Chapter Fifty-three

"That's so much better, Enid," Gro smiled. "We'll have you spinning yarn like one of us in no time."

Enid couldn't help it, just to hear Gro praise her like that, just to have a princess smiling and squeezing her arm had Enid's heart racing. "Thank you," she whispered.

"I feel sorry for all those English men," said one of the women around the table. "What do they wear if their women can't weave?"

Enid turned to the woman, her head tilting to the side, her forehead furrowing in a slight crease. "What do you mean?" she asked, and Gro laughed, squeezing Enid's arm one last time before she stood and grabbed a piece of fruit from the table.

"I think it's different for them, right Enid? Here a woman is in charge of all the cloth for the household. That's why it's so important for Freya and Frigga to learn," she sat at a chair, smiling at Freya as she watched the girl work the standing loom. "Even if they don't want to," she added, and Freya turned then, her eyes suddenly harsh and cold. "What?" Gro laughed. "I know you'd rather be out there," she said, tilting her head to the door. "But just bear with it for now, Freya. I'll get you back to training as soon as I can."

Freya sighed then, coming to stand next to Enid and running her fingers through her curls. "My aunt doesn't weave."

"She chooses not to," Gro corrected, plopping another piece of fruit in her mouth. "But she can if she has to, that's the difference Freya."

"How do you know so much about my aunt anyway?" Freya asked, but before Gro could answer the doors flew open and Enid saw him, those cold, sky-blue eyes finding her at the table as he followed the others in.

Not a word, they hadn't said a word to each other since the night before. Some part of her felt jittery, felt uneasy at the thought of that, some part of her recognised that softness in his eyes, the one that was there when he looked at his children, the one that was still warm no matter how cold and stiff that scowl on his face was.

Erik laughed loudly, patting Tyr on the back and throwing himself down on a chair, and then Enid felt those eyes as they rested on her, saw him tilt his head and smile at her from across the table as Gro waved her hand to the other women. They quickly packed up their things, leaving the two families alone, and then something cold sprang into Enid's stomach and she realised there was no place for a slave left there at that table, so she gathered her yarn, her fingers racing, her eyes fixed on the table in front of her.

"No, stay, Enid," Gro smiled, and then she sank a little lower in her chair. "They just talked too much today. They were making my head hurt."

Enid stared at her, watching Gro close her eyes and rest her head against the back of her chair, and then she heard Erik laughing, a laugh that was soft, a laugh that was warm and suddenly Enid's mouth was dry and all she saw was the twinkle of that silver hammer in the candlelight.

"I should check on Frigga," she whispered.

"I missed you at training, Enid," Erik said, and she turned to him, her heart racing in her chest, the colour rising to her cheeks, but all he did was smile, taking a big gulp of water from his cup and then swirling it in front of his face. "I hope I didn't scare you away," he added, but it was that smile, all dark and cold and dangerous.

"I'm not scared," she said, her voice suddenly loud and clear. "But I have to take care of the children first before-,"

"I can train in the evenings," Erik cut in, that smile on his face turning into a grin. "In fact, I'm not tired at all today. I think I will whether you show up or not... And besides, you don't need her all day, do you, Ivar?"

Enid's eyes flicked to Ivar's face and she wanted to save him from having to answer, but Ivar only grunted, leaning to grab an apple from the table and biting into it.

"That works," he said. "Don't go easy on her, Erik, I'll need her if Sigurd's men come back for my farm."

A light sprang into Erik's eyes then, one that was bright, one that looked excited and light.

"Good," he said. "Then it's decided. Better pray to your god, Little Enid. It's going to be a long evening for you."