Egelric brings Iylaine

Gunnilda stood picking awkwardly at her apron. Egelric had come with Iylaine, and she didn’t know whether it was better to celebrate or to pretend that it was nothing unusual.

But she hadn’t seen him in weeks. Ever since the harvest had come to an end – ever since they had learned what happened at Ely – he had been locked up in his house with Iylaine. How often she had climbed the forest path to look for the smoke of his fire, and reassure herself that he was still alive to light it! For the last time she had gone to him, after Father Brandt had tried to visit him, he had pointed up to the chimney and barked, “When the fire goes out, then you may come to this house, and not before!” And slammed the door in her face.

And now, quietly, meekly almost, he had come to her door at dawn with Iylaine and entered without a word.

Well, she was going to go mad if nobody said anything. “I’m real glad to see you two,” she said. Oh, brilliant, Gunnilda!

Egelric smiled strangely and said, “Baby has been asking for her Mama these past days. I only just realized she was talking about you.”

“Oh, no,” she breathed.

“She hasn’t any other.”

“No… no, she hasn’t.”

“Perhaps it hasn’t been right to keep her locked up with me all day.”

“No, but – ” She hesitated, then decided she would dare. “But it hasn’t been right to keep yourself locked up neither, Egelric.”

Egelric turned and set Iylaine on the floor.

“I haven’t been fit for company,” he said quietly, looking back into the fire.

“And now?”

“I don’t know,” he mused. “I go on hating myself, and she goes on loving me.”

“She’s right.”

“It’s strange,” he said after a moment. “I thought you might disagree with her, after all I have said to you.”

“You didn’t really think that, did you?” she scolded softly.

He shrugged one shoulder and looked away.

She studied his face in the firelight. He had grown thinner and older in just these few weeks. “Do you get enough sleep?” she asked, worried.

“Enough sleep?” He looked up at her. “Let me tell you how it is, Gunnilda. All day long I am waiting for the hour when I can finally lie down and go to sleep. As soon as I wake up I am already looking forward to going back to bed. Sleeping is the only thing I am capable of doing now.”

“That’s no good, Egelric. That’s real bad.”

“Nevertheless, that’s what I am going to go and do now, if you would be so kind as to take care of this Baby for me today.”

“You better not!”

“Gunnilda, please try to understand. Sleeping is the only thing that doesn’t hurt.”

“Is it so bad?” she whispered.

Egelric did not answer.

“What can I do?” she asked, looking up into his face. “What do you need?”

He shook his head.

“You’re not alone,” she said. “Even when you lock that door. You can’t lock old Gunnie out.”

She gave him a sharp poke in the middle of his chest. “Now you listen to me,” she said. “You’re going to go home and saddle up your gray mare and ride over to see the Duchess. And you’re going to ask her what you can do for her today. And after your work is done, you’re going to come over here and eat supper with Alwy and me and them kids.”

He smiled faintly.

“And what else! I tell you, you just keep your eyes open today, because I promise you that something good is going to happen to you today. And it won’t if you just go home and go to bed. And if it don’t happen you can always sleep tomorrow. Now then!”

“Now then!” Iylaine repeated, smacking her little palms on the floor.

“All right, ladies!” Egelric sighed, smiling. “But I’ll hold you to your promise, Gunnilda. You had better have something especially good for supper, in case nothing good happens to me today.”

“I will anyway!” she laughed. “Now you go on, you!” She shooed him outside, but after he was gone, she stood a long while with her cheek against the door. Iylaine wrinkled her little forehead and wondered whether her Gunnie might not be crying.