Page 109 of The Caged Viking

“You know, m’lord,” Egil repeated, and went on, “it occurs to me that ye are in a prison of yer own makin’, no different from the cage ye were in back in that Saxon castle.”

“Whaaat?” Hauk exclaimed.

“’Tis true. Yer in this cage, and each of the bars were put there by yerself.”

“That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.”

Egil went on as if he hadn’t even spoken. “One of the bars is yer excessive pride. Another is yer stubbornness.” He began to count off on his fingers. “Third, there’s a denial of pain, the heart kind. Fear is fourth…oh, yea, you have fear of rejection, again. Then, number five, is yer Viking manhood, or yer view of it, which makes ye stick to the old ways. Six is yer selfishness; things always have to be yer way, like returning to Haukshire, or kidnapping the lady.” He waved a hand airily. “There are probably lots of other bars, but I’ll have to think on that.”

Hauk found that his jaw had dropped, and he was gaping at Egil. “I had no idea you had such a low opinion of me.”

“Nay, nay, nay! You misread me, m’lord. A loyal comrade speaks the truth to help his friend. And none of the things I mentioned diminish yer goodness.”

Hauk shook his head with incomprehension. “There is no cage, real or imagined. I am as free as I could ever be. What do you imagine I am barred from doing?”

“Going to yer wife, like ye know ye want to. Keepin’ her with ye by any means, even up to beggin’, if necessary.”

“You just got done telling me that women are selfish creatures and that I would do best sending my wife away.”

“Now that I think on it, I realize that ye were much easier to live with when she were around. When the lord is happy, his followers are happy.”

“I’m happy.”

“Pfff.”

“Contented then.”

“Pfff.”

“Truly, you go too far betimes, Egil.”

Something seemed to occur to Egil then, and he put up a halting hand to Hauk. “Wait here, m’lord. I have somethin’ to show ye.” Egil went off to a nearby bed closet where he’d stored his sea chest. He came back with a black circle…nay, two black circles with white in the middle. “Eat that,” Egil told him.

“What? Nay! It looks like dirt.”

“’Tis is a sweet from Lady Kirstin’s land. Called an Oar-yo. Taste it.”

Hauk took a small bite, chewed, then popped the whole bit, which wasn’t that large, into his mouth. It was delicious. “Give me another one,” he said after chewing and swallowing.

“Nay. I only have so many and I’m am saving them to last for a long time.”

“Why did my wife give you these sweets?”

“Probably so that I would soften you up toward her,” Egil told him, but then added, “You should see the sweets she gave Gorm.” Egil pointed toward the other end of the hall where the boy was on a wooden ladder propped against a wall next to the yule tree, leaning sideways precariously. A number of other boys stood at the bottom of the ladder cheering him on.

“Good gods, the bratling is going to fall and break his fool neck.” He ran forward and hollered, “Gorm!”

Which was a mistake, of course, Hauk realized too late, his yell causing the boy to turn abruptly, lean in the opposite direction, and look down at him, the ladder teetering and starting to fall. Luckily, the ladder dropped toward the trestle tables in the hall, and not toward the ceiling-high tree which would have surely toppled over. As it was, the old ladder shattered into several pieces when it hit the table, but he was able to save the boy from injury just in time by lurching forward and grabbing his tunic by the neck.

Gorm’s eyes and mouth were both wide when Hauk placed him on his feet. “Bloody hell!” the imp exclaimed. “That was a close one.”

“I’ll give you a close one, and watch your filthy mouth. That’s no language for a child,” Hauk said, taking the boy by the shoulders and shaking him. “You could have killed yourself.”

Homing in on the least important thing Hauk had said, Gorm straightened and said, “I’m not a child.”

Hauk rolled his eyes. “What were you doing?”

“Hanging the candy crooks on the yule tree…the way Lady Kirstin tol’ me to. It’s a tray-dish-on.”