When I woke I was confused as to where I was before recalling the events of the night before. The ceiling of Jón's house, now ours to share, was so similar to my own that at first I had thought it had all been a terrible dream. But the slight pain between my thighs and the fear that gripped my heart told me it had not been.

Briefly closing my eyes I turned my head to the side, fearing that Jón would be present next to me when I opened them. But he was not. The bed was empty, I was alone. My mind settled with the sight of the empty bed; perhaps my husband would never stay in the morns.

The door opened on the other side of the house, making my heart stop for a brief moment. Had Jón returned? My body stiffened as the footsteps grew closer; no, they were too light to be that of my husband. Lára appeared in the doorway, her eyes landing on my blanket covered form.

"Good morn, Valdís. Did you dream?" Lára asked, staring into my face, searching deeply for something.

I furrowed my brows and looked away from her scrutinizing look, unable to look at her. No dreams had crossed through my mind as I had slept the night before. "No," I answered curtly, knowing that a scolding was to follow.

"Valdís, you must listen to the words I am to say: do not give an answer of 'no' to any who ask. Do not give them the truth; tell them what they wish to hear." There was a force behind Lára's soft words.

"I do not see why I should," I said, clenching my jaw in retaliation. But I did see why. Dreams on the night of one's joining told of the life they would have, whether it be joyful or distressing.

"There will be talk if you did not have a dream on the night of your joining. What life will you have if you did not?"

Lára's words cut through me, creating a hard, sickening knot deep in my stomach. My dreams, something I had no control over, could cause the people of this village to think less of me than they already had. I could tell they already pitied me – I was now wed to a man who cared not a thought for me. I did not need them to know I did not see a future for myself and my husband.

I pulled my body into a sitting position and let my feet find the floor. "I do not understand why a woman must offer herself to a man in that way," I said quietly to Lára, my eyes cast downward.

"She does not do it for her own self, she does it to please her husband and bare his children."

Stefán was kind to his wife and genuinely seemed to care for her. How could she not return such a good man's love? Pétur's handsome face flashed in my mind's eye. Did he truly love me? The feelings I had felt for him were much stronger than those I had ever felt for others.

Pushing the thought of Pétur from my mind as I always did, I bent down to retrieve my nightgown from where it had fallen the night before. As I pulled the fabric over my body I could hear the door open on the other side of the house. The sound of a high voice told me it was not Jón, but Sunna.

"Valdís, Jón has prepared your morning gift," Sunna announced as she entered my sleeping chamber. "We are to help you dress once more before our duties are over."

I quietly allowed them to dress me in one of the gowns Lára had allowed me to have after my arrival. My dark hair was pulled into a long braid and a head-cover was placed over it, showing that I was now a wife.

I did not have time to eat my day-meal as the two women took me from the house to Stefán's longhouse where I knew Jón would be waiting with my morning gift. I did not know what to expect, a morning gift reflected what was given as a dowry, something I did not have to give.

Upon arriving at the longhouse our small party was met by Jón and Stefán. Little Oddi was tucked into his father's large arms watching with curiosity as we filled the house.

Jón's face was stony as his eyes traced over my form. "I have added twenty heads to my sheep in your honour." Crimson crawl up my face as I thought of the honour he spoke of. Bedding me was to be an honour on my part though it did not seem true. "These chests are now in your possession as are these." In his out stretched hand Jón held a small bundle of keys, one which would only work in his house. It was a grand gesture, one to show a wife she was trusted.

"I thank you," I whispered, taking the keys from him and attaching them to the belt around my waist. Although my husband kept his eyes level, I kept mine on the floor. I had nothing more to say to him and was positive he felt the same.

Seeming to sense the tension in the room, Stefán laid his son in his wife's arms and lifted one of the large chests. "We will take these to your home."

Leaving the longhouse I slowly followed behind the men, keeping a distance from them. My right hand drifted to the front of my dress, resting on my flat stomach. Had Jón's seed already quickened, was I carrying his child? I was repulsed by the thought, but even more repulsed by what he had done the night before.

Drawing closer to my new home, I could hear Jón and Stefán's voices floating from the open door, but I did not know what they were saying. When I stepped into the house, the conversation stopped and both men looked up at me. As he always seemed to do when I entered the same room Jón nodded to Stefán and left the house, heading towards the shore.

Stefán caught my eye, studying me with interest. "Did any dreams visit you, Valdís?" There was a hint of a smile on his wide lips.

My eyes drifted to the floor as Lára's words came back to me. My own words came out in a whisper. "I did dream. I dreamt I was holding a babe in my arms." I stopped, looking out the door to where Jón stood looking out to the sea. "Jón was standing next to me as we looked at the ocean."

A deep chuckle came from Stefán as he placed a large, reassuring hand on my shoulder. "I am pleased that there is to be a future between the two of you."

"Of course there will be," I told him in a low voice, giving him a strained smile.

Stefán stared at me for a long moment, searching my face for something before a long sigh escaped his lips. "Valdís, you must be strong – for you and your children. Jón is a noble man; he has a good heart, though many have not been witness to it."

Turning, Stefán left the house, leaving the door open behind him. I watched as he walked down the dusty road back to his own wife and children. I cursed the day I had stumbled into this village, delirious. If not for that day, I would not have been wed to Jón. I shook my head, if not for that day I would have been dead.

Closing the door I turned my attention upon the two heavy chests that sat near the middle of the house. I took the steps it took to reach them and stretched out a hand to push the top of the closest one open. When it did not budge I inspected the front to find a small lock under a worn piece of leather. I took the keys Jón had given me from my belt and pushed the smallest key into place, hearing a small click.

Opening the chest, my breath caught in my throat. Staring at the belongings in the chest, I ran a hand over the folded fabrics. It was customary for a man to gift his wife with clothing, but I had not been expecting Jón to. Lifting the topmost dress, I held it out and studied it. It was deep red in colour and much too beautiful for the wife of a common man. In truth it would belong on a woman such as Lára, a chieftain's wife.

Gently placing the dress on a bench, I picked up another dress, a yellow one, and then another. Never had I owned so many fine things. Pulling out the rest of the dresses, I uncovered a small pouch at the very bottom of the chest. Upon opening it, my eyes were met with the sight of golden jewellery. Sparkling necklaces and heavy brooches shone dimly in the light of the fire as I buried my hand in the ornaments and pulled them out. There was little doubt in my mind that Jón had brought them back from a raid.

A sick, hard knot formed in my stomach as visions of who owned the jewellery flashed through my head. Had Jón obtained them the same way the monsters had stolen from my village? Did some strange woman now wear my mother's jewellery? Dropping the ornaments back into the bag, I placed it back into the bottom of the chest, not wishing to see them again.

I carefully refolded the dresses and sat them on top of the jewels, hiding them from view. As I picked up a deep blue dress, I stopped. My mother had owned a dress of the same colour. I held the dress up to me, wondering if I would look as lovely as she had.

Tears pricked my eyes for the first time since my marriage. The door opened suddenly and Jón appeared, blood seeping into the front of his tunic from where he had slaughtered a number of our sheep. My husband stopped for a moment when he laid eyes on me, holding the dress to my body. His usually hard, uncaring eyes seemed to hold a glimmer of warmth as he looked upon me and my strange state of distress.

We held each other's stares for a long moment before I could find my words. "I thank you... for the dresses." The words were no more than a whisper, but Jón had heard them and nodded to me.

Jón's eyes skimmed over the dress hanging limply from my hands. "You are my wife," he stated before turning and leaving the house once again.

oOo

Although the leaves on sparse amount of leafed trees began to change colour, the air held the same warm it had in the summer months. The day of my wedding to Jón had long passed and still we did not speak unless forced. I had given up on the conversations I tried to start as we took our meals.

"A new season is coming upon us and still you have not quickened," Lára announced as she carefully pushed a threaded needle into the fabric she was making into a tunic for her youngest child.

I held Oddi in my lap, gently tickling his sides as he let out loud squeals. The bright sunlight shone down on us, catching in the infant's hair and causing it to look as though it were gold. "I do not need children when you have enough to share." I placed a kiss on Oddi's round cheek, my heart swelling with love. He was now a plump little creature with a lovely smile that showed his two new teeth.

"Valdís, villagers are beginning to speculate. The women are saying you are barren and the men are blaming Jón for the lack of children." Lára sat her sewing on her lap and squinted through the sun at me. "Do you not want children?"

I would have been branded a liar if I told her no. My courses had returned the week after my marriage telling me that, with disappoint, Jón's seed did not take in my womb. Since our marriage our house was filled with silence, barely any words passing between us. The sounds of my own thoughts circling in my head were enough to drive me mad if not for Lára and her children. In truth I longed for the sound of children in my home and the warmth of one to my breast. Watching Oddi grow and bring warmth to his parents' home made me envious of all Lára had. "Of course I do," I whispered. "Though it is hard to find yourself with child when your husband will not bed you."

Lára gave me a sharp look, her thin brows furrowed. "What are you saying, Valdís?"

Smoothing down Oddi's thick hair, I could not meet Lára's eyes. "Jón has bedded me twice since we have been wed." Although he slept next to me every night, he did not try to touch me. The disgust he felt for me was clear.

"It seems he is punishing himself to punish you," Lára said, returning to her work.