Journey of an Einherji - The Sword of Summer

It was a horrible afternoon to be on a boat.

The sea heaved and so did I, to the point I sat on the fishing chair. I didn't even felt the cold, but water splashed on my face, to the point it stung. Magnus kept trying to be still, though he's legs shaked and he nearly fell of the boat, several times. Sam didn't seem to mind the rough seas. She leanded against the bow rail and stared into the grey sky. Harald stood at the wheel, singing in a guttural language I assumed was Jotunese.

After trying a few times, and failing magnificently, I managed to rise from the chair and stand next to Magnus. My hands gripping the bow rail so hard, I thought I was going to break it with my superstrength. I had just calmed down after nearly vomitting, when Magnus spoke.

"What's with the scarf anyway? Sometimes you cover your head. Sometimes you don't."

I looked at Sam. She laid her fingers protectively over the green silk.

"It's a hijab. I wear it when I want to, or when I think I need to. Like when I take my grandmother to mosque on Friday, or-"

"Or when you see Amir?" - Magnus asked.

"I almost thought you were going to let that go." - she muttered.

"The pigeon said Amir is your intended. Like... engaged? Aren't you sixteen?"

"Magnus-" - Sam started.

"I'm just saying, if this is one of those forced arranged marriages, that's messed up. You're a Valkyrie. You should-"

"Didn't you see how they were looking at each other?" - I asked him.

"No. Why?"

"Seriously? It was so obvious. Those two-"

"Bruno, shut it. Please." - Sam said.

"Right. Sorry."

The boat hit a swell, spraying us with saltwater, making my face stung some more.

"My grandparents are olf-fashioned." - Sam said, gripping the rail - "They were raised in Baghdad, but fled to the U.S. when Saddam Hussein was in power."

"And...?" - Magnus encouraged.

"They've known the Fadlans since forever. They're good people. Distant kin. Successful, kind-"

"I know." - Magnus interrupted - "Abdel is awesome. Amir seems cool. But a forced marriage if you don't love the guy-"

"Ugh! You don't get it. I've been in love with Amir since I was twelve."

The boat groaned as it dipped between waves. Harald kept singing in Jotunese.

"Oh." - Magnus said lamely.

"I knew it." - I muttered triumphantly.

"Not that it's any of your business." - Samirah said.

"No. Of course not." - I said.

"Yeah. No." - Magnus said at the same time.

"But sometimes when a family tries to find a good match, they actually care what the girl thinks."

"How did you know that you were in love with Amir?" - I asked - "I mean, you were just a kid. You could have been confused."

Sam regarded me with a cold stare. Then, just when I was about to apologize, she sighed.

"I don't know how to explain it... it's just a feeling that's..." - she shook her head - "I didn't realize until I was older... After my mom died, my grandparents took me in but, well, my mom wasn'tmarried when she had me. That's still a big deal for my grandparents' generation."