When a powerful lord leaves his residence and takes to the road for a jaunt about the countryside, he is accompanied by a vast retinue of men-at-arms and various servants. This was not the case with the Earl of Drakkentörn for he arrived at our humble gate with no more than ten men; albeit armored and fierce-looking men.
Once they had crossed over the fixed, stone bridge, and into our midst, as we waited in the courtyard, I was again taken aback by the sheer size of him and his knights. I had thought Godwin the tallest man I had ever seen in the course of my life, but as I stood watching the behemoth beside him, dismounting from his ornery-looking destrier, I knew this now not to be the case. I had forgotten about the silent giant altogether.
Our two stablehands were rushing about, assisting our guests with their mounts, as I looked my fill, at the giant in particular. Struck again by his youth, which one might easily overlook in the face of his colossal height, I guessed him to be perhaps only a score in years. I might have thought younger, but for his features that were drawn into grim lines.
He was, though not unfortunate-looking, no gallant knight by any minstrel's standards. In sooth, one might admire the curl of his tawny locks or the strapping cut of his figure; however, the rest of his character might deter the composition of sonnets altogether for his lips were compressed into a hard line and his low brows were drawn austerely over his dark eyes, in what I suspected was a perpetual frown.
Frown or no, the peculiar shade of his eyes struck me just as curiously as it had done when I'd first beheld the earl's. Whereas Godwin's were glacial and pale, this man's seemed to have flecks of red in his eyes.
As the sunlight slanted over his face, I gasped. Ay, they were red!
There was an aquilinity about his nose that added to his imposing physiognomy and, as I finished my perusal of him, I decided again that his features, although by no means unattractive, were too striking to be classically handsome. But it was, in truth, the extreme length and sinewy breadth of him, and the hint of cerise in his eyes, that was uppermost my first impression of the earl's large companion; moreover, not an ounce of excess flesh adorned his great bulk.
Godwin, meanwhile, had confidently approached my father and Elinor, as was customary, but his eyes were pinned on me as he did so and I wondered again, for mayhap the hundredth time, why me?
Godwin, I noticed suspiciously, raised a golden brow and shot the giant a meaningful glance, the latter nodding his head peculiarly, and the pair of them seemed to study me as if I were the rarest oddity — their nostrils flaring keenly as I quaked. There was such an expression of baffled intrigue on the younger man's face, and it impressed me so palpably, that my cheeks became immediately aflush with crimson. I wrung my hands nervously and was of a mind to hide my face behind my curtain of dark hair, but I squelched the impulse directly, opting instead to fasten my eyes to my grass-stained slippers.
Lord Drakkentörn might have picked any number of beautiful, wealthy heiresses, yet he had singled me out of this boundless list. I, who was drab, plain, and sallow — an aberrant, sport of nature for all my unattractive height — had somehow gained his interest. Moreover, and I might have thought to mention this first, I was the daughter of a mere country gentleman who was fast approaching penury; or had been until Godwin's interference. There was no possible reason why he should want to align himself with my family.
As I finished this threadbare line of thought, Godwin suddenly broke away from my father, whose loquacious flatulence and bombastic greeting even I was tiring of, and marched purposefully over to kneel beside me, a stormy fury broiling in his eerie, pale eyes.
He grabbed my chin, non to gently, and I recoiled in pain — his rough touch upon my contusion eliciting my surprised yelp; although my reaction was, like as not, because of the terror he evoked in me and not because of the pain. Be that as it may, I gained no relief for my troubles. His grip was of an iron cast and he held me firmly despite that I tried to remove my face from his grasp.
"How came you to wear that black eye, Ariana?" Godwin's demeanor had utterly frozen over and his words blasted me like shards of ice, though they were quietly uttered. My father was quick to answer for me.
"My daughter is maladroit, my lord. She stumbled and fell yestereve; quite by accident, I assure you." Edwyn affected a woebegone, and utterly superficial, mien at the thought of my rueful misadventure.
"Yes; awkward indeed for having the misfortune to fall on a man's fist no less..." Godwin's stony gaze read plainly the truth in my own.
Satisfied with his powers of deduction, he straightened to his full, intimidating height and finally gave Edwyn his complete attention. My father practically shriveled in his braies! Godwin motioned the giant over and seemed to be directing orders, although he just as well might have been discussing the weather for all I knew — they spoke rapidly and in a dialect that was exotic and foreign to me.
"Felstead!" the earl snapped murderously, once he was done talking to the giant. "A word."
My father, having little choice in the matter, lead the way to his solar; where the word in question might be discussed in private. Elinor invited the remaining entourage to follow her to the hall where they might take their rest and enjoy a delicious repast. Father had even enticed a few traveling musicians to entertain us for the night. How well he played the wealthy host, all the while gouging deeper into the meager reserves of our pitiful larders.
I did not pursue them thither, intent instead on heading to the stables; there to marvel at their expensive horseflesh, but to my great dismay the giant chose to follow me there. This he did throughout the evening, like my very own silent shadow.
Thankfully not to the bloody garderobe, I thought in annoyance and darted skittish glances at him over my shoulder so often that I was like to get whiplash for the trouble.
When I gathered that he meant me no harm, sought only my protection, I managed to relax and thereby chanced to invite him to conversation — which turned out to be rather a tiresome endeavor. He was stoic and reticent, answering only in grunts, but finally I won his name from him.
"Carac," said he and when I made to ask another question, he mumbled in vexation, but I caught his words easily enough for they were spoken in Gaeldic, and not in his heathen tongue. "Cease your prattle, girl," he growled; and this I did without further comment.
Carac's presence had so distracted me that I was not even aware of Godwin's absence until supper. In fact, so too were half his men — only Carac and five other knights remained.
"Why has the earl forgone the meal, Carac?" The giant considered me a moment, over a heaping mouthful of half masticated boiled cabbage. He swallowed before replying; thank heavens.
"He departed shortly after speaking with your father."
When he did not elaborate, only continued to shovel food onto his trencher, I sighed, dispirited by his obvious disinterest. "Why?" I pressed.
"Business calls him home directly," he compressed his lips as he scrutinized me over his supper. Deciding that I would continue to bedevil him with further inquiries, he begrudgingly added, "We were due to leave the day afore last, but..." He then shrugged and continued tearing at the leg of quail with his sharp, white teeth.
Ahh yes, my sudden appearance in their lives has prevented that. More's the pity. "But why then has he left you and the others behind?"
Never mind the fact that Godwin had left so suddenly, and impolitely, without a 'by your leave'. Nonetheless my question went unanswered by Carac — unless one was wont to count a single grunt as a permissible response, which I did not. When I persisted, lulled by the calm demeanor he had displayed thus far, he turned and observed me quietly with his sable eyes. I squirmed awkwardly, discomfited by his glare.
Finally he said, "Mark me well, girl, curiosity is dangerous in a woman; best you learn to live without it." I swallowed loudly and we were quiet the remainder of the evening.
Once supper wound down and the servants began clearing the trestles, I stood to leave — having been dismissed by a much subdued and almost queasy-looking Edwyn — but he abruptly called me back, as if remembering something crucial, before I had even taken two steps to the exit.
"Ariana," he sighed "you are to have Mildred pack your belongings ere you go to bed. You leave here on the morrow with Lord Drakkentörn's men...at dawn."
"F-father...you said...I don't understand!" I was so completely blind-sided by his startling revelation, unforeseen as it was, that I struggled to complete a coherent thought.
"Go, prepare yourself. Take only what you can carry!" I made to argue but he was vociferous enough to drown out my words. "The decision has been made!" Though spoken decisively, he looked tired and uncharacteristically sober when he waved me away with a carelessly uttered, "Goodnight," which Elinor then quietly parroted.
Defeated and dejected, I withdrew; a silent Carac following closely behind me until I reached my chamber door. There he stayed, presumably to stand guard at my door for the night.
As soon as I saw Mildred's maternal smile, on barring the door to Carac's cold back, I rushed into her arms and sobbed. The full measure of my predicament had completely, and suddenly, winded me the moment I beheld my Mildred's beloved countenance, her familiar smile stabbing my heart to the quick. I felt keenly, and with certainty, that I would never see her again.
"Hush, my love!" she crooned.
I pressed the side of my face to her shoulder, my height already exceeding her own, and opened my dimmed and watery eyes to see that she had, by this time, already laid out my meagre belongings beside the door.
She knows then.
"Come with me, Mildred! I beg you!" She glanced warily at the door as a noise was heard without. But I ignored the growl of annoyance that had reverberated from outside my chamber.
Devil take you, Carac! Were I not now wracked with torturous keening, I might have had the breath to vent my wounded spleen towards the guard dog at my door.
"You know I cannot, Aria." Mildred's voice hitched as she pushed me away. "I have a family here-"
"I am your family!" I wailed.
"That you are, my girl!" she agreed passionately. "Like my own daughter-"
"Then come with me! I love you!"
She was crying in earnest now, every tear rending my heart anew, and I despised myself for her agony, but I could no sooner stop my wailing than reverse my fate.
"Aria-" but her words were cut short by a violent cough. "Aria," she tried again once she was able to draw breath, "perhaps if I were younger, I might manage the great distance, but Nordrlund is too great a distance, and I am too ill to bear that wild climate."
"I am alone then!" I howled. I could neither bear, nor speak of, the thought of her failing health, so I ignored the latter part of her statement altogether and, instead, buried my face into her neck, trying to memorize her wonderful scent.
"No!" said she with fierce determination. "Never alone, my child." She enveloped me into a powerful embrace, kissing every inch of my tear-stained face as I basked in her warm affection. She had been my mother and father during the entire course of my life. The thought of being removed from her side was tantamount to losing my lungs, I was certain. "No matter the distance, I will be right here," she whispered, placing her hand against my heart.
"Mildred, I cannot speak their language; how am I to learn Norn? They are cold and strange! How shall I learn to act like them or-" yet, her coughing silenced me once more.
"You will learn!" she gasped furiously. "You are not without a strong will, a big heart, and an inquiring mind. I, thereby, know no woman better qualified to take this challenge...nor any lass as brave as you." She lead me to the bed and pulled me into her side as she stroked my hair and battered cheek. "Come, you shall sleep in my arms tonight; that will have to do until next we meet again..."
I did not sleep that night. I could not. Had I fallen asleep and lost a single precious moment with her, I'd have never forgiven myself. I wished fervently that I had known to spend every wakeful moment with Mildred since first I beheld her as a babe; but hindsight was a tricky mistress, and time her cruel accomplice.
🌟⭐️🌟⭐️