Happy Sunday everybody! I hope we're all enjoying it as best as we can before some of us go back to work or school.
This chapter is in Athelstan's perspective, and I hope everyone likes it. There's some familiar stuff in here, obviously, but I tried to make it fit a little better. Of course, I don't own anything like that.
I also had to start entwining these two in the daily life of the world around them. It's a longer chapter than the last few have been, since this takes place during episode four.
More notes at the bottom. Enjoy!
Adjustment
The morning after Ragnar and Lagertha left for Kattegat, Athelstan found himself in a most unusual position. When he'd been at the monastery, the bells had always woke him, alerting him to a new day of chores and prayers. In the last nine months, he'd slept far enough away from the dormitory that no one saw him until he was in the scriptorium working on the old texts. Sometimes he would even wait until after breakfast to talk to anyone except Lilith, since she was usually awake before he was.
This time was completely different.
Because Athelstan didn't have a bed exactly, the first thing he heard was the sound of the dogs rising and leaving the little alcove they shared. After only a few weeks away from the bells of the monastery, he already appreciated not waking up to them. He didn't know if it was good or not, but he knew he had chores to do, so he rose and let the dogs out of the house.
The fire had diminished to embers, and Athelstan gathered up enough wood so he could cook something for his three charges. For twelve years, he'd been taking care of Lilith, so the idea wasn't so foreign. Many of the same instincts came to him as he collected what he thought Bjorn and Gyda would eat. There wasn't a cook to make the food, but Athelstan had helped in the kitchens often enough.
As soon as he decided he'd waited long enough, Athelstan moved back to the alcove where the children slept. He saw Bjorn first, remembering the boy's displeasure with their current situation but hoping it wasn't always like that. Gyda lay behind her brother, the softness of her spirit etched on her face as it was in her words and mannerisms. He already saw that she would be a good friend to Lilith. His first charge was tucked against the farthest wall of the alcove, sleeping more soundly than he'd ever seen. Since coming, Lilith had adjusted almost to the point of him thinking she was always meant to be here with these people.
That made Athelstan more conflicted about his place than ever before. If she was meant to be here with Ragnar and Lagertha and their children, what did that mean for him? Where was he meant to be?
"Bjorn," he said and nudged the boy's shoulder. "It's time to wake up."
Slowly, Bjorn opened his eyes, and for one precious second, the events of the day previous were forgotten. He lifted his gaze to Athelstan and sighed, rubbing his face and lifting his head to look back at Gyda and Lilith. Then he pulled in a deep breath and sat up, throwing his blanket away and climbing out of the alcove without saying anything to Athelstan. He stomped out of the house, pushing Athelstan out of his way and making his feelings clear.
It took all of Athelstan's strength not to respond. He let Bjorn go, knowing this wasn't going to be as easy as he'd hoped. It seemed he'd left the monastery with one stubborn child and had now gained another. Oh, how God was playing a game with him now.
He had to climb a step or two to reach into the alcove to wake Gyda, lightly touching her shoulder and waiting for her to open her eyes. When she saw him, she gave him a small smile, and he smiled as well, gesturing behind her.
"Good morning, Gyda," he said softly. "If you'll wake up Lili, I'll see what I can do about making us all some breakfast. All right?"
She nodded, and he squeezed her shoulder gently, leaving the alcove.
The girls were much easier to please than Bjorn, finding eggs and cured meat to eat before Gyda decided to show Lilith the loom in the corner. Bjorn only grudgingly ate his part of the food, taking the rest of it and leaving the house without a word to anyone else. He truly reminded Athelstan of Lilith in so many ways, even if it was clear he was just being stubborn because he was angry.
"I will try to find you better clothes to wear, Priest," Gyda said as she showed Lilith the loom. "Mother said it would be all right until we could make something. I will also look through the shoes we have to see if any fit you."
Athelstan smiled as he put more wood on the fire. "I would be in your debt for anything you can give me, Gyda," he said and nodded. "It is more than I expected."
He glanced back to see her pointing out parts of the loom to Lilith and laughing softly. Yes, they would be good friends.
Lilith had never had a friend other than him. It made him happy that she finally had someone her age to talk to and play with.
"Athelstan," Lilith said, and he turned to her. "Can we go swimming later? After all our chores are done."
He only glanced back at the door to the house, thinking of Bjorn but also Ragnar and Lagertha. He thought about the villagers in the farm who had all been curious about him, and he worried it would be worse if they saw Lilith. Despite her being a little girl, Athelstan didn't think that would make any difference.
"We will see," he said as honestly as he could.
She watched him like she could read his mind, only waiting a minute before she nodded.
Most, if not all the chores on the farm were so similar to those at the monastery that Athelstan only knew where he was when he looked up from whatever task he was finishing. Gyda and Lilith milked the goats and fed the chickens. Bjorn did most of the tasks that required going to the next farm over, leaving around noon and returning just before it was time for supper. Athelstan could see on his face that he was still angry, and he barely helped prepare the food, sitting beside Lilith as they all sat around the table.
"Will we be able to go swimming?" Lilith asked, nibbling on her food.
Athelstan glanced at Bjorn and then Gyda before answering her. "It's too late for us to do that tonight, Lili," he said. He knew it was still light out, but that meant others might see her, and he still wanted to protect her.
She put her head down, disappointed, and he sighed.
"Perhaps we can do that tomorrow," he suggested, and she looked up at him, smiling.
It was quiet for a minute before Gyda spoke up.
"We can go back to the springs tomorrow if you want," she said to Lilith. "We can all go. I found you clothes to wear, Priest. We can all bathe and then come back to do our chores."
They both looked at Athelstan, and for a split second, he hesitated. He had worked harder most of Lilith's life to shield her from seeing the other monks when they bathed or changed. While he finally understood they were no longer in the monastery, he still wasn't sure it was safe for her to see things she wasn't ready to see.
But then he looked at her pleading face, and he couldn't say no again. "All right," he said after thinking on it. "We'll all go. In the morning."
Lilith's victorious smile warmed his heart more than he realized it would. She clearly wasn't worried, so he would find a way not to be as well.
That night, after Gyda and Lilith went to bed, and after Bjorn had stubbornly followed them but said he would not sleep because he was told to do so by a slave, Athelstan tried to sit in his own alcove and pray. He hadn't done so in nearly three weeks, but he'd been so busy that he had not the time to be concerned about it. Now he finally had time to come to terms with everything that had happened.
He thought of the other monks that had been captured, and he remembered the bodies he'd seen hanging in the town square not two weeks after being brought to this place. He prayed for their souls the same way he'd done for Brother Cenwulf, but he did not know if it helped. Eventually, he thought of the destruction of the monastery and the monks who had not been buried, who were surely rotted where they had landed after being struck down. Whether news of their deaths had reached any of the nearby towns was unknown, and Athelstan found that he had no time to worry about any of those places. He could only worry about the children he had been charged with caring for in their parents' absence.
Somewhere in his prayer, Athelstan fell asleep, dreaming for the first time about something other than the Northmen invading the monastery. He dreamt he was in a green field, at the very middle as the sun shone on every part of it except one dark corner. Athelstan wasn't afraid, moving to the darkness and almost stepping inside it before he heard Lilith call to him from across the field. He wanted to look into the darkness, to explore it, but then he felt Lilith's hand in his, pulling him away.
"Athelstan!"
His eyes flew open to see the inside of the house around him and Lilith in front of him in her night gown. He realized his heart in his throat before he took a deep breath and reached for her. "Lili. Why are you awake?"
She grasped onto his hand a little tighter. "I am bleeding," she said urgently.
His instinct to protect her overrode his need to wake Bjorn or Gyda, and he stood up with Lilith so they could leave the house.
It was early still as they hurried toward the beach. Athelstan looked in every direction, making sure no one else was around before he took off his sandals and then his robes so he was in the simple shift he'd been wearing to sleep in. While she was still wearing her gown, he walked into the water with her, waiting until she could swim out a little deeper without him.
"Give me your gown," he said softly. "If it's stained, we will need to wash it."
Once she had done that, Athelstan pushed his sleeves up and began looking over the fabric. Thankfully, there was no stain, and he nodded for her to come back.
Slowly, she swam back to him, standing up and reaching for him as she looked behind him.
He did as well, seeing Gyda there alone.
"What's wrong?" she asked them.
Athelstan looked at Lilith as she stood in his arms. "It's all right, Gyda. Just give us a moment."
Undeterred, Gyda stepped closer to them without stepping into the water. "Is she bleeding?"
Finally, he turned around so Lilith was behind him. "How did you know?" he nearly demanded. Then he remembered the morning Lagertha had taken the girls to the springs to bathe, and how the woman had discovered Lilith's marks on her back. He looked at Lilith, seeing that she wasn't scared and sighing heavily. "Lili," he chastised.
"It is all right," Gyda said quickly. "Mother was not angry. If she needs help, I can help. We can go wash before Bjorn wakes up."
Athelstan realized he was standing in the water up to his waist and then Lilith was naked in the water behind him. He quickly turned to her and pulled the gown in his hands over her head even though it was soaked. Slowly, he helped her out of the water so they were standing in front of Gyda.
"I will be back," she said, turning and hurrying to the house.
While she was gone, Athelstan helped Lilith wring the water from her gown, doing the same to his own and picking up his sandals as Gyda came back with a large pouch in her arms. He didn't ask her to explain, taking Lilith's hand and following Gyda away from the beach so they could walk to the springs.
Because he'd been so busy with chores and with Ragnar dragging him to town a few times, Athelstan had only really bathed a few times since arriving here. He'd been wearing his robes the entire time, and no one had seemed to mind. He knew he couldn't wear them for much longer, but what was he to do? He couldn't exactly make his own clothes.
Athelstan heard the water flowing before he saw it, allowing Gyda to pull Lilith ahead of them so they could undress and get in the water. He waited a few minutes before he followed them, sitting down beside the water to remove his shift. Though he was naked like they were, they were far enough away that he could sink into the water before they turned to see him there. He thought he would worry about it, but he wasn't worried at all.
Gyda left the water first, covering herself with a new gown and then opening the pouch to reveal new clothes for Athelstan. Somehow she had managed to fit a pair of boots in there as well, beckoning him toward her as she spoke.
"These are some of Father's old boots," she said as she showed them to him. "As well as a pair of his old pants and a shirt. You can wear these with your cloak when we have to leave the farm. I brought Lili's dress for her as well."
Athelstan took a deep breath, glancing at Lilith and nodding for her to come to him. "I don't know if it would be good for her Lili to wear her dress right now. But she can wear my robes, since you've brought me something else to wear."
Curiously, Gyda sat on the ground beside the water. "Why would it not be good for her to wear her dress?" she asked. "Is it because of her bleeding?"
He nodded. "Yes. When we were in the monastery, I had to keep her covered so the others wouldn't see. I knew they would not understand. They were not as open-minded toward her as they should have been."
"Why would they not understand? Mother said it was a normal thing for a girl to bleed to become a woman. She does not keep it from us when it is her time."
Athelstan sighed, nodding for Lilith to go to Gyda so she could put her gown back on. While Gyda helped her, he climbed out of the water and found the pants that Gyda had brought for him. When they were all dressed again, Athelstan decided they had been gone long enough, gathering up the girls so they could get back.
"Perhaps, Gyda," he said as they walked. "You could help me explain to Lili what this means for her. It never felt right for me to do it, since I am a man. What did your mother tell you about this?"
She was quiet a minute before she began. "For a little while now, since she says it is close to my time as well. As a girl grows older, and her body matures, it becomes suited to have a baby. She says that only a woman's body can do it, and so we must pray to Freya for the strength when the time comes. She hasn't yet told me how a woman comes to be with a baby, but she probably would if I asked, if you wished for me to."
Athelstan opened his mouth to stop her, but Lilith spoke instead.
"So this happened to my mother before she had me?" she asked, more to Gyda than to Athelstan.
"Yes," Gyda said. "But it is a blessing. That's what Mother says. She says it is always a blessing when a woman has a baby. I want to have a baby one day, when I'm old enough. So I can teach her how to be a shield maiden like my mother. What about you, Lili? Would you like to have a baby one day?"
Athelstan blushed unintentionally, looking up and discovering Lilith's curious gaze upon him.
"If I can teach her the way Athelstan has taught me," she said, "then yes. I would like that."
Bjorn was sitting at the fire when they all returned, looking up as they stepped inside the house. He rose to face them, pulling in a deep breath and about to speak when Gyda spoke instead.
"We've already had our bath," she said, taking Lilith's hand. "You should go as well. The Priest has to make breakfast for us."
Though he was older, Bjorn only hesitated a few seconds before he did as she said. He glanced at Athelstan's clothes, glaring and then leaving the house.
As expected, Lilith's bleeding only lasted a week or so, and when she asked Athelstan if she could wear his robes to keep her dress clean, he let her only after deciding to ask Lagertha about an alternative since it was warmer outside. He didn't want Lilith walking around in anything so cumbersome now that she would be in the sun more often.
Bjorn's behavior only improved a little as they all worked on the farm together. The daily work was tiring for them all, and Athelstan often found himself too exhausted to think about what Ragnar and Lagertha or what they were doing. By his counting, it had taken almost a week to make the passage from England to Kattegat. He didn't know who exactly they would encounter or what they would do given the warmer weather and the prospect of more riches awaiting them.
Gyda and Lilith went off by themselves after breakfast almost every morning, and when they came back at noon, they carried flowers and vegetables that apparently grew in a nearby garden. After Lilith's bleeding stopped, she wore her dress more freely, and she always tried to leave the house without her shoes. Athelstan knew it was a lot to ask, but Gyda surprised him when she began wearing her own shoes so their feet wouldn't be dirty when they came back.
Some nights before bed, Lilith wanted Athelstan to tell her stories like he had at the monastery, and even though he had no books to read to her, he tried to remember what he could from those nights previous. Sometimes, Gyda sat with them while he spoke, listening the same way Lilith did and asking questions. Bjorn never did. Athelstan didn't really expect him to, and he was grateful that Bjorn didn't do anything to stop him.
"Once," he began one night after supper, "a very long time ago, when God had determined that mankind had grown corrupt and overrun with sin, he sought to wash away all the sinners and start over. He knew he would need someone to start humanity over again, and he had to choose a very special man for this task. He chose Noah because he was a carpenter like his only son Jesus Christ, and because Noah was a very holy man. He told Noah that there would be a great flood that would cover every inch of this earth, and that in order for life to be preserved, he would have to gather all the innocent animals and insects and plants to regrow them when it was time.
"Noah was an obedient man, and so he did as God asked. He gathered up two of every animal on earth to save them from this flood. God told Noah he would need to build a very special vessel to hold all of these animals, and he told him how to build it. While Noah waited for the great flood, he built this very special vessel. Many who tell the story say it was a like a boat. They called it an Ark. It was a vast structure, large enough to hold all of the animals and Noah's family. When it was time, Noah sealed his family and himself in his vessel, and the great flood came.
"It rained for so long that the world was covered with water. Noah was locked in his vessel for nearly a year, waiting for land to reappear. First, he sent a dove to find land, but when it couldn't, it returned to the Ark. Seven days later, he sent it out again, and when it came back this time, it was carrying an olive branch. Land. God said to Noah, 'Come out of the Ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring out every living creature that is with you — the birds, the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground – so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number upon it.' And that is what Noah did."
Lilith clapped lightly, smiling the whole time as she gathered up the blanket covering her and Gyda. "You must tell Gyda about Genesis, Athelstan," she urged. "It's the best one of them all."
Athelstan pushed out a heavy sigh, exhausted from his day enough as it was. "Perhaps another time, Lili," he said. "It is late. You both must sleep."
Lilith sighed too, nodding as she held both his hands in hers.
He leaned up to kiss her forehead and stood up slowly from Ragnar and Lagertha's bed where they had laid to keep from disturbing Bjorn. At first, he hadn't thought it was a good idea, but after he'd started, it didn't seem like a problem.
Before he could move away, Gyda spoke up. "If there was a flood and your God wanted to save all the life in the world, why did he not save all the people? Why only this one family? What was so special about them?"
Athelstan thought for a minute, sitting back down before he said anything. "Well, Noah and his family were chosen. They were — It's just a story, Gyda. And even so, we learn that the Flood is more about baptism than it is about doing away with people who are corrupt."
She scrunched up her nose and her mouth. "What is baptism?" she asked.
Again, he thought for a minute, remembering his own baptism so long ago. "Baptism for Christians is when you welcome the Lord back into your life. It's meant to wash away your sins so that you are born anew."
"Are all Christians baptized?"
Athelstan bowed his head. "Most are, yes. It's very rare to find one that isn't."
She began to ask another question, but he stopped her.
"Gyda, please. There will be more time for questions tomorrow. Now both of you, sleep."
She sighed the same way Lilith had, relenting.
They both turned to the middle of the bed, and Athelstan rose again, moving around the fire to his little alcove where the dog was laying.
He watched the girls sleep, the same way he had inadvertently watched Ragnar and Lagertha, again thinking of them and wondering what they were doing. Nearly three weeks had passed, and there had been no word. Surely, they would be back soon.
Another day passed, and Gyda had even more questions for Athelstan. While Bjorn went fishing, the girls looked after the goats and chickens. Lilith remembered the goats on the island that she had named, and she asked Athelstan if she could name one of the goats on the farm.
"I don't see why not," he replied when she did. "But we should both remember how that went when Brother Cuthren had to slaughter one of them for the winter. Try not to pick one of the males this time."
She thought about what he said and nodded, tossing feed on the ground for the chickens as they clucked around for it.
Gyda watched them, asking a new question when it was quiet. "Do you have any family, Priest? Since Lili's mother is gone."
Athelstan sighed, thinking silently before he spoke. "I had four older brothers and a sister," he said. "They all died of a fever, like my mother and father. I only survived because I was sent to the monastery as a child. They had too many mouths to feed."
"So you are alone as well? Neither you nor Lili has any family left?"
He glanced at Lilith as she stood on the other side of the pen. "Well, no," he said. "God is our Father, and so we are never alone. And he brought Lili to the monastery as a baby for her to be taken care of. I know it was the reason why I was there now. And we have each other. God made sure of that."
"What does your God look like?" Gyda asked, looking at Lilith as well as she now sat between them.
"No one can know what God looks like," Athelstan said sadly. He looked at Lilith, thinking that maybe sometimes she understood too well. "It would be like looking into the sun. It cannot be done. But he did send his only son to live on the earth, and he looked like a man."
"Odin, Thor and Loki look like men," Gyda stated simply. "Only they are gods."
"They aren't gods. They don't exist," Athelstan said, unsure why he would say such a thing.
Gyda's eyebrows knit together as she shook her head, and she was about to speak when the quick footfalls outside the pen caught her attention.
Athelstan turned to see Bjorn there, his glare plain as his lips twisted into what looked like a curse. The young boy didn't say anything, hurrying away before any of them could stop him.
"Bjorn!" Athelstan called after him.
It was quiet another minute before Lilith spoke to break the silence.
"It is almost time for supper," she said. "We should find some vegetables to eat with our bread. Gyda, come."
She only hesitated a little, staring at Athelstan and then looking after her brother. Lilith took her hand and pulled her off a moment later.
Athelstan sat by himself with the goats a few minutes, thinking of what he'd said to Gyda and wondering if she would tell Ragnar and Lagertha. He knew it was wrong to worship false gods, but it wasn't his place to judge those who did. In all his travels, he'd encountered many people who did not worship God, and none of those people were evil. Gyda was as precious as Lilith and worshiping a pagan god didn't change that. Since he'd been little, he'd been taught to look down at those who did not follow Christ. But he could not look down at Gyda or Bjorn, or Ragnar and Lagertha for that matter.
Bjorn was already making the meat when Athelstan came into the house, and he only kept glaring at him, not saying anything. Athelstan moved to help the girls, and they all worked silently before carrying everything to the table to eat. Lilith seemed hungry enough, watching as Bjorn filled her plate and then Gyda's before his own. Athelstan got his food last, as he usually did, and before they could start, Bjorn spoke.
"I want to go to Kattegat," he said, looking at Athelstan as he did. It was hard not to hear the demand in his voice. "I want to see my father return soon. He must return soon."
Athelstan sighed heavily, knowing it was important but also knowing it wasn't possible. "I gave your father my word that I would look after all of you here."
Bjorn scoffed. "You're not looking after us," he argued. "We look after ourselves. And Gyda has helped my new sister better than you have."
"I cannot allow you to go on your own to Kattegat," he countered, glancing at Gyda and Lilith and taking deep breath. "Your father would never tolerate such a thing."
Bjorn pressed further. "Then we should go together," he suggested. "The four of us. I know the way. It would not be difficult."
"And who then would look after the farm?" Athelstan asked, knowing the boy would not have an answer.
He stopped his prodding for a minute, giving Athelstan a chance to look at Lilith so she would do as he did while he blessed their food.
"For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly grateful. Amen."
Once that was done, Athelstan moved to pour their drinks, making sure to give the girls water before he gave a full glass of ale to Bjorn and himself. Gyda spoke up before taking her first bite.
"Can Lili and I have some ale?" she asked, curious.
Athelstan grinned slightly as he glanced at her. "You and Lili are too young to drink ale," he determined, not only because of the fact that it was true, but also because he knew firsthand the effects of drinking far too much in a single night.
Bjorn did not like him saying that, stopping in his eating and taking an extra cup so he could pour some ale into it for Gyda and Lilith. It was with a satisfied glint in his eyes that Bjorn sat back down in front of them, and Athelstan clenched his teeth, doing his best to avoid a direct confrontation. He would have to talk to Lilith later about this, but for now, he did not wish to argue about it anymore.
Both Gyda and Lilith had taken a drink of the ale before Bjorn started again, continuing his defiance.
"I want to make a sacrifice to Thor," he commanded. "For my father's safe return."
Athelstan shook his head, grinning as he replied. "What will you sacrifice?" he inquired, knowing they did not have any animals to spare for such a thing.
Bjorn jumped to his feet, glaring and growling almost the way his father did. "YOU!" he shouted, knocking his own cup off the table and then storming off.
Gyda did not feel like listening to a story that night, and even though Athelstan could see she was upset, he didn't press her to talk to him like she'd been doing. Lilith was upset as well, but not for the same reasons. He knew she'd never heard anyone speak to him like that, and it was obvious she didn't want to go to sleep. He didn't give her much choice, tucking her in silently and bidding her to at least get some rest.
As he had been trying to do since Ragnar and Lagertha left, after the girls were in bed, Athelstan sat in his alcove close to the dogs, leaning over the small candle he'd been given so he could pray. It hadn't been easy the last few weeks, even if he knew all the prayers of the Gospel by heart. He'd been reading them almost his entire life, since he'd been put in the monastery at the age of five.
Athelstan had felt the conflict in him rising the last few weeks, being alone with the children. He had been charged with their safety and well-being, and he knew after taking care of Lilith for twelve years that he was up to the task physically. But his heart was torn. His spirit was not so singular anymore. And he didn't understand why it was so.
"Where are you, Lord?" he whispered so as not to wake anyone else in the house. He stared into the flame, keeping his hands clasped together. "Tell me," he pleaded, "is it your will that Lili and I are here with these Heathens?" He sighed, knowing he would ask Gyda's forgiveness in the morning. "How does it serve you?" he demanded. "I don't understand. I thought I had accepted what happened all those months ago. It was done and could not be undone. But for the first time in my life, I'm angry with you. You allowed a small child to be abused and mutilated, even though you say all children are innocent. You allowed me and my brothers to be captured, to be sold and slaughtered. Is this really your will?" he implored. The silence nudged his frustration further. "For the first time, I feel like an outsider. Lili has already found her new family, but where does that leave me? Where are you, Lord?" he demanded again. "Where are you? And why don't you answer me?"
Even in his deep thought, a soft fluttering broke through Athelstan's prayers, and he left his alcove, thinking it was coming from outside the house. He held his candle high, looking around and then up, spotting a lone owl in the rafters gazing back at him. Athelstan sighed softly, remembering his prayers and wondering if this was just God's way of playing with him. His faith had never been tested before, but now, there was a test around every corner.
But this was just an owl. It had probably come in through the empty space where the smoke stack left the house. It watched him like it knew what he was thinking, but that wasn't possible. Wasn't it?
Athelstan stood still another minute, remembering how Bjorn continued to test him of late as well. It wasn't usually his nature to give in, not since he'd found out about Lilith's marks. But in this case, perhaps it was merciful to both him and Bjorn to leave the small space of the farm. Perhaps this would bridge the gap that kept growing between them.
He turned from the owl then, moving toward the alcove where the children slept and deciding before he reached out to wake Bjorn.
"Bjorn," he whispered, nudging the boy's arm gently. "Bjorn, wake up."
Slowly, he opened his eyes, turning and seeing Athelstan there. In his sleepy mind, Bjorn sighed softly. "What is it?" he muttered.
Athelstan pressed his lips into a line, pushing out a heavy breath. "We'll go to Kattegat," he allowed. "All of us. Tomorrow."
That ended the arguing and prodding.
Athelstan returned to his alcove and pulled his cloak over his shoulders, relaxing for the first time all day. With any luck, he would be able to get a little sleep before their journey. With any hope, this was what they were meant to do now.
I found the story of Noah's ark online, and I can't remember the website where I found it. But it seemed like a good story for Athelstan to tell the girls.
And the story is about to pick up the pace, so to speak, so there's that to look forward to.
Thank you so much for reading, and thanks to everyone who followed this and put it in their favorites. If you have any questions, just let me know!
Until next time!
