Word Count: 30,029
Summary of Events:
Bergljót went to deliver water to the men working on clearing the roadways of falling trees and was charged by an aggressive ram, but the ram's owner butchered it on the spot to keep it from harming her — or any other unsuspecting people. Hallbjörn saw a horse for the first time since the shipwreck and actually felt motivated to move on his own instead of being helped around. Bergljót saw a messenger ride into town and wondered about what he might have come to report while she made supper; when her father and brothers arrived home she could tell her father knew what the messenger had said, but he waited to tell everyone . . .
Excerpt of the Day:
In spite of the anticipation on her brothers’ faces, Papa bowed his head and everyone repeated the blessing before they all looked to Papa, because they could all tell — in part by the fact that he’d not spoken aside from the blessing — that he had something to say.
“There was a messenger who came to town today,” Papa said.
“And?” Jónatan asked, obviously dying of suspense.
“It is not legend, but fact,” Papa replied. “A Ship-Wrecker can be survived.”
“Someone survived?” Ragnhildur asked.
“Yes,” Papa replied. “A young man who was supposed to have delivered a half dozen horses to the King of Deuschbren was towed ashore by one of them.”
“But everyone else on the ship died?” Bergljót asked.
“Yes,” Papa replied.
“How sad,” Bergljót said.
“But someone actually survived?” Gunnar asked.
“Yes,” Papa replied. “He and two horses.”
“Oh,” Helena cried. “Some of the horses died too?”
“Unfortunately yes,” Papa replied.
Bergljót looked sympathetically at her younger sister. She liked horses too, and it was sad to think some of the beautiful creatures had been drowned. Likely they’d been trapped in the hold and had no way to escape before they were overcome.
“Neither of the surviving horses are contained at this point in time,” Papa said. “So you’re to keep an eye out for strange horses.”
“Are they to be delivered to the King of Deuschbren then?” Bergljót asked.
“Well they at least have to be contained to keep people safe,” Papa replied. “It is suspected they may be traumatised by the storm and could cause people to get hurt.”
“Has the young man left?” Brynjar asked.
“No,” Papa replied. “From the sounds of things he’s recuperating in a coastal village near where he was found.”
“Even still after a month?” Jónatan asked.
“If a Ship-Wrecker has been unsurvivable for all these years,” Bergljót said. “Surely that means that to have survived it was no easy feat.”
“I guess,” Jónatan conceded.
“They found him washed up on the shore?” Gunnar asked.
“As far as I know,” Papa replied. “I was only given a few details, not his whole life story.”
“Why is it special that he survived?” Svana asked.
“Not even the oldest man on Virki can remember someone having ever survived a storm that bad,” Papa replied.
“Oh, in the storm?” Svana asked. “The scary storm?”
“Yes, his boat crashed into the reef in that storm and broke up,” Papa replied. “And he was able to not be killed.”
“Yes, his boat crashed into the reef in that storm and broke up,” Papa replied. “And he was able to not be killed.”
“Oh,” Svana said. “That’s why it’s special?”
“Yes,” Papa replied.
“Will we meet him?” Tómas asked.
“I don’t know,” Papa said.
“You’d think, if the news is being spread across the island he’d almost have to do a tour of the island just so we can all see him and tell about him to the generations after us, until he passes into legend and we need to have another survivor come along to make the whole idea believable again,” Brynjar said.
“Very true,” Papa agreed.
Pronunciations:
Ragnhildur: rahg'nhilldur
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