Lagertha looked up from the hearth where she was grilling some meat on skewers as Rollo and Bjorn brought in the last of their belongings and dropped them on the floor. "How does the barn look?"
"Drafty." Rollo headed for the door. "I'll see if I can do something about that."
"You should eat something first." Lagertha sighed as Rollo left without another word, then set out two plates for herself and Bjorn. They ate hungrily, washing down the meat with weak ale and finishing with some hard barley bread, and Rollo still had not returned. "Bedtime, Bjorn." The boy opened his mouth and his mother quelled him with her sternest look. He went sulkily to a high bench at the end of the room and spread out his bedding, climbed in, and for all his reluctance was asleep before Lagertha had finished cleaning up the remains of their meal. She went to check on him, pulling a fur closer around him, then threw another piece of wood on the fire before going outside.
Rollo was sitting on a tree stump in front of the house and Lagertha came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You never came back to eat."
"I am not hungry."
The shieldmaiden took a deep breath, then said so softly Rollo could pretend not to have heard her if he did not want to respond, "I am sorry about Siggy's ring."
She felt him tense under her hand, then he relaxed, saying dully, "I lost the chance to give it to her. There was no point in carrying it around with me when it could serve a useful purpose." He stood up and turned to face her, the light from the fire inside casting a dim glow over them both. "The barn will need some repairs-I can take care of that tomorrow, and you can tell me what you want done, but this seems like a good place for you and Bjorn, at least for a time."
Lagertha blinked rapidly. "Do you mean to leave us?"
"Not if you wish me to stay. I think it is better to have a man on the place. I do not trust Sigvard, and Bjorn is going to want to learn how to fight. I know you can teach him the sword and the axe, shieldmaiden, but a boy should not learn fighting from his mother."
Lagertha smiled. "In that case, you should have something to eat before going to bed. It will be a long hard day tomorrow." They went inside and she put some bread and meat on a plate, poured a cup of ale, and sat with Rollo until he finished eating.
"You are a better cook when you have something to work with," said Rollo, smiling. He went over to the small pile of his belongings and pulled something out, then came back to present her with the carved bowl she had admired earlier. "I thought you should have something beautiful," he said shyly.
Lagertha turned the bowl around in her hands, admiring the craftsmanship, then she set it on the table and gave Rollo a quick hug. Once again he was surprised, but he hugged her back before they went to their separate beds for the first night in their new home.