Soon they were settled in the boat and Tara realized that she would never see her beloved homeland again. She had stood on its shores for the last time. She would never again gaze at its green fields or rolling hills. Tears blinded her eyes as the boat pushed off, a stiff breeze catching the sails, traitorous in its efforts to carry her away from her homeland. She looked back as long as she could but soon the land of her birth was a speck in the distance. She put her head down in her hands, wishing she could die.
CHAPTER 2
“Heill, Erik,” Einar greeted as his friend stepped through the door of their longhouse. “How was the journey?”
“I am glad to be home,” Erik replied, rubbing tired eyes. “It was a profitable journey but there is no place like home.”
“That is true,” Einar said. “And mine will be even better with a wife in it!”
Erik smiled. “You are fortunate indeed, my friend,” he said. “Sigrid will make you a fine wife.”
“It is not long to wait now,” Einar said. “After the harvest season, I shall be a married man.”
“And I shall be alone in this longhouse,” Erik said.
“You can always take a wife.”
“One day, I shall. But I have been so busy building up my business that I have had no time to seek one.”
“What did you sell the most on this journey?”
“Fine cloth from foreign lands was popular and so were the leather goods.”
“Will you buy more?”
“I shall. I intend to go to the markets at Fram Hváll on my next journey and there I hope I shall find more foreign goods to sell. My customers appear to have an appetite for them.”
“Is not Fram Hváll the largest slave market in the land?”
“It is. But I shall not be buying slaves. They are too much trouble. Besides, I have little need for slaves when I am travelling so often. My needs are few.”
“True. Once your cart is packed with your goods, you are self-sufficient. Do you ever stay overnight at a lodging house?”
“Sometimes. But most of the time, I sleep along the road.”
“Do you fear being set upon by raiders or bandits?”
“Not really. They are more interested in young women to sell as slaves than me. I am careful, of course. I try to travel through isolated areas in the company of other travelers. I am not careless.”
“That is good to know. I am always pleased to see you arrive safely home after you have been on your travels.”
“I enjoy seeing people and places away from home. I would become bored if I were a farmer.”
“There is nothing better than growing food and working the land,” Einar asserted.
Erik grinned. “This is an argument that neither of us will ever win,” he said. “I am hungry. Where is the food?”
As they ate, Erik told Einar more about his travels. “There is a sense of prosperity in our land of Norowegr since King Haakon became the ruler,” Erik said. “Do you remember the days before he became King?”
“I do. There were unrest and distrust between rival jarls and chieftains,” Einar said. “King Haakon has worked hard to unite the land and now there is peace.”
“It is good for business,” Einar said. “With peace comes prosperity.”
“The traders bringing treasure from other lands are helping with the prosperity part of it,” Erik replied. “Every market I go to has precious goods from other lands for sale.”
“Do the traders buy it or is it taken from the people of the other lands?”
“I know not. I suspect it is both. But it matters not to me; it is making our land wealthy!”
Einar chuckled. “The weak do not deserve to have it if they cannot defend it,” he said.
“Something like that,” Erik agreed. “The vikingr will get it by any means they can. They have been bringing many slaves back as well.”
“There is always a market for women,” Einar said. “Someone always wants more wives or concubines. I am glad I did not have to purchase a slave or a concubine to be my wife. It is costly and they do not have the same rights as a freeborn wife.”
“The price of a bed-slave has increased in recent years,” Erik replied. “It is more than some men can afford.”
“Better to have a wife who wants to share your bed of her own free will,” Einar said. “That costs nothing!”
“May I be as fortunate as you are,” Erik told him. “I also wish to have a freeborn wife. I intend to grow my trading business bigger so that I can comfortably support a wife and family and I want my wife to have opportunities also if she wishes.”
“At least when you are a farmer, you can grow enough food to feed everyone,” Einar said.
Erik rolled his eyes. “I am not taking that bait,” he said. “You can have your farming. I will be happy to stay a merchant and if we are honest, this land needs both of us.”
“You are right,” conceded Einar. “The land needs merchants and farmers. We each have a part to play.”
“How are Halvar and Eira?” asked Erik. “Has Eira had her baby yet?”
“She has not,” Einar replied. “She is waddling around like a duck.”
Erik laughed. “I can imagine,” he said. “Halvar will be a proud father.”
“He will be unbearable at first, I would imagine. We shall want to avoid him!”
“He will get over it. It always happens with a first child, especially if they have a son.”
“If you like to travel so much, why
