An annoying drizzle began to fall shortly after the morning meeting with Ivar and his sons. Hakon ignored it and spent the rest of the day relaxing, due in part to the continued pain in his thighs, but also because this was the first chance he and his party had to really rest their travel-weary bodies.
First he cleaned the grime and filth from his travel gear. Then, when the rain stopped, he went for a swim in the nearby lake with Didrik and Ottar. Though the water was frigid and turned his skin a bright pink, it quickened his blood and brought a renewed vigor to his body and mind. Like little boys, they splashed and dove, swam and laughed, and forgot for a moment the reason for their visit to the Uplands and the war that loomed. They stayed in the water until their skin began to prune, t
