Page 30 of A Viking's Captive

“Ye ken yer husband works for the king as one of his best warriors? And he will call him to duty again?”

“Aye, I do. He blames himself for the bear wounding me. I told him he’s nae to blame in the least. Nae one could haveprevented it. Mayhap he worries about how he can keep me safe when the king calls him to duty.”

“Aye, I think ye may have the right of it, for a messenger from the king arrived earlier this week.”

“I hope he tells me at a few least days before he leaves. How he’s spending his time after training is a mystery to me. But I ken whatever he does, it is hard labor, for he returns exhausted in the evenings.”

Later in the evening, it was nae different. Ilona tried another tactic. She instructed Rathnon to remove his tunic and lie on her bed on his abdomen.

Liv said, “I’m leaving now and will be gone quite a while. After I check on my patients, I will have dinner at the longhouse. I’ll see ye later. Yer dinner is ready in the pot over the hearth anytime ye want to eat.”

Ilona prepared warm herbal oil, and she sat on top of her husband and massaged his back and shoulders. She paid attention to massaging his arms from wrist to shoulder. After a minute he relaxed, and she could feel his muscles release their tension, especially in his upper shoulders.

“Lass, yer massage feels good. I didn’t ken I held my muscles that tight.”

“Husband, your shoulders and back feel like they are tied up in knots. I ken ye have been training and working very hard. It is good to take a break. I do nae want ye to become ill. Something worries ye. I’m here when ye want to share what burdens ye. I am here to help ye in whatever way I can.”

Rathnon couldn’t concentrate right now except on one thing. All her moving and wiggling on his arse had made him hard. He turned to lift her up and rolled onto his back. Rathnon pulled her down for tantalizing kisses and lifted her skirts to straddle him. After he adjusted her position, she slid down on him, and he took her to heaven until he could sate his undeniable lust for his wife.

Much later, they smoothed their clothes, ate dinner, and drank tea before retiring. Rathnon resolved to tell his wife the following day what the king’s letter had demanded of him. He needed one more day’s work before he shared his news with her.

Rathnon left his wife’s side before dawn the next morning. He charged a reliable man with training and was able to return in late afternoon, taking Ilona for a walk in the forest. Rathnon stopped and kissed her along the way, and finally, they stood on the hill overlooking the sea.

He had tied a cloth over her eyes for the last few hundred yards. Rathnon pulled off the cloth and watched her face intently as he turned her around to see her surprise.

Ilona didn’t ken where to look. More than a traditional longhouse, the house’s walls were built of sturdy stones, with the roof covered in sod. He had even planted a few clusters of flowers outside the front door.

“Rathnon, is this why ye are fatigued? Oh, it is beautiful. Is it for us?” Her face lit up with joy. “Ye did all this?” Ilona kissed him, hugging him tightly to herself.

“I made it with the help of the men. It is for us to live in someday. It is nae finished. I thought we could stay here tonight, and ye could tell me how ye would like the inside finished.” Shelost it then, overwhelmed by Rathnon building this for them, tears flowing down her cheeks. “Let’s go inside and ye can see it.”

He held open the door and lit a lantern. He picked her up in his arms and carried her across the threshold before setting her down. Inside the surprisingly spacious home, two bedrooms lacked furniture and doors yet. A hearth sat in the middle of the room, along with a stone oven with a chimney against a wall. Wooden cabinets and counters gleamed in the flickering light. Supported by wood, the stone sink could be used for washing dishes or garments.

Open wooden shelves in the kitchen were empty. Attached to the wall by the doorframe was a large, sturdy rack of deer antlers for hanging wet garments. A box filled with chopped wooden logs and an enormous basket of peat stood next to the front door. Their home would be cozy and warm during the winter months.

Ilona walked in circles, admiring the care and workmanship in crafting every aspect of their new home. She touched the wood and the sink, still astonished by all Rathnon had done. Tears of joy filled her eyes.

“Thank ye, Rathnon. It is lovely and more beautiful than I dreamed.” Ilona threw her arms around him with abandon and poured kisses on his face and lips, filling him with happiness.

“Oh look,” she said, pointing, “ye even put stones on the floor, and I can wash them. It is like my parents’ home. I love it. Thank ye for doing this for us. I can’t wait for us to move in.” Rathnon eyed her with a strange expression.

“Let’s go swim in the loch. Then we can eat the dinner I brought.”

Ilona agreed, and at the loch they shed their clothes to bathe and swim. Today had been a hot day, muggy with the heat, a herald of a storm brewing off the coast. After they dressed, they held hands as they sauntered back to their house on the hill overlooking the sea.

They ate a picnic dinner outside. In the gloaming, the soft greenish sheen of light from glowworms searching for their mates glowed, creating a magic all their own. Rathnon cradled Ilona in his arms, stroking her skin and kissing her head. “Ilona, ye were right, and I have been worried. I kent shortly after we left the castle the king would call me to duty again.

“This week, the king sent me a letter by courier. He has called me to return to the castle. This time, it seems we will sail a small fleet of ships for trading. I do nae ken how long I will be gone, but it will be several months. I am sorry ye must remain here. That is why ye won’t be able to stay in our house until I return. For me to do my work, I need to ken ye are safe, lass. I love ye with every breath I take. I cannae bear to leave ye, and yet…I must.”

“I ken, Rathnon.” Ilona stroked his cheeks with her fingertips. “I treasure every day we spend together. I appreciate all the labor ye and the men did to build this house. But it will nae be a home until we live together in it. I will wait for yer return in the longhouse, whenever ye can return to me. Ye carry my heart with ye wherever ye travel.”

“Lass, I love ye with all my heart.”

“When will ye leave?”

“The man will arrive tomorrow to accompany me back to the king. It is sooner than I’d like. I wish I could have finished the house for ye before I left. I wish I never had to leave ye.”

Rathnon pulled her into his arms and made a blanket on the ground with his tunic. Under the stars and surrounded by the light of the glowworms, Rathnon made passionate love to his wife. Ilona ached to tell him she was pregnant with his child. But she felt it would be an additional burden, compounding his existing worries.