The Ice King

by Hume, M. K.

  The servants and the other Geat slaves followed with wide, amazed eyes, for they had been taught from childhood that the Dene people were barbaric and brutal masters. As the farm buildings came into view, Sigrid’s eyes grew saucer-shaped. The land stretched out as far as the night lights permitted them to see and, as they passed by a number of well-built barns, the sounds of domestic animals spoke of a wealthy farmstead. The sheer number of workers on hand demonstrated that The Holding was in the same class as the Geat king’s country estates. For the first time, Sigrid was forced to accept that Stormbringer was a powerful king, having long clutched at the prejudiced belief that all Dene warriors were boastful liars. By her reasoning it followed that Arthur had inflated his ancestry and importance as well. Now, to her chagrin, Sigrid was finally forced to accept that the Briton was probably better born than she was.

  Upset and disconcerted, she began to feel quite foolish.

  The cavalcade was greeted by the entire population of The Holding, including the slaves.

  A very tall blond woman met Arthur at the gates near the centre of the farm precincts where the long-hall was built. Her cool courtesy, coupled with Arthur’s solicitous greeting, marked her as a woman of note. Then Arthur was embraced by two very different and very beautiful girls, one of whom was a tiny, raven-haired beauty who was far smaller than the fourteen-year-old Sigrid. The other girl had hair that was so remarkably red in contrast to her pale skin that Sigrid was unable to tear her eyes away from her consummate beauty.

  She was visibly put out by Arthur’s popularity, so much so that Ingrid was concerned that the girl might embarrass herself. Sigrid was perfectly capable of carrying a grudge for the silliest of justifications. Ingrid also wondered if Sigrid’s problem might stem from jealousy; she could be nursing a hidden affection for Arthur.

  But no sooner had the idea occurred to her than she rejected it. Her daughter had been so single-minded in her hatred of Arthur that Ingrid was unable to believe she could harbour any feeling for their master, other than loathing.

  No! Ingrid thought, as she moved Ingmar from one hip to the other. Sigrid has no tender feelings for the master. She’s about to burst into flames out of fury – not at the girls, but at him.

  Arthur explained to Alfridda how he came to be in possession of three slaves and Stormbringer’s sister examined mother and daughter with clear, critical eyes. She nodded to the women and stroked Ingmar’s fuzz-covered skull before sending the slaves off with the red-haired British girl.

  Frightened and weary, mother and daughter were led to a large house that was the exclusive sleeping area for those farm women who had no men to care for them. The communal fire pit was generously provided with large wooden mixing bowls for bread-making, while iron hooks, tripods and pots were in evidence for cooking stews. Then, when Ingrid looked up into the rafters, she saw bags of grain strung up on ropes to prevent vermin from devouring their winter food supply. There were even containers of smoked fish, dried pork and smoked mutton hanging from the rafters for the same purpose.

  Ingrid discovered that the small cubicles allotted to them were palatial by Geat standards. A half wall, whitewashed for cleanliness, delineated an area of some ten feet square for the three servants. Two wool-stuffed pallets had been laid on the rough wooden floors; Ingrid stooped to lay Ingmar down on a loose pillow and discovered that the wool smelled sweet and clean, while Sigrid found that assorted dried herbs had been tied into little flaxen packets to discourage bedbugs, lice and other vermin, thereby sweetening the air. Although there was minimal light, a seal oil lamp could be lit if light was needed in the darkest hours of the night. Some thoughtful person had even laid out a small flint-stone, tinder and some flat slate to strike a spark, and a supply of twigs for cleaning teeth with charcoal and chalk.

  ‘Alfridda and Stormbringer like their servants to smell sweet and clean,’ the red-haired girl explained bluntly. ‘You will be expected to keep your hair, nails and teeth clean at all times. You will also ensure your breath is sweet to the smell by chewing on the herbs provided. In the winter months when baths are difficult to arrange, you are required to use the sweat box to cleanse your skin. It works surprisingly well!’

  Sigrid tried to keep her temper under control, for she was aware that she hadn’t washed for several days, so her clothes and skin smelled bad. How dare this superior bitch suggest that she stank! To come to the realisation, as she stared sullenly at her toes, that this . . . this creature, was Arthur’s sister enraged Sigrid beyond reason, although the girl was unable to explain why.

  With an adult woman’s sensitivity, Ingrid understood that her daughter was feeling completely inadequate when confronted by such a magnificent creature who was little more than a year older than she was. Somehow, from Sigrid’s point of view, Maeve’s pleasantries, her courtesy, were designed to insult the Geat girl and make her present herself as a spoiled, ungrateful brat. The fact that this assessment was true barely improved the girl’s temper.

  Maeve approached the sullen girl and laid one hand on Sigrid’s forearm.

  ‘I know you think I dislike you, or that I consider you contemptible because of your slavery, but you’re wrong. When we first arrived in these lands, we were also enslaved. Fortunately, my master was Lord Valdar, a man we came to know as the Stormbringer. I can assure you that no one will harm you or mistreat your family in this household. My brother, Arthur, is held in great respect here and no insult will ever be offered to his people.’

  ‘His possessions, you mean!’ Sigrid spat. Maeve was forced to step aside or be soiled with the girl’s spittle. However, she continued with her introductions to mother and daughter with gentle dignity.

  Maeve managed to avoid any further contretemps by helping the family move their few possessions into place while searching for useful objects such as a large bowl that could store water from the well. Ingrid was touched at the gesture because it would enable her to avoid night journeys to the farmyard for water at those times when Ingmar’s loincloths needed changing. As a youngest child herself, Maeve had spent many hours with her mother as the older woman helped the families of Arden, so understood what happened to the tender flesh of an infant if the child wasn’t washed regularly.

  So, sullen and happy by turn, the family settled into the servants’ quarters.

  Immediately after his arrival, Alfridda drew Arthur into the privacy of the fire pit where they could speak without being overheard. She was eager to garner all the details of Stormbringer’s campaigns in Gotland.

  With laudable tact, Alfridda began their discussion by explaining the unfolding drama of the attack that had occurred five days earlier. She paid particular attention to the surprising transformation of Blaise into a murderous harpy.

  Arthur could scarcely believe the half of what Alfridda described. Yet her widowed status as Stormbringer’s sister meant her word was sacrosanct within this community.

  But how could Blaise, of all people, be capable of burning men to death with such cold indifference to their agonies?

  ‘Blaise was always difficult as a child, but she demonstrated her courage at World’s End, and she never complained during the long voyage to Skandia and Jutland. She experienced a terrible loss with the death of her brother, Eamonn, and her fall in prestige after her intended, Gilchrist, was murdered at the hands of one of my kinsmen. Her life hasn’t turned out according to her expectations, but she’s never complained or cried out for revenge on those responsible for his death.’

  ‘I can understand her feelings in this regard,’ Alfridda agreed. ‘But, although I’ve noticed that she never really shows emotion, I believe that Blaise is resentful of my brother’s feelings toward Maeve. If I am right, in your land Blaise would normally have more status than Maeve. Blaise is a princess, while Maeve is the youngest daughter of a man who could best be described as a jarl or a thane.’

  Arthur nodde
d reflectively.

  ‘The knowledge that Maeve will outrank her in this new land must leave a bitter taste in her mouth. Yet, she doesn’t show her any rancour – if she feels any.’

  ‘I’ve never considered Blaise’s position before, Alfridda, but you are correct. I’m a blind fool when it comes to women, so I’m unable to take their full measure.’

  ‘You seem to get the measure of my maids without any difficulty,’ Alfridda said drily, with a twinkle in her eyes. There were few available young women at The Holding that Arthur had failed to bed.

  His eyes lowered as he examined his booted feet while Alfridda continued with her description of the battle with Hrolf Kraki’s warriors for control of the farm.

  ‘By my accounting, Blaise killed seven men, not including the warriors who were permitted to sail away under a truce. The principles of honour seem to mean nothing to Blaise. She explained to me that the warriors intended to return within a day or two and would have killed us all, so she had no hesitation in ensuring their deaths by her sabotage of their ship.’

  ‘How many did she kill, all told?’ Arthur asked, looking pale.

  Alfridda carried out a studied count which was checked against her fingers and toes until she eventually came to a conclusion.

  ‘She was responsible for the deaths of twenty-two warriors, Arthur. I’m not afraid of Blaise, but I’ll not be sorry when she eventually moves on to a new life.’

  Arthur had already concluded that Blaise’s actions had saved the entire settlement. It was also evident to him that no one, other than Maeve, was comfortable that a woman should have shown such martial prowess.

  Suddenly, Arthur recalled overhearing a discussion between the two young girls when they were travelling along the roads leading to the north of Britain to meet with Blaise’s betrothed. The girls had spoken of the chains that bound the female sex, and he finally understood their concerns.

  With the coming of dawn, the farm still showed evidence of the desperate struggle as the house slaves and the carpenter from Stormbringer’s ship-building crew were already at work in a bid to repair the barn before the arrival of winter. Blood had stained the crazy paving laid in front of the long-house and the women were busy scrubbing it. But the rust-brown splashes and pools had left shadows on the pale stone, almost as if the spectre of sudden death refused to be washed away entirely.

  The areas of soot and burning were even more grisly, for they were man-shaped and grotesque. They marked the whitewashed walls with a capering grey intensity and the stone paths became epitaphs to men who had curled up like infants in the intimacy of the flames. Arthur recognised the oily shadows immediately and shuddered inwardly at the sight of Blaise’s victims. Alfridda knew she would have to order her workers to heavily whitewash the walls to remove the last traces of violence.

  ‘I feel guilty when I see the shades of men who perished in fire. I wish I’d prevented such horrible deaths.’

  Arthur’s face registered his surprise. ‘How would you have achieved a victory without the use of fire? Hrolf Kraki’s dogs would have slaughtered you without any thought for you and your children. Any commander worth his salt will always use whatever weapons are at hand.’

  Alfridda’s face remained drawn and undecided.

  ‘I suppose I must live with any decisions I made that saved the lives of innocents.’

  Arthur felt torn and perplexed. On the one hand, he was proud of how the girls had worked together to save the lives of the defenders, but mention of the pleasure exhibited by Blaise during the skirmish sickened him.

  ‘You must discuss this matter with Maeve, Arthur. Your sister was kept busy killing Blaise’s wounded victims so they didn’t suffer as much as Blaise intended. Blaise was quite pleased that the mercenaries fell for her ruse with the two ships. The sailors wouldn’t have stood a chance once their ship started to sink in open waters. I had no argument with her treatment of the Geat survivors, but I cannot help thinking that she derived unnatural enjoyment from their deaths.’

  Arthur remembered the dream he’d previously experienced and his face was ashen in the light of the fire pit. As his hands closed around the cup of spiced mead that Alfridda pressed upon him, his thoughts returned to his previous experience of Blaise.

  ‘Since the battle, I’ve wanted to scream at her to stay away from my sons whenever she approaches them,’ Alfridda added. ‘I feel like a traitor now, because I had admired her before. Strangely enough, she reverted to her normal self at the exact moment the danger had passed us by, but I can’t forget her setting those men afire without the slightest hesitation, for I could feel the coldness in her spirit for the very first time.’

  ‘Can you still bear to have her remain here?’ Arthur dreaded the thought of trying to find somewhere for both girls to live throughout the winter. One thing was certain. Maeve would not remain at the farm if Blaise was forced to leave.

  ‘Yes, Arthur, it’s best that she stays – at least for the immediate future! I’d be an ungrateful wretch if I forgot the gratitude that is owed to her. At the very end, it was only the terrifying prospect of cooking in hot oil that frightened Hrolf Kraki’s dogs into agreeing to surrender. Blaise convinced them that an honourable truce was better than a horrible death.’

  Arthur heaved a sigh of relief, and smiled. ‘I had a strange dream a few nights ago, where a she-dragon told me my future. She specifically warned me not to wed Blaise because she would bring me great suffering and I’d be involved in murder because of her. It alarmed me, so this whole conversation has been unsettling.’

  Alfridda had liked Arthur from the first time she had met him, although she wasn’t really sure about the three travellers who had arrived so opportunely during the attack by Hrolf Kraki’s mercenaries. The priest had promised Alfridda that he would curb his colourful language when he was in the company of the children and, as a mark of respect to her dead, he had presided over the burials with heartfelt prayers that reduced Alfridda to tears. She really liked Germanus, but Gareth was such an intense young man that he frightened her a little.

  ‘Do you like surprises, Arthur? No? Then you must brace yourself! Three men came to The Holding, claiming they’d come to rescue you. They’ve been searching for you for some years. They seemed to believe you needed saving from the Dene, so they were pleasantly surprised when I described your new circumstances in the lands of our people. They arrived here at a very opportune time, because they took part in our battle against Hrolf Kraki’s dogs.’

  Arthur was caught completely off guard and his mouth gaped foolishly at Alfridda’s triumphant announcement. ‘Who are they? Tell me, Alfridda, before I burst with curiosity.’

  With a girlish giggle, Alfridda told Arthur all she knew of her three guests.

  ‘My tutors are here? And Gareth? How is this possible? How could they have penetrated so far into the north and still arrive with whole skins? And you say they helped with the defence? By the gods, Gareth is almost impossible to harm.’

  Alfridda looked blankly at Arthur. ‘I realise that Gareth is a very competent warrior and Father Lorcan makes me laugh every time I speak with him. But are you saying that Germanus was your tutor in weapons and swordcraft?’

  Arthur could see her considering the advantages of having an arms master to supervise the training of her own sons and the young men who performed her guard duty. Then at that moment the man in question came barrelling into her private apartments uninvited.

  ‘My boy! My boy!’ Germanus was moist-eyed and his huge arms reached out to lift Arthur bodily off his feet. ‘Look at you – you’re all hair and muscles, and you’ve grown into a wild man! And you’ve gone native on me! Oh, it’s so damned good to see you – especially as you’re healthy and in one piece!’

  I’ll never get Germanus to remain here if this is an indication of their relationship, Alfridda thought. Then she shr
ugged and smiled.

  Suddenly, the door was roughly pushed open to reveal Lorcan and Gareth standing on the threshold. No one had even considered that it would have been good manners to knock.

  ‘I knew you were up to something, you old bastard, so I asked the servant where you’d gone off to in such haste.’ Lorcan sounded amused and angry at the same time. ‘You thought to find him first, you ass. Why? Did you think he’d have changed and we’d be disappointed?’

  Lorcan slapped his friend with a stinging blow across the ear, and Germanus reluctantly released his charge.

  ‘As you can see, he’s a man now – and he’s obviously this Last Dragon we’ve been hearing about for weeks. I never thought that our Arthur would become such a famed warrior.’

  ‘You ought to have known he can survive anywhere,’ Lorcan replied. ‘I knew the boy must have done well, as soon as I saw Blaise and Maeve. They’ve grown into beautiful young women, although Blaise’s demeanour seems to have changed since she left her homeland.’

  At this juncture, Germanus kicked Lorcan on the calf muscle to silence him and the priest squawked from the unexpected pain.

  ‘I’ll speak to you about Blaise at some later hour, after you’ve described your travels to me,’ Arthur responded with damp eyes.

  Gareth walked into Arthur’s arms, embraced his friend, and then fell to one knee and kissed his master’s hands. ‘I have finally completed my quest, my lord,’ he said brokenly. Arthur, embarrassed, lacked the heart to push his friend away.

  ‘I knew that you would do your best to rejoin me, if it was possible to travel so many weary miles. I’d not have held you to such an oath, except that I felt the girls needed to be provided for. However, I now have a feeling that Maeve is happy in this place. It’s likely that she’ll marry here.’

  Alfridda had a smug look on her face and Arthur realised that she had noticed her brother’s partiality for his Maeve. ‘Yes, Stormbringer has formally asked if he can wed my sister, but I advised him that she must be allowed to make her own decisions, for such a marriage would maroon her in the north for the rest of her days.’