"Darn thing."

Naya had been about to lift the hamper when a tunic fell back into the river. The others had stopped, but Naya sent her away.

"I'll get it! Go ahead! "She shouted to them, wading in the shallow waters of the tunic and swam away whenever she wanted to reach for the garment.

She swore softly and continued to wade.

Suddenly she saw a man come out of the woods and grab the tunic and wring it out. First Naya smiled, but then she recognized Jülf and her smile disappeared.

Ironically, Jülf!

He turned and walked towards her. He handed her the tunic and quickly took a step back when he noticed her gaze. That he stood up to his knees in the water did not seem to bother him.

He bowed slightly to her and touched his chest with his hand. But it looked different than the greeting she was used to from a nerd. She had to admit that he looked more elegant. He looked up and suddenly it was Naya, as if all the devious things had disappeared from him. He seemed more desperate now.

"I did not mean to scare you!" He remarked softly.

She shook her head.

"You have, but I thank you for catching the tunic for me."

He nodded.

"If you dare to start again, you have to pay attention to everything you have. And if it is just a tunic. I felt the same way back then. "

She raised an eyebrow.

"You felt the same way?"

He sighed softly and looked at his feet.

"I know you do not trust me. Neither you nor your husband. That's probably because Ingulf's men do not know everything about me. Still, I have a request to you and I dare to speak to you, though your husband will certainly break all my bones for it. "

He raised both hands as she took another step back.

"It's nothing wrong. I'm just asking you to follow me. I want to show you something. No more!"

Naya was still uncertain, but he looked honest. He talked to her as if she were a scared animal. His voice was reassuring, as if he had to do it more often.

For a moment she wrestled with herself. He had done nothing to her. She had to admit that. Of course he had thrown her eyes, but the other men had done the same.

She took a deep breath. She should not be so unfair. As a precaution she felt the knife that she always carried by her side. No one could kill her with that, but she could stop Jiilf and scream if it was reprehensible what he wanted to show her.

"What do you want to show me?"

He smiled and waded out of the water.

"Come along!"

He grabbed her basket and headed for the estate. Naya barely followed, but she listened to him. And he talked all the time, as if relieved that someone was finally listening.

"I know, it's unusual. But I'm worried now. Your husband seems to me at the moment as a gift from the gods. I know that he too does not trust me. I know that I never gave him a reason. If it was just me, I probably would not care, and I have to admit that in the beginning I was very angry with you ... "

Naya did not understand a word of what he said. What did Thorge have to do with all this?

He went to the longhouse, but did not use the entrance. Instead he hugged a girl in the basket.

"The laundry needs to be dried," he ordered curtly and it ran away after it nodded.

He turned back to Naya, as if to make sure she was still there. He nodded to her and walked on.

Now Naya was curious. If he wanted something bad, he would not have given the girl her laundry. He had shown that Naya was walking with him. And the girl would certainly tell Thorge if he asked for her.

Jülf ran behind the longhouse. There was a kind of cultivation there. He looked strange. It looked as if it were several rooms, but each one was self-contained. At first, Naya would have thought it was a stable. But people were sitting in front of a few doors. At first glance, she thought Naya was old men or women. But when one of them raised his head, young eyes met her. It was a man, his hair was stinking with dirt, making it gray. His body was strangely deformed and he lacked an arm.

"Who are these people? Where are we?"

Jülf shrugged.

"Here live the men and women who were so seriously injured in raids that they can no longer be used. Ingulf lets her bring her here because they do not want to see her anymore. Your husband will not see these people. He is only presented with strength. "

Naya looked at him in horror.

"So Alda was right? She also said that people are being sorted out. "

He took a deep breath.

"Alda still has it. Ingulf's wife sorts out all who insult her eyes. Most of them can still work. But Herdi does not want her near her. You'll see it when she gets home. "

Naya looked skeptical.

"The woman on Ingulf's side is not his wife?"

Jülf laughed mockingly.

"No, she is one of the lovers that Herdi accepts. As soon as Herdi is home, Helga will disappear. "

He went to a door. Naya was startled. So far she had only ever seen Jülf in the nave. But now it seemed ...

"You live here?" She asked horrified.

Again he took a deep breath.

"That too is a long story. But I want to introduce you to someone before I tell you everything. "

He went into this Verhau. Naya could not call these rooms any different and she was ashamed that she lived in a large room, while men who had fought for Ingulf had to live their lives here.

It was stuffy in the room where she led Julie, and for a moment she doubted again whether it had been a good idea to just follow him without saying anything to Thorge.

Jülf did not pay any attention to Naya but went to a table in the dark and lit a candle.

The air in this room was stuffy and Naya coughed slightly. In the semi-darkness she recognized a small camp that was tidy and another with a pile of cloths on it. Everything was neat and clean, but just dark and stuffy.

"You do not seem to be here often!" She commented.

He shook his head.

"I'm here every night. But it is forbidden for us to take the sack from the window. "

She frowned.

"Us?"

He lit another candle and moved toward the pile of cloth.

"Salam, Leya! How are you today?"

Startled, Naya realized that the pile was moving and a grimy face was visible.

This pile of cloth was actually a woman. A young woman who now looked anxiously at Naya. She backed away as if Naya would attack her at any moment.

Jülf raised his hands reassuringly.

"Stay calm, Leya. She will not hurt you. It's the woman I told you about. Do you remember? The wife of the young Northman! "

Leya took turns looking from Jülf to Naya. There was panic in her eyes. Only when Jiilf took her hand and stroked her reassuringly did the panic diminish.

Naya slowly approached. She tried not to make a sound that she did not frighten the poor girl any more.

"Who is she?" She asked softly and sat down on the neat floor.

The girl was now clinging to Jülf's arm as she stared at Naya. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Jülf was still stroking her hand and wiping away her tears.

"If you hear the men, then she is my wife. A slave, for which I was chased in disgrace. "

Naya raised her head in alarm. If a North man dared to do such a thing ...

"But that's not true?"

Jülf shook his head.

"No! But I leave everyone in the faith to protect Leya. Before, I spent her as my sister. "

He told her a story of how he had saved Leya and met Ingulf. Ingulf had probably taken a liking to Leya and only took her along.

"When we arrived here, Herdi caught sight of her. Of course, she knew that Ingulf wanted her in his bed. That's why we were banished here. But Leya was so happy that we were no longer on the run, that she often sat outside with the others and also helped them out. Leya always sang during her work and she danced for the others here. She cooked for me and took care of my things. She was popular with the other injured. Herdi noticed that someday. "

He pulled something aside from Leya's threadbare smock. Whipsticks were visible.

"When I came back here in the evening, I found Leya, half beaten to death. Of course, I knew who it had been and I complained to Ingulf. After all, Leya is my wife. "

He covered the girl again. "You have to know that not Ingulf has the say here, but Herdi. I did not know that then. I too was punished because I opened my mouth. "

He pulled his tunic slightly to the side and a fire scar appeared.

"Since the day Leya can not look outside anymore. She is not allowed to take the sack off the window because her face could be seen. If Herdi is annoyed about anything, it will feel Leya. "

He wiped his face.

"And I can not help it! But Leya is now afraid and suffers from sadness. She barely speaks. She has such a nice voice. "

He gently stroked her cheek and Leya rested her head on his thigh. She calmed down, yet she looked at Naya suspiciously.

Jülf sighed.

"I do not like to ask you for it, but I do not know any more advice. I have seen you. And the deaf boy. I saw how all men and women treated him the same way as the others. You do not make any difference. "

He wiped his face again.

"You're welcome! Take Leya with you. If she stays here, she will die. Herdi can be cruel. "

Leya straightened up again and looked at Jülf.

"I do not leave you!"

Her voice was soft and fragile. You could hear an accent.

Jülf smiled sadly at her and stroked her face.

"But you have to. I can not help you here anymore! Naya will take care of you! I promise to you!"

Naya lightly touched Leya's foot, which immediately pulled him back and stared at her anxiously again. Then she fled into Jülf's arms.

"You said, I'm your little sister. You have always protected me well. Because of you, I still live. And now you want to leave me alone. I do not know the people! "

Naya got up and sat with her.

"Quiet, my little one. Calm! I'll come up with something! But you have to be quiet! "

Leya meanwhile cried loudly and hardly wanted to calm down.

Naya stroked her hair, which was cut short. You saw that you had not been gentle with Leya.

"Calm! Do you want to hear a story? Or should I sing you something? "

Without waiting for her answer, Naya began to sing quietly. It was an old lullaby that she had always sung to Kjell. Leya sobbed, but then she calmed down and looked at Naya with wide eyes. She even dared to break away from Jülf. Naya took her hand and sang on softly. Gently, she stroked the back of her hand.

After a while, Leya lay down again and crouched down, like a little child.

"Hol Thorge!"

She sang the last sentence so she would not trouble Leya.

Jülf nodded and left the room.

Naya kept singing and stroking Leya's hair.

She had expected everything, but not that!

The women were all back in the longhouse. Only Naya was not there.

Kjell had fallen asleep in Thorges arms and he carefully lifted the kid to his shoulder as he searched for Naya.

Jule ran across him.

"Did you see Naya? Was not she with you? "

Jule laughed at him.

"By all the gods, just let them breathe. She was with us, but a tunic fell into the water and she had to run after her. "

Thorge frowned.

"But it has been a long time since you came back."

Jule thought for a while.

"Maybe they saw the kids. You know that they keep stopping Naya, only that she tells them a story! "

That was right.

"But the kids are all here," he interjected.

At that moment, one of the girls came in, working in the longhouse.

"If you speak of the narrator, she went with Jülf! He gave me her basket and she followed him. "

Thorge's eyes widened and his nostrils flared.

"Where did you go?"

The girl shrugged.

"They went in the direction of his house. He lives behind the Lang ... "

Thorge did not listen anymore, but gave Jule Kjell in his arms and stormed out of the longhouse. Jule called after him, but he did not understand what she said.

He did not trust Jülf. He knew that dogfish was up to something. Actually, he thought that Naya distrusted him too, but he seemed to have lured her into his home with something.

He stopped in front of the long house and looked around. At that moment, Jülf came around the corner. Thorge ran to him and brutally pulled him to the other side.

Jülf stared at him and then began to grin.

"Thorge. I'm looking for you ... "

Thorge rammed his fist into his stomach.

"Where is my wife?"

Jiilf gasped, cringing and holding his stomach.

"Damn it! What shoud that?"

Thorge raised his fist once more and slapped his face.

"Where is my wife? What did you do to her? "

Jülf knelt before him and groaned. Then he grabbed his nose and straightened her again, which made an ugly sound.

"Let me finish, you asshole! Your wife is fine! She is with my sister! "

Thorges nostrils flared up.

"It's the first time I've heard of a sister!"

Jülf laughed mockingly.

"Because she is my wife here."

What?

Thorge looked at him in confusion. Somehow he did not get very smart from what Jülf told him.

He got up and wiped the dirt off his pants before spitting blood on the floor.

"Shall I tell you the whole story now or just follow me without beating me! Then you will see your wife too. "

Thorge snorted, but made a sign that Jiilf should precede.

He led him behind the longhouse and what Thorge saw made him stop.

"By all the gods, what is this?"

Jülf shrugged.

"As I explained to your wife, here comes everyone who is no longer welcome with Herdi. But I did not want to show you that! Come on now! Before they find out I brought you here! "

He went to one of the bargains that Thorge had not even built for animals.

"Wait. You live here? "

Jülf nodded.

"I am also undesirable. Or rather my sister. You will see why. "

He opened the door and let Thorge enter. His eyes had to get used to the darkness.

"Damn, why do not you take the sack off the window?"

Jülf snorted.

"It was forbidden to me."

"Do not scold me, Thorge. She just fell asleep! "

He heard the voice of Naya and sighed in relief. Slowly he ran to her.

Naya had a girl's head on her lap and stroked her head lightly. The girl's hair had been sheared and it looked strange, too. It was dark-skinned, but now it looked as if the skin had not seen sunlight for a long time.

"Who is that?" He asked quietly so as not to wake her.

Juliet sat down beside her on the bed.

"This is my sister!"

Thorge laughed mockingly.

"Are you kidding me?"

Jülf sighed and told him a story that sounded incredible. When he finished, he looked at Thorge firmly.

"I saw you deal with Lasse's deaf son. You have no prejudices. That's why I'm asking you to take my sister. If she stays here, Herdi will kill her. "

Thorge sat down on the stool, which he pulled out from under a table.

"How does that work?"

Jülf pulled out a bag.

"I have silver. I give you everything I have! I also have horses! I'll give you that too! Damn, I'd even give you my last smock and my break if you take Leya with you! "

Thorge hesitated.

"You are a rich man and live here?"

Jülf shrugged.

"I explained why that is. Nobody knows about my wealth and I do not consider it mine. It's all for Leya. "

Thorge took a deep breath. He looked at Naya, that she was already determined to take the girl with her. And unfortunately he could hardly turn her away. Especially not if the girl was really in danger.

"It will be difficult!"

Naya put a hand on his thigh.

"You're welcome! We have to help them! "

He ran his fingers through his short hair. He had feared that! Naya thought only of the girl and not how difficult it could be.

"I would like, Naya. But I would need another boat. Horses, another woman ... with all the gods, how can I do that? "

Jülf grinned.

"I have an idea!"