Fenrik’s Fate (Abandoned on Niflheim)

Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

FENRIK

I made a quick work of cutting and skewering the meat. I found some basic seasonings in the cupboard and brought the meat to the low table in front of the fire where Tracy sat, feet out in front of her as I had instructed. I hooked the skewers in the notches over the fire made for just that purpose. As long as I rotated the meat often, it would be done quickly.

As I sat next to her on the couch, I caught Tracy looking at me with her mouth hanging open.

“You can, like, actually cook?” She seemed genuinely puzzled.

“I can cook. Do you know how to cook?” I asked, confused by her question.

“Yes, yes. But back home, it was always the wife’s duty to cook. My husband could barely handle boiling water.”

“He seems kind of useless,” I responded. To my delight, she laughed, a big, full, beautiful laugh, before settling into silence while I rotated the meat as it cooked. Soon it was done, and I slipped it off the skewers and onto some plates I found, along with basic cutlery.

“I guess he was kind of useless in some ways,” Tracy said eventually, returning to our earlier topic. Smiling, she popped a piece of the meat into her mouth.

She groaned through her mouthful. “This is delicious. How did you do this without any seasoning?”

“I found some basic herbs and spices in the kitchen. Most of them are old, but there was enough to give the meat at least a bit of flavor.” I tried not to show how pleased I was that she liked my cooking. It really was just sticks of meat. I didn’t have a lot to work with out here. “Maybe we can go foraging for more herbs and other options once your feet heal.”

“I’d like that,” she said, taking another bite.

Considering the enthusiasm with which she was attacking her food, I decided I should also eat. The meat was good, if a little bland. I could do better, and now that I saw how much she appreciated it, it would become my mission to make her delicious things. It didn’t sound like she’d ever had someone cook for her. We ate in companionable silence for a while, and I was surprised but pleased to see she cleared her plate.

“Do you want more?” I asked. I had only given her one skewer of meat.

“No, no, I am completely full. Thank you. I didn’t realize how hungry I was. I have been running on adrenaline all day, and now I am full and exhausted,” she said, looking into the crackling fire.

“Do you want to clean up before you go to sleep? I can make you a bath with one of the large metal tubs. You will just have to take care with your feet.”

“Is there any other way to get clean here?” she asked, eying the tubs stacked in the kitchen’s corner. They were mainly used for washing clothes when the stream was frozen over, but she was small enough that it would work for her to bathe in.

“Unfortunately, this cabin is far from any of our hot springs. There is a stream, but it would be ice cold,” I explained, assessing her reaction.

“I’d really like to get all of me clean.“ She said, frowned at her dirty dress, then hesitantly looking at me.

“Well, after all the effort you’ve gone to get the bedding aired out and clean, you don’t want to sleep in it dirty. I don’t mind. I insist.”

“Do you think there are any extra clothes here?” Tracy tugged her tight dress down as if remembering just how exposed she really was. “I’d hate to put my dirty dress back on.”

I could tell she was uncomfortable asking for even more help but more uncomfortable being so dirty.

“Let me go look.” I stood and headed to the bedroom.

I rummaged through the closet and small dresser and found suitable clothing for Tracy, if not quite large, and, thankfully, towels.

When I returned, Tracy was looking into the flickering fire. I held up what I’d found, and she looked so grateful for some used clothes and a towel that it made my heart clench.

“How are you going to get the giant bucket out of the fire?” she asked, looking confused from the bucket to me.

“With my arms?” I used two of the rags I found—so as not to burn my hands—and lifted the giant bucket off the hook in the fire and set it down next to it. Tracy’s eyes got very large.

“You are really strong,” she whispered in awe.

“I’m just a lot bigger than you. And trained to hunt down animals much larger than me,” I added, almost as an afterthought. “Let me build up the fire in the bedroom while you bathe so you can have some privacy.”

I took some logs from the shrinking pile beside the fireplace and headed into the bedroom. I would have to cut more wood in the morning. I got the fire in the bedroom to a roaring flame and returned to the living room. Tracy would need more time, so I headed out the second door of the small bedroom to the porch to finish butchering the animal. I cut off all the usable meat and set aside the skins to cure it into leather. I hadn’t done any leatherwork since my training as a hunter, but I thought of all we might need out here in the cabin, and we would definitely make use of it.

I cleaned the entire porch and arranged some meat for drying and the rest for eating over the next few days. The meat would stay cold in the small cellar under the porch. While waiting, I wondered what else I could do when I saw Tracy approach the sink through the kitchen window.

I headed inside to find Tracy, freshly clean, with wet hair, attempting to do dishes.

“Tracy. You are on your feet,” I said sternly, causing her to yelp in surprise. “I know you don’t like relying on anyone and you’re still unsure about me, but the only way your feet are going to heal is if you stop trying to use them. Do you want me to carry you to the bedroom?”

She opened her mouth to protest, then shut it. In her oversized tunic and leggings, she looked even smaller, but at least she was clean. She set the dishes in the sink and shuffled toward the bedroom, with me close behind her. She climbed into the bed, pulling the covers around her. Once she was settled, I turned to leave so she could sleep.

“Fenrik, will you stay?” she asked quietly. Seeing the surprised look on my face, she continued. “Will you just sit with me until I fall asleep? I don’t want to be alone.”

I returned to her and sank into the chair beside the bed. “I’ll stay for as long as you’d like.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, tucking her hand under her pillow, “for everything. For today and last night. I’d probably be dead if you hadn’t found me.” Her big blue eyes started to fill with tears. “And I was stupid enough to go and make it even harder to keep me alive.”

“No, no. You did what was reasonable, given everything that has happened to you. I am not going to let you blame yourself for all of this. I won’t leave you again without telling you how long I think I will be gone, and I will always return. Once you are healed, you can even come with me. Maybe we’ll make a hunter out of you.”

Tracy laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes. I loved how easy it was to get her to laugh—the sound lit up the room.

“I sincerely doubt I would be any use at hunting, but I could probably forage?”

“Mm, yes. We could definitely go foraging.” I paused. “Once you are asleep, I am going to bathe in the stream. I won’t be gone long, and it is very close to the cabin.”

Concern flicked across Tracy’s face. “Won’t the stream be cold? Why can’t you use the tub I used?”

“Yes, it will be cold, but I have done it before. And I am quite a bit larger than you.” I spread my arms so she could see my large frame. “I wouldn’t even be able to fit half of me in that tub.”

Tracy let out another small giggle as her eyelids drooped. “I suppose that’s true,” she said sleepily.

“I won’t be gone long, I promise.”

I hated to leave her again, but the stream was close, and I was filthy. Tracy nodded and closed her eyes. It was mere moments before her breathing slowed, and I could tell she’d drifted off to sleep. I quietly left the room, pulling the door shut behind me. Then I grabbed soap and towels from the small washroom and headed down to the stream.

It was close enough to the cabin that if anything were to happen, I could hear Tracy scream, but I quickly removed my clothes, anyway. I shuddered as I stepped into the water—even with my thick skin, the cold cut through me like a knife. I stepped in up to my waist, attempting to ignore the cold. As I scrubbed away the grime, my thoughts wandered back to Tracy. I remembered her delicate features, soft laughter, and how her eyes sparkled when she smiled. I started to think of the smooth curve of her bare thighs and the way her tiny tunic hugged her ass, but I banished the thoughts from my mind. Things between us were too fragile—too raw for me to be thinking of her that way.

Shivering when I stepped out of the stream, I realized I had forgotten to bring a change of clothes. I wrapped myself in a towel and quickly returned to the cabin. I found some loose linen pants tucked into the corner of the dresser and made the couch into a bed. The fire crackled merrily, and my mind drifted to Tracy again as I let the warmth lull me to sleep. What was this tiny woman doing to my mind?