Ragnar the Murderer (8 page)

Saehild hummed to herself while chopping some wild garlic for lunch.

Her sister took her by the hand and marched her outside.

“
Have you been spending a lot of time with Bjarni?” she hissed, keeping her voice low to avoid others hearing.

“
Yes, I have.” She smiled broadly.

“
I heard the women talking. They said an Anglisc woman has married a Dane, you wouldn’t know anything about that would you?”

Saehild blushed, she couldn’t help herself.

“
We exchanged swords and rings.”

“
What? Where are they?”

“
Bjarni’s sword is wrapped in fur under our bed and his ring is here.” She showed her necklace with the ring attached. “I gave him one of father’s swords.”

“
W-who was at the wedding? Why- why did you not ask me?”

“
I’m sorry. We had to keep it secret. There were a couple of other Huskarlr there, I didn’t know them, and some sort of priest.”

Aelfwyn paused, gathering her thoughts.

“
What were you thinking? What are you going to do now? Where will you live? Did you sleep the night with him after the wedding? What were you thinking?”

“
When he finishes his training, I will go and live with him. The wedding was in the afternoon, I slept with him afterwards. So there is nothing anyone can do now, we are legally man and wife and cannot be torn apart!” Her voice rose.

“
What are you talking about?” said their mother, waiting by the hut. “What have you done?”

The sisters jumped.

*  *  *

At Hallfridby, Ragnar stared at Bjarni in shock.

“
You married her? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“
I’m sorry, I just thought if I told you then you told Aelfwyn, it would get round to her parents and- I’m sorry.”

“
I thought I was your best friend. You do realise you’ve stirred a wasp’s nest up for yourself don’t you? The Anglisc will be furious.”

Bjarni shrugged. “It will be worth it. I thought Saehild was beautiful on the outside, but when she’s in my bed, she’s-“

“
You were thinking with your cock, weren’t you?” Ragnar chewed his lip. There he was, restraining himself with Aelfwyn, longing to carry her off but not wanting to compromise her situation with her family. Then Bjarni acted in the opposite way, taking what he wanted.

Ragnar did not understand how families worked because he had never had one.

“
Where will you two live?”

“
I thought Saehild could come and live with me in the Huskarlr longhouse. We could have a bench together.”

Ragnar sighed at his naivety.

“
Good luck when you ask Steinar about that. He won’t be happy.”

“
It’ll all work out, you’ll see.” Bjarni beamed, full of the joys of married life.

*  *  *

“
So, you have married a Dane,” stated Cwenburg. She had marched both her daughters back inside their hut. “Whatever possessed you? You have Anglisc admirers queuing up, yet you go behind your parents’ backs to marry someone from another society.”

“
But we love each other.” Saehild’s jaw was set.

“
You love each other! A brief infatuation which won’t last! How long have you known him?”

“
About a month. Quite a long time.”

“
That isn’t a long time, girl! What about Athulf, Gyric, Wynstan? All those are eminently suitable husbands, and there are more.”

“
Mother, I don’t love them! I wanted to marry a man I loved!”

“
How can you possibly know you love this Dane when you’ve only known him a month? I knew your father all my life before we married!”

Saehild tutted. “That is the life of a boring woman, mother!”

Aelfwyn bit her lip. She would never dare speak to her mother like that.

The mother and daughter glared at each other.

“
Go to your bed! You may lie there until your father and I decide what to do!”

“
There is nothing you can do.” But she flounced off to her bed anyway, tossing her hair and sighing dramatically.

“
Thank God we have you, Aelfwyn. A sensible girl who is to marry a good man, and keep the honour of this family alive.”

Aelfwyn’s heart sank. She would have to marry Eadbald now. She dropped her head in disappointment.

Unfortunately, the argument had been much louder than they had realised and many villagers had gathered outside listening. Within an hour, the news had spread round the community.

Seofon

The rest of the day was taken up dealing with the long queue of Saehild’s disappointed suitors visiting her father to make their case.

Saehild herself refused to get up. Even though being sent to bed had been a punishment, she had turned it to her advantage and made herself a martyr.

“
Those Danes are no good, taking our women,” muttered one of the suitors.

“
You’re not betrothed, are you Aelfwyn? I could marry you instead,” said another. Aelfwyn and Sigulf had been told to serve refreshments to the visitors, so they moved up and down the line with food and drink.

She shook her head. “I am betrothed, I’m afraid. To Eadbald.”

“
Eadbald?” The man chuckled. “I’d make a better husband than that old man.” Some of the other suitors laughed too.

She and Sigulf exchanged glances.

“
At least she is respectable, unlike you lot,” he chastised them. “She will bring our family honour.”

She sighed, envying Saehild for doing what she wanted without worrying about consequences.

*  *  *

That night, she stole out of Byrnstanham, knowing the dangers but not caring. The Huskarlr at the gate of Hallfridby were sympathetic as she had helped Ragnar with the tree, so they let her sneak in and gave her directions.

The Huskarlr quarters were a longhouse near the Jarl’s. A large wooden building, not as big as the feasting hall but with a similar sloped roof supported by huge wooden pillars in an upside down U shape. The benches against the walls were wider and covered in animal furs for the Huskarlr to sleep in. The fire pit lay in the middle.

Many of the men were sleeping and loudly snoring, off duty, others were eating, talking and playing some rowdy gambling game at one end of the building. There was an unfamiliar strong smell of sweat, smoke and ale, unlike that of her home. The longhouse smelt undeniably of men.

She waited nervously by the door, but to her distress, Kjartan appeared.

“
You’d better not rape me, or Ragnar will kill you,” she blurted. “So go and tell him I’m here.”

“
You have spirit,” he said. “Are you sure you don’t want my big stiff weapon inside you?”

“
I’m very sure thank you.” She turned her nose up at him. “Please get Ragnar at once.”

“
Did you enjoy it with him in the cave?”

She blushed.

“
How- how did you know?”

“
Ah, I know everything. Do you know everything?” What was he talking about? He must surely be insane.

“
I know quite a lot.”

“
You know it’s my cave?”

“
No.”

“
Do you know who I take there?”

Tiring of this game, Aelfwyn lied.

“
Yes, I do actually. I know all the women you take to your cave, and I know all your secrets.”

His eyes widened.

“
Did Ragnar tell you?”

“
Yes, he told me everything.” Tired and anxious after Saehild’s revelations, she wanted him to go away and stop talking nonsense, so she could speak to Ragnar.

“
Hm.” Kjartan appeared to be about to say something else, but Ragnar interrupted.

“
Get lost, fool,” he said, putting his arm round Aelfwyn. Kjartan stalked off, muttering.

Ragnar drew her to him and kissed her.

“
What are we going to do about Saehild and Bjarni?” she said afterwards.

“
I don’t know,” he sighed. “It’s a mess.”

“
And now my parents think I’m the virtuous daughter and I can never escape marriage to Eadbald,” she said, her voice shaking.

“
Shall we just run away together and forget them?”

“
Really? Do you mean that?”

“
Yes. Shall we?”

She hovered on the precipice of stepping over the edge and giving her all to him. But reason prevailed.

“
I can’t. My parents would be heart broken if I left too. I can’t hurt them.”

“
I know. You are lucky to have parents, you must treasure them.”

“
Don’t you have parents?”

“
Not really. I was born to my father’s slave and he never recognised me as his son. Only the kindness of Jarl Thorvald and his late wife saved me. They took me in and brought me up.”

He watched her, expecting shock and possibly revulsion.

“
You poor thing,” she gasped, hugging him tighter. “My parents annoy me but they always take care of me.”

“
I shall take you home. I wish you could stay but…” He wanted her to stay in his bed but did not want the other Huskarlr upsetting or taking advantage of her.

They didn’t feel the cold night air, holding hands along the track to Aelfwyn’s home. They felt no need to speak, but longing accompanied them, shadowing them like a spirit.

*  *  *

Saehild spent her days at Hallfridby, in the company of the other wives. She watched her husband training once, but Steinar soon sent on her way because she was too much of a distraction for all the men, not just Bjarni.

She found work to be done at this village too, even though she had left her own family to manage without her. But at least it was in a different environment. The Danish women were mostly friendly and she brought some of her own Anglisc friends with her.

During the breaks in training, the Anglisc girls flirted with the Huskarlr and any other Danes nearby. A seemingly endless number of Danish men just happened to visit the Huskarl training area. Such an endless  number that Steinar became annoyed.

“
Any of you men who want to join training, get your swords and start practising!” he shouted, in a voice well used to commanding. A stocky man, he had a huge scar down one side of his face and across his eye.

“
Is he married?” asked Saehild’s friend, Leofrun, with the wide, dreaming eyes.

“
Why? Do you fancy him?” she replied, giggling.

“
Why not? He looks harassed, I could calm him down with some loving,” giggled Leofrun in return. She fluttered her eyelashes at Steinar, who glared at her.

“
You two!” he shouted at Ragnar, who was innocently mending his sword hilt, and Kjartan, who was chatting up the Anglisc. “You look like you want to fight each other. Get in position!”

So they did. Ragnar, annoyed at his situation with Aelfwyn, and at the knowledge of Kjartan and the Jarl’s wife, launched into the fight with enthusiasm.

Kjartan, equally, frustrated about his situation with Yngvild and annoyed that Ragnar knew about it, set about defending just as readily.

“
Don’t they look handsome with their hair tied back like that?” said Saehild to Leofrun, then realised it was someone else.

The area for combat had originally been grassy but so many heavy boots had worn it down over time it had become dusty, dry ground now. There were logs round the sides of it for onlookers to encourage or taunt the fighters.

The other Huskarlr cheered and yelled, but Saehild soon became bored and went into the training area to look for Bjarni. Seeing so many men in the same uniform confused her but after a while, she spotted him.

“
There you are.” She ran and kissed him.

“
Not now,” he said, embarrassed.

“
But I’m your wife!”

“
Steinar won’t like it.”

“
He can’t see us behind all these men.” She kissed him again and they fell behind the pile of logs used for strength training.