Wolf Child - Lìfa-saga Book 1

V.

The Drunken Walrus was loud and full of life when Lìfa entered with her companions and Finn. With half of the prize in her pouch, she ordered a round to her friends who quickly spread across the place, finding different activities for themselves. Soon their laughs and shouts enriched the already loud noise of the drunk sailors and merchants.

The two berserkers sat down with Sveinn to challenge the locals in arm wrestling, showing off their strength. They wanted to test the boy because they saw potential in him. Since Thorvald didn't have a family and Magni's wife refused to make more kids after four daughters, none of them had a son who could inherit their secrets and keep their traditions alive. They treated Sveinn like the son they never had and decided to train him to be the next berserk of Thornvik.

Ivar, Halfdan and Gunnar were playing tafl in the hope for winning a few pieces of silver or more mead, while not being caught for cheating. Bjarne, Vidar, and Olaf were after women as always, pretending like they didn't have wife and kids back home waiting for them. Carolus took his place beside the fireplace, performing his newest songs and poems for those who were interested. Only Egil and Frode avoided the searching gaze of people in a dark corner, whispering among themselves. Lìfa and Finn simply sat down to a small table with a drinking horn of the pub's finest mead in their hands.

"Isn't it strange, that an hour ago we were about to kill each other, and now we are sitting here?" Lìfa tilted her head to the side, looking at the boy sitting across the table.

"That was all business, you know. Nothing personal." Finn flashed a wide smile at her, leaning back at his chair, openly eyeing her up and down "We both were fighting for the money and didn't even know each other's name."

"True. Now tell me, how did you end up in that arena as a champion-" she couldn't finish because a commotion was forming nearby the fireplace. A few guests got tired of the skald's performance and wanted him to go.
Unfortunately, Carolus had no intentions to go and the angry crowd just made him more desperate for success. He bought as many beers as he could and he wanted to get everyone's attention for his final, big move.

As time passed by and more and more mead went down his throat, Carolus got more and more loud and conspicuous. His friends couldn't hold him back for long from telling his so-called epic stories, so he ended up in the middle of the room, on top of a table, barely standing, shouting and singing totally drunk. At first, people didn't pay attention to him, because this wasn't an unusual scene in the Drunken Walrus. But suddenly, a new idea struck into his mind, he started into a new ballad right on the spot and now every head turned into his direction.

"Let me tell you a story ab- *hic* about a girl, who is now sitting among us!" he pointed his greasy finger at Lìfa, who was now staring at him with a confused look on her face "This girl is special, skalds will sing about her in no time! Her fate was written up in Asgard, and she will achieve great things in life. This little wolf is favored by the god of lies, and mischief, *hic* Loki himself! Don't believe me? Just look at her! She is red-haired like the god himself, she wears his mark on her skin, and her eyes- *hic* those eyes are Chaos and Order at the same time!"

Now every head turned to Lìfa, who felt her face turning into a deep colour of red. She suddenly couldn't stand all those eyes looking at her and people whispering to each other, and somebody shouted incoherent things like witch, seird, and cursed. When the skald was about to continue his monologue Frode hit him hard in the head with his staff, making him stumble off the table.

"Shut your mouth, you nitwit! You caused enough damage for this night!" he hissed at Carolus. The drunk skald wanted to punch the old man for ruining his performance, but his movements were clumsy thanks to the alcohol and the godi was faster. He pushed him back with his staff, making him fall upon the tafl game of some other men, who immediately jumped up and pulled out their knives. They lunged at Carolus and Frode, but the other members of the group joined in to protect their friends. Soon almost every man in the place joined in just for the fun of fighting. The whole scene quickly escalated into one big fight, everyone beating and punching the ones around them, throwing chairs and tables, smashing the furniture and wrestling on the scattered pieces.