The Journey #4
“We have a couple of cows, many sheep, and goats. We have five horses that help plough the fields when needed and are used for riding on the moors. I enjoy all the animals, especially the babies. This year, we had a mischievous and fun billy goat. My father threatened my mother he would turn him into meat for a stew when he escaped out of his pen and chewed the plants.” Ilona’s face lit up in merriment when she recalled the expression on her father’s face and his ire.
She and her mother had soothed his anger at the animal.
“What do ye do in yer home and what animals do ye have?” Ilona asked Rathnon through the interpreter.
“He is a warrior, and he protects everyone. He works for our king. We have many cows, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, and pigs, but none except my horse belong to me. We need to grow more food and tend more animals to provide for the new families we will have in the future. Would ye rather garden, care for the animals, or sew clothes?”
Not believing she would be given a choice of jobs, she looked across the sea as she answered. “I’d rather garden but will do other jobs to help provide for everyone’s needs.”
“It is good ye can be flexible. He will see what can be done.”
Suddenly, Rathnon turned back to the sea. He pulled up his line, deftly hauling in a large fish. Taking it off his hook, he threw the fish into a bucket of seawater, where it thrashed its tail, trying to escape.
Will I be like that floundering fish? Will I find escape impossible? Ilona felt sorry for the fish. It is a prison if we cannae be free, whether a bucket, a house, or a sailing ship. The fish, out of its element, out of the sea, would soon be food for the men on the ship.
She would be out of her element as well in a new country with unknown laws, customs, and language.
Ilona wanted to learn their language to understand what was happening around her.
It would be best for her to learn as much as she could.
Later, to aid in her escape, Ilona planned to nae let anyone ken how much she understood, so they would speak freely around her.
Many other Vikings had been successful catching fish.
Later, the fish were washed and cut into pieces, their bones discarded back into the sea.
Wooden trenchers were passed around to the women, and they and the men ate the raw fish or the smoked meat with bread.
After eating, the men began their work of rowing again.
Although they had no wind to boost the sails, they made slow, steady progress on the trajectory to their destination.
That night they beheld no land in sight.
That evening, red slashes with shades of violet and deep purple painted the night sky.
Not long after sunset, the heavens deluged them with rain, leaving no visible stars in the sky.
Ilona clutched the fur tightly. The men continued rowing their mighty oars.
The rain and wind from the North Sea punished them and delayed their arrival at their new home.
Soon gale-force winds tossed their sailing vessel on the sea as waves crashed over the rails and decking.
Ilona kent the men were skilled sailors and was more worried about what would happen after they landed.
Does the king live close to where the men live?
Since Rathnon works for the king, does that mean I will work for the king too or someone else?
Before settling in for the night, Rathnon visited her and asked her something she did not understand.
He gazed into her eyes and gently smoothed her hair back from her face.
Ilona returned his gaze and noted how his eyes smoldered, making her tremble.
Rathnon offered her the skin of whiskey, and she took a swallow, feeling its burn.
She coughed in its wake, and Rathnon patted her back and chuckled, probably because he could tell she was nae used to the strong whiskey.
Ilona glanced up at him and said, “Thank ye.” His beard had grown over the course of the last couple of days.
Rathnon appeared amused at her intolerance of strong spirits.
Nae matter. Mayhap the women in his home drank spirits more often than they did in Orkney.
She kent, depending on where they lived, the weather might be colder and more brutal in the winter.
The translator approached them then, and the men spoke to each other.
“He’s sorry, ye will spend another night at sea.
Soon ye will have a soft warm bed.” Ilona stared at the two men and wondered if she would sleep alone or in bed with another.
She worried about her future but vowed to make her parents proud of her.
She would not flounder like a fish but face her destiny with fortitude as a proud Scotswoman.
Ilona now recognized the lessons of life her father had instructed her over the years.
She appreciated the quiet nights of study by the hearth as he taught her subjects thought well-suited to men.
Her father believed in education and kent his daughter had a keen intellect.
He saw nae reason to restrict her education.
When will I see ye again, Mother and Father?
I hope ye are well. I’m sorry I could nae escape, but I will keep trying.