Chapter 48
Arriving at their house, Sigurd opened the stout door and held it for Gudrun and the others to enter the house.
The rest of the Jotun welcoming committee set down the items Roger and Freya had brought and dispersed to their own homes for the evening.
Sigurd dispatched Olaf to let Old Harald know that Roger had brought with him two barrels of the heather ale Harald had enjoyed so much the year before.
He quietly remarked to Roger, "Auld Harald's feelin' his years noo an' havin' a stoaner time gettin' aroond. Fortunately he has his twa apprentices tae help heem oot aroond his place."
Roger sighed and replied, "He also has you and your family, if there's anything I can do, just let me know."
Sigurd smiled at him, "Ye hae me thenks in advance Roger. Ah kent at ance 'at ye waur a guid cheil an' ah coods place me dochter in yer hans fur safe keepin'."
Roger felt himself blushing at Sigurd's vote of confidence in him.
With a chuckle and a gentle clap of his enormous hand on Roger's shoulder, Sigurd remarked cheerfully, "Shaa we gang see whit Freya Brooght wi' 'er?"
Roger could only roll his eyes and mutter, "Don't complain to me if she squawks. Even I know better than to raid her snackables stash!"
Inside the house they followed the voices into the kitchen and saw Freya looking on in disbelief as Gudrun calmly gathered up her snackables and put them in a basket for safe keeping.
Freya squawked,"Mom! What're ye daein' wi' mah snacks! Ah brooght those frae doon sooth tae eat, nae hide awa'!"
Without batting a lash, Gudrun replied simply,"Ah ken ye hen bairn, ye will eat these aw up in twa days an make yerself boak. 'en ye will be mopin' an' pinin' fur aw th' snacks yoo'd awreddy eaten. Ah'm nae takin' them awa' frae ye, ah'm jist makin' sure ye dornt eat them aw up in a body gang. Yoo'll thenk me later."
And continued putting Freya's goodie stash in the large basket.
When she was finished, she handed the basket to Freya and said, "Noo pit this awa' an' brin' me th' key."
Roger watched quietly while his young giantess companion took the large basket and left the kitchen without complaint.
She knew better than to argue, Gudrun was implacable once she had made up her mind on something, especially when she was right.
Gudrun looked over at him and winked as she pulled a chocolate bar out of her apron pocket.
Freya was not not entirely cut off from her snackables, she was simply restricted in her access to them.
When she returned and glumly handed over the key, Gudrun smiled at her only daughter and handed her the chocolate bar.
"Ah jist dornt want ye tae eat aw 'at mince up at ance. Ye swatch sae much loch yer stoatin grandmother "Alfriede the Fair" an' Ah want ye tae bide 'at way, nae gie aw heavy loch sae mony ay us dae."
Freya smiled at her mother and thanked her for the chocolate bar, then she looked at Roger and said, "Ah need tae pay me respects tae me great uncle an' look at Induna's cottage efter we put uir things in me room."
With their luggage now stashed in Freya's room, they headed towards her great uncle Old Harald's house.
It was easy to locate as the smell of ale brewing became stronger the closer they got and besides, Roger always stopped by for a pint to quench his thirst.
The man himself was outside 'supervising' his grandson Young Harald and another apprentice as they tended the brewing pot.
Olaf stood nearby with a pint tankard in his massive hand, clearly he was sampling his great uncle's latest batch and assessing its quality.
Old Harald grinned as he saw Roger and Freya approaching and bellowed, "An' whaur is thes heaither ale Ah'm hearin' gab ay? Ah see nae barrels oan ye!"
Roger laughed and as Freya hugged her great uncle, he replied. "I sent word that the barrels are at your nephew's house, they just need to be picked up!"
Olaf grinned and remarked in his defense, "Ah did teel heem abit th' ale, 'en Ah was speart fur me opinion oan thes latest batch, an' a body doesnae rush things when a body is assessin' a batch ay ale!"
Roger was about to reply when Freya said drily,"Hoo lang can it tak' tae sup doon a pint ay ale an' judge th' taste?"
At that, Roger threw his hands up in the air, walked away and cheerfully declared,"Now you've gone and done it! Harald will bend your ear now..."
Old Harald smiled at his grandniece and with a gentle tone asked his grandson, "Poor th' lass a coople ay gills worth an' lit 'er taste uir latest batch fur 'erself."
The young giant nodded and filled a small glass with an amber colored fluid from the freshly brewed barrel.
He solemnly handed it to Freya and returned to his labors, filling a second barrel.
Freya smiled at her gigantic cousin and thoughtfully looked at the glass, making note of the color and the swirling residue left over from the brewing process.
She held it to her nose and carefully sniffed, taking in the aromas of the potent brew.
Old Harald sat patiently, smiling benignly while Freya was scrutinizing the sample given to her.
At a nod from Old Harald, a second two gill glass was filled and handed to Roger.
Like Freya before him, Roger held the glass up and looked at the beverage within.
Roger smiled at Old Harald, gently inhaled the aroma and then took his first sip.
Freya did likewise and she paused before swallowing, then took another sip.
Roger grinned at Old Harald but kept his opinion to himself for the nonce.
They all looked at Freya while she thoughtfully took sip after sip and when she had finally finished the two gill glass, Harald asked, "Sae, whit did ye hink? It looks loch ye enjoyed it, woods ye loch anither glass, tae be sure?"
Freya looked thoughtful until she finally said quietly,"It reminds me ay a swally Roger brooght haem. A bragott gart wi' swally an' honey meid, Ah thoooght it was verra guid, loch a dessert ale...This is verra guid."
Old Harald grinned through his immense reddish beard then he laughed, "That's me grandniece fur ye, she kens whits' important an' appreciates a guid tankard ay ale!"
He winked at Roger and said merrily, "She'll make a guid guidwife someday!"
Freya blushed almost scarlet at his remark and said curtly, "Ah hae a cottage tae swatch at...Guid day tae ye!"
She grabbed Roger by the hand and nearly pulled him off his feet in her haste to get away from Old Harald's brewery.
Roger scrambled to keep pace with her and finally, he dug in his heels to get her to stop.
Having stopped, Freya looked at him with tears in her eyes as she said, "If it isnae me auntie Barbara grabbin' oantae ye an' kissin' ye, it's Auld Harald tryin' tae marry me aff afore Ah'm near reddy tae wed."
Roger could only take her by the hand and squeeze it gently as he smiled at her and said, "If it's any comfort to you little one, I've heard similar remarks and yes, they can be embarrassing and annoying. I try not to react to them and I know they're not meant to be malicious. Believe it or not, they can be thought of as a sign of affection, even though it may not seem that way to you right now."
She smiled at him weakly and sniffed before saying quietly, "Oanly one other bodie gie tae call me 'little one' an' that's me dad, an' seein' hoo Ah'm nearly twa feet taller than ye noo, ah shoods be callin' ye 'little one.' "
Roger grinned at her and retorted, "You can try, but that won't stop me from calling you little one myself or better yet, little bit!"
Freya rolled her bright blue eyes and muttered, "Ah'm nae sure if 'little bit' is an improvement oan 'little one' . Hoo aboot neither!"
Roger smiled at his towering companion and said, "Okay, fair enough, no more height related terms of affection."
Putting that behind them, they soon arrived at Induna's cottage.
It had been left exactly as it was when she died.
Other than being cleaned up a bit, it was simply closed up and the door locked.
Freya reached out and took his hand, Roger looked up at his towering companion and said, "Shall we go inside?"
Freya smiled at him and nodded as she released his hand.
Freya unlocked the stout door to her grandmother's cottage and stepped inside.
It was just as Freya remembered it, a cozy cottage filled with books, books and more books.
She stood towering over Roger, her face showing mixed emotions as she smiled through her tears.
Roger quietly slipped his arms around her and simply held her to let her know he was there for her.
Freya slipped her long arms around him and held him closely against her swelling bosom.
In a very soft voice she murmured, "Ah miss ye, me beloved grandmother. Ah wish ye waur haur tae gab tae me when Ah need some advice. Ah main hae aw ay yer books, but ye ur th' a body Ah wish tae see th' most."
She held him closely and Roger slowly became aware of her tears falling onto his head and getting his hair damp.
He let her have her good cry and felt his own eyes getting rather wet himself.
He missed Induna too.
Roger finally looked up at her and Freya smiled at him through her tears.
His heart grew very warm and when she kissed him, it was the sweetest kiss he had ever felt.
And for that moment, he forgot all about their age difference or his responsibility to protect her and take care of her.
It was with great reluctance that he broke off their kiss and held her tightly until his throbbing heart calmed down and he could gasp, "We can't...I'm sorry...I shouldn't have let it go this far...I have to be so responsible here...Damn..."
They released each other and stood feeling somewhat awkwardly, they had just kissed very deeply and were feeling quite the emotional aftermath.
After a little while, Roger said quietly, "We probably should have brought some boxes with us so we could at least fill a coupla boxes while we're here."
Freya, after a moment's hesitation, said, "Nae, thes is awright. Ah needed tae see 'er hoose afore we took anythin' ootwith ay it. Oan th' morrow we can bring doon some boxes tae fill."
Roger nodded in agreement, she was right.
They weren't really ready to start packing just yet.
They spent about an hour simply looking around and poking through cabinets and closets just to get an idea of what they were up against.
Freya finally remarked, "Ah'm really jist haur tae get me books an' a few other things. Th' furniture we'll leave fer th' next family tha' moves in. They'll need it lang afore ah will."
She smiled at her much shorter companion and said cheerfully, "Shaa we gae an' see whit sorta scran me mammy has cooked up?"
Roger grinned in reply and they locked the cottage back up.
Heading back to her parents house, they walked past Old Harald's brewery and saw him sitting outside with a two gill glass in one hand and a thoughtful look on his craggy face.
He spied them approaching and called out, "Freya me lass, cam o'er haur please. Ah wish tae hae a wee gab wi' ye!"
Freya hesitated a bit and Roger said quietly, "He is your great uncle, even if he can be a bit much sometimes. Go on, see what he wants, I'll continue on to your folks' house."
Freya smiled at him and went to go see what her great uncle wanted while Roger continued walking to her parent's house.
Arriving back home, Roger entered the rock built house and strolled into the kitchen.
Gudrun smiled at him and asked, "Whaur's Freya? Ye twa ur rarely apart, is she awright?"
Roger smiled and replied, "She's talking to Old Harald about something."
He thought a moment and asked, "Did he ever get those barrels of ale I brought up?"
Gudrun chuckled, "Ay coorse, he sent his grandson oop tae fetch th' barrels an' Olaf went wi' heem. Ah suspect they've tried a few tankards by noo!"
"Sounds about right. I've yet to meet a Jotun male that did not like his ale." Grinned Roger.
Freya came into the kitchen and found Roger sitting at the big table while eating, he was perched on the high stool that she had used when she was a child.
He smiled at her and said, "Dinner's ready! It's self serve time, your mom's taking the night off!"
Freya smiled and got out a wooden bowl, filled it up with her mom's cooking and joined him at the big table.
Reaching for one of the small loaves of bread in the basket, Freya broke it in half and dipped one end into the thick soup.
Taking a bite from the bread, Freya chewed thoughtfully and after a few moments, said quietly, " Me ooncle apologized tae me fer embarrassin' me earlier taeday, he hadnae realized ah was a wee bit sensitive abit me relationship wi' ye an' didnae mean nae harm."
Roger thought about her remarks for a few moments and replied, "Our relationship is very important to me and yes, it is a sensitive subject to me as well. I care for you very much and treasure our time together. Anything or anyone who threatens that, will be dealt with harshly by me."
Freya flushed slightly and smiled at him.
They continued to eat in a companionable silence, over the years, they had grown close enough to simply enjoy each other's presence, no conversation was necessary.
After they finished eating, the two took a few minutes to wash the dishes they had used and place them in the drying rack, after all, it was Gudrun's night off!
With the early evening remaining fairly light out, they hauled several bundles of the book boxes and rolls of shipping tape, down to Induna's cottage and began assembling them.
The idea was to assemble enough boxes to make a planeload, then fill them with whatever books would fit.
Any maps, charts or scrolls would be slipped into shipping tubes for safer shipping.
Roger had carefully calculated just how many boxes it took to fill the box rack he'd had made for the plane and when they made enough boxes to fill it.
They stopped.
Pausing to admire their handiwork, Freya said cheerfully, "Well, thes oughtta keep us ootwith ay trooble oan th' morrow."
Roger smiled at his companion and said cheerfully, "I don't know about you, but I'd like a tankard of that heather ale I brought with me before your relatives drink it all up."
Freya nodded in agreement and they locked the cottage up for the night.
Old Harald's cottage and brewery was open for business in that his door was open and several Jotuns were standing about with tankards in hand, supping ale and engaged in conversation.
Young Harald spotted Roger and Freya approaching the cottage and said with a grin, "Ah was wond'rin when ye twa woods get thirsty? Caur fer a sup ay me ale?"
Roger laughed and retorted, "I can't believe you would ask such a question! We've been breathing in the dust inside Induna's cottage and it'll take at least a pint to wash away the taste!"
Young Harald grinned and held up a Jotun sized tankard to which Roger laughed again and said merrily,"I would be worse than useless tomorrow if I tried finishing that off!"
Young Harald grinned again and this time, held up a much smaller tankard for Roger.
"That's more like it!" Remarked Roger.
Young Harald filled up two of the tankards he'd held up and presented one to Freya while saying, "Thes is me summer ale, Ah hink ye'll loch it!"
He smiled while Freya took a tentative sip, smacked her lips together a few times, and after a few moments smiled and said, "Ah loch thes, it has a nice light taste an' is verra smooth."
A few moments later, Roger was enjoying his own tankard of the summer ale that Young Harald had brewed under Old Harald's supervision.
After his first pint was finished off and he was waiting for Young Harald to finish refilling his tankard, Roger was asked by one of the Jotuns, "Ur ye th' wee cheil Ah've heard gab ay? Th' one wha abides wi' a Jotun lass doon sooth?"
Roger smiled at his questioner, paused while Young Harald handed him the freshly filled tankard and replied with a grin," Yes, I would be that 'wee man' as you folks like to put it."
The huge man was about to speak again when Freya came up and sat down beside Roger with her own tankard in hand.
He smiled and said, "Sae it is true, ye ur th' wee cheil Ah've heard ay."
He grinned and held out an enormous hand, "Ah'm pleased tae meit yer, me name is Peter Ericcson an' Ah'm frae th' great lakes region ay Canada."
Roger smiled at the giant and clasped his hand as best he could while they shook hands, Roger said, "Pleased to meet you too. What brings you out here, if I may ask?"
Peter smiled and replied,"Me guidwife an' Ah ur expectin' uir first bairn an' Ah cam ootwith haur tae see a cottage we've heard tell ay."
Freya spoke up, "Me granny's cottage wull be available as suin as we can box up aw th' books an' scrolls she left me."
Peter's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Then yoo're th' lass ah need tae speart wi' abit th' cottage!"
He looked around and asked, "Whaur is it?"
Freya laughed and remarked cheerfully," It's aw closed up noo an' too dark tae see inside it."
She pointed at her parents house and said, "Cam by oan th' morrow an' ah'll show ye th' cottage when it's light oot."
Peter's face lit up in a wonderful smile and he said, "Ah'll be thaur!"
He tossed back the remainder of his tankard of ale, grabbed up his heavy backpack and strode off into the deepening gloom to find a place to sleep.
They finished off their second tankards and thanked the two Haralds for their hospitality, at which Old harald chuckled and replied," "Tis nae problem, ye've brooght yer own ale frae doon sooth an' shared it wi' us. 'Tis oanly right tha' we share uir own ales wi ye too."
By now it was completely dark and they held hands as they returned to her parents house where a nice dinner awaited them.
Seating themselves at the table, Freya said to her mother,"Ah mit a yoong cheil named, Peter Ericcson, he's frae th' great lakes region and he's cam ootwith haur tae look at me granny's cottage oan th' morrow."
Sigurd looked at his daughter and asked,"Does he hae onie kin oot haur?"
Freya looked thoughtful and replied, "Ah cannae say, he speart he an' his guidwife ur expectin' their first bairn an' they had heard tell ay Induna's cottage bein' available."
Gudrun smiled and said, "A new family wull be welcome haur, new families mean new bluid lines tae start up."
She glanced over at Olaf and said, "P'raps one ay them wull hae an unmarried sister tae meit uir yoongest son."
Roger found himself stifling a chuckle while Olaf turned bright red, it was good seeing someone else getting put on the spot instead of him or Freya.
Freya meanwhile, felt no compunction about grinning at her older brother, she didn't say anything, she just grinned, and that was enough.