Good Morning, Little Ones!
I know you have lots of questions... so does Bella. Answers will come as she discovers them.
Thank you Mel and Jill!
.: Níu :.
Unsurprisingly, Eydís is impatient.
I don't understand her and she has to walk me through all the tasks she sets out for me. I can feel her frustration mounting every time I need to be shown something.
She speaks to me as we work, and though I don't understand her, I try to. I try to make my mind catch the fragments of her language, and after a while, I find a word I repeat to myself over and over under my breath: geit.
I don't know what it means, but I say it again and again, trying to match the tone and cadence of Eydís.
It's hours later that she finally directs me out of the small building. The sun is low on the horizon as we set down the path to what I assume is the main house.
Wherever we are, it's beautiful. The air is fresh and clean, the forest free of man-made noise. Everything here feels peaceful, and despite my uncertainty, I find that I enjoy the walk outside.
My peace is short-lived.
As soon as we enter the main house, I am tense again. There are people inside I don't know, and everyone stops what they are doing to look at me. I'm not used to being the center of attention, and it's something I'm definitely not comfortable with.
My eyes travel automatically around the room, searching for Edvard. It's not that I like him, but he's the only person other than Eydís that I've had any contact with, and so far, he's proven to be somehow kinder than the woman currently glaring at me as she moves across the room.
Edvard is sitting at a table beside the two men who I saw with him in the fields earlier. Uncertainty makes me freeze in my spot near the door as his green eyes—gold in the light of candles—find mine. I don't find any reassurance in his gaze, but at the same time, he's not openly hostile like Eydís. It's somehow reassuring in its own way.
A striking woman comes into view, pulling my attention from the table. She's tall and blonde, her hair falling in silky strands down her back. She sets a plate in front of the largest man at the table and speaks, her eyes fixed on me.
I blush when I realize they are talking about me. The youngest man, also blond, says something and Edvard rolls his eyes. Eydís says something, drawing everyone's attention, and I shift, growing more uncomfortable.
The young blond man stands from the table and comes around, approaching me. I stare at him, wary even though he has a kind, open face. He stops a few steps from me, speaking. He's the type of person that smiles as he talks, and though I don't know what he's saying, the urge to smile back at him comes upon me. I only barely stop myself.
He pauses, as if waiting for a response, and Edvard speaks up from the table. The blond turns to look at him, then turns back to me, surprise in his eyes. He says something to me, to which Eydís spits out a response across the room. Everyone laughs, and I have a feeling it's at my expense.
I catch Edvard's eyes over the blond's shoulder, and he sits up, pointing at the man in front of me. "Josurr," he says.
I look at the blond in front of me. Is that his name? "Yo-sirr?" I ask. He nods enthusiastically, though his slight wince tells me I've probably butchered the pronunciation of his name. Still, it's a start. "Bella," I tell him, pointing to my chest. He repeats the name a few times before I nod.
Edvard grumbles something at the table, and Josurr turns to look at him. I wonder what the pecking order around here is. It's clear that while Eydís is plenty bossy, Edvard seems to be in charge.
Josurr returns to the table, and I'm left standing where I am by the door.
Conversation picks up, and I sense they are still talking about me. Eydís is getting more and more angry until quite suddenly, Edvard stands, sending the bench flying backwards. The room freezes, and in my chest, my heart grows cold.
He growls something out before making his way around the table and reaching for my arm. I don't even have time to scream in panic as he tugs me out the front door.