[Lhunardawen]

"I have told him nothing of this letter. I never had the chance." Ginna struggled to keep her impatience, fueled by her distress over Harreld's behaviour, in check. She knew Saeryn was trying to help, and appreciated the time she was spending to talk to her, but it had been thrice now that Ginna said the same thing. Saeryn had a busy day, she reminded herself before she continued. "I do not understand why he is avoiding me - or everyone, it seems. I cannot find anything to explain his mood. Unless..."

No, she did not want to think it. Her throat tightened. She trusted Harreld. He would never betray her trust.

"Unless what?" Saeryn asked gently. Her quick female instincts told her that Ginna was keeping something very important trapped inside.

"Unless he had read the letter." Ginna's face contorted in pain as she forced out those words. "And he came to a different understanding of it as you have."

Saeryn raised her eyebrows without thinking about it. "Oh," she said. "Well, that's not. . ." she almost said, 'not very likely, is it?' but stopped, knowing that it was a probable explanation. Perhaps the only probable one. "Well, if he has, then I guess you'll have to correct his misunderstanding."

Ginna's mind still fought against what her mouth had just uttered. But now that the idea had been planted, it became more and more believable, if only because nothing else made sense. She ran through the mockery of a conversation they had that morning, keeping that explanation in perspective. It felt as though she had finally found the missing piece in a puzzle she had been trying to solve all day.

Not that it made her pain any less.

"He asked - no, he told me to stay away."

"He did?" Saeryn said. "I wonder if it was to protect you or to protect himself. If I know Harreld, he probably did it for your sake. Which makes it even more necessary for you to talk to him.

"Ginna," she went on, before Ginna could even try to interrupt, "there were many times that Eodwine and I did not see quite eye to eye on things. I am sure I hurt him a lot by bottling up my thoughts, and it just made the misunderstanding worse in the end. But when he could finally break through my shell, he made it all make sense and we understood each other again. Even when I did not want to give him a chance, he kept trying to make me understand."

Ginna was silent for a while, lost in her own thoughts. When she spoke, a wistful smile was on her lips.

"When we were newly arrived here in Scarburg, when I feared I had lost his friendship for good... I remember complaining to myself how unfair that it was always I who first spoke to him, never the other way around. By all rights I should think it unfair even now," she added, laughing. "But I guess that is how matters are resolved between us because I will not have it any other way. I know now that if I don't try to reach out to him, I would never forgive myself.

"But if I may ask you one more thing... Why did you want to know if I liked Thornden?"

"I wanted to know your feelings on the matter before giving you my opinion as to the usefulness of the content of your father's letter. If you had liked Thornden, I would have possibly told you to take your father's advise, as it will be easier for you if you have your father's blessing your marriage. I did not think you did, but I thought that maybe there was a chance. Now I know there is not."

There was a slight pause, and then she asked. "So, what are you going to do?"

~*~

Leaving Saeryn with Modtryth, whom she thanked for taking over their duties, Ginna left the kitchen through the door in the back. As she stepped out into the dark, a strong breeze lifted the edge of her shawl. She held it more tightly around her and walked resolutely towards the smithy.

There was light inside, but the pounding of her heart drowned out any sound that came from it. She let herself soak in the light from the doorway but came no closer inside. "Harreld?" she called out in a small voice.