“We must start training,” he said, as he sipped at the mug of elderflower and honey drink I had made. There will come a time when we have to go after that man. We must both be ready.”
The three of us had returned home after a very special evening with friends, at the Roaring Dragon. Ethel had soon taken herself off to bed, with a wrapped package of cut chicken given to her by Brona. Herne kept her close company for more than one reason.
Waelden and I made ourselves comfortable by the fire and drank the light cordial, each musing over the evening's events. We had spoken a little of our joy at meeting up with folk again, particularly with Gamferth, now he was back at Bancross. The talk and laughter, the music and song had lifted both our hearts.(Not that we were low of heart in the first place, now.)
I had loved it all. But the memory I would cherish most was Waelden’s song. He didn’t sing often, though he had a good enough voice. Oh, he had sung to me before, out in the wilds, but I had been particularly touched by tonight’s song.
”I hope Yllfa will like it,” he had said to those assembled.
Aye, Yllfa liked it very much.
Then, suddenly, he broke the mood a little with more serious words. We both knew the issue with the Dunlending had not permanently gone away. We both knew that, while at present Bancross was a safe haven, threat still lurked. We could never afford to be complacent.
So my mind turned to training, and I finished the drink and set the mug on the floor. Waelden did likewise.
“We must both be ready, Greybeard, but you are the soldier, not I. I have been sparring a little with Ethel. We have both improved, though neither of us are ready yet for any real challenge.”
His expression grew a touch grimmer, but I did not sense any overt anger or certainly any despair coming from him. He would not let us be harmed again. We would hunt and kill the man who had sought to kill us. That was all.
“Ethel does not come with us. You understand that, Yllfa?” he stated.
“I understand,” I replied. “You will not risk her safety. Neither will I. And she needs to work with Hertha at the forge, and help Ymma in the shop, and now tend Gamferth’s animals.”
He gave me a look of ‘keep to the point, love’, though a small smile was on his lips. “I am more concerned with where the Dunlending has gone, and who he may be with. This could go smoothly, or it could go otherwise. When we are ready, I have no doubt we can bring him down, and a couple of his men also, if needed.”
“He may have more than a couple of men though?”
“That is why I am holding Duncadda to his oath,” he replied swiftly. “With his sword we can take double that number.”
I fell momentarily silent. I knew and understood the importance of oaths. Duncadda had made one to Waelden and I at the tavern in Edoras, when we had not expected it. He was a brave and true man. I reached out a hand to Waelden, and he grasped it, gently squeezing my fingers.
“I understand. But I do not like it. He made that oath honourably, and failed to keep it because even he cannot be in all places at once. Now he carries that burden. Would that we could manage alone, you and I. For I am a woman of the Mark and not one to sit iidle while my man rides into danger." I meant it. I knew my limitations, but if I could aid my love, I would.
Waelden chuckled, squeezing at my fingers again.”I know, she-wolf. But both Duncadda likely trains regularly. We do not. I may have been chopping logs and overgrown bushes, but that is nowhere near what is required.”
I thought back to talks with Northgyth over the past weeks. "In her youth, Northgyth sometimes fought alongside her husband you know. She may not have been an actual Shieldmaiden, but she was not far off by her accounts. Not that she boasts of such things. I was wondering about asking her is she would help me at all."
Waelden raised a brow, but nodded.
“I may ask her advice. But that form of fighting is likely not for me.”
“You don’t want to be a Shieldmaiden?”
“I did as a child, dear, but it is not for me. I am not of any rank or standing to have been raised to fight in heavy armour, astride a warhorse. Nor do I think I need to be? I will be fighting alongside you. I need to learn the steps from you. We must to learn to fight as one, as the Eorlingas we are. And maybe just a little bit of wolf, eh?
At that he grinned, squeezing my fingers a final time before letting go of my hand.
“I still don’t understand the wolf,” he said thoughtfully. “It is difficult to fight alongside something I don’t understand.”
I had tried to explain the wolf to him before, at least the parts I understood. I tried again.
“She….Isa is me, Greybeard.”
“I know. I don’t understand how, but I know she is part of you.”
I shook my head, pondering on how to make my thoughts more understandable to a down-to-earth son of Rohan.
“Isa is part of my heart and spirit. That is the best way I can describe it. She sleeps a lot. When she sleeps I am this woman you know. Sometimes she wakes a little, mostly from strong emotions, anger….fear…..love. You know that. But she is also learning to work with me, as I am with her. She will never act against your good.”
He nodded again, and pulled his chair closer. “I know. It’s still hard to understand though. I love the woman,” he placed a hand reassuringly on my knee, “so I love the wolf that is part of her. But this is about survival. I need to be sure what she… what you will do.”
“She loves you. You are the only man who has not run away when he suspected her existence.” I said, speaking my heart. “You do not fear her as others have.”
“Tell me this then,” he asked. “If she is in battle, can she die? If she does, do you die?”
In truth I suspected not, rather I would continue as a lesser person.
“I don’t know, Waelden. She is spirit, not flesh. She feels what I feel. She is stronger than me. If she is awake I seem to have some of her wolf-heart in me. I can see and hear better, I can sense danger. I can kill, even as a wolf would.”
We both sighed at the same time.
“We could do with her to track the Dunlending. That, aye… I can work with that if you can? Keep Isa out of any fights though. I will not risk her bringing you down. We must be clearly focused when we act. Any fighting is for you and I alone.”
“And Duncadda,” I reminded him, looking up into his eyes.
“Aye. But to training.” Again he brought me back to the main point. “ A sword is your weapon, and a staff perhaps. You are used to both, but not really as weapons of life or death.”
“I will smack a group of enemies over the head with my staff, and you can spear them in turn?”
He shook his head at me, maybe in despair. “Yllfa, you usually use an ash staff. Get an oak one made, and have Ethel fix some metal loops to the top. That could be a real weapon. But we start practice with the sword tomorrow. Your Grandpapa’s weapon will do for now.”
He rose to his feet, and pulled me to mine, drawing me closer in a dance hold. We swayed together a little across the floor to imaginary music.
“I will not lose Ethel or you, she-wolf. So you will be training every day, until that we can move as one.”
“I will learn your way of fighting, Greybeard. You will not have a sword danceing Shieldmaiden as a partner.”
“No? That does not disappoint me. I am more than happy to dance with a wolf, love.”
