Mist & Moonlight

Chapter 28 | No Safe Distance

The sound of swords sharpening echoed through the longhouse, a grim prelude to the battle looming on the horizon. Fires crackled in the hearths, casting flickering shadows over Erik's warriors as they prepared. Erik stood by the doorway, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword, but his eyes kept drifting toward Freydis, seated by the fire.

Her hand rested on her belly, a calm expression on her face, but Erik knew her better than that. Beneath her stillness, he saw the tension—the restlessness born of a warrior's heart trapped in waiting.

He crossed the room in quick strides, his armor clinking softly. "Freydis, we need to talk."

Her eyes flicked up to meet his.

Erik exhaled slowly, bracing himself. "You know what I'm going to say. You can't stay here when the fighting starts. I've arranged for you to leave tomorrow, to someplace safe."

Freydis narrowed her eyes. "You're sending me away?"

"I'm protecting you," he said firmly.

Her jaw tightened. "You think I need protecting? If I weren't pregnant, you know I'd be fighting beside you."

"And that's exactly why you can't stay." Erik crouched beside her, his hands gentle but insistent as they wrapped around hers. "This isn't just about you anymore, Freydis. We have to think about the baby."

Freydis's eyes glistened with frustration, and her voice trembled with barely-contained emotion. "Do you think I've forgotten that? Do you think I don't care about this child?"

Erik placed his hands on her belly, his touch reverent and warm. "I know you care," he whispered. "But if anything happened to you..." His voice broke for a moment, raw and vulnerable. "Freydis, you are everything to me. I can't lose you. Not again."

Her heart clenched at the weight in his words, and she softened for just a moment. She knew the depth of his love for her—felt it in every touch, every glance. But the fire in her spirit could not be so easily extinguished.

"I won't live in fear, Erik- wondering if you're okay, wondering if my family is okay."

Erik's hands slid from her belly to cradle her face, his thumbs brushing away the tears that threatened to fall. "This isn't about fear. It's about keeping you and our child alive. If anything happened to you..." He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Freydis leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. "And what happens to me if I lose you?" she whispered. "Do you think I can just hide somewhere, wondering if you'll come back? Wondering if I'll raise this child alone?"

Erik clenched his jaw, the ache in his heart matching the turmoil in hers. He knew there was no easy answer. He wanted to protect her with everything he had, but Freydis wasn't someone who could be protected from afar. She was a fighter, even now.

"I need you to trust me," Erik said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. "I'll come back to you. I swear it, Freydis."

Freydis searched his face for a long moment, as if weighing her options. Then she gave a sharp, decisive nod, but there was a new determination in her gaze. "Fine. I'll go. But only if you swear to send someone with word the moment the battle is done. I won't sit in the dark, Erik. Not knowing."

Erik exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and gave a small, weary smile. "I promise."

But as he stood, Freydis reached out, gripping his wrist with surprising strength. "And know this, Erik: if you don't come back, I will find you. Even if it means walking through the gates of Hel itself."

Erik stared at her, a flicker of awe and fear dancing in his eyes. Then he leaned down, pressing his lips to hers in a kiss that tasted of both desperation and devotion.

"I'll come back," he whispered against her lips. "I swear it, Freydis."

She pulled him closer for one last, lingering kiss before he stepped away, his expression grim but resolute. Freydis watched him go, her hand resting on her belly, her heart torn between love and frustration.

And with that, Freydis stood, the firelight flickering across her face as determination set in her heart.