‘I know.’ He lowered her down to the ground as soon as they were inside the last reasonably solid longhouse, where the other man was already inspecting the rafters. ‘That doesn’t matter now, but what were you were thinking, coming here alone, without telling anyone? You don’t have to do everything alone any more, Sissa.’
‘I know. I’m sorry.’
‘Sorry?’ Danr removed his cloak and draped it around her shoulders, soggy as it was. ‘Sorry isn’t good enough. Here, drink this.’ He handed her a flask of ale. ‘And don’t think you—’
‘Are you one of his brothers?’ she interrupted, glancing towards the other man, unwilling to be scolded in front of an audience.
‘I’m Brandt.’
‘The one who threatened to cut out his tongue?’
‘The same.’ His lips almost, but not quite, twitched. ‘Not that threatening him ever worked.’
‘I know. I’m Sissa.’
‘My new sister, I guessed.’ He looked her over with interest. ‘Let him bluster for a bit. He was truly worried. He almost lamed himself and two horses trying to get here.’
‘Really?’
‘What do you think?’ Danr sounded angry now. ‘Hilda said you just walked out of the village one day and then Joarr said there was no sign of you in the forest. I was afraid you might have fallen off a mountainside or something.’ His expression became anguished. ‘If we hadn’t arrived back when we did...’
‘I’ll go and find some firewood.’ Brandt made for the doorway again.
‘I really am sorry.’ Sissa reached for Danr’s hand. ‘I shouldn’t have left.’
‘No, you shouldn’t. Was it so hard being around people?’
She made a face. ‘It wasn’t easy, but then Hilda mentioned us building a hall and having children...’ She swallowed. ‘I panicked. I thought that maybe you’d lied about not telling me what to do. That’s why I went back to the forest. Only once I got there, I decided to trust you instead. I was going to go back, but I wanted to come here first.’
The angry look in his eye softened. ‘Why?’
‘To fetch something.’ She reached into her cloak and pulled out a wooden tafl figure. ‘My father carved this king when I was a girl. All the things I took from here belonged to other people. I never took anything from my own home. It was too painful to be reminded of my family.’
‘And now?’
‘Now I want to move on—and you kept saying we needed a game. I thought we could add this to the pieces you’ve already carved.’ There was a roll of thunder in the distance and she made a face. ‘Although I admit this probably wasn’t the best time to come.’
‘At least I found you. I’ve never been so scared in my whole life as I’ve been in the past few hours. Even that day in Maerr.’ He cupped her face in his hands, pressing his lips to her forehead and pulling her close. ‘Do you really love me?’
‘I do.’ She nuzzled her face against his neck. ‘Enough to live in a hall if that’s what you want?’
‘Who said I want that?’
‘No one, but—’
‘I told you, we’ll make decisions together, and we’ll live wherever you want. In a tree or a cave or...’
‘Here.’
‘Here?’ He looked around at the dilapidated building.
‘Well, not here, exactly, but close by. You said it was a good position. We could build our own longhouse.’
‘I’ll build you ten longhouses if that’s what you really want.’ He grinned. ‘And we’ll just go back to the forest whenever Hilda and I want to kill each other.’
‘So every other day?’ She laughed. ‘That sounds perfect.’
‘Sissa.’ The look in his eyes heated as he placed one hand beneath her chin, tilting it upwards so he could lower his lips to hers...