28| Camping Ground

The forest-bound journey went on for quite a while, and far longer than even Mel had expected. Night fell and while Mel wondered how they could all move comfortably in the near-darkness, but Bjorn assured her that the part of the woods they were still in was safe since it was the closest part of their territory. Soon, the clouds drifted away to expose the beautiful sheen of the two white moons that glimmered high in the sky.

Some of the moonlight filtered in through the trees, providing a subtle white light that made the forest ghostly beautiful. Lori kept Mel company throughout their journey, taking the young woman’s attention away from her brooding husband.

Mel had mentioned at one point that she was hoping to assist with the hunt using her knowledge and relationship with plants but Lori subtly put down her recommendation, letting her know that some people may feel otherwise since this was something they had been doing for years and there may not really be anything new Mel could help them with.

Bjorn darted a side-glare towards Lori and Mel stared at her in silence, hurt and confusion consuming her. Lori might have a point, but what did she mean by there was nothing Mel could help them with? She couldn’t understand why Lori would be talking like this.

Lori noticed their pointed gazes and shame, along with annoyance filled her. Why was Bjorn looking at her like that? She wasn’t lying! And what was with this girl being so sensitive about matters? Lori bit back the brewing bitterness within her and apologized. Mel smiled and was about to say something when Lori turned her horse and moved somewhere else to be with her husband, leaving Mel rattled.

‘Maybe she wasn’t in a good mood and she felt really sorry for saying that,’ Mel thought, still saddened that Lori had left her side.

“We’re here,” Bjorn’s low call brought the hunting party stop and Mel looked down in awe at the low slope that led to a wide clearing. The open space was spread out for quite some distance before stopping with another enclosement of more trees and bushes, and the forest continued from there on. The open space didn’t really have a definitive shape, and this was Mel’s first time seeing a clearing that wasn’t oval or circular in shape.

“We’re setting camp here?” Mel asked.

“Yes,” Bjorn stiffly answered and Mel frowned, not knowing what got into him this time.

Close to an hour later, with tents unfolded and food being prepared, Mel soon discovered the reason for Bjorn’s sudden irritation. They were going to be sharing the same tent. She had guessed that if he had his way, they would stay in different lodgings, but since they were a married couple, for the sake of appearances, they would have to reside in the same space.

‘But he slept on the bed with me the night of our wedding… even if it was for a short time, so how was this any different?’ she thought, confused.

Mel brushed off the thought and decided not to bother herself with Bjorn this night. She went ahead with her plan to make friends with the other women of Grime, heading over to some of the female encampments, glad she wasn’t the only one dressed in the ridiculous attire. Supper that evening consisted of spicy mutton soup which disturbed Mel as she had never really fancied spicy dishes. The women assured her that there were varying degrees of how the dish could be prepared and they made the exception of preparing a milder variation for Mel, something she insisted she could do without.

“No, don’t be like that, Mel. You deserve this much. It is something you absolutely must try,” one of the older women hushed her, handing her the steaming wooden bowl of appetizing brown broth.

Mel quickly placed the hot bowl on the towel placed on her lap and she stared at the chunks of meat sitting still in the plate amidst other spices. Her plate did not have the reddish tint of pepper the others had and she was grateful for that at least. She had watched how it was being prepared, and while she hadn’t fully gotten it right, she would ask Annie to try cooking it for her when she returned to the clan settlement.

It looked appetizing and the smell was mouth-watering, reminding Mel that it had been quite a while since she had eaten. The light from the fires lit around and within the camp cast flickering shadows across the gathering and her face.

She took up the wooden spoon and blew on it before taking the first spoonful. The warm stew seemed to melt in her mouth and the meat was so soft that it felt semi-solid. Marvelled, Mel finished the meal in a matter of minutes and had one more serving of the delicious meal before she was fully satisfied.

“I…I have no words,” she breathed at the end of the meal. “I have never tasted something this good in such a long time!” She shifted, placing the bowl on the grass beside her.

The women beamed.

“We’re glad you enjoyed this, my lady,” Nora, a young woman spoke up, the excitement evident in her tone.

“Thank you, really,” Mel insisted, her hands coming to rest on her slightly bulging stomach. “I hope to have more of this when we return to the settlement.”

“Oh…” a few women shared smirks between them. “I think you’ll have it twice or more a week. It’s the lord’s favourite meal.”

“It is nice to see something in common between the two of you.”

“Oh.” Mel’s eyes widened and she fell silent surprised. She looked over to the side of the camp where their tent was spread.

Bjorn was seated in front of it, the nearby fireplace splaying flickering shadows and flight across his features, making them more stern than usual. He seemed to be in deep conversation with a few others, and Lori happened to be in that group. Lori caught her looking over and the woman smiled, sending a small wave in Mel’s direction.

Mel smiled returning the gesture. She turned her attention back to the other women, wishing, for some odd reason on her part, to have seen Bjorn’s expression while eating his favourite meal. Would he have been smiling? She frowned, trying to envision it. She very well could. She had seen him smile towards his people back in the settlement a few times and they had been very warm. But whenever he talked to her or was even around her, his face would be as still as a statue. Cold and distant.

‘Why am I having such foolish thoughts? It’s not like I want him to smile at me anyway.’

She hoped the meal had burned off his tongue and made him unable to sleep for the rest of the night. It was a far-fetched wish that would likely never happen thanks to his calm demeanour, but there was no harm in having such a wish. If only it would work and she could laugh at him. It would be a nice payment for making her feel so sour.

In regards to that bitter feeling, Mel thought back to her conversation with Lori in that room filled with Bjorn’s family paintings. Here she was, surrounded by women old and young. But she could not bring herself to ask about the past incident for fear of bringing down the already cheery atmosphere. She imagined the carefree smiles dripping from the women’s faces, or an odd cluelessness that would dot their features as they tried to comprehend Mel’s question like Lori did.

Or they might simply tell her to ask Bjorn about it the way Eustace had done.

Mel shook off the gloomy cloud from her thoughts and shifted her attention to the conversation at hand, mingling with the other women and gaining a few new friends that evening, especially Nora. The young lady was the same age as Mel and she was more on the shy side, but with a little wine, she was a bubbling personality.

Unlike the food, the wine wasn’t exactly to Mel’s liking and it turned out that just a few sips seemed to be too strong for her. She immediately missed the grape wine she frequented back home, but the women assured her that there were more varieties back in the settlement and many more she would have never tasted. Bit by bit, Mel was already making future reservations with these women for her to visit them and experience varying sides of their culture, which was turning out to be large with each short interval she spent with the women.

Shortly enough, young men joined their group and the conversations branched out, merry with each new visitor. A little past midnight, the fires were being put out and Mel trotted back to the tent, giddy with excitement, her face flushed, and far from falling asleep. She had wished for the night to go longer but since they would all need some sleep before the heavy work tomorrow.

The grass rustled beneath her thick-soled feet and she stopped before another pair of even larger feet. She looked up to find herself standing face to face with her husband.