Chapter 35
The storm didn't subside and from the window I saw that fewer people than had been there the day before congregated around the palace. Some were queuing, like in canteens for homeless, at the gates of the palace. But as soon they get food, they will return to their homes because no one or only a few would dare to eat today in the open sky.
"Why you don't come, Sookie?" Little Audr asked me, as I placed on her head a little leather cap with sheepskin padding.
"Because yesterday's dinner didn't agree with me and I don't want to eat too much."
"But I want you to come" She told me. Erik pulled on gloves and he shout to tell me that he was more than ready to go to the party, he was anxious. He and Audr out the door but Leif stayed behind.
"Why don't you come?"
"I got an upset stomach."
"That's not true. You've gobbled up a huge chunk of cheese and sausage for breakfast. And a good tuna steak in lunch. Tell me the truth, Sookie. Where and why father is gone?" I sat on a bench and sighed.
"As I am a slave I have to eat on the street. Because that your father is gone, so I don't have to go to the celebration and ate dinner outside in the snow."
"He is angry with Grandpa, right?" I shrugged.
"You also get angry with him sometimes, right?" He nodded and I poked him slapping his ass "Come, go with your brothers and grandparents. See that Audr eat well and drink at least a glass of milk. Okay? And watch Erik behave well!" I watched from the doorway until he went into the palace and I closed the door expecting to have a quiet night, thinking while knitting. Of course, that didn't happen. I was going to cut a piece of butter to make me some slices of bacon in the pan when some huge hits, that almost thrown down the door, scared me.
"Who is it? What's up?" I opened the door and Halvar came in as a gale.
"Where is he?" I did not answer "Where is my son?" he bellowed.
"He is not here."
"Damn cheeky kid" he said as he pointed me with a finger "And what are you doing here? Come to dinner!"
"Eric said that if he wasn't attending I shouldn't go" I excused myself.
"But my grandchildren are also your masters, so you have to go" He looked at me and I saw that his eyes softened "For all gods' sake... You'll sit at the table of the important women. Besides Jora, ok" I wanted to ask why he had changed his mind, but I saw it clearly in his mind: Nobody in the village cared that I ate inside, everyone thought I was the heroin that had discovered Harald's horrible plan. I picked up my fur coat and prepared to follow him "Is that my son hasn't given you best clothes?"
"Yes" I confessed.
"So you wear them! Dress up, I turn myself..." And so I did. I wear a nice dress and a bronze brooch inlaid with jade that Eric had left me, I combed my hair and picked up all the hair in a side braid. I covered it with a beautiful gray wolf fur that Eric used to cover himself and I went to the party.
I ate out of courtesy, although everything was quite tasty, because despite the loud noises made by the crowd, I could still hear the wind hitting the roof and it tormented me think about Eric in the woods.
"What are you doing, Sookie?" asked Jora, who was tasting a hot infusion, when she saw me covering myself with the fur over my shoulders.
"I think it best that I go home."
"Not in any way, after what happened last night, you should stay. In addition, it would be a disappointment to some that you left, and you look very beautiful tonight. Enjoy a little, and don't worry so much about your man. Sure he's fine, maybe even he's having fun, if he has gone hunting or fishing, oh, you know how they are!"
"But he even was hurt" I said. And I imagined him fallen from the horse, freezing in the snow, unable to get up. Some people began to sing and the girls, crazy of happiness, ran to dance.
"Let's dance, woman" Helgi came and tried to get Jora to dance, but she excused herself saying she was still drinking her infusion "Dance with me, Sookie" And I went to dance. After Helgi, who join Jora, Wulfric asked me to dance. And then Erik and Le did. And finally showed Ivar. Ivar who was thinking that tonight there was no Eric to compete with him. Ivar who was thinking about the opportunity to sneak out of there and to be alone with me. Ivar who hadn't thought that in Eric's absence, there was Halvar. In the third dance the young Viking tried monopolize me, the chief appeared between people and rescued me, claiming a dance.
After that, Halvar let me to go back to my home and also walked me to the door. The snow never stopped falling.
"Sookie, Sookie" Erik shook me and I placed the feather pillow over my head "Grandpa is here wants to talk to you."
"Five more minutes" I heard the giggle of the child, who got under the covers.
"Get up, I am hungry" Erik said. I started a tickle fight after I shake again to ginger myself up.
A while later I got up, I fix my hair in a ponytail and went down to the dining room, Halvar was sitting at the table talking to his grandson Leif "Good Morning!" I greeted and gave kisses to my two kids "What can I do to help you, Halvar?" I arranged five bowls of milk, one in front of Halvar, who motioned me refusing the invitation.
"It seems that despite the cold, everyone had a good time last night."
"It seems like" I put the milk to be heated and some bread to toast.
"Dinner was very tasty!" Leif confirmed. The children had eaten deviled eggs, roasted rabbit, hot cheese on bread and baked apples. I got to do a couple sausages which I diced in little pieces.
"Very tasty, yes" Halvar confirmed. And children talked about everything that they had eaten. I poured the milk and placed a honey jar in the center of the table and then I sweeten the children's bowls.
"More" Erik demanded after I put a spoonful of honey in his bowl, so I put a second "More!" I put another one "Come on, Sookie, more, pleeease."
"That's enough, your teeth would fall. What were you saying, Halvar?"
"It isn't good that Eric doesn't attend this celebration" he said in a neutral and polite tone "Do you know where he is?"
I sat down, I gave Audr a piece of meat and I drank my milk straight from the bowl like we used to, before answering.
"He said he was going to the forest."
"Did he told you where?"
"Not exactly, he only say that he would stay in one of the shelters that are out there for goatherds in our territory" Halvar snorted and stood up.
"There are at least fifteen" he turned and headed for the door "Anyway, we have to go after him. I will leave immediately" I stood.
"I'll go with you" Halvar looked at me before opening the door. I saw his thoughts clearly, and more than his thoughts, his memories: the conversation he had with his wife that morning. Helga had told him to go to find Eric and take me with him, it all began because of me and, knowing how stubborn their son was, it was best to let me try to appease him and convince him to return. Halvar had agreed because he thought Eric was fond with me.
"All right. Finish breakfast while I bring the saddle, oh and cover yourself" he left and I returned to the table. I drank the whole bowl of milk in two sips (I choked and Erik patted me on the back), I got into the mouth three pieces of sausage and a piece of bread.
"I gab fu go. Bebabe your selps" I said with my mouth full.
"What?"
"I have to go. Behave yourselves" I took a bite from the cheese and other from the bread "I have ate breakfast! Eat some cheese, Audr. And I'm watching you, Erik!" the child left half tablespoon of honey. I left and got dressed in a rush. Someone knocked on the door, opened it and watched Halvar, who was waiting for me under the snow which was falling generously, but gently, without wind. I wore rabbit leather gloves and an otterskin cap that had belonged to Eric's wife "Leif, come a moment" the boy came and I bent down to his level (not much, because it is quite tall for his age) "Do you remember what we did when your father was away? Remember what we talked about?"
"Yes."
"I want you to take care of them while I'm gone."
"Will you be okay?"
"I'm going with your grandfather in search of your father. What do you think? But listen, if anything happens, I want you to take your brothers to the hiding place and hide there. Do not play the hero, Leif Giants Killer!" He smiled at me and I smiled back "Grab a weapon than you can handle and stay with them. Okay?"
"Okay"
"You promise?"
"Promised" I stroked his hair and kissed him.
"What is that?" I asked Halvar just outside the house, pointing to the huge brown rider less horse he had at his side. He was riding on his horse.
"Helga's mare."
"But... but..."
"What?"
"I don't know how to ride!"
"What...? In my life I have heard...!" I looked at him, embarrassed because obviously, everybody knew at that time riding, even those without horse "Okay! Jump, let's go!" he reached out and made me get on the by his back "Hold on tight. Boy, boy, Leif!" he shouted. The boy came out to the street "Get the horse into the stable, go!" Eric's older boy obeyed, taking the reins of the female. Halvar spurred his horse and galloped out through the snow.
"Do you know where to look?" I asked Halvar loudly. I approached him and hid my face in his back, as we rode.
"I don't think Eric had stayed in shelters near the village, but also I didn't think he has gone to the farthest."
"Then?"
"We'll look for him in those that are at middle distance. If I know my son, and I think I do, he will be saying in Olfren's, the goatherd, shelter which is near the river rapids where salmon fishing is easy if the bears let you."
"Bears?"
"There are some of them still awake" he said "And the spawning season is not yet over. Yes, I'm almost sure Eric will be staying on that one, but we shall look in the previous ones too" And so we did. After the fourth shelter I thought about the possibility of losing the nose and a few toes due to freezing. I was so cold that I couldn't even worry about Eric. The conditions of the shelters that we checked were diverse, from distressing (the second) to good (with prepared hearths and various utensils) "What did I tell you? There he is! Ha!" he shouted, and among the thick snowflakes saw a refuge from which came a gray smoke, a sign that someone was inside.
"Eric, Eric!" I called him excited. I saw Halvar take his sword. Eric went out of the house at the second, where he was settled with the horse, bow and arrow in hand. I jumped from the horse and fell in my knees in the snow "Ouch!"
"What are you doing here?" He came, picked me up by the elbow, shook the snow from me and held me as he watched his father, still on the horse. I took the fabric chest and pulled.
"We have come to get you, so you come back to town" Eric tried to talk but I interrupted. "Last night I went to the party" he looked at me and then glared at Halvar.
"What...?"
"I had dinner inside."
"She dined at the table of the important women" Eric squinted.
"With Jora" I tinged "It's true, for real... I ate roast goatling, it was great.
"Come back; she can eat inside the palace, in the table of women, with Jora, at Helga's right. You have my word" Eric looked him in the eyes.
"If I... what if I go back?"
"Do you doubt my word?" Eric opened his mouth and but I covered it.
"Eric, Eric... watch what you say" Halvar horse snorted, two columns of steam rising from its nostrils "Being a son is not easy, but you are a parent too and you know it is also difficult to be one. Come, come back with me... come babe"
"Listen to your woman, boy" I looked at him with my best lamb slain eyes and he stroked my face "Or tonight let Ivar to monopolize her during the dance."
"¿Ivar?"
"I don't want to dance with him tonight, but if you don't come, I will."
"You are almost frost" He smiled. And I saw that he was convinced.
"And luckily I came hugging your father on his horse!"
"Your woman does not know how to ride."
"That's not true. My woman knows how to ride better than you think the other morning she gave me a demonstration..." his father laughed and I hit him.
"Eric!" I scolded. He laughed and the chief joined him.
"I gather my things. Yesterday I caught some salmons" he said pulling a string of seven salmon at least about of sixteen pounds each.
"Wow!" Halvar smiled knowingly. Of course he knew his son! "Any bear?"
"Two" Eric replied.
"You didn't get closer to them, right?" He pinched my cheek and he thought I was very cute when I worried about him that way, he thought I was beautiful, that my hair, skin and eyes were shiner than normal. He grab his things, divided the quantity of fish (to spread the weight per horse), he cover Leonidas, he cover himself and climbed to the horse.
"Come jump" he said holding out a hand "Climb in front, facing me" I did what he had said and hugged him, thrusting my hands under the wolf fur covering him "Are you okay?" I nodded "cover yourself with this fur."
"I said I'm fine. You wear it."
"This way" I sighed, because of course he had covered me with the coat "You really don't know how you ride?" I growled "When the warm weather comes I'll teach you, do you want? I need to borrow my mother's mare" he told his father, and went trotting "It is very docile" he explained "And then I'll get one for you."
"No need" I fluster. The trip was not entirely uncomfortable as I could make it warm next to Eric and distracted, not entirely in the conversation the men were having (about bears) but in the way that Eric's the voice rumbled in his chest. However, after the cold accumulated and while riding with Halvar and now with Eric, I thought that nothing in the world would make me want to ride again.
The children were very happy to see us and after greeting warmly, I went to sleep because I had my kidneys like mess because of the freaking jaunt. I couldn't stay awake when Eric took me in his arms whispering.
"I had warmed water for you" He whispered "You cannot go to bed after coming from a jaunt like that, with the cold you have, you will fall sick. Come take a bath."
"I do not feel like wanting to bath. I'm tired. I hurt all over."
"Come on, let's go" he took me in his arms (he juggled to avoid falling down the stairs) and he undressed me by the fire. He took me into a deep basin, which he had filled with water, and left me inside. I was with my knees to the chest, but he could bathe me.
"It burns" I said.
"It is warm, you are the one who is freezing. You shouldn't have come, you could get sick" Eric moved his hand down my back, soapy, and I went asleep. He pulled me out of the water, dried me and covered me and he lay me down on the Audr's bed.