Chapter Seventeen #2
“Any Briton will do as I command them,” Gemma said.
Ulf turned his cold gaze on her. “Remind me, Gemma, why you are currently residing in a shieling with a scarred Norse warrior your only companion. Is it because of all the power you wield?”
“Ulf.”
“What? One of us needs to think with the head on their shoulders. Now, let us get you all back to Kirkjaster, then Tormod will decide what happens next. I suggest, however, you tell him the truth, otherwise you will wish you had your namesake’s ability to soar high above the land in order to escape from those who would seek to kill you. ”
“The only person who knows is you, Ulf. How will anyone—”
But rather than listening, Ulf stormed out of the shieling, the door slamming behind him.
“That went well,” Gemma said with a sigh.
“He is right, you know. Your people will not be happy if they ever find out I have touched you.”
“I don’t care.” She placed a hand on his cheek, but he removed it, trying to ignore the hurt on her face.
“But they will. Your brother would kill me for this.”
“Then we must ensure no one ever knows.”
“Ulf knew right away.”
“He’s your brother. It’s not the same.”
He shook his head. “As Rhun is yours.”
Her shoulders sagged. “My brother pays little attention to me. There is no need to worry about that. Although I’m sure Rhun would delight in having a reason to lock me up somewhere.”
“Mama?” They turned to look at Caelin, whose presence they had forgotten. “That won’t happen, will it? You won’t be taken away from me?”
“Caelin, I will do everything in my power to make sure we stay together.”
“Uncle Rhun sent us away, then those men took us prisoner. I want to go back to Kirkjaster and show Elisedd and Einar the cubs.”
Arne felt like his heart was breaking, watching as Gemma knelt beside her son and wrapped her arms around him.
“I want to go back, to be near the river and to watch the boats and the fishermen, to see the warriors train and—”
Gemma cradled his head against her shoulder and made soothing sounds.
“I want to go back there. I want my friends. And… and you would have Arne. We were safe there. It is better than running away.”
“Home? Home to Kirkjaster?”
Caelin gazed up her. “Is Kirkjaster not home?”
“We can’t stay in Kirkjaster anymore, Caelin.”
Caelin pushed her aside and looked questioningly at Arne. When he got no response, he turned back to his mother. “We can go back to Ir Ysgyn and visit Kirkjaster whenever we want.”
Gemma took him by the shoulders. “Uncle Rhun might not agree—”
“Why not? Those are my lands. You said—”
“We cannot trust him. We cannot trust anyone.”
Caelin pulled away from her. “We can trust Arne!”
She looked at Arne, but when he said nothing, she lowered her gaze to the floor.
He had promised to protect them, but if Ulf was right and anyone found out what had happened between them, then they would both suffer.
And what of the men who had come to Kirkjaster looking for her?
Would they come back? If he had to choose between Gemma and Caelin, or his brothers and the settlement, which would he choose?
He cleared his throat, not wanting to say what he needed to, but knowing that the sooner their lives were resolved, the better.
“Come, Caelin,” he said, holding out his hand.
“You can ride in front of me and we’ll go back to Kirkjaster, then Jarl Tormod and your mother will decide what is best and you can set out to wherever you want to go. ”
“Will Jarl Tormod not let us stay?”
“I don’t think so. Not anymore,” Gemma said.
“Will you come with us?”
“I will take you to the best place for you both. But then I must leave you there. My place is in Kirkjaster, or home in the Norselands.” He didn’t look at Gemma, but sensed her surprise at his mention of returning to his homeland.
“Then I want to go back to Ir Ysgyn. I want my room and a fire to keep Lycka and Loki warm. I want to go outside with them. We are always hiding. Why do we need to hide? I don’t want to do it anymore.” He started to cry.
Gemma held onto him, even though he tried to push her away.
“Caelin, first we must return to Kirkjaster. You can speak to Jarl Tormod. Tell him what it is you wish to do and he will decide what is best for everyone,” Arne said.
Gemma glared at him, but said nothing.
He continued, “We must leave the shieling as we found it for the shepherds in the summer. If we take the bed linens with us, I will have them washed and returned when the snow has gone.”
“I will do that,” Gemma replied. “The rest has been dealt with apart from the things we have used this morning. Once we have eaten, I will finish clearing up and you and Caelin can work out how to carry the cubs.”
Arne nodded briefly at her. She gave him a bowl of broth, careful not to touch him in any way, and he stepped outside to eat. The more distance between them before the others saw them together, the better.
“Well?” Ulf demanded as soon as the door closed behind Arne.
“Well, what?” Arne asked, blinking against the glare of the snow.
“What are we waiting for?”
“I must eat. Then we must set the shieling to rights. It will not take long.”
“It is cold and I want nothing more than to be sitting beside a warm fire with a horn of mead.”
“It might have been better for us all if you had done just that.”
“Yes, it might. I’m not sure whether I am glad that we found you or not,” Ulf said, shaking his head.
Arne jerked his head to stare at him, shocked his brother had stated it so baldly.
“No one need ever know,” he said quietly enough the others would not be able to hear.
Ulf walked up close beside him and whispered in his ear, “Then you must stop looking at her the way you do. We have already saved you once from death at the hands of a woman… how could you have put yourself in this situation?”
“What is this, Ulf? Are you suddenly an expert in how men and women look at each other? Is this because of your feelings for a certain woman? Does she return your feelings, or push you away at every opportunity?”
“I do not have feelings for her,” Ulf said through clenched teeth.
“And yet you know exactly who I mean.”
“You fostering her son does not help the situation.”
“Then you foster him and provide him with a house.”
Ulf stared at him, his brow furrowing in confusion. “Becoming a foster father to two children is not something I want.”
“It would only be Elisedd. Only Rhiannon’s son.”
Ulf shook his head. “This is not our current problem. All we need to do now is return them to Tormod and abide by his decision.”
Arne nodded and pushed the thought from his head of what he would do if he disagreed with Tormod’s decision.