“I’ve spoken before of a far-off land: the land of my father’s dreams. Those isles in the western sea are a place of sheltered waterways, of gentle hills and verdant pastures. There, countless birds wheel and dive across the open sky; there, the ocean teems with fish and the great rocks guard shores alive with seals. So travelers tell. It is a land of myriad shades of blue, a realm whose shifting light dazzles the eyes with its loveliness. That place is far beyond the farthest reach of our ships. It is days’ sailing across open waters, going as the whale does, by stars and skerries, by currents and tides. I have long wished to journey to that place, which some call Orkneyjar, isles of the seal. I would go there with men and women of like mind, and build a new home in those islands, a place where peace and amity would rule, and folk might live in harmony. I have been sickened by the disputes that poisoned my father’s last years, and left him unable to trust those who had been friend, neighbor, or ally. I would make a new community, away from warfare and hatred.”

“A noble goal, if somewhat unrealistic,” Magnus observed. “If these isles are as fair as you paint them, might not others have settled there before you? You might find these shores, and be slaughtered by naked savages the instant your foot touched land.”

Ulf’s voice was calm. “I will go in a spirit of friendship, though I plan to take warriors with me. This is no foolish, ill-considered mission, my lord. We must have the capacity to protect our women and children, at least. Still, I would try to avoid conflict. If folk dwell there, they may be persuaded to a common goal. They might be glad of new skills and new blood.”

Magnus raised his brows. “You astonish me, kinsman. What is it you believe I can contribute to such a venture?”

“I need your blessing and your support,” Ulf said. “This winter I will build a ship, a finer, stronger ship than any seen before in all of Norway. This ship will carry me, with my wife and all those bold enough to join me, across the ocean to the new land. My lord, I would carry out this task of shipbuilding in the safety of your anchorage here at Freyrsfjord, if you permit. And I would ask that you release those of your household who wish to accompany me, the Wolfskins Eirik Hallvardsson and Hakon Hawk-Beak, who may return in the autumn, and others who will stay and help me build my new settlement.”