"No!" Gunnar soared to his feet to tower over the man. "You are a liar! You will regret peddling this falsehood, I can promise you..."
Dagr remained where he was, but his expression took on a more defiant air. "Jarl, I know how dreadful this sounds, but I am repeating exactly what Ulfric said to me, I swear it."
"You swear? Do not think to make this worse. I?—"
"Husband, we should hear him out."
Mairead's voice, soft but firm, caused Gunnar to cease his tirade. He glared at her instead. "You believe this... this rubbish? You actually think my sister would stoop so low? Or that my brother would trust such a tale to his slave-master?"
She stood firm, her chin tilted up. "I believe it could be true. Fiona herself told me that she feared for her life, that Brynhildwould do her harm if she could. Perhaps an opportunity did present itself, and Brynhild took it."
"Fiona said that? To you? But ... why?"
"Because she was afraid. I know that much was true, Gunnar. I saw that for myself."
He stared at her, speechless. Could there after all be some merit in this bizarre tale?
Mairead continued. "We were not there, husband. We did not see, but Fiona told me that Brynhild hated her, that your sister was cruel and vengeful, that she made her life a misery in many small ways and would have done far worse had Ulfric not forbidden it. We should hear more of what your brother told Dagr." She turned to the man, still seated before them. "Thereismore, I assume?"
"Yes, lady. There is more." Dagr cleared his throat and waited as his Jarl resumed his seat. "So, Ulfric returned from Bjarkesholm earlier than expected, in time to prevent his sister from completing her plan. The slave had been in danger, but survived her ordeal."
"What did Brynhild do to her?" Mairead asked the question, but had she not, it was on Gunnar's lips to do so.
"Lady Brynhild had the slave fastened in the stocks, and would have left her outside the entire night had our Jarl not returned, found her half dead with the cold and freed her in time.
"That is a cruel fate," observed Mairead softly.
"There must be some mistake," protested Gunnar. "Brynhild would not have done that. She had a temper, certainly, but such calculated malice – that was not her way."
Mairead did not respond, though it took but one look into her grave face for Gunnar to know that his wife did not see this matter as he did. He scowled at her, unwilling to allow thismadness to take root. Surely there was some other explanation for whatever had taken place at his brother's settlement.
"Could it have been an accident? Perhaps Fiona misunderstood..." He was clutching at straws.
"The thrall did not fasten herself into the stocks, Jarl." Dgar's remark was reasonable enough, but Gunnar was sorely tempted to boot him into the nearest ditch, even so.
Mairead again laid her hand on his shoulder, then she took up the questioning of the karl. "So, Ulfric returned and freed Fiona. What happened then? How does this link to Brynhild's disappearance? I assume there is a link?"
"Aye, Lady. Ulfric knew what Lady Brynhild had done, and why. She hated Fiona, and he realised that he was unable to protect his slave and allow Brynhild to remain in his longhouse. So... he arranged for her to be taken away."
Dgar fell silent. Gunnar and Mairead were speechless also. Gunnar got to his feet and raked his fingers through his hair. He could not take this in. He took a couple of paces toward the door, then swung back to face the karl
"What do you mean, 'he arranged for her to be taken away'?"
"One of the other thralls, a man called Taranc. A good worker, strong... He escaped the same night that the lady disappeared and neither have been seen since. It seemed too much of a coincidence, many questioned it, but the Jarl insisted that there was no connection. However, on the night of his wedding he told me a different tale. Ulfric told me he struck a deal with Taranc. Our Jarl offered to aid him in his escape, even provided him with a boat to return to his homeland, on condition that he take the lady Brynhild with him. The slave accepted the deal, and he abducted your sister."
"You are saying that Ulfric knew of this. All along, he has known where Brynhild was and did nothing to rescue her?" Gunnar was incredulous.
"Aye, he knew. Or at least, he knew who she was with. As to her whereabouts, I do not believe he was certain, but it had been his assumption that the slave Taranc would seek to return to his home in the land of the Celts. Since Ulfric arranged it, he would have seen no cause to rescue his sister. Lady Brynhild was exactly where he wanted her to be, where he put her, even, and she has been all along."
"Taranc took Brynhild to Aikrig?" Mairead's delicate features were ashen, her eyes a deep green in the flickering firelight.
"Where?" Gunnar peered at her. "Where did you say?"
"Aikrig. The village where I used to live, before I was... taken. Taranc was our chief there. That is his home."
"By Thor's balls and his silver hammer, I will kill my brother for this. I shall disembowel him with my own hands. He had our sister abducted by savages. All the time he knew where to look for her and he told no one. He let her suffer..." Gunnar paced the floor of his longhouse, and only lowered his voice when Tyra began to wail. He continued to prowl to and fro, uttering his curses and dire intentions for dealing with the brother who had so dishonoured their family. "How could he do this? What was he thinking? And to deceive us, all of us, all these months. He saw how we grieved, how desperately we searched for her..."
"My husband, please be calm. Consider your brother's reasons." Mairead gestured to Dgar to leave them alone, but muttered to him that he was to remain close in case they needed to question him further on any aspect of his account. The man was quick to do her bidding, clearly reluctant to remain in Gunnar's company if that could be avoided.
