Yesteryear

Hidden

A warm tongue licking Wooyoung's cheek accompanied by fur tickling in his nose roused him from his slumber. He scrunched his face up as he twisted away from the source and instead curled up against San. The broad body of the Viking received him with warmth.

"Bein, come here. Don't bother them."

The soft female voice in the room sounded foreign to Wooyoung's ears for a moment. Confused, he blinked his eyes open to locate its source.

He found the woman in the green dress seated at the table. Her fingers were wrapped around a wooden bowl with a steaming liquid inside and her eyes watched how Wooyoung's messy hair shifted to look at her. As he shook his drowsiness off, he took notice of her faint smile.

The dog trotted to her side and sunk down to the ground at her feet. Cosy, he curled up and watched Wooyoung with his amber eyes.

"I apologise for him waking you," Ljóðey said. Amused, she watched how Wooyoung struggled to shove San's limp arm off his side to sit up. While he stretched, he wondered how much she knew. Spending a lot of time with San must mean she noticed his lack of ageing and the mysteries surrounding him. Within the community of Vikings, marriage was required to be a worthy member of the group. But since she was satisfied without children and allowed them their time together, Ljóðey supported San quietly.

"It's fine. We rested for a long time."

The sky was brighter today than yesterday. The sheen of clouds blanketing it was thinner and no snow fell. He guessed that the air was crisp and cold.

For a moment longer, she pensively watched Wooyoung's awkward lingering. He didn't want to expose his body to her eyes entirely, and he was unsure whether he should wake San. Soon, however, her penetrating gaze lifted.

"Collect your clothes and come over here. No time to get dressed."

Her order had Wooyoung springing to his feet instantly. He snatched his gauntlets, tunic, pants and boots and cradled them in front of his body so she wouldn't need to see more than necessary. When Ljóðey stood and carried her bowl to a nearby shelf, Bein looked at her just as curiously as Wooyoung.

Ultimately, she dragged the heavy desk aside and yanked open a trapdoor leading to the cool cellar. Perplexed, Wooyoung stepped closer when she beckoned him in. The soft woollen blanket she landed on his pile weighed his arms down.

"Go. Take this blanket, too. I will bring you food soon."

Before Wooyoung questioned her any longer, she drew him closer by his arm. Confused feet stumbled into the dark cave. The ground was cold down here, the warmth from above not reaching through the floor. Some crates and rolls of fabric stood in the far corner. He had to duck to get further in, but he obeyed Ljóðey without voicing his puzzlement.

As soon as he had hidden away, the trapdoor behind him closed. With some dust raining down to him through the thin slits of the wooden floor, Ljóðey moved the desk back into position. For a moment, Bein shuffled around confusedly and sniffed for Wooyoung. Then he settled down again.

Confused, Wooyoung tugged his clothing onto his body. They had dried after the night nearby the fireplace and were still warm on his skin. In the few rays of light, he took longer than usual before he sat on the ground, wrapped in his blanket. The smell of earth filled his senses.

Just when he wanted to speak up and interrupt Ljóðey's silence to get an explanation, someone knocked on the door upstairs. Instantly, Bein was on his feet again to stand alert. Wooyoung zipped his mouth shut when Ljóðey's steps travelled to the door.

Even in the cave under the house, Wooyoung felt the frosty breeze fill the room when she opened it.

"We're here to get the boy. The sacrifice is in two days, during the winter solstice."