“Open your eyes Sunngifu!”
Why did they keep asking me that? Yet I obeyed and lifted my eyelids, enough to see who was talking. It was Mildred, and she looked beyond worried.
“Thank god you are awake! You had me frightened!”
I tried to raise a hand and felt something move around it. Water. I was in a tub filled with lukewarm water.
“How… did I get …here?” I croaked, the words barely audible through my dry lips.
“Einarr Godi carried you, you were burning with fever. What happened?”
“Hrefna, she… brought me urine… to drink. The bread…too hard. So cold…”
“That she-devil! But didn’t you have blankets?”
“Just two…old…too thin…”
“Poor dear! Here.”
She took a nearby jug and poured water in a bowl, holding it to my mouth while I gulped avidly. The cool liquid tasted like heaven on my parched tongue. She refilled it twice before I had enough.
“Time to get you clean.”
She worked the soap into lather and spread it with a cloth on my shoulders, my arms… I yelped when she reached my side and she paused to examine the sore spot.
“You are bruised and your rib is broken. Did she hit you?”
“Nay, Lord Einarr… dropped me. Then I fell…”
As if on cue, the door opened and he entered.
Mildred dropped the cloth and stood in front of the tub, fists on her hips.
“How is she faring?” he asked, concerned.
She glared at him, switching to Anglisc in her ire.
“How do you think she is faring? She was left to freeze with a mere two blankets and no fire, given piss to drink and the pig’s bread to eat! She is badly ill with a fever, her rib is broken, and whose fault is it? You are a judge, my Lord, so tell me: who failed her as her owner in the eyes of the law?”
Lord Einarr’s eyes widened and he paled. Their law specified that a master could do with his slaves as he pleased as long as he kept them fed, clothed and cared for their health. Although it may not apply to me, as I had committed a crime by attempting to run.
Still, he seemed shaken.
“I never ordered that…” he mumbled, before storming out.
I cringed as the door slammed. It had to be solidly built to be still in its hinges.
I heard him roar, and caught Hrefna’s name. I nearly pitied the girl.
Soon enough, there was a commotion and her high pitched voice, begging and sobbing, followed by two resounding slaps. That’s when Lady Disaelfr intervened.
They must have moved away from the hall for privacy as suddenly I could make out their words. Mildred placed a finger on her lips.
“Hush, they are just outside the room,” she warned me in a whisper.
“Pray, son, do not punish Hrefna too harshly. I made a mistake by letting her take care of that wicked girl. She requested it and I should have guessed her purpose. It is no secret that she is taken with you. She was angry to be replaced.”
“Replaced? What are you talking about, mother? Hrefna is a slave, she has no say in who I take to my bed. Her greed nearly killed Sunngifu and stained my honor. I swore to her father that I would take care of her. Should she die from neglect I would be an oath breaker. Do you wish me banned?”
“Of course not. I’m only asking you to consider the pain of a woman scorned.”
“I took Hrefna once, a while ago, and she had teased me into it. But I will heed your words and give her what she wants.”
Lord Einarr paused and Mildred mouthed: “Liar…”
I stared at her questioningly. Who lied, him or Hrefna? Distracted, I jerked when he bellowed: “Tie it to the post and let all men know it can be used as they please until sundown.”
Politely, he added: “Is this to your satisfaction, mother?”
Lady Disaelfr sounded a little shaken when she answered: “You are the master here, my son. I will abide by your rule.”
We heard footsteps go away. Mildred turned to me, wide eyed. She opened her mouth, but Lord Einarr was back in the room before she could speak.
“Are you done cleaning her?” he grumbled.
Mildred nodded, her hands still holding the cloth.
“Help me dry her, I’ll carry her to the bed.”
He took hold of my arms and helped me stand. I wanted to protest, to say that I could do it alone, but my legs were weak and my head swam. Without his support, I would have fallen back in.
Wrapping me in a towel, Mildred rubbed my back vigorously. I was squashed against my owner’s chest and groaned when she hit the wrong spot. She dropped her hands sheepishly.
“Sorry, I forgot.”
I was lifted and cautiously deposited on a soft mattress. He wrapped the covers around me and caressed my forehead, stepping back when Mildred brought me some soup.
It was scalding hot, forcing me to eat slowly. I could see Lord Einarr growing impatient. In other circumstances, I would have taken my sweet time, but I was starving and the will of my stomach was stronger than my own.
I returned the empty bowl to Mildred who handed me a goblet instead.
“Willow bark, for your fever.”
I swallowed it quickly, trying to ignore the dusty taste. With a knowing smile, she gave me a dried mint leaf.
“Leave us, Mildred.”
Lord Einarr’s order suffered no discussion and she obeyed, leaving me alone with him. I bit my lip. My illness might have gained me some momentary indulgence, but he was a man of his word. He said he would decide my punishment upon his return from his visit to his farms. Now that my life was no more at stake, I would learn my fate.
“Sungifu,” he began, “why did you betray me?”
Not a good start, and I had no good answer. “I missed my family, I wanted to go back to them.”
He drew a deep breath, controlling his anger. “And what were you expecting? Did you consider the risk? The trader would have sold you at best, knowing I would chase him for stealing my property.”
“I would have promised him a reward if he led me to my home,” I protested weakly.
He laughed. “You are more of a fool than I ever thought. What reward could be worth more to him than his life? Besides, your father couldn’t afford it. He gave you to me lawfully, he cannot take you back. You’d have shamed him, and he would have returned you on my next visit. This is your home now. I thought you had accepted it.”
“I will never accept to be a slave! I didn’t consent to it!” I was heaving, his words a dead weight on my chest.
“You didn’t have to consent, it was within your father’s right to dispose of you.”
“Not under our laws, he needs my consent to marry me, and your agreement included marrying me.” I was grasping at straws.
He huffed in annoyance.
“You just had to give me a child to be free, and your father’s consent is enough to marry you here. You are mine, Sunngifu, whether you like it or not. You cannot escape it. But you deceived me, you led me to believe that you were accepting your fate. I thought you reckless, but not disloyal. Which is why you will not share my bed. I do not wish to wed a woman I cannot trust. Unlike you, I learn from my mistakes.”
I paled. I hadn’t considered this when planning my actions. His previous wife had betrayed him, and now I. I had hurt him deeply and he might not forgive me, which I found strangely disturbing.
“You are too ill to be whipped, and you don’t seem to have learned from it. I have been too kind with you, but not anymore. Once you recover, you will be given the tasks befitting the lowliest of slaves, your current status. I shall take you with me when I’ll visit your father next year, and see if he still wants you then.”
I was so stunned that I couldn’t cry. I wished I could go back in time, to that fateful banquet.
“I’m sorry, my Lord. I did deceive you, but only at the start. You said you would sell me and I was outraged. I regretted climbing on that boat, too late. I…” My chest was tightening at an alarming rate. I had trouble breathing. I heard him call for help while I clutched at my throat, gasping for air.
“Almighty God! What did you do to her!”
Mildred’s cry is the last thing I remember before I lost consciousness.