Job to do (open)

She had to do another work. She was not angry because of it, she was just kind of tired, but she remembered, that when her job here is done, she could have some free time. She could not wait to take another stroll in Kattegat. She wanted to have it done, so she took a basket, full of apples and gave one apple to each horse. She was little bit happier now, since she loves animals. Well most of them. After she fed all the horses, she put the basket back on its place and went to the closest horse, so she could groom him little bit. It was a black, strong looking stallion, who was trying to smell her before she could groom him, so she gave him hand, so he could smell it. He looked more comfortable after it, so she just fondled him little bit and then, when he was calm, she started to groom him slowly. She was thinking, while grooming. She was lost in her head. She was thinking about many for her important things, like her relationship with her sister Thyra. So she just groomed vacantly.

She didn´t hear footsteps, since she was thinking and not caring about what was happening around her. Suddenly she heard coughing behind her. She turned around quickly, because it slightly scared her. When she saw a man, that looked like he didn´t want to hurt her, or cause her trouble, she relaxed her face and smiled. How long have you been standing there? She curiously asked with a smile on her face,when she saw, that the man looked like he likes to talk, because otherwise he would not cough. And also because she wanted to know, whether is she deaf and blind or not. If he stood there for a long time, she probably looked like a freak in his eyes. She took an apple from the basket that was on the ground right next to him and gave it to another horse, that was standing next to the black stallion. While doing it, she was listening to him.

”Only just now, don’t worry, I’m not the type of guy that would spy on someone”when he said that, she sighed with relief, because she didn´t humiliate herself. Good, she gave him amused smile, if you would say, that you are standing there a long time, i would be running away by now. She looked at him and saw him leaning on the door of the box. ”That’s one beautiful horse” She went to horse and caressed horse neck, then she looked at the man. I agree with you. There´s something special about him. She smiled relaxed. I have never seen horse like this in Udevalla. She just said without thinking about it and in that moment, she stopped carrying the horse, because she thought that it was mistake to say it. Some people thinks she is a traitor, when she is from Uddevalla. She hoped, that he won´t be that kind of person. She just hated people, that were judging her, without knowing her.

”I would do the same”She smiled when he laughed. She likes hearing people laugh, not because she would be that cheerful person, but because it was sign, that he is not fake. You can pretend everything, but not a good laugh. She was also glad, he cam make fun of himself. When she said that Uddevalla thing, she tried to avoid his look, so she just turned around to see the horse. ”You’re right” When he said that, she could hear from his voice, that he is calm and in good mood still, so she just smiled, to herself. She expected, whether he would react to Uddevalla or not. It wouldn´t be good if he would ask about it. Unfortunately the question came. ”Have you been in Uddevalla?” She heard how curious he is, which made her wonder, whether he is glad to hear about Uddevalla or not. She felt, how interested he was in her answer, so she turned at him and gave him weak smile. Yes, i have been in Uddevalla. She said with sign of happiness in her voice. In fact i grew up there. She smiled, because memories were flashing through her mind right now. Hopefully he won´t think, that she is traitor. Why are you asking? Now she was curious. Have you ever been there? She asked with huge smile on her face.

”Yes, I’ve been there. I grew up there too” She didn´t know what to think about it. Of course she was happy to meet someone, she can talk about her previous home and place she spent her whole life in. She widely smiled as he chuckled. ”But I left over 8 years ago, so I wouldn’t know how it is to live there now” Why have you left? She asked all of sudden, without really thinking about it. On the second thought she knew, that he had probably good reason to leave, so she just added. If you don´t mind telling me of course.She looked at him and answered his question, without need to think about her words. We didn´t live in the centre. We had house on the countryside, so i don´t know any juicy news about Uddevalla. She was picturing their house in her head. But i guess, nothing changed since you left. Except the king. She looked at him with weak grin on her face, because she didn´t know, if he likes the king or not. She had to be careful and watch her mouth.

”I don’t” she smiled back at him ”I left because I had a feeling the world would offer me more than Uddevalla ever could”,She just nodded in understanding way, when he told her the reasons, why he left Uddevalla.I understand. She had pretty common reasons, she hated Uddevalla. When her father died, everyone were judging her and her sister and she hates judgement of people who have never talked with her. She could not bare the look on their faces, when she was walking the street, so she just left. Maybe she acted like a coward, but she told herself, that she has no reason to stay, so that is why she just dissapeared with her sister, hoping, that Kattegat would be better.  ”Ah yes, the king” when he said that, she gave looked at him interested.”I knew him personally”She didn´t expect that, so she gave him a shocked look, and then she weakly smiled.  ”I was one of his apprentices.” She looked at him curiously. What was he like? She asked and added. I mean, i knew him only as king, from stories my father used to tell me.She smiled, when she remembered, that in one time, she would not fall asleep without a story, so her father had to make some. Was he good person? She asked and smiled at him.

She nodded, listening to him. She understood how he felt somehow. She knew few people, that were like king. Friend for her, that suddenly changed into something nobody liked. ”Yes, he was” She looked at him, trying to imagine him, talking with young prince like a friend. ”He was a great mentor and I think we considered each other friends at one point” I think, you seem to make new friends easilly. You are a good talker. She likes to talk a lot, but she is not as experienced with words as he is. She smiled and sat down near him. ”He was not king yet back then, but he surely possessed the traits of one” She nodded again and smiled weakly. I wish i knew him. She saw grin on his face, that made her smile more. She wanted to ask again, why he left Uddevalla, but in the end she decided not to do that and asked different question. You are blacksmith right? She smiled and suddenly she realized, that she doesn´t even know his name. My name is Sigrunn by the way. She smiled again, knowing how ridiculous it is.

She was curiously listening to him and nodding. "Thank you, I sure hope people enjoy my company"
She smiled and replied. Even I enjoy your company and that is something. When she introduced herself to him she hoped, that he would do the same, because otherwise it would be pretty awkward for her. ”Yes, I am. I am allowed to replace the old blacksmith. And my name is Svart” She smiled with relief, that he told her his name. Svart? To be honest, I think i have never heard that name before. She smiled weakly and stood up, because it was no longer comfortable for her to sit. Just seconds after her, he stood up too, asking her question. ”I actually came here to check upon the gear, if anything needs replacement. Do you know where they keep the saddles?” She nodded and then responded with somehow sad smile. Sorry, i have no idea where the saddles are. I am here for the first time today, because the stable boy asked me to help him and i had nothing better to do. She looked around her and tried to find the saddles, because she hated, when she coudn´t help, so she tried her best. She started walking aroung horses, looking, where the saddles were hidden.

His laugh made her smile. She loves to see people laughing, it makes her feel happy. ”I am honoured you approve my company”, She just smiled gladly, hoping, that he felt as good as she did. She felt like she knew him for years, it made her feel pretty comfortable. She asked him about his name and he answered, basically teling her nothing new, which made her more curious. ”It is indeed not a common name, but it has a story and therefore I love it”She gave him warm smile, wondering, what the story was, but she thought, that maybe he didn´t want to talk about it and she didn´t want to ruin this conversation.I mean it´s pretty awesome name and even better when you have a good memory in it. She saw his look, which made her sure, that the story is good. She wanted to help him, but she had no idea, where to search for the saddles. ”Then we can search for it together” She was glad, that he wanted to help her, but she was busy with trying to find the saddles, that she gave him only fast smile and continued.If I remember correctly, it should be behind a door somewhere” She looked at him, wondering, if he knew, where the saddles were, or is just saying it randomly. She went behind the first door she saw and found the saddles. He knew it all along. She could not be angry with him, because he probably just wanted her to be able to help, so she turned at him with slightly amused look. You bastard. You knew all along. She warmly smiled then, letting him know, that she is not angry and took one of the saddles. Where do you want me to put it? She weakly smiled, holding the saddle.

When she told her the thing with his name, he smiled, which made her even more comfortable to be around him. She just loved cheerful people.  ”If I ever see my parents again, I will tell them they have made a good choice” When he said those words, she didn´t know, what to think about it, but didn´t let him know, how much she is thinking about it.  She just gave him weak smile and said words, that could make him angry, but she just had to say it for some reason. If i ever see my parents again? I think when I´m gonna see my parents again sounds a lot better. She winked at him, making sure, her words didn´t hurt him or make him angry. When she found the saddles and accused him, he just started to laugh and answered. ”You have no proof of that” She just smiled widely, maybe little but teasingly. How can you know that?She said it, not having the proof, but just trying to show him, that she could react quickly. And she also loved to make him unsure. Then she grabbed the saddle and asked where to put it.   ”If you want to put it on the highest beam, that would be great” She just nodded with weak smile and did as he wanted her to do. She had some troubles with putting the saddle there, because it got stuck in the stable door for a second, so she had to takeout it, in which she succeeded, but probably looked like a freak, doing it, since she had to hold the saddle in the same time. She had plenty of free time in that moment and had no problems with helping him, since he proved himself as a good talker. So? How can i help you now? She smiled and was waiting for next instructions.

When she said the thing about parents, he answered with smile at first. ”That is true, it does sound better” That smile turned into something she didn´t wanted to see on his face. Worries? Doubts? She decided not to talk about it, since it was not making him feel comfortable. She just smiled encouragingly, but that was the only thing she did about it. She didn´t wanted to ruin his mood completely. And she didn´t he looked like, he was good and prepared to joke. ”Unless you can read minds you could not know. So, can you? Can you read minds?” She smiled intriguingly. Maybe i can. She told him, knowing it is not possible and she can´t do it, even if she tried. You never know. She said that only because she wanted to amuse him, and herself too. Kind of. She never ruins fun and since he seemed to share her sense of humour, she had no problems, with continuing jokes. She wanted to help him, so she did. When she saw him watching her, with sign of respect, she just weakly smiled. She liked her job. It was pretty simple and she had chance to meet new people, which she loved. She wanted to help even more, so she asked for another job. ”You can start looking for rusty or broken metal on the saddles. I need to replace them later on” She looked at the rusty metal, just to make sure and started to look for it on the saddle she brought. After while, she was slumped, to see the the metal better. She had no problems with finding the rust. She looked at him, with satisfied face, because she found something, but also with feeling, that she is making him spend his time on something he might not like doing. I found something. I think. She said, because she was not hundred percent sure about it. She pointed her finger at the rust on the saddle and smiled weakly. Do you like your job? She just wanted the conversation to keep going.

She was happy to help him, so it made her smile, when she found, what he asked her to look for. ”Let me see, hmm” When he said that, she held her breath, because she was kinda nervous, that she made mistake. She hated making mistakes.”You are right, this needs replacement, well done”, She smiled with relief, but she was also proud of herself. It would be embarrasing for her to be wrong. When she asked him about his job, she felt, how much he liked being blacksmith. ”Yes, I do. I like it very much”, She smiled, because she made the right move, asking about his job. ”Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be a blacksmith, just like my father.” It reminded her of her sister Thyra, who always wanted to be like their father. Warrior. She smiled, remembering her father and nodded. What made you want to be like your father, may i ask?She asked, because the answer could tell her everything about him. She was maybe little bit worried, that this question is too personal for him, so she weakly smiled at him. For example, i would never want to have the same job as my real mother. She looked at him with a smirk. ”I am happy to have the opportunity to be a blacksmith in Kattegat, having my own shop and everything” She smiled. You are very lucky, i have to admit. She didn´t mean it in bad way, she just said it, really thinking it.

She sat to the ground, not caring about her dress, because her legs were aching, since she sat only while she was having fast breakfast and that was while ago. She looked at him as he started talking.”I do not really know, growing up he was my hero. I looked up to him and his work, and I decided I wanted to do the sameShe nodded in understanding. It felt like her sister is talking to her at the moment. She smiled nicely. You remind me of my sister Thyra right now.She remembered her immediately. She admired father, just like you do.Now, she remembered her father with his wife. ”What did your mother do for a living?” She chuckled and almost laughed, when he asked her. She gave him slightly amused smile. Well, my mother was a whore.She looked at him to see his reaction. So you can tell, what was she doing for living.She grinned and continued. At least, that´s what my father claimed and since i am his bastard, it makes sense. She shook her head and added. So basically Thyra is my halfsister.She explained and was watching him working. ”I was fortunate yes, I could make my own decisions and live the life I wanted to”She smiled nicely and leaned her back on the wall.