[Arry]

Skald spluttered awake and staggered to his feet. Any other day and a boot would have gone flying after Bror’s form. But Skald did not relish the thought that his brother might be just as likely to pick up said boot and hide it somewhere. Bat-brained changeling! he growled under his breath. Surely we are not sons of the same mother! He snorted with irritation. I’ll pay you back in my own time, mud-worm!

He knuckled the sleep from his eyes, yawning and stretching himself awake. Pulling his soggy night-shirt over his head, he used the drier hem of it to rub dry his face and hair. Tossing it over the wooden trunk which stood at the end of his bed, Skald reached to his bedpost where he’d hung his breeches and tunic the previous night. He pulled on his clothes, found a relatively clean pair of socks, and jammed his feet into his boots.

The beard was another matter. With it, he took more care. He combed out the thick length of it, then divided it and made two neat braids that hung down from either side of his chin. Each was tied off with a wrapping of thin leather cord and a gleaming brass ring affixed over it.

Riv was already up when he entered the kitchen. The two brothers acknowledged each other with nods and a few communal grunts as Skald filled the small knapsack he’d brought with bread, cheese, and smoked fish. He could feel Riv about to comment on the quantity of food, but he held up his hand to stave him off. ‘Don’t plan on going hungry from here to the East-gate brother! Now hand me a small skin of wine and I’ll be off, if you don’t mind.’ He eyed Riv for a moment. ‘And yes, I’m a bit snappish this morning. Seems there’s a leak in my room . . . over my bed . . .’ He said no more, but hurried out to the outer chambers and made for the path that went eastward.

-----

Bror and Skald met up as agreed in the large chamber east of theirs, off which a number of other families had their quarters and workshops. Skald refused to give his brother the satisfaction of seeing him resentful or angry and was all briskly businesslike instead.

‘I’m going to see the Grimsteel’s first,’ Skald told his brother. ‘I’m sure Bildr and Bisi will want to lend their hammers to our company. And I know they’ve just finished the project the King had set for them, so they will be at loose ends and ready for a bit of action.’ He chewed on the side of his thumb, in thought for a moment. ‘Meet you down the way where path dips down toward the King’s bridge. You have some fellows near here you’re going to round up, yes? I won’t call on any others until we reach the eastern chambers . . . the Brassbeards and the Hardhammers have a few strong arms they can send with us, I’m sure.’

Skald set off at a run down the chiseled path leading north to the Grimsteel forges . . .