The Yule came to the land of the Northmen, and Hakon again found himself alone and tested in his beliefs.
A Hogmanay ceremony preceded the first day of Yule feasting. Despite Hakon"s objections, Sigurd invited many of Trondelag"s nobles to help him sacrifice for the end of northern darkness and the return of spring"s sun. These nobles now stood alongside Sigurd and Hakon in reverent silence before the small temple that Sigurd had recently had constructed for the ceremony. Spindly-legged Asbjorn stood just to the left of Sigurd. Kar of Gryting stood to Hakon"s right. The others, most of whom Hakon remembered from the assembly at the Frosta field, fanned out in a semicircle from there. Behind them, onlookers stood shoulder to shoulder and craned their necks for a better view of the temple i
