Page 50 of A Viking's Captive

Rathnon paid respect to Ilona’s father and bowed as he introduced himself and Olaf. “I am Rathnon, your daughter’s husband and father of your grandson, Thor. This is my friend and translator, Olaf, who will help our conversation. I am happy to say Ilona has taught me Gaelic as I taught her the Norse language.” He handed him the letter from Ilona and saw the moment her father recognized his daughter’s handwriting. He smiled and invited them in and called his wife to attend totheir guests. He bade them sit down and poured them glasses of potent whiskey.

“I am Ewan and pleased ye have come. This is my wife, Ilona’s mother. Welcome to our home.” Rhona, Ilona’s mother, welcomed them with a big smile. Rathnon could see from where Ilona derived her beauty, as her mother was still a beautiful woman. She brought glasses of ale and trays of bread, meats, cheeses, and fresh fruit for the men to quench their hunger and thirst from their long journey.

“Thank ye for this delicious food and your welcome. Please read Ilona’s letter and then you can ask me questions.” Ewan read the letter first and then handed it to his wife. Rathnon noted the tears in her mother’s eyes as she read the letter.

After several minutes, Rathnon began the difficult conversation. “I will not apologize for taking llona, for I love her and our son with all my heart. I fell in love with her the first time I saw her and have grown to love her more each day. I do regret I have had to wait until now to visit ye as we reside far away from ye. Ilona misses ye very much and has shared many stories about growing up here.

“I work for the King of Norway, and I am not able to move here for ye to see Ilona as often as ye wish. I am a warrior for the king and a negotiator for trade. Ye are most welcome to come visit Ilona and myself anytime ye’d like.”

“Although worried for our only daughter’s welfare and safety when she first disappeared, we have come to understand through her letter that despite yer kidnapping her, ye have made her happy and fulfilled her as a wife and given her the chance to be a mother. She shared with us aspects of your life that bring her happiness, and we are grateful.”

“I hoped to win yer blessings and approval, for Ilona loves ye deeply and misses ye. Pardon me for a moment, I brought ye a few gifts.” He stood and went out to his horse, where he took two large bundles with him back into the house. Rathnon presented the long bundle to Ewan, and the bulkier bundle to Rhona. They opened the gifts and Rathnon could tell by the appreciative smile on Ilona’s father’s face he liked the sword.

“Thank ye for this gift, made with great skill and artistry.”

Rathnon studied the expressions on Ilona’s mother’s face as she unwrapped her gift. Her expression told it all as a bright smile lit up her entire face and tears of happiness filled her eyes. He thought she recognized her daughter’s work as she examined the weave and design of the woolen blanket.

“Thank ye for the lovely blanket. I suspect my daughter wove this. Her skills in weaving now are masterful. We will put this to good use. It is a lovely gift from both of ye.”

“Ilona will be happy ye enjoy her gift for ye. I know she poured her love into it as she does in everything. Besides bringing ye these gifts, I bring ye an invitation to accompany me home to visit and stay with us for as long as ye like. I would bring ye back or have trustworthy men return ye home whenever ye wish. Ye are welcome to visit us anytime ye like, but it may be difficult to find our location the first time ye visit. Returning with us, ye will have my men and me to protect ye and provide for ye on the trip. Nae need for ye to row yourselves. This is the most favorable time to travel in the North Sea. I realize ye may need to contact friends to manage yer farm in your absence, but I would like to return to Ilona as soon as possible.

“Ye will bring great joy to Ilona to come and surprise her for a visit. I did not disclose to her I left to visit ye and invite ye to ourhome in the event ye would not be able to visit now. I didn’t want to return and disappoint her.”

“Ye seem to understand our daughter well. We will need to speak to our neighbor to see what we can work out and if he’s still aggregable, and let ye ken. We have a room with one bed for ye to use while ye are here. We’d like ye to stay with us.”

“Thank ye. It is kind of ye. We do not want to inconvenience ye since we are two men with hearty appetites. We like to sleep out in the forest and hunt and fish. We could bring ye game or fish to prepare, or we could roast it and have ye join us. We will leave ye to discuss yer needs together and with yer neighbors, and we will bed down in the forest. I will check back with ye tomorrow.” Rathnon and his friend stood. “Thank ye, for yer hospitality. I am happy to finally have the opportunity to meet ye both.”

He bowed and they left and mounted their horses. They rode away to the same forest where Rathnon had first seen Ilona. They made a campfire, stocked it with wood they had chopped, and fished in the river for their dinner. Olaf and Rathnon caught an abundance of fish, and Rathnon carried the bountiful catch across the field and meadow to the stone cottage. He knocked on the door and handed the string of large fish to Ilona’s father. His eyes grew wide when he beheld the large number and sizes of the fish.

“Please return at sunset and join us for dinner. We will dine with the fish ye caught.”

“Thank ye, we will.” Rathnon returned to the forest and groomed his horse. Olaf left to scope out game in the area for the following day’s hunting. Rathnon led his horse to the river to drink and then tied him to an area lush with grasses.Wildflowers filled the meadows, and Rathnon appreciated how Ilona had developed her appreciation of nature and love of flowers, which grew in abundance. He planned to pick flowers later and bring a bouquet to her mother.

Rathnon bathed in the cold river, dried off, and dressed in a clean tunic. He found a cozy spot, placed a blanket on the ground, and laid down for a short nap. Before Olaf left, Rathnon shared their invitation to a fish dinner at sunset. Dreams of Ilona filled him with happiness and peace. When he awakened, for a moment his eyes searched for Ilona before he realized where he was. He hoped to be able to bring her back here to visit, but would she wish to return with him when the king commanded his return to duty? Rathnon led his horse back to the river and to another area to graze. He judged the time by the sun’s position and picked a floral bouquet. He spied Olaf, who had finished bathing in the river, drying his hair with a cloth, and was now dressed in a clean tunic.

Olaf smirked and pointed to the flowers. “It seems you are courting the mother like you did her daughter.”

Rathnon shrugged. “It is my way of apologizing without stating my apology for causing them pain and fear for their daughter when I kidnapped her. They never would have agreed to my taking their daughter from them if I had asked. So I took her. I could not have left her here after seeing her, even if I wanted to. A magical force compelled me.”

They walked across the field and meadow and knocked upon the old wooden door. Ewan admitted them, and Rhona accepted the large wildflower bouquet with a big smile and a blush, reminding Rathnon of Ilona’s aching loveliness. His heart clenched missing her.

They drank cold ale and ate dinner at a wooden kitchen table. The men enjoyed conversing together, and Ilona’s mother asked questions about life in the Kingdom of Norway. They ate the fried trout and salmon the men had caught with roasted potatoes and spring vegetables. For dessert, they enjoyed berry tarts.

“Thank ye for the delicious dinner.”

“It is my pleasure to cook for ye. I’m glad we have this time to get to know ye, whether or not we can go to yer home and visit ye there now.”

Rathnon asked, “Will you share with me stories of Ilona growing up?” They did, and the men shared stories as well over a dram of whiskey before they returned to the deep forest and their beds under the stars.

The next morning, the men awakened early and had hot tea with fresh oatcakes Olaf made over the fire. Rathnon and Olaf saddled their horses and hunted in the hills by the loch. Rathnon felled a large stag, and the men placed it over Rathnon’s horse. They rode to give it to Ilona’s parents.

Her father answered their knock at the door, and the men walked around the back of the cottage, where they field-dressed the deer together. Ilona’s mother came outside and thanked them for the meat.

“Ye shot a huge stag. Thank ye. This will provide us meat for many meals and for our winter stores too.” They cut portions of the meat in strips and placed them in the smoking house to save for winter. Ilona’s mother took other portions and cut them into small pieces for venison stew. She returned to the house to add herbs and seasonings into the huge pot with the meat and hungit over the fire to cook. While the meat cooked, Ewan invited the men to ride to a neighbor’s home with him to ask about caring for the farm in their absence. Before they left, they staked out the deerskin, keeping the leather for tanning and later use.

Ilona’s father told her mother, “I am taking the men to ride to Graham’s home.” The men rode across the hills and valleys to the neighbor’s home, taking stock of their surroundings to navigate their way back to their campsite if needed. They were formidable warriors first and foremost.

Graham greeted his neighbor and friend as well as the men who accompanied him. They sat down inside his farmhouse, drank cold ale, and exchanged stories. Fascinated by the Norse warriors, Graham asked many questions before Ilona’s father turned the conversation to his request.