Chapter Seven - Any Which Way
Pushing upriver the banks of the Söderköping disappear to left & right & the scow, under the guidance of Ragnar, passes into the Roxen, looking across the misty waters a good number of similar, if not larger, fishing vessels are already vying for the first catch of the day, in the distance on the northern shore can just be seen the outline of Stjärnorp, a reasonable size town from which many of the scows on the Roxen ply thier trade.
Wishing to fit in & thereby no attract to much attention, the four, under Ragnar's direction, set about laying down the boats nets &, to the surprise of all, land a reasonable catch over the course of the day.
With evening approaching however Ragnar directs the boat towards the shore a half mile or so below Stjärnorp, making it secure it is agreed that Thorfinn & Grimhild will enter the town during the twilight hours & try to contact , the Jarl of Stjärnorp, Johan Sergelsson, who in better times pledged allegiance to Thorfinn's father. Promising to be back in a couple of hours Ragnar & Anora are left with the unpleasant yet necessary task of gutting fish caught earlier that day.
Moving through the streets of Stjärnorp Grimhild is taken aback by the number of freemen displaying the colours of Egil's son, Ottar, so, keeping to the shadows, the pair head towards a drinking house "The Slippery Knot" known to Thorfinn from earlier visits. Seated in a quiet corner, the pair watch the comings & goings of the inn's patrons, without getting to involved in any discussions it becomes readily apparent that all is not well within Stjärnorp, whilst civil unrest is still a long way off, the search for Thorfinn & his associates by the Ottar's men has brought about several distinctly unpleasant incidents that have left a poor taste in the throat of the towns inhabitants.
After taking thier fill at the smorgasbord & then avoiding the unwelcome interest of several drunken sops, Grimhild & Thorfinn slip out into the darkening streets & wend thier way towards Sergelsson's hearth, at the gate Thorfinn, noting that its guardian still wears the colours of her father, quickly identifies himself & is ushered into the confines of the palisade compound.
"So Thorfinn" snarled Stjärnorp's Jarl, "Its true, that pig sniffer is culpable for Solmund's death, I knew the bastards stories could not be true, the love all new you held for your father was to great to permit such a act. Alas there is little I can do at this moment, Ottar's pockets grow ever deeper with the wealth he has taken from your fathers coffers &, well, silver buys many a fickle mans heart. I fear at this time, though it keens my heart to say so, your living is more important than honour served badly, keep to your path, stay hidden & may Forseti watch your path"
Back out on the shore line below the boat yard Ragnar, frustrated by Thorfinn's prolonged absence eventually persuades Annora that they should wait no longer for thier friends return, convincing her that they may indeed be in trouble & be in need of aid. Hauling, & then hiding, the boat into the brambles, the two set carefully walked toward & then on to the waterfront, posing as poor visiting merchants taking in the skills of the local fisher folk whilst avoiding the watch of the ever present Kings men.
Eventually Ragnar & Annora found the ale house mentioned by Thorfinn however realising that neither Thorfinn or Grimhild are present they turn back to the muddy streets & go in search of Sergelsson, Jarl of Stjärnorp's, home, finding the building the two spend several cold hours stood in the shadows desperate for sight of thier friends, fearing to approach the house in case the towns Jarl has succumbed to the Kings law, eventually convinced that their friends are no longer inside they set to wandering the inns, taverns & slop houses of Stjärnorp hoping to find Thorfinn & Grimhild taking thier ease in front of a nice warm fire, regrettably their search is futile.
Several cold, wet & miserable hours later, with dawn fast approaching, the four bedraggled friends are finally reunited on the shore line above the town, & only then after Grimhild had lit a small fire in the lea of a rock hoping to attract any body foolish enough to be wandering out of doors at this ungodly hour, fortunately there were at least two other fools as well as she & Thorfinn.
Worried by the words of Johan Sergelsson, Thorfinn ignores the request of the others & demands that they at the very least cross the lake before the sun has risen, so cold & wet, the four carefully slip back through the boat yard & launch thier recently acquired scow onto the lakes dark waters, luck is with them however & several hours later they emerge from the mist onto the bank southern bank of the Roxen a mile or so above Stjärnorp, assuming thier safety they quickly pull the scow ashore, throw hastily cut brushwood across its bow & collapse into thier bed rolls without caring to set any watch, luckily for them thier passage across the Roxen goes unnoticed.
With the sun near its wintery summit the four eventually stir enough to light a small fire sufficient to grill several of the fish caught the previous day & warm bread purchased across the lake, whilst the others quietly talk & take thier ease, Grimhild, ever restless, slips into the trees hoping to find something more substantial for the pot. After only a half mile or so walk however she comes across a cleared area abutting the shingle beach housing a run down, but obviously occupied, homestead. Deciding that whoever lives within must be better fed than she, Grimhild waits quietly beside the door opening until eventually the blanket covering the opening is pushed aside. Without hesitation Grimhild launched herself at the old man who, startled, & with britches only half pulled about his legs, stumbles back into the interior, forcing her way inside, Grimhild is about lay about the old man, who having somewhat recovered his composure & britches, is about to lay about her, when Grimhild is taken aback as she notices a half dozen children, spoons halfway to mouth, & an older woman, ladle in hand, in the midst of breakfast, loosing the momentum of her would be assault, Grimhild very quickly finds her self persuade through the woods fending off the blows of sticks, stones & of course the ladle. Battered & bruised Grimhild returns to her friends, shortly thereafter much laughter can be heard drifting across the lake.