026

After Bojan was released, at that moment I had peace with the tasks from Weles, of course I was supposed to spread the faith, but it was such a broadly understood term that any lawyer would protect me.

It was spring 779 and it was my 18th year in this world, Lagertha turned 16 which meant we would be getting married this year. Preparations for this event had already started much earlier, customarily the weddings took place after the harvest, but before the first snow fell, and were only on days dedicated to Goddess Frigg (Friday) and our wedding was to take place according to these customs. In the conversation I had with Arne and Frida, we agreed that we would give up the foot race, it was a game where the bride and groom are racing to come home first, the loser's family had to serve food and alcohol to the guests throughout the feast. Since I didn't have a family, this game didn't make sense, so we agreed that I would carry Lagerth all the way home and then carry her over the threshold.

I also had to prepare food, beer and mead supplies. I asked Skarde for help, as a merchant he sailed to various settlements and sold, among other things, my furniture or toys, and now he was to provide me with everything that could get drunk. I also asked him to try to get me some yeast from various ports where he stops, so that I could experiment with alcohol myself. I didn't have to pay the costs myself, but I lived for several years as a bachelor with a profitable profession, and Arne and Frida were kind to me, so if I could help somehow, spending some silver was not a problem.

The following weeks passed, my alcohol experiments were mostly unsuccessful, only I managed to make mead and I suspect that only because it contained much more sugar than fruit. It wasn't bad in taste, but I was drinking better, the short aging process for sure didn't help ... I'll add some beer to it and I'll make a bridal ale.

(Lagertha POV)

I will be his wife soon ... when I was a little girl Frida always said that I would be married to a great warrior, Ulf is not a warrior. He can fight, I know that. I saw him duel Knud but since then he has only worked, hunted and trained Mira. He didn't compete in raids, or even in wrestling ... He didn't have the soul of a warrior in him. However, I love him, I've been waiting for this day for a long time, but why am I anxious? Frida says it's normal. That the wedding day is one of the most important days in a woman's life ... almost as important as becoming a woman. She is probably right, but I still feel this anxiety ... how will my life be in the future?

(End POV)

Time passes quickly, spring has turned to summer, summer has turned to fall and the harvest is over, there is only a week left until my wedding. Frida and other women started to prepare food, I offered to help them, but they chased me out of the kitchen ... but I decided to prepare a few dishes just for myself and Lagertha in my house ... nothing fancy, pierogi (dumplings) in several versions with meat, cottage cheese and fruit, żurek (sour soup) and a lot of smoked meat, but that's for everyone.

The wedding day was a real nightmare, I had to prepare the house, set tables and benches, then Mira helped me style my hair. The dishes were already heating up on the stove and on the fireplace which I made in front of the house. Then, together with Mira, we went on our way to Kattegat, where the wedding was to take place. More people joined me on the way, with such a wedding procession I reached the place. The whole area was decorated with flowers, fires and torches were burning.

Lagertha was already waiting there with her family and her wedding procession... and my future wife looked beautiful, I was always lucky with women, but they couldn't say the same. Lagertha was dressed in a bright dress, with metal ornaments, her hair ... she looked beautiful in this hairstyle. After a few moments the gothi (priest) arrived.

Everything happened very quickly. The priest sacrificed a sow, then ordered us to present the swords, placed rings on their blade and I, Lagertha, exchanged swords.

- Ulf, are you swearing by the Gods that you want to marry this woman?

- I swear, and the Gods are my witnesses.

- Lagertha, do you swear by the Gods that you want to marry this man?

- I swear, and the Gods are witnesses to it.

Then we took the rings off our swords and put them on our fingers ... and we were husband and wife. I picked up Lagerth in my arms and started to carry her towards the house, which was easy ... she didn't weigh as much as bear and smelled nicer. These few kilometers will be pure pleasure.

A whole procession of people followed us, there were Floki, Rollo, Ragnar, Leif and everyone else I knew or collaborated with, together with the Lagertha family it was almost 50 people singing the normal wedding songs ... the dirty songs appeared too ... FUCK!!! 50 people and I won't get rid of them for seven days, because that's how long the wedding feasts last.

- I'm heavy?

- No, if you want, we can go a long way, maybe our guests get tired and stop singing ... Gods, they probably can't hear themselves. Mira is mute, and she will do better than them.

Lagertha smiled and decided to take the longer path. Over an hour later, we were there, I carried her over the threshold and carried her to our seat at the table. All the guests came after us, Frida, Mira and a few women went to the kitchen and came back with a pitcher of mead. Then there were toasts to the Gods.

It will be seven days long.