Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
The warm spring air beckoned, fresh grass and damp earth mingling with the bright songs of birds from the forest behind the longhouse. Eadlyn stood at the entrance, gazing out across the village, and a heavy sigh pressed against her ribs. She missed walking to the fjord.
Several days had passed since Sig’s banishment, but the thought of venturing out alone still sent a chill creeping up her spine.
Everyone assured her Sig was gone, but what if he secretly returned?
He’d been in the village for a month without their knowledge.
She didn’t trust him to abide by the banishment.
Not when he had acted as though no consequences would befall him for his actions. Such arrogance was dangerous.
“Is everything all right, my lady?”
She startled, snapping her gaze toward Kian. She hadn’t noticed him approaching. The men rarely lingered around the longhouse during the day.
She gave a small shrug. “I miss my morning walks. But ever since…everything, I haven’t wanted to risk it.”
“Ah. Well, if you’d like, I’d be happy to escort you wherever you’d like to go.”
Her heart lifted. “Are you sure? I don’t want to take you away from anything important.”
Kian grinned with a familiar boyish light in his eyes. “The men will survive without me. Might do them some good, actually. I’m starting to think they fight better when I’m not around to show them up.”
A small laugh escaped her, lighter than she’d felt in days.
Together, they set off through the village. Though later than her usual walks, many of the villagers were still tending their chores, and she returned smiles and nods along the way. Children dashed between buildings, and a dog barked nearby. For a few precious minutes, all was normal.
But near the edge of the village where Sig had stepped into her path, a prickle crawled over her skin. She rubbed her arms without thinking.
Kian noticed, and his pace slowed. “This where it happened?”
She nodded.
He peered around, sharp-eyed despite his easy manner. “Good thing Aevar came looking for you when he heard Sig was still around.”
Eadlyn hesitated. “Did he say anything? About me welcoming the attention?”
Kian stopped and turned to face her, frowning. “What? No. Of course not. Why would he?”
She let her shoulders sag under a weight she hadn’t meant to voice. “He’s hardly spoken to me since it happened. I’ve never seen him so angry. And I can’t tell if it’s just at Sig…or partly at me too.”
They had reverted to those awkward post-wedding days, but even worse.
Not only did he not speak to her, he hardly even acknowledged her.
She thought of the night he’d teased and tried to rile her.
The way he’d looked at her in that moment had almost made her wonder if, perhaps, there was something between them.
That night had fed the fragile hope she’d carried, but Sig’s assault had snuffed it out like a flame in the wind.
Kian’s face softened, his voice low and certain. “We know you’re not that kind of woman. Aevar knows it too. It took every scrap of restraint that day to keep him from tearing Sig’s head off. He’s not angry at you. He’s stewing over not being able to finish what he started.”
She swallowed hard, praying that was true.
“And,” Kian added, “I think…he doesn’t know how to be with you. Because of what he’s been through.”
“Inga told me,” she whispered. “About his wife and his daughter.”
“I don’t think he’s ever fully gotten over that.”
Eadlyn exhaled, and the ache of it settled deep inside her.
She couldn’t compete with the memory of a wife he’d loved so dearly.
She didn’t know why she had let herself hope.
It had been foolish. She drew a breath and forced herself to let the longing go, or at least shove it back down where it didn’t hurt as much.
She had so much more than she once dared hope for.
Aevar had given her respect, safety, dignity. It had to be enough.
They continued, and the fjord came into view.
At the sight of the water, the heaviness in Eadlyn lifted, breath by breath.
They walked down to the edge where the wet sand clung to their boots, and the breeze stirred the skirt of her dress.
Eadlyn closed her eyes and stood there, letting the peace soak into her soul.
Kian stayed beside her, silent and giving her space with no need to be told.
For a few long minutes, they stood like that, the stillness between them easy and companionable.
Eadlyn offered a silent prayer of thanks, lifting her heart to God for this moment.
For this strange, hard, precious new life He had given her.
When she opened her eyes, she turned to Kian. “Do you ever miss home?”
He smiled, a bit crooked. “No. Not since coming here to Fjellheim. What about you?”
Eadlyn considered it, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I miss the people who made it home.” Her thoughts shifted to Edward and Galen. She’d really missed them these last few days. “But no. I don’t miss the place itself.”
“That’s the thing, isn’t it? Home’s not wood and stone. It’s people. And if the people are stubborn enough to adopt you, like these lunatics did with me, well…you’re stuck.”
A laugh broke from her, light and unforced. “I could think of worse places to be stuck.”
“Same,” he agreed, nudging a stick with the toe of his boot. “There are far less entertaining places to nearly freeze to death in winter. Fjellheim’s a good place with good people.”
“It is.” She studied him for a moment. “I never asked before, how did you come to be here? You said once that Aevar saved you from Kalgorans.”
“Ah. Well, a few years back, the Kalgorans were pushing hard into the north, hitting Nordra and Talta. I headed up there with my uncle’s army to help beat them back.” His grin turned sheepish. “Thought I was very brave and important at the time.”
Eadlyn glanced to the north. “I’ve heard of the Kalgorans’ cruelty and sacrifices. The fighting must have been fierce.”
“You have no idea,” he said with a half-laugh.
“They fight like demons loosed from the underworld. Whatever you’ve heard, believe it.
Anyway, we were ambushed early one morning.
The fog was so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of you.
I got knocked flat during the fighting. Some big brute of a Kalgoran was ready to run me through. ”
He shrugged casually, but Eadlyn caught the flash of memory in his eyes. “And then Aevar showed up. He and a few others. Jumped right into the thick of it like madmen. We fought side by side until it was over. We’ve been brothers ever since. Saved each other’s skins more times than I can count.”
A wistfulness whispered through Eadlyn. If only she could know Aevar that way. Truly know him. Not from a distance. Not with walls between them.
Aevar ran his hand over the horse’s ebony coat and bulging midsection.
Movement from the foal inside rolled against his palm.
Any day now. The mare turned her head and nudged his shoulder, her breath hot through his tunic.
He reached up and rubbed the white star on her forehead, and she sighed, leaning into him.
Vega had been Thora’s horse; one she’d raised from a foal.
She had loved horses. She’d dragged him out here to the stable almost daily.
This had been their place. A quiet escape where they talked and dreamed and stole kisses.
It smelled the same as it always had—sweet hay, oiled leather, and the earthy musk of the horses—but the memories thickened the air and made it hard to breathe.
A door creaked. Aevar blinked, brushing away the sting in his eyes, and dragged himself back to the present.
Edgar, the old thrall who oversaw the stables, joined him at Vega’s stall.
He had been here for as long as Aevar could remember, as much a fixture of the stable as the worn wood beams and the leather tack hanging on the walls.
“How’s our girl?”
Ever since Thora had died, Edgar had become as attached to Vega as Aevar was. Edgar had been the one to teach Thora everything she knew about horses.
Aevar rested his palm against Vega’s side one more time. “She’s doing well.”
Edgar reached in to stroke the mare’s shoulder. “I’ll keep an eye on her, as always.”
“Let me know if anything changes.”
Outside, Aevar headed toward the fields. Halfway there, he spotted Kian strolling from the longhouse. “Where have you been?”
Kian gestured back the way he’d come. “Off being useful, as usual. Took your wife for a walk.”
Aevar frowned. “A walk?”
“She’s wary of going alone now. Figured someone ought to keep her company.” He considered Aevar for a long moment. “You know, she’d probably appreciate it if you offered to take her in the mornings.”
Aevar fought not to wince. The idea of spending more time alone with Eadlyn—hearing her laugh, watching her smile, feeling everything he couldn’t afford to feel—made his defenses strain at the seams.
Kian watched him too closely. “Listen, I get it. You’ve got your reasons, and I know it’s painful, but I’ve got to tell you, I think you’re missing out on a real good thing with her.”
Aevar gave him a sidelong glance and remained silent.
Kian shrugged. “Just saying.” He turned away, but Aevar caught the words muttered under his breath. “I can’t stop you from being a fifl.”
Aevar shot a look at his back, grinding his teeth. First Móthir. Then Braan. Now Kian. He didn’t need everyone ganging up on him like this. What happened to all the protectiveness when he’d agreed to marry Eadlyn in the first place?