The Sage of Einar

Chapter 74: Surprise at the banquet

At one of the tables that had been set up for the banquet, Sven was sitting in the center while his wife Elin and Godi Asgot were at his side.

“I have to admit that I already missed the taste of Salicornia, onions, and carrots.

Bear meat tastes too special, but I can’t complain as I still remember what we had to eat on the expeditions that my father-in-law Eero did.

It’s very difficult to forget the taste of that thing that looked like bread but tasted like stones. “

Asgot just laughed while holding a large jug of herbal liqueur “It’s very difficult to forget that taste, but it was the only thing we could eat otherwise we could only starve.”

Elin who was listening to the two men only shook her head because she understood very well what they were saying because her father had an unpleasant habit of giving priority to keeping a full stomach over the taste of food.

Even she suffered many times because of her father making strange combinations.

Like fish with honey or what she considered the worst, which was fermented goat’s milk with seal liver that made a kind of cheese with a very strong flavor and that on more than one occasion made her vomit.

Einar who was looking at his mother from the corner of his eye noticed the change of expression he had had as if he had remembered something very disgusting, so he felt some curiosity to know what his father and father-in-law were talking about.

But it was at that moment that he was interrupted by little Laura, who was carrying a wooden flute in her hand.

“Papa Einar!

I know I shouldn’t interrupt you because you must be pretty tired.

But I would like to ask you if you can play me a melody since you played at the delivery of the loot I would like to hear you play again. “

Einar with a smile took the flute from Laura’s small hands.

To later start playing a happy melody.

The strange but happy melody sounded all over the place, making everyone suddenly fall silent to listen to it more carefully.

Laura, for her part, got lost in the notes coming out of the flute that Einar was playing, so she unconsciously closed her eyes and moved her head from side to side.

The joyous melody continued to be heard, for one more time in which the Skald of the town could feel an inspiration without limits.

This was caused by those notes which broke with the monotonous style of melodies to which he was used.

He couldn’t even feel an inspiration of such magnitude with the tune that Einar had played in the distribution of the loot.

For that reason, Per got up from the wooden chair where he was sitting and approached the monk Angus because he wanted him to write the ode that had occurred to him with that cheerful melody.

When Max finished playing the flute, he gave it back to little Laura “Starting tomorrow I will teach you how to use the flute and other little instruments like the drum.

This way you can all play happy melodies or even create your own, the limit will only depend on you. “

When she finished hearing those words, Laura nodded happily as she held the flute to her chest and said goodbye to Einar before running with Daven and Dorete.

Helmi watched as Laura walked away from the place, so she put her hand on Einar’s shoulder. “I think you must teach me to play a few tunes like that because I’d like to play some music for the baby.

Max scratched at his beard that he had not shaved during the days he had been on the expedition, and with a seductive gaze, he looked at Helmi. “We have all night for me to teach you to play the flute or whatever instrument you want.”

Helmi who heard those words were left thinking while looking doubtfully at Einar because she did not understand what he meant by teaching him to play the flute all night.

It was not until Kassia who was next to Einar understood the meaning of the lustful words he had said, that after giving her a light tap on the arm she explained to Helmi what Einar had meant.

Helmi after hearing the words gave Einar a flirtatious look, but unfortunately, the two could say nothing because at that moment Skald Per interrupted them.

“Herald Einar, I would like you to read the ode that I have composed.”

After saying those words, Per handed him two sheets of paper that Angus had written.

Einar who was taken by surprise received the two sheets of paper and carefully began to read what the Skald of the town had written.

As he read those words in Latin, Einar’s face became serious because the way he related the story reminded him quite a lot of Homer’s ode.

After finishing reading, he left the pages on the table and invited Skald Per to sit down with whom he had barely had communication since he had been reborn in that world.

“Skald Per, I’m glad you allowed me to read the ode you wrote, but I’m curious if you ever read Homer’s ode or some Greek writing.”

The Skald who was already sitting across from Einar drank some herbal liqueur that Kassia had offered him.

“It was a long time ago when your grandfather was still alive, during our first expedition to Miklagard.

At that time your grandfather had found out about a great city that had been discovered by a group of Vikings who recounted their adventure and the journey they had to make through a great river in the east.

At that moment, the intrepid spirit of your grandfather came to light, so he organized an expedition and it was then that we left for the famous Miklagard.

The road was quite complicated because we met many times with the Danes who were sometimes friendly and other times we simply had to face them.

But the further we went into that sea, we could get to know other cultures and we could even see how the sea froze in some parts.

Still, we continued our way until we could enter a kind of great lake and in that place, we met a group of people who called them Slavs.

Unlike our people, they were more dedicated to agriculture, and their warriors were just farmers who used wooden weapons.

Unfortunately, we were only one expedition so we could not subdue them all but we captured numerous slaves.

We forced them to help us while we got into that great river that would take us to Miklagard; the path was difficult and many of those slaves died.

Fortunately, along the way, we could enslave others more, so when finally, after a few months of traveling that river, we could still leave a great sea.

From which it was only necessary to follow the merchant ships since they were all heading to the same place, the gigantic city of Miklagard.

I still remember those wonderful gigantic walls and the thousands of people in the port. When we disembarked with the slaves we were fortunate that there was a Danish Viking in the place, so he helped us translate the strange language of the city.

He also helped us get to the port market, where we met a lot of strange people from Christians to Muslims and even completely dark people wearing strange turbans on their heads. “

At the end of remembering how he got to Miklagard for the first time, Skald Per took out from among his clothes a wooden cross that had the peculiarity of having one more line at the top.

“During the time that the expedition was in that place, I established a friendship with a deacon from a small basilica. He taught me to read and speak Greek.

He also showed me some scrolls where many odes are narrated, and I was even able to read the Iliad of the Trojan War with him.

All that affected me because I realized that I was not born to be a warrior but a Skald, that is why when we returned from the expedition I stayed in town to start with my poems.

In the beginning, they were quite rough, but as time went by, I began to refine them, and thanks to the inspiration of the flute you made; you gave me what I needed to make this little ode. “

Max who was surprised by the Skald Per, formed a smile on his face “It’s a shame we didn’t talk much before, but you should know a lot about our tribe.”

Per nodded and took a big drink from his jug of liquor “I know the most important events because to train my writing I made some poems and odes about them.

Of course, everything was done with what your grandfather remembered from the stories of his father and grandfather. “

Max put his hand on Per’s shoulder “Skald Per, I would like to ask you to help me to write the history of our tribe.

Anything you remember can help, because if our people forget their origins we are condemned to suffer from the problems of the past, not to mention that we would lose our identity. “

The Skald Per nodded and at that moment using his jug of liquor he toasted Einar for future cooperation.