006

My new home was a completely different world for me, the last seven years I lived in a dugout, and now I felt like I moved from a place with cockroaches, rats and mold, to one with only mold. By the standards of the time, the house was elegant. Before I finished seeing my newly acquired property, my stepmother and her son arrived. They probably did not enjoy seeing me, especially since I forgot to take a bath and I was covered with my father's blood.

- Bodil prepare me water, soap and trim my hair... and make something to eat, you can keep the leftovers of the table, I'm not an unreasonable man.

- I'm not your servant Ulf, prepare yourself. I will inform Jarl about what you did, you will either be outlawed or sentenced to death... and we'll see who's laughing at the end.

Women can be so cute when they try to threaten you, especially when they do it in a stupid way.

- You really think Jarl will do something to me? Go, please ... there is a door. I think a twelve-year-old who defeated a grown man in a fight has more value to him than a woman who can only spread her legs.

She took her son's hand and ran out of the house without looking back. Maybe she ran to Jarl or her family if she has one, or maybe she's looking for someone to challenge me to fight on her behalf. None of these things mattered to me, bathing was my priority now. Something was splashing in my pants, and I was sure it wasn't my shit ... I hoped it was just blood, not some piece of intestine or liver.

I heated a few pots of water, poured them into a wooden tub, stripped of my blood-stained clothes, and entered the tub with hot water. The feeling was unbelievable, seven years of bathing in rivers and streams could not be compared to this pleasure... Two hours later, I was sitting spotlessly clean with my hair trimmed and dressed in clean clothes that I found at home.

I decided to explore the area a bit and meet new neighbors, listen to the latest rumors.

Before I could do it, a man appeared in my door, he had an ax in his belt and I had already seen that face somewhere, except that he was younger ... with this hairstyle and leather clothes he looked like the younger brother of Dee Snider from Twisted Sister.

- My name is Gunnar, you have been summoned to Jarl Harald.

- Gunnar, I thought I knew your face from somewhere, a few years ago we met in the woods, you asked about three suicides.

- Ulf? You grew up ... and it wasn't suicide, nor was Ättestup. Usually people don't cut off their hands and stick axes in their faces before killing themselves.

- I am impressed by the sharpness of your mind... but why was I summoned to Jarl?

- They say you killed your father who was a blacksmith.

- That's right, but I challenged him to Holmgang and I have witnesses. I killed him fully legally.

- Jarl will decide who was right.

It was no longer worth discussing or asking anything more, I put on my linen tunic and headed with Gunnar to Kattegat. The road took us a little more than an hour, I saw more familiar places, although I've never been here. A familiar port, familiar buildings and a lot of people I didn't know ... probably extras from the show.

I was brought before Jarl Harald, whom I did not know either, although his face resembled the Jarl Haraldson whom Ragnar had killed. It was probably his father, judging by his name and features.

- You are Ulf Eriksson, son of a blacksmith. Your father's wife accuses you of murdering him unlawfully.

- Jarl Harald, almost everything is correct in this story, except that it was illegal. My father had a child with a slave girl, and that was me. When I was five I ran away from home. Over the years I have lived in the woods away from people. Eventually, when I turned twelve, I decided to come back and challenge my father to Holmgang. The duel I won and I fought unarmed ... I killed my father with his own sword. There are a lot of witnesses for this. That's the whole story.

Jarl listened to my story, called a few more people who confirmed it. Even if he wanted to punish me, which I doubt. It lacked the basis for it. There were a few blacksmiths around, and Jarl cared only about taxes, and it didn't matter who paid them... and finally he ruled that I did not commit a crime.

- Jarl Harald, I have a question. Can I sue my father's wife or claim damages from her for wrongful accusation? It is about my honor and reputation, if it were a man I would challenge him to fight ... but with a woman I prefer to fight in bed.

- It is possible, but what punishment do you expect for her?

- I was thinking more about the reward than the punishment, the day of the vernal equinox is approaching, let the my stepmother and her son go to Uppsala to be sacrificed.

I wish she was in the courtroom, women weren't allowed to attend hearings, and I'd love to see her face. Unfortunately, Jarl did not accede to my request, he only ruled that she was deprived of the status of a free person, she and her son became my slaves.

What did not suit me, the slave was treated as an object in the same way as a shovel, the owner was responsible for the slave's actions. I'll have to sell her and her son, or get rid of them some other way, to avoid problems in the future.

After the trial was over, I had a moment to myself, decided to go back to my original idea of ​​exploring the settlement and get some information.