Farren closed the gate to the goat's pen, shaking it to make sure it was secure. She knelt and picked up the wicker basket that was filled with linens. Her dagger was on top of the white sheets.

The leather sheath she carried it in had needed to be polished. As the sheath dried Farren had sharpened the knife on the whetstone.

"Farren!" A gravelly voice called across the farm. "Where are ye'?"

"Coming Da!" Farren shouted back. She adjusted the basket on her hip and hurried across the farm towards her house.

Her father Asger was standing in the back doorway. He was already dressed. He was wearing the well-oiled buffalo furs across his shoulders and his beard had been combed and braided. His supple leather boots had been re-laced with the new string and he had cleaned the silver blade of his sword.

"Where's Kolli?" Asger questioned.

"Out with the sheep," Farren replied setting the basket down on the table and picking up her dagger. "The goats have been fed and the ponies are in their stables."

"And the gift for your brother?" He questioned, his arms crossed across his broad chest.

"Dag helped me move it this morning."

"Good girl," Asger smiled. He pulled Farren to his chest and kissed her head. "Go change out of those things. Goster made it very clear that he wanted us to look nice."

The farmhouse was made up of three rooms. One that Farren's dad slept in, the other she shared with her brothers, and the third was the rest of the house, including the kitchen and living room. There was a corner of the kitchen where a large tub was laid out. The water was tinged grey from Farrren's brother Goster and Asger using it while she was completing her chores. Farren undid the fishtail braid that held the top half of her hair, letting her ginger locks cascade down her back.

She pulled off her green dress and brown apron and stepped into the wooden tub. Sitting down the water went to her shoulders. Farren quickly washed her limbs and hair. Wrapped in a thing towel she made her want into her bedroom.

There were two large beds and one small bed. The large beds had been stripped down to the frames. Farren's two oldest brothers lived in their own homes now with their own families. The other large bed was strange for Farren to see empty. Einar had moved out four years ago, but Goster still slept in the bed they shared. But now that Goster was getting married the mattress was gone, most likely taken to his new home sometime this morning.

The smallest bed belonged to Farren. She was given the luxury of her own mattress because she was a girl, she also had her own chest for her belongings. Farren folded her farm clothes and pulled out a nicer outfit to wear for her brother's wedding. A short blue dress that Colborn had brought her from England. Paired with brown pants and leather boots. She found a thick belt decorated with a silver plate to wrap around her waist. Farren wrapped a grey wolf pelt around her shoulders, securing it with a chain she found by the stream.

She put on her silver necklace with a goat horn hanging from the end. Farren forewent her regular hairstyle and wove ribbons into one thick braid down her back. She then wrapped a brown piece of leather around the crown of her head.

She walked back out to where Asger was helping Goster ready himself. Gostar was only a year older than Farren, but he looked much more mature today. He was wearing his nicest clothes and have even combed his hair into place when he normally let it hang in the way of his eyes. Farren attached her dagger to her belt as she walked over to her brother. She secured the leather band circling his left bicep before stepping back to gaze at him.

"You almost look like Da." Farren smiled.

Goster managed a small laugh. "Oh don't be nervous son!" Asger boomed clapping Goster on the shoulder. "Farren, will you go get your mother's sword."

Farren looked at her father, shock was clear in her eyes. "Ma's sword?"

"We already dug us the other family swords for your brothers, its the only one left. You're Ma would want Goster to have it."

Farren's eyes flicked over to the fireplace. Avyanna Begbie's sword was mounted to the stone wall above the hearth. Farren heaved it down and held it out to her brother. "Does Inger use swords?"

"She prefers her bow when fighting, but she's just as good with a sword." Goster repled testing the fragile heirloom's weight in his hands.

"Tell her to do this sword justice," Farren instructed. "I'll see you soon. I said I would help Freja and Porunn set up the square."

Farren walked out the front door, but not before grabbing her spear first. No one was without a weapon in Dalr. The village was on the coast, they were liable for an attack, it was best to be prepared.

The square was being decorated for the wedding. Dalr was incredibly festive, any reason for celebration the village threw a feast, a wedding was no different. Children ran about the area laughing and glad to be rid of their day of chores.

Farren's sister-in-law Freja who was married to her brother Einar was preparing the altar with a baby on her hip as Farren walked up.

"Ah, Farren, you're here, wonderful. We're almost ready for the ceremony, but it would happen faster if I had both my hands, would you take Fahim?"

Before Farren could respond the baby boy was thrust into her arms and Freja was already across the square inspecting the food for the feast.

"Oh," Farren stuttered as she adjusted her hold on the baby. "I was going to see if you wanted me to help with the circle-" Her sentence went dead on her lips as Freja walked away.

Farren looked out at the torches that some of the boys in the village were setting up around her. Some were made of oak, others rowan, or myrtle. She was in the middle of the Sacred Circle. Standing near where Gostar and Inger were to be married.

Fahim was pressed against Farren's chest and kept swiveling his head around looking at the busy town. Farren looked down at him and smiled.

"You looking for Falconner?" She quested bouncing the boy on her hip. "Do you two have some sort of magical connection?"

Falconner was Fahim's twin brother. Farren saw her brother Eniar by the butter shop with Earlene on his shoulder's. Earlene was Fahim's older sister.

"Well, it's just you and me buddy," Farren sighed. She readjusted her nephew on her hip and walked over to the table of food that was being set out.

There was a platter of wheat crackers covered in salt from the ocean. Farren grabbed one and went to stick it in her mouth before the back of her hand was slapped.

"Girl, what do you think you're doing?" The woman responsible for the slap demanded. "That is for later! You have to be patient like the rest of us."

It was Banu Henning. Farren's neighbor. "I'm sorry," Farren said quickly.

"You can eat later girl, now scoot!" Banu said with a wave of her hands.

"Wait, Banu!" Farren called. "Is Runar here?"

"Last I saw him he was by the water," Banu said.

"Thank you!" Farren called.

"Farren!" The woman shouted after her. "Don't take that babe down by the sea!"

Farren clucked her tongue a kept going. No one was going to stop her. She hadn't seen Runar in weeks. As she walked down the hill to the shore she saw Runar kicking pebbles in the black sand.

As she got closer to the boy she saw his hair was longer and he had a cut on the side of his collarbone. RUnar heard her approaching and looked up at Farren with a small smile.

"You're back," Farren said coming to a stop in front of him.

"I'm back," Runar repeated.

"When?" Farren asked. "Did you get back, I mean, I didn't see any of the boats returning this morning."

"We arrived last night," Runar explained. "Ma was in disarray at the state of me."

"State of you?" Farren asked her eyes widening. "What happened?"

"She saw the cut and lost her mind."

"Did it hurt?"

"Nah, it was only a graze." Runar tried to shrug. "But Ma wasn't happy. She kept crying about not wanting to lose another child."

Farren remembered the day Runar's sister Rada died. She was only nine and caught a cold, a cold that she never lost. That was a hard winter for everyone. Farren remembered Banu's wails when Rada died.

The Begbie's and Henning's farms were next to each other. They grew the oats and wheat that Farren bought for the livestock. Asger didn't let Farren of her brother's out for a month when he found out Rafa was sick. Asger was careful when it came to losing people. Too careful in Farren's opinion.

"What was it like?' Farren questioned her eyes alight with wonder. "The fighting?"

"Scary," Runar grunted. He changed the subject quickly.yourshat your's?"

"No! It's Enair's." Farren replied quickly. "Freja dumped him on me while she prepared for the wedding."

"Oh," Runar sighed. "I just thought maybe while I was gone-"

"Ew no!" Farren interrupted him. "Even if I did get married while you were gone that wasn't enough time for me to get pregnant and have a baby. You were gone for six months, not a year."

"It felt like a year." Runar murmured.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Farren questioned. Much more interested in the idea of battle than marriage.

"Yeah," Runar replied. "Along with a boatload of Spaniards."

"You have to tell me everything!" Farren enthused.

As Runar opened his mouth there was a rhythmic clanging of cowbells. The wedding was starting.

Farren frowned and looked up the hill towards the village. "Maybe later?" Runar suggested holding out his hand to walk Farren back to square.

Farren pushed past him and began walking on her own. She knew there was no later.

There never was.