Right. Kalfr. Because of course this was all about Kalfr, just as Raye had suspected. This was about her reflecting well on him, or perhaps even about her showing her capitulation, and her penance. Dressing in a way that would show her off for Kalfr, and please him.
It was perhaps more cause to argue, but she’d committed to this. She was proving this. And as Gaelfr wrapped her in one costly, beautiful ensemble after another, even bringing in fine underclothes of silk and lace, she could almost — almost — sink into it, into the pleasure and the surreal wonder of it. Of all these stunning gowns and fabrics, the deep colours, the way the fabric felt against her skin. And even stronger, the brisk, possessive ease with which Gaelfr touched her and handled her, the way he fussed and fixed the clothing upon her, the way his assessing eyes flickered with approval, or hunger, or even pride.
By the end of it, he’d chosen more than a half-dozen dresses, all sturdy and well suited for daily activity — but all beautifully made, too, in lovely colours, with plenty of room for size fluctuations, just as he’d wished. He’d also chosen a variety of underthings, some of them shockingly brazen, with silk and ribbons and lace, and a few with furs and orcish patterns, too. He even picked out hair ribbons, and several pairs of slippers and boots, and a slim leather belt that could hold tools and weapons as needed.
And finally, once Raye was fully dressed in one of her lovely new ensembles, Gaelfr urged her back out into the aisles, so they could join the other women in choosing some new clothes for Svein and Kalfr together, too. An activity that turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable, especially given Gaelfr’s remarkably refined tastes, and the way he listened with unusual attentiveness to Raye’s preferences, too.
And then, as they made their way back down another aisle toward the front of the shop again, they passed… yarn.Weaving yarn, bound on multiple large, wooden spools, in a variety of weights and colours.
Raye jolted to a halt before the display, and reached out a careful finger to brush against the nearest coloured spool of yarn. It was silk, quality, finespun silk, and where had they gotten this, how had it gotten here, into Orc Mountain?
“Oh, do you like that yarn?” Kitty asked brightly. “We have an excellent supplier in the north, and they’ve been sending us a new selection each month. Very reasonably priced, too.”
Raye only half-heard Kitty speaking, as she was far too preoccupied with the yarn, with all the rich colours and textures. Gods, it had been so long since she’d woven anything with colours, but this red would be stunning in a tapestry, especially together with the gold, and…
“Raye is a skilled weaver of tapestries,” cut in Gaelfr’s distant voice behind her, and in her strange frozen state, it sounded almost…proud. “What are your favourites,sæta?”
Raye belatedly blinked at him, her hand still stroking the gold yarn, and Gaelfr curtly nodded toward it. “We will take this, then,” he told Kitty. “And mayhap the red and blue, also.”
What? Raye stared at Gaelfr, her heart suddenly thumping so loud that she entirely missed Kitty’s answer. But it sounded affirmative, as if Gaelfr could really purchase this, now,today— and Raye belatedly clutched his arm, and shook her head.
“But — you’re already spending so much, Gael,” she hissed. “And I don’t even have anything to weave it on right now, so —”
But Kitty cheerfully interjected once again, and waved them over into the next aisle. To where — Raye almost tripped this time — there was a large, solid tabletop loom, made of what looked to be new gleaming maple. It was far too small for the kind of simple, broad fabrics she usually wove these days, but it was the perfect size for something smaller. For a tapestry.
Gaelfr was already nodding and gesturing Kitty toward it, but Raye caught his arm, gripping it tight. “Youcan’t, Gael,” she breathed, hushed, almost pleading. “This, or the yarn. I have nowhere to put it at my cottage, and it would take meweeksto weave even a small piece. And, I’m sure Kalfr doesn’t want it taking up space at hisbyrgi. Remember when we were talking to Olarr, when he —”
She couldn’t finish it, glancing sideways to where Kitty was politely pretending not to listen, and finally Gaelfr harrumphed, and waved toward the yarn. “We will only take the gold, then,” he told Kitty. “Does this shop also offer dispatch? For tomorrow, mayhap, to Kalfr’sbyrgi?”
Raye should have argued more, especially when Kitty cheerfully obliged, and helped them carry the yarn up to the counter. To where Rosa and Daisy had already stacked multiplepiles of the other goods Gaelfr wanted to purchase, in such shocking quantities that Raye felt faint looking at it all.
“You’resureabout this, Gael?” she whispered, still clutching at his arm, but he only patted her hand, and began counting out large, heavy gold coins onto the counter. And if Raye wasn’t mistaken, there was an undeniable hint of pride, or even relief, softening his eyes and mouth. As if it meant something to him, to be able to exchange his long, lonely work in the south into something tangible, something valuable, for his kin.
But perhaps it meant something to Raye, too. And once they’d finished the arrangements for delivery, and thoroughly thanked Kitty for her help, Raye found herself leaning into Gaelfr, still clutching his arm, as they followed Rosa and Daisy back into the corridor again.
“Thank you, Gael,” she murmured toward him. “That was — very generous of you, to offer us such gifts.”
And again, that was relief in Gaelfr’s eyes, or even gratitude, as his hand covered hers on his arm, and gave a gentle squeeze. “Ach, it was naught,” he replied, gruff. “It is what any good Bautul ought to do for his kin.”
Raye’s smile back toward him felt alarmingly grateful, too, and she kept holding his arm while they followed Rosa and Daisy through the corridors, into a new section of the mountain they hadn’t yet seen. And the further they went, the more the distinct sounds of grunts and shouts rose through the air around them.
“Next, the Bautul fighting-pit!” Rosa announced, waving them toward a nearby door. And when Raye accompanied Gaelfr inside, she found herself standing at the top of an echoing, torch-lit room, blinking down toward a large pit, cut into the stone below. And in the pit, there must have been a dozen huge, bare-chested orcs, all sparring and wrestling together, grunting and shouting and swinging wooden swords and axes through the air.
It was quite a sight, Raye could admit, but the best sight of all was Svein. He was sitting nearby with Kalfr on what appeared to be large stone steps, or perhaps benches, cut into the floor leading down to the pit, and he was excitedly bouncing up and down and cheering, while Kalfr grinned beside him.
“Look at that, Papa!” Svein exclaimed, wildly gesturing toward where a massive orc — the one they’d already met named Skirvir — was swinging two gigantic wooden axes around his head. “No one else can eventouchhim, and — oh! Here’s Mama! And Papa Gaelfr! And Rosa and Daisy!”
He’d whipped around to beam at them, and then he leapt up and rushed over, hurling his arms around Raye’s waist. “We’ve been having so much fun, Mama!” he told her, his eyes shining. “Haven’t we, Papa?”
Raye fondly smiled back toward him, squeezing him tight. Kalfr had kept him safe, just as Gaelfr had promised, and she angled a grateful look up toward where Kalfr had come over to join them, his hand clasping Svein’s shoulder.
But Kalfr looked… odd. Flushed. And in lieu of answering Svein’s question, he was blinking up and down Raye’s body with strange, intense eyes, his lips parted. As if something was wrong with her, and when Raye glanced downwards too, she found — oh. Right. Her new clothes. The lovely, deep green dress, wrapped snug around her waist, with a plunging neckline that showed a hint of the racy black lace undergarment Gaelfr had insisted she wear beneath.
Raye’s face heated, while beside her, Gaelfr patted her back, and unmistakable pride flared across his face. “Our mate looks well, does she not?” he asked Kalfr, his chest puffing out. “I have gained her some good new garb to wear, with help from the Grisk and Ka-esh, also.”
He aimed a surprisingly grateful smile toward Rosa and Daisy, who were still hovering nearby, and Daisy waved it away,while Rosa grinned back toward him. “Yes, you look stunning, Raye,” she said firmly. “Doesn’t she, Kalfr?”
Kalfr blinked, once, but then his eyes found Raye’s face again, and a small smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. “Ach,” he murmured. “She always does.”
