Page 82 of Her Celtic Captor
“Aye, it looked to me as though she did.”
“She told me she had him sold.”
“I daresay she preferred not to reveal the truth of what happened, in order to protect you.”
“She killed him. For me. You actually saw this?”
“No, I arrived after. But someone did see. There was another man there when I arrived. He and Solveig were talking. He offered to help her dispose of the body.”
“Who? Who else was there?”
Weylin shrugged. “I do not know. It was a stranger, a Celt, but not from our village. I had never seen him before. I wondered, after, if it was he I heard shouting as I returned the loose pig to the pen but I had no opportunity to ask.”
“It probably was.” Taranc regarded the group from his seat next to Dughall. “I recall I did yell something, to gain the lady’s attention.”
All eyes turned to him. “You?” breathed Brynhild. “But how…?”
Taranc inclined his head. “Aye, it was me. I was the stranger who happened upon to be passing that night and became embroiled in the altercation.”
“But it was ten years ago, and in the Norseland. How could you have been there?”
“Ah my Viking friend,” Taranc grinned at Ulfric. “Do you suppose you were the first raider to ever arrive on these shores? I was taken by Vikings once before, though not from here. I was caught up in a raid on a village to the north of here. I was knocked unconscious, and when I woke up it was to find myself on a longship bound for your fair land. I was every bit as dissatisfied with my lot then as I was the second time your hospitality was forced upon me, and far less inclined to bend to the Norseman’s whims. I escaped on the second night I was there and started to make my way down the coast in search of a boat.
Naturally, I avoided villages and settlements, but I had eaten nothing save a few sour berries for over a day and I was hungry. From the brow of a hill saw a village. I spotted the barn, set apart from the rest of the village, and the livestock in pens. It was dusk, so I settled down to wait for a couple of hours, intending to help myself to a chicken once the village was asleep. When it was full dark I crept closer, heading for the barn in the hope there might be something stored there which I could eat.
I heard voices, so I hid in the shadows. The couple passed close by but I could not see them. They went behind the barn and soon I heard the scuffles and giggles that suggested some sort of tryst was going on. I made to move away, but before I could do so the sounds changed. I did not understand the words as I had no knowledge of the Norse language, but it was clear to me that the girl was no longer a willing participant. I turned about and soon found them. He had pinned her to the ground and she was crying. At the same time, all sorts of commotion was starting up in the village itself. I could hear shouts, the squealing of animals – pigs it sounded like – people running about. Not that any of this seemed to matter to the man who was attacking the girl. He was oblivious to all of it. The more she struggled, the more brutal he became.
There was a woman. I could see her silhouette in the moonlight. She was trying to round up the loose pigs and headed toward the couple on the ground, but she stopped and seemed to turn away. I shouted, then, to get her attention, but it seemed she would still be too late. The bastard had his hand over the girl’s face, to stop her from crying out. I had no alternative. I stepped out of hiding and landed my boot in his ribs. It winded him, enough to allow the wench to get free of his clutches. Then the woman was suddenly there. She confronted the attacker, and never even saw me as I slid back into the undergrowth. It was myintention then to slip away and continue my journey, but I could not simply leave her.”
Taranc paused and allowed himself a wry chuckle. “I need not have worried. The man continued to rant at the woman in the Norse tongue but she had nothing to say to him at all as far as I could tell. She simply waited until you had left, Brynhild, then she stepped forward, her dagger in her hand, and she gutted him with it."
Brynhild could not breathe. She gaped at Taranc. "She… did what?"
"It was quick, I grant you that. I doubt he felt much, nor even saw it coming. One moment he was on his feet, haranguing the lady, the next he was in a crumpled heap at her feet. I do not think she believed his delusional ravings, and she certainly did not allow him to live to repeat his lies to others."
"So it is true. Heisdead? All this time, he has been dead?" Brynhild whispered.
"Yes, sweetheart. He is dead."
"Are you sure?"
"I am. I could see that she could not dispose of the body without help so I showed myself and offered my aid in exchange for food and clothing, a weapon. The lady was agreeable to my terns so I carried the remains to the cliff edge and flung the worthless bastard into the sea. He was dead all right, you may be quite sure of that."
Brynhild sank back in her chair. "She did not let him go? She was not tolerant, not lenient with him?"
Taranc shook his head. "Oh no, that she was not. She killed him on the spot for what he did to you. Of course, I did not have the opportunity to know her well, but the impression I had was that Solveig loved you very much and would do anything to protect you. She was not disappointed in you, my Viking, andshe blamed the one who was responsible. She was no fool, and you take after her. She would be very proud of you.”
“Why did you not tell me of this, when I first told you about Aelbeart?”
“I did not see the girl clearly. She was never more than a shadow, and I had never been to Skarthveit before so did not recognise the place. It had changed a great deal by the time I was there next. The barn where all this occurred was gone…”
“Yes, my father had it cleared and built a new one.”
“And you never saw me. You never even knew that another Celt was also there.”
“No,“ agreed Brynhild. “But it was because of you that Aelbeart lost his grip on me and I was able to escape. Because you attacked him, distracted him for a moment until my mother arrived. Even then, when you did not know me and you might have been captured you still helped me.”
“I could not let him hurt you. Had Solveig not arrived when she did, I would have done more.”
