Duty Calls
The next day, Ilona felt less sleepy and more energetic. Liv reported her wounds had improved and there was nae sign of infection.
“If I keep ye here, ye and yer husband can enjoy more privacy than in the longhouse,” Liv said with a lilting smile.
Ilona blushed. “Aye, I cannae be myself and relax to lie with Rathnon in the longhouse. I worry what we will do when the weather turns freezing with snow.”
“I will keep ye as long as needed. Ye might think about the hayloft in the barn for later.” She smirked.
Knowing his wife was safe, Rathnon left early in the morning to work.
Rathnon did not tell Ilona what he intended to accomplish today.
Feeling tense and restless, and knowing the call to duty would arrive soon, Rathnon gathered the men who wanted to participate to train together.
Young lads eager to learn teamed up with older warriors, who instructed them on the finer points of fighting an opponent.
The young warriors wanted to test their mettle against other strong opponents.
All fought for the opportunity to be Rathnon’s sparring partner.
So far, none had been his match. All his opponents ended up on their arse or lying in the dirt.
Rathnon was an excellent teacher but stern and serious.
In the afternoon, they hunted, for they needed more meat to smoke to eat over the winter months.
The boy with his mother came to see Ilona.
The mother and her sweet lad thanked her for protecting him.
After their visit, Liv accompanied Ilona to the barn, and they played with the cute baby chicks.
That was how Rathnon saw his wife, seated on a stool with an apron filled with chirping baby yellow chicks.
She picked up each one and rubbed them against her cheek.
Rathnon’s knees buckled, and he reached for the doorframe to support himself.
Golden afternoon light bathed her, and her skin glowed with a special radiance.
He imagined his wife pregnant with his bairn in that mesmerizing moment.
When she looked up, she saw Rathnon in the doorway studying her, and her smile dazzled and captivated him.
“Aren’t they cute? So precious. Are ye all done with yer work?”
Rathnon strode over to her, smiling. “I am, are ye done with yers? I thought we could take a walk.”
“Aye.” Ilona carefully collected the chicks and placed them in the straw with the others. She washed her hands with water and soapwort carefully. Ilona and Rathnon walked over to the corner of the barn, and he greeted the man and Liv, who were talking.
“Thank ye. We will go now. We will see ye later, Liv.”
Rathnon placed his hand at the small of her back and led her to the forest, where she relieved herself.
Ilona kent now why recently she had to relieve herself often.
Today, Rathnon looked tired and worn out.
His brow furrowed with creases, indicating something on his mind. Ilona hoped she did nae cause it.
With her appraisal, Ilona appreciated how well everything in the garden grew.
Rathnon and Ilona hiked a short distance up a small rise to see the ocean.
Ilona sat and leaned gingerly against a tree, Rathnon laid down, and she pulled his head into her lap.
Closing his eyes, he relaxed. Ilona could banish all his demons, and the world fell away.
Ilona ran her fingers through his golden locks.
“Ye appear tired, Rathnon. What did ye do today?”
Rathnon said, “I needed to train with the men. It has been a long time since I trained with them. We must take advantage of the weather. Afterward, we hunted.”
“Ye appear like my father did when he worried—ye tense yer brows and muscles, and clench yer hands. I’d like ye to share with me what concerns ye. I will listen to ye and nae judge anything ye say.”
Rathnon gazed deeply into her eyes and kissed her hands.
“My sweet wife. I love ye.” He knelt by her side and carefully enfolded her in his arms. Consumed by hunger for Ilona, he kissed her face, jaw, neck, and lips.
He picked her up to straddle his waist and walked deeper into the woods.
Rathnon pulled up her skirts and dropped his pants.
He entered her with a quick and powerful thrust. Ilona answered with breathy panting moans that became louder the closer she came to her release.
She shattered and called out his name before he released deep inside her. Rathnon released her to slide down his body, and he pulled down her skirt and pulled up his pants. Ilona clung to him, and she never wanted to let him go.
They sat on the hillside until the sun set over the land and sea. The sun glimmered on the water until the sea grew darker as the sky became cloaked in deep vermilion and violet colors. Rathnon accompanied Ilona back to the healer’s cottage, where they enjoyed a peaceful evening.
Sleep came quickly to Ilona, who slept on her side on the floor next to her husband. He welcomed her with endless kisses until their passion ignited something more. After a good night’s sleep, Rathnon carried her to the bed before he left early in the morning.
He labored with other skilled men all day, taking their mid-morning meal on a hillside.
They worked long into the day. Rathnon swam and bathed in the loch and wore fresh clothes.
He took his dirty clothes back to the longhouse.
Sigrid said she would wash them to give Ilona more time to recover from her wounds.
Ilona worked with Liv to pound and grind herbs into herbal concoctions for various winter ailments.
Preparations for winter were the focus of everyone, for after summer’s end, fall would be short and winter long.
When Rathnon met Liv and Ilona later for dinner, he appeared somber and more formal.
He did nae exhibit his usual teasing self with a ready smile and quit wit.
“I need to train with the men for the next few days and will nae join ye until dinner.”
“Is there a specific threat that worries ye?”
Not meeting her eyes, he said, “Nae, not a specific threat. I want them to be prepared. The warriors cannae be ready if they do nae train against formidable opponents who test them at every opportunity. Training is the difference between life and death. Being a warrior involves both physical and mental preparation and practice.”
“I do nae wish to keep ye from yer important work, husband. Ye do much every day to prepare yer clan and keep them safe. I will be here when ye return.” Rathnon looked up at her words, but worry creased his brow.
The next couple of days, Rathnon trained the men in the mornings unmercifully.
A few sought aid from Liv for their bruises and various injuries.
In the afternoon he engaged in other work, filled with thoughtful determination and images of Ilona swirling in his head.
While he labored, Ilona gradually returned to assuming more tasks as the wounds on her back improved.
Thankfully, it did nae burn as much as before.
“I’m worried about Rathnon,” Ilona told Liv while she changed her bandages and massaged her back. He’s training something fierce and does nae tell me what he does after training, but he’s nae near the longhouse.
“He’s nae as talkative, and when he does nae see me looking at him, he has a scowl on his face. It feels to me like he is carrying a substantial burden, and I don’t ken what it is. He has nae told me what bothers him.”
“Aye, lass. That’s the way men are. They always seek to protect the ones they love. Men ken they can shield us from a worrisome truth. But cannae understand we can be helpful to them if they share their burdens. It is early in yer marriage yet. Rathnon will tell ye when he’s ready.”
“Aye, I hope it’s soon. I worry more to nae ken what worries him.”
“Ye ken yer husband works for the king as one of his best warriors? And he will call him to duty again?”
“Aye, I do. He blames himself for the bear wounding me. I told him he’s nae to blame in the least. Nae one could have prevented it. Mayhap he worries about how he can keep me safe when the king calls him to duty.”
“Aye, I think ye may have the right of it, for a messenger from the king arrived earlier this week.”
“I hope he tells me at a few least days before he leaves. How he’s spending his time after training is a mystery to me. But I ken whatever he does, it is hard labor, for he returns exhausted in the evenings.”
Later in the evening, it was nae different. Ilona tried another tactic. She instructed Rathnon to remove his tunic and lie on her bed on his abdomen.
Liv said, “I’m leaving now and will be gone quite a while. After I check on my patients, I will have dinner at the longhouse. I’ll see ye later. Yer dinner is ready in the pot over the hearth anytime ye want to eat.”
Ilona prepared warm herbal oil, and she sat on top of her husband and massaged his back and shoulders. She paid attention to massaging his arms from wrist to shoulder. After a minute he relaxed, and she could feel his muscles release their tension, especially in his upper shoulders.
“Lass, yer massage feels good. I didn’t ken I held my muscles that tight.”
“Husband, your shoulders and back feel like they are tied up in knots. I ken ye have been training and working very hard. It is good to take a break. I do nae want ye to become ill. Something worries ye. I’m here when ye want to share what burdens ye. I am here to help ye in whatever way I can.”
Rathnon couldn’t concentrate right now except on one thing.
All her moving and wiggling on his arse had made him hard.
He turned to lift her up and rolled onto his back.
Rathnon pulled her down for tantalizing kisses and lifted her skirts to straddle him.
After he adjusted her position, she slid down on him, and he took her to heaven until he could sate his undeniable lust for his wife.