“Tsk! Tsk! ‘Tis the fool you are, girl. ‘Twill not be Thork for her. At the mistress Aud’s prodding, Dar has arranged a marriage for her with some Viking hesir in Denmark—Askold, by name. To be sure, he must not have heard of her many lovers, or else he may be ugly as the backside of a boar. ‘Twill be a good match, think you not?”
Ruby could have wrung Ella’s neck for scaring her, but she was so thankful to find her initial fears unfounded that she gave the thrall a quick hug.
Ella shrugged out of her arms uncomfortably, looking around to see if anyone had witnessed Ruby’s unbecoming gesture to a lowly servant. When she saw that no one noticed, she smiled at Ruby.
“Askold comes to the Althing where they will wed and return To his farm in Denmark.” Ella slapped her knee in glee. “Can you just picture Linette milking a cow?”
Aud walked up to them and inquired coolly of Ella, “Have you naught better to do than spread your tales?”
“Yea… I mean nay, mistress,” Ella answered sheepishly and scurried away to the kitchen.
Aud turned her attention to Ruby. “We would have you entertain us with some songs tonight, Ruby. Much have I heard of your sagas and music.”
Maybe because she’d been exiled to the lower end of the hall, Ruby thought. And because she was two steps away from the executioner’s axe—or blood-eagling knife.
“Oh, not tonight, Aud.”
“Dar has asked for you,” Aud told her in a tone which brooked no argument. “Tomorrow the skalds will arrive with the first of our guests. They come from afar to travel with us to the Althing next week. We may never have another chance to hear your wondrous tales.”
“Guests?” Ruby asked weakly. So the sand had finally sifted through her hourglass, and the Althing was almost at hand. Aud’s pessimism about her not having another chance after this week did not bode well for the outcome of her “trial.”
The family group had moved from the dais to the fireplace area. Dar sat sipping his ale, studiously avoiding Ruby’s eyes as they approached.
What was the old goat up to now?
Occasionally he spoke to Thork, who seemed to answer only in monosyllables. Thork continued to down ale in alarming amounts. When Thork saw her, Ruby thought he would get up and leave. Instead, he glowered at her hatefully, with his upper lip curled, as if she were a vile toad.
After being handed a lute, Ruby sang the same songs she’d performed at Sigtrygg’s castle—”Ruby,” “Lucille,” “Friends in Low Places,” “Lord, It’s Hard to Be Humble” and “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight.” The more she sang, the more Thork frowned. He looked tired, as well. Faint circles under his eyes and tension lines around his stubborn mouth spoke of sleepless nights. Was it simply because he’d made love all night long with the insatiable Linette? Or could it be that this building pressure between Ruby and her Viking “husband” troubled him through the endless nights, as it did her?
When she hit a Shrill note, Thork snickered aloud, and Aud chastised him, “Thork, don’t be a jerk.”
All eyes widened and turned to Aud, who shrugged, “Well, he was acting the jerk.” Then Dar and Thork riveted their eyes accusingly on Ruby, who smiled innocently.
Noticing Tykir and Tyra at the edge of the family gathering, Ruby sang “Jingle Bells,” delighting them with the raucous carol, as well as her explanation of Christmas in her country. She’d been unable to think of any children’s songs on the trip to Dar’s home, but now she remembered the words to one folk song she thought they’d like, “Puff, the Magic Dragon.” Did Vikings have sagas dealing with dragons? Ruby wondered. Somehow, the image fit.
Thork continued to glower like an old bear.
So Ruby told the story of “The Three Bears.” Then she couldn’t resist, probably some innate death wish, and told “Thork and the Beanstalk,” to Thork’s consternation. He probably restrained himself from violence because of the two dozen enthralled family members and hesirs gathered around Ruby. Even an uncharacteristically subdued Linette had come up to stand behind Thork’s chair, unable to resist the charm of Ruby’s stories and songs.