Page 30

15

The dawn sun rose, and Sigrid rose with it. She yawned and stretched her limbs. Her muscles ached from dancing but in a good way. She had been given a room to herself, and she had to admit that it was a little strange not to wake up looking for Erik. He was elsewhere, having his own room and indeed his own home to sleep in.

She got out of bed and descended the stairs, surprised to see that Erik was standing in the kitchen talking to the occupant of the house, who had kindly allowed Sigrid to stay. A wide smile appeared on Sigrid’s face as she saw Erik, and this was mirrored in his expression.

“I’m glad to see that you did not exhaust yourself completely after the feast last night,” Erik said.

“It’s the best I’ve slept in a while,” Sigrid said with a knowing smile, and Erik had to clear his throat.

“I wondered if you’d like to join me for a walk along a loch?” he asked. “It looks particularly wonderful in the early morning.”

Sigrid nodded, accepting his request. She was still wearing the same dress as the previous night. It billowed around her as she walked and was not exactly suitable for combat, but she didn’t see herself having to fight anyone soon. Erik was out of the guard’s uniform and back in familiar clothes.

They left the village and followed a small path that wended up a hill. They passed woodlands and heard singing birds, a few of which soared over their heads before they settled in trees. The dew was fresh on the grass, and the air was sweet. The clouds in the sky were wispy, and as they made their way to the loch, they spoke idly about the feast the night before and how Sigrid had enjoyed herself. Conversation flowed easily between them, and there was a much different dynamic to their conversation. Out here, they did not have to fear being hunted by Ivar, nor did they continually have to look over their shoulder or race away. They took their time, strolling amiably toward the loch.

The loch was still and glassy, with a mossy bank that stretched around it like a bowl. They walked around the edge; the early morning sun gifted the loch with a golden shade.

“What do you make of my home so far?”

“It is wonderful. It’s every bit as happy as you described, and your family are kind and generous with their hospitality. I’m glad that you brought me here, and I’m glad that your father is ready to help me,” Sigrid said.

“I knew he would be. It was never in any doubt. I’m glad you’re not finding it too hard either. I know this must be strange for you, being out here so far from what you knew.”

Sigrid shrugged. “In a way, it is, yes, but also in a way it’s not. What I knew wasn’t very good. I’d much rather live in a place like this. I don’t have to be faced with people who see me as the enemy, although I suppose I haven’t spoken to anyone about my feelings on the gods.”

Erik winced a little and smirked. “I’d keep those to yourself if I were you, but I think people are more understanding out here. After all, Vikings and Highlanders can get along even though they worship different gods.”

“How do you cope with that?” Sigrid asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well…how can you believe in gods when there are other gods that are being worshipped? What makes the Norse gods any better than the Highland ones?”

Erik shrugged. “I try to pay my respects to both gods if I can, but I also like to think that the gods are beyond our understanding, and perhaps there are only one group of gods, but they choose to show themselves to us in different ways. What if we all worship the same thing, but just from different perspectives?”

Sigrid hadn’t thought about it like that before. She was about to respond, but he continued speaking.

“But I didn’t come here to talk about the gods with you.”

“What did you bring me out here for then?” she asked.

Erik stopped talking and turned to face her. Before her, he stood tall and handsome, framed by the ocean behind him. “I came out here because I wanted to talk to you alone. I wanted to talk about…the things that happened between us. I…”

He gazed into her eyes and lost himself for a moment. She couldn’t blame him; it was easy to lose each other. Her lips parted as she tilted her head back to look up at him. His hand had been on her arm, but now it dropped down and slid around to her back, and he did what she wished he had done the previous night. His hand rested against the small of her back and pulled her in. She crashed against the wall of his body, and then their lips locked together. She felt the intensity and the desire within him, the simmering emotion that was suddenly boiling over.

When the kiss ended, she staggered back, overwhelmed by the force of it all, and she was so hot that she thought she might have to throw herself in the loch to cool down. Actually, that might not have been such a bad thought, she mused, as she remembered the glimpse she had gotten of him when he had been fishing. She certainly preferred him without clothes, and a deep hunger suddenly twitched and took hold of her. There was a dazed look in Erik’s eyes as well.

She leaned in to kiss him again, but her lips barely brushed his before he pulled away. “There’s more I want to talk to you about, Sigrid. There’s so much more. Ever since we’ve met, there has been something between us. I wasn’t sure what it was at first, but now we’re here, and I just need to tell you in case I don’t get another chance. I need to—”

Egon interrupted him; he was full of sweat from running.

“Erik…he’s here. Ivar has come!” he gasped.

Erik’s expression hardened, and he grit his teeth as he looked at the ship, its prow pointing directly at the Highlands in a promise of death.

“It seems as though Ivar knows what we’re thinking. We have to return and warn the village,” Erik said.

He and Sigrid rushed back. Egon was in front of them. For a moment, Sigrid wondered what else Erik was going to tell her, and she lamented the fact that Ivar had chosen this moment to arrive, but there would be time for all that later. Right now, they had Ivar to deal with, and everyone was going to need to be focused.

Erik and Sigrid rushed back to the village and let out a warning cry. Ragnar and Egon rounded up the men while Ailis set about making defensive measures to protect the village. Sigrid watched as the most vulnerable people were sent to other settlements, making it less likely that they would suffer. Ragnar gathered the men and then ventured down to the shore to meet Ivar. Sigrid kept close beside Erik, feeling that nothing bad could happen to her if he were beside her. She wondered if he thought the same about her.

When they reached the cliff, they saw Ivar and his men already on the shore. There must have been about fifty men with him, and they all poured from the boat like rats ready to swarm over food. Ragnar gripped his sword and grit his teeth, reminding his men that Ivar was an intruder and he wasn’t going to get what he wanted. The Vikings had sworn to protect this land, and they weren’t going to let someone like Ivar make them betray their oath!

Ragnar strode forward to address Ivar. The two men met across the beach.

“Ragnar, it’s been a long time. You’re looking well for a man who turned his back on the shores of Norway,” Ivar said in a goading tone. Sigrid felt bile rise in her throat at seeing this man again, this man who had caused her so much strife already.

“I did not turn my back on the gods, not in the same way you have. Your actions bring about dishonor to the Vikings, as well as the people you ally yourself with. If you’re not careful, you will meet the same fate as Arne Hagen.”

“Arne never knew when to quit,” Ivar scoffed. “And I don’t betray anything. The gods taught us how to be strong and how to progress in the world. If people can’t defend themselves, I can’t help that, whether they’re Vikings or not. There’s plenty to take in this world, and I would be foolish if I didn’t get all I can.”

“Well, in that case, you made a mistake in coming here. We are not weak. If you think you can take the Highlands from us, then you will soon see the folly of your judgment,” Ragnar said. His words were sharp, and Sigrid was glad that he was on her side. But she also wondered how many people had made that same proclamation to Ivar and how many of them had ended up losing their lives.

If Ivar was concerned, he wasn’t showing it.

“Perhaps, Ragnar, perhaps, but I have no love for the Highlands. Spent some time here when I was younger and, well, let’s just say I can’t get the call of Norway out of my heart. No, I’m not here to wage war with you or take what you have here. All I want is my due. I want my daughter and my prisoner,” he said, and Sigrid knew that he was looking directly at her. She stiffened at how he referred to her as his daughter, and she dreaded the thought of what might happen if she should be given back to him. It would be a death warrant for them both, and everything she might have dreamed of would never be anything more than a fleeting hope. She wasn’t prepared to let that happen.