Chapter 11 #2
Laren watched Sarla oversee the bandaging, watched another woman, Bartha, tend to the bleeding nose.
She watched Megot give Erik his beer. She watched him fondle her buttocks and smile at Thoragasson as he did it.
She waited, silent, knowing that Erik would say something soon.
She looked at Merrik, who had himself flattened several men, and had bruised knuckles.
At least there was no blood on him. He was grinning hugely and had just taken Taby from Cleve and was hugging him then tossing him into the air.
The child shrieked and laughed. He kissed him and held him close.
She saw Thoragasson staring at him, and she knew he wondered if Taby was Merrik’s child.
He might as well be his child, she thought, for the bond between them was strengthening each day.
She had to get Taby away from here soon, or losing Merrik would break the child’s heart.
No, no, she told herself, children forgot quickly, they adapted easily as situations changed.
Laren looked away from him to the Thoragassons, and suddenly she saw them with new eyes. Now she saw them as a source of more silver pieces. She saw them as saviors. If they but knew it surely they would find it funny.
When Erik called for quiet and told her to begin, she rose, smiled at everyone, and began once again at the beginning.
In order not to bore the Malverne people, she embellished the tale, giving more details, small new twists.
Then she paused, and said in a lower voice, infusing new drama, new mystery into her words, “Selina remained on her knees staring after her husband. As for Parma, as soon as Grunlige had disappeared over a rise, he rose and laughed, so proud of himself and his cleverness that he did a little dance. He took a step toward Selina, then stopped. ‘Nay,’ he said, ‘I will only take you when Grunlige is dead and I have seen his body and spat upon it. I will cut off your witch’s head so all your evil will die with you.’ He laughed again and left her there, her body racked with her sobs.
“Grunlige felt filled with power and strength.
Odin had saved him once and when he again proved his valor, Odin would reward him again, give him more power than before, and then he would slay all his enemies.
He strode back to his farmstead and called his men together.
They marveled at their lord who had come back to them whole and strong.
But when he told them that they were voyaging to Iceland to trap furs for trade at Hedeby, they looked furtively at each other, fear scoring their faces.
It was still winter; it would be dangerous, just as dangerous as it had been the first time.
“But Grunlige was their master and they put their faith in him and in none other. Had he not come back to them, whole and strong? Aye, he was near to Odin, all knew it, and all trusted him completely. They left Norway and voyaged into the North Sea, past the Shetland Islands and the Faeroes, then straight toward the settlement of Thingvellir in Iceland.”
Merrik stared at her. How did she know all these things? All these places?
“All went well, almost miraculously well. Their voyage took only two weeks, the wind pushing them quickly westward, more quickly than any would have imagined possible. It was as if an unseen force were shoving them toward their destination. The men’s fear dissipated, for surely the gods had blessed this trip, and when they arrived at Thingvellir, they trapped more furs than they ever had before.
The hold of the longboat was filled to overflowing.
All were joyous. All would have died for Grunlige.
“They left Iceland and all cheered Grunlige. As before, the wind blew up at their backs and shoved them swiftly eastward. Suddenly, without warning, a terrible storm blew up. The weather was so cold even the warmest furs scarcely sufficed. Just as suddenly, not one day west of the Faeroes, a huge ice field moved down from the north and directly into their path. They were trapped behind it. They couldn’t move forward.
The men cried out that they must return to Iceland and they must row quickly for ice floes were breaking off the huge ice field and beginning to surround the longboat.
They would soon be snared in the middle and they would die from the cold, far from home, forsaken by the gods.
Grunlige said nothing. He smiled and then he laughed and spread his arms, shouting to the heavens, ‘Odin, I am here. Test me!”’
Laren paused a moment, then said quickly, “Nay, this night you will all learn what happened to Grunlige the Dane, but first I must have mead to soothe my throat.”
Erik grunted, subsiding in his chair. It was Letta, seeing that this girl had gained everyone’s attention, including Merrik’s, who said in a loud voice, “I am tired of this endless chatter. It is silly. You, my lord Merrik, never would you be so stupid as to venture out again onto an ice floe, as did this boastful Dane. I would that Deglin finish this tale, for it needs a conclusion worthy of a great man’s skills. ”
There was utter silence. Laren stared at the girl, wishing she could slap her, the insufferable little twit with her big breasts, but she said nothing. It wasn’t her decision. She thought of the silver pieces and wanted to cry.
Erik said, “She will finish the tale, Letta Thoragasson. Continue, Laren.”
In that instant she smiled at Erik, so relieved that she would have smiled at a stone had it had given her permission. He stared back at her, his eyes gleaming, and she knew that smile had been a mistake.
She said quickly, looking directly at Merrik, “ ‘Test me!’ Grunlige cried to the heavens, his arms outstretched. ‘Aye, Odin All-Father, test me!’
“Then he leapt from the longboat to the nearest ice floe. He was smiling, then laughing. He shouted back to his men, ‘Be not afraid, for I am not the fool I was before! Aye, I was vainglorious and thought not of myself as a man who could be hurt and could die. Trust me and know that Odin is testing my brain this time, and not my strength. Throw me the thickest of the otter furs!”’
There was a huge collective sigh of relief. Merrik nodded, and grinned at her.
“Grunlige shredded the ice floe, flinging the shards of ice wildly into the waters until, once again, nothing remained but slivers that wouldn’t hurt a fish.
He climbed back over into the longboat. He said, ‘This is why I wanted so many furs trapped. I knew I would need them. I have demolished at least thirty of our stoutest furs in this battle. Aye, listen now closely, for I must speak softly. I didn’t tell Odin what I planned, for I guessed it was my wits he doubted and wanted to test.’
“He then stared toward the sky. ‘Have I gained your favor again, Odin?’
“There was a huge bolt of lightning that struck the center of the huge ice field that floated just off to the east. The ice field exploded, flinging shards of ice high into the air, causing the waves to swell and rock the longboat from side to side. The men fell to their knees, in fear and in awe.
“When they returned to Norway, Grunlige saw his wife and hurried to her. He held out his hands to her and said, ‘I am not the fool you believed me to be. I am home and I am a man with new humility.’
“There was much rejoicing, until suddenly silence fell and all looked toward the open doorway of the longhouse.
There stood Parma, and he was smiling. ‘Do you come back with blackened claws again, Grunlige?’ he yelled into the chamber.
‘Come here and I will slay you this time and I will cut out your guts and throw them to the gulls that fly close to the shore.’
“It was Selina who answered, saying, ‘Parma, you have heard aright. Grunlige is no more. This is his spirit, come to bid us all farewell. Come here and you will see what you have wrought with your guile and your cunning.’
“Parma swaggered through the chamber until he reached Grunlige. He stared at the warrior’s hands, whole and strong and hard. He stared into Grunlige’s face. He saw the truth and knew himself doomed. He paled and turned to run.
“Suddenly, a sword appeared in Grunlige’s hand, a mighty sword of steel so bright and shiny that all would swear later that it was Odin’s visage all could see in its reflection.
Grunlige raised the sword slowly, in both his hands, high over his head.
He smiled even as he lowered it, slowly, so very slowly, cleaving Parma’s head into two halves, continuing downward until Parma was cut into two equal parts, each teetering, each searching for the other, for life that could no longer be.
The parts fell to the earth. Oddly, no blood spurted from the severed body, no blood at all.
“All looked down, but there was naught but the two halves and they were empty. There was nothing at all inside the halves. The men pulled back in fear and consternation. They begged Grunlige to tell them what had occurred. Grunlige cried, ‘I have smote the demon sent to test me, to strangle me with his fear.’ He turned to his wife and said, ‘He was Parma before he came into this chamber, but then Odin removed him and threw him into a coward’s oblivion. He put the demon of air in his place. It is over now. There is no more.’
“There followed abundant good fortune for Grunlige the Dane and his children and his children’s children.
Each generation knew of his valor and his wisdom, and the tale was repeated so often that after many years it passed into legend and then into myth.
But it is said that his progeny still live here in Norway—where, no one is certain.
But you will believe it is a fact, if, on a stormy night, you listen very carefully, then you will hear the thunder boom out his name and know that Odin All-Father never forgot his warrior who was true to his honor and true to him, the god of all gods. ”