The husband
Perhaps it was because he has seen the three similar tapestries; but Peter was able to immediately notice the similar one in Mathias' house. Not that he would be unable to see it due to the size, as well as where Mathias displayed it.
The background, as well as the people's costumes, was just like what had appeared in Tino's tapestry. But there was a major difference, this tapestry depicted two people. The man was clearly based on Mathias, but the woman was someone he has never seen before.
The man and woman stood at one half of the tapestry each, but they were connected due to the man reaching out to clasp the woman in his embrace, while the woman was running to him. The scene was clearly that of a reunion.
"Is this a scene from a Norse mythology too?" Peter asked, and he recalled that the man was dressed in a similar way as the man in Tino's tapestry. Both men were barefooted and dressed in the colour of the sea.
The woman, however, dressed in furs with boots that one wore in the mountains.
"The reunion of Njörðr and Skaði. Have you heard of this story?" Mathias asked.
Ranveig had begun that tapestry when she was still living with Lukas, and he remembered how he saw her working on it after she had a fight with her elder brother. The tapestry was then forgotten due to the trip to Vinland.
Somehow, the tapestry was amidst the few possessions she had taken from her brother's house upon the marriage. She herself forgot all about it until she found it by accident.
It was during her pregnancy. He had been very alarmed at finding her bending down, but she merely smiled as she reassured him that this would not harm her or the child.
"I remember doing this a long time ago." She had said as she spread out an object from her childhood, which was only partially filled. "I should finish it."
When she first began the tapestry, she felt that she was stuck in her brother's house. Therefore, she intended to show Skaði's parting with her husband and returning to the place that she was more comfortable with. However, thinking of how she wanted to leave her brother's home when she could not even visit him there was too much.
"I'll change it." she said thoughtfully. "I'll change it to their reunion."
Like most mythologies and legends, there was more then one version. In some version, Skaði ended up remarrying a god of the mountain like her, the husband of the sea was forgotten. However, Ranveig preferred the version where she did not remarry. Even though husband and wife could not live together, they remain married to one another and would meet in the feast of Asgard now and then.
During these meetings, they would celebrate their love.
As he looked at this tapestry, Mathias felt that it was like a prediction of what had happened to their marriage. Two nations living together forever was as impossible as the doomed marriage of Njörðr and Skaði. However, that did not mean that they had to part forever.
In his perfect world and fantasy, Mathias wished that Ranveig would always be with him. However, he has learnt, the hard way, that this was not so.
Therefore, he would be able to be happy if they could be like Njörðr and Skaði.
Yet even this might be a fantasy. After all, he did not even know whether she was still alive. Even if she was alive, would she want to come back? If she had chosen to leave without saying anything, then why would she want to return?
"Who gave it to you?" Peter asked.
"Someone very important to me." Mathias said before he corrected himself. "The person most important to me."
To Peter, Mathias was the person who was always cheerful. There were times where he would appear as very serious, but he has never seen the other looking so sad before.
"I'll get you some more cookies." Mathias said, and Peter suspect that the other did this in order to have sometime alone.
He was even more curious about the one who made all these tapestries now, but how could he ask about this person when Mathias was so sad like this?
Author'sNote: The story of Skaði and Njörðr is my favourite Norse myth First of all, Vinland was actually making this tapestry in Chapter One. Njörðr is a god of the Sea while Skaði is a huntress goddess associated with the mountains (she is also a giantess). The two married but they could not manage to live together as Njörðr misses the sea and can't stand the mountain while Skaði misses the mountain and can't stand the sea. I actually feel that Njörðr is a really great guy because upon Skaði complaining about the sea, he told her that they'll go and live where she want. The pair then decided to part ways. According to many versions Skaði actually re-married, but there are versions that claim the two remain married, but just don't live together. I must confess that I like the second version by far, and it would be more suitable to use the second version in this story.