Chapter Five

"Far!" said a voice.

She looked up, seeing a young boy no older than ten racing towards the cart, a big smile lighting up his face. For a moment she wanted to tell him to run, for a moment she almost wanted to jump between them and save him from that terrible giant, but then she saw it, that softness that sprang into those sky-blue eyes, that small smile on his lips. He grunted something in return, sliding from the bench and holding the boy tight, and then he held him at arm's length, running his eyes up and down almost like he was appraising.

"Far!" she heard again, this time the voice higher and lighter.

A girl came running, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his stomach. He said something to her, his voice soft and low, his hands reaching to stroke her braids. Then a voice cut through, a voice that was cold and sharp, a voice of a woman. Enid looked at her, that tall, slender woman standing in the door of a wooden house, a small child on her hip.

He's married!

For a moment that lifted Enid's heart, for a moment that made everything so much better, but then that giant turned his head, spitting on the side of the path and spoke back, his voice just as sharp and cold. The woman studied him, her eyes narrowing as they rested on his face before they flicked to hers.

No! Enid wanted to shout, I'm not stealing him! I don't even want to be here!

But all she could do was stare back, all she could do was wring her fingers in her hands and hope that this woman would not blame her. The woman sighed, saying something to the children before handing the youngest over to the girl. The child started crying, reaching her arms out back to the woman and screaming, but the woman only sighed again. She only fixed the giant with an ice-cold stare before closing the door behind her.

When she was gone he said something to the girl, his voice then soft and warm, but the girl's eyes went wide, shining bright with a light that Enid could not place before they narrowed and went cold. She did not speak again. She turned, disappearing into the house with the child, the door slamming shut behind her. Enid thought he would chase after her, that he would grip the girl by the wrist and squeeze just like he had back on the boat, but he only sighed, picking his pack up from the cart and handing the reins to the boy.

They spoke back and forth, then he ruffled the boy's hair and turned to her. So quickly that smile on his face vanished. So quickly those eyes turned cold and harsh. He jerked his head towards the house, not saying a word, not even blinking. There was something in her throat then, something she had to cough a few times to clear, but when it did, she stepped down, clinging to the sides of the cart to stop her hands from shaking.

He pushed the door open, nodding his head towards a stool on the side of the room. She took it, rushing to sit down before her knees gave out from under her and clasping her hands in her lap. When the door closed the room went dark, only lit by a large, rectangular firepit and a few candles in bowls along the walls.

That was why it took her a moment to see it, that dirt caked into walls, those long, stringy cobwebs hanging from every surface. And the smell, she'd been too frightened to notice it before but now she could smell nothing else. It smelt like that pen, like mud and filth had all mixed together, like animals lived in here too. Her hand reached for her nose, holding a finger to it, hoping that they would not notice and that she would be out of here soon. A short while later and the boy came back, taking a seat round the firepit with the giant, his face bright and light as he stared at him and talked and talked.

The giant said little back, his answers a mixture of grunts and short bursts of words, but the boy only grew happier. Soon his shoulders were raised up high and he looked like he was about to break out into dance, but then the girl came back, handing them a bowl of food and saying something sharp and cold.

For a moment that seemed to be it, for a moment they only stared at her, the boy small and hurt, the giant unmoving, but then he smiled, then he wrapped his arms around the girl and pulled her into his lap. For a while she resisted, her face was still harsh and pointed, but then he said something and she laughed, then he kissed her cheek and sent her on her way. When she came back she had two more bowls, one she kept for herself and the other she held out to Enid.

Enid stared at her, a chill running down her spine, something springing to her throat and choking her, all because of those eyes. Those same cold, sky-blue eyes just younger, just smaller, but just as cold, just as frightening, and it took her a moment to gather her courage and clear her throat.

"Thank you," she said, taking the bowl, but the girl's eyes went wide before they narrowed and she turned back towards the giant, hissing something at him as she did.

He shrugged, replying in a voice that was soft, that was quiet as he took a spoonful of broth. Then the girl shook her head and she sighed as she sat down by the fire, shooting Enid glances that left her chilled.

Enid looked at the bowl in front of her, stirring it with her spoon and watching bits of vegetables swirl around and around. It looked no different than a stew she would expect to find back home. It looked fresh and she could see leftover roots and herbs still on the table not too far away in the back of the room. She sighed then, knowing that it could not be any worse than the bread she had eaten for days now, knowing it might be her last warm meal for a long while.

She took a sip, her eyes closing, her jaw clenching and going tight. Somehow it tasted like mud. Somehow it tasted like the sea. She stifled it, that cough she felt building in her chest, those tears she felt springing to her eyes and making them sting. For a moment she thought about refusing it, for a moment she thought on finding a way to get rid of it without them seeing, but then she thought on those cold, sky-blue eyes and she took another sip.

She was slower, much slower than they were. They chomped and slurped their way through their bowls in no time at all and were all talking and playing with the youngest on their laps when she bit into it. Something hard, something that almost cracked her teeth and made her wince. She pulled it from her mouth, her eyes closing, a sickening twist tearing through her stomach when she saw it was a bone. Then she put her bowl down. Then she cradled herself and wondered how long she would be here.

"Freya," said a voice, and she opened her eyes, seeing those cold ones watching her. He nodded his head towards the girl, before turning back to look at Enid. "Freya," he said again. "Frigga," he said, looking at the child in his lap. "Tyr," he said looking at the boy, and they all watched him. For a moment he said nothing else, but then he jerked his head towards her and said, "Enid."

"Enid?" the boy asked, and the girl said something, her eyes narrowing and her arms folding across her chest.

That was when the boy turned to Enid, his face not as harsh, his eyes not as cold. "Ivar," he said, nodding his head towards the man.

The girl said something again, standing and snatching the bowls from around them before walking to the back of the room, and the boy turned, almost like he was about to say something else, his forehead furrowing in a slight crease, but then that giant reached out, ruffling the boy's hair between his fingers and saying something to him softly. For a long while they sat there, talking amongst themselves, Freya coming back to sit with them through the evening, but then Ivar sighed, then he stretched and yawned and kicked at the boy's boots. They argued for a moment before the children bowed their heads and stood up. They both came close, kissing him on the cheek before disappearing up a ladder along one of the walls.

That was when he turned to her, when her tongue suddenly went stiff and dry in her mouth and her heart began to race. He was coming for her, then she could only think of those cold eyes and that sack. But then she felt it, that body pressed into her chest, a body that was small and light. She opened her eyes, taking the child in her hands and holding her close. That was when he jerked his head towards a cot in the corner of the room and disappeared around another.