Page 31 of A Viking's Captive

Afterward, Rathnon picked her up and laid her on the floor of their home on rugs and blankets he had placed inside. He banished their worries with their lovemaking, falling asleep right before dawn. They clung to each other, memorizing each other’s bodies. They reveled in the sensation of being held by each other. Morning came too soon.

Ilona kissed Rathnon’s face all over while he held her tightly before they rose from their makeshift bed. The skies were gray, and a morning mist clung over the land. A cooler day, autumn would soon arrive.

With a full heart, Ilona helped him carry the furs back to the longhouse well before the mid-morning meal. She gave Rathnon the tunic-style jacket she had completed with a leather front and heavy wool back as well as fur-trimmed sleeves and hood.

Rathnon admired it. “I love yer weaving, sewing, and designing skills ye used—all combined to make this great jacket for me.” He tried it on and moved around in it, swinging his arms as if wielding a sword. “Lass, this is the best jacket I have ever owned. Keeping me warm on my journey, it will warm my heart while I am missing ye.”

Ilona helped him pack for his journey, placing his clothes in thick oilskin sacks that would keep his clothes dry. She tucked inside a smaller one with dried meat, cheese, and bread.

The courier arrived after the mid-morning meal. Ilona felt her heart shattering even more than when Rathnon stole her from her home in Scotland. She tried to stem the tide of tears filling her eyes. It seemed as effective as trying to stop the rain in a torrential storm.

“I love ye, Ilona. Please stay safe while I am away. I will return to ye as soon as possible,” Rathnon said as he held Ilona one last time tightly in his arms.

“Please be safe, Rathnon. I will try to be strong and stay safe while ye are away. I cannae wait until ye return to me. Ye carry my heart with ye.” They kissed one last time before he mounted his horse and rode away alongside the courier. The rest of the village waved and wished him well on his journey.

Grateful Liv was at her side, Ilona’s tears blurred her vision. Ilona accompanied Liv to the healer’s house, where Liv made tea for her so she could collect herself.

Over tea, Ilona confessed. “I could nae tell him, Liv. It grieves me that I could nae tell him about the bairn. He already carries a heavy burden of worries, and I could nae burden him with more. I do nae want his worrying about me to interfere with his duties or place him in greater danger.”

“I understand, lass. It is hard to determine the best way forward, especially when it concerns someone we love. We want what is best for them. It is hard to determine the best path.”

“Aye. Do ye ken where he went and what he did before he returned exhausted?”

“Nae.”

“He and a few of the men built us a stone house in the forest. It is on a hill overlooking the sea, close to the loch. It is so beautiful, ye can nae imagine. I will take ye to see it. It is like our homes in Scotland, like my parents’ house.”

“I ken he loves ye with all his heart, Ilona, and he wanted to show ye what ye mean to him.”

“Aye, he showed me unexpectedly. It is nae finished. It needs doors for the rooms and to be stocked with cooking items and furniture. I want a proper bed for Rathnon and will ask Ivar to see if I can trade him for clothes. I need to return to stay at the longhouse in the meantime.”

“Lass, ye ken ye can stay here with me anytime ye want.”

“I need to make myself useful. There is much yet to do before winter arrives, and I want to help. I will look forward to taking tea with ye in the future.” Liv and Ilona hugged, and Ilona returned to the longhouse and spoke to Sigrid.

“Ye have seen Rathnon leave many times over the years and looked forward to his return from season to season. I pray their trading goes well so that he can return well before winter arrives. I will try to make him proud of me and be useful to his clan.”

“Ye are a blessing for all of us, Ilona. I don’t ken what any of us would do without ye. Rathnon will miss ye very much. I ken he wishes he could be back with ye already. I’m sure he looks forward to returning to ye as much if nae more than ye do. “

In the weeks after Rathnon left, Ilona missed him terribly. She attempted to keep herself distracted by pouring her heart into her work. She used the leaves she had gathered with Rathnon to dye a batch of wool yarn in a lovely shade of green. When she completed dyeing the yarn, she used the loom to weave the wool.

In the afternoon, Ilona shared a quiet interlude with Sigrid and shared with her the news that she and Rathnon were expecting their first child.

“I learned about it from Liv right before Rathnon left. I did nae tell him since I did nae wish to burden him with worrying more about his bairn and me. Ever since he fought the bear, he’s blamed himself for my injuries, even though he was nae at fault and rescued me. He saved my life, and he doesn’t know he saved his own bairn’s.”

“It will bring him great joy when he learns about it. He will worry nae matter what about those he loves. He’s fiercely protective by nature, especially about those he cares for deeply.”

“I hope he will nae be angry with me since I withheld the information from him, and everyone will ken before his return home.”

“I do nae ken he will be angry with ye but perhaps puzzled why ye did nae share it with him.” Changing the course of their conversation, she said, “I love the color of this yarn ye dyed.”

“Thank ye. Rathnon and I collected leaves one day when I cut the bark to make the baskets before we wed. I am thankful for the memories we shared these past few months before he had to leave at the king’s command. I worry about him though.”

Ilona spent several days dyeing colors of yarns and spinning threads of identical colors together to strengthen and thicken yarns. Later she walked to her garden and tended it, amazed by how the plants thrived.

Gradually, the days grew shorter and the weather cooler. The forests changed the color of their garments, substituting the summer green for autumn hues of gold, red, and brown. The rains began in earnest, so Ilona remained inside and wove ivory and green wool fabrics. Then she dyed yarn a deep red to create a warm wool blanket for their bed in the house Rathnon had built for her.

Ilona spoke to Ivar about the bed for their house and bartered new wool tunics for him in exchange for his skills and craftsmanship. She commissioned Ivar, not only a carpenter but a skilled woodcarver, to build two doors and their bed. He agreed to carve spruce trees, a wolf, and loch designs in the wood. Together they created the composition for the design.