I said 5 Chapters in 5 days, so here is second chapter of this marathon of chapters...
Chapter 16
The kids and I ate in silence. I forced them to eat the flounder which had got for them even though we had no appetite. I saved some of the small hake for Eric, who an hour earlier had left home to go to his parents' house. The men gathered there talking about God knows what.
Eric appeared at the door a moment later, hectic and hurried.
"Leif, get my horse ready."
"What's happening?" I stood up and started to follow him around the house while he was picking up things. He prepared his bag and put stale bread lefts overs from the previous day and with which I had planned to make some soup the next day, fresh bread, a few herrings, a piece of bacon and one bottle of mead and another empty bottle. He left those things on the table and I saw him get naked. He got dress again with a wool pants set, a robe of the same material and then pulled out from a trunk a chain mail and he placed it over his head and he tied it at his left shoulder. He donned fur boots and started hiding weapons in a lot of corners: a long sword, a saber, two daggers, a knife, an ax, a bow and some arrows "What? Eric, please...!" He took me by the shoulders and looked me in the eyes.
"We are under attack."
"Who? Why? How do you know?"
"Harald's men. We just get a messenger hawk" he breathed deeply "A party of over a hundred men, perhaps two hundred; they come prepared to raze the village, kill my father and all the men of my family" I put my hands in my mouth to cover a gesture of horror and dread.
"Why?"
"Now I cannot explain. I have to go."
"Leonidas is ready, father" Leif said. The horse was waiting untied at doorstep. Eric was kissing us one by one and saying goodbye in his own way.
"Thor be with you" his eldest son said.
He mounted the horse, which pawed excited and galloped. The kids and I saw him walk out the door, and as soon as he disappeared, I ran in his direction.
"Eric, Eric! ERIC!" horses were passing me as I ran trying to get him to hear me and stop. "ERIC!" I shouted. He turned to gallop, he saw me, and he stopped the horse and turned around. I stepped to the side of the road because I was afraid that I crushed down the hooves, I got on a rock and waited until he came to me.
"What's happening?" I took him by the front and forced him to stoop to my level, just a head.
"Be careful" I stood on tiptoe and kissed him. We kissed a while as we hadn't kissed before. Not with that urgency. We hit the mouth, lips, teeth and tongues, in an awkward kiss, frantic, urgent and desperate.
"Eric! She'll give you the rest when you get back" Shouted a horseman. Eric took me by the neck, gave me one last hard kiss that hurt my mouth, he left me as if it hurt and galloped.
When I returned home, Halvar was calling to the palace for a meeting with all men and women who had stayed in the village. I showed up with the kids, Helga sent them to play at the room in which I had awakened when Halvar found me in the woods and let me knock out.
"Be quiet!" Halvar shouted "Harald's, Steady Feet, men are coming here. Our warriors have gone galloping to intercept them on the way and prevent the battle takes place in our town."
"Hopefully they get them" A woman said like a prayer.
"They will" An old man shouted.
"That's what we trust" Halvar said "But anyway, we must be cautious. All women, the elderly and children will got on the boats and leave to Black Harbor. They won't return until we gave the signal for safe. Helga and Sigrir know it."
"But..." I yelled in order to the others could hear me "If the men have left to fight the battle outside the town, why do we have to leave?"
"We cannot allow women and children fall, Sookie" Helga told me as I was like a little girl.
"All men over sixteen and under fifty who haven't been called before to go into battle with the other warriors" Halvar continued "will stay here to fight and defend the town, in case our riders fail to finish them. The rest will leave on the boats."
"I can't go" I repeated.
"You'll go with the other women" Halvar yelled at me.
"If I go and Harald's men arrive, burn my house and kill or steal my animals" I explained "my children won't have what to eat when the boats return. I won't save their lives at sea and then starve them to dead. I stay"
Halvar and Helga threw me a look so intense I thought I would get on fire.
"The boats will depart in two hours" Helga said "grab only what we need for three days. Two small animals or one medium per woman, no more. Cover up very well children and elderly people" The people began to leave the palace, organizing the two hours, talking to each other and mentally preparing for departing. Helga came up to me and held me by the elbow "It's crazy" She said "There are no guarantees they don't get here. They are a horde."
"I'll stay with her" Halvar intervened.
"No way" Helga sentenced "You heard Eric. Harald wants to consolidate his position so he can sit on Rothgar's throne one day. He comes here to kill you, Eric, Leif... he won't leave head in this town. You must come with me."
"Go with women and children..." Halvar cursed "with the elderly..." His wife put her hand on his shoulder.
"Halvar, please."
"What's going on?" I asked.
"King Rothgar doesn't have children and he is an old man" Helga explained me "when he dies which will be soon, one of the seven heads from the major clans of the kingdom will take his place. Harald wants to eliminate Halvar, because if he does, he will take out from his way one of his main rivals to the throne and he will annex our territory. It would be difficult after that another leader could dispute anything about power to him."
"And Eric and the kids?" I asked worried.
"I'll take the children with me" She said "If Harald got to beat Eric and my husband" and I'm sure both of us felt a lump in our throat "he'll come to get the children. He'll ensure to leave the clan with no visible leader. Helgi and his children will also fall, they are related to us and he would use them as an example to other families" She paused and looked at me with pity "Don't panic..."
"Here take" Halvar handed me a sword in a sheath "It is an ancient sword, it was used by the Romans. It is smaller and lighter than ours. Take this dagger too. I would have given you my son's, Leif, sword but is taller and heavier than you and it wouldn't have helped at all. I'll go with you and help you put timber in the doors and windows."
"You have to go to port to arrange the boats."
"You can do it" he said. I knew Halvar felt like and old man, he had lost his son, Leif, years ago in battle and now he could lose Eric and all he had. He was worried about his son, his grandchildren, his clan and his wife. He feared that he will see his village and his legacy razed, with his name and his past. He wanted to stay to fight to defend what was his, but all the men had denied him that right. The king is never in the forefront, is not even in rows; remains in the rear or at the camp, where he directs. This is war. Pawns fall, horses fall, the tower can fall, the bishop or the queen, but the king must never fall. He was jealous because I could stay and I would stay to uphold what I considered was mine.
I put all the wood I could in the hearth to give power to the oven, kneaded some breads and put them to bake. I had them made for children to take away in their bags with some herrings, bacon and smoked pancetta, a rabbit that Erik kept in his and several eggs.
Leif and Erik helped me gather planks to fortify the house and then they pulled in the empty barrel that Eric had on the street to inside the house. We made over fifty trips with buckets of water to fill it. We expected the attack at dawn or in the middle of that night. We put all the animals inside the house and when we were driving goats inside, the horn sounded indicating the departure of the ships. I went with Erik, Leif and Audr to dock with Audr scurrying trying to follow our steps and with a crestfallen and thoughtful Leif.
"Let me stay with you" he said.
"No way" I replied "You have to get to safety."
"But I can fight. I beat Olaf, and he's almost like an adult."
"I know, my love. So I want you to go with your sister and Erik. Someone has to protect them. I love you" I told them. I kissed them all goodbye, wondering if I would see them again.
I returned home and got more water buckets. I sprayed the walls with water and rubbed them with all the snow I could to avoid the torches could easily ignite, although Helga had told me that they would bring oil and tar to cause a more aggressive fire. I covered the trapdoor that gets to the food with a wet cloth to prevent the same thing, that an arrow or torch could ignite. I kept the animals on the minimum possible straw, and took to the street anything that could be flammable. I put boards on the windows and prepared to secure the door from the inside with planks. Eric had set a good security system in the past preventing occasions like this.
Night had fallen about four hours ago, so it remained at least another six hours of darkness. I sat on a bench, trembling, sword at my side. I grabbed one of the rabbits and trying to reassure me and stroked it. Trying to compose myself listening to the nothing. Occasionally I heard the men that were left in the village going back and forth, talking or changing guards, but nothing to indicate that a horde of barbarians was heading our stockade. I prayed to listen at once the cheers indicating that our men came back... Eric in the head. I was transposed a few seconds, and in full doze I heard the shouts and cries of alarm.