Haakon sees a scene
“Sigefrith! Where’s my horse?”
Haakon dropped his wooden knights in dismay. If his Mama came in shrieking in Norse, it usually meant an unpleasant scene between her and his Papa.
“I sent her out to be shod,” his Papa said. He did not sit up.
“What? What? You knew Egelric was taking Estrid and me out to show us his castle today!”
“Oh, good – ” His father stopped, took a deep breath, and sighed. “I forgot. I’m sorry, Hilda. You’ll have to take another horse.”
Haakon half-heartedly pretended to make the two green knights fight. But there was suddenly little fun in fighting.
“‘You’ll have to take another horse, Hilda!’” she mocked in her dreadful squeaky mocking voice. “You had better believe I shall! I don’t believe for one instant that you ‘forgot,’ Sigefrith,” she snarled, and then she laughed her dreadful shrieking mocking laugh. “I’m certain you were simply afraid of the consequences if you let me go out to an empty castle with a man like Egelric.”
“No, Hilda,” his Papa growled. “I forgot. For – got.”
“Oh, that’s right!” she laughed again. “I always for – get that you’re far too stupid ever to think up such a clever scheme on your own!”
Haakon could not bear it any longer. He tossed his knights on the floor and scrambled to his feet. His Mama was very tall, but he was not afraid. Someone had to say something.
“He is not stupid!” he shrieked at her. “Do not say that again! And say you’re sorry!”
His Mama gave him a startled look, and his Papa finally sat up. “Come here a while, runt,” his Papa murmured.
“No! She shall say she is sorry. Or she shall not have any cake with her dinner.”
His Mama only threw back her head and laughed. At least it was not her mocking laugh. “What a little man he is!” she cried. “I wonder where he got it?”
“Say it!” Haakon insisted.
“Yes, Haakon, I am very sorry that your Papa is stupid.”
Haakon grudgingly sat down again. He thought he should have been satisfied with that apology, and yet, somehow, he was not. However, he realized only then that he had no idea how to prevent his Mama from eating cake, and he was relieved that he would not be obliged to find a means.
“Take another horse, Hilda,” his Papa muttered.
“I want my horse! My horse! Can you get that through your thick skull?”
“Then go to the damned smithy and wait for your damned horse! Anyway, I suppose the smith’s a man, and that’s what you like, isn’t it?”
“How should I know? I never had one!”
“Ask him, then! Or Egelric!”
“Ha! Ha! Suppose I did!”
“Then perhaps it would make a man out of me! And we shall see what I shall do then!”
“Oh, watch yourself, Sigefrith,” she glowered. “You do sorely tempt me. If only for an hour with Sir Egelric, so that I may at least know what I am missing.”
“Ask him! He’ll either slap you out of your saddle or roll you in the hay, and I think you would be just as pleased with either!”
“I shall tell you what he decides,” she said as she went out.
“Do!” his Papa called after her, and then he fell back onto the floor again.
Haakon bounced his knights against his knees for a while, waiting for his Papa to say something, but his Papa only stared up at the ceiling.
“Papa…” he began.
“I thank you for sticking up for me, runt,” he said in English. Haakon much preferred the sound of English, for people rarely fought in English at his house. “But I wish you wouldn’t get involved when Mama and I fight.”
“How come?”
“Because it’s between me and Mama,” his Papa sighed. “You can’t do much to help, I’m afraid. And I wish you didn’t have to see it.”
Haakon continued bouncing his knights. He often wished the same thing. But someone had to do something.
“Listen, runt,” his Papa said suddenly and sat up. “She doesn’t say anything like that to you, does she? Or to Dora or Blithe?”
“Like what?”
“Like calling you stupid, or anything.”
“No…”
“That’s fine. But listen. If she ever does, you must tell me right away. Do you hear? If your Mama says something or does something to hurt you or your sisters, you tell your Papa right away. Understood?”
“Yes…”
“Good.” He lay down again on the floor and stared up at the ceiling.
“And you’ll do something?” Haakon asked after a moment.
“You had better believe I will!”
