A horn called the Tronds to the duel, which was to take place in a small space marked at the corners by hazel sticks. Ropes ran from stick to stick to mark the dueling area which, according to the law, was only five long paces by five long paces — not much room in which to maneuver. As a boy, Hakon had fought in several duels, and as he gazed at the men approaching the dueling ground from east and west, his mind flooded with the memory of his fear. Fear that had turned his stomach in knots and beaded the sweat on his brow. Fear that as a warrior, he was not supposed to show. He wondered if he had masked it as well as these men, for neither appeared the least bit apprehensive. Rather, both men smiled and joked with their comrades, paying their challenger little heed.
Both men were equally
