East of the Sun & West of the Moon: Chapter Five

           “She’s not going.”

            Magna stood before Guatarr defiantly, Fafner by her side with his arms crossed, both glaring at Guatarr and his outright refusal. Aala stood by her mother quietly, hands clasped in front of her. A small bag of the girl’s clothes and belongings sat at Magna’s feet where she had dropped them.

            Magna’s face was bloated with indignation, “Why not? You should take Aala along with you. This merchant is obviously rich, he can handle another servant.”

            “I will not impose on him. I will ask him, but I will not promise anything.” The man really did not want to deal with this right now. Not today. He had to placate his wife and children with lies, try to think of something to say to his daughter to earn her forgiveness.

            Fafner grunted, “Just tell the man he doesn’t even have to pay ‘er. Just feedin’ ‘er should be enough. Right Aala?”

            The child spoke as if rehearsed, “I’ll work hard. I won’t eat much. I’ll do what I’m told. Please let me go.”

            “Aala, child.” Guatarr sighed, “You can’t go.” Looking up at his brother and sister-in-law he added forcefully, “She’s not going with us. I’ll ask the merchant, and if he agrees, then I’ll come back and take Aala myself.”

            Fafner squinted his eyes, looking over his aspirated brother. Fafner had tried to argue about going as well, but the farm couldn’t handle the lack of hands. He seemed to nod in contentment, but Magna continued to glare. She tried to push the issue, that her “sweet, darling Aala wouldn’t be a burden” but Guatarr still refused. Fafner had to drag his wife away, and Guatarr went to grab a cup of mead.

            He couldn’t help but feel sorry for Aala, as she picked up her things with tears in her eyes. 

            But the merchant wasn’t real, and they were playing with fire as it was.

           

            Julia had given Petrus the arrow, as a promise to return home. He raised a brow but held it as she looked over her things one last time. Food for the journey, a flask for water, a bundle of spare clothes, a few spare sewing needles, a hunting knife, and of course the flute.

            The gold coin was still in her pocket. She was going to keep it with her just in case Asbjorn changed his mind and left her in the middle of nowhere. She also felt nervous leaving it behind. Copper pennies were expected, normal wages. Gold would have raised eyebrows and caused a tidal wave of questions.

            A part of her wondered if it was real, or a fae trick.

            They would leave in the morning, heading into the direction of the lord’s manor and town. It would take a handful of days to get there and back, so her father was going to make the most of the trip and buy supplies. The coin bag the bear had left him jingled with enough money to salvage their farm.

            She was allowed to rest that day, sleeping in, eating elk meat, and playing her flute. Julia had been getting better at it the more time she had to practice. The tiny toddlers and children too young to work sat nearby, demanding songs and dancing.

            Auntie Magna would watch her from the corner of her eye but wouldn’t comment on such “laziness”. Rekkr didn’t talk to her much at all. Aala wouldn’t look anyone in the eye. 

            Julia kept her own distance, unwilling to break this “silent” treatment. It was more of a blessing, and she had to cover her smile from Auntie Magna’s constant staring as she thought of it. She only felt bad for Aala.

As the day ended, and everyone started going to bed, she hugged her brothers tightly, promising to send gifts. Her mother had held on the longest, tears in her eyes as she asked Julia to be careful.

Uncle Ordic and Auntie Eleni spoke their goodbyes and well wishes. Uncle Fafner made a gruff sound and nodded towards his brother, reminding him to talk to the merchant. Magna left saying nothing. Their children had already disappeared after supper.

Julia couldn’t get to sleep that night, as much as she tried. Excitement and fear kept her in the waking world, and she found herself prodding at her magical tethers. In her mind’s eye, she knew the bear was near, but still quite a distance away. Images of the forest flashed before her eyes, letting her know of his rough location.

Was he asleep? Was he aware of her as much as she was of him?

She mentally let go of the magic seal, fearing she would wake him accidentally.

A trickle of amusement echoed deep within herself, followed by a soft command.

Sleep, you must rest. I’ll answer your questions tomorrow.

She blinked in surprise, but the effect was immediate. Magic flowed over her; weariness finally allowed to overcome excitement.

Good—goodnight? She thought, mind drifting. She wondered if he could read her mind. And maybe she should be worried about that, but she was already losing consciousness.

Good night.

They walked together towards the lord’s castle and fortress. The rift between them was filled with absolute silence. Julia didn’t speak to him beyond short answers. Guatarr couldn’t find the words to make things right.

And maybe there wasn’t any.

She had seemed calmer, suddenly reasonable. He had hoped it meant she saw things his way and was willing to forgive. But things weren’t so simple. She was willing to save her brothers and her mother; she would have even accepted being sold to an actual merchant.

But being sold to a fae, no matter how generous, and not telling her until the last minute was such a blow that she demanded time to heal.

So, he said nothing.

Asbjorn felt her leave her home early that morning, heading towards the human lord’s domain. He followed the pair as they traveled parallel to the forests.

Julia would look in his direction periodically, and he pinged their tether to let her know he was nearby. She didn’t yet know how to use the magic contract between them, so he felt pulses of excitement, anxiety, and traces of fear from the girl.

He had to keep back his own fears as well.

The family was poor, but he’d seen worse. Daughters more desperate than Julia had given themselves up to him. They too, had failed.

Time was running out.

They had traveled for an hour before she felt her magic tether pull her towards the forest line.

“I think we should make a stop.” She gestured at the forest, nodding at his look.

“He wants to meet us over there.”

“Aye, I thought he had been following us.”

They altered their path, stepping over bushes and rocks to enter the forest. It didn’t take long for them to find Asbjorn.

The massive white bear stood patiently waiting for them. Her father halted behind her, but she didn’t stop.

Julia nodded to the bear, “Good morning, Asbjorn.”

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

She turned to look at her father, of whom seemed surprised to hear her speak the fae’s name. She waited a moment, giving him a chance to say something.

After a few false starts, he merely told her, “Be safe.”

She nodded, quietly disappointed he couldn’t manage more.

“You and your family have nothing to worry about, Guatarr. She will be safe.” Rumbled Asbjorn.

“Thank you.”

Both the girl and bear turned to leave in silence, her father staring after them until they disappeared behind the trees.

Asbjorn paused mid-step, his head tilting and ears twitching, but carried on with an intrigued hum.

 “What is it, sir?”

“Oh, nothing, Julia. By the way, did you happen to leave that arrow of yours at home?”

“I-I did, why? Should I have brought it?”

“Oh, no, I was just curious. Did you have a nice time with your family?”

“Yes sir, I did. Thank you for the elk.” She looked at him from the corner of her eye.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I intend to help where I can.”

“And I’ll work hard to thank you, sir.”

He stopped after they had walked deeper into the forest, causing her to halt abruptly.

“I think this is far enough.” Before her terrified mind could think the worst, he kneeled before her. He looked at her expectantly, “We’ll move faster if you get on my back.”

“You want me to ride you?”

“We’ll never get there in time if you don’t. It’s quite alright.” He leaned his head down, “Go ahead.”

Hesitantly, and with a secret thrill, Julia reached out to touch his fur. It was so soft and long---and thick. Her hand disappeared as her fingers tentatively combed through the thick mass. With a start she realized she had been petting him rather than climbing on, even though he made no comment.

Ears burning red, she climbed on top of his back, and he got up from his crouch. Riding on top of a giant creature was awkward, Julia had to get used to the swaying and pace. Tree branches that she flinched from pulled back at the last second to let them pass unabated. She relaxed, getting used to the constant motion and looking down from her vantage view.  

But once Asbjorn felt her ease, he started to pick up speed. Julia yelped as the wind began to pull against her the faster they went, causing her to lean over the bear’s back and grasp his fur.

“Hold on!” The bear’s voice rumbled beneath her, and she took it as permission to grasp harder, turning her knuckles white.

Asbjorn was gaining speed, trees passing by rapidly, everything blurring to greens and browns. The air grew thick with magic, and without looking up, Julia could sense they were running out the other side of the forest itself.

She peeked over his shoulders to see them rocket away from the trees and continue up the mountainside. Julia had a sense of foreboding as they continued to climb up the side without stopping.

“Asbjorn?” She called weakly, and even though the wind should have taken her voice, he still answered. She felt more than heard his words.

“It’s alright, Julia, just don’t let go.”

Her body clenched, but she couldn’t look away as they reached the top.

The wind had picked up, blowing her hair in wild directions.

They ran out of mountain.

And then there was nothing but air.

She couldn’t look down, even though Asbjorn’s legs had continued to move at a brisk pace. There shouldn’t have been anything for him to climb.

The wind was even stronger than before, pulling, unraveling, and tangling her hair, but not pulling her off the bear’s back. I could too, she felt it tease in her mind.

Mentally, she felt the magic of the wind itself roll through her mind like a wisp of air. It twirled around the magic tether she had with Asbjorn and faded away with soft, airy laughter. But the bear’s magic didn’t.

Slowly, she raised her head, blinking and squinting her eyes from the strength of the wind, but it felt muted.

The sight took her breath away.

They were above the clouds, and Asbjorn ran through them as though they were merely snow-covered bushes. Carefully huddled in her seat, finding that she couldn’t move, the little human looked around her, watching the sun painted clouds go by.

When there was a break in the clouds, Asbjorn continued to run, causing her heart to beat faster. A scream grew thick in her throat, waiting for the moment where they fell to the earth.

But his paws merely dug into the wind without stopping, and Julia coughed from choking her scream.

“I have you, Julia. I won’t let you fall.” Assured Asbjorn, a feeling of calmness being brushed against her mind. If it was a magic spell being produced by the tether, she wholeheartedly took it, feeling her hammering heart quell to a soft beat.

Fear was replaced by curiosity, and she dearly wanted to ask about how fast they were going, how he was doing this, how long would they be flying like this, and so much more.

But neither did she want to distract him from what he was doing, so she watched as the sun rose above them as they traveled. The bear ran for hours, never slowing, and while she enjoyed watching the land pass beneath them, her back and neck felt strained.

And then they started to glide down when the land was mostly covered in snow, and the wind carried the full force of winter. She buried her face into Asbjorn’s fur, icy gales blowing down her back. She did not want to watch their descent, already hating the way her stomach dropped and her hair flowed up.

He landed on the ground again with a jolting thud.

She could hear his massive heart beat, the way he gasped for air. After a moment, she looked up to see mountains and wintry terrain everywhere. Why had they stopped here?

Noticing how he coughed, Julia asked, “Oh—are you okay?”

His legs shook with exertion, but he grunted.

“Yes, I’m alright, traveling on the North Wind merely takes a lot of magic.”

Still shaking, he walked towards a cropping of rocks.

“We’ll rest here for a moment; my home isn’t far.”

She noticed that her hands were still clamped onto clumps of his furs. She forced herself to uncurl her fingers and smooth the crinkled fur apologetically.

The rocks were able to shelter them from the wind, and as if waiting for them, there was a smooth slab of slate. Asbjorn settled himself onto the slab, and Julia made to get off his back. The moment she leaned over his side, however, her legs buckled the moment they touched the ground, and she fell beside him in a crumpled heap.

“Ow.” She groaned, her muscles tense and aching.

Asbjorn laughed, “You see traveling with me isn’t so simple, but you’ll get used to it the more we do.”

She sat up, rubbing her back, “It’s…fine. I told you I can handle it.” Julia reached into her bag; thankful it had survived the winds. She pulled out a bit of dried meat and offered Asbjorn some politely.

“No thank you. A meal will be ready for us but feel free to go ahead.”

The hours of her stomach feeling nothing but the mortal terror of falling had been replaced by a low hunger. It wasn’t the worst she had ever felt, but she nibbled on her food none the less.

It was peaceful. Quiet except for her thoughtful chewing and Asbjorn’s breathing. She had never traveled so far in her life, she doubted anyone in her family had either. She hadn’t recognized the lands they had passed, the bodies of water, the little specs of buildings and people.

Home was so far away, her family so far away.

The look on her face must have concerned him, as Asbjorn asked, “Are you afraid?”

“No, no I’m alright.”

            It took days for Guatarr to travel to town and pick animals that he would need. The market was mostly bare this time of year, the only thing worthy to sell was preserved goods, or animals. This time of fall, everything was scarce and expensive.

It was a blessing to find that the coin purse seemed to never run out. After he had bought flour off a nearby neighbor, the coins he had used had been replaced. The same occurred with the old mule and cart he had bought, which should have eaten most of the purse’s funds.

             

            He took advantage of it, getting hens, flour, food, and even fabric for new clothes. He was tempted, sorely tempted, to buy a cow, but settled with two female goats and a male goat. Too many questions would be raised if he bought a cow, or a horse.

             

           However, when he saw a cart selling meat pies, and feeling his stomach grumble, he reached in to grab a coin, but could find none. Frightened, he had looked inside, seeing the pennies, but when he went to reach for one, they disappeared.

            Puzzled, but the meaning slowly dawning on him, he experimented by going to a leather stall. His sons had worn through their shoes, and his Beyla kept herself inside the house wearing only thick socks. He grabbed enough leather for his family, reached into his pocket, and he could wrap his fingers around the coins once again.

            Once he let go of the bundle of leather and grabbed only enough for himself, the coins slipped from his fingers and felt back to the bottom of the coin purse.

            With a tight face, he paid for the leather for his family, a grim understanding settling within him.

            Julia had sacrificed herself in exchange for her family. Not him alone. 

            After filling the remaining space on the cart with hay and feed, Guatarr left for home to surprise his family.