Chapter Sixty-six

Enid looked up then, seeing the Jarl staring at her, watching how Erik's eyes went sharp and cold for only the shortest of moments, but it was enough for her mouth to go dry as she slowly stepped towards them, her head bowed, her arms holding Frigga tighter.

"I heard the little one is sick," Knut said.

"Yes, master," Enid whispered.

"You wouldn't have something to do with that, would you?"

"No!" Enid said, jerking her head up to look at him.

"Hmphf," Knut grunted, taking a sip from his cup and then his eyes flicked back to her. "Why were you talking with Rolf?"

Enid felt that shiver that ran down her spine, her eyes going wide as she fought the urge to take a step back and she wanted to look at Erik, to check that light in his eyes or even to see him smile, but she couldn't drag him into this, not after everything she'd learnt, not after she finally understood how quickly things could be turned against him.

"He was asking after my master's children," she said instead.

"Why?" Knut asked.

"I don't know," she said, but she worried that that wouldn't be enough. "But he's their uncle," she added, and Jarl Knut's face lined in a deep scowl, his eyes unblinking as he stared at Enid over his cup.

For a moment Enid wanted to say more, her mind racing, trying to find an answer that would leave him happy, but then Frigga jumped, screaming and clutching onto Enid's dress.

"No, no!" Frigga cried. "Bap, 'Nig! Bap!"

"What is it, Frigga?" Enid gasped. "I'm not doing anything."

"Did you have a bad dream, Little Frigga?" Erik asked, and Enid was about to apologise, she was about to shake her head and run back to their room, but Frigga turned around, her eyes big and wide and fixed on Erik's face.

"Red," she said.

"I know," he nodded, holding out his hands to her and Frigga reached for him, burying herself in his neck, her breath coming out in one big huff as she readied herself to cry again. "Ah!" Erik said, holding her in front of him so she had to look at his face. "That's enough of that."

"Red," she said again.

"Hhhmmm, but it's gone now, see? It was just a dream."

Enid watched as Frigga nodded, as she bowed her head and rested it against his chin, and she wanted to cry herself then. She wanted to throw herself down on the floor and cry big, fat tears until she had nothing left inside of her.

"Is she sick?" Enid whispered.

"No," Erik said, turning Frigga so she sat in his lap and could lean against his chest. "They're just dreams. She might grow out of them."

"Might?" Enid asked.

"Enough," Knut cut in, waving his hand in the air as he leaned back in his chair and Enid saw it then, how sharp that light in Erik's eyes went, how they flicked to Enid's face and then over Knut's shoulder, so she bowed her head, meaning to reach for Frigga and run away, but soon she was fixed in place. "Leave her," Knut said, standing and gripping Enid by the arm and starting to pull her towards the thrones.

Her hands reached for it without it even being there, her fingers fumbling at her belt where her axe should have been, but she was a slave. Out here in the open, out here where it mattered she could only bow her head and accept what was about to happen, and then Erik laughed, leaning back in his chair and taking a big gulp from his cup.

"You always have the best timing, Knut," he said, and Knut turned to him, his forehead furrowing in a slight crease as Erik waved a hand in the air, waving it at Knut and then sighing loudly. "Don't stop on my account," he said. "You just always get there before me."

"What? You haven't...?" Knut asked, his eyes falling on Enid before they flicked back to Erik and he shrugged. "You're slow this time, Erik."

"I've been working on her for over a month," Erik sighed. "And just when she agreed to spend the night with me…" he shook his head and Jarl Knut stood taller, the thumb of his freehand hooking onto his belt as he studied Erik.

"She's just a slave," Knut said.

"Things always taste better when they're sweet," Erik smiled, and Jarl Knut said nothing for a moment, his eyes resting on Erik's smile and then he let Enid go.

"Well, if she means that much to you," he said.

"I never said that."

"Clearly she does if you want me to stop."

"I never told you to stop either…" Erik shrugged. "It's just… Ah, well, it doesn't matter. I'll be married soon anyway."

Jarl Knut laughed, big, loud laughs that echoed around the hall as he sat back down at the firepit. "Don't worry," he said. "I was only going to question her about Rolf."

"I'm sure you were," Erik smiled, waving a hand in the air towards Enid, and she hesitated for a short moment, not wanting to leave Frigga, not knowing if she could, but Frigga was still leaning against Erik's chest, her eyes half-closing and her face soft, and Enid thought of last night, of all of Frigga's screams and that pain on her face, a pain that Erik had taken away.

Enid nodded then, her eyes flicking one last time to watch Frigga falling asleep and then she turned around.

"Slave." Erik said, "Make sure you're at my place before dinner."