Curse Of Blood: Gods & Monsters

Chapter XXII - Heida

Karl —These nordic people were freemen and land owners. They were the farmers, the smiths, and the just plain folks.

The morning after their arrival to Tingdal was ushered in by a dismal layer of sprawling fog that had inspissated atop the ground overnight and was such that none could see their neighbors nor a hand held in front of their own faces.

Heida awoke early and, once she had seen to her ablutions, donned her best blue shift and braided her hair so that it hung at her back like a rope of snowy flax. As she pushed the tarp aside and slipped into the crisp morning air, she was instantly awed by the ethereal, almost otherworldly, beauty of the misty landscape before her.

It was as if she had entered a new realm where even sound seemed obscured by the dense wisps and nothing touched the ear except the whisper of the brume itself. It was a rare pleasure to feel that she alone walked the earth, so she betook herself into the wilderness with every intent to seize the quietude; and, in so doing, lost all sense of the passage of time.

The impression of having transcended the mortal plain was only magnified when a raven appeared, settling atop a bough whilst she perambulated along a little brook that had traveled thence from the uplands. It's jarring squawk vibrated through the silence as though calling the spirits forth from their aimless wanderings. As she passed beneath the vociferous creature, it bent a beady, intelligent eye from where it perched and followed her progress without further chatter.

When Heida returned to the stone shelter, it was to see that the mist had dissipated somewhat and the clans had, for the most part, commenced their diurnal activities. Aila, Ragnar and the rest of the clan elders had already departed for the meeting rocks where the Klanerting opening ceremony would soon take place.

"Where have you been hiding?" Roth spied her first, his words thereby attracting the attention of both Eirik and Renic in the process. 

"In the fog, obviously," she retorted.

"We had thought to leave without you. Are you coming or staying?" His mouth was quirked with disinterest, the half-hearted threat bespeaking his indifference either way.

Eirik, by comparison, looked much displeased. "You should not go off alone, Heida. Not here. This is not our home; and these people are not all our allies." The warning was clear, and though he had no need to raise his voice above a moderate tone, his anger was tangible and his voice like granite — he thought her reckless.

The blood rushed headlong into her temples and cheeks, suffusing her neck along the way. She was utterly mortified that she had been the causation of his stooped brow and grim regard. If the ground had rent itself apart just then, she would have happily thrown herself into the gaping crevice; 'twas far preferable to be swallowed up by the earth than to lose his esteem.

"I-I am truly sorry, Eirik." The urge to wring her hands and duck her head was strong, but she knew that the only way to retain his approbation was to meet his eyes without balking and to still her agitated hands. 

Cowardice and timidity were tantamount to frailty — each trait an irredeemable quality; an execrated weakness. She would die rather than lose face with Eirik!

Although he said nothing further, he acknowledged her regret with a slight inclination of his head before gesturing that they should all get a move on. Once she had gathered together some flatbreads, dried meats, nuts, and berries into a basket for the mid-morning meal, they departed for the meeting rocks. Eirik and Roth were at the front of the procession of those that had elected to leave later, whilst Renic had chosen to walk a little further back with heida.