The Saga of Colm the Slave (31 page)

“I feel that you should not be made to
do anything you do not wish. I will support you either way and help
you all I can, whether married to Thurid or not.”

“So if I wish to marry her, you will
speak for me?”

“Yes.”

“Well, then,” said Frosti, “Suppose I
ride over and talk to my mother. Then, perhaps, Thurid and I may
meet.”

“Suppose that you go see your mother and
then stop by the Trollfarm on the way back. It is not only Thurid
you need to speak to, but also Gwyneth and Groa and Mar.”

“I can speak to Mar,” said Frosti, “But
women can be difficult to talk with.”

Colm sighed. “That is true for every
man. But it is a task you must face often in your life.”

Frosti nodded. He saddled one of the
horses and rode over to Orm’s farm to see his mother, Braga. Near
the farm he ran into Orm, who was clearing a field.

“Good day,” said Orm. He was wary and
reserved. He had not spoken to Frosti since he was married and
still recalled him as a suitor of Marta.

Frosti dismounted. “Good day. I have
come to have a few words with my mother. I promise I will not keep
her long from her chores.”

“Well, that is for Marta to say. Go on
down to the farm.” Orm thought for a minute. “Wait, I’ll ride down
with you.”

So they rode down to the farm together.
Frosti got Marta’s permission to speak to his mother. Braga was out
by the cowshed, setting cheeses to drain. “This is a surprise,” she
said. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes,” said Frosti, “But there is
something I need to talk to you about.”

“Is it Adals?” Braga clutched at her
apron. She had not heard from her husband in months and did not
know if he was alive or dead. In fact, she did not know which she
wished him to be. Sometimes she felt one way, sometimes
another.

“No,” said Frosti, “Though I suppose
this might matter to him a little anyway. There is a girl who wants
to speak with me. I think she means marriage.”

“What? Is she pregnant?”

“No, not that I know of. I have never
spoken to her. It is Thurid Three-Mothers. It seems she has taken a
liking to me.”

“Oh, my. Thurid.” Braga thought this a
good match. “Well, then, you must speak to her, see if this will
work between you.”

“All right, Mother, but I wished to
speak to you first.” Braga smiled. She loved her son and Frosti
found her one of the few people he could understand. So Frosti rode
back to the Trollfarm.

Marta had eavesdropped on the
conversation. “He is thinking of marrying Thurid!” she said.

“Well,” said Orm, “What of it?”

“I never thought he would marry so
well!”

“Thurid is daughter to a slave,” said
Orm, “Just like Frosti.”

“And she does not know her father,”
nodded Marta, “Just like Frosti. Well...” She shrugged, “So be it.”
Orm nodded.

Frosti stopped by a hotspring on the way
and bathed. Then he dipped into a cold stream to wash the sulfur
smell from his skin. He combed his hair until it shone and tied it
back with a horse hair that he wound around his forehead. He chewed
mint to freshen his breath and wiped his armpits with certain
flowers. He looked at his ragged clothes but could think of nothing
to do about that. He picked a bouquet of flowers and rode on to the
Trollfarm. It occurred to him that he was acting like a suitor, not
just a fellow wanting to chat with a girl, and he began to wonder
what Thurid was like.

Gwyneth came out into the farmyard to
greet Frosti. She gave him a narrow searching glance that so
discomfitted him that he handed her the flowers he had meant for
Thurid. He thrust them at Gwyneth as though to ward her off. “For
you,” he mumbled. Or something like that. He found it difficult to
speak in a normal voice.

Gwyneth took the flowers. She recognized
that Frosti was nervous and uncertain. She looked at his patched
clothes and thin legs and suddenly saw Colm standing before her as
he had once appeared a quarter-century before. Her gaze softened
and she led Frosti into the house.

Mar and Groa were there already and Groa
eyed Frosti up and down as though he was a slab of meat she was
about to butcher. Frosti sat down next to Colm and they all spent
an uncomfortable few minutes together before Thurid swept in.

“Oh,” she said, “You must be Frosti.”
Frosti agreed that he was Frosti all right and tried to greet
Thurid but she was already pulling him out the door. “Come with me.
I have something to show you!” And they were gone, leaving the
bewildered old folks to contemplate one another in silence.

Thurid took Frosti around the farm,
pointing out the buildings and the new puppies, one of whom would
be named Gagarr after a long-departed dog that once was owned by
her mother, Gwyneth. Frosti stumbled along in her bright wake until
she led him over to a wall and sat him down. She hopped up beside
him and said, “Now. Tell me all about yourself.”

After a time, Colm and Mar came outside
and called Thurid indoors. They sat down beside Frosti.

“Well?” said Colm. “How did you two get
on?”

“I think we got on well,” said Frosti.
“I believe she intends on marrying me.”

“And what do you think of that?” asked
Mar.

“I think... Well, I think I shall be
married,” said Frosti.

Mar sighed. “Yes. I think that is the
way Thurid will have it.” The three of them sat and nodded
agreement, together in the sunlight, then fell to talking about
farming.

In the house, Thurid sat with her
mothers and chattered about how wonderful Frosti was, and how
nice-looking, and what a fine conversationalist. In fact, Frosti
had little conversation, except about horses, but Thurid drank in
every word he had to say on the subject.

After a time, Thurid began to slow down
and Gwyneth glanced over at Groa. She had already made up her mind
what to say, but she wanted to know Groa was in agreement first.
Groa sat in silence, looking down at the floor. Finally, she looked
up and said, “He is a little older than you.”

“I don’t care,” said Thurid. “Anyway, he
won’t dominate the marriage.”

“No,” said Groa, “I suppose not.” She
sighed. “Well then, I think we should go speak to Braga.” Gwyneth
nodded.

Thurid threw her arms about them and
kissed her mothers. She started to skip out the door, then stopped
and sat back down. “I suppose I should start making him wait,” she
said, and the three women all started laughing together.

Outside, the men raised their heads at
the sound. “Well,” said Colm, “I think everything will turn
out.”

“I wonder what they’re laughing about,”
said Frosti. He was afraid that they were laughing at him.

“Better that they are laughing rather
than crying,” said Mar. Colm agreed and the three men smiled
together.

Frosti returned to Orm’s farm and spoke
to Braga. “Mother, the women will be coming to see you soon to
speak about marriage. And I want you to meet Thurid.”

Braga was out in the yard cleaning milk
vessels. She dried her hands on her apron and embraced her son.
“And I want to meet her. I’m sure she’s a wonderful girl.”

“Yes, and beautiful, too. You will like
her, Mother.”

“I know I will,” said Braga, but she
wondered how Thurid would like her. She knew that other women did
not hold her in very high esteem. Still, she thought, she could
hold her head up. She had lived an honest life and survived her
share of misfortune – being enslaved, one dead husband, another one
vanished, two stillborn children... Ah, but two alive and well!

Braga clasped her son’s hand. “I have
something for you.” She gave him the ring set with a green stone
that Gunnora had given her for Ljot. “Give this to Thurid as a
wedding-gift.”

“Oh, Mother, it’s beautiful! But don’t
you want to keep it for... for Freydis?” He had been going to say,
to give as a gift to these women who will be your
sisters-in-law.

“No,” said Braga. “When Freydis is old
enough to wed, perhaps I will have something else for her. Anyway,”
she shrugged, “Who can say where we will be then?” And I do not
want to give it to haughty people who will never find me their
equal, she thought. Better it goes to this girl that lights up my
son’s eyes.

So the marriage was set for the autumn.
Gwyneth and Groa began to argue over where the couple would live.
It was an amiable debate, but the sort of thing that might lead to
trouble between the mothers-in-law. Colm and Mar came to a quick
agreement. Together they rode over to Thorolf and arranged to rent
the farm at Helgafeld for the young couple until it should produce
well enough for Frosti to buy it.

Soon after, Thurid rode over to Orm’s
farm on her own and spoke to Braga. “You should move in with us,”
she said. “I hardly know how to run a household and you are already
familiar with the place.”

Braga was touched and pleased with her
prospective daughter-in-law. But she had learned some wisdom over
the years. “No,” she said, “Not right away. After. When the babies
come, then you will need help. But for now you only need each
other.”

“Well,” said Thurid, “I expect the
babies will come soon enough.”

“I have no doubt of it,” smiled
Braga.

So Thurid and Frosti were married. Mar
had a feast and Colm helped supply it. Thurid wore a jewelled lace
head-dress, a gift from Gwyneth, and she wore the greenstone ring
that Frosti had given her. She looked very beautiful and everyone
thought the marriage would be a great success.

28. Snorri Kills Arnkel

It was around this time that Snorri the
godi killed Arnkel. Snorri had followers, his foster brothers, who
lived near a woodlot belonging to Arnkel. They grew tired of seeing
Arnkel ride by their place unmolested and asked Snorri if he really
could protect them should the need arise. Snorri now was ready to
deal with Arnkel, who was the only man in the region not his
friend. So when the brothers reported to Snorri that Arnkel had
driven a sledge past their place, heading to his woodlot, Snorri
buckled on his sword and went after.

They say it was quite a fight, there in
the snow. When Arnkel saw the riders approaching, he knew what it
meant. He had no weapon with him so he ripped a runner from his
sledge and defended himself with that. He fought bravely and
crippled one man, but soon enough he lay face down, his life-blood
draining into the snow.

Arnkel’s female relations started an
action at the Althing, but Snorri had neutralized all of Arnkel’s
allies, either they were beholden to him or had been bought off. No
one came forward to aid the women. It was thought a shameful thing
that a man of Arnkel’s stature could be killed and no action taken
so, at the Althing, a new law was passed forbidding women from
initiating any suit. No one was happy about these events, save
possibly Snorri, and people became uneasy and distrustful of the
laws and the system under which they lived.

Thorolf grumbled a bit to Hallvard but,
since he was unwilling to take on Arnkel’s action, saw little that
he could do.

29. Ljot And Styr Discover A New
Problem

Thurid had her first child that summer,
a girl she named Ingveld. Braga and her daughter Freydis moved in
to the farm at Helgafeld to help keep house. Braga was tactful and
did not abuse her position as mother-in-law and former mistress of
the farm. Freydis was a quiet girl who worked as hard as a woman
twice her age; she had learned this from being daughter to Braga, a
servant in another’s house.

Ljot and Styr were growing older now and
began to eye the girls around them. Soon enough, they both noticed
Freydis. She was still a little young to be betrothed so the boys,
each of them, decided to wait a bit before mentioning it to
Gunnora.

Gunnora saw the boys’ interest in
Freydis and knew that neither was aware of the other as a rival.
Once again, she foresaw trouble, but didn’t know what to do about
it.

One day, Ljot and Styr were lying in the
meadow, watching the clouds overhead and picking out shapes in
them. Ljot said, “That is a wonderful cloud, thick and curved
like... like...”

“A woman’s cheek,” said Styr, for they
were both of an age to see poetry everywhere.

“Yes,” said Ljot, “Like Freydis’
cheek.”

“What do you know of Freydis?”

“Well, I have seen her about and think
that she looks very fine. Don’t you?”

“Yes,” said Styr, “I also think that she
looks very fine.” The two boys were silent for a moment. Each
understood the problem.

Ljot said, “I do not find her finer than
our friendship, Brother.”

“Nor I,” said Styr.

So things rested there.

30. The Missionary And The Sacred
Stone

When Orm’s farm was built, a great stone
was found thrusting up from the earth. No other stone like it stood
anywhere nearby. It was about as tall as a man with features that
were worn but very noticeable and some said they could see a face
or faces in the stone. Everyone thought there was something special
about it and men refused to pull it down when they built Orm’s
house. So now it stood there in the yard.

Marta thought that a land-spirit lived
inside the stone. Sometimes she spoke to it, just acknowledging its
presence and the primacy of the spirit in that place. Other times,
she asked for the land-spirit’s aid and then she left it gifts,
dishes of milk that she placed on the ground or bits of silver that
she buried in the earth. The farm did well and Marta’s children
were healthy so far, so she thought that the land-spirit looked
after them.

A Christian missionary named Albert had
landed in the east and was going about talking to people about his
religion. Eventually he came to Thorolf’s district. “I think this
could be a problem,” said Thorolf, but he did not force the man to
leave. Later, he regretted this.