Page 47 of Ulf's Destiny
“I will tell you goodbye here,” Judith said when they were alone once more. “It’s better that way. Just promise me you’ll come visit sometime.”
“Of course. You, as well.” Would her friend be brave enough to go back to a place that held so many bad memories? Only time would tell.
“I will. Goodbye, Ylva. I love you.”
“Me too.” Because she did, if in a slightly different way.
After one last nod, Judith ran back inside.
Still wiping her eyes, Ylva went to the other side of the hut, where Ulf was waiting by his horse’s side. The sight of the chestnut gelding brought a smile to her face despite her anguish.
“Ratatoskr?”
“Yes.” Ulf’s smile was warm with appreciation. “Very good pronunciation. Have you been practicing?”
She had, she realized now, as if she’d known all along they would be reunited one day and she would need to be able to say the word properly. “You chose that name because his coat is the exact color of a squirrel’s fur, didn’t you?”
“Yes. That, and the fact that we have a tradition in the village of calling our horses after monsters and creatures. It was an obvious choice.”
“I see,” she said, placing a hand over her stomach. “Do you have any such traditions for babies?”
The look he threw her caused her breath to catch in her chest. “No, though I always fancied I would call my first son Einar, in honor of my father, who called me Ulf after my grandfather.”
Something like sunshine bloomed in Ylva’s chest. It was odd but wonderful to talk about the baby with Ulf, who had clearly already imagined himself as a father and was looking forward to the meeting. Talking about it with Judith had been lovely, but different. She had always worried she would never get to have a real family. For an orphan who had then lost her brother, it had seemed important.
“I think calling him Einar is a wonderful idea. Of course, it could be a girl.” It could, but without knowing why, she had the feeling this child would be a boy.
“Yes. If it is, perhaps we could use your mother’s name?”
The comment was so unexpected that tears sprang to her eyes with dizzying speed. Ulf’s suggestion was lovely and it should have brought joy to her heart. Instead, it made her see how alone she truly was.
“I-I don’t remember what her name was. I have only vague memories of my parents.”
Ylva had always wondered if her lack of memory had been down to her young age at the time of their death or the fact that her mind had blocked everything from her past life when she had been taken by Mildred’s father, as some sort of protection. Either way, she barely remembered them. Her brother, Oslac, who had lived with her and protected her for a few weeks after their death, was the only one she remembered with any sort of clarity. Thinking of him was so painful that she sometimes wished she’d forgotten she had once had a brother.
This was such a horrid, dispiriting thought that her tears redoubled. Now that she was building a family, she measured how much she had lost, and how much this baby meant to her.
“Ah, sweet, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
With those words, Ulf drew her into his arms. She melted into his warmth, grateful for his unflinching support. How right she had been to assure Judith he would treat her as she deserved. He was already doing that, had done so from the moment they met. The stranger she had tried to kill had allowed her a chance to explain her plight. The warrior who fought for justice had freed her from her tormentor. Now, the man who had given her a child was calling her “sweet” and holding her tenderly, he was talking of this baby as if he’d known it forever.
“Thank you,” she said once her tears had finally stopped. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“You’re with child, that’s what,” he said roundly, as if there was nothing more normal for her than to start sobbing in the middle of a conversation. “You’re allowed to cry all you want, for whatever reason you want.”
Really, he was a blessing. Ylva would have to thank his parents at some point for raising such a patient, understanding man and making him aware of what went on in women’s minds and bodies.
“Shall we?” she asked, determined to forget her sadness.
“Yes.” He nodded at her stomach. “Will you be all right with me on the horse? I can walk next to Ratatoskr if you prefer, and lead you.”
“I’m sure I will be fine.” She remembered how good it had felt to be close to him atop the moving animal and she wanted to experience that feeling again. “Let’s go.”
On to her new life.
17
“Welcome back, my dear.”
