"And didst thou have speech with her on this matter?"
"Somewhat."
Now Gudruda drew herself away from Eric"s side.
"What was the purport of thy speech?" she said, looking down. "Speak truly, Eric."
"It came to little," he answered. "I told her that there was one in Iceland to whom I was betrothed, and to Iceland I must go."
"And what said this Elfrida, then?"
"She said that I should get little luck at the hands of Gudruda the Fair. Moreover, she asked, should my betrothed be faithless to me, or put me from her, if I should come again to England."
Now Gudruda looked him in the face and spoke. "Say, Eric, is it in thy mind to sail for England in the spring, if thou canst escape thy foes so long?"
Now Eric took counsel with himself, and in his love and doubt grew guileful as he had never been before. For he knew well that Gudruda had this weakness--she was a jealous woman.
"Since thou dost put me from thee, that is in my mind, lady," he answered.
Gudruda heard. She thought on the great and beauteous Lady Elfrida, far away in England, and of Eric walking at her side, and sorrow took hold of her. She said no word, but fixed her dark eyes on Brighteyes" face, and lo! they filled with tears.
Eric might not bear this sight, for his heart beat within him as though it would burst the byrnie over it. Suddenly he stretched out his arms and swept her to his breast. Soft and sweet he kissed her, again and yet again, and she struggled not, though she wept a little.
"It is small blame to me," she whispered, "if thou dost hold me on thy breast and kiss me, for thou art more strong than I. Bjorn must know this if his dead eyes see aught. Yet for thee, Eric, it is the greatest shame of all thy shames."
"Talk not, my sweet; talk not," said Eric, "but kiss thou me: for thou knowest well that thou lovest me yet as I love thee."
Now the end of it was that Gudruda yielded and kissed him whom she had not kissed for many years.
"Loose me, Eric," she said; "I would speak with thee," and he loosed her, though unwillingly.
"Hearken," she went on, hiding her fair face in her hands: "it is true that for life and death I love thee now as ever--how much thou mayest never know. Though Bjorn be dead at thy hands, yet I love thee; but how I may wed thee and not win the greatest shame, that I know not. I am sure of one thing, that we may not bide here in Iceland. Now if, indeed, thou lovest me, listen to my rede. Get thee back to Mosfell, Eric, and sit there in safety through this winter, for they may not come at thee yonder on Mosfell. Then, if thou art willing, in the spring I will make ready a ship, for I have no ship now, and, moreover, it is too late to sail. Then, perchance, leaving all my lands and goods, I will take thy hand, Eric, and we will fare together to England, seeking such fortune as the Norns may give us. What sayest thou?"
"I say it is a good rede, and would that the spring were come."
"Ay, Eric, would that the spring were come. Our lot has been hard, and I doubt much if things will go well with us at the last. And now thou must hence, for presently the serving-women will come to seek me.
Guard thyself, Eric, as thou lovest me--guard thyself, and beware of Swanhild!" Then once more they kissed soft and long, and Eric went.
But Gudruda sat a while behind the screen of reeds, and was very happy for a s.p.a.ce. For it was as though the winter were past and summer shone upon her heart again.
XXVII
HOW GUDRUDA WENT UP TO MOSFELL
Eric walked warily till he came to the dell where he had left Skallagrim and the horses. It was the same dell in which Groa had brewed the poison-draught for Asmund the Priest and Unna, Thorod"s daughter.
"What news, lord?" said Skallagrim. "Thou wast gone so long that I thought of seeking thee. Hast thou seen Gudruda?"
"Ay," said Eric, "and this is the upshot of it, that in the spring we sail for England and bid farewell to Iceland and our ill luck."
"Would, then, that it were spring," said Skallagrim, speaking Brighteyes" own words. "Why not sail now and make an end?"
"Gudruda has no ship and it is late to take the sea. Also I think that she would let a time go by because of the blood-feud which she has against me for the death of Bjorn."
"I would rather risk these things than stay the winter through in Iceland," said Skallagrim, "it is long from now to spring, and yon wolf"s den is cold-lying in the dark months, as I know well."
"There is light beyond the darkness," said Eric, and they rode away.
Everything went well with them till late at night they came to the slopes of Mosfell. They were half asleep on their horses, being weary with much riding, and the horses were weary also. Suddenly, Skallagrim, looking up, caught the faint gleam of light from swords hidden behind some stones.
"Awake, lord!" he cried, "here are foes ahead."
Gizur"s folk behind the stones heard his voice and came out from their ambush. There were six of them, and they formed in line before the pair.
They were watching the mountain, for a rumour had reached them that Eric was abroad, and, seeing him, they had hidden hastily behind the stones.
"Now what counsel shall we take?" said Eric, drawing Whitefire.
"We have often stood against men more than six, and sometimes we have left more men than six to mark where we stood," answered Skallagrim. "It is my counsel that we ride at them!"
"So be it," said Eric, and he spurred his weary horse with his heels.
Now when the six saw Eric and Skallagrim charge on them boldly, they wavered, and the end of it was that they broke and fled to either side before a blow was struck. For it had come to this pa.s.s, so great was the terror of the names of Eric Brighteyes and Skallagrim Lambstail, that no six men dared to stand before them in open fight.
So the path being clear they rode on up the slope. But when they had gone a little way, Skallagrim turned his horse, and mocked those who had lain in ambush, saying:
"Ye fight well, ye carles of Gizur, Ospakar"s son! Ye are heroes, surely! Say now, mighty men, will ye stand there if I come down alone against you?"
At these words the men grew mad with wrath, and flung their spears.
Skallagrim caught one on his shield and it fell to the earth, but another pa.s.sed over his head and struck Eric on the left shoulder, near the neck, making a deep wound. Feeling the spear fast in him, Eric grasped it with his right hand, drew it forth, and turning, hurled it so hard, that the man before it got his death from the blow, for his shield did not serve to stay it. Then the rest fled.
Skallagrim bound up Eric"s wound as well as he could, and they went on to the cave. But when Eric"s folk, watching above, saw the fight they ran down and met him. Now the hurt was bad and Eric bled much; still, within ten days it healed up for the time.
But a little while after Eric"s wound was skinned over, the snows set in on Mosfell, and the days grew short and the nights long. Once Gizur"s men to the number of fifty came half way up the mountain to take it; but, when they saw how strong the place was, they feared, and went back, and after that returned no more, though they always watched the fell.
It was very dark and lonesome there upon the fell. For a while Eric kept in good heart, but as the days went by he grew troubled. For since he was wounded this had come upon him, that he feared the dark, and the death of Atli at his hand and Atli"s words weighed more and more upon his mind. They had no candles on the fell, yet, rather than stay in the blackness of the cave, Eric would wrap sheepskins about him and sit by the edge of that gulf down which the head of the Baresark had foretold his fall, and look out at the wide plains and fells and ice-mountains, gleaming in the silver shine of the Northern lights or in the white beams of the stars.
It chanced that Eric had bidden the men who stayed with him to build a stone hut upon the flat s.p.a.ce of rock before the cave, and to roof it with turves. He had done this that work might keep them in heart, also that they might have a place to store such goods as they had gathered.
Now there was one stone lying near that no two men of their number could move, except Skallagrim and one other. One day, while it was light, Eric watched these two rolling the stone along to where it must stand, and it was slow work. Presently they stayed to rest. Then Eric came and putting his hands beneath the stone, lifted, and while men wondered, he rolled the ma.s.s alone, to where it should be set as the corner stone of the hut.
"Ye are all children," he said, and laughed merrily.
"Ay, when we set our strength against thine, lord," answered Skallagrim; "but look: the blood runs from thy neck--the spear-wound has broken out afresh."
"So it is, surely," said Eric. Then he washed the wound and bound it up, thinking little of the matter.
But that night, according to his custom, Eric sat on the edge of the gulf and looked at the winter lights as they played over Hecla"s snows.
He was sad and heavy at heart, for he thought of Gudruda and wondered much if they should live to wed. Remembering Atli"s words, he had little faith in his good luck. Now as Eric sat and thought, the bandage on his neck slipped, so that the hurt bled, and the frost got hold of the wound and froze it, and froze his long hair to it also, in such fashion that when he went to the cave where all men slept, he could not loose his hair from the sore, but lay down with it frozen to him. On the morrow the hair was caked so fast about his neck that it could only be freed by shearing it. But this Eric would not suffer. None, he said, should shear his hair, except Gudruda. Thus he had sworn, and when he broke the oath misfortune had come of it. He would break that vow no more, if it cost him his life. For sorrow and his ill luck had taken so great a hold of Eric"s mind that in some ways he was scarcely himself.