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They eventually broke through the patch of trees and emerged near the shore. The ground sloped down dramatically. Jagged rocks and smooth stones poked out as the surface shifted from grass to sand. Sigrid angled her feet to slide as she stepped, using the natural momentum of the world to run down the slope. As she did so, the wooden sword slapped against her thigh. Erik followed her, gasping and grunting as his wounds had still not fully healed, so this exertion was painful for him.

When their feet hit the sand, Sigrid ran along the beach to a small inlet where a group of fishing boats were resting, tied to a wooden beam that had been hammered into the sand. She quickly unfastened one of the knots and tossed the thick rope aside, pushing the boat out to sea. The water lapped around her legs as she told Erik to get in. The boat swayed as it took their weight. They both grabbed a set of oars and started rowing, pushing, and straining to get away from this area as quickly as possible so that nobody would discover them.

The oars slid through the water, pushing them away. The sky was clear, and the water stretched out before them in an endless eternity. Sigrid was too focused on rowing as fast as she could to take notice of Erik’s wistful gaze in the direction of his home. She strained against the force of the water, grunting with every breath as she twisted the oars.

“Thank you for rowing with me. I thought you would have made me do it by myself, but I’m not sure I’m in the right condition to row all the way to wherever we’re going,” Erik said.

Sigrid turned away, frowning as he thanked her. It was rare for anyone to speak in this manner to her, and she wasn’t entirely sure how to react. “I would not expect anyone to do anything I can do. I am not some feeble woman like you’re used to in the Highlands,” she said bitterly. Erik said nothing in return, and she regretted her words, as all he had tried to do was thank her.

They rowed parallel to the shore. Gradually, the part of the land where they had disembarked faded from their view, and Sigrid breathed a sigh of relief. She had been holding a great deal of tension in her body, but that evaporated when she realized that nobody was coming to chase them. She had feared that somehow Ivar would know, and he would have sent a party of warriors to come and capture her, and she knew her punishment would not have been a light one. No doubt she would have been flogged and humiliated, and Ivar would seek to make an example of her. She shuddered as she remembered some of the things Ivar had done in the past, like flaying men or burning them alive. Since he considered her his daughter, there was no doubt in her mind that he would have been creative and exacting in his punishment.

But he wasn’t coming. She was free. For the first time in the longest time, she was free. As the realization crept in, her eyes glistened with tears. She tried to blink them away, but it was impossible. Emotion swelled inside her and overwhelmed her. She was actually free of him! Despite her best efforts, she let out a choking sob and, of course, Erik overheard. He looked at her with concern and touched her arm.

“Are you well?” he asked. She hated how the slight accent of his voice was like a sweet melody in her mind and how he could be so kind to her despite the harsh way she had treated him. Why was he so kind to her when he was her prisoner?

“I am well,” she replied, sniffing back tears and wiping her eyes, annoyed that she had shown weakness in front of this man.

“Then why are you crying? Are you sad to leave that place behind?”

Sigrid laughed. “No, on the contrary, I’m happy. I’m finally free,” she said. Saying it out loud made it more real than just thinking it. She looked out to the sea and to the forest that lined the shore on the other side and realized that she could go anywhere and do anything. The world was suddenly open to her in a way that it had never been before, and she found herself having to concede something to Erik. “You were right before,” she said in a small voice. “I was a prisoner there. I might not have been in a cage, but I was just as unable to leave as you were.”

“Well, I’m glad that we’re both free now, but there are still others back there who are trapped. We have to save them. Will you at least share the next part of the plan with me? I think it would help if I knew where I was rowing to.”

Sigrid sighed and decided that she would share this knowledge with him; otherwise, it would be a long trip with him whining to know. “To form a plan against Ivar, we must go to an enemy of his.”

“And who might this enemy be?” Erik asked.

“Elof Ovesson,” she said. “Ivar has been feuding with him for a number of years now. I’m sure he will leap at the chance to aid us.”

“Are you sure we can trust him? What’s to stop him from turning us back over to Ivar?”

“He would not do Ivar any favors,” Sigrid said, and then she sighed before she spoke again, as this was the part of the plan that she was not looking forward to. “However, he is a traditional man, and so we need to put on an act.”

“What sort of an act?”

Sigrid sighed again. “Elof is the kind of man who does not believe that women should be warriors, not unless they are as big as bears. He sees himself as the one to go out and conquer the world, while the women tend to the home. We will have to pretend that we are married for him to listen to us. He will not believe that I am a warrior.”

“And I suppose if he’s traditional, no doubt he worships the gods as well. You might have to hold your tongue in front of him,” Erik said.

Sigrid glowered and scowled. “I shall have to. It will all be worth it if we can gain his help.”

“Well, I don’t mind that. I’m sure we can pretend to be husband and wife. We can walk arm in arm. I’ll even fetch you a few flowers and kiss you in front of him if you would like. We have to be convincing, after all,” he said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, and his voice was thick with a teasing tone. Sigrid did not appreciate it, though.

“I don’t think that will be needed,” she said. “And I do not like flowers.”

“What do you mean you don’t like flowers? Every woman I’ve ever known has liked flowers.”

“I am not every woman you have ever known,” she said.

“I can see that,” he replied. “Well, I’m slightly offended that you think pretending to be my wife is such a horrid idea. Do you not think I would make a good husband?”

“I do not know you well enough to make a judgment,” she said, and then added after a moment, “But if your skills as a husband are anything compared to your skills as an oarsman, then I would say that no, I don’t think you’d make a good husband.”

Erik looked at her and narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out if she was being serious or if she was teasing him.

Good, she thought, let him wonder. It will serve him well to be uncertain of my intentions.

“I’ll show you a good oarsman,” he said, and then jerked his hands down to lift the oar up before slapping it down on the water. The water splashed in a spray that landed all over the boat and soaked her. She sat there, stunned, and looked at him in disbelief. Then, she reached over the side of the boat, opened her palm, and threw a handful of water at him. It landed square on his chest and dripped down to his lap. He looked at her for a few moments, and she wondered if they were going to fight properly, but then he laughed. Surprisingly, she found herself laughing too.