‘You need to put your tale to Halfdan. He is the only one who is able to tame that mad dog Ammundson.’ Hagal pounded his fist on the table, making the goblets jump.
‘And you wish to go to war with the Norsemen? The entire Norse army? The Storting is amassing and they will defend their own. You only have Hagal’s word that they will leave their weapons. You and I know what happened in the second siege of Jorvik,’ Cwenneth said softly, training her eyes on her brother. ‘Surely we have had too many years of war recently. You first considered this marriage contract because you wanted to plant crops and see your children grow up to honourable manhood. It can still happen, Edward, but not if you blindly follow Hagal the Red, Hagal the False.’
Her brother swayed where he stood and he looked at her. For the first time in a long time, she saw his eyes soften and the brother she had once known return. ‘My sister has returned, unharmed. There is no need for me to go to war with the Norsemen. I will send a message of protest at the kidnapping.’
‘You will do what?’
‘My sister’s claims must be properly investigated before I take further action. And once the truth is known, then I will move against the culprit.’
The high table stamped their feet in agreement.
Cwenneth pressed her hands to her eyes. It was over. Edward had seen sense. Hagal had nowhere left to turn. Edward had the greater army.
‘Of all the weak-livered, mealy-mouthed responses!’ Hagal strode over to her brother and jabbed him in the chest. ‘You can’t do that!’
‘Can’t I?’ Her brother reached for another jug of wine. ‘I believe I have done it.’
‘Then you’re surplus to requirements.’ Hagal withdrew a knife and stabbed her brother in the side and twisted.
Before Cwenneth had a chance to scream, her brother collapsed to the floor, clutching his side. Hard hands captured her and dragged her to where the triumphant Hagal stood.
The reality of the situation slammed into her. Her only brother lay bleeding on the floor, possibly dying. Whatever wrongs he’d done her in the past, he’d cared enough to muster an army and, when confronted with the truth, he’d believed her. She’d never been more proud of her brother than when he stood up to Hagal. Somehow she’d find a way to get him help.
Cwenneth clenched her fist. The old woman’s curse had no power. She made her own luck.
‘Next!’ Hagal called, stepping over her brother’s body and giving it a contemptuous kick as he stared directly at her former stepson. ‘I claim the right to lead as Lord Edward is incapacitated. I’m his anointed successor, his brother-in-law and I say we march to Jorvik. Does anyone dispute me?’
‘I do!’ Cwenneth cried. ‘You cannot murder in cold blood and get away with it. A marriage contract does not a marriage make. I repudiate it! Get out, Hagal! Go!’
She regarded each of her brother’s loyal followers, but they remained seated, pale-faced and immobile. Fear. They feared Hagal more than they wanted to avenge Edward’s stabbing.
‘You are a monster!’ Cwenneth tore her arms from the restraining hands. She fumbled for her knife and lunged towards him.
‘Shut up and learn your place, woman!’ Hagal’s hand hit her face with a crack. ‘Be grateful that you still live. You will tell me where Thrand Ammundson truly is.’
The blow would have once set her reeling, but Cwenneth stood her ground and lifted the knife. A great calm settled over her. Panic and running away were not the answer. ‘Never ever raise a hand to me again! You don’t frighten me, Hagal the Red! I know you for what you are—a coward and a bully.’
With a hard blow to her wrist, he sent the knife spinning through the air. She stared at him in dismay. Her only chance gone. He captured her face. ‘There will be payment, Lady Cwenneth. You will die slowly and painfully. Who will lift a finger to save you?’
‘I will!’ A large man stepped from the crowd and threw back his hood.
Cwenneth’s heart gave a leap. Thrand! She wasn’t going to die without seeing his face again. She gulped hard. But it meant he was in danger. The children were in danger.
‘Thrand Ammundson. An unexpected pleasure.’ Hagal made a slight bow, keeping hold of Cwenneth’s face. ‘You will see I have no need of your assistance, Old comrade.’
‘Unhand my woman.’
‘Your woman?’ Hagal shook his head. ‘My wife! To do with what I will!’
‘The marriage has never been consummated!’ Cwenneth yelled, tearing her face from his fingers. ‘I will never be your wife. But I am proud to say that I’m Thrand Ammundson’s woman!’
The entire hall gasped. Edward struggled to sit up. ‘Ammundson is here?’ he rasped out, holding his side. ‘Seize him!’
‘No, keep your places! I’ll deal with him on my terms,’ Hagal said.
No one moved except for Aud, who toddled out towards her. Cwenneth gave a cry and picked him up, holding him close.
‘Bad man,’ he said, touching her face and pointing towards Hagal. ‘Bad.’
‘Stay here with me,’ she whispered. ‘Your Far will beat the bad man.’
‘Will you fight, Hagal the Red?’ Thrand banged his sword against his thigh. ‘For the possession of this woman? And the right to command these lands?’
‘You will fight a fellow member of the felag?’ Hagal gave a pitying smile. ‘I can get you safe passage back to Jorvik or wherever you want to go. Leave now. This is none of your concern. You and I share a fellowship. I’m merely seeking to subdue the north.’
‘My oath permits me to fight for a woman. And even if it didn’t, I would still fight. Some things are beyond codes. Some things strike at the heart of a man’s existence.’ Thrand’s face showed no emotion. ‘It is time, Hagal, that we tested our strength. Man to man. Sword to sword.’
‘You won’t get out of here alive, Ammundson.’ Hagal drew his sword. ‘You know that. They will fall on you when I am gone. Lord Edward, you may die, knowing that I do keep my promises.’
‘Neither will you. I guarantee it.’
They circled each other, testing and probing. Hagal was a worthy opponent who seemed to have studied Thrand’s strengths and weaknesses.
Cwenneth put her hand over her mouth. Thrand couldn’t lose. Could he? He had said that Hagal was better than good. She started to inch over towards where the knife had fallen.
Thrand went on his back foot and stumbled to one knee.
‘This is the best the great Thrand Ammundson can do?’ Hagal raised his sword over his head, preparing to deliver the death blow.
Cwenneth’s hand closed about the knife. What was the first law of sword fighting? Never be distracted. Had Hagal learnt that lesson as well as Thrand? She had to try. She was in the right spot.
‘Justice! I want justice for all who died in the wood!’ she shouted.
‘Justice! Justice! Justice!’ the walls echoed back.
Hagal half-turned his head towards the noise. His sword checked. That heartbeat was all Thrand needed. He drove upwards with his sword and connected with Hagal’s throat.
Hagal gurgled as he fell backwards.
‘First rule of sword fighting—never allow anyone or anything to distract you.’ Thrand stepped over the body. ‘Do you understand what I was trying to teach you now, Cwen, back at the hut?’
‘Completely,’ she answered, going towards him. ‘And we have nothing to fear from Hagal any longer.’
‘Yes, you are a free woman.’
His arms encircled her and held her tight. For a long moment, neither spoke.
‘Where is Hilde?’ she asked, looking about her for the young girl.
‘She will be here,’ Thrand said. ‘As soon as I suspected all was not going to go as you planned, I sent Hilde to fetch your sister-in-law. Let’s hope she succeeded.’
‘What i
s going on here?’ her sister-in-law’s voice resounded in the hall. ‘Edward, this girl brought me Cwenneth’s—’ Her sister-in-law rushed towards where Edward had propped himself up against the table. ‘What happened here? Cwenneth has returned...unharmed?’
‘I made a mistake and believed the wrong man,’ her brother gasped out, clutching his side. ‘Hagal the Red was the problem, not Thrand Ammundson. I made a mistake because Ammundson had bested me in battle and now I owe him my life. My sister saved us. She saved Lingwold.’
‘Hush. You have been stabbed. You need a healer.’
‘My mor is a good healer,’ Hilde said, tugging on the woman’s skirt with her free hand. ‘She healed my far. He told me. Aud will tell you that as well.’
‘Where is she?’
Hilde pointed to Cwenneth and with a doubtful frown her sister-in-law beckoned to Cwenneth. ‘Cwenneth, I can see you have returned a changed woman. You have acquired two brave children. Can you help my husband?’
Thrand gave her a little push. ‘Go on. Show them what you can do. Show them that you are not cursed.’
Cwenneth went over to her brother. The wound was less serious than she first feared. Rather than hitting his middle, the knife had glanced off his side and the cut was less deep than the wound Narfi had given Thrand. Yes, there was blood, but her brother should live once he sobered up.
‘Can you do anything?’ Her sister-in-law wrung her hands. ‘I don’t know how long it will take a monk to get here.’
‘I can try. I make no promises, but I suspect it is his destiny to live.’
Her sister-in-law narrowed her eyes. ‘You’ve changed, Cwenneth. I can hear it in your voice. The woman who left here would not have been able to stand up to Hagal the Red, nor would she put herself forward to try to heal anyone. You used to believe you were cursed. What happened?’
‘There came a time for me to take charge of my destiny, and I have. You make your own luck, sister dear. Thrand Ammundson taught me that.’
Edward grabbed Cwenneth’s hand. ‘Will you forgive me, sister, before I die?’
Cwenneth resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She had forgotten that her brother hated any sort of pain. ‘If I dress it, it will be fine until the monks arrive. Goodness knows you have enough wine to pickle yourself, Edward. Some of this mess is from your spilled wine.’
‘What...what are you saying?’
‘I suspect you will live a long time, but hopefully less foolishly. And Hagal the Red is to blame for what happened here, not you.’
Her brother closed his eyes and his words slurred. ‘It is good to have you home, Cwenneth. It is where you belong, with your proper family. I have felt so guilty about sending you away. It was wrong of me. Do you forgive me?’
‘Of course I forgive you. Hagal fooled us all.’
* * *
Cwenneth worked quickly and bound up the wound. When she had finished, her brother gave a soft snore.
‘Cwen, will he live?’ Thrand asked, coming to kneel beside her.
‘That wound won’t kill him, but I say nothing about the alcohol.’
Two monks arrived. The elder one praised the neatness of her bandaging, making Cwenneth absurdly happy. But with the monk’s arrival, Cwenneth became aware the mood in the hall had altered. The faces of the men and women showed little relief or friendship. In the time she had been treating Edward’s wound, they had closed ranks, sealing off not only Hagal’s men’s retreat, but Thrand’s way out as well.
‘May I have a moment with Lady Cwenneth in private?’ Thrand asked before Cwenneth could mention the danger he faced. ‘I have no wish to outstay my welcome.’
Her brother nodded, his face creased with pain, and whispered something to her sister-in-law, who nodded.
‘You may use my husband’s private chamber. You may take as long as you wish to say goodbye.’ Her sister-in-law laid a hand on Cwenneth’s sleeve as she went past. ‘Take care. We are family and we’re delighted to have you with us again.’
‘I make my own decisions, sister.’
‘Yes, yes, but I don’t want you to feel obligated to a man like that. He is reputed to have a stone for a heart.’
‘You needn’t worry. Obligation is the last thing I feel towards him.’
* * *
Cwenneth followed Thrand with a sinking heart into her brother’s private chamber. Thrand was going to leave. He could see she and the children would be looked after. She felt the walls of the room press down on her. Hagal was dead and there was no longer any pressing need for her to go to Iceland. She should be rejoicing, but all she wanted to do was find a way to keep him with her and hold fast to the dream they once had.
He closed the heavy door with a loud bang and crossed the floor to her. ‘Your sister-in-law lies. I do have a heart and I do care. I care passionately about what happens to you. I used the wrong words earlier. Can you forgive me?’
‘Forgive you for what? You saved my life. You were right. I needed your help.’
His arms came around her. ‘We defeated Hagal together. Together we are far stronger. It was right to act as you suggested. Waiting until Jorvik would have been wrong.’
‘My sister-in-law has offered me a home. The children as well,’ she said moving out of his embrace. There had to be a way of getting him out of here alive. Later, she’d find a way to join him, if it was what he truly desired. ‘We will be safe here...in case you were worried. You can go in peace.’
‘Hagal has ceased to threaten you. You can live here in safety and without fear of reprisal.’ His face began to look like it was sculpted from granite. ‘I will ensure that. Lingwold will be safe from Norse raids.’
Cwenneth put her hand to her mouth and tried to hold the sob back. Thrand’s dream of a farmer’s life in Iceland seemed to have vanished like the mist on a spring morning. She raised her chin and refused to beg. ‘Then I must wish you a good life. You will be able to go back to doing what you love best.’
He put his hands on her shoulders, preventing her from moving. ‘Without you, I have no life. I wanted to say that before you started on about you staying here so I can get free or some such nonsense. It is not going to happen. We are a family now and families stay together. The children, you and me. Together.’
She completely stilled. A lump rose in her throat. ‘Together because of the children?’
‘No, because of you. You are the heart and soul of my existence. Until I met you, I was so preoccupied with my need to revenge my family that I forgot to live. You showed that there is more to life than vengeance and war. You made me want to live.’
Cwenneth’s heart began to thump so loudly she thought he must hear it. ‘I made your family? You fought today to fulfil your vow.’
‘Earlier I got the words wrong and I am making a mess of it again.’ He gathered her hands in his and held them tight. ‘The next time you even think about throwing your life away to save mine, think about this—without you, I am nothing. Before you, I only had hate in my heart and with you, my life has begun again. I was able to fight today not because I wanted vengeance for my parents, but because I wanted to protect my family. And the heart of my family is you and always will be. You’re my everything.’
‘Always?’ She stared at him.
‘I tried to show it to you, but I will say the words, if you need to hear them. Believe me, please.’ He went down on one knee. ‘I love you, Cwen, and I won’t leave here without you.’ His eyes softened, and she wondered that she ever thought them dead or full of ice. They were warm; they were eyes she could drown in. ‘With you I have discovered what it is like to live again. I had become one of the walking dead, and my parents never wanted that for me. They wanted me to have a life as full as theirs was.’
Her breath caught in her throat. Thrand loved her. Truly loved her. ‘I love you as well, T
hrand. Very much.’
He gave a half-smile. ‘You love me? How could you?’
Cwenneth’s heart opened. ‘Very easily. I want to go with you, to be your woman, to follow you about even though I will have no dowry, nothing to recommend me. I want to be a part of your family. Our family.’
‘No, not my woman, my wife,’ Thrand corrected. ‘We will marry, Cwen. Come with me to Iceland, sit by the fire and grow old with me. I need you beside me for the rest of my life.’
‘I would like that that very much.’ She leant her head against his chest, breathing in his familiar scent. ‘I have loved you for a long time. I believe I fell first when you healed my blisters. I had thought my heart was buried alongside Aefirth and Richard, but I see now that I was wrong. A small part of me will always love them, but hearts expand and grow. You and the children have become my family, the people I want to spend the rest of my days with.’
‘The first time I saw you when you were caught in the thorn bush, you made me feel something beside the deadened dull emotion which had been my fate for so many years. I thought I had banished all feelings years ago and you taught me to love again.’ He put a gentle hand to her cheek. ‘You taught me to believe.’
She laced her fingers with his. ‘Shall we go out and let them know our decision?’
‘Together.’
‘Yes, together.’
Cwenneth walked out of the room, holding Thrand’s hand. Her sister-in-law raised her brow in surprise as the entire hall fell silent. Even the monks tending to her brother stopped.
‘We are leaving. You may try to stop us if you wish, but I hope you don’t. I am going to Iceland to be with the man I love. I have made my choice.’ She held out her hands and both children ran to her. Thrand picked up Aud and put him on his shoulders. ‘I have chosen my family, my true family of the heart.’
As the crowd parted they walked out of Lingwold together without a backward glance.
Epilogue
A farm in the east of Iceland a year later
Harlequin Historical September 2014 - Bundle 2 of 2: Lord Havelock's ListSaved by the Viking WarriorThe Pirate Hunter Page 46
