“Wolf cubs, indeed. A dangerous choice.” Ulf smiled at Caelin, then his gaze returned to Arne and Gemma, his expression tense. He pulled the shieling door closed behind him.
“So…” Ulf looked pointedly at Arne. “If Caelin was sleeping by the fire—”
“That is none of your concern,” said Gemma, glaring at him, but it would take more than a woman, even a princess, to distract Ulf.
He strode over to Arne and put his mouth close to his ear. “What game are you playing? Please tell me I am wrong, that what it looks like happened here never happened. She’s a princess — if the Britons discover you have sullied her—”
“He has done no such thing,” Gemma said, stepping around Arne, pulling herself to her full height and squaring her shoulders even though she reached only to Ulf’s chin. She glared at Ulf, every bit the princess she was, and while Arne’s admiration for her grew and his heart swelled with pride, their time here, removed from reality, was now at an end. The impossibility of the two of them was clear and his realisation it was truly over slid into place and fixed in that moment. They needed to put this behind them and move on with the lives they should have, not one imagined trapped in the snow.
“Gemma, we owe him no explanation—”
“There is nothing to explain—”
She didn’t look at him, but kept her gaze on Ulf, defying him to challenge her.
Instead, Ulf grabbed him by the arm and held it fast. “If the Britons find out about this, they will kill you. Tormod may have asked you to bring her back, but you would have followed her here anyway, because you didn’t trust her and now she holds your life in her hands. One word from her—”
Arne pulled his arm out of his brother’s grasp.
“Any Briton will do as I command them,” Gemma said.
Ulf turned his cold gaze on her. “Remind me, Gemma, why you are currently residing in a shieling with a scarred Norse warrior your only companion. Is it because of all the power you wield?”
“Ulf.”
“What? One of us needs to think with the head on their shoulders. Now, let us get you all back to Kirkjaster, then Tormod willdecide what happens next. I suggest, however, you tell him the truth, otherwise you will wish you had your namesake’s ability to soar high above the land in order to escape from those who would seek to kill you.”
“The only person who knows is you, Ulf. How will anyone—”
But rather than listening, Ulf stormed out of the shieling, the door slamming behind him.
“That went well,” Gemma said with a sigh.
“He is right, you know. Your people will not be happy if they ever find out I have touched you.”
“I don’t care.” She placed a hand on his cheek, but he removed it, trying to ignore the hurt on her face.
“But they will. Your brother would kill me for this.”
“Then we must ensure no one ever knows.”
“Ulf knew right away.”
“He’s your brother. It’s not the same.”
He shook his head. “As Rhun is yours.”
Her shoulders sagged. “My brother pays little attention to me. There is no need to worry about that. Although I’m sure Rhun would delight in having a reason to lock me up somewhere.”
“Mama?” They turned to look at Caelin, whose presence they had forgotten. “That won’t happen, will it? You won’t be taken away from me?”
“Caelin, I will do everything in my power to make sure we stay together.”
“Uncle Rhun sent us away, then those men took us prisoner. I want to go back to Kirkjaster and show Elisedd and Einar the cubs.”
Arne felt like his heart was breaking, watching as Gemma knelt beside her son and wrapped her arms around him.
“I want to go back, to be near the river and to watch the boats and the fishermen, to see the warriors train and—”
