Trondelag, Spring, AD 936
Dragon dove into a sea trough and bit into the next wave, pushed along by a gusting southerly that carried with it the last vestiges of winter"s fury. White foam poured over the prow and splashed across the deck, pelting Hakon and his men with icy spray.
Hakon"s warriors bellowed with delight, for they had lived elbow to elbow in Hakon"s smoke-thick hall at Avaldsnes for the better part of five moons, biding their time as the gales and winter storms blew in from the sea and battered the wooden structures. It had not been easy. Most of Hakon"s men were yet young and unused to close-quartered idleness. And even though Egil trained them constantly, or put them to work fixing the estate"s various structures, the men grew restless. Arguments were commonplace, and mor
