3 Chapter 3

Thorgunna winced when the servant girl pulled the comb too forcefully. Her copper hair tumbled loose down her shoulders and back, shining softly in the light of the oil lamps. A reprimand stood on the tip of her tongue, but she remained silent. After all, she was the one who asked her maid to hurry.

She was already wearing the green velvet dress she chose for the evening, and the emeralds she had inherited from her mother glittered in her ears and about her neck and wrists. Now only her hair was left, to be brushed and adorned with emerald-studded pins. The slave girl who was helping her with her hair was brought from the shores of Britain; her fingers were especially deft, which was why she was chosen to be Thorgunna's personal maid. The girl appreciated this position, for Princess Thorgunna was gentle and fair. She wasn't apt to lash out at her servants and slaves as many other noblewomen did.

There was still a while until the feast, but Thorgunna was in a hurry because the king had summoned her, and hinted that the matter cannot wait. She was curious. Something made her think that it must be connected with the guests who arrived at court from faraway Greenland.

After Thorgunna's hair was brushed to a metallic sheen and twisted into two long thick braids that looped around her head as a crown, the slave girl dabbed some perfume on the princess's wrists and on her bosom above the cut of her dress. The dress brought out her slim, willowy figure, and the dark green velvet made the white of her skin seem even fairer. Thorgunna, unlike some of the noblewomen, always had the habit of washing her face and body every day, but today she indulged herself with an especially long spell in her private bathhouse, and spent a while in a large tub full of steamy hot water. She felt, therefore, a pleasant sense of cleanliness taking all over her, and her movements were more graceful than ever as she stepped through the corridors towards the king's chambers.

She was received almost at once. His Grace, too, was dressed and ready for the feast, in all the glory of his crown, his costly clothes, and his finely made fur cloak and boots. A precious ring of white gold, studded with an enormous black amethyst, graced the index finger of his right hand. The ring had been a gift from his beloved late wife, Geyra. It was told among the smallfolk that Geyra herself had an identical ring that was lost when she died, and that the ring had extraordinary magical properties. Of course, King Olaf chose to ignore these rumours. As a devoted Christian who took care to demonstrate his faith at every opportunity, he frowned upon anything connected with sorcery.

The king looked benevolently upon his niece as she entered and motioned her to come closer. He took her by the hand and told her to sit by his side, on a bench piled with snow wolf pelts. They reclined on soft pillows, and Thorgunna looked at the king with a gaze of patient curiosity.

"Well, my dear," he said warmly, "we don't have that much time left until the feast. I told the cooks to serve a wide array of dishes tonight, and a skald named Styr Herjolfson will sing for us. Soon we will have the chance to take a closer look at these people who arrived from afar, and about whom we have only heard tales until now."

"I look forward to that, my king," said Thorgunna with sincere enthusiasm. "I have heard a lot about Erik the Red, and all he had managed to do since he left Norway. I felt sorry that he did not arrive together with his family, but I understand that he was sentenced to exile until his last day, for some terrible crime…"

"Ah, Erik the Red is a brave man," said King Olaf dispassionately. "I think at least half his fault was simply bad luck that made him cross paths with important people. He is not bloodthirsty. He is not even a typical Viking who raids and plunders and murders and rapes at every opportunity. All his energy he put into settling that land he calls Greenland. Anyway, Erik is getting on in years. His son, Leif, will be chieftain of the new settlements. He is the one I summoned here, and he is the one who interests me the most right now."

"He is quite an impressive man, is he not?" said Thorgunna, recalling the tall, powerful, red-haired stranger, a glimpse of whom she caught earlier in the day.

"He is," said the king, "and he possesses an influence which has the potential of growing. Despite the harsh conditions which, as far as I know, make life in Greenland difficult, people continue to go overseas and settle there, looking for profit and especially for freedom. This way, they distance themselves from the Norwegian rule. I had the privilege of entering the covenant of our Savior, Lord Jesus, together with all the royal court," the king placed a hand on his chest and fingered the heavy, ornate gold cross, a jewel he started wearing not that long ago. "I sent priests to all the provinces under my rule, to show the light of the Christian faith to my people. But Erik the Red is a stubborn pagan, and so are most of the people who flock to the shores of Greenland and lose the place that is prepared for their souls in paradise, by the throne of Lord Jesus - and simultaneously their place here in this world by the throne of Norway. It pains me to think of all the souls that are destined to burn in hell, without getting even a chance to hear the Gospel."

"I, too, feel sorry for the idol-worshippers," said Thorgunna, without a shred of cynicism. The priests at the Norwegian court were selected according to their eloquence, and the princess visited the church frequently and listened to the prayers and sermons. "But what can be done? Greenland is so far."

"There is but one solution," said King Olaf. "To baptize Leif Erikson, make him into a loyal soldier in the army of Jesus, one who will take care of spreading the true Faith among his people. Erikson, his mother, his sister and the people who came with him will spend the winter with us, until the weather will improve enough to enable them to sail back to Greenland. By then, Leif Erikson must already be a man of God - and my man, it goes without saying. I intend to offer him a place in my personal guard, at least for the time he will spend here - and while he is at it, naturally he will accompany me to church."

"That is a splendid idea, Father," agreed Thorgunna. Since she lived most of her life under the guardianship of her uncle, King Olaf, she got used to calling him Father. "A place in your personal guard! That is an honor many noblemen would gladly fight for,. Leif Erikson will, of course, recognize the offer for the compliment that it is, and will be grateful. I believe it is much more than an exile like him can expect."

"And still, I wonder if that will be enough," said King Olaf, caressing his beard. "I mean, enough to ensure Leif Erikson's loyalty. He is unwed. He will go back to Greenland, and there he will surely marry some pagan woman who will steer his heart away from the righteous path of our Lord Jesus, and by and by will put rebellious ideas into his head. I must ensure this will not happen."

"It is a reasonable concern," said Thorgunna. "Give him a wife, then," she advised. "Some lovely, devout girl. A younger daughter of some not very rich earl will not find it very much beneath her to marry someone like him, especially if he is distinguished by you."

"It might also be that if he is charmed by a woman, Erikson will divulge his plans to her, including what he intends to do in Greenland, and where his true loyalty lies… because as of now, I have no certainty about it. I believe that under the influence of a pretty face, he may well be much more talkative than if I try to get him to speak using direct means."

"That is true," nodded Thorgunna. "That is why, Father, you should give him a daughter of one of the earls in whose loyalty you can trust. One who would not withhold knowledge that might be important to the realm."

"I cannot think of a maid I would trust with something like that," said the king. "If Leif finds out my intention, will see it as an act of spying and intrigue, and may become angry, even though it would actually be a very reasonable and prudent measure on my part." He took his niece's hand again. "The only woman who is close enough to me, who is clever enough in addition to her great beauty, and loyal without doubt - is you, my dear Thorgunna."

The princess looked at him, mute with disbelief. She wasn't quite certain of what her ears were hearing.

"Oh, of course, I don't mean to give you to him," the king assuaged her fears with a motion of his hand. "I love you as a daughter, and you will marry Sigurd and be the queen of Norway one day. But I do ask you to acquire a… certain closeness with Leif Erikson - of course, in a way that would not be public, so that no shadow will be cast upon your honour. Get to know him. His thoughts, his heart, his plans - and all you find out, tell me directly. Flatter him; let him understand, using subtle hints, that he is a man of such great influence that he may hope to become much closer to the king one day. I need Leif Erikson to return to Greenland as a devout Christian, accompanied by a priest - and by an illusion that one day, he may win your hand in marriage."

For a moment, Thorgunna was silent. Despite the conviction in the king's words, what he suggested sounded like trickery, and she didn't know whether she will be able to accomplish a mission such as one he was about to bestow upon her. She was never particularly attracted to intrigue, and didn't have any great desire to excel in that part. But of course, she didn't dare to refuse the king openly.

"And what will happen when Erikson?" she asked instead. "Because with such encouragement and hopes, of course he will return."

"When he returns, you will be Sigurd's wife," said the king. "But do not worry. By then, Christianity will already be spread in Greenland, and the loyalty to the Norwegian crown together with it. As for Erikson, he will have no cause to complain. He will receive what is due to him as my leal subject, and I will see to it that he marries well, better than he can expect now. I will make him an earl and give him a beautiful maid from a noble and rich family. That ought to appease him."

Thorgunna had her doubts. Leif Erikson did not strike her as a man who can be easily manipulated. Questioning the king's decisions, however, was not her province.

"The Greenlanders will spend some months here," the king went on. "I assume Erikson will not refuse my offer to take a place in my personal guard. It means that most of his time will be spent right here, at court. It should give you enough opportunities to extricate all his secrets from him."

On her way to the feasting hall, leaning on the king's arm, Thorgunna made an effort to keep her shoulders and back especially straight, as if trying to shed the heavy weight of the task in which she was now unwillingly involved. The prospect of what she must do cast a cloud over her thoughts. She did not relish the prospect of trifling with a man such as Leif Erikson.