Dream of Me/Believe in Me

swiftly gone.
    Gulls circled overhead, tracking the schools of gleaming herring that looked like darting streaks of silver beneath the water. The seals chased them, too, as did the men standing in their tiny vessels to fling their seining nets far out over the swell, then pulling them back into shore fat with their catch.
    The sun was slanting to the west, bathing the sea in gold, before Hawk finally turned his skiff landward. He had stolen a day and felt no remorse for it, especially not when he considered the change the hours of freedom had wrought in him. He felt far better able to deal with his trickster bride than he had that morning. Indeed, he found himself looking forward to it. The cheerfulness of his mood lasted right up to the moment he came within sight of the harbor.
    Daria was waiting for him on the quay. Seeing her there, a dry specter ever ready to cry doom, Hawk almost headed back out to sea. Only stern discipline enabled him to secure the boat and climb the stone steps. Scarcely had he come into sight than Daria drew breath and let it fly like barbed arrows.
    “Do you know? Of course, you must. How dare she! What game is that stupid girl playing? And the insult to you—” She moaned and clutched her breast like a mummer in a bad paschal play. “I can't imagine why you haven't had her lashed already, her and those dreadful servants.How is she ever to learn her place if you tolerate such disrespect?”
    Hawk had learned long ago that his half-sister thrived on irritation and anger, all the negative emotions. He refused to let her feed off her own fury. “Calm yourself, Daria. In your haste, you misspeak. It is for me to decide what to do and only for me.”
    She ducked her head and looked up at him sideways with false humility. “Yes, of course, how foolish of me. But whatever could she have been thinking? Perhaps her mind is not as it should be. Surely, her reason must be questioned.”
    He began walking down the quay briskly, forcing Daria to run to keep up with his long stride. “Her reason is for me to know and judge. For you and everyone else, it is enough that she is who she is. Make no mistake, I agreed to take the Lady Krysta as my wife sight unseen because she brings the promise of peace
and
a dowry large enough to choke a horse. A dowry to be put to swift work making the defenses of Hawkforte yet stronger against the Danes. Nothing—absolutely nothing—matters more than that. Do you understand me?”
    For a moment, something deep and dark flared behind her eyes but it was gone so swiftly Hawk could not be sure he had seen it. “Surely I understand,” Daria said. “You have always been very clear as to what is important and what is not. Only my care for you compels me to say that there will be difficulties because of her. The people will not accept her readily, not after this display of foolishness. Best you be prepared for that.”
    Tempted though he was to dismiss her warning, Hawk could not. At the very least, his people would be surprised and puzzled. As loyal to him as they were, it was likely they would condemn Krysta for her deceit. He frowned at the thought. Much as she deserved punishment, she washis wife-to-be and she needs must have the respect of his people. They would take their lead from him, which left him with few options for dealing with her. Yet another problem she presented, and they not even wed yet. It did not bode well for their future.
    Leaving Daria behind, he strode on to the fortress. The bailey yard was busy as usual and all looked as it should but Hawk wasn't fooled. He caught the quick, apprehensive glances from all directions and knew that word had spread. No doubt his people were brimming over with curiosity but they had the sense to hold their tongues in his presence.
    Briefly, he considered seeking out his errant betrothed but decided to postpone so dubious a pleasure at least a short time. He never had finished his bath that morning and since then he'd been sprayed with enough salt water to leave his tunic stiff and scratchy. Glad of the refuge, he withdrew to the sauna after sending a servant for fresh clothes.
    The chamber half-submerged in the earth and roofed with stone would have been cool were it not for the fire kept burning in a metal box topped by heaps of polished rocks. Hawk added fresh wood and poured a ladle of water over the rocks before stripping off his garments. He washed himself down, then stretched out on a bench and let the