Page 10 of A Viking's Captive

Sigrid washed and cut the heads off the fish. She called a young lad to her and gave him a basket with the fish heads. Then Sigrid instructed him about how to dispose of the fish heads. A large pan with fat sat on a flat rock over the fire and sizzled when Sigrid added the fish to fry.

The women talked and, no doubt, gossiped as they worked. Rathnon left Ilona in the care of the women and left to join the men. They passed around a bag of ale and toasted to Rathnon and his intended bride. It reminded Ilona of how men and women acted back home. Men left the women to cook, prepare the meals, and look after the children while the men talked, drank whiskey, and boasted of their deeds.

The hum of conversation around the fire while the women worked comforted Ilona, making her think of home. Her heart clenched in longing. She enjoyed working with the women and getting to ken their personalities, despite not understanding their language. Work would keep her distracted. Ilona planned to learn as much as she could.

Soon, the adults in the longhouse gathered along both sides of a long table. The elder, the chieftain of this group, stood and welcomed Rathnon back home after his long journey. “We welcome ye, Ilona, to our home. Ye bring grace and beauty to us, and we are pleased Rathnon finally found ye to be his wife. He searched many years for ye.” He then said blessings over the food and sat down. Rathnon’s aunt translated what the elder said.

With the food piled high in wooden trenchers, the women served the children and the men at the table. Then the women served themselves and sat down. The men dug into their food hungrily, having labored hard during the daylight. The villagers were eating dinner earlier than usual to celebrate Rathnon and Ilona’s arrival.

After dinner, Rathnon stole Ilona away, and as they strolled, he showed her around their village. One building housed a forge for making swords and tools. Another held wood and woodworking tools, and in a stable, there were pens for the animals. Rathnon showed her the outhouses. The sun still shone in the sky, and Rathnon walked along a path meandering into the woods to the side of the longhouse. The light filtered through a canopy of trees.

“This is lovely. It is quiet and peaceful, like my home.”

Mesmerized by her dazzling smile, Rathnon did nae need, in that moment, to understand her words, only glad this had brought her happiness. He remembered how she seemed to embrace nature, the earth, and the sky when he had studied her on Orkney. This place must remind her of her home. The one she left behind when he kidnapped her. He couldn’t let her go. Ilona had stolen his heart when she looked directly at him without seeing him in the woods near her garden. He had been thunderstruck. In that instant, she saw into his soul.

He picked her up off her feet and swung her around in a circle, filled with happiness. Rathnon had finally found the woman of his dreams, here with him now. He smiled at her, and his smile made his eyes crinkle up at the corners.

Ilona didn’t ken what she had done for him to respond this way, but by his grin, she could tell he was happy. Rathnon pointed to Ilona’s heart, his fingers briefly brushing across her breast. His touch sent frissons of sparks and heat across her body and caused her heart to race.

“Yer heart is now in mine.” He let her slide down the front of his body and then, for one breathless moment, he leaned in and kissed her. His kisses seduced her and made her forget her resolve to escape. Ilona stood on her tiptoes and reached up, putting her arms around his neck as he continued their sizzling kisses. Ilona became mindless, lost to the barrage of heat and sensations Rathnon aroused as he kissed her. Her fingers found the long hair at the nape of his neck, and she felt its texture and weight with her fingertips. Rathnon groaned—it seemed he liked her stroking his head and hair.

He released her and took her hand in his, then pointed down the path and said, “Burn and loch.” Rathnon did ken a few Gaelic words. He looked up at the darkening sky. He would leaveexploring for another day. The beautiful sunset bathed the sky with streaks of gold, pink, and indigo.

As they entered the longhouse, Ilona saw women getting furs and bedding ready on benches. Rathnon saw her stricken look and kent she did not understand how they lived in a communal setting. His aunt had set up their bedding on the bench and on the ground for them.

“Will you please explain to Ilona how the women change and get ready for bed?”

“Aye, I will explain to her, but this will be a difficult adjustment for her. It is unlike how people live in Orkney. They live with their family, parents, and grandparents, but not aunts, uncles, and more cousins. For your wedding night, you need to take your wife into the forest. And you need to stay for many days until she is comfortable with you. You cannot expect to have relations with her in this room with all these people. She will think you are a beast and fight you. It would be a poor way to start your marriage. Heed what I say. It is important for a good start to your marital relationship.”

Rathnon nodded in silence. Sigrid had given him much to think about, things he had taken for granted, used to being with men as warriors, who slept how and when they could.

Sigrid took Ilona in hand and sat her down on her bench for sleeping and explained their customs.

Outside Rathnon washed his face and hands and waited along with the rest of the men while the women undressed, put the bairns to bed, and got into their beds. The men congratulated him on finding such a beautiful woman to take as a bride. Rathnon asked about how things had gone in hisabsence, and they filled him in on the gossip and politics. A woman opened the door and announced that the men could rejoin the women.

Before the men entered, Sigrid said to Ilona, “Ye need nae be worried, for Rathnon will not bed ye as his wife until after ye wed. Ye will sleep on the bench, and he will sleep on the floor next to ye. Now I’ll help ye remove yer dress, and ye can sleep in yer linen shift. Tomorrow we will find hooks for ye to hang yer dresses from. Do ye ken how to weave, Ilona?”

“I wove a little with a small loom my mother had.”

“Good. Tomorrow morning, I’ll get ye started weaving on the loom. Ye need to make cloth and sew it for ye and Rathnon for yer wedding garments. Either Rathnon or I will show ye the fields, and ye can help with the gardening. Women are expected to weave and work in the fields, but it makes the time pass quickly. Follow me to the basins and ye can wash.

“I’m afraid ye must get used to washing in front of other women. They are busy trying to wash themselves rather than looking at anybody else. The women either wash here or bathe in the burn or loch. Rathnon will show ye. I ken ye will have many more questions, but I will teach ye more each day.”

“Thank ye, Sigrid. I appreciate ye sharing with me about the customs here. I feel less bewildered by everything.” Ilona got under the covers and furs on the bench. She felt exposed, and feared others’ intentions toward her, being easy to find in the dark. Ilona closed her eyes but couldn’t sleep. She listened for Rathnon’s arrival.

“Ilona, are ye asleep?” He leaned over her and kissed her tenderly when she whispered back. As soon as Rathnon laiddown on the floor next to her, Ilona slipped off the bench. She pulled the furs with her and nestled into Rathnon. She hoped he wouldn’t make her sleep on the bench, so she said, “Brrr,” and shivered for emphasis, hoping he would allow her to nestle into his warmth. She felt more secure in his arms.

Rathnon smiled to himself, happy Ilona sought him to sleep with. He settled on his back after adjusting the furs. He had removed his tunic and was bare-chested and had changed into pants for sleeping. He pulled Ilona into his arms and held her with her head on his chest, her soft body tucked against his.

Rathnon couldn’t help himself but stroked her skin with his free hand. He inhaled her scent of Highland heather and wildflowers, and instantly became hard. Realizing he would be in an agony of need and desire lying next to Ilona each night, and only able to give her a chaste kiss before they wed, Rathnon decided to talk to Sigrid to see if she could hasten the ceremony. He lay awake for hours, hard and aching, while he heard the soft breaths of Ilona asleep in his arms.

Chapter 4

Transitions

When Ilona awakened, Rathnon and the other men had vanished. She did nae ken the time of day but thought it still early since most of the women were now awakening.

In Rathnon’s arms last night, Ilona felt protected and safe and could drown out the sounds others made in their sleep—even someone’s loud snoring. Ilona washed and dressed in haste, wanting to work at the loom. It would take many hours to weave the cloth, sew, and embroider it. Couldn’t she wear the green gown she had worn at the castle? She would ask his aunt.