Runa rolled her eyes at Lunt and watched Einar's men fuss with their weapons at the hall door. "I think I should go to hear what they've to say."
"It's a fine thought, but tuck that one back into your head. You can't barge in on Jarl Hrolf's audience. That'd be plain rude, and probably get me whipped."
"What's happening?" Finn appeared behind Runa, stopping when he followed her gaze to Hrolf's hall. "Looks urgent."
"News from Eyrafell. I think we should go."
Aren now joined them, standing beside Finn. "It might be time to share our own news with Jarl Hrolf."
"Hey, the lot of you get back inside," Smiling Lunt said, never moving from the wall. "Is this how you repay me for the kindness I've shown you?"
Runa bit her bottom lip in thought. Days after Aren's arrival and nothing more had been learned about potential threats from Hrolf's men. She had underestimated the effort such spy work required and neither she nor the others were suited to the task. Perhaps under the stress news from Eyrafell someone might reveal more than intended.
"Let's go," Runa said, pulling the hood of her cloak overhead. She stepped out with Aren and Finn behind her.
"Wait a moment. You can't leave the hall." Smiling Lunt hurried after her, then blocked her path.
She smiled at him, shaking her head slightly at Lunt's empty hands. He had left his spear behind. "Step aside. Jarl Hrolf will want to hear what news I have."
"News? That you've chased all the rats from his guest hall? What news could you have?"
Placing her hands on his smooth cheeks, she held him still. "Dear Lunt, you are a good man, and I am grateful for you kindness. You'll make a fine husband to the right woman one day."
She kissed his forehead, then moved the blushing, stunned man aside like setting a jug on another table. Aren and Finn filed past her, and she released Lunt to mouth voiceless protests.
They approached the hall and the two guards set their spears across the doors. Runa sighed as both Finn and Aren stopped. The freckle-faced young man had recovered into his full, youthful vigor and stood ready to barrel through the guards if she asked it of him. She understood why Ulfrik would have bonded with the optimistic youth, but for this effort she slowly shook her head. He stepped aside. Aren, with his face still swollen, shared a knowing smile with her.
"We need to enter this hall and see Jarl Hrolf," she said. "Save your threats, as I know you must prevent me."
The two guards glanced at each other. Both wore helmets with faceplates and light brown hair to their shoulders, making them appear as twins. The one closest to Runa addressed her. "That's right. So save your pleas otherwise."
He smirked at his own wit, hitting his partner's shoulder in a show of pride.
"There's an easy way and a difficult way to do this, but I will be inside that hall with my two escorts. So either announce us to Hrolf or we do this the hard way."
"Are you going to tell us what the hard way is first?" the second guard asked.
"That's a special surprise if you choose it." Runa winked at him.
"Well, the hardest way is facing Hrolf's anger," said the closer guard. "And I can't imagine you will do worse than him."
"Shall we find out, then?" Runa spread her arms as if inviting them to test her. "At the very least he will be sorely upset when you interfered with the delivery of important news."
The twin guards frowned at each other. The second guard rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. "She has a reputation, you know. Runa the Bloody. Maybe we should just ask?"
"You fear a woman?" The closest guard turned back to her. "Sorry, you can't go inside unless Hrolf has summoned you."
"I rather hoped you'd choose the hard way. I've been bored." She reached into the folds of her blouse, but the second guard halted her.
"I'll check for you. Your news better be worth it."
The guard disappeared inside while his companion stood with his face turning red. Runa and Aren shared another small smile, but Finn stood with his mouth open and cheeks drained of color. He blinked at her in amazement.
The guard returned, slipping back outside the door. "Jarl Hrolf will see you now. Whatever you planned to pull out of your shirt, leave it outside the hall."
Runa smiled and withdrew a cloth she used to wipe her hands. She tossed it to the guard as she passed him. "It needs to be washed."
Inside the front room, the other guard inspected them for weapons, his face bright red and lips drawn tight in anger. He showed them to the entrance to the main room and returned to his post. Finn tugged at her cloak.
"What was the hard way?"
"I don't know," she said. "Sometimes a confident bluff is the best threat of all."
Inside the sprawling hall, she recognized the faces of the five men from Eyrafell. Their faces glistened with sweat as they turned to face her. A savory, smoky scent lingered from a recent meal and the hearth fire still blazed to engulf the room in heat and haze. At the high table sat Hrolf with Gunther One-Eye at his right, and he raised a ring-laden hand to summon her forward.
She stood behind the men of Eyrafell, two who smiled in recognition. Aren and Finn flanked her, and all went to their knees before Hrolf.
"Off your knees," he said. "I've just received hard news that brings me great joy and concern in equal measure."
A fire set in Runa's stomach, and she feared the worst even as she attempted to preserve her dignity by remaining cool. She smoothed her skirt after standing. "I too have news that I must share with you, having only just learned it from my son, Aren."
The lie slipped out easily and she hoped it would pass. However, a great jarl such as Hrolf was not easily deceived, and his expression grew dark. "Then I shall hear it now. But first, let the good men of Eyrafell complete their message."
The leader, a stout but strong man with a wild, black beard whom Runa knew as Thororm, bowed to Hrolf and spoke in a clear, sharp voice. "Jarl Einar's attack has crippled Count Amand's force of traitors and cast his camp into disarray. The Frankish cavalry is still intact, but otherwise the count will be disadvantaged for weeks. Jarl Einar himself was injured in the battle, taking an arrow to the back of his leg during the retreat. However, he was able to make contact with your spy inside the traitor forces."
Both Hrolf and Gunther One-Eye leaned forward. Hrolf's mighty hands balled into fists. "What news did the spy have for Jarl Einar?"
"He said that Amand's army is sick and they will soon be at half strength. But there was another message Jarl Einar entrusted me to deliver directly. Your spy said that Eskil and all the others are dead. The spy is alone and under suspicion. He needs swift help."
Runa's knees buckled at the news, and Hrolf leaned back with a terrible frown. Gunther One-Eye glanced at her, his single eye full of sympathy.
Thororm concluded with a bow. "That is all of the message."
Silence held the hall in an uncomfortable grip. Runa stared at the floor, imagining the horror of being among so many enemies without any chance for help. Then she thought of Konal and the fire in her stomach became a blaze, yet it also bolstered her courage. She determined to get help to Ulfrik even if she had to go herself.
"Jarl Hrolf, my news is more urgent upon learning this," she said, flashing her eyes at Thororm. Hrolf's frown deepened, but he waved at Thororm.
"I will hear this news in private. You five will be shown to the hall where you may rest and be fed. Tonight you will dine with me so that I may better express gratitude for you haste."
Once Thororm and the men from Eyrafell were shown outside, Hrolf extended his hand to her. "Tell me your news, though I wonder at its late timing."
She straightened her back and met Hrolf's eyes. "Konal learned of Ulfrik's mission from my son, Aren. He did not mean to reveal it, but in a fit of anger after being so violently beaten by Konal, he let it slip. He spent days afterward drunk in his hall, but when your men came to fetch Aren away, he picked a crew from his men and sailed up the Seine without a word to any
one."
Hrolf's face turned red, but it was Gunther One-Eye who spoke. "When he sailed away, you did not think to tell us upon arrival?"
"I thought he was leaving on your orders. Now that Aren confessed his mistake, Konal's departure seems as if he is going to cause trouble for Ulfrik. Help must be sent to him, today if possible. Konal has had days to make mischief already."
Hrolf rubbed his eyes then conferred with Gunther, the two whispering in low voices. Despite straining to hear their discussion, she could only hear clipped and harsh mumbles from this distance. Both men snarled, though whether at each other or the bad news Runa did not know. She glanced at Finn who stood in awe of Hrolf's magnificence, then at Aren who was more collected. He quietly studied both men, and Runa recognized that contemplative face. Since he was a child, Aren was an uncanny reader of men's thoughts and intentions. Whatever these two debated he would understand and inform her later.
"This is certainly bad news," Hrolf said. "But I will have to decide the best course of action."
"Ulfrik himself told you he needs help. How much more now if Konal has gone to make trouble?"
Gunther spoke before Hrolf could reply. "We don't know what his intentions are. Maybe he went to Eyrafell. We will ask the messengers if they know his whereabouts."
The fire returned to her stomach again, and her fists balled up. "Ulfrik needs help. You must send it. Stop wasting time."
"Don't overstep yourself," Hrolf said with a raised hand. "I have loved you like a sister, but even a sister must mind her words in my hall."
Runa bit back her next words and instead lowered her gaze from Hrolf's glower. As her mind raced in search of a new tactic, the hall doors burst open once again. All heads turned to face the rear of the hall, where the same guard Runa angered earlier strode forward, looking at no one, and went to his knee before Hrolf.
Hrolf's fist struck the table, jolting everyone but Gunther One-Eye. "Do my commands mean nothing to you? Am I so indulgent that you feel privileged to enter like this was your own bedchamber? Unless my hall is burning down around me, you'll be lashed bloody for this."
The guard bowed lower. "Jarl Hrolf, the ship you have had followed since it entered the Seine has been captured and brought to dock. On your order, I am here to inform you that the crew has arrived."
His fists unclenching, Hrolf subsided and smoothed out his beard and shirt. "This is good timing, in fact. Bring the crew's hovedsmann to me immediately."
The guard swept away without a word or glance at anyone. Runa's chest tightened and she blinked at Hrolf who now smiled at her. "Should we leave?"
"On the contrary, you must remain. You will want to meet this man, if he is who I believe him to be."
Looking at Aren and Finn, both returned a blank stare. "Who would that be?"
"Another man you thought dead, your son, Gunnar the Black."
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
A numb tingling spread across Runa's face as she watched the doors to Hrolf's hall, waiting for them to open and reveal her firstborn son. Her mind raced with a dozen thoughts but none of them completing. She wanted to flee the hall and hide. She imagined the fading bruises on her cheek and placed a hand over it, feeling heat radiating from her skin. Gunnar could not see her like this, not with both her and Aren beaten at Konal's hands. The door loomed in her vision, as if all the world lay behind it. What was she going to do or say? She never believed he was dead, but could not believe he had never returned. Why had he abandoned her? Her own son, the best of part of her and Ulfrik, and he had left her when she needed him most.
"Mother?" Aren tugged on her sleeve, and she turned to him. His wide, swollen face was filled with the same fear and instantly she forgot her own.
She touched his glossy hair and smiled. "You were only a child when he left. He will be proud to see you growing into a man. Do not fear."
"I don't want to see him like this." Aren bowed his head, and Runa slipped her arm about his shoulders. He was still her youngest, and though many called him a man at his age, she could not help but coddle him. He was more sensitive than normal men, both a blessing and a curse.
"I am intruding," Finn said. "Maybe I should go?"
Runa shook her head. "From all you've told me, Ulfrik treats you like family. Stay and meet his firstborn son."
The hall doors opened and Runa yanked Aren closer and gasped. The two guards entered first, but Runa could already see the wavy black hair of her eldest son behind the guards. They looked at her expectantly, and Runa stared back. Aren pulled back and she realized Gunnar, if it was him, must present himself to Hrolf first. She retreated to a wall with Aren and Finn, a spectator to the return of her own son.
When he entered, the tears flowed from her eyes and her knees buckled. Aren held her straight as she fought against sobbing. Gunnar stood as tall as his father, walked with his purpose and determination. Though his second brother Hakon looked like Ulfrik, Gunnar was truly the inheritor of all Ulfrik's gifts. Runa marveled at his power and authority as he followed his escorts to Hrolf's presence. His vision did not waver, and if he recognized his family huddled against the walls he made no sign. He acted as if Hrolf was his equal, and for all Runa knew it could be true. He was dressed in fine clothes, with new leather boots and a rust-colored cloak held with a golden pin. At his side a sword slapped against his leg, though it was bound tightly in its sheath with leather peace straps to prevent it being drawn. His right sleeve hid the stump of his missing hand, but three gold bands adorned his arm.
"Jarl Hrolf the Strider, I am honored you have taken such an interest in me." Gunnar went to his knee before Hrolf. Even his voice carried the hint of Ulfrik's own powerful tones. Runa wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffed.
"No ship enters Seine without my knowledge, and when you named yourself to my men there I had to learn who you really are." Hrolf spoke, but Runa only stared at Gunnar, heart thudding in her chest. He did not waver before Hrolf, arms resting at his sides and his head tilted up in pride. She wanted to rush to him, but he did not turn to her.
"I am Gunnar the Black, son of Ulfrik, and I once knew your hospitality. I beg it again for me and my crew."
"You shall have it. But where have you been and why return now?"
"I have been everywhere, yet none of my travels matter. I left to find revenge for my father, but failed. The tale is too shameful to repeat. As to why I have returned, perhaps you know already. My crew and I arrived in Yorvik only recently, seeking our fortunes, only to learn that a man calling himself Ulfrik Ormsson had spent a long winter there and made friends among the traders and merchants. I heard he had only recently departed for Frankia, swearing an oath of revenge on those who had betrayed him. I wanted to believe it was a trick of the gods, for I had seen my father's shattered head and heard Einar tell the story of his murder. Yet men who knew him swore to me the truth, and described my father's likeness and habits in details that leave no doubt he lived. I am here to find him, to bring this news to you and my family, and return to my rightful place ... if I will be welcomed back to it."
Gunnar lowered his head and Runa saw the regret on his face. She glanced at Hrolf, who smiled at her and extended his jeweled hand. "Your news is a joy to hear, but as for assuming your rightful place, that is for your mother to decide."
Both Runa and Aren swarmed Gunnar, who turned to them with his own eyes shining with tears. They embraced and Runa sobbed into his shoulder. He smelled like the sea and smoke, and though her cheek pressed hard muscle beneath his shirt, she held him as if he were still her little boy. No matter what happened or how much time passed, he would always be her beloved firstborn son. He finally pulled her back with a gentle hand.
"I am sorry for all the pain I must have caused you. No words will undo my thoughtless cruelty." He cupped her face in his rough, warm hands and smiled. She saw her brother, Toki, in his expression and in the dark pools of his eyes. "Will you forgive me?"
Shaking her head, she pressed h
er face back into his shoulder and cried again. She lost count of the time, and soon Gunnar peeled her away again. Sniffling, she dabbed at her face with the cuff of her sleeve. Gunnar's eye shifted to the bruises on her cheeks and his lips tightened, but he said nothing more. Now he turned to Aren, and the two embraced with a ferocity that told Runa they would be whole again.
"Your timing is a sign from the gods," Hrolf said, stepping down from his high table. "Your father has returned to us, and we all now know it. He is in need of swift help, and I believe you are the one to deliver it to him."
Hrolf welcomed Gunnar with an embrace, then stepped aside to allow Gunther One-Eye to do the same. He thumped Gunther's right shoulder. "One hand hasn't kept you from grabbing an armload of gold, I see."
Gunnar smiled, the same boyish grin Runa remembered from his childhood, and he shook his head. "Fate has been kind to me in that regard, and my crew does not go hungry for wealth."
"You sailed the same tides as your father," Hrolf said. "And found similar fortunes. There will be a time for that story, but not today. Be seated, and hear all there is to be told of your father's story. This young man, Finn, can tell you of his days in Iceland, and I shall tell you of his condition today. Then we shall lay plans for you to aid both him and me."
Gunnar lowered to a bench and as promised sat with rapt attention through all the stories Finn either experienced with Ulfrik or had relayed to him. At the description of Throst's death, Gunnar lowered his head and closed his eyes. Runa wanted to take his hand and comfort him, but realized such a display would shame him. When Finn completed his stories, Hrolf detailed his own and concluded with the news of only a few hours prior.
"Someone must get to Ulfrik and render what aid he needs," Hrolf said, then paused to drink from a mug of mead servants had provided to all of them. "Worse still, if Konal would do as Runa fears, then not only haste but fighting prowess is required."
Rubbing the back of his neck, Gunnar winced. "I loved Konal like an uncle once. Yet even before I left on my long journey he was a changing man, and now the evidence of the worst change is battered into the faces of my mother and brother. If he could hurt Aren so, then it is no feat of imagination to see him betraying my father to the Franks. It is not the choice of a reasonable man, but he must be beyond clear thought."
Return of the Ravens (Ulfrik Ormsson's Saga Book 6) Page 22
