Every morning I awoke to the same feeling of exhaustion hovering over my body. My entire body ached and I felt worse than I had at any other moment in my life. I wondered if Lára had ever felt this way with any of her many pregnancies and upon asking her, she replied that it was only with Oddi. This gave me hope that I would have a son for Jón.

With every passing day I hoped for my husband's ship to be spotted on the horizon. I even accompanied Lára to the grove to send a prayer to the Gods, something I had never done before in my own village and rarely did here.

The herbs Astrid had given me had indeed helped with the swelling in my extremities, but not enough for me to be able to slip my wedding band onto my finger. Missing my husband I began to carry the ring in my pouch during the day and returned it to the safety of the chest at night.

Stifling a yawn I removed the ring from my pouch and wrapped it in a small handkerchief before placing it into the bottom of the chest. I had not been feeling well throughout the day with occasional pains running through my body. When I had asked Lára about such things, she explained that it was just the child readying itself for birth.

Undressing I grimaced at the slight pain in my abdomen. When I lay down in bed they lessened, only to return moments later. Gritting my teeth together and attempting to bare the pain, much like I did with my leg wound when I first arrived, but the pain was spreading and I could not bear anymore.

Slipping out of the bed I stumbled across the house and wrapped my cloak around me before leaving my house behind me. Breathing heavily I made my way towards the cliffs that clung to the ocean, frequently stopping in order to settle the pains.

Finally reaching the healer's house I knocked loudly on the door, bracing myself against the door frame. Waiting for the old woman for what seemed like hours, I felt lightheaded and nauseous until she opened the door and a wave of relief washed over me. Astrid's face held a surprised look as she peered out at me.

"Valdís, what are you doing?" she asked, her eyes running down my body with motherly concern. "Has something happened?"

I gave a weak nod. "The pains have worsened. Please, you must have something you can give to me." Tears ran down my face, much to my shame. I never cried in front of others. "Please make the pain stop," I begged.

Astrid took me by the upper arm and led me into the house, a frown on her aging face. "Could it be the babe?" she asked, seemingly to herself. "Come along, child, lay down." She led me to her bed and removed my cloak before bidding me to settle myself on the old bed.

Pushing on my stomach with both hands, the frown on her face disappeared. "Do not worry, child, your little one is not ready to be born. The babe only wished to give you a scare."

"A boy then," I gasped through the pain, watching the old woman smile. "I am glad my child will not be arriving just yet, Jón had not yet returned."

Giving a firm nod, Astrid placed her hands on her broad hips. "When the babe is ready, it will make an appearance, with or without the father present." Pulling the thick quilt over me, she clicked her tongue. "You will stay until the pains disappear."

"Then allow me to sleep on a bench," I offered through gritted teeth as I pushed myself up.

"No, you re bringing a new life into the world soon, you deserve the bed more than I do." With those words Astrid turned her back and disappeared into the darkness of the kitchen.

oOo

Opening my eyes the next morning, I was relieved to find that any pains I had felt the previous day were gone. Climbing from the bed and padding across the floor, I found Astrid at the table chopping herbs into a fine powder.

"You feel much better this morn," she said, not looking up from her chore.

"Yes, I do, thank you." Glancing around the kitchen I did not see any food set up for a morning-meal and decided to take my leave.

"If the pains are to return, do not hesitate to visit. There are herbs that can take away the pain when it will not go away naturally."

Wrapping my cloak around me, I left the small house on the cliff and hurried to my own home. I left my cloak at the door and went to the back of the house, stripping from my under tunic. Splashing water from the basin I gasped as the coolness hit my skin. I was rejuvenated.

With my dress and my hair in place, I knelt in front of the large chest and opened it to retrieve my ring. Digging my fingers deeper into the chest, I panicked when I could not feel the small package anywhere. My heart was beating frantically as I tore the dressed from the trunk, shaking each one out, hoping to hear the tiny cling of metal on the wooden floor. Staring down at the bottom of the chest, a shocking realization washed over me. Not only was the ring gone, but Magnús' sword was no longer at the bottom.

"No," I muttered, stepping away and glancing around the room. There was no possible chance of me placing them anywhere else in the house. With my hands shaking I flew to where the other chests sat and began to throw the contents out, my heart dropping lower and lower. I let out a low cry and rubbed the heels of my hands to my eyes. I had spent the night way, leaving plenty of time for someone to enter the house.

Turning away from the clothes and items spilled over the floor I left the house, quickly making my way towards the village. The hill leading into it was now a struggle for my round self, but soon I found myself at Lára's door. I did not knock as I usually would have, but opened the door and stepped inside without greeting.

"Valdís, I was not expecting you this morning," Lára said, looking up from where she was eating at the table. The children surrounding her all greeted me, but I did not greet them back.

"It is gone, Lára," I told her, feeling tears prick at my eyes.

"What is?" she asked, truly puzzled at my abrupt statement.

"The ring Jón had given me and Magnús' sword. They are both gone. I kept them both in a chest in my home but they are no longer there.

"Perhaps you only placed them somewhere different. Have you checked other places you could have put them?" Lára asked, lifting a brow and crossing her arms over her chest.

Feeling anger raise in my, I tried to calm my nerves. "Of course I have not. I would not put them anywhere else. Every night I remove the ring from my pouch and place it at the bottom of the chest alongside my brother's sword." Wrapping my arms around my round stomach, I let out a defeated sigh. "The pains had worsened and I went to Astrid to get help. She allowed me to stay with her for the night." I dropped my voice into a whisper. "Somebody went into my house and took the two things that mean the most to me."

"You believe that it had been Maria who took your belongings?"

I gritted my teeth other as I thought of the other woman. It would be a lie to say her name had never crossed my mind while searching for the missing items. "She would be the most likely."

Pushing her chair away from the table Lára stood and walked toward the door, turning back to glance at me and the children. "Girls, look after your brother. Valdís, come, I will help you search."

oOo

Days passed without any sign of the ring or sword, causing me to be full of worry. Each day I returned to the chest where I knew the items to be kept, only to find them still missing. I encouraged Lára to search Maria's house – as acting chieftain she had the power to – but she refused stating she had no reason to place the blame on the woman other than conflicting personalities.

After the theft I did not wish to leave the house for long periods of time in fear that the thief would return. Because of this I stopped my visits to the longhouse and Lára began to spend her time at my own home with the two youngest of her children. Ingrid, Analía and Birta spent much of their time way from the house running amuck with the other village children.

Lára and I were sitting in the kitchen mending a pile of her children's worn clothing when the eldest of the brood burst through the door, her blue eyes bright. "A ship has been spotted!" Ingrid announced, bouncing in place. A wide smile was placed on her face, showing a missing front tooth.

Lára and I exchanged glances and my heart began to beat wildly. Was it true that our men were really back or was it just a trading ship passing by? Sitting down our needles Lára picked up Oddi from his spot on the floor and followed her eldest child from the house with me following close behind. We made our way towards the water with women and children walking excitedly joining us.

Standing at the water's edge, Lára placed a hand to her eyes to shade them from the bright afternoon sun and squinted into the distance. "I believe it to be our men," she whispered to me. Looking closely I could see a small tug at the corners of her mouth.

Murmurs carried through the crowd as we all watched the ship grow larger. Some of the elderly women disappeared from out gathering to prepare a feast to celebrate the men's return. With any luck from the Gods, all of the men would come home whole.

"I am glad Papi is home," Margrét said as she slipped her tiny hand into mine. "I missed him."

"We all did," her mother told her quietly, shifting her youngest child on her hip. I could tell from her constant movements that she was as restless and worried as the rest of us.

"I hope he has brought me something," Margrét whispered, almost to herself.

As with any raid there was a chance that someone's husband or son would not return whole or alive. This thought hung heavy over the crowd as we all waited with baited breath to see which woman would be the most unfortunate, if any. I glanced behind me at the crowd and saw Astrid standing up the hill a ways, watching not the ship but the crowd. Our eyes connected and she gave a small nod to acknowledge me. My eyes continued to scan over the crowd and I found Maria near the back. She wrapped herself in a thick cloak even with the sun shining brightly.

Turning, I focused my eyes back on the homecoming ship, my heart fluttering as I thought of my husband who I would soon be reunited with. As the boat came to the shore the heads of the men could be seen from where we stood. They tied the boat securely and the first me stepped foot onto the ground.

"Papi!" yelled one of the small children as he pushed away from his mother and ran into his father's arms.

More villagers gathered around the men, calling out and greeting them. I stood straight trying to spy Jón's blonde head, but could not. Beside me Lára gripped my sleeve tightly, anticipation running through us both. For the first time I noticed that her husband could not be spotted either and that the men who had already came off the boat wore grim expressions.

"Make way!" came a booming voice that could only belong to Stefán. He emerged from the boat with another man, carrying a canvas between them.

My eyes grew wide and my heart stopped before I could even see the bundled man's face. Letting go of Margrét's hand and pushing away from Lára, I moved towards the men. Stefán turned his head towards me, his brows furrowed and usually shining eyes dark. "Valdís, instruct Astrid to be ready at your house," he commanded, his voice sounding like one of a chieftain.

My eyes were focused on my husband who lay swaddled in the thick cloth, only his face, pale and limp, visible. Taking a deep breath I turned and ran through the crowd, pushing my way through until I reached the healing woman.

"Something is wrong with Jón!" I cried gripping onto the front of her dress. "You must help him." My voice was husky and thick with tears. I could feel beginning to run down my face.

Astrid did not say anything as she left the crowd and walked towards her own house to gather any supplies she might need. I glanced over my shoulder to see the two men slowing making their way towards me with my husband hung in the cloth between them.