“That must have been hard for you, my love,” he said.
“Yes, but hardship was your lot also,” she murmured.
There was more creaking and jingling as the ox carts caught up and stopped. Eira could see people from the village riding in them. Some were walking and others rode on horseback.
“Why are all these people with you?” she asked apprehensively, as memories of the persecution she’d endured at their hands flooded back.
“It is a long story. I will explain later,” he said.
“No one will accuse me of being an evil witch, will they?” she asked fearfully.
“They would not dare,” he growled. “But the troublemakers are no longer with us,” he added. “We have endured a difficult time and no one has any thought for stirring up trouble.”
“Where will they all stay?”
“I am hoping that someone in the village has some room in one of their barns until we can build on the land I bought from Carolus before I left.”
She gasped. “You bought land?”
He laughed. “Yes, my love. I always intended to return and build you a house.”
She clapped her hands with delight. “Oh Halvar, I am so excited that you are back. Now we can get on with the rest of our lives.”
He grinned at her enthusiasm. “I cannot wait, either,” he told her. “But first, we must make arrangements for the people. We have had a difficult journey and some of them are still recovering from the injuries they received.”
“Injuries?”
“Taft attacked the village before we arrived. These people are the only ones left,” he said. “I am sure Kaarina will be sad that some of them are gone. They were people that she knew from childhood.”
Eira went pale. “Taft is an evil man,” she said. “I hope he never finds Kaarina.”
“He has rejected her completely,” Halvar replied. “But he is still a dangerous enemy. The people are here because he destroyed the village and most of the food and it is too hard to start again with nothing. Besides, it is unsafe to rebuild the village in the same location. We were too isolated there, too far away from allies and friends.”
“It will be safer here,” Eira agreed. She was feeling sad about the news that many people from the village had died. Some of them had been kind to her.
Halvar looked up the track and counted the ox carts. Canute was sitting on his horse at the rear of the line.
“It looks as if everyone has caught up now,” Halvar said. “Let us go to the village.”
Kaarina straightened up and rubbed her back. She looked around at what they had accomplished that day and gave a small sigh of satisfaction. Gathering up her tools, she left the new garden plot that Landwulf and his oxen had created near their house. She couldn’t wait until they could live in it. She still felt giddy every time she imagined that she, an orphan and an outcast, could be worthy of a husband and home of her own.
She wondered how Halvar and the other men were getting along with the new village. In the weeks since they’d arrived, they had worked hard to build a new longhouse and the outbuildings that went with it. Some of the displaced villagers were now living in the new longhouse while the men built another one; it took the pressure off the cramped living quarters they’d been sharing in Ahren’s barn. They were hoping to have everyone housed in the new village before the winter cold struck. It was an ambitious project that had the whole village buzzing. Alfonso and some of the other men were helping out as they could spare the time. Kaarina was looking forward to being able to visit Eira at her new home.
“Kaarina!”
Kaarina looked up to see Eira hurrying towards her. “I was just thinking of you,” she said.
Eira laughed. “I hope they were good thoughts!”
“I was dreaming of the day when each of us has our own home and we can visit each other,” Kaarina said.
Eira’s eyes sparkled. “And that day is not far away, my friend. We have much to do!”
“How is the new village taking shape?”
“The second longhouse is almost finished. And Halvar has almost finished a small house that will be for storage later. But it will be where we live after our wedding. Halvar has plans for a grand longhouse!”
“Did you ever think you would be a rygr?”
“Never! We are both as good as orphans with no one to find us husbands.”
“We were blessed when we came here,” said Kaarina. “I thank God every day for leading me to find Landwulf.”
“And I am grateful that Halvar came back safely,” Eira said. “I feared that something terrible had happened to him when he took so long to return.”
“But he returned as he promised he would and now we have our wedding to look forward to,” Eira said. She linked her arm through Kaarina’s. “Not only are we cousins, but we are also best friends,” she said happily. “I am so glad that we will be living near each other.”
“Me too,” Kaarina replied. “Has it not worked out well that we can be married on the same day?”
Eira giggled. “Sigrid and Frida think it’s wonderful. Double the joy!”
“Speaking of Frida, there she is now!” Kaarina said as she spotted the dark-haired girl walking down the road ahead of them.
“Frida!” she called.
Frida turned and stopped when she saw them. They caught up to her.
“Frida, I would like to ask you something,” Kaarina said.
“Of course,” Frida replied.
“I know that Eira has asked Sigrid to be her heimbringa at her wedding. Would you like to be mine?”
Frida squealed with delight and hugged her. “Yes! Of course! Oh, this
