Ermentrude's Knot. Candi J.D. Holme
You found it! I wonder whether the others discovered anything, especially the horses, or better yet, the brothers and Anselm, of course.”
“Let’s go find the men and find out,” Saskia said. So we walked through and around the perimeter of the marketplace. Eiriks appeared by a stall filled with weapons. He smiled at us. He knew we looked excited, and that we must have learned something. He rushed over to us.
“You both look happy. What have you learned? Did you find out something useful?” he asked.
“We found Gerulf’s location, and we are going there at our next meal. A woman knows where he is and will take us there—can you believe this good fortune?” I said.
As we walked back to the woman’s stall, we talked some more about the tents. Eiriks insisted that he buy the tents for us, but we declined the offer. We were more enthusiastic about seeing Gerulf again.
The woman packed up her wares and slung them into her cart. She started to push the cart ahead of her, but we tied it up to my horse for pulling. I thought of Brunhilda and Gerulf. Gerulf and I would ride Brunhilda back to our camp. Perhaps Roderic found Gerulf’s horse. Gerulf and I could ride beside each other. I felt breathless with excitement.
The woman took us up to the door of an old house. Smoke was spiraling up from the roof’s vent. Someone was home. She yelled inside, “Tota! You have guests for dinner, my friend. We must talk.”
A tall, blond matron appeared inside the doorway, smiling at her friend. “Oh! Elduara . . . it’s you! Did you say you brought some good company for a visit? Are they your friends from the village? Come in—come in, good friends.” Tota warmly invited us into her home.
“Tota, this young woman is called Ermentrude, and this is her best friend, Saskia. They are with their friend, Eiriks, this tall and handsome man,” Elduara explained. “They have come to see your son-in-law, Gerulf.” When the words, ‘son-in-law’ reached my ears, I gasped. Saskia looked at me with alarm. I prayed it was not my Gerulf.
Tota urged us to wait; she fetched her son-in-law, so we could meet him. I clenched my fists to my breast and closed my eyes, praying to the goddess, Frijjo, that it was not the Gerulf I knew. Tota returned with the son-in-law, who was indeed blind. He was indeed my dear Gerulf. I bent my head and tried to hold back my tears of both gladness and sorrow. His blue eyes were covered with scarred flaps of skin. His mouth was still the same, smiling at what ever he was imagining.
I walked over to Gerulf and spoke softly, “Gerulf, my dear friend. How happy I am that you are alive,” I whispered, hugging him. “I am grieved that your sight was taken from you.” I swallowed hard, as he returned a hug and a smile. “So . . . you are married, now. I hope you are happy with your new bride. What is her name?” I continued, despite the wretched pain in my heart.
Gerulf spoke tenderly to me, “Ermentrude—my lovely sister. I missed you! I thought you were captured and enslaved. I saw when those men took you and Saskia. I am so happy that you are free! Yes, I have married a beautiful woman. She cared for me when I was wounded. I thought I would never find you again, and I thought . . . but never mind, now. I shall introduce you to my lovely qen-s, Vilocia. She is kind, as you, Ermentrude.”
Tota walked into the room holding her daughter’s hand, leading her slowly. Vilocia was also blind. Gerulf felt for Vilocia’s hand and grasped it for courage. He needed it, to tell me that he was happy . . . even without me. He probably felt that I would have rejected him, now that he was blind. I know that I would have loved him despite his blindness, but eventually, I would have moved on. I wanted more in life. It hurt me so much to see Gerulf wounded, but I realized that it was best that he found another love. He was happy with Vilocia. I smiled, and tears welled up in my eyes.
As we ate our meal, we listened to the account of how Tota and her family had found Gerulf. Later, I told them how his injuries were avenged. Gerulf was thankful for that, but he had a forgiving nature, now that he had Vilocia. Saskia asked Gerulf what had happened to Anselm, half knowing the answer herself.
“Anselm . . . was taken prisoner by the Sporoi. He might be a slave, or he might be dead. He was beaten and taken away, but I don’t know where. He looked very bloody when I last saw him. I don’t know whether he survived. As for his brothers and mine, I know some were slain, and perhaps, some were taken as slaves. I fell and was wounded by the Sporoi, either Antes or Sclavene . . . hence my blindness . . . so I know nothing more. I am sorry that I don’t know more of what happened that day. I hope someday you will discover the truth. If you do, I hope you’ll tell me, as I’d want to know.”
Vilocia held Gerulf’s hand. I wished that it was my hand he held. As we left, I promised him that we would return, to tell him if we ever found Anselm. If found, we would surely ask Anselm what had happened to the brothers. Sadly, we left Gerulf, thanking Tota for her hospitality, and Elduara, for her helpfulness. I smiled at Vilocia and asked that she take good care of Gerulf. I hugged Gerulf for the last time. I took the scent of him with me.
We left for the village blacksmith to find our companions. Rochus, Roderick, and Evorik had spoken to the blacksmith and many merchants during the day. It was getting late; we wanted to make camp and discuss what we had learned from our visit.
As we rode out of the village to make camp, Saskia and I traded information about what we had seen being sold in the marketplace. There were items for sale that we had never seen before. Many items were unique—of Roman design; some were grotesque and unimaginable as goods that would be bought for daily use, or of decorative value. There were mounds of skulls and tables filled with animal parts. When I came across a table covered in eyeballs, I cringed. I couldn’t focus on thinking of these wares, being preoccupied with thoughts of seeing Gerulf. My heart sank at the thought of losing him forever, but I was grateful for his life and to know he was happy.
“Ermentrude? I think that Gerulf . . . if he could have seen you, he would have fallen in love with you. You looked so radiant standing there with him. He would have seen your beauty and would have come away with you. I know he still cares for you,” Saskia said, in a consoling voice. She knew I was aching for the loss of him—my first love.
“Saskia, thanks for saying that. I feel empty and alone right now, but I will feel better with time.” We left the village after the men returned, not finding any new information.
We decided to visit the second Naharvali village the the next day, to see if anything turned up there. I wondered whether we would ever find Gerulf and Anselm’s horses, as well as my bronze mirror and grandfather’s sword. Perhaps, we would discover where Anselm was being held against his will as a slave. Slavery was common, and there were thousands of slaves in Middle Earth, where people lived. It might take a lifetime to locate him.
The next morning, we rode to the Naharvali village by the Viaduna River. It was a splendid day. The sky was a luminous blue, such as Gerulf’s eyes, before he was blinded. Tears streamed down my cheeks again. I wiped them with my sleeve.
“Are you okay?” Eiriks asked, noticing me wiping my tears. He leaned over and patted my leg. It was a comforting gesture from someone I was getting to know better.
“Thanks, Eiriks. I am still in shock from our visit yesterday. Gerulf was a new love of mine, when he disappeared. I finally see him for the first time; I find out he is married, but alive. I can’t even see his blue eyes anymore!” My eyes streamed more tears. Eiriks leaned over, took my hand, and held it tightly. He wanted to comfort me, and this was the only way he could, riding our horses. “Thanks for comforting me, Eiriks. You are a wonderful friend.”
Saskia sadly looked over at us. She was sorry that I learned about Gerulf’s marriage so unexpectedly yesterday. She was despondent herself, at hearing that Anselm was probably a slave on someone else’s land. Even worse, he might have died from his serious injuries. I closed my eyes, and chanted a saying that would relieve me of sorrow and give me strength. When I opened my eyes, I smiled at Saskia. She knew the words I was chanting and was saying it with me. I hoped it gave her courage to find Anselm.
Before us lay a picturesque village beside the Viaduna