Dolts; all the men in my life are dolts, Helga thought, yawning loudly.
An hour or more later, she was awakened from a sound sleep by cheers around her. She opened her eyes and turned to look up at Vagn in question.
“That is Ravenshire up ahead,” he said.
She turned to look forward. It was a magnificent timber and stone castle which had been added to over the years as the Ericsson family of Ravenshire grew. She had been here many times in the past. Eadyth, who was so clever about marketing the products of her beekeeping, had been a model to Helga from an early age. She’d given her much advice on starting her own embroidery business.
As they got closer, they became aware of fellow guests traveling toward Ravenshire from other directions. There were at least three other noble parties coming from what must be Jorvik and the eastern shires. And in the distance, a lone horseman on a hilltop also approached the vast estate.
They advanced to the drawbridge, which was down today with the wolf banner favored by the lords of Ravenshire floating on the wind to show that the lord was in residence. That was when Helga felt Vagn stiffen behind her and murmur, “By the gods, can it be?”
“What?” she asked, turning halfway to see his face, which was white with shock.
“Bolthor… that giant Norseman standing in the courtyard… I swear it is Bolthor the Skald.”
“I thought he died at Stone Valley.”
“So did I.”
Vagn felt an odd prickling at the back of his neck. A warning. Something was not as it should be. In addition, he sensed the presence of his brother Toste, more strongly than he had since the battle. He could swear he actually heard Toste whistling in his head. The sense of Toste’s nearness was overpowering. It must be the presence of Bolthor that brought this on. Obviously, Bolthor, like Clod, had survived the battle.
Bolthor stepped forth with a puzzled frown on his face, and Vagn slid off his horse, handing the reins to a stable boy. Why was Bolthor not as shocked as he to recognize a survivor of the battle?
“Bolthor,” he said, rushing forth to hug the huge man warmly, then hold him at arm’s length to take in his good friend’s healthy countenance. “I thought you died at Stone Valley.”
“Huh?” Bolthor said. The poet nodded then at Gorm and Finn, who were alighting from their horses, and remarked slowly, as if sorely confused, “I thought you went to Evergreen. What are you doing with Gorm and his party? Briarstead is in the opposite direction.”
“What?” Even as he shook his head to clear it, Vagn noticed a beautiful black-haired woman staring at him, then at Helga. She appeared stricken by their appearance here together, though Vagn could swear he’d never seen her afore. But wait—this was the wench he’d seen in his dreams… dreams of Toste. Before he had a chance to comprehend what she was about, she stomped up with tears streaming from her eyes, slapped him across the face and said, “You cad! Did you have dog-sex with her, too?” Then she stomped away.
Dog-sex?
Everyone appeared confused… most of all Vagn.
But then he saw Eirik, Eadyth, Tykir and Alinor up on the steps, staring wide-eyed and gape-mouthed at something beyond the moat. Alinor and Eadyth started squealing and hugging each other and sobbing happily. Eirik and Tykir whooped with glee and began grinning from ear to ear. Bolthor hugged Vagn then, a big, bone-crushing bear hug that lifted him off the ground. Against his ear, he whispered, ” ‘Tis a miracle.”
Everyone must be going barmy.
But then Bolthor set him down, turned him about and said, “Look! Can’t you see?”
Vagn did look then. He saw a lone rider coming over the drawbridge. The rider, stopped midway across and was staring… at him. Suddenly the man jumped off his horse and came running toward him yelling, “Vagn! Thank the gods. Is it really you?”
At the same time, Vagn rushed forward as recognition hit him. He could barely see for the tears burning his eyes, nor could he speak over the lump in his throat. It was his brother Toste, come back from the dead. Nay, he must have survived the battle, too. Somehow. No matter. His brother was here.