The end of it was that Biorn and Bessi did their errand so well that all was made smooth again betwixt King Harald and Styrbiorn. When they bade the King farewell he said, “This maketh great wonder to my mind, Styrbiorn, that thou shouldst choose to put to sea in midwinter and of an evil stormy day to boot. And yet a greater wonder that they will follow thee in this.” Styrbiorn said nothing, having promised not to bandy words with the King. The King gave Styrbiorn gifts at parting, a helm and a sax-knife with haft of gold. Styrbiorn gave the King a Greek hat and a silver baldrick set with amber.
So they came down to the shore of the sea and went ashipboard. The lift was all overspread with dirty cloud, and there were gray stacks of storm-cloud piled far away on the bourne of the sky to seaward. The sea was dark like iron, flecked with white horses, and with a livid band of light in the far distance. There was a biting wind blew from the northeast.
“Wither shall we sail now?” asked Biorn, “if we be not to be drowned?”
Styrbiorn answered and said, “We will sail North.”
VII
Eric and Styrbiorn
The king had with him in Upsala in those days three men whom he held in good esteem. They were not good friends with the throng of people, and many thought it as near a bit to call them ill-doers as call them men of valour. They were named Helgi and Thorgisl and Thorir. None knew the father or kindred of any one of them, but most folk thought they must be King Eric’s bastards, and that for this sake his eye rested kindly on them. For this was much noted of the King as his years wore, no less then aforetime, that he was mightily given to women, and kept not to his own.
These three on a day walked up and down a-talking together and making game, when there passed by before them without the King’s hall Sigrid the Queen. She was whiter than a sunbeam on a bright day; and she carried the child of her and Eric, that was named Olaf, in her arms. And the child was now about a twelvemonth old.
Thorgisl said, “There goeth one shall be King yet in our time.”
“That is to be looked for,” said Helgi; “unless Styrbiorn send him first to a cold lodging. For, ‘a foe’s child is a wolf to cherish.’ ”
“For men of our mettle,” said Thorir, “a lap-king were a better choice then Styrbiorn, when he cometh home.”
“A lap-king? What is that?” said they.
“One that should sit quiet in his mother’s lap,” said Thorir, “and leave us to follow our sport.”
Helgi said, “I know not how it seemeth to you two, but to me it was ever a wonder that Styrbiorn bestrode not this mare, and the foal were not his rather than the King’s. I have smelt matters betwixt them now and then.”
“How? Is not princesses in Holmgarth enough for him?” said Thorir.
But Thorgisl said, “I never found thy tongue too slow, Helgi. Thou wert better let alone that bad talk.”
“Have it as thou wilt,” said Helgi. “Howbeit, I leave you there a fair pool for a dry tongue to fish in. We may turn it to some good use next year, belike, if he come home to play the King here.”
“I think,” said Thorir, “that we three have had trouble enough, each man of us, with this young quat, should make us unwilling to wear our lives out under his shadow. But we must be mindful of this, that he hath waxed mightily in these two years he hath been abroad out of the land, and will be waxed yet more next year.”
So went the talk of those three. But the next news in hand, a day or two after, was no smaller matter than this: that Styrbiorn was come into the Low with an hundred ships. Men wondered much at this and much guessing there was, what the King was like to do, and how he would take this homecoming of Styrbiorn’s months before his due time. And that was in the mind of most of them, that this was carried with too high a hand for the King to let it pass; so that they who wished well to Styrbiorn were sorry when they heard of his coming, but his ill-willers were glad at heart.
Styrbiorn left the host of his ships in the Low, and himself rowed with a few ships up to Sigtun and there took horse and came to find the King his uncle in Upsala. At their meeting was naught asked nor answered betwixt them openly, how long he was minded to stay nor what was to be thought of his unlooked-for coming. Nor was aught said, either by Styrbiorn or by the King, that might let men know clearly if the King were minded to punish this disobedience or to swallow it. The King seemed to bear himself somewhat coldly and aloof from Styrbiorn; and as days went by, and all quiet, men knew not what to make of it. Some thought the King was over kind to Styrbiorn and could not find it in his heart to put force on him. Some two or three, that had little wit, thought the King was afeared of him. Thorgnyr and they that knew the King best thought they knew that he held his hand of a purpose, seeing in this thing a trial of Styrbiorn whether he would yet of his own accord do right at last without stress nor argument laid on him.
On a day men made a great gathering at the tarn called Kysingtarn for playing at the ball. Styrbiorn was
