Redeeming Her Viking Warrior

by Jenni Fletcher

  She looked towards the pile of ferns he’d gathered earlier. ‘That’s for me?’

  ‘Of course. Do you think I made it for myself?’ He laid his cloak over the top. ‘Now come here and let me tuck you in.’

  She did as he instructed, sitting down cautiously and then stretching out on top of his cloak. ‘It’s quite comfortable.’

  ‘Good.’ He took the edges of the cloak and wrapped them around her. ‘Warm enough?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘No twigs in unfortunate places?’

  She laughed. ‘None, but what about you? You’ll get cold without your cloak.’

  ‘I have a blanket in my pack.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s not that cold.’

  ‘As long as you’re sure...’ She sighed.

  ‘I’m sure. I might not know much about shelters, but beds are my specialty.’ He bent down, cupping her cheek in his hand and gazing into her face so intently that for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her again. She held her breath, unsure whether she wanted him to or not, but then his lips brushed her forehead and he turned away. ‘Goodnight, Sissa.’

  ‘Goodnight.’

  She watched him lie down by the fireside. Could she allow him to come back? It felt too risky somehow, yet it wasn’t so much of a risk, surely? He wasn’t asking her to love him, or saying that he loved her either, and she had no intention of opening her own heart again—not yet anyway. All he was asking for was permission to come back. Could she give it to him?

  * * *

  ‘Good morning, sleepyhead.’ Danr buckled his sword belt around his waist, watching appreciatively as Sissa sat up and pushed aside the curtain of tangles over her face. ‘How do you make your hair so wild just by sleeping on it? I might have to comb it again. Sleep well?’

  ‘Very well.’ She stretched her arms out to the sides. ‘Your bed was very comfortable.’

  ‘Good.’ He forced himself to look away although he could have spent several minutes just standing, watching her. Last night had been the first time in his life that he’d tucked a woman into bed and simply wished her goodnight. He’d never kissed or been kissed so chastely either, at least not since his mother, yet he’d meant it with every fibre of his being.

  ‘It really is beautiful here.’ He put his hands on his hips and looked out at the sea and the isle of Alba beyond. ‘It’s a shame to leave.’

  He meant that, too. All in all, it really did feel like a shame to leave. He felt more refreshed than he had for a long time. Their conversation the previous evening had given him hope for the future. If he wasn’t a lost cause then maybe there was a future for him, after all...with her. He’d never thought of himself as the kind of man who could settle down with one woman, but with Sissa the idea was actually appealing. More than that, it was what he wanted. What would his brothers think if they could see him now? he wondered, grinning like some besotted youth. They wouldn’t believe it. He almost couldn’t believe it. It had all happened so quickly, but he knew his feelings were true. The bright light of day had brought clarity to his thoughts, allowing him to finally see a way forward. He couldn’t tell her he loved her yet, not while he still had an oath to fulfil, but he would and soon. He’d finally found the place where he belonged. Once he’d confronted Hilda and earned his brothers’ forgiveness, then he could be her mate in truth, if she’d have him.

  Would she have him? She hadn’t given him permission to come back, but she hadn’t refused him either. That gave him hope and if there was one thing he’d always been good at, it was persuading women to do things. He had a feeling that Sissa was going to be a greater challenge than all the rest put together, but he was determined.

  He rolled his shoulders, seized with a sense of purpose and resolve. He was going to fulfil his oath, then he was going to come back, tell the woman he loved how he felt and persuade her to let him stay.

  ‘Come on.’ He tossed her a flask. ‘We can eat on the way.’

  She looked up in surprise. ‘I thought you just said it was a shame to leave?’

  ‘It is, but we have an island to cross and I have a stepmother to speak to.’

  ‘Now? What about your arm?’

  ‘If I can hold you over the edge of a mountain, then my arm is recovered enough to fight.’

  ‘Fight?’ Surprise turned to alarm.

  ‘Only if I have to, but hopefully it won’t come to that. I’ve decided to do what you said and take a branch of peace to the village.’

  ‘You said that Joarr would probably kill you anyway. What if he challenges you?’

  He made a face. ‘Then I’ll try my best to dissuade him. I did some thinking last night, about all the things you said about Hilda and how it didn’t make sense that she was involved in the massacre. I think perhaps you might be right. That day on the beach when I fought Joarr, she held him back. I didn’t understand why at the time, but maybe I can talk to her. At the very least, I’m going to try.’

  ‘But so soon?’

  ‘The sooner the better.’ He smiled and threw his pack over his shoulder. The sooner he left, the sooner he could come back and seize his second chance at happiness—with her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  ‘Carving again?’

  Danr lifted his head with a smile at the sound of Sissa’s voice. They’d arrived back at the roundhouse around twilight, just in time to light a fire before darkness descended completely.

  ‘What do you think? I’m quite pleased with this one. It’s supposed to be a king.’

  ‘It’s very good.’ She sat down on the ground beside him. ‘I thought you said you weren’t patient enough for carving?’

  ‘I know. I’m surprising myself.’

  ‘Well, here’s your reward.’ She passed him a bottle. ‘You’ve earned it.’

  ‘What is it?’ He pulled open the stopper and sniffed. ‘Mead?’

  ‘Yes. Sometimes the villagers give it to me.’

  He stared at her, trying to decide whether to be pleased or annoyed. ‘You mean you’ve had mead this whole time and not told me?’

  ‘You haven’t been here that long.’

  ‘It’s still a long time without mead!’

  She rolled her eyes. ‘I prefer fresh water from the mountain.’

  ‘Good.’ He lifted the bottle to his lips and took a long draught. ‘That means more of this for me.’

  ‘There might be some wine in the cave.’

  ‘Might be?’ He threw her an exasperated look and took another swig. She was right; he had earned it after their second long hike in as many days. More than that, he needed it, if only to dampen any impulse he might feel to visit her roundhouse in the middle of the night again. Exhausted as he was, being back here, so close to the place where they’d lain together during the storm, made his trousers feel uncomfortably tight. He had to keep stopping himself from thinking about the way she’d looked that night, the way she’d felt beneath him, too... He was tempted to ask whether she’d made a decision about him staying yet, but he had a strong suspicion that rushing her wouldn’t do any good. Maybe he ought to wait until after he’d confronted Hilda anyway...

  She gave a wide yawn and stretched her legs out in front of her, propping herself up on her elbows as she looked up at the sky. ‘The norðrljós are bright tonight.’

  ‘They are.’ He tipped his head back to gaze upwards. The white streaks and swirls were breathtakingly beautiful, stretching and shimmering in ever-changing patterns as if the currents of the sea surrounding the island were being reflected in the sky above their heads. ‘There was a streak of blue a few moments ago. We see that often in Maerr.’

  ‘Really?’ She sounded wistful. ‘I’ve only seen green lights a handful of times. Once I thought I saw purple, too, but it was gone so quickly I wondered afterwards if I’d imagined it. I love to watch them, though. It looks like the sky is dancing.’ She pause
d and glanced across at him. ‘Have you thought any more about my offer of help?’

  ‘No.’ His brows snapped together at once. ‘And I’m not going to.’

  ‘You should.’

  ‘I told you, I’m taking a branch of peace and going alone. I don’t want you in any danger.’

  ‘But you agreed that she might not have been involved in the massacre, and if she wasn’t then it’s not dangerous for me to go.’

  ‘Might isn’t a very convincing argument. I still don’t want you involved. I’m going to the village tomorrow—alone.’

  She glared at him. ‘Why not the day after tomorrow?’

  He lifted an eyebrow, pleased by the thought that she didn’t want him to leave. ‘Trying to keep me here?’

  ‘It’s not that.’ She tilted her chin up. ‘I just have a few more jobs for you to do first. You promised to repay me for all my help, remember?’

  ‘Ah, so I did. All right, one more day. Then I can do a thorough search of that cave. If there’s anything else to drink, I’ll find it.’

  ‘Fine.’ A faintly guilty expression crossed her face for a moment before her jaw dropped. ‘Look!’

  ‘What is it?’ He twisted around as she pointed behind him.

  ‘Red! Over there!’

  ‘Pink, too. Well, I’ve never seen that before.’

  ‘Neither have I. It’s spectacular.’

  He turned to look down at her again. ‘How could anyone prefer a hall? What kind of hall could provide all of this? It’s perfect.’

  ‘You’re not even looking now.’

  ‘I’m looking.’ He smiled. ‘Trust me, Sissa, I’m looking.’

  * * *

  Sissa rose silently at dawn. Her intention had been to persuade Danr by giving him the mead and letting it befuddle his senses enough that he would agree to her plan, but since that hadn’t happened, she’d decided it was time to resort to more underhand methods.

  Fortunately, the ale had had other useful effects. He was still slumbering peacefully beside the fire, oblivious to the world as she wrapped a fur cloak around her shoulders and crouched down beside him, reaching for the leather pouch he always wore around his neck. Gently, she lifted it up, taking care not to pull as she sliced a knife through the cord and then drew it away.

  Stars! She breathed a sigh of relief and peeked inside, making sure the three pendants were still nestled there before setting off, Tove at her heels. She knew the way to the village even in darkness, making her way swiftly through the trees as the sun rose slowly over the sky. She needed to hurry and get there before Danr woke up, guessed where she’d gone and followed her, though with any luck he’d assume that she was bathing and wouldn’t notice the loss of the pouch until much later.

  She felt a twinge of guilt about taking something so precious to him, not to mention going behind his back, but she had confidence in her plan and his sudden decision to confront Hilda sooner rather than later had decided her. Her plan was the safest option—certainly better than him going to confront Hilda and ending up fighting Joarr if he lost his temper again—and it was her decision if she wanted to go through with it, not his. Admittedly, it was his business, but hadn’t he foisted himself on to her life? She could do the same thing if she wanted. She wasn’t sure whether the second chance he spoke about was possible, but she knew with every fibre of her being that she didn’t want him to get hurt. Which meant that she had to act before he did.

  She stopped on the edge of the wood and put her hand on Tove’s head as a signal for her to stay. She’d never been inside the village before, but somehow she doubted the inhabitants would react well to the sight of a wolf. She didn’t know how they’d react to her either, but there was only one way to find out... She reached into the leather pouch for the pendants, curled her fingers around them and then walked up to the gates on her own. They were still closed, but, judging by the incredulous expression on the face of the guard on top of the wooden palisade, her arrival had been noticed.

  She tapped her foot impatiently as he shouted something over his shoulder and then disappeared for a few seconds. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the large gates creaked open and he reappeared with another guard, both of them clutching spears and wearing part-threatening, part-nervous expressions.

  She pursed her lips with grim humour. She supposed she couldn’t blame them. Her appearance seemed to alarm the villagers at the best of times, but a dawn arrival at their gates was even eerier than usual. On the other hand, it could be useful. She wanted an atmosphere of tension. Now she just had to hope that Hilda was already awake.

  She lifted her chin and walked between the middle of the two guards, aware of their spears following behind as she made her way through the village and towards the great longhouse in the centre. This was where Knut, their leader, lived along with his wife, Alva, whose fever after the birth of their last child she’d successfully treated the previous summer. Hopefully Knut would still be grateful to her for that. At least enough not to chase her away, as the guards at her heels—there appeared to be at least half a dozen of them now—seemed to wish to do.

  At last she reached the longhouse and stopped. There was already a sound of commotion inside, of raised voices and benches being pushed back, then Knut himself appeared, his red hair unkempt as if he’d just been roused from his bed, along with Alva, Joarr and another woman she’d never seen close up, a woman with dark braided hair and a certain look of hardness around her eyes.

  This, Sissa assumed, was Hilda, the stepmother who’d made Danr feel unwelcome for most of his life. She’d thought about asking him for a more detailed physical description the evening before, but then changed her mind in case it aroused his suspicions. The woman in front of her, however, appeared to be around the right age with a few threads of grey streaking her hair and clothes fine enough to suggest that she was, or had once been, a great lady. So far, so good...

  ‘Lady.’ Knut took a few steps towards her and bowed his head. ‘You’re welcome here.’

  She made no move to acknowledge him, narrowing her eyes on Hilda instead. By the way Joarr moved to try to block her view, she knew she had the right person. Even better... Slowly, she lifted a hand and pointed towards her.

  ‘What is this?’ Joarr took a threatening step forward, but Knut turned his head sharply.

  ‘Keep back!’

  ‘Why is she pointing?’ It was Hilda who spoke this time, her voice cracking slightly as Sissa crooked a finger and beckoned for her to come closer. ‘What does she want with me?’

  ‘Don’t move.’ Joarr put a hand on her arm.

  ‘Let her go.’ Knut spoke in an undertone. ‘Hilda will be safe.’

  ‘No. I don’t like it.’

  ‘It’s what the healer wants.’

  ‘It’s all right, Joarr.’ Hilda removed his hand herself and took a few cautious steps forward, her face tight with anxiety.

  When she was within reaching distance, Sissa slowly unfurled her fingers, revealing the three arrow pendants in her palm. The other woman let out a horrified gasp and recoiled, her face blanching instantly.

  ‘Where did you get those?’

  Sissa didn’t respond, keeping her eyes fixed on her face instead. There was shock there, yes, horror even, but guilt? No, if anything she looked more confused than guilty...

  ‘What is it? A threat?’ Joarr shoved his way past Knut and strode forward, his nostrils flaring as he looked at the arrows in her hand. ‘What do they mean?’

  ‘They’re my pendants.’ Hilda’s eyes were wide. ‘The ones Sigurd gave me after our sons were born. I’d know them anywhere, but I don’t understand...’ She grabbed hold of his sleeve, tugging him closer and murmuring so softly that Sissa could barely make out the words.

  ‘Tell us how you came by these.’ Joarr looked up again, his expression like granite. ‘Did you steal them?’


  ‘Joarr.’ Knut’s voice was heavy with warning. ‘You will not accuse her, not here in my village.’

  ‘I want some answers.’

  ‘Maybe so, but she’s our healer and she’s valuable to us. She cures our people when they’re sick. She cured my wife. You will not offend her.’

  There were a few seconds of tense silence while Joarr continued to glare, before he grasped Hilda’s arm and pulled her back towards the hall. ‘As you wish.’

  ‘Lady.’ Knut gave her a strained-looking smile. ‘Forgive my kinsman. He meant no insult, but we don’t understand. If you could explain somehow...or show us more...?’

  She didn’t answer, levelling one last look at Hilda before turning on her heel and walking back towards the gates. There, it was done. She’d achieved what she’d come for. She had the answer Danr wanted and more besides...but she could feel Joarr’s gaze burning a hole in her back the whole way.

  Chapter Seventeen

  ‘What do you want?’ Danr pushed Halvar’s muzzle out of his face as the wolf nudged and then licked him awake. ‘Is it time for dagmal already? You know we have to bathe first. It’s the rule.’

  He gave a wide yawn and folded his good arm behind his head, resisting the urge to scratch the other one where his scar was itching. The sky above his head was greyer than yesterday and, if he wasn’t mistaken, there was a hint of moisture in the air, doubtless a prelude to heavier rain, but the sun was already higher than he’d expected. He must have slept longer because of the mead...

  ‘We’ll wait for our womenfolk to come back, shall we?’ He smiled at the thought of Sissa and Tove. ‘What tasks do you think she’ll have for me today? Catching a stag with my bare hands? Wrestling a wild boar? Or maybe...’

  He stopped, struck with the sudden, sharp impression that something wasn’t right. It wasn’t anything about his surroundings either. The world around him looked the same as it had the previous night. No, it was something closer, something about him, something that felt different... He lifted a hand to his chest, though it still took him a few more seconds to locate the source, or rather the absence of a source.