135 A Second Chance

Since Tyr's departure, Macha worked to keep herself busy. When she was not in meetings or signing papers, she trained at Mia's so she would become stronger. She swore the next time Tyr needed to go off to war; she wanted to be skilled enough to help. Even while she did not train at Mia's, she practiced walking silently or wandering into a room without being noticed. She tried to find a way to practice in everything she did.

One evening she read the last stack of papers that Hrod required to be approved. Tyr's mother sat in the office, sipping her tea. They seemed to be getting along very well and she hoped that their relationship would continue to improve.

A knock on the door sounded throughout the office and Macha glanced up. She had not been expecting a visitor and wanted to finish up her workday so she could go to train. "Come in," she called.

Ullr opened the large wooden door and gave her a slow smile as he entered the room. "Evening Macha, how have you been?" He had not seen her since Tyr warned him off. Tonight he came to pick Hrod up for dinner. She requested that he wear something pleasing to the eye, so he put on a dark green vested-suit with a standing collar and a white shirt beneath it. His tie was a darker shade of green and he wore a beautiful diamond to hold it in place.

Seeing Ullr was a pleasant surprise. Since they stopped tutoring, she had not talked with him. He had always been a nice person and sometimes she was curious about what happened to him.

Macha smiled, "I've been busy since Tyr left for Kochi. Has the war caused you to become busier as well?" It truly seemed as if there were more orders since Tyr's departure. This made her to wonder if only the Valois businesses were affected or if it was happening to the other businesses too.

He moved to Macha's desk and studied the paper she was reviewing. Leaning a hand behind her chair, he replied in English, "Yes." He remembered the words that Macha taught him the night they had dinner together.

When Hrod overheard Ullr reply in a foreign language to Macha, she turned her head away and grinned. She knew he would be a good choice, which was why she asked him to pick her up for dinner tonight. Tyr would not have fired him unless something was going on.

Macha smiled with surprise. "You remembered?" She thought he would have forgotten the words she taught him. "I'm sorry, I did not keep my promise to teach you a new sentence every day."

After not seeing Macha for so long, he wondered if his interest would have wavered. It surprised him that she was still as appealing to him as she had first been. He touched his hand to his chest and feigned offense, "I thought you despised me. Your broken vow kept me up at night, lamenting why you would keep such a beautiful language from me."

A laugh escaped Macha's lips. She knew he was being silly.

Hrod saw how easily he got past the woman's defenses and put her saucer down on the table. "Ullr, perhaps you can assist Macha with the paperwork she needs to read for the Valois businesses. She means well, but it does take her quite a while to understand. It would be immensely helpful to both of us. After all, we are both busy people."

She fixed her skirt, "I do believe many of the documents are tied with Rosenkrantz businesses." This would be the perfect opportunity for Ullr to become closer with Macha. Her son was in Kochi for an indefinite amount of time, so no one would get in their way.

Macha's eyes grew wide at Hrod's suggestion. She preferred if Ullr did not assist her because she asked Tyr to keep her away from the man. "Oh, I'm sure that would be too troublesome for him. He's a very busy person."

Since Tyr's mother suggested it, she did not want to offend her with a flat-out refusal. Things seemed to be going so well between Hrod and herself lately.

Ullr understood what Hrod was suggesting. He glanced at her and saw her nod at him when Macha was not looking. He shook his head. "It isn't a problem at all. I'm used to these sorts of things. After all, it is what I do. I'll help you on one condition," he paused, "you continue to teach me your language like you promised."

????????????????, Macha shifted her gaze nervously between them.

"Oh, Uh..." She felt as if her back was against a wall. She tried to deny Tyr's mother's suggestion once more, "Hrod, you don't feel these documents should be kept a secret? It might give the Rosenkrantz businesses an edge."

As soon as she said it, she realized it was a slight upon his character. Worried, Macha quickly turned to Ullr and added, "Of course you wouldn't do that, but it is still confidential..."

Hrod got up and gave a light laugh. "Oh Macha, you really are amusing sometimes. I trust Ullr's character. He would not use such information against us." She found the woman's attempt amusing. ???????????????? ????????????, ???????????? ???????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????? ???????????? ???????? ????????????????, she thought.

Not wanting to give Macha any more time to think of a strategy she continued, "Ullr, I will send the documents over to your office. You can bring them over and review them with her. I find this arrangement very convenient."

She took the document from Macha's hands. "Review this with him tomorrow," she commanded. After placing it on the desk she stated, "Now then, I will take both of you out to dinner. Is that not nice? After all, it is growing late and I want to go home soon."

Once they were seated in the restaurant, Hrod found an old acquaintance and went to catch up with them. This left Macha and Ullr sitting at the table by themselves.

Macha focused on her food, she felt unsure how to deal with this situation. Hrod dragged her along and everything seemed out of her control. Since she and Tyr were in a serious relationship, she did not want to offend his mother.

"I'm sure your steak will fall in love with you considering how much attention you're giving it," Ullr joked. He realized that being alone with him caused her to become nervous. It was understandable, many women, and some men found him attractive.

His comment made her realize she had been rude. She looked up at him and moved to a comfortable topic. "Today I can teach you the word for 'drink' if you want." He loved knowledge. Whenever they talked, he would always inform her about the latest thing he learned.

Conversation with Ullr was never difficult, and the dinner passed by quickly. Eventually, the restaurant began closing and Macha looked around. She could not find Hrod. Her brows knitted from concern, "Do you know what happened to Hrod?"

Ullr took a sip of his wine and put the glass down. "She left while you were in the restroom. I thought she let you know while you were away." The truth was, Lady Valois explained to him that this was a second chance for him to repay the debt. While he did not find Macha's company tiresome, it still annoyed him that Hrod hung their family debt over his head.

"Oh. She didn't tell me. I'm sorry, I wouldn't have kept you so long. Let's go." The incident seemed a bit odd, but she could only speculate that something urgent came up and Tyr's mother had to leave.

On the way back, Macha contemplated the turn of events that unfolded this evening. In her opinion, it truly felt strange that Hrod would force her to work so closely with such an attractive man. The situation seemed dubious, but she had to assume Hrod trusted in her faithfulness so much that she would never cheat on Tyr. Ultimately, no parent would wish for their child to be cheated on.