by Connie Mason
“I do not like it,” Borg rasped.
“Wulf is mine,” Reyna persisted. “You have no say over where he sleeps or does not sleep.”
The brothers exchanged knowing glances. “You were with him to night. Did you let him…” Borg stumbled over the words.
Reyna bristled. “I merely showed him what I want done in the stillroom.”
Obviously neither brother believed her. “Fetch your weapon, Dag. ’tis time we paid our ‘guest’ a visit. Stay here, Reyna,” Borg ordered.
Reyna watched helplessly as her brothers fetched a variety of weapons from their sleeping alcoves and strode out the door.
“Do not forget how much he is worth to us alive,” Reyna called after them.
Chapter Eleven
Wulf had just dozed off when the door burst open. He was fully awake in an instant, reaching for Blood-Seeker; unfortunately he no longer had his trusty sword. Cursing, he glared at the open door. Two brawny men stood illuminated by the dying fire, fully armed and poised for battle.
Tossing off the wolf pelt, Wulf rolled to his feet, his fists clenched, his body a mass of bulging muscles and flexing tendons. “What do you want?”
“You do not belong here,” Borg growled. “Thralls sleep in the hall on benches. They are given no special favors.”
“I do not consider myself a thrall.” How many times had he heard Reyna say those very same words? “Your sister gave me permission to sleep in the stillroom.”
“How did you convince her?” Dag asked with a snarl. “I say we kill him, Borg. He used our sister’s vulnerability to get what he wanted.”
“Kill me and you can forget about the danegeld my brother will pay for my safe return.”
Dag whipped out his sword and advanced toward Wulf. Wulf braced himself. Naked and weaponless, he had never felt more vulnerable.
Borg grabbed Dag’s arm, stopping him in his tracks. “No, brother, you cannot kill the Norseman. We need the danegeld to buy more thralls and help the kraalls repair their huts. We suffered a major loss during the Norse raid. They stole our valuables and scattered our livestock. The Norseman’s life is valuable to us.”
“Can’t we rough him up a bit?” Dag asked. “He has to learn to keep away from our sister. ’tis still possible that Ragnar will wed her.”
“Would you rough up a valuable guest?” Wulf asked.
“Though you may be valuable, you are not a guest,” Borg growled. “Nor are you allowed to dally with our sister. She is off-limits to you, Norseman.”
“I will fight you for my status as a guest,” Wulf challenged. “Give me a weapon.”
“Nay, we are not stupid. Putting a weapon in your hands would be dangerous as well as unwise.”
“I will fight him with my bare hands,” Dag said, dropping his sword and the other weapons he was carrying. Then he advanced toward Wulf. Wulf met Dag halfway, wrapping his arms around the Dane as they tried to wrestle each other to the ground.
It didn’t take long for Wulf to gain the upper hand. Reyna’s brothers were strong, but they were traders, not warriors. Wulf had been fighting his whole life against one enemy or another.
Both men were pretty well bruised by the time Reyna burst onto the scene. “Stop it!”
The sound of her voice put a damper on the fight and the men fell apart.
“What are you doing here?” Borg growled. “I thought I told you to remain in the hall.”
“Why? This involves me as much as it does you. I gave Wulf permission to sleep in the stillroom. You should both be ashamed of yourselves. You came here fully armed to fight a weaponless man.”
Dag rose to his feet. “Why are you defending the Norseman? He has openly defied us and insulted you with his unwanted attention. When you asked us to spare his life and make him your thrall, Borg and I thought you intended to punish him for his foul treatment of you. Granting favors is not punishment.”
“Do you have feelings for the Norseman?” Borg asked. “ ’tis the only explanation I can think of for your preferential treatment of our enemy.”
Reyna glanced at Wulf, refusing to answer. Instead, she said, “I am of an age to live my life as I please. I need not answer to you.”
Borg shook his head. “I do not understand you, Reyna. Consorting with the Norseman will not gain you a husband. Once he leaves, you will never see him again.”
Wulf listened carefully to the interchange. Did Reyna have feelings for him? They certainly bore a great deal of lust for each other, judging from their explosive bouts of lovemaking. The thought of never seeing Reyna again caused an odd pang in the vicinity of his heart.
“I know I will never see Wulf again once he leaves,” Reyna admitted, “and have accepted it.”
Was that a catch Wulf heard in Reyna’s voice? he wondered.
“Is it your wish to treat the Norseman as a guest instead of a thrall?”
“Aye, that is my wish. If you recall, I already told you Wulf has agreed to do his share of work on the farmstead, and that he’s agreed to remain with us until his danegeld arrives. Whether you call him thrall or guest makes little difference, except in Wulf’s mind. The Norseman is a prideful man, though no more prideful than I was in his position.”
She glared at Dag. “Fighting will gain you naught. Though I love you and Borg dearly, Wulf is the superior warrior.”
While they bickered among themselves, Wulf pulled a pelt from the bed and wrapped it around his waist. He looked longingly at the sword that Dag had tossed aside but decided to wait for the outcome of the argument between brothers and sister before taking any action.
“Can we all agree on Wulf’s status as a guest so we can seek our beds?” Reyna asked.
“I do not like it,” Dag complained. “How can you forgive what he did to you, to all of us?”
“I forgave him for selling me and have naught else to forgive him for. His raid was in retaliation for a raid by our own countrymen that killed his wife and unborn child. Grief can change a man and drive him to commit grievous misdeeds.”
Borg glared at Wulf. Wulf glared back. “What say you, Norseman? Is my sister right? Will you work beside us and not try to kill us in our sleep?”
“I have already said I would.”
“Will you keep your hands off our sister?” Dag growled.
“Do not answer, Wulf,” Reyna replied in his stead. “Your promise to work and remain with us until your danegeld arrives is all that is required of you.”
“You are being deliberately willful, Reyna,” Dag warned. He slanted a look at his brother and said, “We will agree to treat your Norsemen as our guest if you agree to wed Ragnar.”
“Nay!” Wulf shouted. “Do not agree to those terms, Reyna. Ragnar is not worthy of you.”
Reyna sent Wulf a speaking glance. “I agree to wed him if he will have me.” she said. “But Ragnar wants me no more than I want him, so I have naught to fear on that score.”
“We shall see about that,” Borg gloated. “Meanwhile, ’tis time we were all abed. Come, sister, our ‘guest’ needs to be up early to chop wood.”
“Aye, and to make the improvements to Reyna’s still-room,” Wulf added. “Sleep well.”
Reyna turned and preceded her brothers out the door. Wulf didn’t relax until the door closed behind them. Even then he remained alert, until enough time elapsed for them to have returned to the hall. Then he lay down and went over in his mind everything that had been said.
Obviously Reyna’s brothers knew that he and Reyna had gone far beyond what was proper. And Wulf knew those same brothers would do all in their power to see that Reyna wed Ragnar once he crossed the sea to his own home. Envisioning Ragnar and Reyna together left a bitter taste in Wulf’s mouth. Why had she agreed to wed the Dane? Wulf fell asleep wondering how soon he and Reyna could be alone again.
Wulf was out of bed and in the hall breaking his fast long before the family was up the following morning. Haley waited on him personally, placing a variety of mouthwater
ing foods before him. Wulf dug in, unaware of Haley’s shy glances.
“You did not sleep in the hall last night,” Haley said. “I saw you and Lady Reyna leave the hall together after the family sought their beds. When neither of you returned, I alerted the lady’s brothers. I feared something was amiss. Fortunately she returned shortly thereafter.”
Wulf glared at her. “You told Reyna’s brothers that Reyna was missing?”
“Did I do something wrong, Wulf?”
Her answer was forestalled when Reyna’s brothers emerged simultaneously from their sleeping alcoves. They stopped short when they saw Wulf.
“You are up early, Norseman,” Borg said.
Wulf shoveled the last bit of ham into his mouth and rose. “I am ready to chop wood.”
Dag glanced at Wulf’s empty plate and gave Haley a sour look. “It appears you fed our ‘guest’ well, Haley.”
“Guest?” Haley squeaked. “I thought…”
“You thought wrong, Haley,” Reyna said from behind them. “Wulf is our guest and will remain so until his ransom arrives.”
Haley’s face fell. “Wulf will be leaving?”
“So it seems,” Dag complained, “though I like it not. Bring us food, Haley. We are anxious to be off.”
“I am going with you,” Reyna said. “I want to see if there are any plants left to gather.”
“It is warmer here than in the north,” Wulf offered. “In my homeland the ground would already be frozen. Our wood has already been cut and stacked against the long house.”
Dag sent him a sour look. “Wait outside for us, Norseman. We will join you after we break our fast.”
Wulf returned his look with one of his own, then turned and stormed out the door. Haley followed him, calling his name. Wulf stopped and turned toward her.
“What do you want, Haley?” Wulf wasn’t too pleased with her right now.
“Is there anything I can do for you, Wulf? I could bring linens for your bed and an iron pot to heat water in, if you like.”
“Both would be appreciated, Haley.” He sent her a curious look. “Speak freely, what do you want from me?”
Haley licked her lips ner vous ly. “I want to return to my homeland and you can help me.”
“How?”
“Once your danegeld arrives, you could persuade your brother to buy me from Harald Fairhair.” Her face crumpled. “I…I am Norse, like you, and miss my home and family.”
Wulf felt immediate empathy with Haley. His arm went around her and he patted her back clumsily while she sobbed against his jacket.
“ ’tis cold out here. You had better go inside. I will do my best to see you returned to your farmstead.”
“Return to your duties, Haley!” Borg barked from behind them.
Wulf’s arms dropped from around Haley when he saw Reyna and her brothers watching them. The betrayed look on Reyna’s face did not bode well for him.
Haley gave a yelp of fright, scurried past him and the others and disappeared inside the hall.
“Making conquests already?” Dag sneered. “Keep away from Haley. Is my sister not enough for you?”
“Dag!” Reyna scolded. “Mind your tongue. I am ready to leave when you are.”
Grumbling to himself, Dag led the way to the forest that lay beyond brown fields whose dying vegetation had been nipped by frost. Reyna and Wulf followed. Borg brought up the rear. Dag carried an axe in his belt and Borg carried two, apparently loathe to give an axe to Wulf before they reached the forest. Reyna bore a basket over her arm with a short blade resting inside.
The air was cold and clear. The men wore fur-lined jackets and high boots with fur on the outside. Reyna was dressed warmly in the fur-lined cloak Wulf’s mother had given her and her own fur boots. Wulf still wore the leather breeches and fur-lined jacket he had worn when he was captured.
Once they reached the forest, Borg reluctantly handed Wulf an axe. “Dag and I will cut the wood. Your job will be to chop the logs into pieces small enough to be carried back to the farmstead.”
“I shall wander off on my own,” Reyna said.
“Do not go far,” Wulf warned. “If you meet up with a wild boar, scream as loud as you can and I will come running.”
Dag glared at him. “We can take care of our sister without your help. Besides, there are no wild boars in these woods. Go, Reyna, just don’t wander off too far. Hakkon the Raider’s warriors could be lurking nearby.”
“Who is Hakkon the Raider?” Wulf asked.
“He rules the territory to the south and has harassed us for years, stealing livestock and sometimes a thrall or two caught away from the farmstead. He seeks to enlarge his territory by adding our farmstead to his holdings.”
Wulf scowled. “You should not let Reyna wander off by herself if Hakkon is a threat.”
“He usually confines his raids to summertime. Only rarely has he trespassed on our land at this time of year. Forget Hakkon and get to work.”
While the brothers cut down saplings and Wulf chopped them into manageable pieces, Wulf kept an eye on Reyna. Whenever she wandered out of sight, he grew anxious. He didn’t like the idea that an enemy might be lurking nearby and kept a wary eye out for trouble.
When the weak winter sun rode high in the sky, Borg called a halt to the wood cutting and gave a shout for Reyna. She appeared a few minutes later, her basket holding nothing but roots.
“The frost has already ruined most of the plants,” she lamented. “I hope we have enough medicinal supplies on hand to last through the winter.”
Each of the men grabbed an armful of wood to carry back to the hall. Reyna walked beside Wulf. “I am sorry about last night. My brothers are protective of me.”
“No harm done,” Wulf replied.
“What are you two talking about?” Dag asked from behind them.
“I am apologizing for your behavior last night,” Reyna replied.
Dag muttered grumpily.
“Haley appears taken with you,” Reyna said, tossing her head.
“I do not want Haley.”
Reyna snorted. “ ’twas not how it looked to me. Haley was falling all over you earlier.”
Wulf gave her one of his rare grins. “You are jealous.”
Reyna shrugged. “Bed whom you want. I care not.”
Borg walked up to join them, effectively halting their conversation. Leaning close, Wulf said, “We will continue this discussion later.”
Wulf carried an armload of wood to the stillroom, washed up at the well and joined the family for the noon meal. Though no one protested when he sat at the table, Wulf could see Maida struggling with his presence. Apparently Reyna and her brothers had spoken to their parents about Wulf’s status as a guest.
Immediately after the satisfying meal of bread, cheese and meat, Wulf, Harold, Dag and Borg returned to the forest to fetch the rest of the wood, stacking it up against the outside wall of the long house for use during the winter. Darkness came early. When the men quit for the day, Wulf returned to the stillroom to find Reyna covering his pallet of furs with clean bed linens. She had also made good use of the broom, started a fire in the hearth and brought an iron pot, which now sat on the hearthstone.
“All I need now is a woman to share my furs,” Wulf said, moving up behind her. He surrounded her with his arms and dragged her against him.
“Shall I summon Haley?”
“I have what I want right here in my arms.”
She turned slowly, until she was facing him. “Only until your danegeld arrives,” Reyna shot back. She was still annoyed at Wulf’s apparent closeness to Haley. “Will you wed again after you return home, Wulf?”
“No, I swore never to wed again after Astrid’s death.”
“Will you continue raiding?”
“No. I plan to join Hagar on his trading ventures. My two younger brothers are old enough to defend the farmstead while we are away. But soon they, too, will want to go a-Viking. ’tis in their blood.”
&nb
sp; He searched her face. “Will you wed Ragnar after I leave?”
She shook her head. “I spoke the truth when I said he wants me no more than I want him.”
“Your brothers seem to think otherwise.”
“They can think what they will. By now they should realize I have a mind of my own and know how to use it.”
“I admire strong-willed women. If you were a Norse-woman…” His sentence hung in the air, permitting Reyna to interpret it as she would.
“If I were a Norsewoman I would never have met you,” Reyna said, finishing his sentence. “I would not have been your thrall or you mine.”
“You talk too much,” Wulf said, lowering his head for a taste of her lush lips.
The door opened. They drew apart as Maida’s tall figure filled the doorway. “Return to the hall, Reyna,” Maida ordered. “You do not belong here.”
Reyna looked as if she wanted to protest, but in the end did as her mother asked. Maida waited until the door closed behind her daughter before rounding on Wulf.
“Leave my daughter alone. She has suffered enough at your hands.”
“Hurting Reyna was never my intention. I did not harm her during or after the raid. ’twas another.”
“So Reyna told me, but that knowledge does not make you any better than the Norseman who violated her. Reyna will wed Ragnar as planned. She is not for you.”
“I…”
Maida gave Wulf no time to reply. “I will tolerate you at my table as long as you remain with us, but I do not have to enjoy your presence.” So saying, she whirled about and stomped out the door.
Wulf slumped down onto a bench. Maida feared for her daughter’s feelings and he did not blame her. Had he a daughter, he would protect her from men like himself. Men who wanted, took and gave nothing in return.
The meal that night was an uncomfortable one for Wulf. He ate quickly and left. Before seeking his bed, he visited the steam hut, reliving in his mind every detail that had happened the previous night.
The ritual of chopping and stacking wood continued for several days, until the entire winter supply of wood was stacked up nearly to the roof of the long house. Once that chore was completed, the men drove the livestock down from the hills to the winter pasture and stacked hay into piles for the animals’ use. The first snow had fallen by the time the men got around to repairing some of the outbuildings and fences, though it was much lighter here than in Wulf’s homeland.
