Word Count: 6,029
Summary of Events:
Aðalbjörn went out to the meadow where his youngest siblings, and his niece, were playing to spend time with his niece; from the elevation of the meadow he saw a group of merchantmen arrive, and so hurried down to see what they had brought, acquiring from them a beautiful white stone said to have protective powers. Once they'd offered their wares they sat down and told the news, as well as answering an enquiry Aðalbjörn's father made of the kingdom of Gammelhjem, which puzzled Aðalbjörn, as he only knew the kingdom existed, nothing more; so, once the merchantmen had gone to sell their wares to the rest of the town, he asked his father, who told him that some years ago a message had come from the king of Gammelhjem, whom his father had gone to war with long before either man had been married or king . . .
Excerpt of the Day:
Part of Aðalbjörn was curious about his father’s past relations with Marfrið of Gammelhjem, but he knew that to enquire of them would be to distract from his original enquiry, he could ask about them later.
“I have never received a message such as his,” Father replied. “It was an offer of betrothal.”
“An offer of betrothal?” Aðalbjörn asked.
“Yes,” Father replied. “He offered the hand of his daughter, who was just an infant, in marriage.”
“Then why did Marúlf not marry her?” Aðalbjörn asked. “Surely he was betrothed to her before Auðnýr.”
“She was not offered to Marúlf,” Father replied.
“But who else would she be offered to?” Aðalbjörn asked. “A king’s daughter is only ever offered to a king’s son.”
“Are you not my son Aðalbjörn?” Father asked. “Are not all those sons of my wives which are younger than you my sons also?”
“Yes Father,” Aðalbjörn replied. “But Marúlf was your firstborn.”
“And it was my firstborn whom Marfrið made clear he did not want his daughter wedding,” Father replied. “His specific request was for my second son. For you.”
Aðalbjörn stared at his father. He didn’t know that he could’ve been more shocked if lightning had been sent from above and struck him. Him!? The king of Gammelhjem had wanted him to marry his daughter!?
“We negotiated particulars back and forth for a time before reaching an agreement that, when the princess of Gammelhjem came of marriageable age, she would be brought with an entourage and dowry from Gammelhjem and wed to you, my second son,” Father went on. “Since she was but an infant at the time, she would’ve needed sixteen years to come of marriageable age; thus that should be the present, yet she has not come.”
Words eluded Aðalbjörn. He felt as if his capacity to speak had been robbed from him the instant his father had told him that he had been betrothed to an infant. Of course, he’d lived sixteen less years than presently, which meant that he had been hardly more than an infant himself, but it still staggered him. He’d never heard of a betrothal being arranged that early in the life of anyone. Surely even Marúlf himself hadn’t been betrothed to Auðnýr at that time!
“Thus, to answer your enquiry,” Father continued, seemingly oblivious to his son’s dumbstruck state. “I enquired after Gammelhjem that I might know when the princess would be coming to wed you, and considering the news I have heard this day from trusted and loyal servants, I have great doubts about whether it will happen, for surely Marfrið, though younger than I, being aged beyond me by time and a half, is in no state to bring his daughter to me, and if a woman is hated with as much a passion as his wife is hated by his people, surely she would not bring her daughter to me.”
Pronunciations:
Marfrið: mahrfrihth
Marúlf: mahrolf
Auðnýr: awthneer
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