14 Chapter 14

"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned."

Father Wilhelm froze in his place. He knew this voice - usually calm and cheerful, it sounded now broken, desperate, full of guilt. But the priest did not allow himself succumb to the wonder he felt so strongly at hearing her thus, nor the even stronger emotion he experienced when the hood of her cloak was thrown back and his guess of her identity confirmed. When he replied, he sounded quiet and collected.

"Speak, my daughter," he said. "What is your sin? Remember that God sees everything, and knows everything, and confession is only necessary to make your conscience easy. Be sincere, and you shall have peace."

She hesitated, but after another moment her voice sounded again. "I am a fallen woman, Father. I gave myself to a man with whom I have no bond of marriage."

Father Wilhelm cleared his throat. "That is grave, my daughter, undoubtedly. Very grave. Our Lord hates fornication. But all our sins were forgiven thanks to our Lord Jesus, who took upon himself the torture of crucifixion in order to absolve us."

"I take comfort in that, Father," the girl said in a shaking voice.

"Now, what you must do is ensure that the man in question, too, understands the gravity of your sin, and comes to confess," the priest said softly.

"I fear that cannot be done easily," she said. "You see, Father, he is not a Christian."

This sounds even more interesting, thought Father Wilhelm. The number of those in Trondheim who had not yet been baptized was growing smaller every day, and this narrowed the possibilities as to the identity of the mysterious man.

"You must try and get him to see the light of the true faith," he said. "You will not, of course, wish to think of his poor soul burning in hell for all eternity."

"I am trying, Father," she said warmly. "He is a man of decent and sound principles, and of course, will not refuse to cover my shame and wed me. But I will never agree to marry someone who is not a Christian."

"Thanks to your strong faith, the blessing of God shall be upon you," Father Wilehlm cheered her. "And thanks to your faith and devotion to Jesus, our Savior, God shall forgive you. I absolve you of all your sins."

"Thank you, Father," her voice sounded more composed, and the rustle of skirts accompanied it as she got up to her feet. He sat still for a while, listening to her receding footsteps.

It is very convenient that Ingvar Haraldson made his way back to Trondheim, thought Father Wilehlm as he directed his steps to the house of the financial advisor. Ingvar Haraldson did not visit the church more than he had to, according to the rules of the game played by those close to the throne, and he never set foot in the confession cell, but this did not alloy his personal friendship with Father Wilhelm. Each of the two saw a soul mate in another - both of them blossomed in an atmosphere of secrets and intrigue, which they knew how to direct in their favour, both liked the easy comfortable life, and both had ambitions - although in the case of Father Wilhelm those were dedicated, of course, only to the glory of Jesus Christ.

"Father Wilhelm!" Haraldson smiled heartily and spread his arms in a cordial gesture. "You are among the first whom I meet upon my return. What a pleasure. Do sit and make yourself comfortable. I have some good wine - I will order it to be brought in at once."

While they sipped the wine, the narrowed eyes of Ingvar Haraldson did not move from the face of the priest, who looked mysterious.

"My friend, does something occupy your holy thoughts to such an extent that you are not truly here? You didn't even say a word about the wine."

"I apologize," the priest recollected himself and took another sip. "The wine is very choice, no doubt of that. But... I would like to ask you a question."

"I am all ears," Haraldson prompted him.

"What do you think might happen," Father Wilhelm began carefully, "if Princess Thorgunna, for some reason, does not marry Prince Sigurd?"

Ingvar gave him a calculating look. "Do you have reasons to think it might be so?"

Father Wilhelm told him.

"Poor innocent child," said Ingvar Haraldson, half-smiling. "What a relief she must have felt, to have her sins absolved!"

"I told her to pray morning and night to the Holy Virgin, the mother of Jesus," said Father Wilhelm.

"Very true," said Haraldson, "she has nothing left to do but pray. But you and I, Father Wilhelm, our task is to think."

"I wonder if we are both thinking the same thing," said the priest, meeting the eye of his companion.

"For Thorgunna, of course, an end to her betrothal would be a harsh blow," said Ingvar, "although it is possible that she does not think so now, entangled as she is in her love story with this mysterious man, be he who he may."

"And really," nodded Father Wilhelm, "I wonder who he can be. From the men of high rank - and I have no doubt the princess could only choose one of them - there are only a few who did not yet enter the light of faith in our lord Jesus Christ."

"Ah, the identity of this unknown lover is of course an interesting detail, but it is of secondary importance," said Haraldson off-handed. "The personal destiny of Thorgunna does not matter so much, truly. What interests me more is the future of the kingdom. It is not by chance that the king intended Thorgunna for his daughter-in-law. Just between us, Sigurd himself is pretty much insignificant. The people treat him indifferently, but they love the princess. For her sake, the smallfolk will be ready to love Sigurd as well - and this will be a great help to him in establishing his rule. This is the very reason why King Olaf did not seek a foreign bride for his son, and thus gave up on strengthening diplomatic ties in that way. He knows that Thorgunna, so generally beloved, will ensure Sigurd's royal seat more than any other woman - even if the prince himself does not see it as clearly."

"On the other hand, if they do not marry..." Father Wilhelm picked up the thread.

"It might be that Prince Sigurd, when the day comes, will not succeed in holding the throne," finished Ingvar. "Yes. And again, just between us, my friend Father Wilhelm, I am not certain it would be so bad for Norway. Can you keep a secret?"

"Think that you are at confession," said the priest, and they both laughed. "I hope you do not wish for the separation of the kingdom, though?" the holy father added more seriously. "The union of Norway is, of course, for the best."

"Oh, no, I do not think a scattering of the kingdom would be beneficial," Ingvar Haraldson assured him. "I do think, however, that many can gain from a change of rule."

"It is rumoured there is already a group of influential people who think the same," said Father Wilhelm, penetrating Ingvar with his cool light blue stare. But the expression of Ingvar Haraldson's face remained impossible to read. Haraldson took pride in this quality of his, for without it he would not have survived long in his role as a double agent.

"With all the king's desire to promote his son's marriage to Thorgunna," he said, ignoring the priest's remark, "I doubt he will contrive to ignore the fact that the princess did not guard her virginity for Sigurd - that is, if he finds out, of course."

"You are not thinking of telling the king, isn't that so?" Father Wilhelm asked quickly. "Remember that no information could have leaked out of the confession cell."

"Oh, no, Father Wilhelm," said Haraldson, smiling. "Sometimes, it is enough to know human nature and allow it to act on our behalf. I am ready to bet that the princess herself will dissolve the marriage pact."

"But that would be against any logic," protested Father Wilhelm. "What marriage can be more beneficial for her than a union with Prince Sigurd and a straight path to the throne?"

"Believe it or not," said Ingvar Haraldson, "women do not always act rationally. Be patient, my friend. We have seats in the front row of this spectacle."