"Land in sight!"

Ingvar yelled out the good news so that it sounded over to the other boats as well.

Thorge sighed and turned to Loah.

"Is it our goal?"

He shook his head.

"No. But it is not far anymore. But we can safely start this country. I know it. It is an island where other Norsemen have settled. "

Thorge was a little disappointed. The journey took a long time and slowly he became impatient. Especially Naya got his bad temper, but she already showed him what she thought. It had happened more than once before that she had spit at him when he was a little nasty. Meanwhile everyone wanted to finally reach the new country. Even Kjell did not like it on the boat like he did at the beginning.

Thorge now slept in the tent with Naya every night, and the men were already grinning when he came out in the morning. On the first day, Naya's face had taken on an interesting color, but now she obviously did not care if the men listened to them or not.

But Thorge would prefer to finally have his own longhouse. Even at home he had a small hut for himself. But everything was too tight on the boat.

Slowly it was really time that they finally arrived. It had already passed too much time.

He headed for the land and the three others followed him as if they had enough of the sea voyage.

Slowly they headed for a jetty. Behind it was a village. A gong sounded and you saw the women and children disappear.

Thorge was a little sorry, because they had no bad intentions.

He told the men to stay calm.

They stopped at the dock without throwing the ropes and Thorge waited until the men from the strange village came to him.

It was not long before warriors came to the boat.

"Who are you? What do you want? "The eldest exclaimed.

Thorge slightly inclined his upper body.

"My name is Thorge Stijnsson. We are on our way to the ice country to settle there. "

The Elder stepped forward and nodded.

"My name is Ingulf Haraldsson. I am the jarl of this village. What do you want here?"

At that moment, Loah got up and snorted.

"I told him we could land here. And now there is nothing about your hospitality! They'll call me a liar just because you're a stubborn goat! "

Ingulf frowned, then grinned widely as he recognized Loah.

"Look at one. Loah Loahsson. I thought they killed you? "

Loah shrugged.

"Not me. But the rest of the men. What's now? Will you let us ashore, or shall we beg? "

Ingulf laughed loudly.

"As if you would ever beg! Then comes. Today we celebrate. "

Naya sat with the other women a bit offside. Kjell was sleeping in her arms.

They had been received friendly and were the first to visit the sweat house. Even her clothes were allowed to wash.

The men sat together and got drunk. Except Thorge and Lasse, who were sitting with Ingulf and engaged in conversation.

A woman came up to her.

"I'll take you to the room we have planned for you. There you can lay the boy in the cradle. "

Naya nodded and followed the woman, who continued to chatter happily.

"Your husband asked for a quiet room so that you and the boy have peace. I think it's very brave of you to take the kids with you. I also heard that you came into a storm. Tomorrow we will make a sacrifice to the gods, so that they may continue their well-being. "

Naya only listened in one ear.

My man?

Of course, Thorge had already talked about it, but they had not married yet. It seemed to him to be more certain that he was spending her and Kjell as his family.

She knew what that meant. Thorge did not trust anyone here. She could understand it!

The woman kept talking, then she arrived in front of a door covered with a rug.

"Here it is. I put a cradle inside you. You do not need that much yet. Lasse and his family were harder to accommodate. "

Naya nodded.

"I thank you."

She went into the room and sighed.

A huge camp was set up in front of her and covered with furs and skins. On a chest lay an underdress and also a shirt for Kjell. Besides, she had been given towels for diapers.

Naya wrapped Kjell and then put him in the cradle. He woke up for a moment and looked at her, smiling wearily.

"Soon we will have our own home, my little one. And I ask Thorge if he's going to build your own room. "

Kjell closed his eyes and fell asleep again.

Naya quickly washed and put on her slip, before she lay down on the bed.

It was so soft and it did not rock.

A little unfamiliar. Naya laughed softly. It was strange how she got used to the boat.

Eventually she fell asleep.

Thorge saw that Naya was being taken away by a woman. He felt like hurrying after him, but Ingulf had not yet fired him.

"It'll be a while before you find the right place. I really advise you to sail one more day or two longer and settle down to the northeast. "

Lasse frowned.

"Will not it get harder there?"

Ingulf nodded.

"That certainly. But the south is already settled and you have to fight for your territories. Inland, there should be mountains of fire spitting fire for days. I would not settle there either. "

He beckoned a man to him.

"Get me the map of the ice country, Jülf."

The man grimaced slightly, but then he left.

Thorge watched him thoughtfully.

Jülf was very strange to him. As soon as he landed, Thorge had noticed the glares Jülf Naya had thrown. That's why he said she was his wife. From then on, Jülf had repeatedly regarded him as arrogant. It was almost a provocation. But Thorge had not shown it. He did not want a fight. Ingulf treated her well and he did not want to overburden the hospitality.

"You can still find forests there. But I would advise you to build stone huts. You can find stones there enough! "

He laughed as if it was the funniest thing he'd ever said. Thorge did not quite understand the meaning.

Jülf reappeared and spread the cards.

Ingulf pointed to an archipelago.

"There you are now. We are the outer island. "

He ran his finger along the map.

"It takes about another week to reach the ice country. But that's only the south. "

He pointed to a point.

"There are the first settlers found. They are peaceful. You can also trade with them once you have gained a foothold. The others are less peaceful. They are already fighting for more land. "

Thorge nodded.

Ingulf pointed to a point.

"If you sail for a few more days, you will come to an area that has not been settled yet. I've already considered it myself, but I decided to stay here. "

Julie stood behind his jarl and clicked his tongue.

"You should still claim this area and not leave it to a stranger."

Ingulf turned his head to him. His expression was icy.

"I have decided!"

Jülf lowered his head. But before that he threw Thorge another evil look, which he returned.

Ingulf explained a few things and then dismissed Thorge and Lasse.

They said goodbye and headed in the direction in which the woman had disappeared with Naya.

"I do not trust this jug. Did you see how greedy his eyes became when Ingulf spoke of the area? "

Thorge nodded.

"I think he wanted to have it for himself."

Lasse laughed softly.

"But as I see it, he does not have enough men. Most of them are devoted to Ingulf. Nevertheless, we should be careful. "

Thorge also thought so.

Jülf was not a strong warrior. He was slight, but he had a devious expression. Thorge had heard from others that Jülf had fled, so to speak, on Ingulf's boat. He did not know exactly what he had done in his old homeland, but here he behaved loudly to the men. He also seemed very smart and Ingulf sometimes listened to his advice.

Thorge snorted.

"He knows, however, where we are going. This is bad."

Lasse nodded.

"Somehow I have a bad feeling."

Thorge had to prove him right. If Jiilf was really what he thought he was, an attack would take place. He was sure of that.

He looked into one of the rooms and had to smile. Kjell slept in a cradle and Naya in the large camp.

"I found her," he whispered to Lasse.

The grinning.

"Then I wish you a pleasant night with your wife."

He emphasized the word wife.

Thorge hit him lightly on the shoulder.

"At least I do not have three guys in the camp."

Lasse laughed.

"But that will not take much longer for you. I heard things there ... are you sure she does not expect a child already? "

Thorge hesitated for a moment. Then he laughed.

"Then we should hurry. Naya's going to give me a whack if she has to raise our child in a tent. If she carries my child under the heart. But she did not say anything to me. "

The sun was shining and Naya had gone to the river with the other women to do the laundry. Kjell had left her with Thorge so she could wash in peace. Although Thorge was right that the trip was dangerous for a woman, she did not realize that most young men had no idea how to get their clothes clean again. So it was up to her and the other women to do the laundry.

Jule groaned and rubbed her back.

"I swear to you, I will not touch any laundry until we have reached our new country."

Greta, Heftan's wife, laughed.

"You have back pain again? Could it be that Lasse has restored his successor? "

Jule stared at her in horror for a moment, then laughed loudly.

"Even if he wanted that, it would not work! I have the kids with me in bed every night. I'm glad if I can give Lasse a kiss without being disturbed! "

She winked at Naya.

"My brother seems to have more luck!"

Thora, Greta's eldest daughter, laughed as she vigorously beat a tunic against a stone.

"I have already heard of that. Are you already carrying Thorges child under your heart, Naya? "

Naya realized how hot she got.

The other women laughed while Naya shook her head vigorously.

"She probably has to wash the sheets so often because it's not like that!", Lenja, the second oldest daughter, said Greta threw a cloth at her head.

"You're seventeen, and you've never promised anyone. So shut up with those speeches. "

Naya winked at her.

"Oh, but I have seen how Ingvar makes her beautiful eyes. He seems to have lost his heart to her! "

Lenja's face flushed.

Greta snorted.

"I'm glad when we get back on the boat. It's not even the young men who tempt my daughters. It's the other way around. "She turned to Torah." How is that with you and Loah? "

Naya snorted.

"You and Loah? Really?"

Torah shrugged.

"He will ask Father when we reach the new land."

Jule's eyes widened.

"Loah? The little man?"

Torah grinned.

"He is not small everywhere!"

Greta gasped.

"I did not hear that! By Freya, what about the other two? Does my husband have to split heads soon? "

Naya laughed out loud.

She was glad that she got on very well with all the women. She loved it when they sat together. Sometimes the conversations became duller than the men did, but then they had serious conversations again.

Thorge and the other men had decided to wait another week until they sailed again. They thanked them for their hospitality by helping Ingulf and his men with hunting and other work.

Naya would have preferred it otherwise. She wanted to leave here!

Ingulf was a good jarl, but she had also noticed the looks that the guy tossed at her. She had already asked the women of this island who this guy was. He was called Jülf, but she had not gotten more than that. She was assured that Jülf was a coward and he only gave her a look. But he would not dare to speak to her because he was afraid of Thorge. She really hoped that this would really happen. She had a bad feeling about Jülf.

Three women came to them.

Naya gave them a friendly smile.

"We'll be done with the laundry soon!"

The elder raised a hand.

"We do not come for the laundry. We have to talk to you! "

Naya raised an eyebrow.

"What did I do?"

The women smiled at each other.

"Nothing! My name is Alda. These are Feila and Hind. We've been living here for a while now. "

Naya nodded and sat down on a rock.

"I'm pleased to meet you, but why do you want to talk to me?"

Hind looked down as Feila sat down at Naya.

"We do not have any men yet and it does not look as if someone will stop for our hand in the near future."

Naya's eyes widened.

"And what have I to do with it?"

Alda sat down opposite her and took her hand. She was at Roar's age and a bit full. But she had warm eyes and strong arms that could definitely grab her.

"You have too few women. I am older, but I have no task here. I supervise the slaves, but otherwise they do not want to give me a job because the younger women can supposedly do better. But I can weave very nice rugs and I'm not awkward with the needle. Feila limps a bit, but I do not know anyone who makes cheese as tasty as she does. Hind is too shy and she does not get a husband because she is supposed to be a witch. "

Now Hind finally looked up.

"I'm not a witch, mistress. But I know a lot of herbs and plants. Your son, for example, has some difficulty at the moment because he has teeth. I can make you a tincture that you put on his gums. He will not cry so much then. "

Naya straightened up.

"You want to come with us?"

Alda nodded.

"We appreciate your husband. I do not want to say that Ingulf is a bad gentleman, but his wife ... "

She left the sentence open, but Naya knew what she wanted to say. She had heard a lot, though she had not experienced it herself.

Greta, Jule, and the others came in after they listened to the conversation with interest.

"But you ask the wrong one. Thorge already had problems taking Naya with her. He worries that we can not stand it, "Jule explained.

Alda nodded.

"We already heard that. Nevertheless, we have hope that we will be taken. "

Greta tapped her chin.

"I'll talk to Heftan. Thorge may be the leader, but it's Heftan's boat. But did you also talk to Ingulf? "

Feila nodded.

"Yes. He does not like to pull us, but he also said he can not hold on to us. "

Naya clapped her hands.

"Then it's settled. Greta talks to Heftan and you will come along. While I can promise you no men, but work! "

Alda bowed.

"That's enough for us when we're needed! At least me! "

Greta waved her away.

"Then grab your chests and have them brought aboard. I'll fix it with Heftan! "

But the women did not want to know about that. Instead, they packed with the laundry and it was very funny on the river.

Naya grinned.

Thorge would rage, but she was glad when women joined. Besides, the journey was not long now. She would make him realize that he could not resist.

Jülf stood in the woods and watched the women washing the men's underwear by the river.

He knew that Thorge did not trust him, which was a pity. He did not want to hurt him. Although he had first turned a blind eye to his wife, but he had also noticed quickly that he could never have. But he watched her. And also the young Northman.

He was different than Ingulf.

Ingulf was too good-natured and too gullible. He could easily be deceived, but Jülf had never done it. Still, he was not popular among Ingulf's men.

He was born as a jarl's bastard. He had been the product of a rape. His mother had often told him how the Jarl, who was considerably older than her, had always looked at her lustfully. He did not want her as his wife. He had only wanted to climb her.

She had been through it and a few weeks later she had noticed that she was pregnant. His grandfather, his mother's father, had of course insisted on justice, for with a child that was not wanted, the suitors had disappeared and his mother had received a certain reputation.

But the Jarl had not thought of compensating her in any way. But he did not want to let her leave his estate. So she had to stay and endure the ridicule. It did not matter that he had been born a boy, for the Jarl had sons with his wives. He was just another bastard who was tolerated at the estate.

What the Jarl did not realize, however, was that Jülf had not fallen on his head.

Jülf's grandfather had taught him everything he needed to know early on. Jülf's father ignored him, but his grandfather recognized his potential.

His mother could not leave the estate, but he could. Again and again he was sent by his grandfather to other Northmen to learn more. He dominated the runes, but could also speak the language of the Saxons and the Franks. He had even traveled the southern lands once. The peoples there had seemed strange to him with their dark skin, but their knowledge was far superior to that of the Norsemen he knew.

He came back to his homeland when old Jarl died. He had been pleased to hear that he had been old and tated. Months before he died, the drool ran out of the corner of his mouth and he had drenched himself and shit. He would never sit with his ancestors on the tablet of Odin. Nevertheless, the villagers had buried him on a ship as if he had fallen in a battle. Wealth, weapons and even women had been given to him. Jülf himself had been invited to board the women who had been chosen for the last journey. But he had refused. He had seen the women. They had looked at him sympathetically, their eyes black because of the intoxicating herbs and the many mead that they had in them. One girl had been particularly sorry for him. It was only twelve years old, a slave from the southern countries. And now she was to die for a jarl who did not deserve all that.

Before she was brought to the boat, Jülf had freed her and fled with her.

Of course, they had been persecuted. He had committed a crime and threatened death! But he did not care.

The little girl was called Leya. Although he immediately saw that he was lying, he had spent it on his little sister. For three years they had been on the run until he offered Ingulf his services. Ingulf had assumed that Leya was his wife and that was why he had been shamed in disgrace. Jülf had not put it right.

And since then, he and Leya have lived here and been treated as if they really did this shame. Leya was not accepted by the women because she had the dark skin of her parents. That's why she was not allowed out of the rooms.

Jülf brought her food and taught her everything he knew. But she became more and more melancholy from day to day, and Jülf was sorry to see her dwindle every day. In addition, she had been beaten several times by the wife of the Jarls. Leya did not just have it here and he wanted to change that.

Yes, he himself had wanted this area, that Ingulf had offered to this young Nordmann. But he lacked the men and the means to do so.

Now he saw the help that Leya needed, but he had to speak to the Nordmann alone. However, one of Ingulf's men was always with him when he was in the hall. They guessed what Jülf wanted. But they refused to let Leya go. Jülf did not know why. But he had to act.

That's the only reason he stood in this forest and watched the women. He had to speak to one of them alone, show them Leya and hope for their pity.

The women finished the laundry and he could hardly believe his luck. Thorge's wife was alone by the river. He waited until the others had disappeared, then approached her slowly.