Winter Solstice Winter - Book I in the Viking Blood Saga

“Ailia, I’d like to introduce you to Geir,” Brander said, arriving with the guest a few hours later.

  Ailia curtsied. “Welcome to our home. Pleased to meet you,” she said, lowering her gaze. Geir was not bad to look at—average, Ailia would say—with a uniquely slender nose and small pouty lips. He was almost as tall as Brander, but much less muscular, thin even. His beard was a little too long for Ailia’s liking, but maybe once they had married she could convince him to groom it shorter.

  “He’ll be staying for repast, but then he needs to get back to his children in Solnes,” Brander said.

  Ailia did her best to kill a gasp. “Oh,” she said instead. “How many…children?” She suffered a smile.

  Unni glanced at Ailia, her eyes stern.

  “Four,” Geir said. “All boys. Their ages are ten, eight, six and four. They’re a handful and they need a strong mother to keep them in line.”

  “I see.” Ailia knew immediately that she’d never be the woman he was seeking. She saw herself as more of a nurturer, not a commander.

  “Shall we?” Unni gestured over to the hearth and they all sat down near the glowing flames.

  After the first awkward meeting with her future husband and after Ailia had filled everyone’s bowl with stew, she sat down next to Unni.

  “Tell us about Solnes,” Unni said.

  Geir looked at her and scoffed. “I do not see why that is an important subject to talk about.”

  Unni’s eyes flared just a tad.

  Geir turned his attention to Ailia. “What I want to know, Ailia, is do you feel prepared to be the homemaker of my longhouse and are you capable of raising my four boys?”

  Ailia balked.

  “Of course she is,” Unni said.

  “I know your opinion, woman. I need to hear it from Ailia’s own mouth,” Geir snapped.

  Ailia froze. Of course she could do it, but it was so very hard to say so out loud, because she knew that in the innermost part of her spirit that she didn’t want to. Seeing how he had disrespected Unni, it gave her reason to believe he would disrespect her, too. If that were true, she’d do anything to get out of this arranged marriage.

  “Ailia?” Unni nudged.

  “Why, yes, of course,” Ailia said. “I have trained my entire life to become the best homemaker I can be.” She felt her spirit revolting inside of her.

  “Ailia, one more question and then we can go on to discuss other niceties. Are you able to bear children?” Geir asked.

  Brander coughed, the stew in his mouth splattering onto his beard.

  “If you are asking me whether or not I have started my menstruation cycle, then, yes, I have. For a few years now,” Ailia said.

  “Ailia,” Brander said, his eyebrows gathering in the center.

  “Was that not what you were referring to?” Ailia asked. Usually women only spoke about such things to each other, but since Geir was asking so directly, Ailia couldn’t help but be blunt in her response.

  “Swell,” Geir said with a look of relief in his narrow-set eyes. “I think she will do, Brander.”

  Brander nodded with a sharp exhale as his shoulders relaxed several notches.

  Ailia hated how Geir said that: I think she will do. She wanted her marriage to be so much more that just a partnership of duties and responsibilities. Love would not be a part of the relationship with Geir. He was probably just looking for a woman to raise his children and a woman to bring to his bed when he needed it. How could Brander have chosen him? she wondered.

  * * *