I watched from the bed as Jón silently moved around the house dressed in only his breeches. "Will you return before the babe is born?" I asked, running a hand over my bare stomach.

"I do not know," he answered, his back turned to me.

"I want you to be here when he is born." The thought of our son being born brought a smile to my lips. I would give Jón as many children as he wished for until my house was filled with noise like Lára and Stefán's. But along with the joy was also fear. Fear that Jón would be gone longer than supposed, fear that my life or the child's would be lost.

Jón glanced at me for a brief moment before looking away. He dug through the chests as he gathered his possessions for the raid. The men would be leaving once the morning came, heading for lands unknown. Nobody knew where Jón and Stefán had gotten the idea of heading to the place they had planned, perhaps from another chieftain when they had gone to a þing held between the surround villages. There were whispers of great possessions and gold in these lands but if true or rumours we did not know.

I pulled myself from the bed and walked to the washbasin, splashing the water on my face. My reflection looked back at me with tired eyes. The village had gathered at the longhouse the night before to celebrate the raid and pray to the Gods for our men's safe return. We had not returned to our home until after midnight and coupled before falling into a slumber. Moving away from the stand I pulled on a dress Jon had given me as a morning gift and was let out to fit my swollen body.

Jón continued to pack as I began the morning-meal. Wanting to make something filling for my husband I cooked salmon over the fire, frying it until it was cooked all the way through. I placed the fish on the table along with bread and the raspberries in honey I had picked the month before. Jón ceased his backing and sat down to eat the meal. We ate in silence and once the meal was finished I cleared the table and Jón finished packing.

When he was finished he left the house and I stood in the doorway watching him until he disappeared behind the other houses, heading up the hill towards Stefán's. The sun had risen over the hill and forest sending light to all corners of the village. Men walked to and from the ship preparing for their journey while their wives and children rushed to finish their chores before they had to see the men off.

There were only four months left until I would give birth to my child and I feared Jón would not be home in time. I thought of how Stefán had not been home for Oddi's birth and grimaced. If it had been a raid to a known land, there would be no doubt in my mind as there was now.

Jón returned to our house one last time and, having just visited the longhouse, told me that Lára and the children wished to accompany me to the ship. I felt a small ache in my heart as I watched Jón gather the remainder of his items and left the house for the last time in what would be months.

Soon Lára stood in my doorway with her youngest child in her arms and her girls clustering around her. "Are you ready, Valdís?" she asked, shifting the growing boy in her arms.

"Yes," I hesitantly told her. I was prepared to go to the shore, but was not ready to say goodbye to my husband.

We slowly made our way down the overused path to the shore, the children running ahead, pleased to see the ship. I could no longer walk as I once did; now I waddled slowly. A majority of the villagers were already gathered at the shore, the longboat rocking gently on the waves. I spotted Stefán near the ship, his height making it easy to see the top of his head. The girls took off towards the front of the crowd to find their father while we made our way behind them.

Jón appeared from the boat and was walking towards us when I saw Maria emerge from the crow. I turned quickly and walked to my husband with a determined step, meeting him halfway. It took all of the willpower I possessed to not look over my shoulder at the other woman.

"You will soon be gone," I said, finally saying the words I had avoided for so long.

My husband nodded, his eyes moving briefly over my shoulder – to Maria – before moving back to my face.

"Promise me you will return soon," I whispered, no wanting my words to be overheard. My eyes searched his face for any signs of fondness.

"I cannot make such a promise," he replied.

"I – oh!" A smile came to my face as I reached for Jón's hand and placed it on my stomach where our child was moving. "He knows you are leaving."

For the briefest of moments Jón looked concerned before a small, satisfied smile came to his lips. "My son."

Pure joy surged through my body and I could not stop the small laugh that escaped my lips. "Jón..." I reached a hand up and placed it on his bearded cheek. Giving him a smile, I was thrilled when he did not frown at me.

Any thoughts or concerns that I had of Maria where gone from my mind as Jón's hand slipped from my stomach to around my back. He pulled me close to him and brought his other arm up, holding me tightly. I was shocked by his sudden display of affection but leaned in to him nonetheless.

I brought my arms up and wrapped them around his neck, bathing in his attentions. His newly trimmed beard tickled the side of my face, but I did not wish to ever pull away. A soft tug came from the skirt of my dress causing me to pull away from my husband slightly and look down. Margrét held tightly onto my dress looking up at me with her large grey eyes.

"Val, I want to see the boat," she said as she continued to pull on my dress.

"Your faðir would be the one to show you the boat, little one." I now separated myself from my husband.

"Pápi is busy. He said you could help."

I glanced up at my husband before looking down at the little girl. "Perhaps Jón could show you the ship." Margrét looked up shyly at Jón and gave her head a small shake before moving to hide behind my skirts. "Come now, Margrét, you are not a shy one. Jón will show you no harm." I placed a hand on her thin shoulder and gave her a small push towards the man.

With hesitation she reached for his hand and glanced at me over her shoulder. I gave her one more nod and watched the two of them walk towards the long ship. I could not keep the smile from my face as I thought of Jón interacting with our children. He would be a good father that I knew. There was so doubt he would care for our children, cherish them even.

I turned to find Maria directly behind me, her face hard. This was the woman who had carried Jón's first child. If the child would not have died, Jón would have wed Maria and raised a family with her. Perhaps on my arrival to the village I would have wed Ragnar, a man I found to be pleasant when we had spoken. But I would not have Jón and I would not have this child growing inside of me.

"He will soon be gone and neither of us shall have him," Maria said her expression unchanging. "When he returns, you shall not have him."

I bit back the words of anger than swelled inside of me and turned away, not wishing to interact with her. In a number of determined steps I was again in the company of Lára and Stefán.

Turning to me Stefán leaned close, dipping his lips near my ear. "Do not allow yourself to be alone with that woman."

"You do not trust her?" I asked, my brows raised. I did not know Stefán's feelings towards Maria but I was shocked by his words.

"Healthy men do not die in their beds," were the next words he spoke. I had believed that I was the only one to think Maria had killed her husband.

"Do not say anything to anyone, but do not be left alone with her. I fear for you and your child." His words were ominous and caused my heart to speed up.

My eyes wandered the shore, falling on Jón and Margrét. He now held her high in the air so she could see the figurehead at the front of the ship. I could faintly hear her laughter floating on the breeze. Would I be safe without my husband present? Lára was always nearby so Maria would not do anything too drastic. But for Ragnar to have appeared healthy upon death, I would not doubt it was poison.

As a child I was taught which berries and plants could be ate and which would kill you. With that basic knowledge, Maria could have easily done away with her husband.

oOo

I stood on the shore with the rest of the women, children and elders, waving to the men as their ship grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared beyond the horizon.

Stefán must have had a private word with his wife before he left for Lára stopped to speak to me before I returned to my house. "If you do not wish to be on your own, you always have a place in our home."

I nodded and thanked her for her kindness before returning to my house, realising how lonely it would be without my husband's silent company. Attempting to forget the abandoned feeling dwelling within me, I began to tidy the house. It made the morning pass quickly enough but soon evening fell and I found myself again alone with my thoughts. I ate my night-meal in silence feeling much as I had when Jón had first snubbed our shared dinners.

The thought of joining Lára and the children for the rest of the evening crossed my mind, but I needed to show the other woman that I did not need to rely on other people to survive. Instead I stayed in the light of my own fire, sewing together clothes for my baby.

It still bewildered me that I would me holding my first child in four months. The time Jón and I had spent together in the last month had assured me that even if our child was female, he would not leave me. We would only have to try again to get our boy, just as Lára and Stefán had.

The child would need a name when he made his appearance in the world, something Jón and I had not spoken of. The thought of Jón naming the child had passed through my mind, though many names had caught my interest. Pal, after Jón's father or Tomas, after my own. Magnús, like my brother... or perhaps Pétur.

I gave my head a shake. No, it would not be fair to Jón if I named our child after my late betrothed. My thoughts had not focused on my life with Pétur in months, but now I could not stop them. If not for the raid, I would have spent almost three years with Pétur, most happy, I had no doubts. We would have had a growing family, two children to be certain, perhaps two boys.

With a sigh I held up the top I was working on and cursed myself. There was no use in living in the past; my life was here in this village with Jón and our coming child.

I had not thought of my curse since my marriage when I had believed it had been the curse that had caused me to marry Jón. Now I saw that it was a true blessing from the Gods.