Chapter XXIV
December 870 – Nidaros, Norway
Loaded with silver, the Telemark’s envoy’s ship had departed mere days after the Thing, as soon as enough assets had been exchanged with coins to pay the ransom.
It had been guarded by longships from Nidaros, who for the return voyage took aboard Sigurd Torrblom, defeated but liberated.
The northerly wind was chilling. Even with his warm clothes of fur and his cloak, and his hands protected in each other's sleeve, Sigurd felt its bite.
He wasn’t aboard a ship : he was walking in the dark on a snowy path, his way only dimly lit by the moon in its first quarter, a few men behind him.
He had chosen to land at a few hours of march from the village, with the main fleet not entering the fjord at all until the morrow.
“Is the village still far ?”, asked one of the men accompanying him.
“Not much”, said Sigurd.
They were in the small forested hills west of it, where he sometimes went to appease his worries, and once the trees ceased to block their line of vision, they could sea the village lying next to the fjord.
Sigurd went to Hrolfr’s house.
His marshal soon opened after his knocks on the doors. It was dark still, but he was already awakened and clothed. In spring, it would be day already.
“Hello, Hrolr, it’s me, Sigurd.”
Hrolfr’s eyes expressed surprise, but he moved over to let the chief enter, followed by his few men.
Once the door was closed, the two men hugged and Sigurd gave a pat on Hrolfr’s shoulder.
“It’s great to see you again, my lord”, said the marshal.
“You didn’t expect me”, observed Sigurd.
He sat down in a chair next to the house’s fire. The five warriors with him stood silent close to it to warm themselves.
“I knew you were to come back after we sent that ransom, but…”
“But you wonder why I show up at your house at night without forewarning ?”
“Yes.”
“I will explain it to you soon. Before that, however, tell me what happened with our army while I was detained by this bastard of Roald.”
“Er… Thorolfr rallied the men a few hours after the battle. When it became clear that you had been captured or killed, he led the army back through the mountains before the winter made it too impractical. When he made contact with us through a messenger, the ransom to get you back was already on the way. I instructed him to demobilize his warriors, who went back to their houses. Thorolfr has returned to the village a few days ago… What worries you, my lord ?”
The marshal had noticed Sigurd frowning.
“I’m thinking about these men who didn’t come back, Hrolfr.”
“Oh… Yes, this is war. There is no war without death.”
“So it is. However, I didn’t think about those now in Valhalla.”
“What then ?”
“Those who fought by my side, didn’t abandon me like cowards, and were captured along me. When Roald went to announce me I was going to be liberated after he received the ransom, and asked me to swear to abide by the negotiated terms, I asked him to liberate them alongside me. Do you know what he did ? He laughed at me and told me : “Be glad I didn’t put them to the sword”. My most loyal and courageous warriors are now enthralled somewhere in Telemark.”
Hrolfr remained silent a moment.
“Emund told us you instructed retreat when the battle was lost”, he said.
“The bastard ! He fled like a wimp, and he lies to protect himself. That’s because of him I come back like that. Is he in the village ?”
Hrolfr shook his head, and scratched his left ear.
“He came with Thorolfr, but I don’t know if he’s still there.”
“All right.”
Sigurd stood up.
“I’ll come back soon”, he said, “wait me here”, he added while speaking to the warriors who came with him.
He opened the door, stepped over the door’s frame, and went in the darkness.
The path was familiar : he went home.
There was a guard at his door’s house. There was none when he went to war. He never felt the need.
Bah ! Surely Alfrid’s idea. She always thinks there are threats lurking around, he thought.
He went towards the entrance.
“Stop ! Who are you ?”, said the guard.
Without saying a word, he pulled up his cloak’s hood, showing clearly his face.
“My… my excuses, my lord, I didn’t know it was you. It’s great to know you are free.”
Sigurd didn’t pay attention to the guard’s words and entered in his longhouse.
The first person to see him inside was one of his thrall women. She screamed out of surprise.
“What is going on ?”, said a deafened but recognizable voice.
The sound of steps and another scream followed.
“Sigurd !”, said Alfrid. “You’re back.”
“Back I am, my dear.”
She threw herself in his arms, and embraced him tightly.
She sincerely worried for me, noticed Sigurd.
Her presence was reassuring.
“Daddy !”, said a little girl’s voice.
Sigurd looked around, and saw nothing. Then, he felt the small arms hugging his right leg.
Alfrid loosened her embrace, and he leaned to lift Ingfrid in his arms. He had a weak spot with his daughter.
“How are you, my little princess ?”, he said.
She told him about her infantine thoughts and activities, while playing with his beard, as he grinned blissfully. The little thing’s enthusiasm was contagious.
After a moment he put the child back on the ground, and turned his attention back to Alfrid.
He kissed his concubine. The taste of her mouth felt even better after the hardships he went through.
His body immediately reacted with excitation. A part of him wanted to take the young woman right now.
But he restrained himself. There was a force greater even than his lust.
“My dear”, he said, “I need your help.”
“What is it about ?”, she asked, surprised.
“Hrolfr told me that our warriors went home while I was travelling back from captivity.”
“That’s true. What’s the matter ?”
“Has Emund come back with them ?”
Hrolfr had already told him, but he asked again. For one second, she was taken aback, before answering confidently.
“Yes, he has. I keep tabs on him to prevent him from murdering Tore Rögnvaldrsson, as you instructed me to. He was in the village yesterday.”
“Where can we find him ?”
“He sleeps at the inn, and spend most of his time there. An inn’s wench report back to me his moves every day.”
“Good. Put on warm clothes.”
A thrall woman helped her to get dressed, and then a few minutes later Sigurd and Alfrid walked towards Hrolfr’s house. On the way, he explained her what had happened.
“I should have made him arrested when you first told me about his oddness”, he told her.
She tried to reassure him.
“You’re back. This is the most important.”
Once at Hrolfr’s house, he motioned his warriors and Hrolfr to follow him.
“We’re going to arrest this bastard of Emund.”
On the way to the inn, Alfrid warned that it was not impossible for Emund to escape if they weren’t careful. Sigurd sent her first in the inn, to speak with the wench who spied for her. She came back outside, a few houses from the inn, where the rest of the group waited.
“She told me that he’s still there. He has an individual room on the first floor, the third door on the right side of the left corridor.”
“Perfect.”
“She also told me that the door can be barred from the inside, so you’d need to get him to open.”
“I see.”
Sigurd, followed by Hrolfr and his five men, walked to the inn, their swords by their side. Inside, the main room was lit by candles. They walked between the wooden pillars, watched with surprise by the few people drinking and talking at this hour.
The chief went directly towards the stairs. They went up to the first floor and to the door Alfrid had indicated. The inn’s owner rushed towards them.
“What are you going to do ?”
“Arresting someone who deserves it.”
Two of Sigurd’s men passed their weapons to others, ran and hit the door. Under their conjugated force, the door broke down in a crash.
Inside was Emund. He sat on his bed when the door was broken. He looked towards Sigurd, clearly distraught.
“What… what do you want from me”, he screamed with fear.
“We’re here to do justice, Emund”, answered Sigurd.
As the man tried to grab something to defend himself, the chief’s men were on him and overpowered him.
“I’ve done nothing wrong !”, he screamed while struggling.
Hrolfr moved forwards and slapped him.
“Shut up, fool. You betrayed my trust by abandoning our chief in battle while I named you commander. You betrayed him. You betrayed our tribe. And plotting to murder a child ? You’re not a man. Don’t you dare say a word if you don’t want me to hit your face into a pulp.”
Terrorized, Emund remained silent, his eyes going left-and-right searching desperately for some way to get out.
“Take him out of here to some place he can be detained at, bound him and make sure he doesn’t escape.”
Hrolfr and the five warriors went out, dragging the prisoner.
Sigurd turned towards the inn’s owner.
“Don’t worry, we’ll send you someone to repair this door.”
And upon those words, he left too, under the curious gazes of the inn’s guests who went out of their rooms after hearing all the noise.
Alfrid waited for him outside the inn. He walked with her to his house.
Sigurd felt more calm now. This was done. He still had something else to do, however.
“Where is Ingibjörg ?”, he asked Alfrid.
Her face showed some disappointment. She would’ve preferred him to stay with her.
“She’s at the temple”, she answered.
“Don’t worry, honey, I’ll see you this evening”, he said with a wink.
He left her at home and walked to the temple. The cold didn’t bother him that much now.
When he arrived at his destination, one hour later, the sky in the east was becoming clearer, with the dawn’s white glow.
As others before him, the temple’s guard was surprised to see Sigurd. He let him enter, and one minute later, it was his wife who saw him unannounced.
“Good morrow, my wife.”
“Good morrow, Sigurd. I didn’t know you were back. If I knew I…”
“All is good, darling”, he told her has he drew closer. “I heard of your efforts to get me out of Roald’s hands. The men on the ship told me about your speech at the Thing and what you did to pay the ransom.”
He embraced her.
“I only did what was just…”
“Shuuu… I’m proud of you.”
She smirked.
“I promise you I’ll be more careful in the future”, he added.
He kissed her neck.
“I see your detention has not abated your lust”, she said.
“Should it have ?”
“No.”
In response, he lifted her whole thin body and walked towards her room.
It feels damn good to be back here, he thought.
