The Journey
How long will this journey last? Why did they pick me?
Our remote farm is tucked inland and away from the coast, where they landed their boats, so why me?
Is this their first time visiting here? Ilona shivered, not from the temperature as it was a warm day now that the sun had come out, but from fear.
The women, tied tightly with rough ropes, sat together on the ship, enabling the men to keep their eyes on them.
Not only to prevent their escape but also to protect them from being thrown overboard by enormous waves.
In the past with her father, Ilona studied the sailing vessels, and his maps, so she kent the men were from the Kingdom of Norway.
She wished she had a warm cloak and a change of clothes.
She still wore her herbal sack across her chest, the dried herbs inside tucked into oilskin to keep them dry and protected.
Ilona wore a hidden dirk tied securely to her leg that she hadn’t been able to access during her kidnapping.
She wouldn’t be able to escape while at sea, but once they touched land, she would seek every opportunity.
As the day progressed, the sun shone with a lighthearted mockery of their plight.
A buttery yellow in the sky, the shimmering sunlight reflected on the surface of the waves.
The men stroked the heavy oars in a fast tempo and rhythm together.
Ilona wondered whether they would remain overnight on the ship or if they would make camp on land before nightfall.
Tears threatened to spill as she bid farewell to her home, left behind in the distance.
With the sun high overhead, a man passed ladles of water to the ladies, while the men drank from their personal waterskins. The translator distributed oatcakes to the ladies with dried smoked meat for lunch. One woman asked him where to find the garderobes on the ship.
The man laughed a hearty laugh at her expense and interpreter translated his words. “There is no privy on the ship. This is the harsh reality of survival at sea. There are no niceties. It is over the side—you must hold your arse over the side of the ship to relieve yourself.”
Horrified, the woman said indignantly, “But it is nae private. Everyone can see.”
“I will give you a blanket the ladies can hold for privacy. This will prevent any man from seeing you relieve yourself over the side. But the men will not be using blankets. If that offends you, then you’d best turn away.
” He left and returned with blankets. The ladies used them and took turns relieving themselves.
For many, it was their first time on a ship at sea.
It certainly was the first time they had been kidnapped and held captive.
Ilona had always felt safe from the threat of crimes like this.
She asked the translator politely, “Where are ye taking us? Where are we going? What do ye have planned for us when we get there?”
“Most likely, ye will be wedded soon. Tonight, if we make good time, we will camp onshore. It will take several days of sailing to reach our destination. It depends on the weather and the wind. That is all I can tell ye now.”
Ilona wanted to be married and raise a family, but she’d envisioned living on Orkney, the Isle of Skye, or at least in Scotland. She wondered whether her parents had returned from their fishing trip. Ilona couldn’t imagine their shock and dismay when they discovered her missing.
Every day she tried to be a dutiful daughter and make her parents’ life easier.
An only child and a daughter, she constantly sought her father’s approval.
Ilona didn’t want to disappoint him. Sorrow filled her after she had asked the questions of the Gaelic translator, for now she had even more questions than answers.
How will the marriages be arranged? Will the men choose their wives or will someone else choose for them?
Ilona was nae na?ve enough to think the women would have any choice at all.
She wished they would sail at night, for it would be easier for her to determine their location by the stars and somehow find her way home.
At any moment, she must be prepared to seize the opportunity to run away tonight.
If away from him at camp, she knew she could escape the other men.
The one consistent thing she’d heard when men spoke to her captor was the name Rathnon, so at least she now knew what he was called.
And when Rathnon stood up to confer with a man, she saw him better than early this morning in the dark.
He had removed his tunic, drenched in sweat from the exertion of rowing, and his shoulders were massive, his chest sculpted iron muscle down to his abdomen.
The thick leather belt around his waist held a dirk.
Long blond hair framed his face and fell over his shoulders, and thick hair curled across his chest, glistening with sweat. His handsome face made her eyes stay on him longer than she usually would allow. Rathnon had a patrician nose and a chiseled jaw with a beard.
Ilona peeked from under her long lashes, and when she glanced up, his eyes were studying her.
Why take me? She recognized his keen intellect in his assessing glance.
A thick silver chain with a medallion hung around his neck, indicating his status.
Rathnon wore wide leather cuffs on his wrists with matching small circles of silver.
From his actions and the way the men deferred to him; he was well respected and commanded all of them. Ilona did nae ken what that meant for her future. She hoped the women would sleep together around the campfire; it would protect them and make it easier for her to escape.
Once safely away, she would search for a way to get a letter to her parents alerting them to what had happened.
She could be rescued then. Ilona ran through several scenarios in her mind, thinking of various means of escape.
It would be difficult to get away at night through rough terrain or across mountains in an unfamiliar place, but it would also make it more difficult for someone to track her path.
The vast ocean stretched interminably before her gaze. She wondered what awaited the women at the end of their journey. Will we all wed immediately? Or will we have time to get to know our potential partner? We will face new customs and a new language, and there will be much to learn.
The Vikings rowed on and did not appear to be visibly tired from their labors.
The men must have rowed great distances often in the past. Most were young, but there were a few older men on their ship.
Too terrified to look, she did nae get a good look at the men aboard the other ships.
The briny sea breezes blew across the bow, and the sails billowed in the wind, granting them speed toward their destination.
Soon one man called out in their language, gesturing toward the land they sighted—it would seem the ship was right on course.
The men on the ship most likely had stayed on this land previously.
Judging by how far the men rowed and how long it had taken them, Ilona imagined this was another island.
A short time later, they crested the waves and coasted onto the beach.
The men hurriedly jumped out and secured the sailing vessels.
Afterward, they helped the women disembark the ship.
A portion of the men scouted ahead and returned a short time later to lead their group into the forest. A few men collected firewood and built a blaze while another group left with bows to hunt.
Not long afterward, warriors from the other ships joined them.
Unfortunately, the women were still guarded.
The fierce men who guarded them watched them keenly.
The women were uncomfortable under the scrutiny of several fierce-looking warriors.
Will any of these men claim us tonight? Ilona shuddered at the thought.
Later, the men returned with deer, pheasants, and buckets of fresh water.
They dressed the game and placed it on a spit they fashioned over the fire.
Although occasionally glaring at the captured women, the Vikings seemed in good spirits.
Ilona observed their behavior as they smiled and shouted to each other.
When the interpreter returned to the camp, the women asked him if they were able to leave as a group to relieve themselves.
The man barked directions to the warriors, and their translator said, “Follow these men, who will lead ye a suitable distance away. Do nae tarry but be quick about yer business. Do nae wander off. Ye will nae like the consequences.”
The ladies dutifully followed the men, who pointed to an area of low, dense bushes.
Ilona ventured to the farthest area, only to see another warrior on the other side.
The Vikings surrounded them. The bushes would afford them privacy, but she would nae be able to escape.
After dinner, when they had drunk enough ale, she would slip away.
The women rejoined the warriors by the fire.
Sitting close together, the women talked among themselves and learned more about each other.
Ilona asked, “How did they capture ye?” Each woman took a turn telling her story.
All were single. Whether by design or chance, Ilona didn’t ken.
If by design, it means the men watched each of the women carefully before they kidnapped her.
It made her even more uncomfortable. Did the warrior watch me as I bathed in the river?
She blushed in mortification thinking about it.
She figured Rathnon had watched her the night before he took her, when she felt eyes watching her from the forest. If my parents hadn’t left to go fishing, would I be here now?
Eager for dinner, Ilona planned her escape.
She would tuck food into an oilskin pouch in the pocket of her dress.
When able to break away, she would have food to sustain her.