Ethelmund and Githa each learn a lesson

Githa Ashdown was beginning to think that she was smarter than even she ever thought. She had been calling Lothere the Blessed Valley instead of the Cursed Valley, because ever since they came here, everything had been going right for them. After five childless years, Colburga was born soon after their arrival, and now they had another daughter named Kyneburga. And Ethelmund was even beginning to show a little self discipline. She didn’t know whether it was the loss of his old friends and old habits, the lack of a suitable fishing hole, or simply that he was beginning to feel the responsibility of having two children to provide for, but Ethelmund was working harder than ever before, and even repaired the stone fence after having been asked only twice.

Still, it took nearly losing him for her to realize how much he meant to her after all.

One summer night, she was preparing dinner while Ethelmund bathed Colburga.

She must have been watching them too much instead of paying attention to her cooking, because when she turned around she saw flames shooting out of the oven and beginning to lick at the wooden beams of the house.

Ethelmund moved faster than she had ever seen him go. He already had Colburga safely outside before she could begin to panic. He yelled for her to grab Kynnie and get out of the house, and for once she did exactly as her husband told her. Meanwhile, he grabbed the slop bucket and started scooping water out of the bathtub to throw on the fire.

Outside, Githa could only wait in helpless terror as the fire spread. The oven was so close to the door—if it spread too far, Ethelmund would never be able to make it out. After a moment there was too much smoke for her to see what was happening.

Ethelmund did come out, and what’s more, he saved their house. But he had breathed so much smoke, he said it felt like he had burned his lungs. For a week he stayed in bed, and now Githa didn’t complain about his laziness. All that mattered to her now was that he was still with her. She didn’t really mind that he wasn’t a hard worker—he was always gentle with her and the children, and they always had a snug house and enough to eat.

As for Ethelmund, before long his lungs began to heal, and one evening as he watched Githa bustle around the room, he realized it was really not all that much fun to lie in bed day after day, even though that had always seemed to him like it must be paradise. The next morning he was up and dressed before breakfast. “I think I’ll get to work repairing the wall behind the oven,” he told his wife. And she didn’t even have to ask once.