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Varrik cut him off before he could say anything else. “The Highlanders are not our enemy. They never should have been. We were the villains here, and as much as you try to argue with yourself that you weren’t, you’re never going to be proven right. Let’s get some rest, and tomorrow I’m sure things will be better. We can build a home here; perhaps we might even start families and bring our blood to the Highlanders. One day, we might even have a descendent who will become a laird. We can look down from Valhalla with pride at their accomplishments. All we need is a little patience.

“I’m going to go and look for some food. Don’t make any trouble while I’m gone,” Varrik said.

There were a few other mutterings of consternation as he left, but nobody particularly had anything to refute what he said. The men were tired and hungry, and Varrik hoped that once they had a full belly, their mood would turn to one more amicable.

He ventured out of the stable and walked through the village. It was cozy and quaint, and as dusk fell, it was quiet. The smell of roasting meat filled the air, and it made his stomach rumble. Men were standing outside, drinking from tankards. When Varrik passed, he nodded. The men looked at him suspiciously.

“I was wondering if I might get some food,” Varrik said. One of the men said nothing in reply, but he gestured with his tankard to a small building with a sign hanging out in front of it. The door was open. “Thank you,” Varrik said.

He walked toward the building. Rows of flowers stood outside, greeting any guest with a pleasant burst of color and a sweet aroma. Varrik walked in and was immediately greeted with the sound of a woman barking at her children. There were about a dozen of them rushing around the room, although it was hard to get a precise count because they were constantly moving, as though they had been caught in a strong wind. They giggled and hollered, and in the midst of it all was a ruddy-faced woman who rolled her eyes and seemed as though she was about ready to give up.

“Will ye children stop!” she cried, but the children continued to make trouble.

“Children! Hush!” Varrik said in his powerful, commanding tone. The children immediately stopped and turned to look at the giant Viking. Their eyes went wide, and their mouths opened into circles, but they were hushed. The woman moved toward them and shooed them away upstairs, telling them to get ready for bed. She then turned to Varrik and looked relieved.

“I dinnae know who ye are, stranger, but thank ye. Sometimes they get in a mood where they never want tae gae down for sleep. I dinnae know where they get the energy. I wish I could hae some for myself. I’m Elsie,” she said.

“Varrik. I’m one of the new men who was brought here to help your clan.”

“Oh yes!” Elsie clapped her hands together and smiled broadly. Her eyes were like two small emeralds caught between rosy, plump cheeks. “It’s an exciting time, and I daresay we could use the help.”

“Well, actually, at the moment, it’s I who could use your help. I was hoping we might get some food for the evening. Fiona said she was going to get us some, but she is yet to return, and I fear if we don’t get something in our bellies soon, we’re going to have to start eating the horses.”

“We could nae hae that, could we?” Elsie said with a small chuckle. “I’ll see what I can rustle up for ye. Lots of people come tae me for food. I like tae play my part, ye know, it makes me feel like I’m part of the community. People bring me food all the time tae cook. I always end up with some spare.”

She brought out a huge chunk of meat and started to carve it. Varrik’s mouth began to water at the glistening, sizzling chunk of meat. She passed a slice to him with a mischievous wink. “I’m sure yer men would nae mind if ye hae an extra slice, and I owe ye a wee something for helping me with the children. Their faces were a picture. They dinnae see many men of yer type around here.”

Varrik took the slice of meat and tore a chunk of it away with his teeth. The taste filled his mouth, warm and roasted. He was hungrier than he realized.

“Where is their father? It seems unfair that you should have to care for so many by yourself,” Varrik asked.

Elsie paused carving for a moment, but only a moment. “He’s dead. He died in that fight with yer lot,” she said quietly.

Varrik suddenly lost his appetite. “I…I’m sorry,” he said, unsure if that was the right thing to say or if it would just come across as hollow words. He was surprised that she was showing him hospitality, given who he was.

“It’s no matter. He gave his life defending his family and his clan. What man could ask for better than that?”

“I should probably leave.”

“Oh, nay, nae on my account. If it was nae ye, it would hae been bandits or some other battle. It was always the way he was gaeing tae gae. I just wish he could hae stayed around for a wee while longer, maybe when the wee ones were more grown up sae they dinnae give me as much trouble,” she said.

She smiled, but Varrik could see the haunting pain behind her eyes. He wasn’t sure what to say in reply, but thankfully the children returned. They were now ready for bed, and their enthusiastic mood had been diminished. They came down one by one to say goodnight to their mother, but none of them could keep their eyes from Varrik. One boy whispered in Elsie’s ear. She sighed and nodded.

“Gae on then, ask yer questions,” she said, shooting Varrik an apologetic look.

The children gathered around him and peppered him with all kinds of questions, which Varrik tried to answer to the best of his ability. One of the boys asked him what it was like to be so tall, so Varrik showed him. He lifted the child up in the air and placed the boy on his shoulders. The child laughed with glee, and then, of course, all his brothers and sisters wanted to experience the same thing. Varrik had to lift each of them up in turn while the children swarmed over him.

His focus was so distracted by the children that he didn’t see Fiona standing in the doorway.

“What are ye daeing here? I thought I told ye tae stay in the stables,” Fiona said in a sharp tongue.

“My men were getting hungry. I came in search for food, and Elsie here was kind enough to oblige me,” he said, although his stern words lost some of their effect considering how a few children were hanging off him.

“And it’s a good thing he did, for the wee ones were raising trouble. It’s a good thing they’re here, Fiona. I’ve a feeling that these Vikings are gaeing tae be a lot of help,” Elsie said.

“We’ll see,” Fiona replied in a soft voice.

Elsie finished carving the meat and wrapped it in some cloth for Varrik to take back to the stables. Varrik gently peeled the children off him, who all looked dismayed that their fun was ending. They clung to him and begged him to stay, but this time Elsie wasn’t going to put up with any trouble. She scolded them and told them that it was past their bedtime already, shooing them upstairs, leaving Varrik and Fiona alone.

Varrik’s smile quickly faded when he was faced with the icy demeanor of Fiona.

“I was just coming tae see Elsie about getting ye some food,” Fiona said. “If ye haed just been patient…”

Varrik sighed. “I was patient, Fiona, and I appreciate your hospitality, but the men were getting frustrated. We have been used to making our own decisions and living more independently than this. I think it’s taken them by surprise that we were told to live in the stables rather than being given proper rooms.”

Fiona pursed her lips and tilted her head back a little so that her dainty nose rose in the air. “And what dae ye think?”

“I think that we are your guests, and I’m willing to go along with whatever you like, but I also think that treating us with suspicion is going to make it more difficult for us to adjust to life here. We are here at your request, after all.”

“My da’s request,” Fiona clarified.

Varrik nodded. “What I mean to say is that it’s going to be difficult for us to feel like we’re a part of the clan if we’re stuck in the stable with the horses. I would appreciate it if tomorrow we could have proper lodgings. I think it would go a long way to help us think of this place as home.”

“I will see what I can dae, but for now, I suggest ye stay in the stables and dinnae wander around. Nae everyone is as friendly as Elsie,” Fiona said.

Varrik inclined his head and walked past her, returning through the dark night to the stables. He wondered if Fiona’s attitude toward Vikings was ever going to cool or if she was always going to hate him. In fact, he wondered if she had any loving bone in her body or if she was cold all the way through. The man who ended up winning her hand in marriage was going to have his work cut out for him, that was for sure.