Piece in Our Time

A day had passed and they had done almost non-stop traveling the whole time. Eva was starting to wonder if they were just wandering around the wilderness aimlessly. The riding gave Eva plenty of time to think, and after she had analyzed the odd feeling she got in the pit of her stomach as being nothing but embarrassment after waking up in Asmunds arms, having been pulled from her horse she decided if she was stuck in this century and if it was not a dream she needed to find a way back to her own time. Eva analyzed every event from December of 1941 and the last thing she remembers is being forced back and she hit something hard, which might have been what caused the bruise to grow on her back, what she hit she could not remember or recall, or even think of anything in the Hospital at the time that could have caused the damage. Eva realized that if she was not dreaming and she was not dead then in 1941 she was missing, her friends, if any of them were alive would be looking for her after the ruble had been plowed through but she had no family or a lover of any sorts that would panic at her disappearance.

“Asmund look!” One of the men behind them called out and upon looking in the direction he was referring to a large puff of smoke could be seen rising from the tree tops. “We have found them!” A round of cheers rocked the group and their steady speed that had long since been at a gallop was now at a full sprint as they headed towards the tower of smoke. Eva had grown comfortable over the past day and a half with the men, they’d stop every so often to rest, eat, drink and even take a small nap. They had begun to merrily sing a low deep tune to themselves; it was like she had her own personal Nordic coir and it was calming in a dark sort of way, Eva often found herself lost to their tunes and time flew by swiftly. She was not sure if she had gotten used to the cold air of if her skin had just frozen numb but she could no longer feel the wind as fiercely as she had before. Watching Asmunds face relax into a soft content smile brought upon the realization that they had not been wandering aimlessly through the wilderness like Eva was beginning to believe, but that they had obviously been looking for whatever or whomever they just found.

The smell of smoke and roasting meat wafted up and into Eva’s nostrils and she could almost vision herself drooling animalistic like at the thought of sinking her teeth into some real food. They had since they left their first camp lived off of small forest creatures, Gamli’s porridge which Eva had more than once refused politely, claiming she had no appetite and the milk from their dairy cow they had trudged through the snow along with them. She was an arrogant beast, the cow hardly ever acknowledged Eva’s existence, it was almost as if she much preferred being the only female who accompanied the Viking men. They had now come upon a very large camp, much larger than their own, with about thirty extra people, all bustling about with a job to do. There was a group of women gathered a bit away from the fire and they were all rolling what looked to be some sort of dough and within an instant Eva became anxious, squirming uncomfortably upon her horse. Asmund led the group to a make shift stable and everyone dismounted, leaving the horses to catch a drink and something to eat.

“Galmr!” A screeching sound came from behind them and an older woman came running towards their group. She was dressed much like the other women, in a dull green dress that touched the ground, hiding her brown slippers. Her graying hair was pulled back into a tight braid and she had a cloak no different than the one Eva had used for their trip, it fit the women better than the one Eva was using but the colors and furs were the same. Noticing the dress of all the women around Eva felt very self-conscious and attempted to bury her body into the cloak. The women wrapped her large arms around Galmr and held him tight against her breast. The blush that covered Galmrs cheeks was a deep shade and it could be found peering through his thinly growing beard.

“Ah mum ge’off!” He hollered and pushed away from his mother and she did not seem to mind running her hands over her son checking for any signs of damage, finding none she smiled widely at the rest of the group her eyes landing on Eva’s with curiosity. “Come lass we need to feed you, you’re the size of a splinter that we pull from the wee children’s hands!” She was laughing and Eva did not know quite how to take this greeting, she allowed herself to be pulled along by the women any way and ignoring the glances her way.

The woman tugged Eva inside a tent, much smaller than the others around it but it gave off a home vibe and Eva instantly felt herself relax. The mother before her was riffling through a pile of clothing next to a pallet. “This’ll do just fine!” Turning around the woman held up a dress, it was much the same green color as the one she herself was wearing, but it looked more fitted, the long sleeves and the cut at the neck line were the only indications that it was a piece of clothing, otherwise Eva would have thought of it as a bed sheet. Without asking the woman pulled the cloak from Eva’s shoulders and dropped it a foot away with a look of disgust. “You’ll be needing your own lass. “ She spoke softly. Shaking her head the heavy set woman untied all of the ropes around Eva’s legs and arms and let the clothing fall to her feet. “Just as I thought, thin as a shrub.” Eva’s eyes furrowed in embarrassment, she had always been on the thinner side but had never been made to feel so disgusted by it. The woman’s eyes lingered on Eva’s undergarments for a second longer before ripping them down the middle and adding them to the pile of clothes at their feet. “My goodness…” A gasp from the woman made Eva jump and turn, covering her breast with her arms. “What?” She asked before remembering the bruises on her back. “I’m not sure how they got there.” Eva mumbled turning back.

Eva almost spoke up but thought better of it and instead let a soft sigh escape her lips. “Do not worry lassie, we’ll have you thickened up in no time, and feeling better! I’m Hara by the way, Galmr’s mother. “She finally gave a name and Eva spoke next “I’m Eva Bunchenan. “ Just as the words left her mouth Eva was pushed to the ground and her hair was tugged free of its spot atop of her head, cascades of raven hair rained down onto Eva’s shoulders, it gleamed disgustingly in the light of the fire that burnt in the room, from days of not being washed, chunks of blood from the dead soldier still in her hair and Eva bit her lip in worry at how the women would take the look of her. She heard no response and instead was suddenly motioned towards a large bowl in the tent, stepping inside Eva sighed at the hot water that she was soon consumed in and her skin prickled. She had not been this warm in days.

“Wash up quick lass you need to eat soon” and the women was gone. Eva looked around in search of soap but found none and instead decided to submerge herself into the pool of steaming water. Sitting under for a moment hoping that if she stayed under long enough she may pass out and be sent back home, with no luck and the burning in her lungs creating a protest in her mind she quickly reemerged. The warmth felt amazing on her back, the ache had all but gone away but her bones and muscles were in desperate need of a break. In minutes was back out of the water standing naked and wet in the middle of the tent, Hara was back in the tent with a cloak made only of skins and began drying Eva off as quickly as possible. Eva stepped into the green dress and looked down, just as she thought it would, it swallowed her. A strap of something was wrapped around Eva’s waist and pulled tight. “This should hold it.” Looking back down Eva ran her thin fingers along the brown leather belt that now outlined the curve of her hips. The dress was loose at the top and bottom that slid across the ground but the added belt at least presented some sort of body line. Her feet were slipped into a pair of black slipper like shoes made of leather. Hara pushed Eva to sit on the pallet and her hair was pulled back after being dried through with the skin towel.

Hara spent about five minutes gathering all of Eva’s thick black hair into a nice and neat braid behind her head. Ringlets of hair hung from the sides of Eva’s head and outlined the curve of her cheeks. Standing up Eva thanked Hara “I haven’t felt this good in a while, thank you.” Hara only bent her head forward and brought it back up before taking Eva’s hand and leading her outside.
Eva could not find Asmund when she emerged and gazed around but all thoughts were gone when her nose picked back up on the delicious sent of food and she sat down next to Hara at a small table.

“Ladies this is Eva Bunchenan, she’ll be with us for a while.” A round of “Hello Eva, my name is…” went around and Eva returned them all with “It’s very nice to meet you” A wide smile covering Eva’s cheeks, it was nice to be in contact with others and not just men. “Would you like some chicken Eva?” One of the women asked and placed a wooden plate with a chicken leg on it in front of Eva. “Thank you.”

It only took Eva three plates to finally feel full, and no one seemed to mind at all. Eva heard rustling in the trees next to them, but two days of hearing the noise made Eva accustomed and she did not turn around till the others did. Finding Asmund emerge from the forest with a woman’s hand in his. Eva was not to fazed by the incident, he was not hers and he was a Viking plus nothing about him said single. She was probably his wife. Eva shrugged and nodded in his direction as a greeting, only receiving an unreadable stare from him before she turned and finished off her last leg of chicken and downing her fourth cup of water. Licking her fingers clean and laughing at the looks the other women were giving her. “I am sorry” she said when she was done and they all laughed with her. “Tis okay lass.”

Eva and the women talked long after the sun had set and Eva had not so much as glanced around to find the men she had come here with, she figured they were around somewhere and could handle themselves. When Eva stood to follow Hara to where she would be sleeping for the night she found Asmund across from her staring intently and she cocked her head to the side in question and he stood up from his seat. Walking over to the two women Asmund gave a greeting to Hara and asked her to leave them alone. Hara smiled and took one last look at Eva before leaving in silence.

“Hello Asmund. “Eva said softly running her hands along the length of her dress. “I am sorry you had to see” Asmund spoke slowly, it hadn't taken him long to figure out that Eva had a hard time understanding him. “Oh, that is fine, did not bother me one bit.” Eva smiled at his apology. It really had not fazed her at all; she was too encompassed in the women to have a care. They were extraordinary and she asked them all kinds of questions that got her an odd look in response. “Do not fret Asmund you are not mine and I am not yours “This got her a strange look from Asmund and his eyes darkened she thought. “You can do what you wish” and with that Eva left him standing while she searched for Hara to show her to her tent.