her to the wharf, where they scrubbed her deck and
polished it with holystones until it shone as smooth as new, mended her square
red sail, and replaced oars too battered by heavy seas to be of further use.
She was not so grand a longship as some; still, Wulfgar's heart burst with
pride when he gazed at her bobbing on the waves. Almost, he could imagine that
she were his; and he dwelled on Yelkei's description of a man bold enough to
seize Olaf's markland at his death. Wulfgar rebelled at the thought of the Dragon's Fire's being dragged
inland and covered by the earth that would serve as Olaf's burial mound. Would
that she could be Wulfgar's own longship instead!
Olaf
had originally planned to go a-víking that summer down
the river Elbe, into Frisia and the Germanic kingdoms of the Southlands, where
good wines, fine weapons, jewelry, and cloth could be found, and pottery and
glass that could be traded in the marketplaces at Sliesthorp, Ribe, Kaupang,
and Birka. But that was before Yelkei slipped away one night from Ragnar's hof to Olaf's own, where
Wulfgar lived now that he was Olaf's thegn. All along the langpallar of
Olaf's great mead hall stones were set to divide the raised side aisles into
sleeping quarters for his men. Wulfgar had been allotted one of these alcoves,
which afforded him and Yelkei a modicum of privacy as she bent near to him, her
black eyes glittering with such excitement that he knew, even before she said
as much, that she had news of great import. Still, she restrained herself long
enough to inquire about Wulfgar's welfare before saying, very low, so as not to
be overheard:
"Now,
then, do you listen sharp to me, Wulfgar, for here is a tale that could win a
bold man riches beyond counting! It happened that this day, a skáld, Sigurd Silkbeard
by name, came to Ragnar's great mead hall, from Jutland, where he traveled the
H ærvej,
the Army Road, up from Sliesthorp to Schleswig, Jelling, Vor-Basse, and thence
to Viborg, with a small detour, on the way, to the marketplace at Ribe. 'Twas
there that this skáld, Sigurd Silkbeard, heard from a trader newly
arrived from the kingdoms of Britain that Cerdic, a prince of Mercia, is to wed
at summer's end. Prince Cerdic's bride is the only daughter of Pendragon, king
of Usk— which lies in the land of Walas, west of that dike built by the sea
wolf Offa, who was the Saxons' Bretwalda."
"Aye,
I am not so ignorant that I have not heard of this great earthwork, like the
Danevirke the mighty King Godfred of Jutland built to hold back the advance of
Charlemagne's Frankish hordes from the Southlands. But what has all this to do
with me, old woman?" Wulfgar asked, beginning to grow impatient.
"Hold
your tongue till I'm done with my story, and you shall learn," Yelkei
chided crossly, frowning at him. "And use the head on your shoulders for
more than turning a comely wench's eye! Think you that the only princess of Usk
goes empty-handed to her husband? Nay, she will carry a dowry of chests full of
silver and gold and jewels— and that alone worthy plunder! But the maiden
herself— if unharmed and yet a virgin— would be a hostage for whom either her
father or her betrothed would pay a large ransom. Do you doubt it?"
"Nay,
I do not. But if the skáld Sigurd
Silkbeard has told this tale in Ragnar's great mead hall, why, then Ragnar
himself will set out to capture both dowry and maiden; for he's no fool and not
slow to seek a prize that will prove to his advantage."
"Ordinarily,
nay. But he has burned his fingers more than once, stealing from the kingdoms of
Britain, and there's a rich reward to be gained by the man who delivers
Ragnar's head on a silver plate to King Aella of Northumbria. If Ragnar seeks
to conquer all of Britain, he needs more treasure and thegns than even
he has at his command; and he dare not trust Björn Ironside or Hasting not to
sell him down the river Humber, to Aella, in York. So, instead, Ragnar sails up
the river Seine to sack Paris again;
polished it with holystones until it shone as smooth as new, mended her square
red sail, and replaced oars too battered by heavy seas to be of further use.
She was not so grand a longship as some; still, Wulfgar's heart burst with
pride when he gazed at her bobbing on the waves. Almost, he could imagine that
she were his; and he dwelled on Yelkei's description of a man bold enough to
seize Olaf's markland at his death. Wulfgar rebelled at the thought of the Dragon's Fire's being dragged
inland and covered by the earth that would serve as Olaf's burial mound. Would
that she could be Wulfgar's own longship instead!
Olaf
had originally planned to go a-víking that summer down
the river Elbe, into Frisia and the Germanic kingdoms of the Southlands, where
good wines, fine weapons, jewelry, and cloth could be found, and pottery and
glass that could be traded in the marketplaces at Sliesthorp, Ribe, Kaupang,
and Birka. But that was before Yelkei slipped away one night from Ragnar's hof to Olaf's own, where
Wulfgar lived now that he was Olaf's thegn. All along the langpallar of
Olaf's great mead hall stones were set to divide the raised side aisles into
sleeping quarters for his men. Wulfgar had been allotted one of these alcoves,
which afforded him and Yelkei a modicum of privacy as she bent near to him, her
black eyes glittering with such excitement that he knew, even before she said
as much, that she had news of great import. Still, she restrained herself long
enough to inquire about Wulfgar's welfare before saying, very low, so as not to
be overheard:
"Now,
then, do you listen sharp to me, Wulfgar, for here is a tale that could win a
bold man riches beyond counting! It happened that this day, a skáld, Sigurd Silkbeard
by name, came to Ragnar's great mead hall, from Jutland, where he traveled the
H ærvej,
the Army Road, up from Sliesthorp to Schleswig, Jelling, Vor-Basse, and thence
to Viborg, with a small detour, on the way, to the marketplace at Ribe. 'Twas
there that this skáld, Sigurd Silkbeard, heard from a trader newly
arrived from the kingdoms of Britain that Cerdic, a prince of Mercia, is to wed
at summer's end. Prince Cerdic's bride is the only daughter of Pendragon, king
of Usk— which lies in the land of Walas, west of that dike built by the sea
wolf Offa, who was the Saxons' Bretwalda."
"Aye,
I am not so ignorant that I have not heard of this great earthwork, like the
Danevirke the mighty King Godfred of Jutland built to hold back the advance of
Charlemagne's Frankish hordes from the Southlands. But what has all this to do
with me, old woman?" Wulfgar asked, beginning to grow impatient.
"Hold
your tongue till I'm done with my story, and you shall learn," Yelkei
chided crossly, frowning at him. "And use the head on your shoulders for
more than turning a comely wench's eye! Think you that the only princess of Usk
goes empty-handed to her husband? Nay, she will carry a dowry of chests full of
silver and gold and jewels— and that alone worthy plunder! But the maiden
herself— if unharmed and yet a virgin— would be a hostage for whom either her
father or her betrothed would pay a large ransom. Do you doubt it?"
"Nay,
I do not. But if the skáld Sigurd
Silkbeard has told this tale in Ragnar's great mead hall, why, then Ragnar
himself will set out to capture both dowry and maiden; for he's no fool and not
slow to seek a prize that will prove to his advantage."
"Ordinarily,
nay. But he has burned his fingers more than once, stealing from the kingdoms of
Britain, and there's a rich reward to be gained by the man who delivers
Ragnar's head on a silver plate to King Aella of Northumbria. If Ragnar seeks
to conquer all of Britain, he needs more treasure and thegns than even
he has at his command; and he dare not trust Björn Ironside or Hasting not to
sell him down the river Humber, to Aella, in York. So, instead, Ragnar sails up
the river Seine to sack Paris again;
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