The wedding took place in the same small grove where Oddi's naming ceremony had taken place. My heart beat nervously in my chest as Lára and I walked to the gathering place. The hot sun was high in the sky, causing a small pool of moisture gathered between my breasts. I did not have any kinsmen, but Lára sufficed in carrying a shining, new sword, a common gift for husbands from their new brides.

A large group of villagers came into view and slowly parted to allow us access to where my betrothed stood with Stefán. I could not make my eyes join with Jón's and instead studied below his neck. He was clad in his natural clothing, but now an old sword hung in a sheath from his hip. I swept my eyes away from Jón and let them settle on the stone alter that stood between us. A small soapstone bowl was placed upon it, holding the blood of a goat freshly slaughtered.

Stefán allowed a strong smile in my direction before turning his gaze onto the villagers and letting his loud voice ring out. He spoke of the unity of marriage and called on blessings from the gods to assist us through the years we would be spending as one. Finishing his speech, Stefán took up the bundle of fir twigs and dipped them into the bowl of blood. Turning to us he shook the bundle of twigs towards me and Jón in a blessing from the gods. I closed my eyes as the warm blood landed on my cheeks, running down my face in small rivers.

Jón turned to me, his green eyes grim and his mouth set in a thin line. I had not pictured my husband to look as though he was facing death whenever he looked at me. Slowly Jón pulled his ancestral sword from the sheath and held it out to me. One could tell it had been passed through many hands at many marriage ceremonies, but it was well taken care of. The next time it would be used would be by our son. I had to suppress a shudder at the thought of carrying Jón's child.

Gently I took the sword from him, carefully not to dislodge the ring from the hilt. I held it in my left hand as I reached for the sword Lára held. Before passing it to Jón, I slowly ran my fingers over the hilt. It was not as beautiful as Magnús' sword which lay hidden in the bottom of my only chest, but it would do for this man I cared nothing for.

I took the ring from the ancestral sword's hilt and slipped it onto my finger with regret. Jón did the same, though I could not look him in the eye. Neither of us wanted this. Jón reached his hand and placed it on the sword's hilt, waiting for me to place mine on top of his and end the ceremony. Reluctantly I joined my hand with his, shocked at the size difference between them. Although we had been betrothed for almost as long as we had known each other, we had never touched.

Jón was the first to speak his vows. Though loud, his voice held no emotion, making me wonder if I could ever truly understand this man. Once he finished, I began mine, my voice neither as loud nor empty as his. Something did fill my voice whether it was sadness, anger or both.

"We will begin the feast," Stefán announced once the vows of our marriage were finished. He allowed Jón to walk before him to where a handsome horse stood near the entrance to the grove. Jón climbed onto the back of the horse, speaking a few brief words to Stefán before digging his heels into the horse's sides and heading to the long house.

"You are now a married woman, Valdís," Lára said in her own way of congratulations as she drew close to me. I could only nod in agreement with her, not knowing what to say to her.

The group of villagers walked around us, moving faster than we were. It was tradition for the bride's people to race with the groom's, but I was not in any mood to go to the long house. In truth I wanted nothing more than to run away from the village and into the woods surrounding.

"I do not feel as if I have done the correct thing, Lára. I am filled with sorrow." And it was true. Deep inside my chest was a hollow pain telling me that I did the wrong thing.

"Marriage is about creating strong bonds between families, not for love." Lára held her blunt opinion, causing a small smile to flutter across my lips, the first one in weeks. Had she believed this even as a starry-eyed girl?

Upon arriving at the longhouse, with the guests already filed inside, Lára held onto my arm to slow me from entering and the smile left my face. There was no sign of Jón standing by the door like he ought to. It was custom for the new husband to block his bride from entering by baring his new sword across the door. He would then take her hand to help her over the threshold to insure that she did not trip.

"Valdís..." Lára whispered, shocked by the sight of the empty doorway.

Tears pricked at my eyes but I forbid them from pouring. The ceremony was finished; there was little I could do to get out of the marriage. I pulled my arm from Lára's grip and held my head high as I walked towards the front of the house. A small, vengeful part of me wanted to trip, to show the others that the joining was a mistake, but I lifted my skirts and took a step over the threshold without the help of any man.

My entrance was met by the embarrassed glances of the villagers. They tried their best to not meet my gaze and suddenly I was back on the beach watching Jón walk away from me. Everyone had witnessed my new husband ignoring me and our customs.

Stefán strolled up to my side and gently place a large hand on my arm. "Valdís, allow me to bring you to your husband," he said in a low voice. According to the way he swept me from the door, he was trying to make light of the situation that had just occurred.

I allowed Stefán to take the lead as we pushed our way through the crowd of villagers. We found Jón sitting by himself sipping from a small drinking horn, his eyes stormy as he watched us approach. In one swift moment he brought back his horn, draining the rest of the liquid and standing to greet us.

Stefán place a hand on the small of my back and gently urged me forward. "You will be pleased to know that your wife safely over the threshold of the house." There was venom in Stefán's voice, though his face did not betray his anger.

"We would not want any misfortune in this joining," Jón said airily before he sat back down and crossed his arms over his broad chest.

I glanced at Stefán who gave me a curt nod before walking around the long table and taking my place next to Jón. A large drinking horn sat on the table between us, ready to be filled with the bridal-ale. It was plentiful decorated with engravings of vines and leaves. There were two handles, one on either side, the right one in the shape of a bear head and the other a reindeer's head. It was beautifully made and still shone even after passing through so many newlywed couples' hands.

I reached forward and wrapped my fingers around ladle in the drinking bowl and brought the embellished drinking horn forward, spilling the bridal-ale into the horn. At the sound of the ladle clattering against the stone bowl, the villagers closest to where we sat turned to watch. I held out the drinking horn to Jón, not truly expecting him to reach out and take the horn. He did so without letting his large fingers touch my own slender ones.

My eyes stayed on his face as he closed his eyes and took a large swig of ale. When he finished he thrust it into my hands, causing a small amount of it to drip over the top and onto my front. I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and dabbed at it before turning my attention to the drinking horn. I brought the horn to my lips and let the warm liquid spill into my mouth. I did not take as much as Jón had, knowing that the bridal-ale had to last us four more weeks.

The sound of a lyre filled the crowded room and was soon joined by a Saami and gemshorn. The lively melody floated over the people to each ear, causing feet to tap and bodies to sway. One by one villagers paired to dance in the confined spaced. I knew that Jón would not offer me a dance, but it did not matter, I did not want anything more to do with my husband for the night.

A shadow fell over me and I looked up to see Stefán holding out his hand to me, engulfing my fingers in his when I took it. I stood, allowing him to pull me into the middle of the room. We joined the other couples on the floor in a jovial dance that caused people to brush up against those around them. I did not care for the dance or the heat of the building and soon excused myself from Stefán.

I slowly made my way through the crowd until I could feel the breeze from outside on my skin. Passing between one last couple I stepped out the door and under the starry night. The air felt wonderful on my flushed face as I walked to the corner of the house. Much was weighing down my mind tonight. Jón had paid all of his attention to María as she laughed and spun with her husband in small circles. His eyes were filled with envy that could make any man embarrassed. He still longed for her, just as I still longed for Pétur. A fist clutched at my heart as it always did whenever Pétur came to my mind.

I had never imagined my wedding to be as it was, though, to speak the truth, until Pétur I had never imagined my wedding. He had given me a reason to wake in the morning, a reason to smile. Since arriving here a genuine smile rarely graced my lips.

A loud clamour came from the doorway and I turned to see a group of seven people walk towards me. In the small group were Stefán, Lára, Sunna and Jón. "It is time to see off Jón and Valdís," Stefán announced, although the group knew why they were assembled. I joined with the group to follow Stefán to my new place of residence.

Lára stayed close to my right side while Sunna held onto my left arm. The two other women pulled me with them as we drew closer to Jón's house. The group of men walked in front of us, yelling their crude remarks to Jón who walked without a word. Stefán sang a song in his low voice, letting it fill the air around us.

Stefán let his voice die off as he moved to the front of the group to open the door to the house. The men pushed Jón through the door, each offering him their small piece of advice. Lára pulled me in after them, only to see the men gathered around one of the wooden pillars that helped support the roof. Jón held the new sword I had given him in his right hand with the blade pressed against the wood. With a loud grunt he pulled back the sword and swung it so it was buried deep into the pillar.

Stefán stepped forward and placed his hand on the hilt, giving a pull and dislodging. He then leaned close, eyeing the slit left in the wood. "A deep mark," he announced as he stood and turned towards us. "Luck will be in this marriage for you."

The men patted Jón on his broad back, giving him their loud congratulations. Two of them turned their felicitations to me and I allowed them a tight-lipped nod. Having enough of the talk, Jón pushed through the men and disappeared out the door.

"Do not worry yourself, Valdís," Lára told me as the men followed Jón out of the room. We moved to the back of the house where she opened my chest and pulled out a nightgown. She quickly helped me strip from my dress and pull on the nightgown.

Sunna ran a comb through my hair, much like she had done this morning. Placing the comb back into her pouch, she replaced my bridal crown on my head. "Every woman must lay with her husband during her marriage to him." A small, secretive smile graced her lips. "You would be surprised to find out that most women learn to enjoy their husband's company."

"I do not believe I will be one of those women," I muttered, wringing my hands in front of me. Lára pulled back the bedcovers for me and pushed on my shoulders for me to lie.

A shadow fell across the floor as Stefán entered the back. He came forward and stood behind Lára, placing his arms around her waist. "Jón is prepared to see his lovely bride," he said before burying his broad face into his wife's hair. It was obvious to all that he was well into his cups.

The men appeared in the doorway, jostling Jón forward, towards the bed. With a hard look on his face, he bent and plucked the bridal crown from my head, placing it on the top of my clothing chest. With proof that both Jón and I were not imposters, the men and Sunna disappeared from the back and removed themselves from the house. Lára shooed her husband away before taking hold of both of my hands and bringing me close to her. "Everything will be alright." Her little piece of optimism lifted my spirit for a moment. When she pulled me to the back where Jón lay on the bed, all traces of hope left my body and thoughts.

With both me and my husband in the bed, Lára backed from the room. "Jón, do not disgrace yourself any further." She nodded to me before following the other villager out of the house.

The loud slamming of the door echoed through the house causing me to realize how much nervousness was truly inside me. The sound of Jón's breathing as he lay next to the on the bed was amplified in the silence. I anticipated his next move, each twitch of a finger causing my heart to skip a beat. When the bed finally creaked under his weight, my heart sped with fear.

He is your husband; it is your duty to pleasure him, a small voice in my murmured viscously in my head. The bedcovers were pulled back causing a lump to form in my throat. Jón was now on his side, facing me, but not looking at my face. When his fingers touched my thigh I left out a gasp and shifted away. Jón did not cease his doings; he did not care for me, but he was a man and needed to secure his position.

The more you help, the quick it will be over, the voice muttered. Taking a deep breath, I lifted my hips to assist him in removing my nightgown. I finished in pulling it over my head and letting in reluctantly slip through my fingers and onto the floor. I turned my head and closed my eyes as Jón removed his wedding clothes.

Jón shifted his large body over my own, sending shivers through my body. I wanted nothing more than to push him away and let the tears that were building up behind my eyelids slip down my cheeks. He did not speak or bestow any kisses upon my body as he positioned himself. With one single thrust Jón buried himself deep inside me with a grunt. A cry of pain escaped from me and pain surged through my body. The barrier I had set up against my tears broke and they slowly rolled from my eyes, gaining speed as they peaked over my cheekbones.

I did not dare to move, not wanting to cause myself anymore pain than necessary. Jón had paused for a moment, but then pulled back before thrusting again. The moment – our mating – did not last long and soon Jón was burying his face into my neck as he spilled his seed inside of me. With a loud moan he pulled away from me and rolled until his back was facing me.

I did not move as I allowed my tears to continue to break through. I could not understand how woman could ever talk about it bringing them passion. My hand found its way onto my flat stomach. Perhaps if the gods had blessed me his seed would take and I would carry his child. The idea did not please me though it settled with me better than having him do that.

Even with nausea settling in my stomach stopped, I closed my eyes and tried to push the man who lay next to me from my mind. I tried to clear my mind, but could not stop from wondering what my dreams would bring.