Page 53 of Song and Sword
Word that Hakon had awoken spread quickly, and many came to wish him well. To his great delight, his father was one of the first to do so.
“My boy!” shouted Brynn joyfully as he strode into the wide tent that been erected for Hakon. The huge warrior looked intent on plucking his son right out of the cot in which the young warrior lay, but thankfully Sif put her hands up in warning.
“Carefully, carefully,” she said, laughing. “Do not break your son. I for one would be most disappointed.”
Brynn snorted and leaned back, crossing his massive arms. “Our family does not break easily!” he said. “Look at Gunnar! Speaking of which, get in here, lad!”
Gunnar, grinning sheepishly, stepped into the tent. His one hand was thickly bandaged and held up by a sling. “Hello, Brother,” he said, smiling.
“Gunnar,” said Hakon, rising to a sitting position. “Oh, Gunnar. You saved my life.” Hakon’s emotions rose up and he felt tears at the corners of his eyes. Trying to lighten his reaction, he joked, “How will you ever let me forget it? You will be unbearable now!”
Everyone laughed then Hakon asked in concern, “How is your hand?”
“Well it doesn’t look pretty,” said Gunnar. “Depending on the next week or so, I may have to emulate Tyr and become the deadliest one-handed warrior the world has seen.”
Hakon looked curiously at his brother. Although some might have taken Gunnar’s manner for a kind of false bravado, Hakon knew him well enough to see that Gunnar was genuinely more at peace than Hakon had seen him for a very long time, possibly ever.
“Something has changed in you, Brother,” said Hakon, cocking his head.
Gunnar looked for a moment as if he was going to make a joke then paused, and simply said, “You’re right. Maybe I’ll tell about it sometime.” Hakon nodded.
“So,” said Hakon, taking a deep breath, “the fact that I am still alive tells me that we have had at least some good fortune. What happened after Gunnar blocked that creature’s blow? I thought I faced my death.”
Sif shuddered. “We all did. I was afraid you were doomed, but then Gunnar stepped between you and that terrible war hammer. He raised his hand and when the hammer struck it, there was a great blast of wind, a sound like the tolling of a deep bell, and a flash of light. When we could see again, you and Gunnar had been blown back to the near bank of the river, and that foul creature was gone.”
“All was not roses and honey just yet, mind you!” broke in Brynn. “There were still a great many of those pestilent Skraelings. But Huw and I—and many of our companions, thank the gods—were flying down the river as fast as our ships could carry us. When we hit the shallow waters of the ford, we leapt down into themidst of those cowards and let our blades do the talking, until the Snoderan ran red with blood!”
“Is Uncle Huw here with you?” asked Hakon.
“He is. He waits outside, with your aunt Astrid,” replied Brynn.
“Aunt Astrid is here as well? Is Mother here?” asked Hakon.
“She is,” said Brynn, “although she is in some trouble with me! When she found out that Astrid was going and she was not, she was the soul of understanding. I should have been more suspicious then. It was not until we were mid-voyage that I discovered her stowed away.”
“Where is she? And why was Aunt Astrid supposed to come?” asked Hakon in confusion.
“She and your aunt are helping with the wounded,” said Brynn. He frowned. “I’ll told all this backside foremost. Sif, can you straighten the tale?”
“As best I can,” laughed Sif, “although most of it is relatively new to me, remember. My love, you’ll remember that I tried to reach out with magic, to call for aid?”
“I remember. It was a terrible risk,” Hakon grumbled.
“But one that reaped a good harvest. I managed to establish a connection with my mother, who understood that something was wrong. She and Father were preparing to come find me when that councilor from Visby arrived in the Jomsburg, telling the tale of what had happened there.”
“He’s a good fellow, that Eirik,” rumbled Brynn. “Bloody near killed himself getting to us, but he managed. He’s around here somewhere as well. Insisted! Even managed to put a Skraeling or two into the earth himself.”
“Uncle Brynn.”
“Sorry. Won’t interrupt again,” he said, raising his hands defensively.
“So when Eirik arrived, people understood what had happened. And thanks to the magical connection, my mother was able to track our movements. Thanks to all the gods and goddesses, that meant that several ships of angry Jomsburg Vikings spoiling for a fight showed up when they were sorely needed.”
“It was a very good fight,” chuckled Brynn. “Best Huw and I have had in years.” He put up his hands again. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt again.”
“I think that’s the end of the tale anyway,” smiled Sif. “But what about you, Hakon? You said you had much to tell.”
Hakon carefully stood up. “We had better gather everyone together,” he said.
