Page 77 of The Raven
She could barely speak, but she was picking up new words every day. Elspeth was so proud of the family they were building and of the place they were about to call home. The roof had been secure for a week, but Magnus would not let her enter because he said it had to be perfect for her first time in her new home. The dwelling they’d been living in would eventually be offered to someone else. Magnus had been grappling over who he would gift the place, and she’d agreed to leave the decision up to him. They’d had a great deal of assistance over the years and there were a few who deserved the place. But for now the moment was at hand for her to enter her new home.
Magnus lifted his hands from her eyes. She looked at the door and a flood of memories returned of a place she’d only seen again in her dreams. He’d fashioned iron bands across the oak panels making up the door. She lifted the latch and let Astrid push the door wide open. What met her view made her breath catch and tears pool in her eyes.
A fire roared in the hearth and a long table exactly like the one in their tower rested nearby. To the left she viewed the kitchen area which wasn’t as large, but was arranged in exactly the same way, and stocked in the same manner. On the other side of the main hall, were the bed chambers. They were small, but they would do, until the second story was complete.
Elspeth stepped into the first chamber to find it decorated exactly like the tower she and Magnus had shared all those years ago. Tears slid down her cheeks as she turned to him. He was dusty and dirty and looked exhausted, but he’d never looked more wonderful to her.
“How did you do this?” she whispered.
“I have it all up here,” he said, tapping his temple. “I remember every second of our time there and every detail in this chamber. I had Vigdis scour Scotland for the right materials and have these bed clothes made for you.”
Elspeth could not hold back her tears as she stroked the beautiful coverlet as the memories consumed her.
“Magnus, it’s more than I could have ever imagined.”
“You are more than I could have ever imagined,” he said and cupped her face in his hands. He brushed his lips across hers and lifted Astrid to show her all the different details in the chamber.
“Mama, it’s exactly like your tower,” Astrid said, when he set her on the floor again.
“What did you say?” she asked her. The bairn inside her kicked again as her daughter climbed upon the bed.
“This is just like your tower.” She drew circles on the coverlet and tilted her head back and forth whilst humming a little tune.
“Did you hear your father say that?” she asked, unwilling to accept the alternative.
“I told her nothing. This has been a well-kept secret,” Magnus said. “There’s no way she could have known.”
“Then how did you know?” Elspeth asked Astrid as she sat beside her on the bed.
“I saw it when I was sleeping,” she said.
Elspeth locked gazes with Magnus. She had not considered that Astrid could inherit the same gift she possessed.
“Ulf says you’re hungry,” she said then. “Fader, Mama should eat now.”
“Darling, who is Ulf?” he asked her.
She patted Elspeth’s belly and hopped off the bed skipping out toward the hall. Elspeth didn’t know what to make of it. She’d never explored the idea that her children could possess her gifts and was a little frightened and a little excited by the prospect at the same time.
“You said your Nana Besse guided you when you were very small, Elspeth,” Magnus said.
“Did you know about her?”
“I have suspected for some time. She has brought me different tools before I have even asked for them, or even knew I needed them to be honest.”
Elspeth needed a moment to absorb the extent of what this meant for her daughter. She would do everything in her power to guide and protect her and ensure she never had to go through self-doubt and confusion Elspeth had.
Magnus wrapped his arms around her. “It will be all right,” he said. “You will guide her, and I will protect you all.”
Elspeth didn’t doubt it. “But she named the bairn. Do you suppose ’tis a lad as she said?”
“I do not know, but I will love lad or lass, and if we have a dozen more, I will love them all just as much.”
Right on cue, Elspeth’s belly rumbled loudly. Magnus chuckled. “Someoneishungry. Come, let us share our evening meal in our new home.”
Elspeth sat back and watched Magnus and Astrid a while later once her belly was satisfied. Magnus was playing a game with her where he made a stone disappear from his hand and appear behind her ear. She squealed in delight each and every time. It appeared her blessings did not end with her and Magnus and the home they had built together. Here she was safe, and her children would be safe. The best she could offer them was the same guidance she’d been given and more love than they could imagine. That would be the best protection of all.
THE END
