One day, as Sif dressed in the morning, the old woman began asking him questions.

" What do you think of Rágn?"

Sif waved his fingers to show that he was alright with him, so-so.

" You've spent much time with him lately, Lady Hélna," she continued.

Had he? He nodded along with her as he strung his belt.

She coughed.

" Would it be that- since, naturally, Lady Hélna is a woman, that my grandson has," she paused. "Caught your eye?"

Sif stared at her blankly.

The old woman blushed as furiously as a maiden.

" What I mean is, that since Lady Hélna is the god of this village, she may marry any of our men she likes, and of course if she likes my Rágn, and he her, then, we would all-"

Sif interrupted her, furiously signalling as best he could that this was terribly, hideously wrong. It completely boggled his mind that she had misinterpreted him so badly; the old woman had never been so mistaken before!

" What's wrong, what's wrong, Lady Hélna?" the old woman asked, now looking concerned and trying to calm him down.

Sif continued gesturing no.

" Is it a problem with Rágn? Is he unsuitable in some way?" she asked, looking even more distressed. " Has he been pestering you?"

Sif responded in the negative; he really had no opinion on Rágn now that he no longer annoyed him by doubting his divinity, and he didn't want to strain his relationship with his grandmother.

" Is it someone else that you like?"

Sif didn't like anyone at all! Even back when he had been an ordinary cat, he had never gotten old enough to run around like that; by the time he was old enough to, all the other cats were gone! He hadn't met any more until he was Helna's companion, and so had never felt any such compulsion towards anyone!

He denied this as well; a deathly look came on the old woman's face.

" Can it be that Lady Hélna cannot marry at all?" she asked conspiratorially, leaning in.

Finally, she was beginning to understand. It would be good if she could convey this information around to the others, so another situation like this wouldn't happen. Sif nodded in agreement enthusiastically.

The old woman nodded along with him.

" I see, I see," she said. " I must apologize for my mistake, Lady Hélna."

Sif was much heartened by this, relieved that the misunderstanding was over.

" I had never stopped to think of it before, but of course a god of the land, who tends the harvest and blesses the livestock and the children, must draw power from chastity," the old woman said. " And so this is why you've dressed sexlessly! I'll have it conveyed to coven, and then the village."

It seemed that she had simply swapped out her old misunderstanding for a new one, and since this one was more to Sif's favor, he found himself helpless to do anything but go along with it.

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