Chapter 9
October arrived in the village of Gokstad.
The beginning of the new day was announced by the incessant blows of the blacksmiths, coming from the smidhja. Ulfr was already awake and was getting dressed. Today he would see Thorald again: they had not met since Harald's funeral. He pulled on his boots and strode across the room to go to the kitchen. As he walked past his sister's room, he knocked on the door twice, so hard he made it vibrate.
"Wake up! Your boyfriend's already here!" he exclaimed.
Isgred opened her eyes confused, then heard her brother's footsteps going away, as he chuckled amused. She smiled and stretched blissfully under the warmth of the blankets. At sunrise the house was already busy with the preparations for the party and she could hear her mother's voice a
