“Eira,” he said again. Her head was down and she wouldn’t look at him so he tilted her chin up until he could look into her beautiful green eyes. He was shocked to see that she had tears pooling there.
“Eira, I have wanted to see you so badly,” he said, pulling her close against him. He felt her shaking and she buried her face against his chest as she gave in to his embrace.
“I have been so lonely,” she whispered through tears. “But I do not wish to see anyone.”
“Shhh, you are safe with me,” he soothed, smoothing her hair as it tumbled down her back.
At that, she drew back and looked at him. “Safe?” she asked. “I do not feel safe anywhere there are people.”
“I love you, Eira,” he said. “I have been miserable without you.”
“Really?” She hadn’t stopped to think about how her disappearance might affect him.
“Oh Eira, you have no idea how much.” He bent and planted a kiss on her forehead.
She reached up and put her arms shyly around his neck. “I have missed you also,” she said softly.
He tilted her chin up again so he could look into her eyes, then caressed her face where the tears left streaks down her cheeks. A moment later, he bent and brushed a soft, tentative kiss across her rosy lips. They were full and plump and the kiss left him breathless with wanting more.
“I love you, Eira,” he said again. “I have loved you ever since you first came to the village.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered and stood on tiptoes, pulling his face down to hers. Their lips met in a searching kiss that ended too soon.
“Come back to the village with me,” Halvar pleaded. “Living without you is miserable and I cannot sleep for worrying about you alone out here in the forest. You will be safe there, I promise.”
She pulled away and shook her head. “No! I cannot go back there,” she said.
“But you will be safe with me,” he said, catching her by the hand as they stood on the edge of the stream in the gathering gloom.
She shook her head again. “No!” she said firmly. “What happens when you are away on a journey and the village needs someone to blame for its troubles?”
“They would not dare touch you.”
“No.” She said it more quietly this time. “Love was not meant for me. I am someone who cannot be loved by others. I must live alone or there will be trouble.”
“No!” he said vehemently. “I answer to no one. I am the chief. No one would dare accuse you of anything.”
“But I would never be accepted by your people. They will always hold suspicion in their hearts about me and when something goes wrong, it is I that they will blame, even if they are not brave enough to do anything about it. I will only bring you suffering and strife. Look at what happened when I caused a fight with Taft.”
“Taft will not bother you again,” he said quickly. “He left the village to start a new settlement. He took his sons and Kaarina with him. Perhaps he will be happy once he is in charge of his own village.”
“He will always be an angry man,” said Eira with a shudder. “He will not forget what happened. It is possible that in time, he will seek revenge.”
Halvar decided not to tell her about Taft’s threats. “I do not care. I have beaten him once; I can do it again. I just want us to be together.”
“Halvar, we cannot. I cannot live with your people.” Her words were firm.
“Then we shall go away and live somewhere else. I know of a place where we will be safe.”
“But you cannot! You’re the chief!”
“The village will appoint another chief. Even the chieftaincy means nothing to me if we cannot be together. Canute would make a good leader.”
Eira desperately wanted to accept his offer. She thought longingly of being with him each day. Surely one day there would be marriage and babies and she would be protected by the village leader. But even as she wanted to agree to return to the village, she knew it wouldn’t work. She would never be able to escape the stain of being labelled an evil witch and people would still hold dislike of her in their hearts, ready to bring out resentment as a weapon against her when something went wrong. She was no longer prepared to live that way.
“I am sorry,” she whispered. “There is no way that I can go back to the village with you.”
“I cannot leave you out here for the winter months,” he said. How will you survive the cold? Are you prepared for it?”
“No,” she admitted. “But I will do the best I can and I will be fine.”
“What about when the wolves are howling around your hut, looking for something to eat? How will you protect yourself?”
“I will wait until they go away.”
“Eira!” he scolded. “That is not a solution and you know it. Your life is in danger if you stay out in the forest.”
“My life is in danger wherever I go,” she said wearily. “The forest is less dangerous than the village.”
“Please, just come back with me for a few nights until we can pack up and leave.”
“No,” she said, although her tone was kind. “I cannot go back there no matter what. If you truly love me, you will try to understand that.”
“Very well,” he agreed reluctantly. “I will not try to make you go back to the village. But I ask for one thing.”
“What is that?”
“That in three days, you will be here when I come for you. Promise me that you will not run to the forest and hide again.”
“I will be here,” she promised.
“Oh, my love!” He pulled her close and kissed her firmly on the lips. “We will have a good life together, you will see!”
Eira smiled at his enthusiasm. “I hope so,” she told him, hugging him close.
He lowered his head and his lips met hers again in a tender kiss that became hungry for more. Neither of them wanted to end it.
“I must prepare for our journey to the west of here,” he told her, drawing away from her at last. “There is much to do.”
CHAPTER 11
A s Halvar approached the village, a shadowy figure emerged from one of the outbuildings.
“Who is there?” he asked.
“Kaarina,” the figure sniffed.
“Kaarina! How did you get back here?”
“I took one of Father’s horses.”
“Why did you come back?”
“I cannot live with Father any longer. He beat me two days ago and I am covered in bruises. I look so awful that I waited till dark to see you. Oh, please, do not make me go back to him!” Kaarina burst into fresh tears.
“Of course, I will not make you go back,” Halvar promised, putting a comforting arm around Kaarina’s shoulders. “Your father has an evil temper and you will never be safe with him.”
“Oh, thank you!” she gasped. “May I live in our old longhouse?”
“Yes, no one else has moved in there. But I will not be here for much longer.”
“Why?”
“I found Eira.”
“She’s alive!” Kaarina exclaimed.
“As I thought, she is living in the forest. But she refuses to return to the village. She is convinced that there will only be more trouble for her in the future if she does that. Perhaps she is right.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“I shall take her to a village on the coast where I know she will be safe.”
“Are you coming back?”
“Not until after the winter, at least. I will appoint Canute as village leader in my absence.”
“Please, take me with you,” Kaarina pleaded. “If Father learns that I am in the village, I will not be safe here either, especially if you are not here to protect me.”
“Yes, you are right. But the journey will be long and hard this late in the season. We might encounter snow, wolves and raiding parties.”
“I am accustomed to hardship,” Kaarina said stoutly. “I can do it. I made it from Kallekot Dalr to h
ere all alone. That was a big journey and there were many dangers.”
Halvar thought about the danger that she faced at the village. “Very well,” he said finally. “You may come with us. Be ready to leave in three days.”
That evening, after talking to Kaarina, Halvar called Canute to see him. They sat around the fire in the middle of the pit-house so that they could have some privacy.
Halvar had important matters on his mind. "I am leaving the village over the winter months," he told Canute. "I found Eira and she has refused to return to the village. She believes her life will always be in danger here because people will never forget that she has been accused of being an evil witch."
Canute nodded. "She could be right," he said.
"She fears that if the men go away or I am not around to protect her that the people will take out their anger on her if something goes wrong."
Canute thought about what had happened when she first came to the village. "She was in danger from the moment she first arrived," he said. "She is wise to refuse to come back."
"The other person facing danger is Kaarina. Did you know she made the journey back here on her own?"
Canute whistled. "She must have been desperate," he said. "That is a long and dangerous journey even for a group of men, let alone a woman on her own. She is fortunate that the slave raiders did not get her."
"I think they would be afraid to touch her after we took Eira from them. But she will be in danger if Taft realizes that she is here."
"Why did she leave?"
"He beat her."
Canute growled. "That man does not deserve to have a fine daughter such as Kaarina," he said.
"So, I am telling you this because I plan to take both of them away. I know a place on the coast where they will be safe,” Halvar replied.
“Who will take you in?” Canute asked.
“I am acquainted with the leader of a Christian village,” Halvar replied. “They are always willing to shelter those that need a home.”
“Christians?” Canute was surprised. “I did not think you would go to a Christian village!”
“They are good people,” Halvar replied. “I am certain they will welcome us.”
Canute was doubtful. “I know that King Haakon has been encouraging everyone to turn to Christianity,” he said. “But I am not sure about that.”
“These people believe that each person should have the freedom to believe as they choose. That is why they came to our land. They say their freedom to worship as they please was limited in their homeland.”
“They are foreigners?” Canute asked in amazement. “They sound odd to me. You are a brave man, Halvar.”
“I have no choice if I wish to keep the young ladies safe,” Halvar replied. “I am going to ask some of the young, single men to accompany me; it will be their choice, not a command. I cannot expect the men with families to remain away all winter or face the return journey under winter conditions. Their families need them."
"So who will lead the village in your absence?"
"I am hoping that you will accept the position, Canute. I cannot think of a better person to be the leader. You have learned much about leading and I believe you will do a fine job."
"Well, thank you. I will accept and consider it an honour," Canute said. "Do you plan to return?"
"I will return in spring to see how the village fares. Perhaps by then, I can start arranging to wed Eira."
Canute thought about all the ceremonies that had to take place before a wedding. "It takes a long time for a wedding to happen," he agreed.
"In the meantime, the young men will know where to find me if the village needs my help."
"It is a good plan," Canute agreed. "I only hope that Eira is as pleased with you as you are with her."
"So far she has been," Halvar said with a wink. "We have been getting along very well."
Canute laughed. "May it always continue," he said. "May you never be cast out to share the fleas of all the dogs because your wife is angry with you."
“A wedding is still far in the future, my friend. For now, all the fleas are safe.”
“Does Eira know of this plan of yours to wed her?”
“Not yet. I am waiting for the right time to tell her of my intentions.”
“Are you not afraid?”
Halvar looked around to see that no one else was listening to their conversation. “Between you and me, I am a little afraid. It is something our people do not normally do. We usually have parents to arrange a match for us. Pretty words to woo a woman do not come easily to me.”
“I am glad I had parents to arrange my marriage with Olga,” Canute said. “I cannot imagine having to do that for myself. You are indeed a brave man, my friend.”
“I am a man who has no choice,” Halvar said. “If I do not arrange a match for myself, no one else will do it for me.”
Canute yawned. “You are right,” he said. “But it is bedtime for me.”
“Very well,” Halvar replied. “I will see you in the morning to discuss some of the duties you will need to undertake as the leader.”
The next few days passed in a blur of activity. There were supplies to provide for the journey as well as goods to trade at the new village they were going to. The farm had to have one final check before winter. The young men who’d agreed to go with him also had to prepare for the journey. They were eager for an adventure and had readily agreed to accompany Halvar on his mission. They planned to return to the village right away as long as the weather allowed. It would be a risky journey and they had to prepare well.
Halvar wondered whether Eira would keep her promise to wait for him on the path. Would she really be willing to cast her lot in with him and trust him with her future? He felt nervous as they approached the meeting place and he wondered what he would do if she wasn’t there.
As they rounded the corner, Halvar could see her waiting beside the path with her herb pouch and a blanket and little else. He was glad he’d asked Kaarina to pack the clothes and bedding that Eira had left behind in Taft’s longhouse. She would need them on the journey.
He swung down from his horse to greet her.
“You came, my love,” he said, without regard for the young men and Kaarina who were listening.
“Yes. This is the best plan,” she replied. She looked warily at the six young men. “Why are the young men accompanying us?” she asked.
“The journey will be long and difficult. There could be bears or bandits or slave raiders. They are here to help me protect you.”
“Oh, well, in that case, thank you,” she said, addressing the young men.
Torsten, their leader, acknowledged her thanks with a nod.
Then Eira spotted Kaarina. “Kaarina!” she cried. “You are here too! Oh, this is a surprise.”
Kaarina dismounted and ran over to hug her. “I’ve missed you,” she said, tears in her eyes. “I have so much to tell you!”
Halvar stepped forward. “We must be going,” he said. “We have far to go and the daylight hours are short.” He took Eira’s things and stowed them on one of the packhorses. Then he helped her onto the horse.
“Are you sure?” he asked, looking into her lovely green eyes. “It is not too late to turn back.”
Eira realized that he was asking her if she was willing to go wherever he took her, not just on this journey to safety. “Yes. I am certain,” she told him. One day they would marry but for now, the adventure was in being together. As Halvar swung onto his horse, Eira knew that she would follow this man anywhere.
The End
GLOSSARY
Old Norse
English
Völva
Sorceress, witch
Illr
Evil, bad
Armr
Wicked, vile
Loki
Capricious god capable of mischief or evil
Amma
Grandmother
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Whil
e every effort has been made to preserve historical accuracy throughout this story, some elements of Norse culture remain a mystery or are disputed among historians. Therefore, some aspects of Norse life and beliefs have been “borrowed” from the known practices of surrounding nations while others are fictitious.
A NOTE ON THE NORSE SEERESS
Ancient Norse society had a strong moral code and penalties were enforced upon those who broke it. In the case of a witch or seeress, she could be feared or respected, depending on whether she used her powers for the good of society or if she used them to harm others. Anyone who used their powers for harm was feared and hated by the people and could face punishment. Conversely, seeresses who used their powers for good were respected and honored.
Kaarina: Rejected Chapter 1 (Sneak Peek)
This is book 2 in the Viking Guardians series.
Description
Forced to flee from her father’s rage, Kaarina is escorted to a Christian village on the coast, where she finds employment and lodging with the kindly Emiline. Halvar, the village chief, remains at the village for the winter, and she has her friend Eira for company. She begins to feel secure at last.
But she has a secret phobia that she is ashamed to speak of. It threatens to paralyze her until Emiline’s handsome young neighbor Landwulf befriends her. He helps her to conquer her fear and she faces a growing desire to get to know him better.
Landwulf’s parents notice the blossoming friendship between the two and take action. Even as Kaarina is drawn to the Christians’ simple faith, Landwulf’s parents send him to another village to find a wife from among their own people.
Kaarina is devastated. While Halvar departs to protect their old village from her father, Kaarina does her best to mend a broken heart. When Landwulf returns, he begins to build a house for his new bride and Kaarina does her best to avoid him.
But one day, she is forced to come face to face with the man she loved. Have things changed between them? Can Kaarina trust him with her heart?
Eira: Banished (Viking Guardians Book 1) Page 8