Not that Thork was really reformed. That became clear to one and all once the Christian matrimonial ceremony was completed by the beleaguered Father Peter, who"d been coaxed from Dragonstead. Thork stood under the bridal canopy-a flower-bedecked arbor near the pond-and urged his bride to come forward with a beckoning forefinger. The twinkle in his green eyes did not look at all reformed.
Tykir performed the Norse marriage rituals for the pair, with Thork"s three brothers standing as his witnesses, and Gudron, Bergdis, and Solveig at Medana"s side.
Medana wore a collarless, gauzy chemise that trailed in back. It would have been scandalous alone, but it was covered with the traditional long, open-sided ap.r.o.n of rich lavender silk, embroidered along the edges with gold thread in a diamond pattern. Her blonde hair was loose, held in place with a gold circlet in a diamond pattern, a gift from her soon-to-be husband.
Thork was finely garbed, too, all in black, except for the gold belt about his waist and the silver thunderbolt earring in his one ear. His hair was loose, at his bride"s request, but with war braids on either side of his face. The braids were intertwined with green crystals, gifts from his bride.
Tykir began to chant some ancient Norse prayer, then raised his hands on high. "Odin, please bless this couple with wisdom to know when to fight with each other, and when to yield. Thor, grant them the strength of your mighty hammer Mjollnir, that they may have the stamina to meet each other"s needs. Freyja, G.o.ddess of fertility, give them many children, and please G.o.ds, no wild ones."
"This is like no Norse wedding ceremony I ever attended," Medana whispered to Thork.
Tykir overheard and said, "I am making it up." He picked up a sharp knife then and asked them to extend their hands. Cutting a thin slice on each wrist, Tykir then had them press the wrists together, and he called out, "Blood of his body, blood of her body, now joined! Praise be!"
After that was the bride running. Thork gave Medana a head start, and she picked up the hem of her gunna, racing for the longhouse where the wedding feast was to be held. He soon caught up and whacked her on the behind with the broad side of the blade. "Just to show who will be the head of this family."
Medana turned the tables, as she was wont to do, by stamping on his foot and declaring, "Just to show who will be the head of this family."
As a bride-gift, Thork promised to stay and live on Thrudr with Medana until they could fortify it properly, construct a few longships, and, yea, build those b.l.o.o.d.y steps. Medana promised to come live with Thork after that on land near Dragonstead that his father had gifted him. It was there they would raise their many, many children, they promised each other.
There was dancing and drinking and storytelling throughout the day. In the middle of the feast, Bolthor stood up and said, "My wife has given me permission to compose a few more sagas. This one is for you, Thork."
Thork and Medana sat holding hands as the old man spoke: "Like father, like son, The wise men say.
Be a wild man, And eventually you will pay.
Your sons will grow up And cause you pain, Just like you did when You failed to abstain.
But listen, Thork, On this your wedding day, In time you will have a son To remind you of your once wild way.
And listen, Medana, For you will learn, That pirate brides breed Girls who yearn.
But wait just a moment, Think about this, A wild Viking and a pirate bride Are sure to bring bliss."
Everyone clapped, even though it was a rather silly poem, but then all of Bolthor"s poem were. That was their charm.
Soon, it was time for the couple to go to the hunters" hut, which had been turned into a bridal bower, complete with wine and food and soft linens on a feathered mattress. The wedding feast would continue without them.
"I"ve been wanting to see you all day in this chemise and naught else," Thork whispered in her ear.
She soon complied, and he was vastly appreciative.
Then she said, "I"ve been wanting to see you all day in nothing at all."
He complied, too, and she was equally appreciative.
Taking her hand, Thork led her into the bedchamber and said, "I have something special to show you."
"I"ve already seen it."
He smacked her on her almost bare a.r.s.e and laughed. "Not that."
Walking over to a low table, he picked up an ornate box and handed it to her.
Suspicious of the glint in his mischievous eyes, she opened it carefully. She put both hands to her burning face. It was another collection. An outrageous collection of various sized silver b.a.l.l.s. She could scarce imagine their purpose, except she knew it would be wicked. Wicked good. "Are you sure this is a gift for me? Or you?"
"Both of us," he said, and with a wild Viking whoop, he picked her up and tossed her on the bed, setting the small chest beside her. A long time later . . . a very long time later . . . Thork said, "I love you."
"I love you, too, Thork. I really do."
"Why do you have that little smile on your face?"
"You can ask that?" she exclaimed, then added, "Actually, I was thinking how wonderful it is to be a wild Viking"s pirate bride."
Glossary Asgard-Home of the G.o.ds, comparable to Heaven.
Below the salt-Salt was very expensive in ancient times and it was placed in the center of the high table, to be used only by those of higher rank; being placed below the salt meant the person was of lesser social status.
Berserker-An ancient Norse warrior who fought in a frenzied rage during battle.
Birka-Viking age trading town located in present-day Sweden.
Braies-Slim pants, breeches.
Byre-Cowshed.
Deadfall-Fallen trees and branches.
Drukkinn (various spellings)-Drunk.
Ealdormen-Chief magistrates or king"s deputies in Anglo-Saxon England, later referred to as earls, appointed by the king; most often they were n.o.blemen.
Ell-A linear measure, usually of cloth, equal to forty-five inches.
Fathom-A unit of depth measure, once said to equal the distance between a sailor"s outstretched arms, equal to roughly 1.8288 meters or almost two yards.
Frankland-Later called France.
Frigg-Queen of the G.o.ds, Odin"s wife.
Gammelost-A pungent cheese once a staple of Norse diet, so rank it was said to turn some warriors into berserkers.
Garth-Side yard.
Gunna-Long-sleeved ankle-length gown worn by women, sometimes worn under a tunic or a long, open-sided ap.r.o.n.
Handfast-A betrothal contract, usually completed by a mere handclasp.
Hedeby-Market town where Germany is now located.
Hersir-Military commander who owes allegiance to a king or jarl.
Hird-A permanent troop that a chieftain or n.o.bleman might have.
Hnefatafl-A Viking board game.
Holgaland-A section of northern Norway.
Hordaland-Norway.
Housecarls-Troops a.s.signed to a king"s or lord"s household on a long-term basis.
Jarl-A Viking social cla.s.s, similar to an English earl, or could be a wealthy landowner, or chieftain or minor king.
Jorvik-Viking age York.
Jutland-Denmark.
Longship-The graceful, shallow, lightweight sailing vessels made by Vikings, known for their high speed and endurance whether in shallow water or high seas.
Lutefisk-Dried cod.
Manchet-Type of flat, unleavened bread baked in a circle with a hole in the center so that they could be stored stacked on a pole.
Mancus-A measure of weight for gold, equal to roughly 4.25 grams, or about one month"s wage in those days for a skilled craftsman or soldier.
Mead-Honeyed ale.
Miklagard (various spellings)-Viking name for Constantinople or Byzantium.
More danico-The Viking practice of multiple wives.
Muspell-A fiery place in the lower level of the Norse afterlife, similar to h.e.l.l.
Neeps-Turnips.
Nithing-The worst possible insult to call a man, means he is worth less than nothing.
Norns of Fate-Three wise old women who destined everyone"s fate, according to Norse legend.
Northumbria-One of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, bordered by the English kingdoms to the south and in the north and northwest by the Scots, c.u.mbrians, and Strathclyde Welsh.
Odal laws-Laws of heredity.
Pace-Distance measured by a step or stride, about thirty inches.
Pannage-Medieval term for natural, self-foraging diet of animals, like wild pigs (boars), such as beechnuts, acorns, chestnuts, and wild fruits.
Pennanular-Type of jewelry design, often of a brooch, usually in the form of an incomplete circle.
Runes-Stick-like characters in Old Norse alphabet.
Rushes-Hard-packed dirt floors were often covered with sweet-smelling gra.s.ses or straw called rushes that could be raked up when they got too dirty.
Russet-Coa.r.s.e homespun, often reddish-brown color.
Scat-Animal waste.
Scathe-Harm.
Scree-A scattering of broken rocks.
Sennight-One week.
Skald-Poet.
Skyrr (skyr, various spellings)-Soft cheese favored by Vikings, similar to cream cheese or cottage cheese.
Sword dew-Blood.
Thatch-A sheltering material (roof) made of plant materials, like gra.s.s.
Thing-An a.s.sembly of free people who made laws and settle disputes; on a much larger scale it would be called an Althing.
Thrall-Slave.
Tun-252 gallons, as of ale.
Valhalla-Hall of the slain, Odin"s great hall for warriors in Asgard.
Valkyries-Female warriors in the afterlife who did Odin"s will.
Vapnatak-Weapon clatter; at a Thing or Althing, the men voted by banging their swords against their shields.
Vestfold-Southern Norway.
Wergild-A man"s worth, often the penalty paid for killing or injuring a highborn man or woman.
Reader Letter Dear Reader: How did you like my latest book in Viking Series I? I hope I did Thork proud. After all, his father, Tykir, has been a beloved character, along with other members of the Haraldsson, Thorksson, Tykirsson, and Eiriksson families, for almost twenty years now.
I"ve said it before and will repeat again, I have good reason for loving the Vikings and their culture. My grandfather many times removed was Rolf the Gangr, first Duke of Normandy. It was a fascinating discovery when doing family genealogy research years ago to discover my Norse heritage. How many people can trace their roots back to the tenth century? I should have suspected, though, with a grandfather whose name was Magnus.
One of the sticking points for many readers in ancient historical novels is the language issue. How could the Vikings understand the Saxons or the French and vice versa? The explanation is a simple one. Old Norse (not to be confused with modern Norwegian) was mutually intelligible with Saxon English and other tongues spoken at that time. Modern Icelandic comes closest to retaining the Old Norse words.
In fact, a lot of English words are what are referred to as loanwords from Old Norse. Such as knife (knfr), fish (fiski), no (nei), beer (bjr), take (taka), ill (llr), drunk (drukkinn), Russian (Rus), according to Wikipedia, "Old Norse Language." Or, quoting from The Year 1000, by Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger, "Have you a horse to sell?" would be "Haefst thu hors to sellenne?" in Anglo-Saxon, and "Hefir thu hross at selja?" in Old Norse, with the response "Obviously, I have two horses to sell" being "Ic haebbe tvau hors" in Anglo-Saxon, and "Ed hefi tvau hors" in Old Norse.
You should know that The Pirate Bride is the eleventh book in Viking Series I, all of which are still available in new print or e-book formats: The Reluctant Viking, The Outlaw Viking, The Tarnished Lady, The Bewitched Viking, The Blue Viking, My Fair Viking (aka The Viking"s Captive), A Tale of Two Vikings, Viking in Love, The Viking Takes a Knight, and The Norse King"s Daughter. Every time I think it"s time to end this series, I wonder what will happen to Alrek, or Jamie, or Jostein, and now Starri, Guthrom, and Selik. Or how about the brooding Wulf from Viking in Love? Don"t they all deserve their own stories?
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