They returned to Lade on the first day of Ostara, when the Northern people celebrated the retreat of winter"s darkness and the renewal of the land"s fertility. Though Bergliot was abed with child and no one felt much like celebrating, Sigurd insisted they feast, for the past few days had been trying, and he was anxious to rid himself of his foul mood.
Families began to arrive within two days of Sigurd"s return. It was early spring, and though the flowers had started to bloom, Sigurd"s stores had not yet recovered from winter. For that reason, each family brought with them whatever morsel of food they could spare: hard cheese, a duck, a loaf of bread. Most also arrived with a rabbit or two, for rabbits were the symbol of fertility and thus the symbol of Ostara.
Sigurd"s thralls quickly se
