Authors: A Tale of Two Vikings
Sandra Hill (31 page)
Rock-a-bye…Vikings…
It was summertime at Briarstead, and Vagn Ivarsson’s first child had been born two hours ago.
Maeva had taken a terrifying day and a half coming into this world. Terrifying to Vagn and Gorm, that is. The midwife and Helga had taken it all in stride.
Helga finally slept, thanks to a sleeping potion. Gorm had gone down to the great hall to drink himself dotty in celebration. He and Toste planned to join him soon.
“I hate to tell you this, Vagn,” his brother said, looking over his shoulder at the bald-headed, shrivel-faced babe in Vagn’s arms, “but your babe is a mite homely.”
“She is not!” Vagn declared adamantly. “Maeva is beautiful.” And she was. To him.
He saw Toste’s grin and knew he was teasing him, as usual.
Toste and Esme had come from Evergreen a sennight ago so they could be present for the birth. Esme was down in the scullery preparing a fortifying beef marrow broth for Helga when she awakened.
Toste and Vagn had married their lady loves at Ravenshire in a double wedding ceremony performed by Archbishop Dunstan. Everyone had agreed that it was the best yuletide celebration they’d ever attended. Later, they’d had wild Viking ceremonies at their own estates.
“We’ve been given a gift,” Vagn said dreamily.
“Dost mean you and Helga and the babe?”
He shook his head. “Nay. You and me. We met the Raven of Death and escaped her clutches. It really was a miracle, our surviving the battle, then being reunited. A miracle.”
Toste nodded.
Vagn laughed then, looking down at his precious girling who was sleeping peacefully, her tiny thumb stuck in her mouth. “Finally I have done something first. Right from the beginning, you came from the womb first, and you have always been one step ahead of me thereafter. But I…
I
had the first child.”
“That you did, Vagn,” Toste conceded, “but I will of course outdo you once again. Esme is breeding, and”—he paused dramatically—“the midwife predicts twins.”
Outdone! Again! Well, not really
. “Congratulations! Another miracle!”
Both brothers laughed heartily then, cherishing the miracle that was a Viking’s life…
their
life.
It was appropriate that Bolthor came into the room then and said, “Methinks this occasion merits a special saga.”
“For a certainty,” both brothers concurred, for once
welcoming a praise-poem from the world’s worst skald.
“A good title for this one would be ‘A Tale of Two Vikings.’”
“Lost they were in the sea of life
,
Two brothers who faced much strife
.
Twins they were, bonded from birth
,
In everything they always found mirth
,
Till one day the Raven called them home
,
And that is the subject of this poem
.
Because death met its match
When it tried these twins to snatch
.
In the end, they were brought to their knees
,
By two women, if you please
.
The moral of this saga, my friend?
Love conquers all in the end.”
THE END
R
AVES FOR
R
OMANTIC
T
IMES
C
AREER
A
CHIEVEMENT
A
WARD
—W
INNER
S
ANDRA
H
ILL!
THE VERY VIRILE VIKING
“With its boisterous humor and lovable characters, [
The Very Virile Viking
] will charm the socks off of readers.”
—Publishers Weekly
“
The Very Virile Viking
has all the outrageous humor and sizzling sexiness for which Sandra Hill is well known…. This very virile Viking puts your libido into overdrive. A fabulous read!”
—Newandusedbooks.com
MY FAIR VIKING
“A singular blend of humor and romance.”
—Publishers Weekly
THE BLUE VIKING
“This book was hilarious. Another keeper!”
—Paranormal Romance Reviews
TRULY, MADLY VIKING
“Once again the ingenious Ms. Hill brings a megadose of humor to her captivating and fun-filled time travels. Another winner!”
—Romantic Times
THE BEWITCHED VIKING
“
The Bewitched Viking
is just the book for that night you absolutely must have a story that skillfully incorporates rollicking humor with sensual romance.”
—Reader to Reader
THE LAST VIKING
“This book is priceless…. Ms. Hill is superb! She makes you laugh out loud with her humor…. Whatever you do, don’t miss this book.”
—The Belles and Beaux of Romance
ORE
P
RAISE FOR
M
S
. H
ILL!
THE LOVE POTION
“The very talented Sandra Hill adds to her already impressive list of reading gems with this delightfully funny and sexy tale.”
—Romantic Times
LOVE ME TENDER
“Leave it to Sandra Hill to take this modern fairy tale and make it a wildly sexy and hilarious romp. Her fans will be delighted.”
—Romantic Times
SWEETER SAVAGE LOVE
“A fast-paced, sensual yet tongue-in-cheek story peppered with plenty of dynamite dumb-men jokes and riddles. This funny and uplifting read will brighten any day!”
—Romantic Times
DESPERADO
“Humorous repartee and a high degree of sensuality mix well in Hill’s tale of a wisecracking poor boy and the aristocratic woman he loves.”
—Romantic Times
THE TARNISHED LADY
“Filled with engaging humor, poignant emotions, lusty romance and stirring adventure.
The Tarnished Lady
is a jewel of a read.”
—Affaire de Coeur
THE VERY VIRILE VIKING
MY FAIR VIKING
THE BLUE VIKING
TRULY, MADLY VIKING
THE LOVE POTION
THE LAST VIKING
FRANKLY, MY DEAR…
THE TARNISHED LADY
THE BEWITCHED VIKING
THE RELUCTANT VIKING
LOVE ME TENDER
THE OUTLAW VIKING
SWEETER SAVAGE LOVE
DESPERADO
A TALE OF TWO VIKINGS
. Copyright © 2004 by Sandra Hill. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition © May 2010 ISBN: 978-0-06-201369-9
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