Fall: Scheherazade retold

Six

Some time later, the woman – Zoraida, Hans reminded himself – announced that their supper was ready. He fetched bowls and spoons, then watched as she filled the bowls with a lumpy mess that she said was fish pottage. It looked like nothing he'd ever eaten before, but perhaps the women made food differently here.

"I hope you like it," she said.

Hans smiled politely and stuck a spoonful of the stuff in his mouth. Alternately hard and chewy, it tasted like she'd burned some of it and put too much salt into the pot. He forced himself to swallow and reached for another spoonful. "It's wonderful," he lied.

She smiled tentatively and began eating her own portion. Hans watched as her eyes widened before she struggled to chew and swallow a mouthful that was every bit as bad as his. "On the morrow, I'll make something better. I will – "

More of this? Hans would rather go hungry. "No need, no need, dear lady. This would go better with a flagon of aged mead from my cellars, to be sure, but as we are not in my home, perhaps – "

"This is not your home?" she interrupted.

Hans laughed. "Of course not. This is a trapper's hut, to be used by any traveller or hunter who needs shelter for a night. My home is many miles from here. There, I wouldn't have to offer you the last of my journey rations. Instead, you would have roast pork, a selection of the finest roast vegetables, mulled wine to warm you from the inside, even if it weren't for the roaring fire. And my cook's Yule puddings are worth waiting all year for."

"You would...take me there? To your home?" she asked.

Hans felt sorry for her. The woman had nothing. He might not be rich by most noblemen's standards, but he had far more than she did. "If you wish it, but it is a long journey. We must walk to the next town, where I will procure horses to take us to the port, where we will board a ship to take us to the harbour near my home."

She shook her head. "The distance does not matter. You are offering me the hospitality of your home for a night, yes?"

"If you can make the journey there, then yes," he replied.

Zoraida seized his hand. "Then we go now!" With her free hand, she traced an arch in the air, leaving a trail of light that seemed to ignite when she touched the dirt floor. With more strength than any normal woman should possess, she pulled him through the portal.