Chapter 26: How Hildburg Isebrand Takes a Bath

A half hour later, after drinking hot tea and eating bread and cold meat, they mounted the horses again. There was less talk now, as Joerg and Hildburg were lost in thought. Joerg tried to envision a life with Hildburg. It would be difficult for them; of that, he was certain. She had made it clear that she had claimed him to prevent the carnage in Warnesund that Bjoern had threatened. She had no feelings for him. Yet, he had promised to care for her, to honour her. Just, how much honouring would Hildburg be able to stand?

Of course, with Hildburg married to him, he could do as he pleased. She would not be able to fight him off, after all. However, he had never forced himself on a woman, and he would never do it, least of all to this particular woman who had saved his life.

Caught in his musings, he barely noticed the faint brightening of the sky behind them. Nevertheless, the dawn came upon them, followed by the watery light of the Northern sun. Hildburg was still clinging bravely to Nele's belt, but the way her head moved, he could tell she was exhausted.

Fortunately, when the sun rose higher, the morning mist vanished, and they could see the church steeple of Dassow, just two miles ahead. The sight put some spirit into the weary travellers; even the horses seemed to take heart, and less than a half hour later, they rode into the small settlement.

The roadside inn was still there, but it looked more enticing than a decade ago. The window shutters were painted with floral patterns, and the tables bore linen cloths. The wooden floor was swept clean, and the copper pots over the fireplace were gleaming.

Joerg did not recognise the rotund woman who showed to greet the first customers of the day, but Birte certainly recognised both Joerg and Hildburg. Her mouth gaped open.

"The Lord's mercy on us!" she exclaimed.

Her voice finally made them recognise her. Joerg made the connection first.

"Birte! Are you..." he caught himself in time. "You are the landlady?"

"I have been that for nigh on ten years. That bag of coins that you left me with was quite a dowry, and Henning proposed to me after only one month."

Hildburg cleared her throat, and Joerg could feel her uneasiness. Birte must have felt it, too, for she rushed forward.

"Maid Hildburg, are you doing well? But why, in God's name ... I mean, you here in Joerg's company?"

"Birte, the Maid Hildburg is no more. Meet Hildburg Isebrand, my wife," Joerg stated.

He put his arm around Hildburg's waist, and he noted that she did not flinch from his touch. Birte shook her head.

"How did that come about? You have to tell me. But do come in! You want me to prepare a breakfast?"

"That would be nice, yes," Thorben chuckled. "Tell the landlord to butcher the hog already. We're mighty hungry."

Birte stared at the other Isebrands.

"My brothers, Thorben and Bjoern, and my sisters, Katherine of Nassau and Nele of Erlenburg," Joerg introduced. "I have told you about Birte."

They took care of their horses first, with the help of the stable boy. When that was done, the Isebrands entered the low common room while the men of their entourage took seats on the benches outside. The landlord made his appearance, with a young serving wench, and they were served a breakfast. Joerg smiled at the man.

"I see that you kept your word, treating Birte kindly?"

"She's the best that ever came into my life," the good man replied with feeling. "Healthy, too, and she gave me five children to this day, three sons and two daughters."

Joerg would have made an appreciative remark but he was acutely aware of Hildburg's apprehension. When there was a chance, he pulled her aside and spoke to her in a low voice.

"What is it about you and Birte? She only spoke kindly of you, and she said you were kind to her."

"It is ... nothing, really. It is just ... she was your ... friend, once. But now, you are my husband. How many of her ilk shall I meet? Women you took to bed, women you may still care for?"

Her response bewildered Joerg, to be sure. Was Hildburg jealous of the women in his past? He chose to answer honestly.

"Hildburg, there have been women in my past. I was a soldier and never long enough in one place to settle down. I spoke the vows though, yesterday, and you will be the last woman I shall ever lie with."

Hildburg blushed crimson.

"I asked your sister about your life, last night. She told me about those noblewomen."

"They all used me for as long as they had use for me. It was stupid of me, to believe they'd see anything more in me than a strong sword arm, to defend them.

"I had a long time to think about it, on the cart, when they were hauling me north. All those noblewomen I met over the years, they never saw me as their equal. They all toyed with me, with perhaps one exemption.

"I have come to my senses, Hildburg. I hope that one day, you will stop fearing and hating me. I hope we can build something on the ruins of our former lives. If you will let me, I shall be as good a husband for you as I know how to be."

Hildburg had listened to him intently, and the blush never left her cheeks. When he ended, she took a deep breath.

"There is much, standing between us, Joerg. I shall try to be a good wife to you, if you will show some patience. It will not come easy to me, but the love and respect from your siblings shows me that you may not be the violent and cruel man I believed you to be."

"Hildburg, I did have this terrible temper, this rage that flared up, like a red mist before my eyes. It flared up a number of times, and it always scared me. It has become better, over the years, and I have more control over it. My siblings help me, namely Katherine and Nele."

Before Hildburg could respond, Birte was back at the table with a tray, filled with deliciously smelling ham shavings and rye bread. They sat down to eat. The bread was not older than two or three days, and it tasted heavenly to the travellers. Talk was suspended for a while, as they all ate their fill. After that, Joerg and Hildburg were included in the general talk at the table. Katherine was making plans.

"So, Brother, we need to head for Lauenburg, to head off Arnulf and August. If they have not arrived yet, we shall leave a few of our men there, to give them the news of your lucky escape."

"We should travel on, though," Thorben added. "God knows what Rugenberg will be up to, in our absence."

"That neiding is mine to deal with," Joerg said grimly. "I spared his life, back then, when I could have cut him down, and he betrayed me in return."

"He is yours," Nele stated calmly. "I shall deal with that traitorous Meiningen woman."

"We shall see about that," Joerg answered evasively. "Back to our plans, though. Would you mind stopping over in Lueneburg? I need new clothes, and I want Hildburg dressed as befits my wife."

"I don't see why not," Bjoern answered. "We can buy some salt, while we're there."

The wealthy Lueneburg was the centre of the salt trade in Northern Germany, with the price of salt sometimes exceeding that of gold, especially in the southern regions. Hildburg spoke up now, not quite sure how she fit into the family council, yet.

"I would ask what you mean by being dressed as befits your wife?"

Joerg was spared an answer, for Katherine answered for him.

"Hildburg, Sister, you are the wife of the Field Captain of the House Erlenburg. You will spend a lot of time attending to duties at Court, or accompanying Arnulf and Nele when they visit neighbouring lands. You need to be dressed for that, even before we arrive in Erlenburg, or even meet Arnulf with his troops."

"It's a good thing we brought along some of our gold," Bjoern chimed in. "We thought that perhaps we might buy your freedom from the City. Now we can use some of it to have you clothed."

"But I'm still only a burgher's daughter. I was nothing more than a housemaid to my uncle."

Nele smiled and took Hildburg's hand in hers.

"Up to my eighteenth year, I never saw anything beyond the grass thatched roofs of the neighbours' barns. It was hard learning for all of us, to fit into the world we live in now. At least, you grew up in a wealthy city, a port city. You will do fine."

Bjoern emptied his cup of milk.

"I say, let's get on the road again. There are still six or seven hours of light. We can easily reach Schoenberg. The tavern there is larger, and we can sleep there, too."

When they all rose, Joerg saw that Hildburg flinched. He put his arm around her.

"Are you hurting?"

"My backside hurts," she responded grimly. "I'm not used to riding horses."

"Perhaps, you should try to ride your own horse," Joerg suggested. "Sitting behind Nele all the way to Erlenburg will not work."

"But I can't ride!" Hildburg replied, almost in panic.

"Don't worry! I shall lead your horse. We can pick an easy pace, and you will learn to ride. There isn't much to it, really. Will you trust me and try?"

Hildburg hesitated for a moment, but then she nodded. Outside, Joerg picked a small mare for her and helped Hildburg into the saddle. He adjusted the stirrups for her and then mounted his own horse. True to his word, he led Hildburg's mare by the halter, and over the next hours, he taught her how to sit in the saddle, how to sit out a trot, and lastly, how to control the animal. By late afternoon, when they rode into Schoenberg, Hildburg was not afraid anymore, and the task of learning had distracted her sufficiently from her hurting backside.

They found room to sleep in one tavern, with a few of their men. The others had to lodge in a second inn. The inn they were staying in had a bathhouse, with a large wooden tub. As soon as he heard of it, Joerg ordered the landlord to start heating water. For weeks, he had not been able to clean up, and he suffered from fleabite and itchiness. Hildburg turned beet red again when Joerg told her to join him, saying that a hot bath was the best cure for saddle soreness.

He led her into the bathhouse where a housemaid was busy filling the tub. It was half full already, and Joerg stripped off his clothes without ado. He pulled a silver coin from his pants and gave it to the housemaid.

"Be a good girl and smoke my clothes, to rid them of pests," he said.

The young woman barely blinked seeing the naked giant. She just nodded and took the clothes away. With a deep sigh, Joerg sunk into the water. Hildburg was still standing there undecided.

"Do come in, Hildburg, you will like it," Joerg told her.

With a sigh, Hildburg collected her courage and slipped Nele's tunic over her head. She pushed down her pants, too, and then she stood in her linen shirt, uncertain what to do. Joerg recognised her insecurity.