Hi guys! First I want to say thank you to everyone has added this story to their alert/favorite list, and thank you to all of you who take the time to review! You guys seriously rock!
Second, I am so sorry for the wait. I had the worstwriter's block with this chapter. But I finally managed to overcome it (I think) and was able to get this down. I can admit that I'm not over the moon about the finished product, but there comes a point where, after spending four months writing about twelve different versions of the same chapter, you just decide it's not gonna get any better and go with it. So if it sucks, I apologize in advance!
Anywho, enjoy the new chapter!
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Vikings!
Chapter Fourteen
Signe kept herself very busy as she and Gunnar continued their stay in Kattegat, and before she even knew it, nearly two more weeks had flown by.
When they had first arrived in Kattegat, it had been impossible to settle into any sort of normal routine. Seeing as Gunnar had still been on the brink of death at the time, Signe's sole mission in the early days of their stay had been to keep him alive. For days on end she had stayed practically attached to his sickbed, afraid to leave his side for even a moment, constantly watching over him and helping him in whatever way he needed her to. There had been no time to see to everyday chores, no time to hunt or fish or search the forest for food and herbs, no time to even go out and actually attempt to explore this new, foreign place they had found themselves temporary residents of.
But they had been in Kattegat for just shy of a month now, and things were quite different. Gunnar's health had improved quite a bit since they had first arrived. Now that he'd had a few weeks to rest and heal, he was slowly beginning to grow strong enough to do things on his own again, which meant Signe was free to do more than just wait on him hand and foot. She could tend to household chores without stopping to take care of Gunnar. She could leave to shop in the market or take care of their horses without worrying what was happening to her brother while she was away. She was able to actually get out of the house and do things she liked to do, rather than spending all of her time cooped up indoors and fretting at her brother's bedside.
Signe could admit that there had been many days in those first few weeks where she had been quite homesick. She had never been away from Hedeby for this long, and it had been almost a decade since she and her father had been parted from each other like this. With the stress of taking care of Gunnar weighing so heavily on her shoulders and knowing that her family was hundreds of miles away, there had been times were Signe had felt very alone, where she had yearned for home so desperately it had almost hurt to think of it. In all honesty, Signe had found that she didn't really care for Kattegat in the beginning.
But just as Gunnar's health had improved over time, so had Signe's feelings toward Kattegat. Now that she was free to explore the village and get to know it a little better, her feelings of homesickness were fading away and she was beginning to quite like Kattegat. She liked that she was able to explore new, unfamiliar lands. She liked the pace of living within the busy village. It was refreshing to be in a place where she didn't know all the people, and where all the people didn't know her. And, of course, it was exciting to know that she was on the lands of the great and legendary Earl Ragnar, who seemed to be a much more pleasant ruler than Earl Sigvard in Hedeby was. She still missed her family, of course, but being in Kattegat was beginning to feel like one great, big adventure to her, and Signe had gotten to the point where she was really enjoying her time here.
What made her stay even better, however, was the friends she had made since coming to Kattegat. It had become habit for Signe to visit Hilda on a consistent basis – sometimes she would go to help the older woman in her garden or around the house, other times they would shop in the market together or go out to the forest to pick berries and search for herbs. Even though they had only known each other for less than a fortnight, they had become fast friends. Hilda was just such a warm and friendly person – it would have been impossible not to like her.
For as much as she saw Hilda, however, there was one person in particular that Signe saw even more – Torstein.
They had gotten to the point where they saw each other almost every single day. They went horseback riding together, went fishing together, went out to hunt every couple of days, and helped Hilda tend to her everyday chores together. Sometimes, when there were no more chores to be done and the sun was bright overhead, they did nothing more than lounge in the sunshine and talk with each other. And when it came to dinner, well, he joined Signe and Gunnar nearly every single night. It just seemed so easy for her and Torstein to find reasons to see one another, and, as surprising as it was, he had become her most constant companion in Kattegat…after Gunnar, of course. And as far as Gunnar was concerned, even he was beginning to warm up to Torstein now that he'd gotten to know him better, which was certainly saying something.
Speaking honestly, Signe had gotten to the point where she found herself greatly looking forward to the next time she would be in Torstein's company. Having grown up surrounded by men, Signe had often found it much easier to befriend men than it was to befriend other women, and Torstein was no exception. They seemed to have a lot in common, they got along very well, and she always had a good time whenever she was with him. Despite the nearly ten year age gap between them, and despite having only known each other for a short while, the friendship that had blossomed between them had been so effortless and so natural, like they were meant to be friends all along. She felt lucky to have met him, and even luckier to have befriended him.
All things considered, everything in Kattegat was going pretty smoothly. But, having said that, there was one thing that was not going well at all, and which was still weighing on Signe's mind on a day to day basis. And that one thing was her now rocky relationship with Bjorn.
Signe had not spoken to Bjorn one time since that horrible conversation, and, quite frankly, she wasn't sure she knew how to feel about that. In a way, she thought that maybe it was for the better if they didn't see one another just yet. She didn't always outwardly show it, but she was still very much heartbroken over Bjorn's rejection, and she just could not imagine any interaction with him going very well. At the same time, though, the fact that he was obviously avoiding her didn't really sit well with her either. There was a part of her that was sad because she could feel their friendship slipping more and more with each day….but on the other hand, there was another part of her that was so angry that Bjorn seemed perfectly fine to just go on with his life and let their friendship crumble away into nothingness.
In the back of her mind, Signe knew that it probably wasn't fair of her to be angry at him. The rational part of her brain knew that he had let her down as gently as he could, and knew very well that he was probably keeping his distance because he likely thought she didn't want to see him. She also knew that if she really wanted to see him, then she was perfectly capable of doing so. And there had been a few times where she had thought about it, only she'd gotten so nervous at the thought of seeing him that she'd ended up talking herself out of it.
All in all, this entire situation was complicated and had gotten beyond confusing for Signe, which was part of the reason why she was so grateful that she had Torstein, Hilda, and Gunnar around to keep herself preoccupied. The only time she managed to successfully push Bjorn from her mind and forget about her own broken heart was when she was with them. And seeing as she would rather not sit around moping over Bjorn and feeling sorry for herself, Signe was more than welcoming of the distraction that her brother and her friends provided.
"Easy now," Signe said, keeping a watchful eye on Gunnar and a balancing hand on his back as placed one foot in the stirrup of his saddle.
"I am fine," he quipped back, his brows creased with determination. "I know how to pull myself up onto a blasted horse," he added.
Signe pressed her lips together to keep from retorting, but still allowed herself to roll her eyes at her brother's back. Gunnar, who had been claiming to feel much better the past few days, had been begging her nonstop to let him go horseback riding with her. She had said no to him over and over again, afraid that he had not had enough time to heal and that he would somehow hurt himself. For two days she had held him back, but today he refused to be denied. He had pestered insistently, even threatened to go by himself the moment she left the house if she didn't agree. Tired of hearing him nag her and afraid he would go through with his threat, Signe had finally given in.
It took a few tries, but with one last mighty effort and a small grunting sound, Gunnar finally hoisted himself up on top of his horse. He made a sound of triumph once he was settled.
"See?" he said, smirking at her but still looking as though he was trying very hard to camouflage a wince of pain. "I told you."
Signe rolled her eyes again, not caring that he could see her doing it, and went over to her own horse. "Well done you," she shot back with only a hint of sarcasm. As Signe reached her horse, she patted the large animal on its thick, muscular neck before effortlessly climbing up into her saddle. "Remember," she continued sternly, "we take this slow. Understand?"
"Yes, mother," Gunnar retorted.
Once she was settled and had the reins clenched tightly within her grasp, she looked over at Gunnar and gave him a single nod. With that, they slowly steered their horses out of the stables and trotted onto the dirt road outside the barn. Instead of heading deeper into the heart of Kattegat, however, they went the opposite direction and followed the road out of town, their sights set on the rolling landscapes beyond.
They moved slow at first and maneuvered their horses carefully, seeing as the road was busy with the comings and goings of Kattegat townsfolk. It seemed only polite not to trample over anyone with their large horses. Once they had put some space between them and Kattegat, however, and were far away from the thick of people, they dug their heels into the flanks of their horses and picked up the pace until they were galloping side-by-side through the rolling, beautiful lands that stretched on for miles and miles.
Signe kept a close watch on Gunnar as they rode along, wanting to make sure that he was not feeling any sort of discomfort or attempting to push himself past his limits. He seemed to be doing fine, however. And as the space between them and Kattegat continued to grow, she had to admit that he was handling all of this much better than she had anticipated he would.
After a while, Gunnar suddenly looked over at her with a mischievous glint in his brown eyes that she knew all too well. "Shall we race like we always did back home?" he suggested, raising his voice so that he could be heard over the wind whistling past her ears.
"No!" Signe denied at once, shaking her head vigorously. "We are going fast enough! Any faster and you may hurt yourself!"
But Gunnar wasn't interested in being told what to do. He merely smirked before whacking his reins to make his horse surge forward even faster, cackling loudly as his horse took off.
"Gunnar!" Signe called after him in warning. "Gunnar!"
He ignored her and continued to urge his horse on, making the steed run even faster, the distance between them growing larger and larger by the moment. With a frustrated heave, Signe scowled and shook her head before whacking her own reins so that she could catch up with him, wanting to be nearby incase the fool ended up hurting himself.
Soon enough, Signe and Gunnar were side by side again. Signe glared at him in disapproval, but Gunnar was simply enjoying himself too much to care. He grinned at her and laughed as they raced along, clearly enjoying the ride. As annoyed as she was with him for disobeying her orders, his obvious joy began to infect her as well, and before she knew it she was laughing and smiling along with him, just happy with the fact that he was well enough to race with her like this again.
She had always enjoyed going for rides on her horse. She loved the rush that came with travelling at such a quick speed, loved the feel of the wind on her face and whipping through her hair, loved the sense of freedom that she felt whenever she was racing along the open plains of the earth. Without really even paying attention to what she was doing or where she was going, she whipped her reins again to make her horse run faster, her long, auburn hair flying behind her like a cape whipping in the wind as she pulled ahead of Gunnar. For a few moments, the rest of the world and all of Signe's cares melted away. There was nothing but her, her horse, and room to run for miles and miles ahead.
Eventually she was brought back to the present when she heard a shout from behind her. "Ahhhh!"
Signe, alarmed, instantly pulled on the reins to slow her horse, then turned back to see where her brother was. Gunnar was several yards behind her now, and though his horse was still galloping toward her, he was no longer on its back. Instead, he was lying on the ground and rolling back and forth, looking to be in some serious pain. Signe immediately steered her horse back around and quickly galloped back to her brother's side. When she reached him, she jumped down from her horse and crouched next to him.
"What happened?" she asked, her brows furrowed with concern as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
Gunnar was grimacing and pressing a hand to his side, the exact place where he had sustained his most serious wound during the battle. "I must have moved the wrong way. It felt as though I was being stabbed all over again," he explained through gritted teeth. "The pain made me lose my grip and I fell."
Signe immediately moved her brother's shirt up far enough so that she could see the wound on his side. He still had stitches in to keep the deep gash he'd stained closed while it continued to heal, and though it was a relief to see that none of those stitches had come out, she still gave him a cross look as she lowered his shirt back into its proper place.
"We should not have done that," she chastised, feeling just as irritated with herself for allowing their race to happen in the first place. "You could have aggravated this wound, or seriously injured yourself. We are trying to get you better, not worse," she reprimanded.
"Yes, well…I can see now that racing was perhaps not the best idea," he told her, looking as though he regretted his decision now.
Signe had to bite her tongue to keep from saying anything smart in return. "Would you like to get off the ground?" she asked.
Gunnar made no move to get up. "I think I vill lay here for a bit, actually," he told her.
Signe nodded, then glanced around to make sure that the horses had not gone running off. Gunnar's horse, thankfully, had stopped sprinting once it realized its owner was gone, and it had come back to toward them to graze with her own horse. Sine eased down onto the ground so that she was sitting next to Gunnar and rested her arms on her knees, her eyes turning up to the sky overhead. It was sunny today, and there were hardly any clouds in the sky. Judging by the sun's position, she would guess it was around noon.
"Do you know what I dreamt of last night?" Gunnar asked out of nowhere.
Signe turned her gaze down to him. "Vhat?" she asked curiously.
"I dreamt of the time you, me, and Garik got lost in the forest as children," he said. Gunnar then raised his eyebrows at her. "Do you remember that?"
Signe smiled a bit and nodded. "I do."
One time, when Signe had been seven and when Garik and Gunnar had been nine, the three of them had decided to go play in the woods near their house.
Now, their parents had set a very strict rule prohibiting her and her brothers from venturing any further than the ravine that laid a mile or so into the woods, and normally they abided by it, knowing that the punishment for breaking that rule was a very unenjoyable one. Yet on that particular day, Signe and the twins had been feeling brave, perhaps even a little reckless. They'd decided to be bold and go past the ravine to see what sort of adventures laid beyond.
It had been fun…at first. Signe and her brothers, empowered by their rebellious escapade and drunk off of their newfound sense of freedom, had frolicked around the forest for hours, venturing further through the trees than they ever had before – without supervision, anyway. They spent the afternoon play sword-fighting with sticks, climbing up trees, chasing woodland creatures, and then, when they became overheated from their afternoon of rigorous playing, cooled down by splashing around in a pond they came across. They'd had a blast together, the three of them.
But in all their excitement, they'd completely lost track of the time. Before they had even known it, the sun had started to go down and night had begun to creep into the forest. They'd decided it was time to go home as soon as they realized how little time they had before it would be dark, knowing that they'd stayed out for far too long and that they were probably going to be in for a verbal lashing from their parents once they returned.
On this night, however, darkness seemed to fall over the lands much faster than usual, casting the forest into eerie darkness long before they could even find their way back to the ravine, let alone home. And with them being in a part of the forest that they didn't know very well, and without the light of the sun to help them find landmarks that might show them the way back, it wasn't long at all before Signe and her brothers became lost within the dark, unfamiliar trees.
They'd wandered around for a long while as they tried to find the way back, but, eventually they realized they were only going in circles and were forced to stop. Tired, hungry, and reluctant to go anywhere out of fear that they'd only further lose themselves in the woods, Signe and the twins had finally huddled together on a tree that had fallen over to wait it out, thinking their best bet would be to stay put until morning came and they could see where they were going again.
To put it plainly, Signe had been terrified. During the day, the forest was warm and inviting and peaceful. But at night…the forest changed. It gave off an ominous, unfriendly vibe that brought a chill to the air and made her feel as though danger lurked around every single tree trunk. At night, the lighting was so dim that it was hard to see, and what could be seen had only made her feel more uneasy. As she and the twins had sat in frightened silence, the shadows cast by the smattering of moonlight filtering through the treetops had played tricks on her eyes, making it difficult to tell what was what and making her see things that were not really there. Every swish of a tree or crack of a twig had seemed magnified, sent a shiver of fear down her spine each time and left her certain that a deadly predator would jump out at them at any moment.
She had been scared, beyond scared, and yet she had stayed strong. Because she'd had Garik and Gunnar with her, her brothers, who even though they had been just as scared had kept brave faces on and swore they would protect her no matter what the cost. They had grabbed sticks to use as weapons and sat on either side of her the whole night, determined to protect her against anything that came their way.
They had stayed there all night, unable to sleep and telling each other stories to try to keep themselves distracted from their own fear. When the sun had risen, they had finally abandoned their post and resumed their search for the house. As it turned out, however, the rest of the family had spent the entire night scouring the forest for them. It wasn't long after daybreak that they had finally been found by their mother and Valborg, and though Gunnhild had been absolutely furious with them for breaking the rules and scaring everyone half to death with their disappearance, she had also been incredibly relieved to find her three youngest children alive and well.
"Mother and father were so angry with us," Gunnar commented, pulling her out of the memory and back to the present.
"Do you blame them?" Signe asked, lifting a brow. "For all they knew, the three of us had been eaten by hungry bears."
"To this day it surprises me that they did not beat us within an inch of our lives when we returned home," Gunnar admitted. "I had never seen mother so angry before. I was certain she was going to sacrifice us all to the Gods."
"Well…I may have told mother that you and Garik did everything possible to protect me," Signe said with a shrug. "I told her how you and Garik made swords out of sticks and sat on guard on either side of me, and how you both were ready to fight anything that may try to harm me," she continued. "As angry as she was, mother vas proud of you both for looking after me. Perhaps that made her a little more…lenient."
Gunnar smiled at that. "I did not know you vouched for us," he said. He then reached over to pat her on the arm. "Thank you, sister."
"You are welcome," she said in return.
A brief moment of silence fell between them, where Gunnar gazed up at the sky and Signe watched their horses slowly walk around. Eventually, Gunnar spoke again. "I miss home," he admitted quietly. "I miss our farm. I miss our family."
Signe sighed and nodded her head. "I know you do. And I miss them, too," she said.
Gunnar continued to look up at the sky, his lips turning downward in a frown. "I have never been parted from Garik like this," he continued. "Since the day we were born, we have alvays been together. We have done everything together. Learned to fight. Learned to raid. Learned to speak to women." Gunnar sighed heavily. "It is odd, not having him around. I feel as though part of me is…missing."
Signe, who knew very well how close the twins were, looked at him with sympathetic eyes. "I am sure Garik feels the same way. No doubt that he misses you just as much. But you vill be reunited with him soon enough, and then the both of you may go back to terrorizing Hedeby together," she reassured him with a small, joking smirk.
Gunnar, however, did not smile at her attempt to lighten the mood. Instead, he slowly sat up and gave her a very serious look. "Signe. It is time we had an important discussion," he told her.
Signe's smirk fell, and as she looked at her brother, she was fairly certain she knew what he was about to say. "An important discussion about what?" she asked.
"About when we are going to return home," Gunnar stated bluntly.
Signe sighed and gave him an uncertain look. "I have not given it much thought, brother," she admitted.
"Well, I have," Gunnar countered. "I like Kattegat well enough, but these past few days I have felt a yearning for home that is impossible to ignore. I keep thinking of our father and our brothers, wondering vhat they have been doing without us and how they are faring. Surely they are worried for us. And if I know father half as well as I like to believe, I have no doubt he keeps his eye on the road every single day, hoping every day that that will be the day we return."
Signe's heart clenched, because she knew Gunnar was probably right. Of course their father would be anxiously awaiting their return, and so would Valborg, Hallsteinn, and Garik. But as much as she missed her family, as eager as she was to be reunited with them, that didn't change the fact that the journey back to Hedeby would be a difficult one for Gunnar, who was a long way away from being back to full strength.
"I want to go home, sister," Gunnar concluded firmly. "Kattegat and its people have been kind to us, and I have enjoyed our stay here. But Signe…this is not where we are meant to be," he reminded her. "We are meant to be with our family."
Signe sighed and turned her gaze elsewhere as she considered what he had said. After a moment, she shifted her gaze back to his. "And when exactly were you thinking of leaving?"
"I would go tomorrow, if you agreed," Gunnar said without hesitation.
Signe immediately shook her head. "No. It is too soon. You are not ready for a journey like that. Not yet," she told him gently.
Gunnar frowned at once, clearly displeased with her response. "My health has improved, has it not?" he asked.
"Well, yes," she answered hesitantly. "But – "
"And my strength is certainly returning," he interrupted pointedly. "I no longer need your assistance with everyday tasks, and you saw how well I handled my horse," he argued.
"You were doing well…until you fell off and nearly split your head open," Signe countered.
Gunnar frowned, but was not about to be deterred so easily. "Think of our family! They need us! They need to know that we are well! And think of Valborg and Ingellil!" he added, gesturing with his hands. "Inge might have had the baby by now! Do you not want to hold your niece or nephew?"
"Of course I do – " Signe started to say.
"Then we should go," Gunnar interrupted again. "Kattegat is not our home, Signe. It is time for us to go back to Hedeby. Time for us to go back to our family," he concluded with a firm nod.
Signe held his gaze for a moment, then turned her eyes elsewhere as she thought his suggestion over.
He was right, of course. Kattegat wasn't their home. But while she missed their family just as much as Gunnar did, the thought of leaving Kattegat made an odd, uncomfortable feeling enter her stomach. She couldn't quite explain why, but something inside was telling her that it wasn't time to leave yet. Not only did she think Gunnar was not yet ready for the trip, but it just seemed wrong to leave while she and Bjorn were still on such unstable ground with each other. They had not yet had a chance to talk things through, had not had a chance to reconcile their friendship. Was this how she really wanted to leave things between them?
Then she thought of Torstein and Hilda, and she knew in an instant that she wasn't ready to say goodbye to them yet. They had been so good to her, had become such good friends. If she said goodbye to them now, when would she see them again? No, she did not think it was time to leave. At the risk of sounding incredibly selfish, she felt like she needed to stay in Kattegat a little longer, like there was still something she was supposed to do here.
Signe finally sighed, then shifted her gaze back to Gunnar. "I need to think on this," she told him. Gunnar immediately heaved in response, looking displeased. "You are faring much better now, but you still have a way to go before you are fully healed, Gunnar," Signe explained. "It is a long journey back to Hedeby, one that will be very hard for you. I will not approve of this trek until I know with certainty that you vill be able to handle it." When Gunnar still said nothing to that, she reached over to place a gentle hand on his arm. "I am merely keeping your best interest in mind," she told him softly. "I almost lost you once. I cannot go through that again."
Those words seemed to do the trick. Gunnar's sour expression faded away and he sighed, looking as though he couldn't justify being angry with her when she was only looking out for him. "I know, Signe. I know," he told her. Gunnar looked at her for a long moment, then nodded. "I understand your desire to think this matter through. If it is time you need, then time I shall give you."
Signe smiled and patted his arm. "Thank you for being understanding," she said.
Gunnar just nodded in response, his lips pulling into a half smile.
They sat there for another moment or two, until Signe finally stood. She brushed away the dirt clinging to the seat of her pants, then offered a hand to her brother. "Come. Let us return to Kattegat."
Gunnar put up no protest and grabbed her hand, allowing her to pull him up to his feet. After he took a moment to collect himself, they finally went to fetch their horses, climbed up onto their saddles, then started back toward Kattegat. And this time around, there was no racing.
After they returned to Kattegat and took their horses at the stables, they returned home, where they remained for the rest of the day. There were no visits from Torstein, who had told Signe the day before that he would be busy helping Earl Ragnar with a few tasks, and Signe, wanting to keep an eye on Gunnar in the wake of his fall, chose against going to visit Hilda. The two of them simply stayed home, and the remainder of their day was quiet and uneventful.
Come the next morning, Gunnar was still feeling quite sore from his tumble the day before, while Signe was still thinking quite a bit about her brother's suggestion that they return to Hedeby. While Gunnar stayed in bed – per Signe's very strict instruction – Signe piddled around in the house for a bit, first cooking them breakfast, then tending to a few simple, mundane chores. She was distracted, though, and it wasn't long before she began to feel restless. When she could stand it no longer, she grabbed her shield and her axe and headed outside to train, something she hadn't done since before the battle against Jarl Borg. After her conversation with Gunnar the day before, she was feeling even more confused and even more conflicted than she already had been. She felt the need to blow off some steam, and there seemed no better way to do it than to swing her axe around for a bit.
She went to an open space of land just behind the house, which looked like a good place to practice. It was a bit strange at first, training by herself – back home she never trained by herself, because there was always at least one brother around to bark orders at her or take advantage of the situation and try to rough her up a bit. She soon got used to being on her own and began going through the different training exercises her brothers had taught her over the years.
Signe became so focused on what she was doing that the rest of the world simply faded into the background. She swung her axe through the air, circled around invisible opponents, and knocked them to the ground with her shield. It didn't take long at all for her muscles to begin to tire after nearly a month of no training, but she pushed through the pain and surged on, forcing herself to continue the exercises. Before long she started to sweat under the heat of the sun, but paid no attention to the beads of perspiration that slid down her spine and made the baby hairs around her face curl. She was completely immersed in what she was doing, so deep in concentration that, for once, she was not thinking of anything or anyone else. She lost track of time, lost track of anything else going on around her. It was just her, her weapons, and the imaginary opponent in front of her.
In fact, Signe was so lost in her own world that she did not hear the person that came up behind her nearly an hour into her training. She lunged forward shield first, pretending to knock someone to the ground, then whipped back around to swing her axe, as if fending off an opening sneaking up from behind. When her axe suddenly connected with another shield with a loud THUNK, however, she froze and her eyes went wide with surprise as she finally realized that she was not as alone as she thought she had been.
She lowered her axe, breathing hard, then watched as the shield lowered to reveal the smirking face of Torstein. "A fair hit," he complimented, looking mildly surprised by her power.
Signe was certainly not displeased to see Torstein, but she was a little caught off guard by his sudden appearance. "Forgive me, Torstein. It was not my intention to attack you. I did not realize you were behind me," she apologized, hoping she had not startled him when she'd hit his shield with her axe.
"No need for apology," he told her, sounding unperturbed. "It was I who was sneaking about," he then reminded her.
Signe gave him a smile, but in the next moment, as it finally registered that he was holding both his axe and his shield, she tilted her head with confusion. "Why do you have your weapons?"
"Well," Torstein started, "I was coming to pay you a visit and see what you had planned for the day. But when I saw you practicing, I thought perhaps it vould be fun to spar," he explained. "So I hurried back home, grabbed my gear, and came back to see if I could join you."
Signe blinked in surprise, then pressed her lips together with uncertainty. Sparring against her brothers or against Bjorn was one thing, but sparring against Torstein? He was an incredibly skilled fighter – he had defeated countless enemies, both to the east and to the west, and she had witnessed his lethality first hand during the battle against Jarl Borg. If she dared to admit it, he was probably a better warrior than all of her brothers combined. Though her own skills had been enough to see her through her first battle alive, she doubted that she would be a challenging opponent for Torstein. What if she ended up making a fool of herself? The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself in front of him.
"I do not know, Torstein," she said, her tone full of skepticism.
"Come now. It vill be fun," he insisted. "I get bored sparring with Ragnar and Floki all the time. It vill be a breath of fresh air to challenge a different opponent."
Signe, however, still wasn't convinced. "What if I hurt you?" she asked. "If I injured you, I would struggle to forgive myself for it."
Torstein laughed and then gave her a knowing look. "Do not worry, Signe. You will not hurt me."
Despite her hesitation, despite her doubts, his words and the way he had said them made something spark to life inside. Was she reading into his words too much, or was he insinuating that she was not skilled enough to hurt him? As level headed as she liked to think she was, she could admit that there was a competitive streak within her, the same one that resided within every member of her family. And, quite suddenly, that competitive streak was telling her to accept Torstein's challenge and teach him a lesson or two.
"Are you saying I will not hurt you because you will not let me, or because you think me incapable of hurting you?" she asked evenly, one eyebrow lifting upward.
Torstein's brows raised a tick, but even though he seemed to realize he had struck a nerve, that didn't stop him from smirking in what looked like amusement. "I suppose that remains to be seen," he goaded with a casual shrug of his shoulder.
Signe huffed, then nodded her head. "Very well, then," she said, getting a better grip on her shield and axe as she took a step backward. "You wish to fight? Then we shall fight."
Torstein seemed pleased with the fact that she was willing to fight him, but quickly wiped the smile from his face when Signe raised her shield in front of her torso and readied herself for the skirmish to come. Torstein, his expression a bit more serious now, removed a water canteen that had been hanging from his shoulder and tossed it aside. He then raised his own shield and twirled the axe residing in his other hand, his gaze locked on her.
For a moment, neither of them made any movement. They merely stared one another down over the top of their shields, each waiting for the other to launch the first attack. When it became clear to Signe that Torstein was waiting for her to make the first move, she finally went into action.
She lunged at him and swung her axe at his shield, which he easily blocked away. She then rammed her shield against his, forcing him backward a step, before striking again with her axe. Torstein countered with an attack of his own, swinging his own axe straight toward her shield arm. Signe dodged to the left, then focused a counterattack toward his open side, but Torstein was quick and was able to fend off the blade with his shield before she could inflict any damage. Signe raised her shield to block another swing of his axe, then lunged forward again to ram him with her shield, forcing him backward again.
They paused in their fighting for a few seconds and circled one another. Torstein's eyebrows rose as he regarded her. "You are stronger than you look," he commented, sounding impressed.
Signe just smirked at him. "Looks can be deceiving, yes?"
"That they can," Torstein agreed with a short nod.
With that, they resumed their sparring match. For the next few minutes they danced around each other, their axes and shields meeting with loud clangs and thunks. Yet, after a while, Signe couldn't help but notice that she was the one who seemed to be doing most of the attacking. Torstein threw a few moves at her with his axe here or there, but for the most part he seemed to be content being on the defensive and letting her take charge of the spar. Signe hit him with her shield one last time, then took a step back and quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Why do I feel as though you are holding back?" she asked accusingly.
"I know not what you mean," Torstein replied innocently.
Signe frowned in disapproval. "Do not restrain yourself just because I am a woman," she said firmly, unsure if she should feel insulted or not by his decision to go easy on her. "You wanted to fight, so fight."
Torstein chuckled, then, with a grand sweep of his axe, gave her a bow. "As you wish, my lady," he said, a glint suddenly appearing in his blue eyes.
That was all the warning she got. Torstein came at her after that, and this time he fought with purpose. He mercilessly slammed his axe against her shield over and over again, forcing Signe further and further backward with each powerful hit, making her muscles shake against the onslaught. In an attempt to regain the upper hand, Signe ducked a hard chop of his axe and then spun around him, so that his back was to her. She started to raise her axe again, but Torstein, sensing what she was going to do, turned, caught her while she wasn't on the defense, and hit her hard with his shield, making Signe stumble back and release an involuntary grunt of pain.
They circled one another again, Torstein staring at her with serious, determined eyes while Signe tried to ignore the throbbing in her side from the hit he'd just delivered. She was thinking maybe it had been a mistake to goad him into fighting harder. He was strong and he was fast, and if she wasn't careful, he might actually hurt her. Though something told her that Torstein would never do anything to seriously injure her. Not on purpose, anyway.
Signe finally lunged at him again, and with that the fight was back on.
They went back and forth, shield hitting shield, their axe blades slicing through the air and banging against each other's shields. Torstein landed a few more solid hits of his shield, each one more powerful than the last, each one making Signe grimace with pain. One particular swoop of her axe seemed to catch him by surprise, and he had to duck his head as the sharp blade came close to giving him an unexpected haircut. He raised his brows at her, to which Signe merely smirked before rushing forward and landing a solid hit of her shield against his side while he was off his guard. The triumph she felt in finally hitting him was short lived, however, because suddenly Torstein hit her with a quick combination that soon had her landing flat on her back. Signe gaped in surprise as she stared up at the sky overhead, not entirely sure she knew what had just happened. When Torstein's smirking face appeared above her, he looked mighty proud of himself.
"Do you yield?" he asked.
Signe considered saying yes. She was tired, her muscles were exhausted, and she could feel a few throbs of pain in her body that would certainly turn into bruises come tomorrow. But his triumphant expression made her rethink the decision. She couldn't let him win that easily.
"Absolutely not," she said with defiance.
Torstein actually looked rather delighted that she wasn't ready to give up yet. "Very well, then," he said.
With that, he raised his axe above his head, as if he intended to bury it right into her chest. As he brought it downward, Signe quickly rolled out of the way to avoid his blade. It buried into the ground, but just as Torstein yanked it free, she shot up and kicked the back of his leg, making him fall to his knees. Before he could recover, she rammed him with her shield, throwing all of her weight into the hit. As Torstein fell to the ground, Signe went to stand over him and placed a foot on his chest, her axe raised and poised to strike. Torstein looked at the blade then up at her.
"Do you yield?" she asked haughtily.
Torstein released his hold on his weapons so he could show her the palms of his hands, a sign of surrender. "I yield."
Signe grinned with triumph and removed her foot from his chest. But in the next moment, before she had a chance to realize what he was going to do, Torstein suddenly grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her foot out from underneath her. For the second time, Signe fell to the ground, and as she landed quite ungracefully, Torstein laughed heartily. She stared at him in surprise, shocked by what he had done.
"You sneak!" she accused. "You yielded!"
Torstein was still laughing though. "I could not resist!" he said between chuckles.
Signe glared at him, but soon found herself infected by his amusement and could not stop herself from laughing along with him. Even once their laughter died off, neither of them made any moves to get up. Instead, Signe sighed and relaxed on the hard earth, allowing her muscles to get a break as she stared up at the sky.
"You are a fair fighter," Torstein complimented.
Signe looked over at him and saw that he too was seemed content to lounge in the grass. "And you were still holding back," she shot at him knowingly.
Torstein just shrugged. "Perhaps I was," he admitted. "But we are only sparring for fun. I am not trying to kill you," he reminded her.
Signe smiled. "At least you like me enough to not murder me," she said jokingly.
Torstein just snorted in response.
They lay in silence for a bit, having come to the silent, mutual agreement that they should take a break. She glanced over at Torstein when he sat up and watched as he pushed his blonde hair back away from his face. He then stood and went to collect the canteen he'd tossed away before their skirmish, before coming to rejoin her. He sat down on the ground a foot or so away from her and took a long drink, before offering the canteen to her. Signe sat up and accepted it with a grateful nod, before quickly drinking some water.
"Gunnar is inside?" Torstein asked to finally break the silence, his eyes turning over to the house they'd been staying in.
Signe nodded as she gulped down a little bit more water. "He is resting," she said, passing the canteen back to Torstein. He did not take another drink, merely closed it and set it off to the side. "We went horseback riding yesterday, and when he attempted to push himself too hard, he took a bit of a nasty fall. He was still sore today, so I told him to stay in bed for a while or I vould tie him to the bed."
Torstein seemed a little surprised as he looked back to Signe. "He was able to ride?" he asked. Signe nodded in confirmation. "Impressive. I would not have thought he would be able to so soon."
"Nor I," Signe admitted. "Granted, it was not as easy for him as it normally is, but he did better than I expected he would. It seems his health has certainly taken a turn for the better these past few days."
"That is good," he said encouragingly. "I have known men who sustained wounds less serious than Gunnar's but still took twice as long to get back on their feet," he then said. "It is lucky that your brother is a fast healer."
"Yes, yes it is," Signe agreed.
But then her thoughts turned back to her conversation with Gunnar while they'd been out in their ride, and it wasn't long before she was frowning with a lingering sense of indecision. She was no closer now to knowing what she and Gunnar should do than she had been earlier. There was no doubt that they would need to return home at some point, but when? She told herself that she wanted to stay in Kattegat so that Gunnar would have even more time to heal, told herself that she did not want to embark on this journey unless she knew Gunnar was ready for it. But in truth, she knew good and well that she had her own selfish reasons for wanting to stay.
"Signe?" Torstein said to catch her attention. She blinked and looked over at him. He was watching her with uncertain eyes. "Is something wrong?" he asked. "You seem as though you have something on your mind."
Signe almost started to tell him not to worry about it and change the subject, but when she remembered how good of a listener Torstein was, she changed her mind and decide to be honest with him. Perhaps he would have some advice to offer her.
"Yesterday, while Gunnar and I were out riding, we talked about Hedeby and about our family," she began to explain. "Gunnar…" She tailed off and sighed, then tried again. "Gunnar thinks that it is time for us to return home."
Torstein's brows raised, his expression hinting that he had not expected her to say that. "Does he now?" he asked. After Signe nodded, he frowned a bit and tilted his head curiously. "Do you agree with him?"
"I do not know," she admitted. "There is no denying that his health has improved. He has gotten stronger. Strong enough, perhaps, to make the journey home, where he can continue to heal in the company of our father and brothers," she said with a small nod. "He misses our family, and I cannot blame him for it, because I do as well. Yet as much as I miss my family, as much as I long to see their faces and hold them in my arms…there is a part of me that feels it is not yet time to leave Kattegat," she proceeded to confess.
Torstein's interest was piqued. "Why is that?"
"Well," Signe said, "for one, it is a long way back to Hedeby, and there is no telling who – or what – we may cross paths with on the road. I do not want to expose Gunnar to anything he is not yet ready to handle. I fought so hard to keep him alive. I cannot, and will not, lose him now," she said firmly.
"Understandable," Torstein said, nodding his head. "What other reasons do you have for wanting to stay?"
Signe pressed her lips together in hesitation. The truth was that for the better part of last night and a good portion of this morning, she had found herself thinking back to that last conversation that she had had with the seeress before leaving Hedeby, where the woman had told her very interesting things about her future. For a moment, she wasn't sure how much of that conversation she should reveal. But upon reminding herself that Torstein was trustworthy, she decided to just come out with it.
"Have you ever spoken with the seer here in Kattegat?" she asked.
Torstein seemed surprised by the question for a moment, but soon nodded his head. "Yes, several times," he told her.
"And the things he has told you…have they come true?" she asked next.
Torstein took a moment to think about it, them nodded. "For the most part, yes." He then gave her a curious look. "Why do you ask?"
"There is a seeress who lives in Hedeby," Signe revealed to him. "The first time I spoke with her was when I was a girl. The second time was just before I left Hedeby to come here. In our last conversation together, she told me things that led me to believe that something of importance was supposed to happen here in Kattegat," she explained. "Her exact words were that there would be much for me to 'discover' here."
Torstein made a thoughtful noise. "That is interesting. Did she hint as to what exactly it is that you would be 'discovering'?"
Signe shook her head. "No. But I have been here for nearly a month, and I feel as though I have discovered nothing. I survived the battle, I helped my brother return to health, and I have made new friends, but that is all. Certainly that is not all I was supposed to experience when I came here," she reasoned. "There must be something more for me here, but I do not know what it is. And if I leave with Gunnar, there is no knowing if, or when, I may have the opportunity to return. If we leave, I fear I will never know what was supposed to happen here," she said.
Torstein said nothing in response, merely nodded his head as he considered what Signe had said. Signe sighed after a moment, then shook her head again.
"I do not know, Torstein," she continued. "I feel conflicted. I can admit I was quite homesick in the beginning, but I have grown to really enjoy Kattegat. I like it here," she admitted. "A part of me wants to stay here and see what exactly it is that Kattegat has to offer me. At the same time, however, I feel I must acknowledge the possibility that perhaps the seeress was wrong. That perhaps she saw things incorrectly and there is nothing important awaiting me here," she admitted.
"Just because the things the seeress told you have not happened yet, that does not mean they will not come to pass in the future," Torstein countered. "You are a grown woman, and you are perfectly capable of making decisions regarding your own life. If your heart is telling you that you should remain here in Kattegat, then stay here. It is as simple as that," he advised.
Signe frowned in response, thinking it wasn't as simple as that. "If I were here by myself this decision would be far easier," she said. "But I have my brother to think of as well. He is ready to return home, yet we both know he cannot do so without my assistance. I cannot force him to stay for my own selfish reasons. It is not fair to him."
"You could always take Gunnar home, then return to Kattegat on your own," Torstein suggested. "Then you would be free to stay as long as you wished."
Signe immediately shook her head. "My father would never approve of me staying here long term."
"What makes you so sure?" Torstein asked.
"I am his youngest child, and his only daughter," she said pointedly. "He wants me to stay home in Hedeby, not living by myself in a village miles and miles away from home."
"But you would not be alone," Torstein countered matter-of-factly. "Hallsteinn vill be here. Surely your father would be more accepting of the idea if you were living with your brother."
Signe gave Torstein a look. "Hallsteinn is trying to live his own life. I do not believe he vould want his sister invading his house, nor would I want to intrude." Signe sighed, then shrugged a helpless shoulder. "The only way I could convince my father to allow me to remain in Kattegat is if I had a very good reason for staying. And simply telling him I wish to stay because of something the seeress told me will likely not be good enough in his eyes."
Torstein pursed his lips as he thought that one over, before he finally just sighed and shrugged a shoulder. "Well, I am sorry this whole matter is causing you such distress," he told her. "But you are a smart woman. I am confident you vill figure out what it is you should do soon enough."
Signe felt her inner stress melt away for a moment as she smiled over at Torstein, her cheeks turning a bit pink in response to his encouraging words. "Thank you, Torstein," she told him gratefully. "And thank you for listening to me."
"Of course," Torstein said, nodding to her once.
Silence fell between them after that as they both became lost in their own thoughts. The caw of a bird overhead made Signe look in that direction, her eyes following the winged animal as it took flight and disappeared into the distance. Eventually, when she felt eyes on her, she shifted her gaze back over to Torstein. He had been looking at her with a look of contemplation on his handsome, bearded face, but upon realizing he had her attention again, he gave her a friendly smile and then raised his brows questioningly.
"Would you like to spar some more?" Torstein asked to break the silence. "Or are you too tired?"
Signe thought about it, then smiled and nodded her head. "I have the strength for a bit more fighting. Let us spar a little longer. I could use the practice anyway," she told him.
Torstein nodded and stood up, stretching to his full height. Signe began to get up as well, but paused when Torstein stepped in front of her and extended his hand toward her, silently offering to help her up. Signe slipped her hand into his bigger, stronger one and allowed him to hoist her back up to her feet. He did not release her hand straight away like she thought he would, though, and for a moment they stood there facing one another, hands grasped, eyes locked. Signe could feel the calluses on his fingers and palm, evidence of the many years of hard work and hard training that he had experienced. She also couldn't help but notice that her hand fit pretty well in his.
Signe continued to look into Torstein's blue eyes, but still made no move to pull her hand out of his grasp. It hit her then just how intimate this moment felt. The way he held her hand, the way he was looking at her, how close they were standing to one another…she was not feeling that usual, friendly aura that surrounded them whenever they were together. This felt different.
Suddenly, a feeling Signe had felt before shot through her. It was the same feeling she had felt after the first night they had had dinner at Hilda's. And just like that night after Hilda's, Signe didn't quite know what to make of it. Whatever it was, though, it made her body feel a little bit warmer and made her heart begin to thump against her ribs just a little bit harder. It also made her feel incredibly confused, because she simply didn't understand where the feeling was coming from, or why she was feeling it in the first place.
Signe cleared her throat and finally pulled her hand out of his, giving a small, slightly nervous smile in response. Torstein let his hand fall back to his side, then flashed a smile and turned to pick up his weapons again. Signe watched him for a moment, then went to collect her own weaponry, shaking her head a bit to try to clear her head.
She wasn't sure what was going on with herself, but whatever these feelings toward Torstein were, they needed to go away. Between her and Gunnar's impending journey back home and her recent troubles with Bjorn, the last thing she needed to do was complicate matters even more by adding in these new, confusing feelings toward Torstein. Besides, Torstein was her friend. They enjoyed each other's company and they spent a lot of time together, yes, but there wasn't anything romantic between them. Her heart, broken and battered as it was, still belonged to Bjorn. She didn't view Torstein in that way, Signe told herself firmly. He was just her friend…
…wasn't he?
Once again, I apologize from the bottom of my heart if this chapter was disappointing! I promise to do better from here on out!