Being alone on the beach was lonely sometimes but it was also strangely comforting. She spent time talking to God and always returned feeling refreshed and at peace.
She thought about how Eira didn’t quite understand it.
“I don’t know how you can spend hours talking to a god that you can’t see,” Eira had said.
“I don’t know, it just feels right,” Kaarina replied. “I always feel peaceful after I spend time talking to Him. Maybe you should try it.”
Now, as her stomach began to rumble, she thought about returning home to eat. Emiline allowed her to do as she pleased on the seventh day and sometimes, Kaarina was gone for the whole day, wandering along the seashore or up into the woods. She felt safe here; the Christians enjoyed a good reputation among their neighbors and no one bothered them.
She got to her feet and started walking towards the village, stopping occasionally to admire a shell or pretty stone along the way. Her eyes scanned the sand for anything pretty or collectable that she could slip in her pocket to take home. She was so used to being alone on this beach that it never occurred to her that she might meet another person.
“Hello, Kaarina,” said a voice just in front of her.
She stifled a scream, fear racing along her spine. Landwulf stood in front of her, concern in his blue eyes as he saw how afraid she was.
“I am sorry. I did not mean to startle you,” he said.
“I was not expecting to see anyone,” she told him. “Now, if you will excuse me, I am going home.”
“Kaarina, can we talk?”
“No, Landwulf. Now, if you’ll excuse me …”
“Kaarina.” He stepped forward so that he was standing in her way. “Why will you not talk to me?”
“Do you even need to ask, Landwulf?”
“I am asking you because I do not know.”
She huffed out a breath of exasperation. “Is it not obvious? Or must I say it clearly?”
“Say it clearly. I am a simple man, remember.”
“Let us see. You went away without even saying goodbye. I was told by others that you had gone to find a wife from among your own people. Now you are back and building her a house! Did it not occur to you that these things would hurt my heart?”
He looked stricken. “I am sorry, Kaarina.”
“Well, now you know why I do not wish to talk to you. You are happy and full of wedding plans and I do not wish to hear about them.”
“Kaarina! It is not what you think!”
“I am sorry, Landwulf. It has taken me a long time to be happy again. I do not wish to lose what I have gained now. I really must be going.” She stepped around him and started walking towards the village.
He turned to follow her, his long strides catching her in a matter of moments.
“I do not wish to talk to you, Landwulf. Do you not understand that?”
“Kaarina, let me tell you what has happened in my life since I left!” he implored, keeping pace with her as she marched up the beach.
“Leave me alone, Landwulf. I do not wish to speak to you.”
“Then at least do me the courtesy of listening.”
“I told you, I do not want to know about your plans with your new bride.”
“Listen to me!” he commanded, authority in his tone. “You are making assumptions and you know nothing about what I am about to say!”
She glared at him then gave in. “All right, I will listen. But only this once. So you had better say whatever you need to now because this will not happen again.”
He grabbed her arm and forced her to stop. “Kaarina, there is no wife,” he said.
She gaped at him. “No wife? But did you not go to Alahsan to find one?”
“My parents sent me there. Out of respect for them, I went. But I had no desire to do so.”
“Were there no suitable girls in Alahsan?”
“Yes, there were. There were several and any one of them would’ve made a fine wife. But not for me.”
“Why? Would it not make your parents happy if you’d taken a bride from there?”
“Yes. And their families were expecting me to declare my intentions with one or the other of them. But I did not want to.”
“Why?”
“Because I do not love any of them. And I will only marry for love. I have told Mother that if I am unable to marry for love then I will not marry at all. It is my life and I refuse to marry simply to please others.”
Kaarina was taken aback yet again at the independence the Christians allowed their young people. “I am always surprised at how much freedom Christians have,” she said. “My people marry to please their families or others.”
“I returned because there was no reason to stay,” Landwulf said. “My happiness lies here.”
“Why are you building a house if you have no bride?”
He looked shy. “I am hoping that in the future there will be a bride,” he said. “Kaarina, every time I saw one of those other girls, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I kept praying that God would comfort your heart if you were sad.” He paused and looked deep into her eyes. “I hope you can understand that I had to honor my parents by following their wishes.”
“Yes,” she murmured, “I understand.”
“But when I came home, I told them that I’d tried following the path they laid out for me but it was not for me. I am a man now, Kaarina. I can make my own decisions. And my parents must respect that.”
“What are you trying to say?” she asked.
“I love you, Kaarina. My heart beats only for you. Will you do me the honor of becoming the bride who will live in my house with me?”
Shock registered on her face, followed by delight. “Oh yes, Landwulf! Yes please!”
He grinned the biggest grin she’d ever seen then whirled her into his arms and swung her around. “I cannot believe it!” he almost shouted. “You said yes!”
“I cannot believe it either!” she exclaimed, breathless and giddy. “You are building that fine new house for me? I cannot believe it! I am so happy!”
“I am too. You have made me a happy man today!”
“Does it not bother you that I am not from among your people?” she asked.
“Not a bit! I love you just the way you are.”
“I have something to tell you,” she said. “I now share your beliefs.”
“Really?” he asked in astonishment. “Why did I not see you at the dingstat today?”
“I was baptized in the sea by your pfaffo not long before you returned to the village. I avoided the dingstat today because you would be there and I did not wish to see you.”
He whirled her around again, delighted. “This is such good news!” he exclaimed. “Now we will share the same beliefs!”
She giggled. “And so will our children,” she said slyly.
He blushed then grinned. “Our babies will be perfect,” he said.
Halvar stood beside the mound of fresh earth, watching as the men laid another body to rest. They didn’t have enough cloth for a burial shroud so they had wrapped some rags around Hella’s body as they laid her in the earth.
Poor Hella, Halvar thought. She’d endured agonizing pain from her injuries; she was such a fighter that she’d lingered long after several of the other badly injured people had died. They were hoping that she would have the strength to recover. But at last, her strength was gone; she was no longer able to fight. She’d slipped away peacefully during the night as Bodil held her hand and sponged her feverish face with a cool cloth. It was a blessing that she was no longer in pain.
“Poor Hella,” Halvar said after the simple ceremony concluded. “She struggled so hard to stay alive but her injuries were too severe.”
Canute nodded. His own injuries were healing nicely and he was getting more active again. “Hella had her disagreements with me,” he said. “But underneath, she had a good heart.”
“She made life hard for Eira,” Halvar recalled.
�
��She was good at stirring up trouble,” Canute agreed.
“May she have a peaceful rest,” Halvar said, turning away from the grave as the young men filled it in.
Canute fell into step beside him. “We are almost out of food,” he said. “We were fortunate that Gustav had some stored in the barn on his farm.”
“Yes, it enabled us to stay for longer,” Halvar agreed. “But you’re right, we need to make plans to go now that there are no injured people who cannot travel.”
They’d lingered as the injured fought on, unable to move them but becoming increasingly anxious as the food supplies dwindled. Now that the last of the severely injured had passed on, they could leave.
“We’ll prepare for the journey right away,” Halvar decided. “There is no reason to stay longer. If we are fortunate, the food will last us until we get to the coast.”
“Where are we going?” Canute asked.
“To a village on the coast where we will be welcome. I have bought land not far away where we can establish a new village. It is safer than this place.”
Their mountain home was too isolated, too remote, and too difficult to protect from attacks.
Canute shuddered. “None of us wish to remain here,” he said. “The memories are too strong. A new start will be good for everyone.”
Halvar did a mental count of the survivors who would be making the journey.
“We have the six young men, two young women, eight men, six women, and eight children,” he said. “Thirty people that we must provide for. Have you been to the coast, Canute?”
“Once, long ago. I recall that the journey was difficult.”
“Nothing has changed,” Halvar said wryly. “It will be a long and slow journey. We must be prepared for hardship.”
“We were fortunate that most of the carts survived because they were at the farms.”
“We should have enough oxen to pull them. We can bring everything of value with us. The injured and elderly can ride in the carts if walking becomes too much.”
“We also have the horses that the young men rode on their journey to call for you.”
Halvar grimaced as he recalled the day that the young men had arrived. “I still regret that I wasn’t here to help you protect the village,” he said. “It never occurred to me that the village would come under attack.”
“None of us ever believed that Taft would attack,” Canute replied. “He remains a dangerous enemy who could return if word gets out that we have rebuilt.”
Halvar nodded. “It is better for us to start again in a safer place,” he said.
Three days later, Halvar checked the last cart. It was well loaded and the yokes were secure on the oxen. He paused for a last look at the ruins of the village. Sorrow filled his heart as he remembered the friends and relatives they were leaving behind. He wished for the thousandth time that things had turned out differently.
But regrets belonged in the past. They had a new future to look forward to and the challenge of an arduous journey ahead. He walked up to the lead cart.
“Well, this is it,” he said to Canute. “Our journey to a new life begins.”
As the oxen began their slow plod over the mountains, Halvar felt excitement building in his heart. Soon he would see Eira again. Soon, the rest of their lives could begin.
CHAPTER 12
E ira collected her herb pouch from a hook on the wall beside her bed. The days were long and warm now and she was itching to go herb collecting again. She hadn’t gone for a while and her supplies were getting low. The villagers appreciated her abilities as a healer and often came to her for help or advice.
It wasn’t long before she reached the edge of the forest. She felt no fear; the slave raiders usually left the Christian villages alone because the Christians went to such lengths to recover anyone who was stolen that they often ended up losing their captives. It usually wasn’t worth the bother to raid near a Christian village. As for the wild animals, she had lived in the forest long enough to learn their habits and how to avoid startling them. She liked to live in harmony with the creatures around her. She hummed a little tune, one she’d heard Frida and Sigrid singing, as she walked up the path towards the woods.
It wasn’t long before she was engrossed in finding the perfect leaves for her sleeping tincture. At first, she didn’t notice the creaking, jingling sounds of an ox cart approaching along the track. Nor did she hear the hoofbeats of a horse until it was quite close. When she noticed, it was almost too late to hide. She sprang to her feet, gasping with fright, and scurried to hide behind the nearest tree.
She cautiously peered through the foliage as the noise came closer. She heard someone speak; it sounded like Halvar. She grew frantic to see who was passing by.
“Halvar!” she shouted, springing from behind the tree as his face appeared briefly through the leaves.
His horse shied sideways, almost dumping him on the ground. She was too elated to notice.
“Halvar!” she cried, running towards him.
The horse looked as if it might flee but he tried to calm it and it stood its ground after the initial scare she’d given it.
He dropped the reins and jumped down to meet her. “Eira!” he exclaimed, sweeping her off her feet and crushing her against his chest. His lips sought hers, desperate and intense.
“I’ve missed you so much!” he exclaimed, kissing her again, more gently this time. “You have no idea how much!” He set her down and stood back to look at her. “I have not seen a more welcome sight in all my life,” he declared, a smile playing on his lips. His blue eyes shone with love as he looked at her. “My love, it is so good to see you again!”
“Oh Halvar, I’ve missed you, too!” she exclaimed. “I had no idea if you would ever return or if you were …” she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
“Dead?” he asked gently.
She nodded, her lips quivering. A tear trembled on her eyelashes.
“That must have been hard for you, my love,” he said.
“Yes, but hardship was your lot also,” she murmured.
There was more creaking and jingling as the ox carts caught up and stopped. Eira could see people from the village riding in them. Some were walking and others rode on horseback.
“Why are all these people with you?” she asked apprehensively, as memories of the persecution she’d endured at their hands flooded back.
“It is a long story. I will explain later,” he said.
“No one will accuse me of being an evil witch, will they?” she asked fearfully.
“They would not dare,” he growled. “But the troublemakers are no longer with us,” he added. “We have endured a difficult time and no one has any thought for stirring up trouble.”
“Where will they all stay?”
“I am hoping that someone in the village has some room in one of their barns until we can build on the land I bought from Carolus before I left.”
She gasped. “You bought land?”
He laughed. “Yes, my love. I always intended to return and build you a house.”
She clapped her hands with delight. “Oh Halvar, I am so excited that you are back. Now we can get on with the rest of our lives.”
He grinned at her enthusiasm. “I cannot wait, either,” he told her. “But first, we must make arrangements for the people. We have had a difficult journey and some of them are still recovering from the injuries they received.”
“Injuries?”
“Taft attacked the village before we arrived. These people are the only ones left,” he said. “I am sure Kaarina will be sad that some of them are gone. They were people that she knew from childhood.”
Eira went pale. “Taft is an evil man,” she said. “I hope he never finds Kaarina.”
“He has rejected her completely,” Halvar replied. “But he is still a dangerous enemy. The people are here because he destroyed the village and most of the food and it is too hard to start again with nothing. Besides, it is unsa
fe to rebuild the village in the same location. We were too isolated there, too far away from allies and friends.”
“It will be safer here,” Eira agreed. She was feeling sad about the news that many people from the village had died. Some of them had been kind to her.
Halvar looked up the track and counted the ox carts. Canute was sitting on his horse at the rear of the line.
“It looks as if everyone has caught up now,” Halvar said. “Let us go to the village.”
Kaarina straightened up and rubbed her back. She looked around at what they had accomplished that day and gave a small sigh of satisfaction. Gathering up her tools, she left the new garden plot that Landwulf and his oxen had created near their house. She couldn’t wait until they could live in it. She still felt giddy every time she imagined that she, an orphan and an outcast, could be worthy of a husband and home of her own.
She wondered how Halvar and the other men were getting along with the new village. In the weeks since they’d arrived, they had worked hard to build a new longhouse and the outbuildings that went with it. Some of the displaced villagers were now living in the new longhouse while the men built another one; it took the pressure off the cramped living quarters they’d been sharing in Ahren’s barn. They were hoping to have everyone housed in the new village before the winter cold struck. It was an ambitious project that had the whole village buzzing. Alfonso and some of the other men were helping out as they could spare the time. Kaarina was looking forward to being able to visit Eira at her new home.
“Kaarina!”
Kaarina looked up to see Eira hurrying towards her. “I was just thinking of you,” she said.
Eira laughed. “I hope they were good thoughts!”
“I was dreaming of the day when each of us has our own home and we can visit each other,” Kaarina said.
Eira’s eyes sparkled. “And that day is not far away, my friend. We have much to do!”
“How is the new village taking shape?”
“The second longhouse is almost finished. And Halvar has almost finished a small house that will be for storage later. But it will be where we live after our wedding. Halvar has plans for a grand longhouse!”
Kaarina: Rejected (Viking Guardians Book 2) Page 8