Page 3 of Astrid at Sea

CHAPTER TWO

It took us a few hours to finally reach Isle, mostly because Dagfinn allowed Roscoe and Manny to steer the wheel, and they kept steering us in the wrong direction.

“What business do we have here exactly?” I asked Viktor, peering over the rail at the group of people that had gathered at the shore in anticipation for us, just as we did back at Jorvik. Kis meowed in my arms as if she wanted to know the answer as well.

“Mostly spears,” he answered. “We dropped off a shipment a few weeks ago, and they ordered more. This is one of the easiest stops we have, though things are never easy when it comes to Asmund.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, curious.

“The man never does just business,” Caspian answered, joining us at the rail. “When I was last here to sell some quail eggs, he wouldn’t let us leave until we had a feast. And their feasts always last so long. Don’t get me wrong, the food is always great, but it’s not convenient you’re short on time.”

“The same happened to us last time as well. I swear, Isle eats their weight in gold,” Viktor sighed, running a hand down his face. “I fear that since it’s already late in the day and it will be dark very soon, he’ll insist that we stay the night.”

“That’ll set us behind,” I murmured, and they both nodded in agreement.

“We don’t want to waste time at the start. We’ll have plenty of time for that later,” Viktor groaned. “Though Asmund doesn’t know how to take no for an answer.”

“I think that’s more of a Chief thing than an Asmund thing,” Caspian snorted and pushed himself off the rail, leaving to help Hammond dock the ship on the shore and throw out the plank for us to get off.

From what I had heard, Caspian was a bit of a lady’s man around Jorvik. With his blonde hair, eyes nearly as deep blue as the ocean, deep dimples on both of his cheeks and the gift of height on his side, the appeal was obvious. And the way he walked, confident and with charm, it appeared he knew it, too.

I turned to Viktor. “Are we all going to get off the ship?”

“I see no reason why not.” He shrugged and reached for my hand. “Though I should warn you.”

“Warn me? About what?”

Viktor grimaced. “Asmund is…very much a free spirit. And he can be a bit too forward at times.”

“How so?”

“He doesn’t have a filter. He says whatever comes to mind, even if it’s rude or too personal.”

“There are worse things than speaking your mind,” I murmured, surprised that Viktor wasn’t a fan of it. He always encouraged me to speak my mind and listened to what I had to say.

“You’ll see soon enough,” he chuckled and squeezed my hand tightly, helping me over the rail and onto the plank. It was long, thin, and wide enough for one person but could be sturdier if you asked me. I held my breath the entire way down, afraid that it would either snap under my weight–not that I weighed nearly as much as some of the other crew members–or my foot would slip,and I would fall flat on my face on the shore. That would make a memorable first impression for the people of Isle.

“I was wondering when you would all get here!” A man stepped forward to greet us all with a large grin. With the way he was the first to speak and stood tall with so much confidence and power, I could only assume that this was Asmund, the Chief of Isle. “We’ve been waiting for you since yesterday.”

A few islanders nodded and murmured in agreement.

“It’s nice of you to wait for us, Asmund, but we made it very clear that today would be the day we would be setting sail from Jorvik,” Viktor spoke firmly, a solemn expression on his face. It was appropriate for the situation, but I wasn’t used to seeing him so firm and serious.

This was not the Viktor I was used to at all.

The Viktor I knew was always lighthearted and teasing me. I teasingly called him a pirate even though he was the exact opposite, and we bickered more than couples that had been married for longer than I had been born, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Ah, I must have read Barden’s letter wrong, but not to worry. These things happen. All that matters is that you’re here now,” Asmund laughed and waved his hand dismissively. Soon, his attention turned to me. “And who might this be?” He asked with a big grin on his face.

I had noticed him steal a few glances at me while he spoke to Viktor. It was understandable because I knew it was rare for women to embark on sea missions, so I knew it was only a matter of time before he asked about me. I could already tell that Asmund wasn’t the kind to keep his thoughts and opinions to himself. Viktor had warned me, after all.

“This is my wife, Astrid,” Viktor grinned widely, proud, as he introduced me. “We recently got married. That’s why I didn’t mention it the last time I was here.”

“Viktor Thostenson, married?” Asmund laughed freely like it was the funniest thing in the world. “I never thought I’d live to see you take a woman, but I see the appeal,” he grinned and winked at me. I returned the smile, a little tight and forced around the edges. It didn’t seem like Asmund had ill intentions, but he was a little too eccentric for my liking. “You’re a lucky man, Viktor. Your wife is a beautiful little thing.”

Viktor turned to smile at me; his eyes, slightly pinched at the corners, told me he didn’t like how Asmund spoke and looked at me either. Though I already knew from how he held me close to his side, his arm tight around my waist.Possessive.

“I agree. I’m a very lucky man,” Viktor grinned, and his words warmed my heart.

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