Gunnilda follows after

Gunnilda began to worry again when Egelric continued walking past his own farm. Where could he be going? There was the church, the priest, and the castle, and beyond that only farms and peasant huts. Would he just keep walking? She told herself that if he passed the church, she would stop him and talk to him.

But Egelric did not pass the church, instead turning off the road and passing through the church gate. Gunnilda scurried through the gate after him. She thought he was going in to pray—she would talk to him in the church.

But Egelric did not enter the church either. He walked around the church and through the trees behind. Then, with a sinking heart, Gunnilda realized where he was going: the cemetery.

Gunnilda hid herself behind a pine and watched him. There were only two fresh graves in the cemetery: the girl who had died after being burned in the fire, and the Duke’s baby daughter. Gunnilda blinked back tears when she saw him approach the area given over to peasant graves.

She watched him for long minutes as he stood before the girl’s grave. His shoulders slumped as they had not when he walked, but they did not shake.

For a while Gunnilda thought her heart was breaking, and then she told herself that what she felt was nothing to what the man before her must have been feeling.

She took courage from her compassion and stepped out of the trees.

He did not move as she approached, though the untrodden snow squeaked beneath her feet.

“You must have really loved her,” she said, her voice trembling.

Egelric said nothing, and did not move.

“Loved her?” he finally said, uncomprehending, as if the very words were foreign to him.

Gunnilda moved closer. His clothes were wrinkled and dirty, his hair was damp and matted—she could not imagine where or how he had lived these past three days. Suddenly she wondered whether he had gone mad.

As if in proof, Egelric turned to her, threw back his head, and laughed.

“Loved her?” he repeated. “She was everything I most hate about women!”

Gunnilda gasped.

“Then what is—then why—then what are you doing here?”

His face fell serious again. He looked ten years older—and sick. “Why am I here?” he repeated dreamily, looking back at the grave. “Because I killed her.” He grew angry. “I killed her, and I killed the Duke’s daughter, and I’ll kill you if you don’t get out of here!”

Dear God, he was mad. “Egelric,” she said gently, trying to calm him. “You did no such thing. She died from being burned in the fire, I was there. You weren’t even there when she was burned.”

“That’s it, isn’t it?” he spat. “She was looking for me in that barn. For me! And the Lady Ethelburga—I held her in my arms the night before she died! They died because of me! They died because of my curse! Even the birch tree in your yard, the tree I leaned against when we—that night—it was knocked down by that storm!”

“Egelric, please—”

“That storm! Where do you think the storm came from that ruined our grain? That storm came up to kill that tree! Where do you think that fire came from, in the stable where I kissed that—this girl here? That fire came up to kill that girl! Why do you think that baby died? That baby died because I looked at it and was sorry my own son was dead!”

“Egelric! Enough!” She shouted back at him. Gunnilda knew she could out-​shout any man.

Egelric frowned, but stopped.

“None of that is your fault,” she said quietly. “You’re not cursed, I know you aren’t. You’re a good man. Besides, if you were cursed, wouldn’t I be dead too?”

His face softened. “I prayed for you,” he said.

“Then pray for yourself. I’ll pray for you.”

“God has no hold over me.”

“Egelric! That’s not true.”

He shook his head. “The Evil One has me now.”

“Egelric! God forgive you—don’t say such things!”

“It’s true! I saw his star in the sky, as a sign of my curse.”

“Oh, Egelric,” she cried in despair. “You’re tired and cold and hungry. Come home and get warm and have some soup, then we can talk about your curse.” She reached out her arms to him, but he pushed her away.

“Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me or you will surely die!”

Egelric turned and ran for the woods. Gunnilda knew she must follow, or she would never see him again.