The Unchosen Path

ADA

Cayden left me and headed into the house. I walked over to my horses and began to empty what I needed from the saddlebags. It was important to keep some items here, in case I needed to leave quickly.

I took the remaining bags of silver, buried them in the dirt, and dragged a water barrel over the spot.

With the blankets from the rafters slung over one shoulder and my items in my other arm, I found the courage to enter the house. My fate lay on the other side of the door.

The men had found Lugh’s stash of ale and seemed to have consumed the majority of it. I dropped my items by the front door, finding five sets of eyes staring at me.

“Ada, finally, you join us. These are my men, Padriac, Egil, Gosta, and Caxton.” Each man nodded or grunted as his name was called.

“They are my faithful companions, and I trust them with my life. My word is their word. They have my orders not to touch you, but you will be required to serve them as you serve me.”

Cayden looked at me a little sideways. “You may remove your veil. You are safe here.”

The men all seemed to be around the same age or a few years older than Cayden. They were a group of muscular men, dressed similarly to their leader.

They smelled just as rough as they appeared. Their odor consumed the house, and I hoped that they would bathe as soon as possible.

“I would prefer to keep it on,” I said forcefully. Cayden waved his hand, as if he did not care what I decided.

I was unsure what to do with myself, as I had never been a slave, so I kept my position until told otherwise.

“You may go about your usual routine, Ada. Please, don’t let us stop you,” Cayden remarked, his men laughing.

I took my items back up into my loft area and placed them in their rightful spots. My bed looked so inviting and I wished to slumber right then.

But I didn’t fully trust these men, and I decided it would be best to wait until they fell asleep first. I returned downstairs and realized Lugh’s body had been removed.

I had been so nervous entering the house that I did not notice it was gone before now.

A few of the men must have been watching me stare at that part of the floor, because my thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a question.

“Who was the man you killed?” one of them asked.

“My mother’s husband.”

“What did he do to deserve such a gruesome death?” another chimed in.

“I’d rather not say.” My eyes never left the bloodstains on the floorboards. I could still smell his breath, hear the sound of him drowning in his own blood.

“What did your mother say?”

“She died years ago…,” I replied, the words coming out though I barely realized I was saying them. “So, you see, I have no remorse for what I’ve done.”

“And why is that?”

“Her husband was a drunk and whittled away the wealth of our farm. He was a possessive, disgusting, and jealous man.”

The men seemed surprised by my claims. “Spoken like a true Viking. Maybe you are part Danish after all,” Cayden said before switching to a different subject.

“Three of us will bathe tonight and will need our clothes washed. The remaining two will sleep in the barn and do the same tomorrow. Once you’ve finished cleaning our clothes, you may retire for the evening.”

Cayden asked me to bring three blankets for the men. Egil went to the river to stand guard as they bathed while Caxton stayed in the house with me.

I cleaned up the table and stored the food while we waited for the others to return. I stole glances at Caxton, whose eyes followed me wherever I went.

He was the shortest of the bunch, which said a lot about the group. He was several inches taller than me and was the skinniest of the men.

His hair reminded me of my mother’s: very light and blond. He wore it shoulder length, with braids holding the front out of his face.

“How many of your men have taken up residence in town?” I asked him. I hoped conversation would keep him distracted from whatever fantasy was playing out in his mind.

“About 150, give or take a few. Why? Are you thinking of attempting to leave?” He laughed in response.

“I am just wondering how the battle was for the town.”

“It was hopeless,” he responded, and that was the end of the conversation.

I gathered the men’s clothes outside the front of the house and brought them to the washing bucket to scrub. By the time I finished, the other men had also returned to the house.

I went about my work and hung each piece near the fire so they would be dry by early morning.

“Ada, you shall rest in my loft and the two others will take the other bed,” Cayden said, throwing another log onto the fire and stoking it a few times.

The two other men left for the stable, and I followed Cayden up the stairs. I was hesitant to lie on a bed with this man. I could feel his eyes on me.

I assumed he was thinking the same thing as Caxton had earlier. So there I stood, staring at the bed, wondering if I could trust him or not.

“If you do not wish to sleep on the bed, the floor is your other option. The decision is yours, but I am tired and will not linger any longer while you make up your mind.”

He dropped his blanket down to his waist. It was the only thing covering him. Wearing clothes had not done any credit to his physique.

I watched as he tied back his hair, admiring the definition in his chest muscles. Flashing me a half-smile, he climbed into bed. I snapped out of my stupor and made it clear I would be sleeping on the floor.

“I had a feeling that would be your choice,” he said, throwing a blanket off the bed for me to use. I closed my eyes, trying to fall asleep, but could not shake the image of the nakedness of his body.