“You can do more. In the past, when I was abroad, you steered the kingdom for me, and steered it well. Should any-thing happen to me, you can again. Keep the peace that I built. Send a ship off in search of Frodi as soon as weather allows. He won’t be hard to find. Bid him come straightway. See him-hailed king. That is all.”

Eirik frowned. “It does not seem small to me. Troublous days lie ahead. If I may speak frankly, lord, your daughter Ulfhild—”

Hadding sighed. “I have my thoughts about her, but I will not utter them. She is still my daughter, and Ragnhild’s. Let her be, to wed whom she will. Whatever shall come of that lies with the Norns. And well do! know that the soul of Frodi is as wild as hers. But so mine once was. I have done what I ‘could. All things end.”

Eirik gazed at him a long while before murmuring, “Memory dies not, the memory of what a man did in his life.”

They rode on to the hall without further talk. Though the bathhouse was too dark to use, servants had set forth tubs of hot water. Men stripped, washed off the clotted blood, donned clean clothes, and laid themselves to rest, in beds, on benches, around the floor.

Hadding rose at dawn. Stealing among the sleepers, he opened the shutbed given Eyjolf and shook the Scanian awake. “Come,” he whispered. “We ride today, do you remember? No need to stir up a fuss.”

“I’m with you, lord,” said the man as softly, and swung his feet out onto the rushes.

“You always have been,” answered Hadding.

They had spoken of this before the offering, by themselves. The king had said merely that he must leave right afterward for a few days and would like fellowship. Otherwise he had told only two housecarles, men whom he knew could hold their tongues.

They had horses and travel gear waiting. A few yawning thralls saw the four ride off. Sunrise found them on the road north along the strand.

Nobody else was upon it, nor did they spy many during the day. To the left were snow-decked fields, murky groves, scattered farmsteads, now and then a hamlet where boats lay drawn ashore and dwellers mostly sat inside at their peat fires. To the right the waters of the Sound lapped on stones and kelp and shimmered below the hills of Scania. Gulls mewed, crows cawed. The air was clear, cold, and still.

“You look rested, lord,” said Eyjolf.

Hadding nodded. “I slept well. The weight that lay on me is slipping off.” His back was straight, his head high.

“I don’t understand.”

“You need not. I’ve something to see to, then you can return.” Hadding clapped Eyjolf ‘s shoulder. “Thank you for coming along. Friends make faring gladsome.”