Chapter Nine

He was shouting, something fierce and terrible darkening his eyes and making his face scrunch up in a deep scowl. "No," was all Enid understood.

Frigga jumped, the cross clutched in her hands as she stared up at him, her eyes big and wide before she started to cry, but he snatched the cross from her, tossing it into the firepit behind them without saying another word.

"No!" Enid cried, racing for the pit and trying to reach the cross without getting burnt, but the cross caught quickly, falling in between the logs and disappearing amongst the flames. For a moment she could only watch, for a moment there was only a stunning horror building inside her, but then she turned, racing to Ivar and pushing at his chest.

"Why did you do that?" she snapped, but Ivar only watched her, the light in his eyes not changing, his face still twisted in a fierce scowl. "Why?!" she asked, pushing and shoving him over and over, and then she saw it again, that same sharpness that had sprung into his eyes back on the ship.

This time he gripped her wrist tighter, this time he twisted it behind her back and slammed her into the table. She cried out, her body throbbing and aching, her heart hammering in her throat, but then she heard him shuffling behind her, heard him pulling at his belt and she knew what was coming next.

"No…" she whispered, still hearing Frigga cry on the other side of the table. "No, don't. Not here."

And then she felt it, something sharp and stiff slapping her through her skirts and for a moment she almost sighed, she almost smiled and shook her head, but then the pain hit her and her eyes went heavy and stang with tears.

Crack! He whipped her again and this time she gave a yelp and Frigga cried louder.

"Stop, please, stop!" Enid begged.

"Bap, far!" Frigga cried, Enid felt him go still behind her before he let her go and she whimpered. Frigga crawled across the table, burying her face in Enid's neck and crying soft, quiet tears. "Bap, far…" she whispered, and Enid held her, brushing the girl's hair with her fingers and speaking to her softly.

"It's alright, Frigga. It's alright."

Enid stayed there, holding the girl to her, rubbing her back and listening to her cry, and then she felt him move from behind her, heard him walk out of the house and slam the door behind him. Her knees gave out from under her and she sat on the bench and held the girl to her chest, trying so desperately not to let Frigga see her crying.

"It's alright," she said again, but this time it was to herself.

Her legs were still stinging when she laid in the cot that night, her joints still stiff and her eyes still heavy as she wondered once more why she was here. She could make a run for it. She could find her way back to town and onto a ship, but what would she do then? How would she be able to explain to those giants that she wanted to go home and would they even listen?

She remembered those women, locked up in that pen, cold and starving and crying, and for a moment she did not care, for a moment it still seemed better than staying here, but then she saw that young woman, tossed over the side of the boat with no prayers or blessings said over her, and Enid held Frigga closer.

"Lord, please help me," she whispered. "I don't want to die… but I don't want to stay here."

Frigga moved in her sleep that night, turning and grabbing a handful of Enid's hair with her small fingers and sighing. This small child had saved her. Somehow Enid still found that hard to believe, somehow it made the most sense out of everything else that had happened. This child was innocent. She was kind and she was warm, and Enid would find a way to save her too. Enid wasn't wise, she wasn't a priest, but she would find a way, she owed her that much at least.

When she woke the next morning, something was different. Enid felt something sitting in her stomach, something that strengthened her spine and stiffened her chest. She stood, leaving Frigga sleeping in the cot and made her way over to that large chest of oats. She would learn their language. She would do it as quickly as she could and she would save these children, and then she would save herself.

She was sitting, stirring the pot over the fire when she heard someone moving behind her, and she turned, seeing Freya rubbing the sleep from her eyes and yawning.

"Morning," she said, but Freya only squinted at her, her forehead lining in a slight crease before she said something back. "I don't understand," Enid said, shaking her head, and Freya went to the table, grabbing a handful of herbs like she had the morning before and going to throw them in the pot. "No," Enid said, holding her hand out to stop her.

Freya stared at her for a moment, her eyes big and wide before they narrowed and turned harsh and cold. Enid held out her hand, nodding and smiling at the girl as she did, and from that bundle of herbs, she picked out one and held it up for Freya to look at.

"Good," Enid said. "Good," she said for another, and then she looked at the others in her hand and realised she didn't know their word for bad. "Lort," she said in the end.

It took Freya a second, a second where her eyes were big and wide, a second where they shone bright, and then she laughed, her hand reaching up to cover her mouth. Enid caught the girl laughing to herself time and time again that morning, but her face was hard and cold as she sat down and stared at her bowl at the table. Enid watched her sniffing at the porridge and tasting a small spoonful almost like she was not sure that she would like it, but then Freya closed her eyes, nodding to herself before she turned to look at Enid.

"Good," she said, and Enid felt the others looking at her too, their eyes flicking between her face and the bowls in front of them.

Ivar asked something then, just the sound of his voice enough to make Enid bow her head and clasp her hands in front of her as she remembered the feel of his belt against her legs. Freya answered him and he grunted. For a long while that was it, for a long while they all ate in silence.

"Good," he said.