And when all was told he said, “Now have the dreams passed, and the light is come. I mind all plainly from the first.”
And he told all that had happened after Hodulf caught him, from the murder of his sisters to the time when I helped my father to take him from the sack. Only he never remembered the death of his mother or the storm, or how we came to Grimsby. Maybe it is rather a wonder that after all those hard things gone through he should recall anything, for he was nearly dying when we came ashore, as I have told.
“But I am Grim’s son,” he said, “for all this, and never shall I forget it. By right of life saved, and by right of upbringing, am I his, and by right of brotherhood to his sons. Gunnar, who was my father, would have me say this, if I am like him, as Mord tells me I am.”
Then he looked at us in brotherly wise, as if we would maybe not allow that claim now; but there needed naught to be said between us when he met our eyes. He was Grim’s son indeed to us, and we his younger brothers for all the days that were to come.
“One thing there is that makes me glad,” he said, “and that is because I may now be held worthy of this sweet bride of mine so strangely given, as indeed I fear that I am not. Men will say that she has done no wrong in wedding me; and for all that Alsi may say, it will be believed that she knew well whom she was wedding. There will be no blame to her.”
That seemed to be all his thought of the matter now, and it was like him. Then he went back to his princess, and we spurred on to Grimsby, and set all to work, that the greeting might be all that we could make it.
And so, when those two rode into our garth, and the gates were closed after them, we reined our horses round them, and drew our swords, and cried the ancient greeting with one mighty shout:
“Skoal to Havelok Gunnarsson—Skoal to Goldberga, Havelok’s wife! Skoal! Yours we are, and for you we will die! Skoal!”
[CHAPTER XVIII.
JARL SIGURD OF DENMARK.]
Now one would like to tell of quiet days at Grimsby; but they were not to be. Three days after Havelok’s homecoming we were on the “swan’s path,” and heading for Denmark, with the soft south wind of high summer speeding us on the way. And I will tell how that came about, for else it may seem strange that Havelok did not see to the rights of his wife first of all.