‘I will not tire of her.’
‘Won’t you? Forkbeard changes his concubines with every season.’
‘I’m not Forkbeard,’ he said.
Vali wanted to say more, to reason with Disa, but he was too shocked. He had never discussed it with Adisla but had always assumed he would have to marry Forkbeard’s daughter, if that’s what their peoples demanded. Then he would father a son and never have much to do with her again, taking Adisla as his wife in all but name. Once Adisla was married to another man, it became a different proposition. That brought spears, blood and feuds.
Vali glanced around, looking for Adisla’s brothers to see if they could talk some reason into Disa. They weren’t there, though — gone away to Nidarnes as part of Forkbeard’s advance guard to prepare the way for the meeting of kings before midsummer.
‘I won’t let this happen,’ said Vali to Disa.
‘It’s for the best. You love her now but will you offer her the security a husband can when she’s old? Will you-’
He didn’t wait for her to finish speaking. Forkbeard’s hall was a good distance inland but he arrived there in a heartbeat. The king was hearing a dispute between two farmers when Vali burst in. The farmers recognised him and withdrew to the side of the room.
Another man, further down the hall, stood up as Vali entered. He was tall, young and powerfully built. His clothes were out of the ordinary. He wore a bright white silk shirt, the like of which Vali had only ever seen in the possession of the trader Veles Libor. Vali thought that perhaps he recognised him, but the thought was fleeting. He approached the king and bowed. Forkbeard — one of those squat strong men who gives the impression of being wider than he is tall — was slurping at a bowl of soup and getting much of it down his beard. He was a tough man who’d come to kingship through fighting his way there. His court was not one of intrigue and debate but a place where, to carry an argument, you had to outfight or outdrink your opponent, preferably both.
‘If, prince, you’re here again with some fancy plan about how we can win battles without fighting, then save your breath. A man goes into war thinking only of his foe to his front and his friend at his side, not weighed down with schemes. Raid and fight or stay put, that’s the deal. Take it or leave it and don’t ask me again. We’ve been here too many times before, haven’t we, lads?’
A couple of the bodyguard nodded and said that they had. Vali had repeatedly annoyed Forkbeard with his contention that planning could win a battle more effectively than direct attack. Forkbeard had always just asked him where glory fitted into his schemes.
‘I have not come about that.’
‘Then what is it?’
‘I want you to release me from my marriage pact with your daughter. I am not the son you want, and the Rygir deserve a better, stronger prince than me.’
Forkbeard snorted. ‘You’re right there, son.’
Vali’s heart skipped.
The king lifted his beard and licked the soup off it. He seemed to ponder for a moment.
‘But forget it. Too many questions if I release you — half the kings along the coast would think I was planning to have a go at Authun. And, worst still, so might he. That is a war-loving fellow indeed. Ain’t that right, lads?’ The bodyguard said that it was.
‘My father will not take offence, and he has not raised a sword these ten years.’ Even though Forkbeard was not given to niceties, Vali instinctively gave him the respect of high speech.
‘Too long for a man like that,’ said Forkbeard. ‘I tell you, son, if I could think of a way to stop this marriage then I would. Your children will be weaklings, but what can I do?’
‘Find another prince, lord.’
Forkbeard shook his head. ‘Your old dad wouldn’t like it,’ he said, ‘but, as it happens, there might be a way out after all. Hogni, get up here.’
The young man in the silk shirt came forward and bowed to Vali and Forkbeard.
‘Hogni son of Morthi,’ he said, ‘messenger to King Authun.’
So that was where Vali had seen him, at Authun’s court.
‘Tell the prince what his father has said.’
The man bowed again and looked slightly nervous.
‘Go on,’ said Forkbeard. ‘No one gets the chop here without my leave. It’s me who’s asked you to speak to him, so say what Authun told you. If the prince wants to pick a fight about it he can pick one with me, and that’s a bit of trouble he won’t want, I can tell you.’
‘That’s right!’ said a bodyguard.
Hogni glanced at Forkbeard and then addressed Vali precisely and formally. ‘Exalted King Forkbeard, terror of the south, mighty in battle, lord of the Rygir, know that it is my wish that my idle son be shaken from his life of ease. Reports tell me that he ignores arms, counsel and raiding in favour of conversation with women. Let him prove himself. The land to the north of our kingdoms is beset by bandits. Merchants, shepherds and farmers all fear attack from the savage men who plague the Troll Mountains. Truly these men are wolves, sorcerers able to assume the form of that monstrous animal, striking down with fury and viciousness all that cross them, invulnerable to weapons and murderous in intent. Seven of my own men have died trying to wipe out this scourge. My son will bring you the head of one before midsummer. If he does not, then I leave it to you to impose a meaningful penalty.’
Vali looked at the man and then back to Forkbeard.
‘Why this? Why now?’
‘Who are you whying?’ said Forkbeard.
Vali ignored his belligerence. ‘It makes no difference to my request. Release me from the pact with your daughter and allow Adisla to marry me, or at least forbid her from marrying anyone else.’
Forkbeard looked to the rafters.‘That farm girl is the cause of all the bother in my life. I have less problems with the bastard Danes than I do with her!’ He lowered his eyes and stared straight at Vali. ‘Return with a wolfman’s head — no, better for proof, the whole man — or your Adisla is Odin’s bride at the summer blot. She’ll hang to please the god.’
Vali went pale.
The bride of Odin was a tradition almost never celebrated in individual kingdoms. He had heard that on great feast days, when kings from all over the land met for a festival, a blot, there were human sacrifices, but Forkbeard had never insisted on one before.
‘You can’t do this,’ said Vali.
Forkbeard sipped from a jewelled drinking cup, booty from a raid. Vali thought of the Odin-blind berserks and the needless deaths they had caused, thought of the stupid frenzy that had exposed his kinsmen to danger and the valuable slave hanged on the returning boat. One day he would drink Odin’s blood, tear that god down and make him pay for his corpse lust.
‘Can’t I?’ said Forkbeard. He leaned forward and said in a forceful whisper, ‘I might have to go running to the assembly to get my laws passed but religion is my turf and mine alone.’ Now he stood and shouted, ‘I’m the king, the top boy, Odin’s priest on earth, bargaining with the god, telling all you lot what he wants for his favours! Do you get that?’ He sat again, but he was pointing at Vali. ‘Well, he wants this girl for his bride unless you bring him the head of his enemy, the wolfman. Your father reckons you’ve got what it takes. I don’t. We’ll see who’s right. I expect you’ll die even before you get to the wolfman, which’ll suit me down to the ground as I’ll be able to get someone with a bit of balls about him for my daughter. And you’ll have the consolation of knowing that your farm girl will be filling your cup in the halls of the slain.’
‘You can’t take a free-born woman and sacrifice her. The people will know she didn’t volunteer,’ said Vali.
Forkbeard shook his head.
‘She’s a threat to the kingdom, lad! And it’s you who’s made her one. The people will understand why she had to die. And if the gods want to stop it, then they’ll bring you success. Seems straight enough to me. What don’t you understand?’
Vali stood shaking. He wanted to shout that if Adisla died, it wouldn’t be the head of the wolf that he presented to the people of Rogaland but that of Forkbeard himself, but he saw now how stupid he had been, how
