One day, Halvar decided that he could afford to spare some time to go for a walk in the forest. He decided to go to one of the places that Eira liked to gather herbs. When he reached the spot, he stood looking into the woods with such longing that he imagined her responding, slipping out of the woods and into his arms. He even thought he could see movement through the trees. But when he looked again, it was only a doe and her almost-grown fawn. He fought back tears as the impossibility of his search weighed heavily on his heart. It seemed that there was no way he would ever see her again.
As he was about to leave, he noticed a broken stem on the ground. It looked like the type of herbs that Eira picked. He looked around and saw that some of the other stems had been broken off. That must mean that she still came here! For the first time in weeks, he went home with hope in his heart. That night, as he lay awake, he came up with a plan. If Eira wouldn’t allow him to see her, then he would get cunning. He would play the same game she did and he would play it for as long as it took to win.
The following day, Halvar crept to the herb patch beside the stream. He climbed the bank just above and wriggled beneath the ferns and grasses growing there. Satisfied that he was well hidden, he settled down to wait, his excitement hard to contain as he thought of seeing Eira again.
For hours, he waited. He heard the birds sing to each other while the gentle misty rain soaked the landscape. He listened to the frogs croak and watched the water flowing down the stream. He thought about how everything in nature had a purpose and a plan. Was he the only creature alive that didn’t seem to know what to do? Every day without Eira was harder than the one before and no matter what he did, he couldn’t feel happy and satisfied with his life the way he had before he met her.
As the hours passed and she failed to appear, his excitement faded along with the daylight. As night fell, he had to concede that he’d failed. He’d spent the day hoping she would come and she hadn’t. Beaten, weary, and feeling defeated, he stiffly clambered out of his hiding place and made his way home. But he couldn’t, wouldn’t give up. He would try again.
Eira was beginning to let down her guard as time passed and no one bothered her. She was still cautious and careful but she was beginning to relax in her forest home. After Halvar had come to the hut, she hadn’t seen him again and she assumed that he’d decided to leave her alone. Sometimes she found food on a rock by the stream and she knew he had been there. She appreciated his thoughtfulness and one day, left a fresh bunch of flowers as a thank you.
But she had no intention of allowing him to see her or talk to her. Every time she thought of going back to the village, terror rose in her heart. She could not risk her life yet again by living with people who hated her. She was far happier with no one around to accuse her, label her an evil witch, or use her as a scapegoat for their anger over other matters. For her, the world existed but she was no longer a part of it.
For three days, Halvar waited in his hiding spot on the stream bank. As the hours dragged by and there was no sign of Eira, his spirits sagged and he contemplated abandoning his pursuit. It seemed impossible that he would ever see her again.
Near the end of the third day, Halvar decided that he would give up. Just as he was about to stand up and leave, he caught a glimpse of something moving through the trees. He sucked in his breath, suddenly wondering if he was prepared for what might happen next. A moment later, Eira appeared from behind the trees, as silent as the fog that floated through the damp forest. She came to the stream bank with her pouch and stooped over to pick the leaves that she wanted. Her back was to him and she seemed oblivious to his presence. He knew it was now or never.
He silently got to his feet, not wanting to frighten her but also wanting her to know he was there.
“Eira,” he said softly.
Terrified, she screamed and dropped the herb pouch then ran towards the forest.
Halvar felt a stab of disappointment that she would run even though he was right in front of her. But he wasn’t going to allow her to escape. With long, swift strides, he quickly caught her and pulled her around to face him.
“Eira,” he said again. Her head was down and she wouldn’t look at him so he tilted her chin up until he could look into her beautiful green eyes. He was shocked to see that she had tears pooling there.
“Eira, I have wanted to see you so badly,” he said, pulling
