[Groin Redbeard]

There was a loud cheering in the tent and Erbrand guessed that Lithor was giving his speech. He slid the fiddle back into its case for later that day, and started towards the kitchen. Harreld had just come out of his smithy and was standing at the door, wiping his blackened hands in his apron.

“Harreld,” Erbrand called, waving his hands to get the man’s attention, “the festivities are starting.”

At this the blacksmith darted back inside his smithy and then emerged with clean hands and no apron; their was a smile on his face as he joined Erbrand in walking to the kitchen.

They arrived just as Lithor finished his speech, but not before they heard what was going on. Harreld’s face lit up at the mention of the tests of strength, Erbrand knew that Harreld could match and beat anyone in the entire camp, that much had been proven by his hard work in the last month. He didn’t doubt that Harreld was a gentle man, but he was also known to be a bit clumsy with it, too many times had Erbrand been the victim of a crushing handshake that would make any man wince. He intended to stay clear of him when it came to fighting.

Erbrand soon became closed in with the people that swarmed around Lithor with their requests. Separated from Harreld, he stumbled and pushed his way out of the crowd and into the open. His body was teaming with excitement. At last he would be able to prove his worth. It would be a chance for everyone to show their skill and he wanted to excel more than anything. It was not a test to see if he came first in every competition, it was a test against himself. To see if he was tough and callous as his aloof nature portrayed him to be. He swallowed hard the thought of humiliation in front of the entire camp.

No, he thought to himself, No! Not today, focus on the task and you will succeed. This calmed him a bit, but the thought persisted to unease him: how could he face his friends, how would he face Dan if he failed? His pride was everything to him.

It was then that he noticed that Dan was nowhere to be seen, which jogged his memory that the boys were still missing (the boys were often seen near Dan). Puzzled over their absence, even though none of the others seemed to notice it, not even Modtryth: the usually vigilant mother of Cenebba. It was not like the boys to be gone for so long in the morning; convinced that something was wrong he decided to go check on them himself. He did not mean to step out of line and anger Modtryth for being nosey, something he had hoped he was not known for. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little curious about their talent in archery.

He opened the door to the stall that held his horse and hoisted himself on Traveller's bare back. He prodded Traveller along at a nice easy trot before steadily progressing it up to a full gallop. Erbrand felt the same restlessness in his horse that he was feeling as the horse through back his head and whinnied loudly, it would serve them both well in the race today.

Before long Erbrand spotted the boys a ways off, who did not seem to notice him. Garmund and Cnebba were a ways off shooting their arrows at some stumps, while Javan silently, and solemnly, observed the boys. Erbrand spurred his horse forward, watching them with his stern discerning eyes as they practiced. He stopped his horse around a dozen yards behind Javan, and unknown to Javan silently watched Cnebba and Garmund.

Cnebba: the showoff of the three, was always in the front trying to get the best shot, while the more reserved Garmund battled with him for a fair shot. Although to a man such as Stigen or Eodwine this situation might seem dangerous, but Erbrand watched proudly as the boys kept their horses under control and fired decent shots with their bows (he was lost in the moment so much that he did not hear Javan’s shouting in a futile attempt to restrain them). Both the boys, with arrows knocked in their strings, walked their horses alongside each other, waiting for their chance to shoot, but soon their pace quickened in an attempt to outdo the other; before they reached their target the horses had gotten up to a trot. The boys fired simultaneously at the stump, with Cnebba in the lead, and the arrows hit almost perfectly. Whether it happened by luck or by skill Erbrand was amazed. He laughed loudly, which he always did when well satisfied, and clapped his hands in approval.

Javan swung around, startled at the unknown intrusion on their privacy. Javan’s abrupt movement startled Erbrand as well, he had forgotten that he was uninvited and unannounced. He immediately stopped and hung his head in embarrassment, until he looked like a hound that had just been rebuked by it’s master. He nudged Traveller closer to Javan.

“My apologizes, Javan,” he said, looking up into Javan’s eyes as if he were the lesser of the two, “I did not mean to spy on you as you may think.” Erbrand looked at Garmund and Cnebba, who had noticed his arrival. “You have taught them well,” he said again, thinking it wiser to change the subject before brining them back, “skilled hands such as those will prove well in the contest today. It is clear that lord Eodwine was not mistaken in choosing you for this task.” Erbrand's lips began to curl in a genuine smile.