“This is silly,” announced Frida at last. “We might as well get to know each other since we’ll be living and working together. You first, Eira. Is there anything you would like to ask us?”
“What is the language I hear you speaking sometimes? And why do your houses look so different from ours?”
“We are from Alemannia originally. That is the language we speak. But we have lived here in your land long enough that we now speak both languages.”
“Why did you come here?”
The girls looked at each other. “It is a long story,” said Frida.
“We will tell you more another day,” added Sigrid.
Eira wondered who these people were with their strange language and customs. But if the delicious aromas from the kitchen held any clues, they were good cooks. Eira was ravenously hungry after her long journey and she couldn’t wait to eat.
“Heavenly Father, we thank thee for this food,” said Alfonso, head bowed and eyes closed. “Please bless it for our use.”
Eira was glad she hadn’t started eating right away. Her people didn’t share this strange custom. She waited until she was sure it was safe to eat then took a bite. Suddenly, it didn’t matter if the Christians asked their god to bless the food before they ate. It was worth the wait. She devoured every delectable morsel before she realized that everyone else was still eating. She blushed and lowered her head but no one else seemed to notice.
“Have you eaten enough, Eira?” Minna asked.
“Yes, thank you. I was very hungry,” she blurted out.
Minna laughed and one of the three young men sitting on the opposite side of the table smiled at her.
“Mother loves to see people enjoying her cooking,” he said. “You have made her evening worthwhile.”
Eira blushed and lowered her head.
“Oh, don’t mind Landwulf,” Minna said. “He’s always teased his sisters so you’d better get used to it!”
“What? I’ve never teased anyone,” protested Landwulf, trying to keep a straight face, but his blue eyes sparkled with mischief. Like the other brothers, he was tall and broad-shouldered with big shoulders, muscular forearms and thick, blond hair.
“What about the time you and Farvald hid in a pile of hay until we came past and then you jumped out and scared us?” asked Frida.
“We wouldn’t do something like that, would we, Farvald?” Landwulf poked his brother in the ribs.
“Never,” said Farvald, trying to hide a grin and failing.
“We’ve always been wonderful brothers,” Landwulf added. “Isn’t that right, Gerfrid?”
“We would never harm a fly or frighten a beetle,” Gerfrid agreed in lofty tones.
“Don’t allow them to fool you,” Sigrid told Eira. “They are widarrðzanti.” She grinned as she said it and there was no malice in her tone; there were clearly affectionate feelings between the siblings.
As the banter flew around the table, Eira suddenly realized how much she’d missed being part of a family. Minna was a warm, motherly person and Eira felt drawn to her; she felt a pang as she thought of her own mother, somewhere far away. She refused to think of her father in case she couldn’t control the tears that sprang to her eyes when she remembered the way they had parted. She would focus instead on the present and would try to fit in with this family who had so kindly taken her in and given her lodging. Perhaps life here wouldn’t be so bad, after all.
CHAPTER 2
K aarina sighed and stretched as she woke up in her little storeroom. Emiline was right; it was warm and cozy and she’d slept well since she’d arrived here.
But now, it was time to arise and tend to the fire and start breakfast. The heavy gloom of winter lay hard upon the land now, with its almost endless night. Kaarina picked up her oil lamp and the flint. She would need it to find her way around the kitchen to get the fire going.
As she worked, she thought about how life had changed for her since she’d come to lodge with Emiline’s family. They were kind people who always had an encouraging word for her, especially after they had learned the reasons for her exile from her own home. It was hard work but she was happy to do whatever she could to help them.
Today they would be weaving cloth to sell at the spring markets. It was painstaking work and Kaarina preferred to do other things but she didn’t complain. Her fingers itched to try the craft of Leopold, Emiline’s husband. He made fascinating objects out of silver and other metals and she was hoping that he might teach her how to do it, too.
Her thoughts turned to Eira; she was looking forward to seeing her friend after the day’s duties were over. Emiline was always happy for them to spend time together as long as her chores were complete.
“Life must be balanced,” she’d said once. “For a person to be happy, there must be work, rest and play.”
Kaarina had never heard of that before but as she thought about it, she realized that Emiline was right.
But one thing she didn’t understand about these sabbatati Christians was their habit of ceasing work for a whole day. Every seventh day of the week, they simply stopped work and spent the day in prayer and meeting at the little meeting-house in the center of the village. Kaarina had never known such a strange custom. Perhaps she would be brave enough to ask Frida or Sigrid about it later today when she went over to see Eira. Or perhaps the boys would be there … she blushed as she thought
