Chapter 87

Back at the house Roger and Sigurd joined the others for dinner.

As they ate, Phillip asked, "Are we heading back tomorrow?"

Roger swallowed his bite of food and replied, "Yes, that was the general idea when we hitched a ride with Robert. He was only planning to stay the weekend while we delivered the pups to their grandparents. He gets to check out the fishing and we deliver the pups, it's all good."

"That's good, " replied Phillip "I've got an article to work on and videos to edit when I get back."

He grinned, "Meeting Greta was a real eye opener. Here's this self taught, self equipped athlete living in the vast forests of Canada and using home made equipment based on old magazine articles to work on her physique.

"Her work out is pretty intense and I have the feeling she held back during our workout session so we could keep up. Ildi and I barely kept up with both Greta and Freya during our run over some fairly rugged terrain."

Roger chuckled and said, "Now you know why I encouraged Freya to work out with the Portland Pilots women's volleyball team over at Portland U. They have some pretty strong ladies on that team and they give her the challenge she doesn't get at her school."

He smiled, "Freya's classmates are kind of intimidated by her size and strength even though she wouldn't hurt a fly. The ladies on the Pilots team will knock her on her ass, they're not intimidated by her at all and I think she needs that sometimes."

"Thenk ye fur yoor support." Muttered a blushing Freya at Roger's remarks.

Roger grinned at her and winked, Freya merely rolled her bright blue eyes.

Gudrun smiled and announced, "While Ah've got ye haur fur th' week end an' since yoor birthday is drawin' nigh."

Smiling at her youngest child, Gudrun opened one of the food storage cabinets and took out a carefully decorated birthday cake she had made.

Setting it before an astonished Freya, Gudrun wrapped her arms around the girl and said, "Happy birthday Freya, uir yoongest bairn an' apple ay yoor faither's eye."

At that, Sigurd stepped over and wrapped his massive arms around the two of them. He held them for a few moments then stepped back, dabbing at his bright blue eyes. A big old softie was Sigurd Gunnarson.

The huge man smiled and rumbled, "Ah cannae 'elp it, Freya is nae a wee lassie onie maur. Suin she wull become a yoong lady oot in th' wide warld."

Roger smiled, Freya would soon be entering high school and taking college preparatory classes.

He mused, would her new high school be ready for her? She had already run into problems because of her size.

School desks just weren't designed for someone nearly eight feet tall.

Separate tables and chairs were one thing, it was the unitized desk and chair units she'd outgrown.

Her present school had found ways to accommodate her and hopefully, her new school in the fall would adapt as well.

After a mercifully brief round of them singing the birthday song, to Freya's blushes. Gudrun divvied up the cake she had made for the occasion and they cheerfully dug in.

Ildico delighted in the flavors of Gudrun's cake and was asking about the recipe while Roger, Freya and Sigurd went down to Old Harald's for a tankard.

On their way down to the pub, Roger paused a moment to admire the night sky.

Buried deep in the shadows of Ape Mountain, in the heart of Tweedsmuir National park, the tiny hamlet enjoyed a very dark night sky.

Roger smiled as he picked out the early summer constellations scattered across the firmament far above them.

Mighty Hercules stood with club raised against the great bear and her cub.

Lyra hung in the sky waiting to be played.

To the south, the tea pot sat ready to serve.

Resuming his trek Roger said, "Portland's night sky just doesn't compare to this. I really should bring up a pair of good binoculars, this sky is incredible."

They hove to at Old Harald's and a young girl unfamiliar to Roger and Freya took their order.

She was dressed in a similar fashion to Greta with a sleeveless top that laced up the front to accentuate her ripening bosom.

Her pleated skirt was relatively short and sturdy boots completed her ensemble.

Like Greta her reddish hair was also cut fairly short.

She looked to be about Freya's age and had the classic Jotun woman's build, well rounded and curvaceous.

Minutes later she returned with foaming tankards in hand and placed them before the trio. She smiled and said,"Enjoy! Holler if ye need a refill."

She grinned as they hoisted their tankards as one and took their first sup.

Freya set her tankard back down and said cheerfully, "'At war verra guid, me cousin's brewin' a fine summer ale."

"Ah concur!" declared Sigurd as he set his tankard down with a thump and wiped away his beer mustache.

Roger simply smiled and said, "My compliments to the brewer!"

The girl smiled at Freya and asked,"Ur ye noo haur, Ah huvnae seen ye afore?"

Sigurd beamed with pride and declared, "Thes is Freya, me yoongest bairn. She's been abidin' doon sooth wi' thes wee cheil, hees nam is Roger Tate."

The girl's bright blue eyes widened and she exclaimed, "Yoo're th' lassie whit's been abidin' doon sooth amang th' wee fowk an' flyin' an aeroplane aroond th' warld!"

She quickly extended a hand, "A pleasure tae meit yer, me nam's Britt!"

The two shook hands and grinned at each other.

Stepping back, Britt said,"Ah hadnae seen ye afore an' Ah wondered whaur ye got yer clase?"

Freya glanced down at her 'Portland Grunge' attire and replied, "Some ay thes Ah foond in thrift stores an' some Ah had made fur me."

"Thrift stores?"

Freya grinned, "A place whaur people donate old clothes an' odds an' ends tae sell fur charity...Ah get me shirts it ay th' men's section as nae wee fowk women's clase wull fit me."

Britt laughed and said, "Me sister an' Ah huvtae mak' aw uir own clase ay coorse."

Their brief chat ended when Greta's voice called out, "Britt! Cam get yer orders!"

Britt grinned and cried, "Coming!" then she said, "Ah gotta run, pleasure tae mak' yer acquaintance!" as she dashed off.

Roger glanced over at Sigurd, "She's a new face...Your little village has grown since I first came here almost five years ago."

Sigurd chuckled, "Aye, it has grown noo 'at we nae langer hae tae hide uirselves. We can grow maur food an' build maur hooses.

An' wi' a number ay us movin' back tae Norway an' uir auld haem, Jotunheim lives again!

"Freya wantin' tae meit ye was a real change in uir fortunes, it was."

"Now you're makin' me blush."

Remarked Roger as he drained his tankard to the last drop.

Sigurd laughed and drained his own tankard before setting it down with a thump.

Stifling a belch, Roger glanced at his watch, "Welp, we've got an early start tomorrow."

Freya tossed back the last of her ale and set her tankard down, "Ahhh, 'at was guid!"

Freya briefly stopped and paid her respects to her great uncle Old Harald and after the two separated from their hug, Old Harald smiled at her and said, "Yoo're becamin' maur an' maur loch yer stoatin' grandmother each time Ah see ye."

She flushed slightly at his compliment as she still did not see the beauty she was becoming.

In the mirror she still saw the gangly awkward girl she had been instead of the poised, confident beauty she would become, even if she was just under eight feet tall.

When they got back to the house, they found Ildico and Gudrun in the kitchen and chatting away like old friends while Phillip took copious notes on the recipes and photos of Ildico preparing food under Gudrun's supervision.

The sight of Ildico a six foot tall woman, looking like a child next to Gudrun's nine foot tall form, fascinated him and he was cheerfully snapping away while they talked.

Ildico jokingly held up one of Gudrun's favorite skillets, a wrought iron monster some two feet across, grinned and exclaimed, "Bring on the hungry relatives, I got this!"

Gudrun smiled and said, "That was mad' fer me by a blacksmith near th' Great Lakes region. Wi' seven mouths tae feed it cam in verra handy."

"I can imagine, " said Ildico, "I've seen Freya pack away enough pizza to choke a horse and not gain an ounce. But considering how much energy she has and how strong she is for a young woman, I can see you needing cookware like that to feed a growing family."

Gudrun smiled at Ildico's remarks and said,"Freya takes after her stoatin' grandmother maur than onie ay us. Alfriede the Fair was a bonnie woman, tall an' slender, she war renown fer her beauty an' grace.

"Ah recall her frae me own childhood as being sae gentle wi' me. Freya is her verra image an' if Ah coods hae but one wish, Ah woods wish they coods hae mit."

Upon seeing Freya coming into the kitchen with her massive father close behind and poor Roger nearly lost in Sigurd's great shadow.

Gudrun exclaimed, "Och! Ah nearly forgot!"

And she swept from the kitchen with purposeful strides only to return moments later with a neatly folded linen shirt, a pair of sturdy trousers, pair of beautifully tooled boots, a matching belt, belt knife and a leather pouch.

Handing these to Freya she said, "Ah had these made fer ye...Th' boots may be a mite large but yoo'll grow intae them suin enaw."

Freya smiled as she took the items and hugged her enormous mother.

Grinning she said, "Ah ken jist th' place Ah kin wear these...At th' Canterbury Summer Faire."

At her parents puzzled expressions, Freya grinned, "It's a Renaissance Faire held each year sooth ay Portland. Mony ay me mukkers frae skale gae thaur wi' their fowks.

"Ah coodsnae gae afore, as Ah woods be up haur fer th' summer when th' faire is open."

At her parents continued puzzlement, Roger chimed in, "A Renaissance Faire is loosely patterned after actual faires once held during the Renaissance period in European history. People dress in period costumes, shop among the booths, eat too much, drink too much and see the shows. There is singing and dancing, trained animals, acrobats and living history exhibits, things like that."

He grinned, "I think Freya will get a kick out of seeing it and I'm certain they will welcome her with open arms as I know they've heard of her by now."

Sigurd's low rumbling chuckle ended with, "'At soonds loch it woods be fun tae see."

Roger laughed and replied, "Canterbury Shire will be the envy of all the other Ren Faires, that's for sure!"

That night as he and Freya lay together in her bed she murmured, "Dae ye think me fowks coods cam doon sooth tae visit next summer?"

"I don't see why not? They'll have to get Canadian passports for I.D. If they don't already have them, and there's plenty of room at our house. We can fly them down and back again in Moby Dick, so there won't be any airport hassles...It'll be fun!"

Freya smiled in the soft light of the night candle and they slipped into sleep's gentle embrace.