Transitions
When Ilona awakened, Rathnon and the other men had vanished. She did nae ken the time of day but thought it still early since most of the women were now awakening.
In Rathnon’s arms last night, Ilona felt protected and safe and could drown out the sounds others made in their sleep—even someone’s loud snoring.
Ilona washed and dressed in haste, wanting to work at the loom.
It would take many hours to weave the cloth, sew, and embroider it.
Couldn’t she wear the green gown she had worn at the castle? She would ask his aunt.
Sigrid helped Ilona fold the linens and furs used for sleeping and showed her where Rathnon’s storage chest was located.
The benches did double duty, for they also used them around the table for meals.
Although an efficient use of space, Ilona appreciated having her own private space.
Ilona looked to see Rathnon in the village but did nae see him.
“Rathnon awakened before me. Where did he go?”
“He may have gone with the other men to either fish or hunt. Later, the men will work on building more boats to be used for fishing or for long voyages. Many days the men train in fighting, but they are eager to use the spring daylight to hunt and catch fish to be smoked and stored for winter. There is much to do in preparing for winter. Either way, today ye will most likely nae see him until the dinner meal. I will come get ye when it’s time to eat this morning. Now let’s get ye set on the loom.”
Sigrid showed her where the loom, spinning wheel, and fleece were located. Together, they picked out green and blue yarn, and Ilona wove the yarn with swift actions that demonstrated she had done this more than she had indicated earlier. She wove with her heart.
Working with the loom, she wanted Rathnon to be proud of the clothes she wove and sewed for him. Ilona would use a tunic in his storage chest as a pattern for making his garments.
Weaving made Ilona remember the stone cottage where she had lived with her parents. Many winter hours, she and her mother had taken turns at the loom.
Ilona’s mother, an excellent seamstress, occasionally sold cloth or wool blankets at a village fair. Her cloth and blankets were in high demand at the fairs, commanding the best prices because of their high quality.
What Ilona wouldn’t give for something her mother had woven for her now.
She and her father had taken pride in wearing her mother’s creations.
Ilona had worked to please her parents and excelled at weaving and sewing, but she loved being outdoors more.
When icy winds blew outside in the winter on Orkney, Ilona did nae chafe at needing to weave.
She had woven for hours before Sigrid came to get her to eat their mid-morning meal at the table with the other women.
The women were curious about how Rathnon had discovered her.
Sigrid acted as the interpreter for them.
The women sympathized with her plight and how frightened she must have been to be kidnapped.
Ilona asked the women one by one about their husbands, how they had courted, and their families.
The women enjoyed their conversation without interruptions from the men, since they had all gone, except for one elderly man and a few guards.
Ilona helped the women clean the dishes.
While Ilona was busy, Sigrid examined her weaving with a practiced eye.
The lass was indeed a surprise. Ilona’s excellent weaving far exceeded that of many of the women in the clan.
Her mother must have been an exacting and excellent teacher, or Ilona worked hard to excel.
If Ilona continued weaving at the same rate, the cloth for Rathnon’s wedding garment would soon be done.
Tall and powerfully muscled, he needed a large amount of cloth to fit him well.
While Ilona weaved, Rathnon hunted, but his mind focused on Ilona in the longhouse, and he wondered how her weaving was going.
Ilona’s thoughts turned to Rathnon. Despite being a Viking, he acted like the man she had hoped for in a husband: kind, caring, and gentle.
Ilona wished she were fluent in his language to talk to him more freely and better understand him.
This week, she would learn unfamiliar words from the young lads and lassies.
I need to discover how to get a bow and arrows for hunting. With such beautiful forests, the women must ken how to hunt and fish—don’t they? Ilona continued weaving.
When Rathnon was a young lad, he recalled young lasses whining, complaining how difficult weaving was to learn, only to be soundly admonished by their mother or someone else’s mother.
Many things needed to be done to prepare for their wedding and for winter.
But he also wanted to spend time alone with Ilona.
For her part, Ilona hoped that tomorrow Rathnon would take her to the loch to swim.
Sigrid was a hard taskmaster but fair. She praised well-done work and made it clear when ye did nae meet her expectations.
When done weaving, Ilona removed her cloth from the loom. She asked Sigrid how she should help.
“Nae, there’s nothing ye need to do now. Ye can sew yer fabric ye brought with ye into a gown or use it for an embroidered panel on yer wedding gown. Did ye ken what design ye wanted to embroider?”
“Nae, I do nae ken. I will embroider a design on the tunic for Rathnon.” Ilona removed the fabric, thread, needles, and hoop Nanna had given her as a wedding gift, then selected the colors for a design.
The colors she chose would enhance Rathnon’s eyes, resembling the color of a good potent whiskey. She held the thread to the fabric she had woven and made her final selection. She used the hoop to make the fabric taut. Sigrid gave her a small dirk for cutting the thread.
Ilona had many hours to embroider, since the women expected the men home late, mayhap even after sunset. The women started preparing the meat for roasting and washed the vegetables. Bread was rising on boards by the fire.
Ilona concentrated on the designs for Rathnon’s tunic to wear at their wedding, hoping he would appreciate her choices.
She decided the embroidery for Rathnon would be elegant Celtic geometric designs with thistle and other symbols.
The designs were symbolic of power, strength, resiliency, and courage.
For her gown, Iona planned Norwegian symbols and runes for happiness and prosperity and would ask Sigrid for what would be best. Her designs may change later as she learned more about Rathnon.
By the time the men returned, they were tired, dirty, and hungry.
In silent agreement, the women stayed inside the longhouse while the men washed in the nude outside with buckets of water.
Rathnon dried off with a linen towel. He remembered that last evening, when Ilona had enjoyed stroking his hair.
Does my scent please her as much as hers does me?
He hoped so. Rathnon couldn’t wait to see her.
There would be no time to go for a walk.
He’d have to wait until tomorrow for time alone with her.
Rathnon saw Ilona first, after his eyes had gotten accustomed to the dim light inside the longhouse.
Her back was to him while she cut the bread and placed it into baskets on the table for dinner.
When she turned around, she saw Rathnon striding toward her.
Ilona smiled and blushed under his regard.
They sat next to each other at the long table.
Men were finishing dressing the game they’d shot with their bows.
They cut the meat into smaller portions to roast over the firepit outside.
Later, the men carried in the roasted meat, and the aroma made Ilona’s mouth water.
The men must be ravenous, having traveled long distances to shoot the deer and transport them back home.
The elder addressed the gathering. “We give thanks for the powerful warriors who shot three deer today. The men provided our meal tonight, and for smoking to sustain us over the long winter months. Thank you, Rathnon, Olaf, and Sven for your sure aim. These hides will be added to others to make sheaths for our swords and shoes for our feet. We ask for your blessings over this food and for our families to remain strong and healthy.” The elder sat down and looked directly at Ilona, and she wondered if anything he’d said was for her benefit as Sigrid translated for her.
The men dug into the meal with hungry appetites.
Spring vegetables and bread accompanied the roasted venison.
A steady hum of voices rose around the table like bees buzzing around their hive as people ate and told stories.
The men boasted of their prowess with bows over past seasons.
An easy camaraderie existed among them, much like on the sailing ship.
The men’s voices became louder and laughter boomed the more ale they consumed.
Sigrid translated one story, enabling Ilona’s understanding of the conversation.
Gradually, during every encounter, Ilona added to her vocabulary and stored it in her mind.
Berries with cream was a treat after dinner that everyone enjoyed.
Instead of helping with cleaning after dinner, Sigrid insisted Ilona go with Rathnon, who took her on a walk to see the animals born recently.
Thrilled to see the baby lambs and sweet goats, she petted them.
Ilona shared the bread she had tucked in her pocket at dinner with the animals.
Finally, Rathnon pulled her to him and kissed her, holding her tightly in his arms. He couldn’t wait any longer.
When they broke apart, he asked her about her day.
He used gestures to show her that he had shot a deer with his bow.
Ilona imitated the words for deer and bow several times.
Rathnon pointed to Ilona and seemed to ask her with an endearing grin on his face, “Did you go hunting too?”