The wind howled through the cracks of the stone walls, filling the night air with a biting chill that seemed to seep into Freydis's bones. She wrapped her fur cloak tighter around her growing belly, her hand instinctively resting on the life that stirred within. The hearth in her chambers was dim, the embers barely clinging to warmth, but she couldn't bring herself to stoke it. Not tonight. Not with the heavy secret pressing down on her soul.
Jarl Arlick had long since retired for the night, his heavy snores echoing through the halls of his grand keep. To the people of the Ekkila, Freydis was the honored Lady of the Jarl, the woman who would soon deliver the heir to his legacy. But only she knew the truth. The child was not Arlick's, nor did her heart belong to him.
She slipped from the bed silently, the weight of her deception crushing her as she moved through the shadows like a ghost. Her feet padded softly across the cold stone floor as she made her way to the small writing desk near the window. The moonlight cast a pale glow over the room, illuminating the parchment and ink that waited there.
Freydis sat and stared at the blank page before her, her heart pounding in her chest.
Her hand trembled as she dipped the quill into the ink, her mind filled with memories of Erik—his fierce eyes, the way his laugh used to shake the very earth beneath her, and the nights they'd spent beneath the stars, dreaming of a future that could never be.
Erik, she began to write, her breath catching in her throat. I miss you more than words can say. Every day here feels like a prison, and I am bound by chains I can never break. Jarl Arlick believes this child is his, but I know the truth, and it weighs on me like a stone.
She paused, her quill hovering over the paper as she felt a surge of emotion, the fear she had been holding back for so long rising to the surface. Tears welled in her eyes as she forced herself to continue.
I am scared, Erik. I am scared to bring this child into a world where he will never know his true father. I am scared that I will have to live this lie for the rest of my life. But most of all, I am scared that you will never know how much I love you, and how much I wish things could have been different.
Her breath hitched as the first tear fell onto the page, smearing the ink. She swallowed hard and stared at the words she had written, the confession she had dared to put into the world. It felt like a betrayal. A betrayal of Jarl Arlick's trust, of the life she was now expected to lead. But most of all, it felt like a betrayal of herself—of the strength she had once possessed, now buried beneath layers of deceit.
Freydis clenched her jaw, her hands shaking as she crumpled the letter. She couldn't do this. She couldn't send it. The risk was too great. If Arlick ever discovered the truth, the consequences would be disastrous.
She ripped the missive into pieces, watching as the torn fragments of her confession fluttered to the ground like fallen leaves. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs, the weight of her burden too much to bear. For now, she would have to continue playing the role expected of her. She would be the Lady of Jarl Arlick's land, and no one could ever know the truth.
But as she pressed a hand to her belly, feeling the faint kick of the life within, she whispered softly, "I will protect you, little one. No matter what."
Freydis rose, wiping her eyes as she gazed out the window at the stars. Somewhere out there, Erik was fighting his own battles, unaware of the storm that raged within her.
The child growing inside her would be a reminder of the love she had lost, and the future she could never have.
YOU ARE READING
Mist & Moonlight
Historical Fiction*The Threads of Fate Saga- Book 3* Freydis, now married to Jarl Arlick in a strategic alliance to protect her father's reign, carries Erik's child, a secret that could unravel everything she has sacrificed for her people. Erik, determined to stay by...
