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Erik awoke while Sigrid was still sleeping. She murmured something in her sleep, and there was a wide smile on her face, so she must have been enjoying a good dream. Erik was thankful for this, as she had been through much sorrow. Sometimes she was a difficult girl to get along with, but he had to remind himself that she had suffered so much in life. As they spent more time together, he started to understand her sharp sense of humor, although there were moments when it was clear that she was awkward around him, like when he tried to thank her for rowing. As he slept, his thoughts had been filled with her. At one point, she had told him that she wasn’t like any woman he had ever known, and that was the truest thing she had told him. She was constantly surprising him, and every moment with her was like an adventure.

It had led him here, though, to this place and this man who obeyed the gods and yet clearly didn’t like anyone who deviated from what he saw as tradition. Erik decided that he was going to investigate the place a little more and see if Elof was as trustworthy as Sigrid claimed. If he wasn’t, then Erik could come back here and warn Sigrid, and they could be away before it was too late.

To complete the illusion, Erik took Sigrid’s sword. She seemed to have an attachment to this weapon, although he wasn’t sure why. It wouldn’t serve her that well in combat, and he wondered if her boasts of being a skilled warrior were empty. She seemed confident in her own abilities, but how could she possibly win fights with a wooden sword? Still, Sigrid seemed like a woman who could do the impossible, so he wasn’t ready to dismiss anything just yet.

He left their small room and stretched his aching limbs. The rowing and the walking had taken their toll on his wounded body, but after a day of resting in this place, he was feeling better. He was glad to have a full belly again. Sleeping on the hard floor perhaps hadn’t been the best idea, but he stretched his limbs and felt better almost immediately.

He wandered around the village, which had a sleepy feeling to it in the early morning, as the dew was fresh on the grass and the light of the sun was soft. Elof called out to him and beckoned him over.

“I see you are an early riser as well,” Elof said.

“The dawn is one of the greatest gifts the gods have ever given us,” Erik replied, wearing a wide smile. It was easy to charm Elof, as he was the kind of man who liked to hear what he wanted to hear. Erik’s experience in diplomacy helped him well here.

“Indeed it is!” Elof returned Erik’s smile and patted him on the back firmly.

“How are preparations coming for the ship?” Erik asked.

“They’re fine, fine. It should be ready within a few hours. Soon enough, you’ll be on your way. But before you go, I was hoping to talk to you about the Vikings in the Highlands. I have heard many stories but rarely have I actually met anyone who lives there. What is the land like? What are the locals like?” he asked, leading Erik away.

Erik was happy to answer his questions, but he glanced back toward the house where he and Sigrid were staying.

When Sigrid awoke and found herself alone again, she felt silly and ashamed. It was the second time that Erik had left her before she had woken, and this time she wondered if he was merely out fishing or if he had tried to find a way to escape. Had she been wrong to trust him? He said he was a man of his word, but she had seen how easily he had won the favor of Elof. Had he just been using his diplomatic skills on her as well? She shuddered at the thought of being manipulated like this. Perhaps this had been his plan all along.

She grunted in frustration as she rose from the bed and stormed out of the room, hating the fact that he had taken her sword as well. Perhaps he was goading her into following him, chasing him, or perhaps he just wanted to send her a message that he had managed to fool her.

Sigrid had a dark look on her face as she emerged from the house and looked around for any sign of Erik, but unlike on the beach, there were no footprints for her to follow. Just when she thought she was starting to like this man, he went and did something like this! She knew she should never have doubted her convictions and never softened her heart. People could not be trusted, and just because she and Erik shared a common goal did not mean he was an ally. He had left her alone. That’s all anyone did, and if she was going to be alone, then she was not going to let herself be weak.

As she moved around the village in search of Erik, a man approached. He was soft-spoken and had long grey hair. He tilted his head when he spoke.

“You are the visitor, yes? The guest of Elof. I am Frode, his most trusted counselor. You seem distressed. May I help you?” he said.

Sigrid arched her eyebrows, more annoyed by his offer than pleased by it. But since he was here, she decided she might as well make use of him.

“Yes, I am looking for…my husband,” she said, catching herself as she remembered the lie she and Erik had told.

Frode nodded. “How sweet it is to see a woman so devoted to her husband that she cannot stand to be away from him for one morning. Of course I know where he is. He is speaking with our chief. Come with me, and I will take you to him,” Frode said.

Sigrid was annoyed at the way Frode treated her but even more annoyed at the fact that Erik was speaking with Elof. Was he striking some kind of bargain? Sigrid had threatened to kill him at the end of this. She hadn’t intended to do that at all. Frankly, Erik didn’t mean that much to her; she just wanted him to see this task through to the end.

She suddenly started to worry that Erik had taken all the power here. He was the one who had the ear of Elof. He was the one who would have been able to strike a deal. Sigrid found her pace increasing as she marched toward Elof’s tent. Frode called out to her, warning her not to intrude, to wait for him, but Sigrid was finished pretending that she was some weak woman without a will of her own.

She opened the entrance of the tent ready to be on the warpath. “What are you—” she asked in a demanding tone, but stopped in the middle of her sentence when she realized that Erik was nowhere to be seen. Her brow furrowed as she didn’t know why Frode would have lied to her unless Erik had already come and gone. Perhaps he was on the boat to the Highlands now, fleeing and leaving her behind.

Elof was there, though. He turned slowly and greeted her with a small smile. There was something about him that was different than the previous day. It seemed as if a weight hung upon him. When he spoke, his words were grave, and he found it difficult to meet her gaze.

“Ah, Sigrid, forgive me, please. It is not often that a woman speaks to me in this manner,” he said.

“Where is my husband? Has he left?” she asked.

“No, no, he has not left.” Elof sipped a drink. “But I’m afraid that I must apologize to you.”

“Apologize for what?” she asked, but didn’t get an answer.

Elof snapped his fingers, and two guards appeared behind her. Sigrid’s eyes widened in panic as she realized that she had been double-crossed. The guards had their hands on her before she could do anything, and they were dragging her away. She kicked and screamed and hated herself for ever trusting Erik. How could he have done this to her? Men were nothing but traitorous, deceitful bastards, and she added more names to her list of revenge.

Ivar wasn’t the only one who would be punished. She would see that they all felt the wrath of Sigrid the Golden!