’
Iskko snorted loudly, ‘Of course it does not! Your place is no better than a cesspit.’
Offended by that harsh statement, Runar growled defensively, ‘I have made improvements.’
‘You hope to change her mind then? Do you think it will work?’ asked Lejo, and Runar could tell he was thinking of his own troubles.
‘Embla misses the children and people she cares for. I do not know how I can compete with that, but I will ensure her stay with me is as pleasant as it can be. Maybe she will change her mind before the spring thaw... She seems to like me.’ He thought of the way she had softened beneath his mouth. It had given him hope. He decided to shift their conversation to safer ground. ‘What were Sinná’s reasons?’
Lejo glared at Iskko, but the man gave an innocent shrug. ‘I didn’t tell him!’
‘The children told me.’
Lejo sighed miserably. ‘I do not make her heart flutter! She says she wishes it did—because we should be perfect for one another. But without love, she says, there is no point in even considering me.’ Bitter resentment flashed in his friend’s eyes. ‘What nonsense is that? Love grows in time... That’s what my mother says.’
Runar knew all too well what Sinná meant. ‘She is right. Love must begin in the heart. If she feels nothing, it will lead only to unhappiness...for both of you.’
Lejo’s face flushed with anger, and Runar knew that he had explained it badly. Which was unsurprising as he had never been very good with words. ‘If she does not feel the same way, it cannot be helped.’
‘So, what should I do?’
‘Nothing.’
‘That is not helpful, Runar! Lejo has been unbearable for weeks!’ Iskko interrupted, matching Lejo’s unhappy expression.
Great! He had now offended both of them!
‘What else can you do?’ he huffed in exasperation. ‘You cannot force her heart to beat only for you. In time, she may feel differently, or your feelings will fade.’
‘Impossible!’ snapped Lejo with a bitter expression, and Runar pitied his friend.
‘Nothing can grow in the dark,’ Runar reassured him. ‘And when the feelings you have for her die, you will be glad you did not ruin your friendship. Especially when you find someone better.’
‘There is no one better!’ Lejo gestured to the camp and the darkness beyond. ‘We are a smallsiidaand, unlike you, I have yet to find a woman wandering the forests looking for shelter!’
Iskko chuckled at his friend’s overly dramatic reaction, and moved across to pat him on the shoulder. ‘Maybe we should go to Gudvangen in the spring with Runar? See what other women live beyond the mountain.’
Runar finished tightening the straps on the now tightly packed sleigh. ‘Do you ever hunt near the western cliffs?’
Lejo and Iskko both nodded. ‘Sometimes, why?’
‘When the ice has thawed on the western cliffs, come to my cabin. If you are still interested in visiting Gudvangen, you can come with us...when I take Embla home.’
A questioning look passed between his two friends, the kind that said,Is he making another mistake?To them it must sound as if he were giving up. But the truth was, he was a thief. Snatching extra days to spend with Embla, while appearing as if he were doing the right thing.
He could tell Embla that he was waiting for his friends to inform them when the cliffs were clear. The ice on the western cliffs was always the last to melt, so he would know for certain the thaw was complete, and of course, he would have to wait for Iskko and Lejo to come to his cabin to inform him.
That gave him extra days, not to mention the time he would have needed to journey back and forth through the mountain to check otherwise. That would involve wasting precious time that would be better spent with her. The additional days would be a blessing.
‘Why not keep her?’ said Iskko thoughtfully. ‘After all, she is not the kind of woman to brave the caves or the mountain pass alone, and if no one comes for her...’
Runar nodded. He would be lying if he had not considered it at least once, but he was surprised his friend would suggest it.
They had told him not to steal Gertrud from Thorin, and he had done it anyway. Now they seemed to think he should do the opposite, and why, because Embla was not married? In his mind there was no difference. Taking a willing woman from her husband, and keeping an unmarried woman against her will...both were wrong.
