The way we used to be

Chapter 3 / The night

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Leif watched as Thorfinn came walking back, without Gudrid in tow. He raised an eyebrow. He really had hoped they could get along, but maybe that had been wishful thinking. Maybe Thorfinn just wasn't in the state of mind to make friends with anyone at all. Still, Thorfinn didn't just look angry as he walked closer; he looked upset and thoughtful.

Thorfinn sensed his gaze when he got close, and he tensed up, looking at Leif and pointing an accusatory finger in his direction. "I don't get why you want me to be friends with her! Girls are stupid and annoying!"

"Uh, now now..." Leif said softly, a little caught off guard, then his attention was brought right back to Thorbjorn, Gudrid's father, who bellowed a loud laugh so violent that he needed to hold his sides in pain as he bowed over, truly finding it incredibly funny.

"Ah, I guess he's about that age, isn't he? I thought the exact same thing when I was his age," the man said, a hint of laughter still in his voice when he stood up straight again and looked as Thorfinn kept walking, frowning even deeper as he knew that it was him that he was laughing at.

"Oh, yes, I suppose. I truly didn't think of that." Leif muttered. Boys did certainly have an age where girls were gross and weird, but he wondered if that was the case now or if Thorfinn was just upset about something she had said, or maybe something she had reminded him of.

Thorfinn crawled onto the ship, grabbed a blanket, and threw it over himself, completely hiding from the world around him. He hadn't liked the questions that girl had asked; she had made him think too much. He was only ten, but really, Thorfinn would rather act like he was much older, like he was too old to worry about silly things like childhood dreams. He wrapped the blanket tighter and sighed loudly.

Leif watched him from the shore with a sad smile on his face. He was going through something, but at least he was acting like a child, hiding away under his blanket as he was.

Leif suppressed a sigh and went back to speaking with Thorbjorn about the price of honey and a few other goods that he and his family would be interested in, and Thorfinn remained on the ship for the rest of the day, not speaking to anyone unless they spoke to him first. He couldn't wait to leave and go to Norway and Denmark.

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"What?! we're staying?" Thorfinn asked, hoping it wasn't so. He just wanted to get going. To go to the lands where he would get his chance to avenge his father, not stay in the small village where a little girl was making him feel bad every time he looked at her. He frowned, clearly showing his dismay as he looked between the men who manned the ship.

"You can't possibly be thinking we could leave now!" Mols scoffed, gesturing to the horizon where the sun was setting. Days were short in Greenland, just as in Iceland. "It's much easier to set out when we have sunlight. Tomorrow we'll leave."

"Leif." Thorfinn turned back to the older man, hoping he would say something different, but Leif shook his head, and Thorfinn's hope dissipated.

"No, it is as Mols says. It's one night; besides, you'd better get used to this."

"Get used to it?" Thorfinn asked, feeling a sense of dread at Leif's words.

"If we don't sleep on the ship, we will often find shelter with friends of mine. I have friends all over the world, so yes, get used to it." Leif nodded, and Thorfinn realized that he hadn't really considered how and where they would sleep most of the time. He had been sleeping on the ship from Iceland to Greenland, and he had definitely missed his soft bed. That was probably something he had to grow into more than he used to.

"Fine"

"Yes, fine is just what it is." Leif nodded, breathing out a quick breath of air as Thorfinn gave up the argument.