018

I had four more years to complete the assignment from my future wife, so there was no rush. It's not like all wolves or bears will suddenly become extinct.

It was the year 777 and I had just turned sixteen ... I guess I didn't know the exact day of my birth. Two years had passed from the task assigned to me by Lagerth, I delayed its completion as much as I could, but competition began to appear ... and Lagertha took a strange pleasure in reminding me of this. Two days ago, she came to my house, brought some sweet pastry, probably the easiest way to call it honey bread. She gave me a try, asked if I liked it.

- Pretty good, though too sweet for my taste, but the baking itself is well done. I didn't know you had such a talent, did Frdida teach you?

- No, Olaf brought it to me as a gift and asked if I would go with him to the market in Kattegat.

...And now I'm sitting on the tree with a dead deer lying underneath it as bait for the wolf.

Women and their requirements ... I need to seriously consider whether to have more wives in the future. As is customary, there is nothing surprising in this, only the first wife has to give her consent and she keeps the most important positions in the house. It was also quite normal to have a bed slave at home... but sitting in a tree for a few hours with testicles frozen to leather pants ... Man begins to seriously wonder about the meaning of life ... and when this fucking wolf will appear. If you don't need them, big packs of wolves walk in the woods, if you only need one, they are nowhere to be found.

At night, I was lucky, at first carefully, the young male began to check the area. However, the smell of blood and deer urine masked my presence well. Only when he started to tear the meat apart... I attacked. I threw a small spear at him. He just let out a soft whine and fell dead. Getting down from the tree was much easier than I thought ... I just fell off, luckily it wasn't high and I landed on a dead deer.

I took him home and went to sleep. When I woke up I was all sore, I ordered Żywia to prepare a hot bath for me and to help me wash myself... I was sitting in hot water and thinking how to take revenge on my future wife. Killing a bear will not be that difficult, in my few lives I've killed a dozen of them ... I know. With the sword you fight by the sword you die ...

- Żywia are there good flour, nuts, honey, dried fruit and fresh milk at home?

- Apart from milk, there is everything.

- Good, send Mira to the neighbors to buy some and eggs too.

After less than an hour, Mira returned with the necessary ingredients.

Flour, eggs, a pinch of salt, honey, milk and butter. This is what I needed for the cake, and I will make the filling from apples, forest fruits, nuts and plums ... the only problem was baking time and oven temperature, but I dealt with it using a stick.

I baked two cakes and gave Żywia and Mira one. My slaves were pleased with the taste of this baking... and put the other cake well packed in a bag and with the wolf on my back, I went to Arne's farm. I was in a good mood.

I threw the body of the wolf in the yard and entered the house. Frida stood by the fire stirring something in the cauldron. Arne was lying on the bed and sleeping.

- Greetings Frida. Do you know where Lagertha is?

- Greetings Ulf, she was supposed to go to the barn and feed the animals.

Frida poured me some warm beer, I took a cake out of the bag and gave her to try. Moments later my future wife entered the house.

- Ulf, I can see that you killed a wolf, you did not have enough courage for a bear, or maybe I have to wait another two years?

I pretended not to hear her teasing and continued talking to Frida.

- How does it taste?

- Good, sweet and sour, but making such a cake for everyday life is too expensive. Lagertha come try the cake Ulf made.

Lagertha took the knife, cut herself a piece of cake, and began to eat it.

- Ulf, I didn't know that you could cook like that, after our wedding you will prepare such sweets for me?

- But I didn't say I made them, the eldest daughter of Kjartan, the carpenter I work with, brought me a cake as a gift ...

This cake was still hot, I had a piece of apple in my nose, the rest went to my clothes, hair, in a moment I'm going to be sticky with honey. I cleaned my face from the cake and fruit, Frida was sitting in front of me and she was laughing so loudly that she woke up Arne who was now looking around the house without knowing what was going on. Lagertha watched me with a mixture of anger and amusement.

- Ulf, that cake didn't taste good.

- You said you liked it ...

- Yes, but after a while there was such a strange aftertaste in my mouth.

I understand that she may have felt jealous, but I didn't throw a cake at her. With nothing else to do, I went to my house, bathed again, and changed into something clean.

- Żywia, get me a bath and some clothes. My culinary skills were not approved.

I was sitting in the hot water again and Żywia was washing my hair.

- Żywia for a few days, maybe even a few weeks you behave differently ... Has something happened?

- Yes, I didn't have the courage ... I don't know where to start.

- From the beginning, I don't know a better method.