Drums of War, Chapter 2-The valley

Bjorn woke to a familiar sound. It was a bright, clear ringing that echoed around the valley. The smithy was up early today, hammering away at the iron and steel of his trade. The large man groaned as he swung his legs out of his bedroll, and stretched his neck side to side, banishing the the knots that had formed there. He looked over at his daughter, sleeping beside him and smiled, remembering the look on her face at seeing the Aurora. It was a common enough occurrence in that part of the world, but the previous night, it had been particularly spectacular. The brilliant colors splashing across the sky, had brought a beautiful smile to Lellan's youthful face.

Bjorn knelt beside her, pushed the stray golden strands of hair from her face, and kissed her cheek. In a few hours, she would rise and begin her daily chores, feeding the sheep, and doing the usual cleaning. She was used to her father being gone when she woke. Either raiding or at the town market a few miles down the mountain. 

The Norsemen quickly dressed himself in his cloak and furs, grabbed the bag he had brought in the night before, and headed out the door. It was a beautiful morning. The sun had risen barely above the snow covered peaks to the East, contrasting the dark blue with a river of gold along the ridge line. It was very cold despite the oncoming sun, and Bjorn's breath rose into the morning sky in plumes of white. But he loved the cold, and so it was with a smile on his face, and light in his heart that he set out from home.The lake near his home was frozen, yet two men were fishing through holes in the ice. They raised their hands in greeting as he passed by them on the trail, and he returned their gesture with a smile. As he walked, Bjorn noticed the signs of oncoming spring. The rivers did not move so sluggishly. More birds fluttered in the trees and their sweet song made his mind wander to summer. As he continued his descent from the mountain, he slipped many times on the icy path, and it took a while for him to get down from his mountain.

At long last, he made it to the village market, which was bustling with activity as the people of Vallasholm went about their business. All the merchants looking to sell their wares, and trade for or buy better ones. This was Bjorn's aim, to trade in the plunder he had won from the raid. 

" Hey, you, warrior! I have some money for your plunder."

 One of the merchants pulled him aside into a small wooden store. 

"Am I correct in assuming you might have treasures?" A short man inquired in a nasally voice. 

"I do have some goods for you, the last raid was easy."

"Ah, good. My name's Sigurd. I am the Owner of this humble establishment."

At this, Sigurd gave a low bow, then quickly straightened.

"And I would be more than happy to look through your goods. So, let's see 'em."

Bjorn took the bag off his shoulder, unclasped it, and spilled it's contents upon the floor. Lying on the dirt floor were beautiful treasures pillaged from a coastal monastery. Golden goblets that once held holy water were filled with dirt and cloth, candle holders once bright and flickering in the light, covered with bits of food, and dust. The shopkeeper's eyes widened as they scanned the array of treasures he could sell to wealthy families. 

"So how much can I get for this?" Bjorn inquired. 

The shopkeeper wasted no time in pulling his coin purse out, and undoing the drawstring. Bjorn  held out his hand, and the salesman poured a stream of coins into it. The raider hefted his hand, feeling the weight of the gold. He nodded, hefted the sack back over his shoulder and stuffed the coins into his own pouch, shook Sigurd's hand and walked out of the stall. Outside, it started lightly snowing, and clouds had obscured the sun. The few people still out were bundled in furs and walking faster than before. Bjorn strode across the pathway to a food vendor to get  some meat for dinner. The butcher was close to closing his shop when the man arrived and was hurrying Bjorn along. After much haggling, and a couple coins,he walked away with most of a deer, and some rabbit haunches. The food would last him and his daughter for about a week, and then he would have to make the trek back down the mountain to get more. Despite the few things he had done in town, it was already getting dark. It was not very late, but it it got very dark very early all year long. The man passed by the town hall on his way back up the mountain, the deer on his shoulder. From inside came bawdy laughter, and cheering as someone raised a folk song with a lyre. Typically, there were enormous casks of ale and mead to be had on a cold night like this, warming the men, and getting them slobbering drunk. In a few hours, they would all stagger out, drooling, and stumbling all over themselves, as they tried to get home. Bjorn was one of the few men in the village, especially as a warrior who detested the vile drink. It men even the most noble and honorable men become fools, and it left you with a pounding headache in the hours after. He continued up the hills, going up switchback after switchback, looking to the sky frequently, judging the weather, and thought of farming that needed doing. At last, he returned again the same way he had the previous night, and once again, when he walked in the door, Lellan stopped what she was doing and threw her arms around him, and he picked her up, talking to her about her day, asking her hat she had done, and if she got into any more fights. They ate dinner, they cleaned the house, and at bedtime, he would wrap her in her hides, and quilts and tell her a saga of adventure, and danger that she loved to hear. And so it continued for many days. As they worked in the fields, and fished, and hunted together, before Bjorn was summoned again to raid on the eastern shores of Britain. And soon, another call came, just as winter was ending, and spring had fully come to the valleys of Hallasholm.

Reviews

[Cherry_blossom_red]

I love how descriptive your writing style is, it really paints a vivid picture. Your characters are solid too, great story so far, eagerly awaiting the next instalment