Chapter 5

When they came up for air, Rika thought for a moment and then suggested, "Maybe we could get the gothi Mr. Erikson to do the ceremony."

"He's getting old and feeble. It's been at least two years since the last time he married a couple."

"He's done it so many times, he could probably do it in his sleep, Finn. And we could tell him to just do a simple ceremony. A handfasting. We say vows. Maybe even a pig sacrifice. A small one."

"I guess so. And a nice pig roast for the celebration dinner afterward," Finn agreed, nodding. "And we have plenty of mead to drink."

"Your father will be angry when he returns. My father might be also. He will miss the ceremony. None of my distant kin will be here."

"Is that important to you? I mean, our life is here. Our close kin are here. Everyone else is in Europe."

"Some are trekking to the ships downriver." Her tone reflected a bit of regret.

"Do you want to wait?" Finn did not really want to wait, fearing Mikael would prevent the marriage as he had already forbidden it.

"I don't know. Well, yes I do. I fear your father."

"So do I, darling, at least in this matter."

"Alright. I'll talk to my mother. My family."

"And I will talk to my mother."

They made their way back to the big clearing around which many of the housed were located. Before he walked her to her door, he stopped by the tree, a large white oak, growing in the center of the clearing.

"Did you ever wonder how old this tree is?" he asked. He could see stars shining between the leaves and branches.

"Not really. It's big, so it must be old."

"My mother always told us that it had been spared the axe because it was located on the crossing of the area's two lines of power in the earth. It's considered special."

"I believe that. I fell out of the tree, but all I got were some bumps and bruises. No broken bones."

"I guess almost every child in the community has climbed up into it, and certainly, me too, when I was young, but I didn't fall out." His father would have had harsh words if his oldest son had been that careless. He gave the tree's trunk a friendly pat, and then they went to her house. At her door he gave her a quick kiss, said goodnight, and then crossed the open area to his home.

When he entered the house the two younger children were asleep in the same bed. Esther was sitting on a bed reading to Niklaus from her Bible. The eleven-year-old, who was leaning against her, was sleepy, but listening. Finn sat down near them and listened. His mother could read enough of the Latin that she knew which story the passage was. Then she related it to the boy in the Norse language.

"I think that is enough for tonight, sweetheart," she said to Niklaus. "You are about to fall asleep."

"It is so nice when Father is away," the boy said, sitting up straight. When his mother stood up, the youngster lay down. He shared a bed with Elijah, and with the older boy away, he had the bed to himself.

"Sometimes that is true," the woman agreed. She had been reading by the light of a simple oil lamp and she now moved it to the shelf. Finn, because of his size, had a bed of his own, while his parents slept closely on their own bed. All beds were against the long walls.

"I'd like to discuss something with you," Finn said to his mother. He glanced at the other end of the longhouse where Bennett and his family lived. Except for the younger children, the rest were up and gathered around the second cooking/heating fire. They were talking among themselves, laughing now and then. A low fire and an oil lamp lit their faces.

Esther and Finn found seats near their own beds. "Is this about you and Rika?" she asked.

Finn raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You always know what is on our minds," he said with a small smile. "We want to marry, Mother. Before Father comes back." He kept his voice low so his words were just for her.

"I'm not surprised, but I doubt it is a wise decision."

"I know. If we don't marry while he is away, we probably will not be able to. We want to have a small house of our own and start a family. I don't think that is too much to ask, is it?"

"You have no house of your own, small or not," Esther pointed out. "What have you got to offer her? Her parents will want to know."

"You mean besides my love?"

"Yes."

"I hunt and fish. I do the kind of work the other men do. I contribute to this community."

"I agree. You do, but do you do enough to warrant a house of your own?"

"Mother, this house is already full. Or it will be when Father and Elijah return. And I don't think I can be with Rika under those conditions, if you know what I mean." He felt some redness of embarrassment creep into his face, but he doubted his mother could see it in the dim light.

"Have you been with her already? Is she with child?"

"No! We have not done that." He was aware that his parent did the thing from time to time under the covers of their bedding. There was little privacy in the longhouse. Still, he would not feel at all comfortable bedding Rika under the watchful eyes and ears of the house's occupants. He was especially aware that he was not experienced and their first time might be awkward.

"This will take some time for thought and preparation," Esther said and she reached out and touched his arm.

"Then you will talk to her parents?"

"You must do that first."

"I know." Finn was pleased that his mother was considering letting her son marry Rika, even though Mikael was away. However, Rika's father Jan was also away.

The situation changed somewhat the next morning when Jan unexpectedly returned, helped by another man. Jan had his left arm in a splint and sling and he was limping badly. Many in the village gathered to find out what had happened. This included Jan's brother Anders, who also had a limp. While his injuries were evaluated, he explained that he was injured while crossing a river. He has slipped on rocks and fallen, breaking his arm and twisting his ankle. It seemed foolish for him to continue on when the village was closer than the ships. And besides, he would be more of a handicap than a help with the ships. The man who had helped him return ate a meal and then hurried away to overtake the rest of the party.

Finn saw this mishap as a stumbling block to his wedding to Rika. The family would be much more concerned with Jan's situation than with discussing the daughter's wedding, at least for a while. Even Rika was more worried about her father, rather than spending time with Finn.

While Kol and other boys took the cows and sheep to graze, Finn took the time to work with Niklaus and the boy's fighting technique, which was poor. Unlike Mikael, the older brother was more patient and did not push or rush Niklaus. Nor did he chide the child severely when he made a mistake. Although Finn did not particularly like the boy, he also saw no reason to treat him harshly. It did no good to destroy the boy's self-confidence, what little of it he had.

"You did better this time." They put away the weapons they had been using before going to the house for a midday meal.

"I should do better," Niklaus said with a sigh. "I try, Finn. I really do."

"I know you do." He had heard the boy say that many times. If his clumsiness was due to some spell made by Esther, it just did not seem fair. "Perhaps if you ever face a real enemy you will have the skill you need to defend yourself."

"Do you think I will?"

"In danger, a man becomes a real fighter. You will. You'll see." He was pleased to see a grin on the boy's face. "Eat your lunch and then go to the meadow and send Kol back."

Finn himself had chores that he needed to do. He realized that he would likely have no chance to talk to Rika privately until evening came.

A/N Things do not seem to be going Finn's way. A gothi was a non-Christian priest in Viking society. Thanks for reading.