Page 28 of A Winter Courtship
Finished with the hoops, he cleaned up the smithy. He stretched his neck from side to side, joints cracking. Weariness tugged at him. Grabbing his coat and gloves, he left his workspace.
By the tree line, Ethel dug at the snow with her hoofs, searching for the vegetation hiding beneath. A youngling, perhaps one of Odara’s grandchildren, squatted a short distance from her, watching Ethel graze.
Some of the tension inside him eased.
“You can go closer to her,” he said, trying to keep his voice gentle. He knew his size scared some children. “Her name is Ethel.”
The child peered up at Ulrich, pale eyes wide.
“She’s friendly.” Like with him, sometimes children were initially scared of Ethel, even if she fascinated them. “You can pat her.” Ulrich stepped beside Ethel and ran his hand over her fur.
The child rose and came closer. She lifted her hand and clumsily patted the white fur on Ethel’s head. Ethel kept munching away.
“Do the ears hurt?” she asked, pointing at the antlers.
“The antlers only hurt if she bangs them into something.” Ulrich stroked one of the velvet antlers to show her that it didn’t hurt. “Want to sit on her back? I can lift you.”
“Will she mind?”
“No.” He smiled.
Nodding, she stepped towards him. Ulrich lifted her and placed her on Ethel’s back. She held her body rigid and tense as she sat there unmoving, an excited smile stretching across her little face. “I’m on the reindeer!” she whispered.
He chuckled. “You can pat her.”
She leaned forward and patted Ethel, still beaming. Ethel remained unbothered by the girl as she continued chomping away. After a while, Ulrich placed the girl back on the ground. “Better get home. It’s dark now.”
“Goodbye, Ethel,” she said and ran off.
“Good work, Ethel,” Ulrich said. “I think you made that little girl’s day.”
Then Ulrich noticed Lutoth standing a short distance away, watching him. Lutoth strolled towards him, a smile on his face. “You like children.”
Ulrich shrugged. “I like to see them happy.”
“You can’t fool me. I know you’re the sweetest man in the village. Sweet with animals. Sweet with children. My sweet, gentle giant.” Lutoth kissed him. “Happy Solstice.” He handed Ulrich a parcel.
Ulrich unwrapped the gift, revealing two strangely lumpy-shaped cakes.
“They’re Solstice cakes. I made them myself.” Lutoth laughed. “They’re meant to be shaped like crescent moons.”
“Oh.” Ulrich tilted his head. “I can kind of see it.”
Lutoth gave him a playful shove. “At least I didn’t burn these.” He chuckled. “But I was supervised the entire time.”
Smiling, Ulrich took a bite from one, and the taste of dried fruit, butter, and sugar filled his mouth. “Mmmm. They look a little odd, but they taste delicious. And definitely not burnt. Thank you.”
“Sero said I can come by anytime if I want to bake more. And I can use the oven in the bakery. Because you don’t have an oven.”
“You’re only noticing this now?” Ulrich asked.
“All your human houses look the same to me. Except yours, which has a reindeer in it.”
Ulrich laughed. “My house just has the wood-fired stove to cook on. Only a couple of cabins in the village have ovens. But Sero will let anyone use his.”
They walked back to the cabin. Lutoth had entered his life two weeks ago. Everything was tentative and new, but Ulrich was happier than he’d ever been.
Now he just needed to face his father. He didn’t want to. He didn’t want his father’s disapproval to taint this relationship. Because his father would definitely disapprove.
