Chapter 9

Magnús opened the door to his car for Gemma after they left they restaurant. He was very excited to show her the sites of his beloved town. Yet deep in his mind he worried about his secret being slipped out. He noticed very quickly that she was observant after he had rescued her in the ice.

He didnt want to make it known that, as Sportacus, that he knew who she actually was.

"Where are we going first?" she asked looking around as the car glided across the road with ease.

"There's a place among Borgarnes called Hildartúnshúsin. It's absolutely breathtaking," Magnús said with excitement.

"Oh, what's there?" she asked, intrigued.

He grinned. "I wont tell you. You have to see it to believe it."

She glanced at him and gave him a knowing look. Not knowing what he meant by that comment until it dawned on her. He was referring to what she told him earlier about not believing something unless she saw it first.

"So is this place a myth?" she curiously asked.

He shook his head. "A lot of people would have a hard time believing it exists being where it is. You said you've fallen in love with Iceland? This will make you fall deeper."

Gemma was intrigued. "I wonder why that is..."

"You'll see," he chuckled.

It felt like they were driving for hours and all she could see was green, water and hills. Although they were lovely, Gemma wanted to know more about Hildartúnshúsin. She had promised Magnús that she wouldn't look it up.

They pulled up next to an oddly shaped hill and Magnús parked the car and turned the engine off. A huge smile was on his face as he climbed out of the car and opened her door.

"See anything interesting?" he asked looking at her to see if she would notice.

She glanced around her surroundings and her eyes rested on the oddly shaped hill. She pointed and her brown eyes lit up. "That's a house!"

He laughed and nodded, grabbing her hand to lead her towards the old structure. "This is a Turf house. Icelanders used to live in turf houses from the age of settlement till mid-20th century."

"I bet it was freezing?" she shivered.

"No. The turf walls are thick and well insulated to keep the cold out," he explained. "There is only one turf house that remains. It's on a settlement in Reykjavík."

Gemma was in awe of this. Such a beautiful country with beautiful homes even built into the earth. She couldn't imagine life living in a house like this but she was up for new things. Iceland seemed like a magical place and the people were kind.

"Just wait until nightfall. There's a place an hour away with the best few of the northern lights," he said leaning close enough to speak in her ear as she gazed at the turf houses.

"I can't wait to see it," she said, excitement in her voice.

Gemma felt like a kid in a candy store! So much to learn about Iceland and the people. Her and Magnús walked around and he explained a lot of things as best he could.

"We should start heading to Thingvellirif we want to make it before dark," he said stretching. "The way it begins is beautiful."

Gemma nodded and followed him to the car. She could feel his excitement as they drove to their next destination. Magnús was going on about the turf houses and explained more into detail about them.

She listened intently, studying his voice and his features again. She couldn't get over his accent. Out of all the accents she's heard from British, Irish, Australian, and a few others, Icelandic seemed to put her under a magic spell. Gemma wanted to stay and live here, but she had a life back home in New York. She had friends who loved and carried about her.

"Are you okay? You're very quiet," Magnús asked tapping her leg.

"Hmm? Yeah I'm okay, I was just thinking of how lucky you are to be living in such a magical country," she said staring out the window at the sunset.

"New York is pretty special too," he said taking a quick glance at her.

"I bet each sunset is different. You know what I mean? Like different parts of the world has unique sunsets," Gemma said in a child-like manner.

The rest of the drive was in silence as Gemma stared out the window admiring nature and Magnús focused on driving. He snuck glances at her from time to time. Pretty soon they arrived at their destination.

"It's almost time," Magnús said putting the car in park and killing the engine. "I brought extra coats for us."

He stepped out the car and was at her door as quickly as possible. She stepped out and he draped the coat around her shoulders and let her finish putting it in as he put his on. Gemma shivered and hugged herself, letting out a sigh to see her breath in the cold. As soon as Magnús had his coat on he reached inside the back seat of his car and pulled out a thick blanket and wrapped it around her small shoulders.

"I knew we would need this," he said looking into her eyes.

She looked up at him in a way that made his heart melt and his stomach flipped. Could anyone else be this stunning? He wondered. He couldn't wait to see her reaction when the northern lights appeared. And they did just that as they stared at each other, Gemma breaking the gaze first. Magnús could see the northern lights reflect in her brown eyes when they appeared in the night sky.

"Breathtaking," she said staring into the sky and doing a full 360. "I've never seen this before in my life."

"Take some pictures," he mentioned, taking his phone out at the same time he said it.

She did just that without hesitation. Iceland was indeed magical and she wanted to enjoy every part of it as much as she could. But the task at hand was still on her mind and the reason of her being there caused her to look at Magnús. She hoped with all the hope in the world that he wasn't falling for her, or her him. He was a kind man, generous and sweet. Any woman would be lucky to have him as her own. Gemma needed to brush whatever feelings aside and continue to dig for information about Sportacus. But she would start tomorrow.