“But where will I go?”
“I will approach a tavern owner on your behalf,” Giric said, though Saga hadn’t realized he’d been standing so close. She would not stop him, but she could not bring herself to help the woman for the permanent damage she nearly caused.
“Stay here for a moment,” he said to Saga and moved off with Aslaug to enter a wooden structure nearby. A short while later he returned alone.
“She has employment and lodging.”
“You are kinder to her than I can be.”
“Aye, mayhap.” He looked in the direction she stared. “You are taking it all in.”
Men moved sacks of Odin only knew what from one side of the docking area to the other. Several ships were either being loaded or unloaded, and Saga could not help but stop and stare. Gunnar owned three ships. She’d never seen this many before.
“Are you impressed?” Giric asked.
“You do much trading here.”
“Aye, we do. Crofters from my lands and many others provide goods for trade coming out of this port. You can imagine how devastating it would be for us if Gunnar attacked here.”
Something niggled at her. While she had agreed to this union to prevent such attacks, surely there was more than that binding them now as husband and wife. Or was that just howshefelt?
She looked at Giric and watched as he nodded to the men as he passed. Many even bowed to him. They appeared to respect him, but it seemed no different to how men and women regarded Gunnar in their village. What she did note was the stench. Fish rotted in a barrel along the harbour and flies buzzed round something a filthy wretch pushed in a cart.
He’d talked at length about ensuring men were free to choose for whom they worked. But by her estimation for the small amount of coin that passed between hands, these men were dirty and scrawny and little better off than those in her village. At least her people were clean.
They came to a structure with a short door, or at least one under which Saga would have to duck.
Once inside, the aroma of cooking food hit her, and she realized that her earlier sickness had fully passed. She and Giric, together with Vigdis, Freydis, and Osgar, sat at a large wooden table while a woman with a hefty bosom fussed over the men.
“We have to wait for my men to return with enough horses so we may as well eat,” Giric said.
The bowl put before her contained chunks of meat and broth; she was also given crusty bread. Saga glanced over to see what Giric did with his and followed his lead by dunking the bread in the stew and lifting the bowl to his lips when all the meat was gone.
She recalled the feast and how he had tried to feed her. Was that the way of it at his castle? Would he insist upon it at their next meal and in front of everyone?
Once they were all finished, Giric ordered a tankard of ale and engaged Freydis in conversation about her healing techniques and particularly the herbs she would need.
“We are always in need of a good healer. If you wish to settle at Castle Domnail, I will secure lodgings for you in the village. I believe you will find the people to be accepting in time.”
“Thank-you,” Freydis said. “It is my wish to see Saga settled before I make any decisions as to my future. I would very much like to see this Edinburgh Vigdis has been talking about.”
“Then once we are settled in, we shall go,” Saga said.
She hadn’t had much interest up until now, but the scene at the dock had intrigued her. According to Vigdis, Edinburgh was a large city. Saga was curious to learn exactly what that meant.
Giric gave her a curious glance and said, “We should go. The horses will have been here by now.”
As they left the tavern, Saga noticed the streets had become much busier than when they’d entered. She looked around to take it all in.
Giric touched her arm and said, “Come let us get to our horses before we are set upon.”
“Set upon by whom?”
Before she had the words out of her mouth, a dozen or more young children surrounded her with their hands outstretched. They gazed up at her with wide eyes, their mouths agape. She looked at Giric and lifted her hands in the air. “What do they want?”
“Coin,” he said as he reached into his purse and grabbed a small handful of coin and placed one in each hand.
Saga did not understand. Why would children come to this place to receive payment? How had they earned it?
