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Old 11-01-2007, 11:46 AM   #195
piosenniel
Desultory Dwimmerlaik
 
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‘Well, wife, this is hardly the time to approach a man about his sister’s marrying!’ Grímr growled out his well worn argument in as hushed a manner as his frustration would allow. Womenfolk! He grunted to himself. Not all things are fixed by love! Love – of all things!!! The boy was still a pup. What can he know of love? Wanting.....more likely. There was a battle, most likely many long hard battles, coming certain as the moon’s turn. Sooner more likely. After would be time enough to think of binding one family to another. Not that the boy had a thought for whether this was a good match for his family. His brow furrowed as his thoughts traveled down this path. Excellent smithy, that Dag, though. Good man in his dealings. Straight forward, loyal to his friends.....loyal to his family, isn’t he. Didn’t he take on his wife’s sister and hasn’t he made a good life for all of them. Be a good man to have at one’s side. His brow eased itself upward from frustration to speculation.

Káta’s voice broke in on his reverie. ‘I can see the stubborn old mule is on his feet now and thinking about moving his carcass forward. So? What are we going to do, husband? Fálki’s much like you, dear heart. His mind and heart are set in this matter. He bows to your place as this family’s head. But not forever. And you know his brother will help him. I will not lose two sons to something that can be solved with a little effort from you.’ Her hand came up to rest on his forearm in a familiar gesture. ‘That unpleasantness at the banquet pushes for a swifter course of action on our family’s part. Especially if we are to tie a bond between Dag’s family and ours. And, really, that would be an advantageous tie for us, don’t you think? Well.....?’

‘Káta! I’ve had a thought in this old head,’ Dulaan’s voice cried out in the space between the question and the coming answer. ‘Let me come in and we’ll see if you two think it might help for now.’

Grímr’s brow furrowed once again; his breathed in just on the verge of saying ‘Not now!’, but the curtain twitched aside and in came the older woman, her eyes snapping with a determined light. She laid out her little plan, and he wondered if she and Káta had already set this in place. ’twould be just like the two wrens to have sorted this already! But his wife looked genuinely surprised at the older woman’s plan. Though now that he watched her, he could see his Káta’s head nod nearly imperceptibly as Dulaan talked. And that shrewd look come on her features as she considered how this might work out. He sighed inwardly, wanting to put this aside for the moment. The prospect of the hunt and being seen in the company of the Lords loomed large in the recesses of his thought. He could not spend all day arguing this problem. It would not do to skip the hunt. Too many offenses would be tallied against him for that breach of courtesy. These were unstable times. He needed to position himself favorably in whoever’s eyes would be the one to take power when the old Lord died. To their surprise, he nodded his own head, giving the final admonition that Káta was to go also on this visit.

It was Falarr, his younger siblings’ collars clasped firmly in his fists, whose grinning face greeted his father as Grímr yanked the heavy curtain aside. ‘So, I’ve caught these two nosy-pokes listening in! Pushing each other aside to hear better, weren’t they!? Don’t know what you’ve been talking about, but they both seem excited about it.’ He let go of Valr and Jóra, both of whom fixed him fiercely with their exasperated stares.

‘I’m to go with you! On the hunt!’ Valr said with an indignant tone. ‘And I get to see the baby!!!’ Jóra squealed. ‘Though I think I handled the cart last time quite well!’

Grímr gave instructions to Falarr. Yes, Valr was to go with them. ‘But as our weapons’ keeper. And mind you, Valr, bring the net bag for any smaller game we might bring home. The larger will go to the Lord’s hall.’ He dismissed the two with a wave, calling out to Falarr as he made off with his brother. ‘Send Fálki in. I’ve need of him to see the women safely on an errand.’

---------------

Joining the hunting party.....

The hunting party was already on their way when Grímr and his two sons joined in at the rear. He nodded to those he knew as he drew near, calling out a greeting to them. ‘First hunt!’ he said with some pride to one as he nodded back toward Valr riding on his right. ‘Good hunting today, I think. Should be plenty of meat for the Lord’s table tonight!’ he called to another.

He motioned his sons closer with a flick of his hand. ‘Stay close to me. Many people here we don’t know.’ Leaning left toward Falarr, he crooked his head toward Valr. The younger son sat his horse with an excited air about him, his eyes darting here and there as he took in the hunters, their weapons, their mounts. ‘If we are separated, you stick to Valr like a goose-grass burr. You know how things can happen in the heat of the chase and kill.’

Last edited by piosenniel; 11-03-2007 at 02:35 PM.
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