Avenger, Rooster, Bull, and Lance,
Or how about Randy, Lusty, or Love Mart?
Women, on the other hand, are not so vain
About the luscious field betwixt their legs.
Not even when the man so wicked
For her compliance he begs and begs.
Let me touch yer velvet folds,
Let me lick yer sweet honey,
Let me tickle yer pert teats
Betimes men are so funny!
If only men knew
What women really think
When first they drop their braies,
And we can only blink.
Is this the beauteous object
They cannot for even a day neglect?
Why it looks like nothing fierce or pretty
As they led you to believe.
In fact, ’tis just a wobbly stick.
Andrea slept alone that night and found herself missing Cnut’s warm body. And other things. But the next morning she awakened with anticipation. It was possible Cnut and his men would return today.
The men did return that night, along with the three dogs they’d taken with them, but not Cnut. The fool had stayed behind to look for Lucibears, they told Andrea. Hah! She knew what that meant. Cnut was looking for demon vampires out there, all alone, and with a winter storm brewing, according to Girda, Njal, and all the old ones in the keep.
Well, at least there were six more boars to add to the larder, along with some fish, three reindeer, an elk, a bunch of grouse, and rabbits brought in by the other men. How they were able to catch so much game in the midst of a famine was a miracle brought by the gods, many of the people proclaimed. Andrea tended to think it was one particular God, and his sidekick, St. Michael.
“You’re the commander in charge here. Shouldn’t you go back out and look for Cnut?” she asked Thorkel later that evening when Cnut still hadn’t returned.
He shrugged. “The jarl told us he would find his way back himself.”
“Fool!” Andrea said.
Thorkel was taken aback because he wasn’t sure if she referred to him or Cnut. Actually, both. But then Thorkel’s attention was diverted by Dyna, who’d suddenly taken to flirting with him. When Andrea caught her attention one time in passing with a tray of bread, Dyna winked at her. Several men gave Andrea dirty looks, though. Apparently, their women were in fertile periods, and they’d declined their advances.
The next day the snows started. Oh, there was already snow on the ground, but this was a full-blown, steady downpour of flakes the size of golf balls. Beautiful, but potentially deadly for someone stranded in it. Andrea was tempted to go out herself to hunt for Cnut, but recognized immediately how futile that would be. She barely knew her way to the steam bathhouse.
She was distracted for a while when one of the two wagon sledges returned, finally, from attempting to purchase goods from other estates. It was only half full, and apparently Gorm had been required to go much farther afield than he’d expected to get even that much. The famine had affected a wide area, even those who had planned for the harsh winter better than Cnut had.
At least now there were oats and barley to feed the horses and make more flour, plus some root vegetables, mead, spices, and such. Andrea got the idea then to begin preparing for Christmas, or the Jól season, as the Vikings called it, which was only a few days off, less than a week. It would lift everyone’s spirits in the midst of this famine depression and give them something to look forward to. In her case, perhaps she could stop thinking about Cnut and whether he was in danger somewhere by himself.
Turned out many of the Christian rituals for Christmas originated with the Norse pagan ones coinciding with the winter solstice. They celebrated for more than a week to commemorate the return of the sun. From then on the days would be longer, and the darkest days of winter would be over. Oh, the cold and dark wouldn’t be over by any means, but it was an annual promise that brighter days were coming. Sort of the Christmas coming of Christ with a promise of new days.
Andrea bundled up in her old jeans, T-shirt, outer shirt, Old Gringo distressed leather boots with blue embroidery (which had been intended for good looks, not wet snow or ice; oh well!), fur-lined gloves, and a heavy wool, hooded cloak. Her cowboy hat was still missing. Dyna, Kugge, and the other children who accompanied her did likewise, except for the vanity boots. They all wore the big, awkward snowshoes laced to their boots, which felt like badminton rackets, but were actually very helpful for plowing through the deepening snow once she got used to them.
It was fun. Andrea taught them some Christmas songs, “Deck the Halls,” “Over the River and Through the Wood,” “Jingle Bells,” and “Here Comes Santa Claus.” Of course she then had to explain the concept of Santa Claus and the North Pole, which intrigued the children, and Dyna, too.