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‘Can a woman vouch for a man’s identity?’ he declared, banging his stick on the ground. ‘The traditions of Raumerike allow for men to vouch for an identity, but a woman? It is unprecedented. Women and thralls are easily led and their judgement suspect. Raumerike law and tradition allows for twelve men, not a single woman, to vouch for a man’s identity. I have not heard a single man speak in favour of this...this Viken!’
A low murmur travelled swiftly around the hall. Kara froze. Why had Harald Haraldson cast doubt on Ash’s identity? Did he want his nephew dead?
‘We are talking about my husband’s life! Your beloved nephew!’ Kara retorted before Harald Haraldson could garner any support. ‘Would you have me deny my husband? What sort of troll wife would I be then?’
‘I would have you declare the right man as your husband, Niece by marriage,’ Harald Haraldson said, his smile turning to a gloating smirk as laughter rippled through the crowd.
Kara raised her clenched fist and knew whatever Harald Haraldson wanted, she wanted the opposite. ‘This man is my husband. Reports of his death were wrong. Wrong, I tell you.’
‘All we have is your word, Kara Olofdottar.’ Ash’s uncle pursed his thin lips. ‘Ash Hringson tragically perished in the sea. We’ve all heard the saga his father commissioned. Can the dead return to life? Or is this man an impostor sent to prey on a vulnerable woman? We all know about the demons your mother battled.’
‘My wits have never been questioned. Mistakes have happened before,’ Kara stated in ringing tones as her stomach knotted. This was most definitely not how today was supposed to have gone.
‘Indeed. I seek to save you from a grievous one.’ Harald Haraldson spread out his gnarled hands. ‘We must take our time and be sure. Investigate this claim slowly and carefully without womanly hysterics.’
Kara stiffened. Harald Haraldson would stall on the enquiry and in the meantime would press for the king to award him the lands which he considered rightfully his, but which really belonged to Ash and their son. He might even find a reason why Ash should be banished for ever or even killed.
She refused to hand Harald Haraldson an easy victory. Somehow, she had to figure out a way to fight for Ash and give him back his life. Later, she’d sort out the marriage and what that meant for her and Ash. She was doing this for their son.
‘A woman knows her husband from a place deep within her soul. There is no need for a further investigation when one is as sure as I am,’ she said when she knew she had her temper under control. ‘You must know him, as well, unless you have gone blind and deaf, Uncle!’
Harald Haraldson only grunted.
‘Kara Olofdottar is within her rights to speak on this matter,’ the priest declared after an embarrassed silence where no one else spoke. ‘Who could know a man better than his wife? Her words must hold weight.’
She turned towards the crowd, seeking a friendly face or two. ‘Hear my words and mark them well, all of you. The man who stands before you is my husband. Lift the scales from your eyes. See that this man can be none other than Ash Hringson. How many horses have I saved through my skill? Or falcons’ wings fixed? How many people have I sewn up? How many times in the last few years have I ensured that timber or wool was delivered on time? Have I ever failed to honour a single agreement?’
A few started to murmur in the crowd.
‘This is Ash Hringson, the man who was once my husband,’ Kara continued steadily, knowing everyone was finally listening to her, including Ash. Her voice wasn’t going to vanish as it had when she was a girl and forced to speak in front of an audience. She was a grown woman with responsibilities now. ‘I can see his birthmark and his voice sounds the same as I remember it, but more importantly something deep within me tells me that this is him. Why it took him such a length of time to return is a tale he alone can tell. Who will join me in recognising him and welcoming him back to Raumerike?’
She waited expectantly, but no one moved or cried out.
‘What a thing to be recognised by one’s own wife who is about to remarry, but no one else,’ Ash said with his old dry humour to his voice.
The sound clawed at her heart and she had to look up at the ceiling. But still no one spoke. Most kept their eyes to the ground, though one or two stared defiantly at him.
‘You were the one who wished this done today, Lady Kara,’ Harald Haraldson said, rising to his feet again. ‘Shall we end this deception? My lord king and good nobles, I have no idea why Kara Olofdottar entered into this deception with this Viken, but something must be done to halt her perfidious scheme before she endangers the entire country. What other dealings has she had with our old enemy? What mischief does she wish to unleash on this country?’
The colour drained from Ash’s face, making his scars stand out as he recognised the gravity of his situation. Kara stared open-mouthed at Harald Haraldson. He had twisted the situation to suit his purpose. If she wasn’t careful, Harald Haraldson would seek to gain control of Jaarlshiem, using this as a pretext to attack the estate and hold it under the pretence of the safety of the realm.
‘My loyalty to Raumerike is without question,’ she snapped. ‘This is no act of Viken treachery.’
Harald Haraldson raised an eyebrow. ‘All I asked for was a little delay. Suddenly you speak of loyalty and treachery. I vote to err on the side of caution and tradition.’
‘Will no one else recognise this man as my husband?’ Kara held out her hands to the crowd, trying to pick out faces. ‘I trust my husband’s uncle has his own reasons for wishing Ash to remain dead, but what about the rest of you? Why do you wish Ash Hringson dead?’
The silence was deafening. Kara’s heart plummeted. What had she expected? For the entire Storting to stand up and declare for her, simply because she had asked? It wasn’t how the world worked. She’d stopped believing in miracles when Rurik was born.
She wished the ground would open and swallow her. Maybe she should have erred on the side of caution, but it would have been wrong to deny her husband. Silently she fumed at how neatly she’d been trapped.
A man dressed in rough farming clothes stood up. ‘Kara Olofdottar has vouched for him, I believe her. She cured my horse of lameness last spring and I know she always tells the truth. She never gives short measures with her grain.’ He gave Ash’s uncle a hard look. ‘Unlike others I could mention.’
After he stood, ten other men stood up. All they needed was one more.
‘I will vouch for him, as well. Kara Olofdottar must not be punished for speaking the truth,’ Valdar thundered beside her. He, too, gave a significant look towards Ash’s uncle before nodding at Ash. ‘You have your twelve men, Hringson. You are alive again in the eyes of Raumerike.’
‘The priest needs to decide,’ Ash’s uncle thundered. ‘Is this a proper way to conduct affairs? Are we to be led by women in skirts?’
Kara put her hand over her mouth and waited for the decision.
‘The gods have spoken. Kara Olofdottar has vouched that this man is indeed Ash Hringson, formerly declared dead, and twelve have agreed with her,’ the priest intoned after staring at the altar for a lifetime. ‘You are alive, Ash Hringson, according to Raumerike law. You may enjoy all the benefits of your former status.’
‘And the marriage?’ Ash’s face appeared to be carved from stone. ‘A woman, even a woman as beautiful as Kara Olofdottar, may not have two husbands. Do you accept my claim to her?’
The entire crowd laughed. A hot tide swept up Kara’s face. Easy words—that was all they were. Ash didn’t mean them, just as he had not meant the compliments he had given her seven years ago. Her father-in-law had demonstrated that fact when she’d fought for Rurik’s life. Ash had always used charm and flattery to get what he wanted.
Ice-cold anger swept through her. She might have recognised Ash but it didn’t mean she had forgiven him for what he’d done or how long it had taken him to return home. She would not revert to the starry-eyed naïve girl she had once been.
‘The marriage between Valdar Nerison and Kara Olofdottar will not take place today,’ the priest confirmed. ‘Ash Hringson has returned to the land of the living.’
‘This is not the end,’ Harald Haraldson said, rising to his feet. ‘I will ensure a proper investigation is held into where this man’s allegiance truly lies. I refuse to harbour a Viken viper in our bosom. Our country’s security should not be put at risk by this...this reckless woman.’
Without waiting for an answer, he stormed out of the hall. The room burst into pandemonium and a crowd of well-wishers swept Ash up, hoisting him on their shoulders and parading him about the room.
Kara stood at the altar, numb and shocked, unable to make any plans or even think straight as the noise surrounding Ash grew louder. Trust Ash to cause the most mischief and chaos that he could. He delighted in things like that.
They might be married, but it was not going to be the same sort of marriage that they’d once had. Her days of longing for approval and thinking he was her ultimate hero and saviour were over. No more. She had grown up. She required a good man by her side, helping her to farm the land and bring her son up, rather than one who went off to find glory. Someone steady and safe like Valdar, rather than someone who was only interested in their personal comfort or good fortune.
‘Thank you, Valdar,’ she said quietly, turning away from the spectacle Ash had created and looking directly at her former fiancé who had remained beside her. ‘I appreciate what you just did. Despite Harald Haraldson’s outburst, I know Ash will be a true Raumerike subject. He has only come back to claim what is his, not overthrow the king. He is no Viken viper.’
‘Kara?’ Valdar regarded her with an intent expression. ‘Why didn’t you tell me that there was a possibility that your husband might be alive? You should have trusted me with that knowledge, rather than allowing this to happen. Steps could have been taken.’
‘Tell you what?’ The crown pressed harder against her forehead and she struggled to control her anger at this latest injustice. Did he truly think she had arranged this near fiasco? That she wanted this? She had envisioned today ending very differently. ‘You must know that I intended to be a good wife. I thought him dead, like everyone else. The dead simply do not come back to life. Or at least until today...’
‘Your husband has returned. You recognised him without hesitation. Normally in these cases, there is an investigation. I thought maybe you had arranged in advance...’
‘I’m as surprised as anyone to see him alive,’ she snapped and instantly regretted her tone as Valdar looked very hurt and concerned. Whosever fault it was, it wasn’t Valdar’s. She sighed. ‘I’m sorry, Valdar. I don’t know what to say. Believe me.’
He squeezed her hand. ‘I hope you are right, Kara, as you will be the one married to him. You’ll have to share his fate if it is proven that he is a Viken spy or worse. This is the first time I’ve seen you act impulsively in the four years we’ve known each other.’
Kara closed her eyes. Valdar only knew the new Kara, not the one who had married Ash as quickly as she could in case he changed his mind.
‘I can’t marry you, Valdar.’ Kara pressed her trembling hands together. ‘I’m sorry. It appears I already have a husband. You deserve someone better.’
‘Why would I want anyone else?’ Valdar raised her hand to his lips.
‘Find your own wife, Valdar Nerison! This one is taken!’ Ash called from behind her.
‘Please, Valdar. I hate scenes.’
Valdar dropped her hand and took a step backwards. ‘At your command, my lady.’
The hurt in his eyes tore at Kara’s heart. She’d only considered the marriage for Rurik’s sake, but he seemed to have truly desired it. She hated that she’d wounded him.
Ash raised his arm and requested silence. The hall hushed instantly. ‘I have been recognised and welcomed back. I assume a wedding feast will have been prepared. It should now become a welcome-home feast. I look forward to drinking toasts with each and every one of you. I bear none ill will or malice. But would it be too much to ask for time alone with my wife before someone else attempts to steal her from under my nose?’
The entire chamber laughed as Kara fumed. Ash had them in the palm of his hand, just as he always had. Hring had sworn his son had been born with a tongue which could charm the birds from trees, never mind the maidens into his bed.
The last thing she wanted was to be alone with Ash.
Before Kara could object, the priest nodded his assent and indicated that they should use his antechamber.
‘We should go to the feast. People will want to greet you,’ she said in desperation. ‘Someone should be there to supervise.’
‘Shall we go from here, wife?’ Ash gave an elaborate bow, but his eyes remained colder than a glacier. ‘The men will not miss us for the brief time it will take to exchange our private greetings. The food and drink will flow whether you are there or not.’
‘Do you wish me to come with you?’ Valdar asked in an undertone. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. ‘I’m here if you need me, Kara. The priest will allow it if I ask. I want...I want to be your champion.’
Kara pressed her hand to her mouth. If she had ever had any doubts about Valdar, they vanished now. Not only had he been willing to recognise Ash, but he was also willing to fight for her. She truly had not deserved him. She wished that she felt something more than simple friendship for him. She wished she had been marrying him because she loved him, instead of to provide protection for her son.
‘How touching, Valdar.’ Ash’s voice could freeze icicles. ‘But my wife has no need of any champion except for me.’
‘That is for the Lady Kara to decide.’
‘I will be fine,’ she whispered back. ‘Fear is not something I have ever associated with Ash.’
Valdar bowed low. ‘Remember, Kara, I wanted to marry you, not the jaarldom. There is always divorce.’
‘I could never...’ Her throat closed. How could she have mistaken his intentions so badly? Somehow it made everything worse. She had nearly repeated the same mistake as seven years ago, only in reverse. Did that make her as wicked as Ash had been? ‘It depends on...’
Valdar nodded, understanding that she could never leave Rurik. In any divorce, the children stayed with the father. Ever since she had first felt Rurik move within her womb, she’d loved him unconditionally. She could not simply leave him with a father who was likely to leave on some adventure again, abandoning him. Equally she knew she could not stay with Ash as she once had, looking for the best in everything and instantly forgiving her hero anything.
‘Shall we go?’ Kara said with icy deliberateness. ‘You have much to explain.’
Ash put his hand on the small of her back, pulling her close. His lips angled down. She turned her face. A tiny tremor went through her as they brushed her cheek. She stiffened, but his hand kept her close.
‘As do you,’ he murmured, giving Valdar a significant look. ‘Wouldn’t want anyone to think we weren’t the happy reunited couple, would we?’
Kara clamped her mouth shut and knew his touch on her back was about possession rather than any real affection and that she might have made the biggest mistake of her life when she’d acknowledged him.
Chapter Three
‘I owe you a life debt,’ Ash said the instant he was alone with Kara in the priest’s antechamber and before she had a chance to start shouting at him about how long he’d been gone.
With its collection of bowls, pitchers and stores of incense, the antechamber was more a storage room than a place of worship. A particularly ugly sculpture of Thor wresting Loki dominated one side of the room. Hardly the place he’d envisioned greeting his wife properly, but it would have to do. Kara needed to understand that he was aware of what she had done and that he appreciated it.
Kara tore off the bridal crown and placed it on the table with a heavy clunk. Her blonde hair hung about her shoulders like a cloud of gold. ‘Of all the things to start with. No explanation or apology. You owe me nothing.’
Ash tensed. He had never seen Kara this angry or upset before. He’d expected her to be overjoyed that he had returned. And she was wrong—he owed her a huge debt.
The events in the temple could have easily gone the other way, endangering both their lives. He had never considered that his uncle would actively seek to deny his identity. His uncle had always encouraged him to chase adventure. Had he decided that the man who had returned was still not worthy of being called Hring Haraldson’s son? Or was it some power game that he knew nothing about? All Ash knew was that his uncle was now his enemy and, therefore, his family’s enemy, too.
‘I always pay my debts, Kara,’ he continued while she regarded him as if she wanted to wring his neck. He’d forgotten how beautiful she could be when aroused. ‘And you gave me back my life.’
‘How can I give back something you never lost?’ Her voice dripped with sarcasm. ‘Speaking the truth benefits everyone. Lies are always discovered. We did marry seven years ago. I’m pleased you finally remembered you had a waiting family in the midst of your adventuring.’
Ash struggled to control his temper. He’d always known he had a family. He’d endured the last six years of hell so he could return with his head held high and his honour intact...for his family. ‘What was going on out there, Kara?’
‘I was about to marry an honourable man. Generally that is what being a bride at a wedding means.’ Her deep-blue eyes blazed defiantly. ‘To the best of my knowledge, you died in a shipwreck, Ash.’
‘I promised you I would return.’
‘There are some promises people are unable to keep. I’ve learnt that lesson well, Ash.’ She slammed her fists together. ‘You must be aware how difficult it can be for a widow to survive.’
Ash rubbed the back of his neck. He supposed he deserved the rebuke. For as long as he could remember Kara had hung on his every word and adored him. When his father had ordered him to marry, Kara had been the natural choice. Safe. Comfortable. Always there and someone who believed in his dreams and him. He’d taken her for granted, just as he had all of his good fortune in those days. But when he’d been trapped in that dungeon with his men dying all about him, he’d known that he couldn’t return to Raumerike ruined and broken. He’d sent a message.
He tried to think if the Kara he remembered would have spoken in front of a crowd. His main memories of her were her soft crooning voice as she tended one of the sick animals she had found. Or blushing crimson when he stole a kiss.
‘Why did no one recognise me until you asked?’ he asked to keep his mind off uncomfortable thoughts.
She tilted her chin upwards. ‘If you wanted to be recognised without question, you should have returned sooner.’
‘I ran into complications.’ Ash waved a hand, dismissing the past seven years. The past was behind him. The less Kara knew of his struggles, the better. She only needed to know he’d returned a hero. She’d always loved a hero. ‘Why were you prepared to marry Valdar Nerison? He is the wrong sort of man for you.’
She batted her impossibly long lashes and her lips quirked upwards, but anger and bitterness blazed in her eyes. ‘How would you know what sort of man I require, Ash? Seven years, Ash, without word. Seven years is far too long.’
He silently counted to ten, rather than giving way to his temper. Did she really want the broken man he’d been after the dungeon? He could remember her last whispered words about making her proud and returning with gold in his purse. ‘Where is my father? Why wasn’t he there? Or doesn’t he approve of the proposed union?’
Stifling silence invaded the small room. Her expression changed from fury to one of sorrow and pity in an instant. His mind reeled. Ash braced himself, hoping against hope that he guessed wrong.
‘Your father collapsed when he learnt of your death. He never recovered the use of his limbs.’
‘No! I sent a message back. I thought he understood what I needed to do.’ Ash fell to his knees on the rushes. His entire body shook. One of the things that had driven him onwards was the thought that his father would finally have to admit that his son was worthy of being called a Raumerike warrior. His father would once again be able to hold up his head. All sense of shame would go. His father would realise the sort of man he’d become. And now he never would.
His father had always seemed as sturdy and steady as the oak which served as the family’s guardian tree or tuntreet. His father had collapsed when he thought his only son had died and never recovered. Never recovered. Ash’s mind shied from the word.
‘Can you take me to see him?’ he asked, hoping that his guess was wrong.
‘There is more.’
‘Don’t spare me. I want to know everything.’
‘You asked.’
Each new word rained a blow to Ash’s heart. His father was dead, but more importantly Kara had spent the last few years caring for his bedridden father.
‘He died last Jul-tide of a fever,’ she said, finishing. ‘I run Jaarlshiem the best I can, but the estate needs a master as well as a mistress. I refuse to lose my home, Ash, simply because I don’t have a man.’
