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Egon felt the mood of the Highlanders improve after he had spent a little more time there. The offerings of clothing and grain had gone some way of mollifying them, although he was still perturbed at how Caoimhe was acting towards him. At first, he assumed that she was biased against all Vikings after what had happened to her, but then she seemed to gravitate toward Sven without any problem at all. Egon kept telling himself that he shouldn't let himself be bothered by it. He hated that he was proving Erik right as well, but it was clear that he wanted to spend more time with her and try and convince her that he wasn't the man she and everyone else thought he was.

While he had been fixing the damaged house, he had seen something in the dirt that glinted at him. At first, he wasn't sure what it was, but after closer inspection, he knew he needed to speak to Caoimhe about it. Through the night, he had scrubbed the item clean, although he wasn't sure what it would mean in the grand scheme of things. He made his offerings to the gods and hoped that Caoimhe would come by again on a nightly walk, but on this occasion, she didn't. He wondered how she was feeling after he had let her know that he had overheard what she and Sven had said about him. The look on her face was one of horror, and he was glad that she didn't hate him completely. He blamed Sven for most of it. That man had filled her head with empty promises of being able to rescue her father when there was no way to tell if the man was still alive. He was taking advantage of Caoimhe's hope, and Egon was bitter toward him for it. If he were more sensible and more practical, then there wouldn't be a problem, and nobody would have a problem with Egon, but when you had one Viking who was promising reparation and another saying that they had to be cautious, well, there was only one the Highlanders were going to favor.

When morning arrived, Egon made his way to Caoimhe's house, or at least the house in which she was staying. He found her standing outside, tending to some plants outside the front of the house, speaking with her sister. When they noticed his presence, Kylie stiffened.

“What dae ye want?” she asked, her words pointed.

“Be kind tae him. Dinnae forget he brought the grain and clothes for us,” Caoimhe said, offering a sweet smile to Egon. He wasn't used to her smiling at him, so he was taken by surprise, but he didn't find the gesture at all unappealing. The way the sun illuminated her face made it glow, and it brought out the different colors in her eyes, as though they were dancing before him. Her lustrous hair was tied back in a ponytail, but a few strands fluttered away from her face, carried by the gentle morning breeze.

“Are ye off again, Egon?” Caoimhe asked.

“Actually, I wondered if I might have a moment to speak with you,” he said.

Caoimhe exchanged a look with her sister. “I dinnae see why that should be a problem,” she said, and rose to leave Kylie to tend the plants. Kylie muttered something to herself as they walked away, but Egon could not make it out. They strolled around the house to a small path that circled around the village. At this time of the morning, most people were out tilling fields, and in the distance, Egon could see them hard at work, and he could imagine how their foreheads would be glistening with sweat from all the effort they put in to raise life and sustenance from the ground. In a way, they were locked in their own never-ending war with nature, constantly battling for survival, knowing that it might all get swept away by a flood or a drought. He started to think about what Erik had said, about how there were other ways to win glory rather than just by slaying enemies in battle, and perhaps there was some wisdom in what he said.

“What did ye want tae speak tae me about?” she asked.

Egon was troubled and not entirely sure how to introduce the topic of conversation. He was aware that it was a delicate matter, but then again, he had never been a very delicate man.

“I found this yesterday when I was helping to fix that house,” he said, pulling a ring out of his pocket. It was a band of silver, and an intricate pattern had been crafted into the metal, making it look as though a river was wending around the circle. “To my eyes, it looks like a ring worn by the leaders of your villages. I noticed that the leader of this village already has his, so it made me curious.”

“Where did ye get this?” she gasped, taking it from his hand. Recognition was upon her face instantly, but then she looked up at him and glared. “Ye...why would ye hae this? What game are ye trying tae play with me, Egon?”

“Game? What are you talking about? I'm not playing any game,” he said, wondering what had precipitated this reaction.

“Oh, ye are. I know ye are up tae something. Ye come here and tell us that ye are here tae protect us, but when we ask ye tae help us, ye say no. Then ye come with these gifts. Are ye trying tae make us like ye sae it's easier tae betray us? Why would ye come tae me with this? Where is he? Where's my da?”

The words were flung towards him like sharp arrows, and each one hit its intended target. They flew on a surge of emotion, and tears welled in her eyes as she gripped the ring tightly, clutching it in her fingers as though it might shatter if she let the air touch it. Egon was confused, though, unsure why she would think he had anything to do with the attack on her home. But if it proved one thing, it was clear that he shouldn't waste his time in thinking about her. She had made up her mind about him and decided that he was a villain.

“I don't know why you think this. I don't know why you're saying this after all I have done, but I haven't seen this ring before today. I found it in the dirt. If I were you, I'd be asking how his ring came to be in this place,” he said, and then marched away, not wanting to suffer any more indignity. He didn't mind bearing the consequences for things he had done, but he was not going to be punished or judged for crimes that he had not committed. He thought that sharing this secret with her might have helped form a bond with her and show her that he wasn't the cruel, callous brute that she seemed to think he was, but clearly, he had been mistaken. He hadn't even been aware that it was her father's ring when he found it; he just thought it was surprising to find such a valuable item discarded in the ground.

It made him wonder how it had gotten there. He was certain that there should be an easy solution, and he was annoyed when it didn't come to his mind immediately. But he felt that it was something he should share with Erik, and frankly, he was getting tired of spending time in this village where he clearly wasn't wanted. It was better to be at home, and maybe now that he had done all this, Erik would stop with sending him across the Highlands to speak to these villagers. What he needed was an enemy to fight. Then he could feel as though he was on solid ground. Then he would know what he was doing.

He gathered the others and told them that they were leaving for the time being. Let Sven defend this village, he thought bitterly. Sven is welcome to it.