“Meanest bitch in the valley!” I shriek wide-eyed.
We laugh. Eidunn stands, laying a hand on me.
“You look like Freya reborn,” she says, squeezing my arm. “But if you ever call me a bitch again…”
We both giggle. Eidunn is a friend. I’ve never had anyone I can joke with without fearing they’ll take it wrong. Female companionship has always eluded me. I was better friends with Narve throughout my childhood than I ever was with other girls. It feels good, being part of the women’s circle.
“I’m nervous about meeting Sigurd,” I say.
“Don’t be. He will be impressed by your, uh, polished appearance.”
“As opposed to my usual rough and tumble style?”
“Style isn’t the word I would use but… sure.”
“You can be vicious!”
“But really, I would be more nervous about Thyra feeling threatened.”
“Really?”
“No, not really.” She shakes her head before looking up in thought. “Or maybe.”
“That poor woman’s heart is heavy,” I say, pulling my blue robe over my linen undergarments. Ylvin was plain naked under hers. Not me—at least not around the farm.
“I love this blue,” says Eidunn, touching the fabric. “But yes, heavier than you know. Imagine your husband being murdered in front of you.”
“He was murdered?”
“Oh yes, with arrows. Thyra couldn’t do anything. She could only watch him drown in his own blood. Gurgling as his life slipped away.”
“What the fuck…” I mutter.
“What the fuck indeed. She hasn’t been the same since.”
“She was different?”
“When her mother died, she received the keys to the farm. Not easy, but she carried the weight—lifted the farm, some might say. Good at organizing.”
“You liked her?”
“Oh yes, everybody did. She was a stern but fair ruler. Her mind is darker now.”
“I notice. Poor woman.”
“Yes, very unfortunate.”
I breathe deeply. Was that what I saw when I touched Thyra? A vision of her sadness? A depiction of her damaged mind? It felt like more. Something beyond Thyra’s own being.
Eidunn’s sadness also bothers me. I brace myself.
“I… what about… I’m sorry for asking, Eidunn, but…”
“Just ask, by Odin.”
“What about Njord?”
“What about him?”
