Chapter 7: Chapter Seven

ADA

As we neared the house, I saw that there was a small carriage by the stable, with three servants tending to the horses. It did not appear that this man had brought any other means of defense, and why would he?

There would have been no way for him to know that Kilcoran had been taken over by the Northmen.

The three of us entered the house, and I found my place in the corner of the room while Cayden sat at the head of the table.

I dared not raise my eyes to view my husband-to-be for fear I would become hysterical again.

“What is this business that you have come to marry my slave?” Cayden asked, rotating the tip of his dagger on his finger.

“It was settled with her father many days ago. I am here to claim what is rightfully mine. Where is the man, Lugh? He will confirm this.”

Cayden looked around the room at his men in an amused manner. They all began to laugh at his question.

“The man, Lugh, is indefinitely detained, so it seems you’ll be settling your business with me.”

“I will not settle any business with a pagan. If you will not give me my property, then I shall take this up with the Lord of Kilcoran.” The man made a dismissive gesture.

I saw Padriac nod to Gosta, who was standing behind him. Gosta was the largest in weight of all the men; much of that weight was composed of muscle.

His blonde hair was shaved close to his head, with a similar style of facial hair as Padriac. He took the man by the neck and slammed his head against the table.

“This is not just ~any~ pagan. This is Cayden, son of Barra, the great warrior. Have you heard of him?”

The man grunted in agreement.

“If you will not speak with Cayden, then we are happy to make arrangements for you to speak with Chief Barra, the man now in charge of Kilcoran.”

“That is enough,” Cayden said. Gosta released his grip around the man’s neck, and he raised his head, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

“My apologies,” he said to Cayden. “I’m just here to collect what I have already paid for. That is all.”

“And how much did you pay?” Cayden asked, sitting back in his chair, examining his knife. I was scared of the man’s response. In the forest, I had told Cayden fifty pieces of silver was all I had to my name.

“Two hundred pieces.”

As expected, Cayden stopped fiddling with his knife and sat up in his seat. I could feel his eyes looking in my direction.

“Two hundred? Is that correct, woman?”

“Yes, my lord,” I timidly responded.

“Why would a man agree to pay such a large sum for a plain farm girl?” Cayden posed the question back to the man.

“Do you not see her?” he asked. “She is modestly dressed now, but the woman is a fearsome thing to behold. Every man in the region knows it.”

Cayden stood up and walked over toward the fire. He seemed to be thinking about a settlement for the man. I could not tell his thoughts, but he was not pleased I lied.

“While your people may not agree, I do pride myself on a degree of fairness,” Cayden started. He was now facing the man.

“My slave will return 150 pieces of silver to you. I will keep fifty of it as payment for your life. You’ll collect your money and return to whatever place you came from immediately.”

Silence fell about the room. The man seemed to be contemplating Cayden’s words. It was a bold move for him to hesitate.

“I would like to ride the girl once before I leave. It has been a long journey, and I am restless,” his croaky voice said to Cayden. I glanced up at him to find a greasy, salacious face looking at me.

Shivers ran through my body, and my eyes darted to Cayden, who was also staring at the man. I saw him nod to Gosta again.

Distracted by my presence, the man did not even realize Gosta had drawn his dagger and was coming up behind him. I was frozen in place and yet could not look away.

In one swift movement, Gosta yanked the man’s head back and slit his throat. The man’s heavy body slumped to the floor.

“That is why I never do business with the Irish,” Egil said, making the rest of the men laugh.

“We’ll need a horse to drag his body from the house,” Gosta added, trying to lift him. This seemed to cause more laughter amongst them. “What shall we do with his servants? Kill them as well?”

“No, let them leave. If they resist, then kill them,” Cayden ordered. He started walking over to me. I was still paralyzed by what I had just witnessed.

He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me outside. “Now, what is this about two hundred silver pieces?”

I brought him to the stable and showed him where I had buried the other coins. He did not pay much attention to me after that and ordered me to wash Caxton and Egil’s clothes while they bathed.

For the rest of the day, I went about my daily chores of cleaning and tending to the animals. It took much of the afternoon to scrub the blood off the table and chair.

By the end of the day, I felt like I needed to wash again. I had not anticipated that I would be covered in blood for the second day in a row.

***

With Cayden’s permission, I took my cleaning items and traveled to the river to quickly wash while the men ate. After my bath, I took my blanket and found a spot on the hill.

The stars were brighter than I had ever seen, though I had never been allowed to sit out and stare at them this late before now. Humming a tune, I stared at the sky, dreaming about the life I would not have.

“The song you sing tonight is so melancholy. Are you out here mourning the loss of your husband?” Cayden interrupted. He had a gift for traveling so lightly on foot. I would never get used to him startling me.

“I am just deep in thought.”

“And what is it that occupies your mind?”

I paused for a moment before answering. I wondered why he even cared, but a part of me wished to prolong this moment between us.

“How my life could or would be different.”

“Ah. So, you ~are~ upset about me killing your husband,” he tried to joke, taking a seat next to me.

I thought about offering him some of my blanket, but I did not. It would look more like an invitation for him to lie with me.

“No, but I do wish to thank you for sparing my life. It was something I did not expect.”

“Because I am a Dane?”

“No, because you were faced with the choice between silver and a slave. I do not know many men who would have chosen to spare their slave. The man that raised me couldn’t even do that.”

He sat silently staring up at the sky as well. After a few moments, he lay back, continuing to watch the stars with me.

“I am quite intrigued by you, cailín~.”~

“Why is that?”

“That man spoke of your beauty as if you are a gift from the gods, but here you cover yourself. Are you that scared of your own skin?”

I looked over at him, but he continued to gaze up at the stars. It was a raw question I had avoided asking myself, asking my mother.

I had always followed her instructions to cover up without ever finding out the reason. Why was it so dangerous to be myself?

I must’ve paused too long in answering, because he turned the conversation onto himself.

“A year ago, I do not think I would have been the man you speak of now.”

“Why do you think that?”

“I have been softened by recent events with my family. My youngest brother was killed.”

“I’m sorry. Was it in battle?”

“No. Much simpler than that. He was escorting my sister to another town when they were ambushed by a group. My brother was forced to watch these men harm my sister and then they killed him. My sister was recovered days later, but has not been the same since.”

“I’m sorry,” I repeated, not sure what else to say. “I cannot even imagine her state.”

“I daresay none of us can. That event set something loose inside of my father.” He stopped for a moment, hesitant to continue.

“We had lived a peaceful life in our land, took only what we needed. It seems now all he wants is Irish blood. He will stop at nothing to find the men responsible.”

“So you will not stay here long?”

“At least through the winter, unless we can find out more about these men.”

We lay there for what seemed like the rest of the evening in silence. It surprised me that the man lying next to me—the man I should fear the most—did not scare me at all in this moment.