Bothvar Beorcolsson
“Father,” Thormar says, drawing his attention. “May I ask why we do not sail west? Wasn’t that what Thorkel wanted? I’ve seen maps of islands and other lands to the west and southwest past the long forest of the elves. I’ve heard they’re rich with resources.”
“They are also rich with danger. I would love to journey west, but now is not the time to throw men into the sea. Besides, in order to get there, we either have to risk sailing too close to the elven lands or risk sailing too far into the Dead Sea where monsters swim, the Kraken among them along with the Merrow. I’d rather face the elves than those monsters.”
“Aren’t the elves of the forest the enemies of the elves that hunt us in their ships? Why don’t we make peace with the Forest Elves so we can sail safely across their shores?” Thormar asks.
“That is a good suggestion, but I doubt the elves will hear us out when we have many of their people enslaved. Like the blue-eyed High Elves who hunt us, the green-eyed Forest Elves have no love for us either,” father says.
“Scyra, daughter of King Teowulf, mentioned she trained with them,” I say without even thinking.
“Maybe she can speak to them on behalf of all of us?” Thormar asks.
“Perhaps when we meet them during our next All Clan meeting, we can talk about it then and look into the possibility of sailing west. However, if we ever do want to make peace with them, I’m sure they will request that we free their people we hold as slaves. That will not go over well with those who hold them as thralls,” he says.
“Surely, we can compensate for them. There can’t be many enslaved,” Thormar says.
“Enough to severely dent our coffers,” father says.
“What if we outlawed slavery entirely?” Thormar asks.
Father nearly chokes on wine he brought to his lips. “If I tried to outlaw slavery, I’d be parted with my head. Besides, our way of life would come to a halt. You underestimate how much we rely on slave labor for our day-to-day life. Everything from farming to most of the laborious tasks in our ships. Let alone those who help alleviate men’s lust. Lots of men resort to taking slaves for wives since many men have multiple wives.”
“Couldn’t we pay for such services?” Thormar asks.
Father shrugs. “We could… Perhaps. That would probably tarnish our coffers just as much as paying to free the slaves from their masters. And a large part of our wealth comes from selling slaves to the other tribes. Let this be the end of this conversation. Maybe someday in the future we can find a new way to provide for our people, but for now slavery is ingrained in our culture and is the biggest source of resources we have to provide for our people. If it comes to the life of a slave over the lives of our citizens, I will sacrifice every slave in our town.”
After we leave the hall for our own rooms to pack, I walk into Thormar’s room as he fills his packs with what he thinks he needs for our raid. Most of it is junk he could easily do without, but this is not a battle I care to fight.
“I agree with you, little brother.” He looks up at me with a raised eyebrow. “I despise our reliance on thralls. I think it is wrong. As much as I despise the elves, I can see they are not that different from ourselves. Neither are the other races we have enslaved. And I also would like to sail west, as Thorkel wished.”
“Why didn’t you say something, then?” he asks.
“Because father is right. Our society would collapse without the slaves for now. We have no other way to support ourselves, and if war is to come then we will need every man and woman to fight. Sailing west is an unknown risk full of danger. It is better to attack the safer bet and get what we know is possible than to risk everything on something we have no idea of what it could bring.”
He sighs. “You’re right. I just… I want to see what’s out there. I need to know.”
“How about this, little brother? I’ve been saving gold for some time. If you raise enough money, I will help you pay Osvald to build a new ship. Then all you need to do is recruit a crew and next summer, you can sail west. But you will have to do it with only the men you can take on your ship. It is a gamble and a major risk, but if you are sure about this, you can have your chance to sail with your own ship. Which I will partially own, of course, and I’ll get a share in the profits along with the tax you’ll owe to father. But you and your men who join you will get the rest of whatever you earn.”
Thormar doesn’t even hesitate. His eyes light up with excitement. “You’d do that?”
I nod. “Of course. This was important to Thorkel.”
“Will you come with me?” he asks.
I shrug. “Perhaps, I do not know. As the eldest now, my duty is here with the people. I must go where we vote and most likely, that will be south.”
He nods. “I’ll start making plans and recruiting. I’ve already got friends who I’ve been talking to that are very interested in going west. Trandil, Einar’s nephew, and possibly his son Eystein. Our second cousins of Koll’s grandchildren are also interested. At first it was just Gudrik and Starolf, but now Asvor, Bolla, and even Hilde. Same with Hosvir, Solmund and Griotgard’s younger brother. Svala wants to come too and she’ll be old enough next summer. Hosvir even convinced his sister Vigdis. Bodvar wanted to come, but now that he is with the Wolf Clan, I suppose he can no longer come with us. Maybe this Gadaric will come?”
“You’ve been planning this for some time. The only problem with your crew is they are all as young as you are. No experience. You’ll need someone who knows what they are doing and knows the seas. I won’t let you go until you find someone who can help guide you.”
“Fair enough. I’m sure we’ll find someone by next summer,” he says.
“You also do not have a Sea Navigator and you can’t have Skardi,” I say.
“Hopefully whoever has the experience can be the sea navigator,” he says.
“Perhaps… Maybe even Svala might do, but she is still too young and untested. You want someone who has been out on the sea for some time and knows what they are doing or you’ll be sailing in circles. You must have someone who can read the stars, the moons, and the sun. They must be able to know when storms come and how to tell when land is near. Without one, you’ll end up lost to the sea and most likely in the Kraken’s belly,” I say.
He sighs. “I will find one. I am sure of it, brother. I have to sail west. It is a feeling deep inside my gut.”
I walk up and put my hand on his shoulder. “I will do whatever I can to help you. I believe in you. We may disagree on things from time to time, and I’ve given you a hard time here and there, especially when Thorkel was alive, but I do not doubt your conviction. You are smart. Smarter than most of us. You’ll do great things, I know it.”
Thormar barrels into my chest with a bear hug. He’s gotten much stronger, especially with all the training in the mountains. “Thank you, Bothvar. It means a lot to me.”
I nod and mess his hair up. I need to stop doing that.
“Just remember this one thing, if you meet a race of people who do not speak your language, do not teach them bad habits,” I say, which makes him tilt his head. “Or else you’ll have to endure getting your hair messed up every time you see them.” With that, I walk out with a wry smile on my face. Something father always did to us, always getting the last word in, giving strange advice, and leaving you to ponder it. But it is good advice, nonetheless, and I’m sure if he goes west, he’ll need it.
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