Fire and Ice (4 page)

She
had just finished soaping her hair when she heard a twig snap and the rustle of leaves.  She went further out into the beck in case some creature was stalking her, wolves had been known to use this place to slake their thirst, and dipped her head under the water to rinse off the soap but was surprised when she felt herself being dragged further under.  She began to kick and struggle and fought her way to the surface only for Erik to surface with her who grinned stupidly as if she should be pleased to see him.

“Erik!  What do you think you’re doing?  I thought you were a wolf come to make breakfast of me.”

He laughed and grabbed her, pulling her towards him and planting a kiss full on her mouth.  She tried to push him away but he was too strong and his arms held her fast.  She was pleased to note he was fully dressed but his garments were as saturated as hers.  Eventually her struggles and kicks began to tell on him and he released her so that she could swim away from him.

“
Why do you struggle so, Juliana?  Do you struggle against my lord Ulfric when you warm his bed at night?” he sneered.  “Sara has told me of your current sleeping arrangements.  First de Gant and now this Ulfric – have you no shame?”

This was a totally d
ifferent Erik to the young man she had known before he went to battle.  The old Erik would never have spoken to her in that way.  She swam to the bank and pulled herself out knowing that her linen shift would hide nothing from his gaze but she would rather face him out of the water than in it.  She put her cloak on to cover her wet body and turned in a heat of fury to give vent to her anger but caught sight of someone leaving the woods and held her tongue.

In a controlled voice she
replied to his accusations, “I suggest you tell Sara not to listen to gossip from the Hall and it would do you good to stay in that water and cool off before going back to her.”

“I’m not going back to her,
Juliana.  I’m going to confront this Ulfric and tell him to let you go.  You belong to
me
and have done since birth!”

“Erik, please!
” she pleaded, “We must put the past behind us and enter a new phase of our lives.  My father is dead and Ulfric will kill you if you try to molest me again.”

“I care not for all that.  I still love you,
Juliana and I cannot give you up.”

There was little she could say in response so she
turned and picked up her gown and slippers and hurried back to the Hall, hoping that everyone would be too busy to notice her. She prayed that Ulfric would not have returned yet from his morning exercise but, unfortunately, he was sitting eating breakfast when she entered the Hall.  He looked surprised to see her in a dishevelled state, lifting an eyebrow as if in question, but she ignored him and went to stand in front of the fire to dry her clothes and hair.  She felt his presence behind her and held her breath until he spoke.

“You look like a woodland nymph, my love
, clean with the smell of flowers in your hair.”  She turned quickly and found he was leaning over her breathing in the scent of the soap still lingering in her hair.  As she
turned he took her into his arms, bending to kiss her neck in a most intimate fashion.  Her face began to burn with embarrassment but she tried not to anger him and forced a laugh, “I will need another swim if you don’t keep your distance, my lord.  In fact, perhaps
you
should have one now.”

Just then there was a commotion outside and two of Ulfric’s men brought a still-dripping wet Erik into the room and forced him to kneel before their lord. 
Ulfric’s hand slipped round her waist and he held her closer than he normally would.  His eyes grew cold and he smiled icily.

“Well, well, what do we have here?  Two
woodland nymphs, I see.” 

He l
ooked from Erik to Juliana and back again.  She tried to return to her place at the fireside but she was held fast.  It was obvious that he had been the one lurking in the woods by the beck, and if so he would have seen or at least heard Erik’s accusations. 

“What
is your name, sir?” Ulfric asked.

“My name is Erik, my lord Ulfric
, and Juliana is my fiancée.  We were promised to each other from the cradle and you must not touch her.  She is
mine
!”  His voice trembled with emotion and Juliana felt pity for him.  He seemed not to understand how much his life was in danger.

“Stand him up!”
Ulfric ordered and his men raised Erik to his feet.  Juliana saw his hands were tied behind his back and gasped as Ulfric revealed a dagger he had concealed in his boot.

“No, please my lord.  Please don’t harm him.  He is only re
cently returned from the battlefields and doesn’t understand what has happened here.”  She grasped Ulfric’s arm and slid to the ground pleading on her knees for his mercy.

“Stand up, Juliana
!  Begging doesn’t suit you. I respect your anger more.”

By the time
she was standing again he had moved closer to Erik, who stood his ground looking Ulfric in the eye as he approached.  “Do you have family hereabouts, Erik?” Ulfric asked.

“Well - yes s
ire but I haven’t seen them yet since my return.  My mother probably thinks I’m dead and it looks like very soon she may be right.”  He lowered his eyes as tears formed and Juliana felt her heart wrench as he shook his head. 

Ulfric’s next words astounded everyone
, “Erik, you seem like a good man to have as a friend.  Will you pledge your allegiance to me as your lord and I will show you mercy on this occasion?”  He lowered his voice and she could only just hear his words, “Juliana is now mine but I understand your heartache.  Women can do that to you, but only let it happen once.  After that you must harden your heart and not let them get under your skin.  Now do you pledge yourself to me?”

Erik nodded silently, but then added, “I will pledge myself to you, my lord Ulfric, but I
’ll find it hard to see you with Juliana.  I’ve loved her for many years.”

“Very well - you will take a horse from here and return to your family to give the news to your mother that you are still alive.  Stay away for a month and then come back to this Hall and we will find work for you.
  Do you know the duties of a steward?”  He used his knife to cut the bindings on Erik’s wrists.

“Yes, my lord.”  Erik
glanced back towards Juliana, smiled sadly and then left the Hall.

After he had gone
she began her thanks but Ulfric turned away from her and resumed his seat at the table, so she went upstairs to the chamber they shared and dried herself properly putting on her green gown again. Her mother came to brush and tame her hair until it shone, plaiting it with green and gold ribbons to match her dress.

Ulfric
was in the Hall staring into the fire having sent Thorvald to ready the horses. On seeing she was dressed and presentable he appeared to find his good humour once again. 

“Come, Juliana
.  Sit beside me and have something to eat.  Today I want you to take me around your town and introduce me to the people.  It will come better from you as they treat me with suspicion or run away whenever I approach them.”

She
smiled, “Can you blame them?  You have taken my father’s place and his shoes will be difficult if not impossible to fill.  The town has a lot less young men now since they joined my father and went with him to fight your William and that blackguard, de Gant, so we are missing a lot of skills which once benefitted the town.”

Ul
fric nodded and thought about her words for a long time.  In the meantime, one of the servants brought her some porridge from a large pan by the fire.  It had dried a little so she put some honey and fresh milk on it and it tasted wonderful after the drama of the morning.

After breakfast Ulfric dressed in a loose tunic and leggings using cross-garters in the Norse fashion and
they went to his horse, Elding, which had been brought out to await him.

“I noticed a fine mare in the stables,
Juliana – is she yours?” he asked.

“Yes but I haven’t had much time to exercise her for a while.  Her name is
Randalin and was a present from my father.  We often used to go riding together with my brother, Aldred.”

“Then I think now is the time that
we give her an outing.”  He ordered Randalin to be saddled for her and she found herself looking forward to showing off her town to this new lord.  Randalin was slightly skittish to start with as she had not been ridden for a while, but Juliana could handle her moods and they set off with Thorvald behind them as usual. 

As they
rode slowly down Burgate the people looked at them warily but Juliana knew most of the people as friends, and gradually they formed a line to the side of them, some of them shouting their complaints to Ulfric who occasionally stopped and listened.  Thorvald was a constant protector at Ulfric’s back and sometimes came close to warn him not to tarry when the crowds started to get rowdy. The road turned at the top of Burgate and they rode down Hungate passing small cottages with thatched roofs, their occupants coming out to see them pass. Juliana pointed to a large hall which stood behind some of the cottages at the bottom of the street.

“That is the Moot Hall where my father and the other local nobility held court.  I suppose you will have to take your place there for the customary meetings.”

Ulfric nodded and turned his horse to weave his way through the cottages and dismounted in front of the Hall.  This was the place of justice where the people brought their complaints to their lord.  He stood back to admire the wooden painted shields which adorned the front of the building.

“My father was born here,” Juliana added.  “My grandparents lived here in the old days but as the town grew, a place was needed to dispense justice so my father gave up this home and built the present Hall where we live now.”

“Who is the Reeve here?” Ulfric asked.

“Peter, known as the Reeve,
followed my father to war and was lost.  We have no Reeve now,” Juliana said sadly.  “There are precious few young men left to learn their father’s trades.  Luckily we have James the blacksmith,” she pointed to a forge opposite the Moot Hall, “but we are missing woodworkers and potters who served my father and this town for many years.”  She looked around and pointed out the cluster of workplaces used by many of the people she once knew.  The tannery was still working evidenced by the smell, and skins were being stretched and dried on frames outside.

“Show me inside
the Hall, Juliana,” Ulfric asked gently, seeing her frown at the thought of so many people lost.

He lifted his arms to help her dismount
but she was confused as she felt a tiny spark between them.  Her hand wanted to linger in his hair and she became flustered. She gathered her skirts and saw that Thorvald was holding the door open to the Hall and she led the way inside, hoping neither men would notice her flushed face.  It was a typical Hall of its type with seats and a table at one end where the lords would gather to discuss plans and also to hear complaints and squabbles between neighbours.  It was made from good English oak beams with wattle and daub walls.  At one time there had been a fire in the centre of the room where the smoke had filtered through the thatch at the top, but Juliana’s father had installed a hearth and built a chimney which had cleared the air and reduced the risk of fire. Her father had travelled abroad when he was a young man and seen how other people designed their homes, bringing the knowledge back to Bertone with him.  The Hall itself was dark having an unused air about it and Juliana felt sad, remembering the vitality of her father and how he had enjoyed helping the townspeople although he had never shied away from meting out justice if it had been deserved.

Noticing her demeanour, Ulfric offered his arm and once again she took it and they emerged into the sunshine, leaving Thorvald to close the Hall up again.  The horses were dancing with suppressed energy so they rode into Southgate and gave them their heads riding in the direction of Caistor.
  Juliana was using her side saddle but would have preferred to ride astride as she had done many times with her father and brother, but even so, she rode like the wind behind Ulfric.  Thorvald brought up the rear, his friend always in view.  At length Ulfric reined in Elding and waited for Juliana to catch up.  Her cheeks were flushed with the exercise and her eyes shone with the pleasure of the ride but she pulled up at his side.

“You ride very well, Juliana,” he smiled.  “You must have had a good teacher.”

“My father taught me.  I remember the first time he lifted me and held me in his lap and cantered around these hills.”  She looked earnestly at Ulfric, “I wish you’d known him, sire.”

“Me too, Juliana.  Me too.”

“My lord Ulfric!” they both turned at the shout from a young boy who was riding fast to catch up with them.  Thorvald, ever ready to defend his friend, started to draw his sword but noting the youth was unarmed, he sheathed it again.

“What is it?” Juliana asked, recognising one of the stable lads.

“There’s a messenger back at the Hall, he’s from the King, sire, and he has news for you. He says he will only hand over the scroll to you personally,” the lad gasped.