11

“When I was quite young, my parents arranged a marriage for me as is right and correct for parents to do. The girl they chose was from an Illyrian family a month’s journey from her. Her dowry consisted of a fine herd of white sheep with black fetlocks. They were the forebears of the sheep I currently have and who fetch a great some at the markets for their fine soft white wool. She was the youngest of five daughters. All of the other girls in her family had married and given birth to many fine children so it was thought she would be a hardy mother too. Unfortunately, she was quite spoiled and she could not adjust to life here in our quiet, isolated and often cold town. After our wedding night, which was not fruitful, she would not consent to have relations with me. While I know this is my right as a husband, as a man I was never one to force myself upon a woman. I took my pleasures in other places and with more willing partners. I did not lament our lack of children as I did not produce any children with any other woman, so assumed I could not have children. We did not have many children on my side of the family which we were hoping to remedy by my marrying Geste, but it did not seem that it would happen anyway. After four years of marriage, when we were both still young (I was twenty seven and Geste was merely twenty) we were visited by Geste parents. During their visit Geste and her parents must have had a talk about our marriage. When they were gone, Geste began coming to me at night. I was stunned at first and tried to discover what this change meant, but by instinct, I assume, she had figured out how to arouse me and I no longer wanted to know why. This went on for several months. Geste would come to me every night and seduce me. We never spoke in the bedroom and as always spoke little outside of the bedroom. When Geste confirmed she was pregnant all of her visits stopped. Her pregnancy proceeded along well with no complications. In the correct time she gave birth to a son and I was well pleased to have a son to carry on my name. I was so pleased with my son that I did not care that my marriage was not as I would have wished it to be. After all, very few people can have a marriage that included love and companionship. Unfortunately, when Geste recovered from her birthing bed, she took our son into her rooms and I rarely got to see him. She insisted on having complete control of the raising of him and since I had little experience with children I could see no harm at the time of her raising Gideon. I figured when he was old enough he would be turned over to me for rearing into manhood. This did happen but not in the way I would have wanted or could have foreseen. When Gideon was nine, he and his mother went on a walk in the mountains. This was not unusual. They often walked together alone. They like each other’s company and they enjoyed hiking in the sun. They had been gone a long while. The sun was beginning to drop down below the mountains peaks. As they were coming down the steepest part of the mountain pass above the town, Geste slipped and fell down the mountain to her death. She screamed out Gideon’s name as she fell. People below saw him reach out to try to grab her but he could not save her. He was in shock for days afterwards, hiding in her rooms alone and speaking to know one. They put food outside of his doors and he would take it when no one was around. He would not let me in either, but we had never been close before. I finally instructed everyone to leave him be and in a few days he left his rooms and began following me about. I began showing him things that a boy aught to know and we seemed content for a while. Then I went on a trip to check the wool markets and see the completion for my prized wool. While in Marktstadt, I stayed with some cousins. They had guests. Their guest had a daughter. I fell in love with Marlyn the moment I saw her and she fell in love with me at the same time. I was thirty three and she was sixteen. Her parents had come to Marktstadt to search for a husband for their daughter. They were hoping for a man closer to her age but I was wealthy and was spoken well of by all of the acquaintance and she expressed her love in no uncertain terms, as did I. And when I insisted on a nominal dowry that clinched it for them. They could not find any reason not to allow the marriage. I was to return home in less than a week and I wanted the love of my life to accompany me. Marlyn wanted to come with me. It was unusual for a marriage to take place so quickly, but Marlyn’s parents doted on her so they gave in. Normally, they would have journeyed to my home to see it first, but they had only heard good things about Hallstatt and Wulfhalle in particular. They had more business in town that would take them several months to accomplish. It was decided that we would marry in town in two days time. I would take marlin home with me and then her parents would come for a visit when their business was done in three months. Despite its speed of occurrence, our wedding was large with many friends on both sides attending. My wedding night was sweet and fulfilling. Marlyn was happy to be with me and we enjoyed each other. We were besotted with one another and completely satisfied with our marriage. This marriage with Marlyn was already so different from my marriage to Geste. We packed ourselves up and traveled home. I did not send runners ahead to tell anyone I had remarried. I never even thought of it. I was blissfully happy and assumed everyone else would be for me. We arrived home and I gathered all of my people together in the halle. Marlyn stood beside me as I announced our marriage and introduced Marlyn. I introduced her to Gideon, who being tall for his age, like his mother, at ten, stood almost as tall as Marlyn. He didn’t say anything, just looked at her. It was then I realized I should have sent word ahead to let him know so it would not be such a shock so shortly after his mother’s death. He spent the next few days locked alone in his mother’s rooms again. I explained all to Marlyn and she was very understanding. Eventually, he began coming out again, but he never again followed me around like he had before for so short a time. I am sorry to say that I did not much care. I was so happy in my marriage and had never spent much time with him before that it was very easy for me to forget about him when he did not present himself in front of me.

Marlyn and I had two lovely months together. Her parents were due to visit soon and I had more business that needed to be taken care of away from home. I decided to go now long before her parents would arrive so we could all be together without interruption. Marlyn did not want me to leave. She felt inadequate to deal with Gideon. She was not that much older than he was and his size made him seem older. I set Allin, one of my men, up as tutor and guardian to Gideon, to teach him what he needed to know to be my son and to remove the pressure from Marlyn for his care. I would only be gone three weeks and then return to prepare for Marlyn’s parents’ visit. I missed Marlyn greatly. If my business was not very important for the town and myself, I would have gone home early. Instead, I got control of my eagerness to return and used my energy for getting good prices for my wool and in searching for a special gift for Marlyn when I returned. I concluded my business to my greatest of satisfaction and to those in my party as I was bargaining for others in the town too. Finding the perfect gift was taking a little longer. I wanted something fine and unusual and special. Finally I happened upon a small stall that belonged to an old woman who created delicate objects from white quartz. I chose two very special items and had them wrapped with care in a blue silk fabric I purchased at another stall. I whistled all of the journey home, driving my traveling companions crazy. With less than a day’s journey left, we were met by Maison, who you know and who was even then the head of my household. I immediately had an uneasy feeling.

Maison rode up to me and pulled me aside and out of ear shot of my companions. Marlyn’s parents had come early for their visit. They had arrived two weeks ago. All seemed well for the first few days. Then they began closeting themselves alone with Marlyn for hours at a time. They always emerged angry; Marlyn was always red eyed and puffy faced as if she had been crying all of the time they had been alone together. Many people tried to discover the problem but neither Marlyn nor her parents would explain what was going on. Then, yesterday, Marlyn’s parents bundled her up and took her away. I was stunned. They took away the love of my life. It was not possible. I immediately spurred my horse toward home. Maison immediately took off after me. I nearly caused the deaths of myself, Maison and our horses in my haste to be home and see for myself that Marlyn was gone. I went tearing down the steep path of the mountain to the town, my horse sliding on the shale. I didn’t care. I was mad with the idea that Marlyn was gone. I arrived at Wulfhalle, jumping from my horse that was foaming at its mouth. I stumbled my way into the halle, calling for Marlyn. The people in the halle backed away from me and no one would look at me. I ran through the rooms calling her name, crying as I found one room after another had been emptied of her belongings. I was so desperate I looked under tables and beds. I searched Gideon’s and Geste rooms, which was really insane as marlin would never have set foot within those rooms. Gideon was in his sitting room, reading from a parchment. He looked up as I barged in. His eyes followed me as I rudely searched his rooms. Just as I was about to run out, he spoke to me.

“She’s gone.” He barely spoke above a whisper but his voice echoed in my ears like thunder right over your head. “She will not return.”

I stared at him. I thought I had seen a smile cross his lips but then I blinked and I only saw concern on his face.

“Why?”

“Her parents did not explain, especially not to me, but I do not think they spoke to anyone else either.” I am ashamed to say that I sat on a stool in front of Gideon’s fire and I cried as I had never cried for his mother. He did not castigate me for my current grief. He just waited quietly for me to calm down. Eventually I regained control of myself. I decided I must follow Marlyn and her parents and discover the reason for their odd and illegal behavior. Marlyn was my legal wife and they had no rights to take her from me. I ate a quick meal while two fresh horses were prepared for me. I left within the hour. I had no idea where they had gone. I assumed they would go home, but I was wrong. They spent a month traveling around in circles, trying to throw me off of their trail and then another month on the trip back to their halle. I never caught up with them. I arrived at their halle a week after they had gotten home. I was barred from entrance. They would not allow Marlyn to speak to me. Finally, because I was so persistent and because I threatened them with the law for stealing my bride, Marlyn’s father spoke to me. He told me to go home and accept the fact that Marlyn would not be joining me. If I insisted on making more trouble, I would be bringing down shame and ruin on Marlyn and myself. He would not explain but insisted I would regret it deeply and I would be hurting Marlyn beyond repair. If I truly loved her as I said I did I would go and leave her in peace. He did not yell or scream or threaten. More than anything he was sad. He said he really regretted that it would not work. He did tell me that his daughter loved me deeply but he must protect her. He would never say what from but he was like an unmovable wall. I took out the wedding gift I had gotten Marlyn, wrapped in blue silk and asked him to give her the gift. He promised he would give Marlyn my gift. I assume he did as he said, but I do not know for sure if he ever gave her my present.

I slowly made my way home. It would never be the same for me without Marlyn. Even now I have no idea what ever happened to her. I try not to see her married to someone else although I would wish her to be happy. Dissolution of the marriage would have required my statement or even presence at a tribunal. Without dissolution she could not have remarried so I assume she has remained alone as I have all of these sixteen years. They have not been easy years either. I was sad most of the time while Gideon was still younger and I continued to leave him in the care of Allin for the next five years of Gideon’s life until Allin’s death from an accidental fall in the mountains. I ignored Gideon most of that time. I was not a very good father to him as he grew up. I gave him very little guidance and I shamefully admit that if I did not see him, I did not think of him. And so he grew into the man he is today, which is not a good one as you well know, Mairyn.

And so on the day we announced Lauryn’s betrothal to Gideon, I looked at you in the sunlight and you smiled in your simple joy at being outside and with your friend, Petre, and you reminded me so much of Marlyn. It was then that I decided I must take you in my care and as I saw you each day, you reminded me more of Marlyn, not so much in your looks but in your behavior too. So I decided to make you my daughter and in my heart you were also Marlyn’s daughter and I felt happy for the first time in many years.”

Wulfgard took a deep breath and then a long drink from his mead cup. He sighed, looked at Mairyn and Petre, and smiled.

“I told you I did it for a completely selfish reason.”

“I never knew you had been married a second time, Uncle.” Petre was stunned by Wulfgard’s story. Gideon had never said anything. No one had ever hinted at all of this drama and tragedy in Wulfgard’s life.

“Wulfgard,” said Mairyn.

Wulfgard looked at her in a fake stern way.

“I mean, Father.” Mairyn smiled and Wulfgard smiled back. “You have seen Lauryn many a time. Why did you not want to adopt her? We are exact twins. Is that why you want her to marry Gideon?” Mairyn’s questions came tumbling out.

“My daughter (how I love saying that.) You and Lauryn are not similar in temperament. You are two very different people. Because of her behavior and attitude I never thought of Lauryn as similar to Marlyn. There is something carnivorous and grasping in Lauryn that is very distasteful to me and completely unlike Marlyn. You on the other hand are strong yet kind. And there is an innocence to your outlook on life that is very appealing. And I never wanted Lauryn to marry Gideon. I do not think she would make him a good wife or he a good husband to her, but they have insisted on it and Madame Gertrude continued to sweeten the pot that was Lauryn’s dowry. With her dowry and a substantial gift from me they will be able to start a halle of their own, which is what Gideon says he wants. And having never given him much of myself in the past I felt compelled to give in to his wishes. They both seem so insistent that they marry each other and get away from here. I do not think that either of them would be much missed, do you?” Neither Petre nor Mairyn answered his question. They knew he did not really expect an answer and besides they all knew he was right.