Viking Love Beyond Time (Time Travel Romance) (66 page)

             
Alodie took an apple and bit into it, thoughtfully.  That smacked of an anti-grav belt and a laser or particle weapon of some kind.  She glanced up at Bjarnie.  “You yourself  have seen this?”

             
“Yes once, about five years ago.  Father and I went to Olaf’s settlement to trade and one of his servants displeased him, he left the ground then held out his hand and a beam of light flew from it and hit the poor wretch”

             
“What happened then, did the man fall down dead or disappear?”

             
“He fell down, terribly burned, his face was black”.  A laser then, not a psi gun - but how in God’s name had anyone got hold of a weapon like that in the ninth century?    “You do not seem surprised Alodie” said Bjarnie “and you believe me,  most people think I have made the story up”

             
Alodie smiled and reaching up patted Bjarnie on the shoulder.  “I believe you good Bjarnie, I have wandered many miles myself over the years and have seen many wondrous things”

             
Bjarnie looked down at her open mouthed “Such as a man flying and shooting flames from his fingers?”

             
“Such as  - well, no matter, but I
do
believe you”

             
The sound of footsteps on the stairs made them both look up as Anstice pattered into view.  In her eighth month of pregnancy she was prettier than ever and, wrapped in the all encompassing bond of Bjarnie’s love, had become more articulate and confident.  Alodie glanced up and smiled as she saw the softening of Bjarnie’s eyes as they rested on her.  He held out her hand and she walked over and took it.  “How do you feel
elskin min
?” he asked softly.

             
“I feel tired but happy Bjarnie.  My lord, however, has awoken and is calling for milady Alodie and food in that order”

             
Bjarnie’s jaws dropped.  “Whaat?  That is impossible, the wound he has, the blood he has lost, I thought he would be unconscious for days - weeks even”

             
Alodie smiled and getting to her feet, smoothed her gown.  “We are both quick healers Bjarnie - I will go to him - are the children asleep Anstice?”

             
Anstice turned and grinned.  “Aye, God’s little messengers”

             
Alodie patted her friend’s distended stomach.  “You’ll have a little messenger of your own before long, then you won’t have any time to spend with mine”

             
Anstice smiled and rubbed Alodie’s arm affectionately. “You know that is not true, I will always serve you, you’re more of a friend than a mistress - the upper classes have treated me as a - well servant, but you, lady, you encouraged me to learn to read, you’ve given me friendship and Bjarnie here has given me love - I am happier now than I ever thought possible”

             
Alodie leaned over and kissed Anstice’s cheek.  “Don’t ever change Anstice, you’re just right as you are - now I had better go see to my wounded hero”

             
Anstice grinned “Oh, and milady” she said as Alodie walked toward the stairs.  She turned.  “If Bjarnie and me have a girl, we’re going to call her Alodie”

             
“Oh no, Anstice, you can’t” replied Alodie.  Alodie was a name which had originated on the Venusian colony and had not come into popular usage on Earth until the twenty fourth century.  It might be confusing if a lot of unlooked for Alodies cropped up in
Northumbria
in the ninth.

             
The girl took a step backward, obviously confused by Alodie’s tone.  Seeing the look on the girl’s face Alodie blushed.  “Forgive me Anstice, I mean it is not exactly a nice name” she continued lamely.

             
Anstice shook her head.  “No, milady, Alodie it shall be, you have been a very dear friend to me and anyway I disagree with you, t’is the prettiest name ever I did hear”

             
Maudya pulled a newly baked loaf from the oven and dropped it onto the table with a flourish.  “My niece over to Goathland - she is due to have a bairn soon and she is calling it Alodie, if so be t’is a girl she is blessed with” she cut in “she too thinks t’is a lovely name, soon there’ll be Alodies all over
Northumbria
!”

             
Groaning, Alodie turned and started up the stairs.  “Confusing is what it will be, still I’m flattered”

             
Herger’s bellow reached her ears before she had got half way up and she entered the bedroom to find her husband sitting up in bed.  The new dressing was, she noted with relief, still clean, no more blood had been lost.  She tutted and leaning over him plumped up the pillows.  He reached up and ran his uninjured hand across her breasts.  “My lord Herger, you were at death’s door not an hour ago” she bridled “now  - stop that this instant - you seem to be recovering nicely”

             
Herger laughed, deep in his throat “I’d feel even better if this bracelet you put on me would stop pricking, every so often it seems to jab my wrist” he pulled at it “and I’m damned if I can get it off”

             
Alodie slapped his hand.  “I told you about that once before.  Don’t even try to get it off, that pricking you are feeling is Granny’s magic working.  Not three hours ago you were pinned to a tree by an arrow through the shoulder and now look at you, sitting up, demanding food....” with great difficulty she managed to remove his hand from its lodging place on her breast “and other things - do you think without the bracelet you could do that?”

             
Herger laughed again and reaching up pulled her golden head down and kissed her on the lips.

             
For a second Alodie was unable to speak but at last she managed to extricate herself.  “My lord, you are not strong enough for this” she gasped.

             
Herger guffawed and reaching out with his unbandaged arm, picked up an apple from a bowl of fruit which Anstice had placed by the bed and closed his hand round it.  It was an early apple and not yet quite ripe.  After a couple of seconds juice began to run through his fingers and he opened his hand - the apple was crushed to a pulp.

             
Alodie gasped.  “God in heaven above!” she muttered. 

             
He reached for her and pulled her toward him.  “You were saying? he growled.

*********************

             
One week later Anstice fell whilst, against orders, carrying a huge armload of bed linen.  Within two hours she was in labour, just over a month early.  Alodie and Maudya quickly got her to bed and, just to make sure, Alodie slipped her bracelet onto Anstice’s wrist.

             
The baby was born just over an hour later, with Maudya acting as midwife and Alodie to assist, a little girl weighing six and a half pounds.  After she took her first whooping breath and was settled comfortably on Anstice’s breast Alodie felt confident enough to take pleasure in  the new arrival, having been afraid that an infant five weeks premature in the ninth century would not have a high enough birth weight or lungs mature enough to survive.  She had reckoned, however, without the Norse tenacity and strength of her father.

             
Anstice smiled and kissed the child’s little red head.  “She’s the very spit of her father int she?” cooed Maudya “and t’is as well your sire is a Norseman little Alodie, if he’d’ve been a mewling little West Saxon you wouldn’t have been strong enough!”

             
With that she sniffed and looked up at both of them as if daring them to disagree.  Alodie just grinned and Anstice was far too happy and relieved to care what Maudya said.

             
“Shall I fetch Bjarnie?” asked Alodie after a couple of minutes.  Anstice nodded, dreamily, and Alodie opened the door.

             
The nervous new father was sitting at the table with Herger and a few of the men who had come in from the outlying areas, picking at his nails with a dagger.  On hearing the door open he looked round expectantly.  Alodie grinned and made a sweeping movement with her arm toward the room, with a twinge of regret that Herger had not been there with her when the twins were born.  “Go on in, Bjarnie, there is a red headed young lady in there with an appalling name, waiting to meet her father!”

             
Grinning hugely, he leaped to his feet and almost knocked her over in his haste.  She motioned to Maudya.  “Leave them to themselves for a while” she muttered.  Maudya nodded and left the room.  Then, with a final glance at the devoted young couple, Alodie quietly shut the door.

             
Herger finished the chicken leg he had been eating and wiped his good hand down his jerkin, his other arm still being in a sling.  Alodie decided to take off the dressing, the wound had probably healed days ago.

             
Ragnor had arrived back from the outlying areas not five minutes before and was in the process of reporting to Herger that Olaf and his band had last been spotted five days earlier heading toward Jorvik.

             
Herger pursed his lips.  “Hmm, I do not like the sound of that at all” he said quietly.

             
“Why?” asked Alodie, lifting the sling over Herger’s head and beginning to take off the bandages “he is leaving the area, that is all that matters”

             
Herger glanced up.  “Aye Alodie, but who is in Jorvik - eh?  Halfdan, the king?”

             
“So, is Halfdan a friend of Olaf’s?”

             
“No, but I do know he fears his sorcery, and if Olaf tells Halfdan a pack of lies it could go badly for us - what exactly happened after I passed out?  I cannot think why he would leave, it just does not make sense”

             
Alodie shrugged.  “When you passed out he just laughed, pulled his men back and disappeared as quickly as he had come”

             
Herger’s brow wrinkled as Alodie removed the last of the padding.  The wound was clean and was reduced to just a tiny red line, no swelling, no scab.  She leaned over and looked at the exit wound, that was just the same, as for his earlier scar, where he had been pierced by Aelfric’s spear, that was just a thin silver line - a memory - yet it had only happened four months earlier.

             
“You are an enigma Alodie” said Herger suddenly “Inexplicable things happen when you are around.  People travel from cells in
Winchester
to steadings in
Northumbria
within days, mortal wounds mend almost overnight and enemies vanish”

             
She coughed and began to clear the table.  “Maybe I am a greater sorcerer than Olaf” she laughed, nervously.  Herger and Ragnor looked at each other then at her “I was joking!” she said, alarmed at the serious expressions on their faces.

             
Herger rang his tongue across his lips.  “Hmm, I am not so sure” he reached for another chicken leg.  “It would explain a lot of things” he said, tearing off a thick piece of flesh with his strong white teeth.  

             
Alodie swallowed audibly, this conversation was heading in quite the wrong direction.  Herger glanced round.  “Ragnor, go get some sleep, the rest of you - out.  As Olaf seems to be in Jorvik you can relax the guard round the perimeter - halve it” he waved his hands, “out boys, I need to be alone with my wife”

             
With a series of grunts the men climbed to their feet and taking chunks of bread and meat with them they went grumbling out into the sunshine.  Watching Ragnor as he left the room Alodie wondered how Aehlswith was faring, and what Ragnor, an ignorant soldier who, when he retired, would probably farm a few acres he rented from his lord, would think if he knew that the result of his dalliance with her ‘serving maid’ last January could possibly one day sit on the throne of Wessex.

             
Shaking her head, Alodie picked up a dozen or so wooden bowls, stacked them one inside the other and turning, set off toward the kitchen.  She stopped short, a stool blocking her path, pushed by a long leg clad in black leather, and turned, biting her lip.  Herger was staring at her.  As ever, he was shirtless, clad only in his working braeis and open leather jerkin.  His thick dark hair, loose this morning, hung down onto his shoulders.  He too was biting his bottom lip and looking incredibly handsome.  Alodie had to fight back a ridiculous desire to drop the bowls and climb onto his lap.  “Put the bowls down my love” he said quietly.

             
She did so unhesitatingly.  It never occurred to her how she had changed, how Captain Austen, who would have died before taking orders from anyone, had become putty in the hands of this magnificent man.  He hooked his foot round the stool and pulled it toward him.  “Come here” he whispered.  Quaking with anticipation she sat down, he leaned forward and took her hands in his.  “Show me” he said.