Arcanum

All About Reputation

Agnethe yawned and stretched, bumping into the sleeping figure next to her she jerked her hand to her chest. Releasing a sigh, she remembered Solaug was sleeping next to her. Her fingers fiddled with the edge of the blanket while she sank back into the mattress and stared up to the ceiling. Solaug had been very detailed in the stories she'd shared from Heidrun and Agnethe hadn't known how to process them. Flustered by the memory of Klaus' naked chest the night before, she still didn't.

Klaus would never be like Trond, would he? No. He has been kind, he is different.

Slipping out of bed so as not to wake Solaug, Agnethe dressed and took a deep breath before heading out to the main room. She peered around the corner to make sure that Klaus was dressed before surprising him and didn't know what she would do if he was shirtless like the night before. Part of her was disappointed she realized and grit her teeth at her own nonsense.

Grow up, Agnethe. You need to keep your wits and not act like a silly fool.

"Good Morning," she said as she did her best to walk casually into the room.

Klaus looked up and smiled. "Good morning to you." He walked over to Agnethe and pulled her into a kiss. Shocked she tried to pull away, but then sank into his embrace and returned the affection. When Klaus pulled back Agnethe stood with her eyes closed, face still angled up, and unable to move. Klaus let out a snicker and kissed the top of her nose. "We don't seem to have any food, so while I'd like to continue this, I'm going to go out and get something to eat for all of us."

"Oh, uh-huh." Agnethe opened her eyes and felt the heat flush her cheeks before she turned away. An abundance of noise near the back of the room announced Solaug's arrival, and she wagged her eyebrows at Agnethe. She was about to say something when the front door slammed against the wooden brace keeping it shut. Klaus put his finger in front of his mouth so the girls would stay silent and then shuffled Agnethe behind him which caused a flurry of tingles in her stomach. It didn't help that her insides had already flipped over at the sound of the door and she couldn't hear beyond the pounding of blood rushing through her ears. Agnethe reached up and bunched Klaus' tunic between her fingers thinking it would steady her, but the quick peek and grin that he gave her over his shoulder did the opposite.

"Who's there?" Klaus called out when the door wiggled again.

"Agnethe! Open this door at once," Trond's voice rang clear through the wooden panels. Another voice was muffled and sounded feminine, but Agnethe couldn't tell who it was.

Klaus turned to Agnethe and whispered, "Go to the back room, take Solaug and no matter what, stay there until I come to get you."

She felt her eyes widen as she shook her head and turned toward Solaug who reached out her hand. The two girls hurried toward the bedrooms. Pulling back against Solaug's hand, Agnethe flattened herself against the wall where she could listen. Solaug stood next to her leaning half across Agnethe to hear also as Klaus opened the door to Trond, but did not allow him inside.

"Where is my sister?" Trond bellowed.

"I have no idea? Don't you have several, have you misplaced them all?" Klaus asked with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"You know who I'm talking about. Solaug come out here at once."

There was a scuffle, and the girls looked at each other with wide eyes while holding their breath. The door to outside in Agnethe's parents' room was still blocked, they couldn't escape that way if it came to it. Agnethe latched onto Solaug's hand and squeezed to let her know it would be ok.

I hope.

"Solaug, please come out and come home with us."

Solaug froze. It was her mother, and she sounded sincere as if she really did care and worry. Agnethe squeezed her hand again and stared into her eyes. However heartfelt the words sounded, she was not genuine, Agnethe was sure of that. Nausea threatened her insides once again as she was filled with a sensation of dread.

This is getting out of hand. Forcing herself to relax, she closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath.

"She is not here and I'll thank you both to leave now. I'll not be letting you pass," Klaus said.

"You have no right to block me from coming into my brother's home, in fact you should not be here. If anyone should leave it is you," Bierka said, her voice rising to a shrill pitch. Solaug rolled her eyes at Agnethe.

"It is no longer your brother's home. It is mine. I've taken Agnethe for my wife and we will live here now since it is actually her family home, not yours."

Agnethe's eyebrows reached her hairline, right before her eyes narrowed. Her breathing flared her nostrils and her mouth pressed into a straight line, it was time for Solaug to squeeze her hand. Agnethe started to move and Solaug pressed her against the wall and covered her mouth, shaking her head to make Agnethe stay quiet.

"You have no right to take her to wife," Trond said with a growl the girls could hear easily even as far away as they were.

"I have every right, and I have. So, you will leave now. I can assure you that we were too busy last night to harbor your missing child."

Agnethe growled and leaned forward. Solaug pressed harder against her mouth and had to force herself to stifle a giggle.

Bierka let out a frustrated screech, but Trond lowered his voice and said something to Klaus that the girls could not hear before they heard his heavy footsteps retreat after his mother. After a couple minutes, Klaus called out to the girls to come back to the main room.

The girls walked around the corner as Klaus was returning the barrier to block the door. When he turned toward them he had a big grin across his face and chuckled under his breath.

"You should have seen their faces. Although, you made such a racket I'm sure they knew you were both hiding just around the corner."

"How dare you!" Agnethe yelled.

"What?"

"Agnethe, calm down. I'm sure he was only saying those things to give a convincing story," Solaug tried to reason.

"I don't care. You said we were married. You had no right to say that. . .or that other part you said. I'll not have that dishonor said of me. She will spread that rumor all around now."

Klaus took slow steps toward Agnethe. "Perhaps you could give us a couple minutes alone, Solaug."

"I'll go to the back room," she looked at Agnethe, "for real." She glanced again at Klaus and grinned on her way to the other room.

"Please listen to me. I had no intention of ruining your reputation, in fact the opposite. If I had tried to explain that we were in different rooms through the night, they would not have believed me."

"You could have made sure they did."

"Maybe, but Trond would have spread lies against you, anyway. This way you are safe from any gossip that taints your honor."

"Except that I've married a man I met two days ago."

Klaus lifted a corner of his mouth into a rakish grin. "Well, I'm sure that will be understood easily enough after a few more of the town girls get a look at me."

Agnethe let her mouth drop open as she glared at him. He moved to within arm's reach of her and looked into her eyes, continuing to smile. "So now, you think it would be acceptable to saunter around to all the town girls?"

Klaus let out a belly laugh, "First you are afraid of your reputation, yet now you are jealous." He put both hands on her upper arms and started to pull her into him, but she pushed against his chest and kept him back. Raising an eyebrow, he kept his grin as he stared at her.

"If you think that flaunting yourself around to all the other girls in town would be acceptable for a husband of mine, you are sadly mistaken." She tried without success, to keep her mouth from twitching into a grin. Although, her hands did shake as she touched his muscular torso. I can't believe I'm going along with this. But, oh, he feels so good.

Klaus smiled so large that his eyes crinkled before pulling Agnethe to his chest. "I will remember that," he said into her hair.