Once on the longship, he dropped me carelessly at the base of the mast. With my hands tied in my back, it took me a while to rise into a sitting position. My skirts were stuck above my knees and I was mortified at my indecent exposure. I struggled against the ropes wrapped around my ankles, to no avail. Eventually, I decided to focus on my surroundings, ignoring the lecherous glances of the crew.
The boat was far larger than it seemed from afar. The bridge was about a hundred feet from the prow to the stern. I was at the entrance of a long and narrow tent at the center of it. I could hear the sail going up above me. We were leaving.
I stared at the coast and the village, tears running down my cheeks at the idea that I would never see them again. Within a few hours I had lost my home, family and kin. And Rowena, the woman who raised me, was going to die thinking I didn’t care for her.
I felt a tug on my clothes and the fabric covered my ankles again.
“Do not cry my Lady, they are alive and so are we. There is still hope.”
There was a woman beside me, older than me, yet not by far. I gazed at her blankly.
“I am Magge my Lady, don’t you recognize me?”
Honestly, I didn’t. I had heard about her but couldn’t recall ever meeting her.
“Of course you are, I apologize, I was distracted. So, they took you Magge. And where are the other girls?”
“On the second boat my Lady, all seven of them. They left earlier, this one stayed behind while they were fetching you.”
“Seven? Are you certain? I believed they were only five!”
“I am certain. There was…”
“Enough! I don’t want to know.”
Guilt was eating at me. I didn’t wish to put faces on it.
Slowly, the ship maneuvered out of the bay, and the boat rolled on the low waves, pushed by a gentle breeze. We watched in silence as England drifted further and further away from our grasp, in the last of the sunlight.
I shifted uncomfortably. My hands and feet were going numb.
“Magge,” I whispered, “could you untie me? I can’t feel my fingers.”
“She won’t, but I might if you behave.”
I lifted my head towards the owner of the voice, my captor.
“So, will you?”
I shrugged.
“Do I have another choice?”
He smirked, clearly enjoying the moment.
“Nay, you haven’t.”
“So, why ask?”
This time, he laughed wholeheartedly.
“Still feisty I see. I will enjoy taming you.”
I gasped at his words and bit my tongue, refraining to voice my indignation. It would just make things worse. I was learning fast.
He knelt and cut the ropes, holding my wrists in his hands and rubbing them down. I let him, baffled at his attention.
His expression was cold again.
“You must take care of yourself, I do not want any damage to my property,” he said gesturing to the floor beside me.
There was a bowl with cheese, bread and a chicken leg in it. A jug of water, a cup and an apple were placed apart.
I hesitated, then took the food. My last meal was long gone, and starving wouldn’t help. He would probably beat me into submission.
He came back when I was finished eating. Cautiously, I asked:
“So, am I to be your slave? Is that how you punish me for standing up to you?”
He smiled, visibly amused.
“Nay, this is your father’s punishment. He will think twice before defying me again. Yours will take place later, at my home.”
I paled.
“Why not now, and be done with it?”
“I do not have the tools for it.”
Panic nearly overtook me. What kind of torture did he have in mind? Digging my nails into my palms not to yell, I changed the subject.
“How did you know where to find me? Because of you, someone I love will die without seeing me again.”
“That old woman? She is alive and well. Your father organized this. He didn’t want your brothers to know, or they would have fought for you.”
This couldn’t be true.
“You are lying! My father loves me!”
“Be careful with that mouth, woman. Your father did his best for you. I was reluctant to kill you, as I should, when you publicly insulted me. He couldn’t refuse my demands, yet he bargained for you. He gave me two more maidens, in exchange for my word that if you were to bear me a child within a year, I would take you as my wife. You are to be my bedslave for that time. If in the end you are barren, I can sell you as I please unless he buys you back.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“He wrote it down. Do you wish to see for yourself?”
I was devastated. My behavior had destroyed the life of two more of my kinswomen.
“Nay, I don’t. May I sleep now? I am tired.”
He nodded. Shortly after, Magge was back, throwing a thick fur and a blanket on the planks.
“For you my Lady.”
“Thank you Magge. Won’t you be punished for giving me these?”
“Nay, I was ordered to.”
My gaze followed hers to the chief’s back.