Winter Storm by Margit Sandemo

Author:Margit Sandemo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jentas A/S
Published: 2019-09-12T00:00:00+00:00

It was late in the afternoon and Villemo was feeling dizzy. She staggered so much that Eldar couldn’t help noticing it.

“Are you tired?” he asked grumpily.

She stopped. “There’s an evil creature inside me. He's called Hunger and he’s very busy gnawing at my empty stomach from the inside.”

Eldar nodded and cast a glance at her feet.

“Your shoes haven’t held up. I can see that. That’s good.”

“Good?” she said, speechless at his lack of empathy.

“Yes. Do you see that plateau? There’s a small cluster of farms on the other side, which is our destination. But there’s an inn before that where we can stay for the night.”

“But didn't you say that we would have to avoid people?”

“Yes, but I’m not completely heartless. You’re freezing cold and look pretty miserable, I have to admit. Besides, I’m also hungry.”

“I have no money. And I doubt that you have any.”

“I’ll fix it somehow.”

“Why did you say that about my shoes?”

“Because you’d look too sophisticated otherwise. A pair of worn shoes seem more convincing.”

Then he took a few steps backwards and studied her with expressionless eyes.

“I must make my clothes look as nice as I can,” he said. “And you’ll have to appear more simple so that we look alike. We’re supposed to be siblings, remember. Braid your hair!”

“Pardon?”

“It’ll make you look younger and more innocent. Remember, you’re my little sister. Fifteen years old and slightly stupid. Oh no, that won’t do, not with those eyes.”

She took that as a compliment. “I thought you said that I was a bird brain?”

“Yeah, but now I mean really stupid.”

“I see. I could act deaf and dumb. That way you get to hear a lot of strange things.“

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. There would be numerous pitfalls and you would have to be alert all the time. That’ll be too complicated.” Before she gleaned what he was doing, he bent down and took a handful of mud. He rubbed her fine golden dress in it. From top to toe.

Villemo yelled, trying to reach his hand.

“Be quiet,” he snarled. “It’ll soon dry and fall off so that the dress will become an even grey.”

“You – you beast!” she managed to stammer. “You animal!”

“Does a dress mean more to you than all you’ve gone through since yesterday? Not to mention that which you’ll have to endure?”

She changed her mind, glancing sadly at her dress, which her mum had ordered especially for her, all the way from Copenhagen.

“It suits you much too well,” Eldar said. “But we can do something about that. You must wrap yourself better in the shawl. There you are – now you’re fine.”

“Fine?”

“And braid your hair while I tidy myself up.”

He left her and with frozen fingers she tried to braid her thick, curly hair in two braids, which she had never tried before, certainly not unaided. The result spoke for itself.

Eldar came back, hair combed and washed and his clothes looked neater. He looked so handsome that she felt her heart ache. He stopped abruptly when he saw her.

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