Rune’s eyes softened. “I know it isn’t, Frida. Sleep on it, then. See how you feel in the morning.”
23
FRIDA
Unfortunately, ‘sleep on it’ didn’t work. Any hope of a restful slumber went out the window the second I climbed into bed and memories of Rune’s kiss blazed in my mind like wildfire. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Or his ‘solution’ to all our problems. He’d come up with a decent idea, but could I really fake my own death?
Deep down, I knew I could if it weren’t for my family.
How could they be a part of my life if I wasn’t a member of the guild? And how could Inotstay here, where I truly wanted to be?
Finding a solution felt impossible.
After a night of tossing and turning, I shuffled over to Arvid’s house to complete the last section of his fence. He and his entire family were outside waiting for me, their arms bundled with an array of treats.
Beaming, Arvid bustled over to me with a wooden tray topped with well over a dozen different varieties of cheese. “For you, my lady.”
I laughed, but I eagerly took the offered platter. “Arvid, what’s all this? Our agreement was five wheels, and you already gave me three. There’s…sixteen more here, if I’m counting correctly.”
“Five didn’t seem like nearly enough for how much work you’ve put into this.” A wry grin spread across his bearded face. “Rune mentioned this is your very first woodworking job. Ever. I’m impressed by your work. Truly.”
I felt myself brighten at that, like his praise and generosity was sloughing off some of my exhaustion. “Really?”
“Really.” He nodded sagely. “It’ll keep all our animals safe on the farm, and they can’t wander off into the forest again. Plus, it’s just in time for our two lost cows to return. Seemed they were having an adventure, but I’d rather not lose them again.”
“Well, I’m glad it’s all worked out, anyway.” I smiled. “It’s been an honor to build your fence, Arvid.”
The rest of the family came over and handed me a basket of eggs, a mound of tea leaves, and a fresh loaf of bread. Shyly, Arvid’s daughter came last with a quiver of arrows.
“Thank you for teaching me archery,” Eydis said softly. “I wanted to give you this before you leave the island.”
Ah. Suddenly, I understood why they were showering me with so many gifts. It wasn’t just about my work on their fence. They thought I was leaving soon. And well, I probably was. I’d yet to decide whether I was rowing that boat out to Louisa’s ship or not, but I’d yet to find another alternative. Rune’s fake death plot didn’t sit right with me.
“Thank you, Eydis. Did you make those yourself?” I asked her.
She nodded, her short ginger hair bouncing around her shoulders.
“You must have spent a lot of time on them. Tell you what, why don’t you keep ahold of them for now and use themto practice? It’ll make me awfully happy to know you’re still working on your archery, even if I’m not here.”
She brightened. “And when you come back, I can show you how much I’ve improved?”
I smiled, though my gut twisted. The likelihood of that happening was slim to none, but I couldn’t bear to tell her that. Not when it might stop her from throwing her whole heart into something she loved.
“I’ll look forward to it. I really will,” I said.
“Thank you, Frida.” Eydis threw her arms around my middle and hugged me tight. With tears in my eyes, I hugged her back and caught Arvid’s smile across the way.
You should stay,he mouthed.
My glossy eyes transformed the dwarf into a blur of brown and orange.
If only I could.
Finishing the fence took longer than I’d anticipated. But when I finally hammered the final beam into place, the dwarves erupted into celebratory cheers against a backdrop of a sky painted orange. Fireflies were already buzzing about, filling the air with yellow raindrops. It was a beautiful sight to behold. I bid each of the dwarves a goodbye in turn, feeling heartsick because I knew this was probably the last time I’d see any of them.
The next morning, I emerged from the cottage at dawn to find Rune waiting for me outside his workshop with an axe strapped to his back and his old dragon saddle perched beside him. Crafted from rich leather and bolted together with forged steel, the contraption was nearly the size of me and must have weighed as much as a horse.
I pointed at the thing. “That wasn’t what I was envisioning. It’s at least five million times bigger than my horse’s saddle. There’s no way we’re carrying that all the way to the cave. It’s a good thing I’ve trained to ride bareback.”
