Life On the Fjords

The Strangers

Jack didn't grow up knowing Elsa Nordheim—she wasn't from the village on the fjord. She came from the towns that were far across the valley, her home being closer to the perimeters that divided the hamlet from the wealthier folks.

Elsa herself didn't come from an especially rich family, but they were more well-off and used to a more urban way of living than those on the fjords. The denizens of the neighboring lands never got along; the townsfolk thought of the villagers as backwards and uneducated, while the villagers thought the townsfolk were snobbish and self-centered.

That didn't stop them from trading with one another; the village would gladly sell their fresh crops for new fabrics, furs, and other supplies they didn't have easy access to. It was a strange, at times parasitic relationship. Some villagers got too greedy and would demand more than their harvest was worth. This didn't help how much they were already looked down upon, but sometimes they got desperate for blankets and warm clothes during the colder months.

Jack was indifferent to social politics, but he wasn't eager to cozy up to the city-dwellers either. Unless he was going to make a trade, they ignored him, and he ignored them. That made life easier.

He didn't realize that it was all going to change when he'd gone to the stream to collect water. He was seventeen, it was early spring, and this was a normal task he performed on the daily. It was also the only time he had to himself most days, so he liked to take a seat next to a tree and just enjoy the silence for once... Silence meaning no bickering children or the looming creature waiting to scold him. Just the birds and the running river.

It was by sheer coincidence that he happened to cast a glance through the trees down the stream and spy the fair-haired vixen, dressed in an intricately-patterned bunad that was a dead giveaway of her privilege. It was obvious she was from the towns and seeing her come all the way out here was bewildering to the young man. He hadn't been able to help it then, he was transfixed as he watched her push her bangs out of her face and flip the page of the book she was reading. She looked peaceful.

Whatever. Jack figured he ought to get home so he didn't have to hear the beast's roar all afternoon. As he stood up, he happened to look her away again... and she was looking right back. He lifted his pail of water and paced back down the hill.

...

"Hey, Jackson!" One of his classmates, Roald, called as they were leaving the schoolhouse. Normally Jack could make a quiet escape without having to speak to anyone, but he'd been too slow today. "You gonna be at the Vårjevndøgn festival tomorrow?"

"Uh... Probably not. I mean, I'll probably have to for my brother and sister, but—"

"Great!" He interrupted. "You know, Brigit's still looking for a date." One of his friends snickered.

Jack cocked a skeptical brow. "You're supposed to bring a date now?"

"It's kind of a thing we all decided to do. Brigit would ask you herself, but she's convinced you're gonna say no."

Well, she was right! "I really don't think I'll stick around for the entire day."

"Try to." It sounded like a demand. "We're gonna have our own private celebration when the feast is over... Y'know?" Roald winked. Jack couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Come on, maybe you'd lighten up if you got some action!" He playfully punched his shoulder and Jack almost dropped the heavy books he was carrying. He pretended to laugh along with them until he could gracefully make a getaway.

His face was flushed from his words, and they burned in his memory all evening; get some action. It's not like Jack was denying he had... wants. He just didn't want to be stuck with the first girl chosen by his peers for life because society expected them to stay together once they were spotted at each other's side. He'd had crushes in his time, but his instincts told him to pretend to be invisible so that he didn't have to worry about being rejected.