VII

"Erik, Orn. Come on boys, time to get up." The Crisp clear tone of their mother's voice called out to the two boys, and they stirred awake.

Erik got up first and then walked over to the window dragging Orn's blankets off of his bed as he did so. This caused Orn to sit up on the bed.

"Hey, fat head! What are you doing?" Orn rubbed the sleep from his eyes and focused on Erik's back.

When he realised what Erik was about to do, he suddenly exclaimed "Ugh, how many times Erik, don't piss out the window! Just because there's dirt outside, it doesn't stop the wind from wafting your stale piss smell back in."

Orn got up and ran at Erik's back in an effort to push him out of the window.

Erik quickly stopped what he was about to do, so he could dodge Orn's charge and said, "Alright, alright. I'll go to the lemon tree. Gods you're such a girl."

At which point Erik said in a nasally, high pitched, whiney voice, "ooh Erik, don't make it smelly, ooh Erik, don't make gas near me."

Orn gave him a smarmy look and retorted, "Do you think Selti would put up with your filthy habits? She is an actual girl, so I guarantee, she would complain way more." Then he silently mouthed the words 'wedding off', and grinned smugly.

"Shut up. Besides, I will be the man of the house, so it'll be my rules."

"Yes, you will be the man of the house....an empty house, because she would come live with us." Orn was laughing as he said that, and went on with, "I wonder what mother would think of your idea of how a household should be run…"

At that, a panicked expression came over Erik's face, which quickly turned fierce, then he grabbed Orn in a headlock, which Orn easily slipped out of.

Orn was about to swing a gut punch at Erik, when he suddenly found his arm couldn't move. He turned with eyes like saucers to find himself looking up into his father's smiling face.

With the sunniest of smiles, however, a smile that did not reach his eyes, he said through clenched teeth, "Boys, your mother called you, so quit mucking about and go see in what way you can be of help to her….OK?"

They both bolted out of the room towards the back of the cottage out to the lemon tree to relieve themselves.

Once they were gone, Vylder shook his head and quietly chuckled to himself. He knew they were good boys at heart, but he also knew that they could be a handful.

He often thought that his days as a warrior were simpler times, with fewer worries, but at the same time knew he wouldn't trade then with now for anything in the world.

As Orn moved into the kitchen behind Erik, he could see the breakfast table already set up. Rye hotcakes with butter and some fish broth their mother made with the frames from the fish they had caught and eaten two nights previous.

They sat down at the table with their parents. "Nice of you to finally join us, boys." Said Venna sweetly, with just a hint of sarcasm. "We need to start preparing the village for the mid-year festival." She said, as she brought a morsel to her mouth.

Prior to taking a night, sh looked at Erik and said "So, after breakfast, Erik, I want you to go to Mrs. Sogard and help her in whatever way she needs. She will be coming over to help me here. So, the quicker she gets her own things done, the quicker she can join us. Can you do that for me?" She then popped the piece of hotcakes in her mouth.

Erik nodded. She then looked at Orn and continued, "Orn you can help me here. Your father will be going to Chief Bon to help set up the village square. So, please, eat up as we all have a long busy day today, and a busy morning tomorrow."

She needn't have said the last part as the two boys, being that they were starting to sprout into manhood, were already almost halfway through wolfing their food down.

"So what are we doing today, Mother?" Orn asked around a mouthful of food.

"Don't talk while you eat, you'll choke on it. Finish and then speak." Venna chided.

"Sorry Mother." He replied while still chewing food.

"What did I just say? And don't you laugh, Erik. You're just as bad." she went on, as threw a tea towel at Erik while she struggled to keep her burgeoning smile at bay.

Erik deftly dodged the tea towel but had the good grace to stifle his laugh and try and bury the smirk on his face.

Venna went on to tease "I worry for that poor girl, having to put up with you in her future."

At that moment the smile dropped from Erik's face and he blushed furiously, as he exclaimed, "Mother!".

Orn gave his brother some vicious side eyes accompanied by a smug grin, which earned him a thumb-sized piece of his Mother's hot cake bouncing off his head, which had the whole family laughing.

The rest of that day saw Orn helping his mother by mostly doing fetch work. She prepared ingredients for different sauces and cleaned vegetables in preparation to cook them tomorrow for the feast.

The tradition was to spit roast some wild pigs in the town square to celebrate the good weather, good fortunes, and plentiful harvests for the future. Giving thanks to their Gods, and enjoying their community.

It was a joyous occasion that the entire village looked forward to every year. Most of the village women prepared different dishes to add some variety, but Venna liked to prepare the herb-dusted roast vegetables to accompany the centrepiece (spit-roasted wild pig) as well as the sauces to coat them.

Erik was pretty much doing the same thing as Orn at the Sogard's cottage while sneaking glances at Selti. Although 'sneak' is probably not accurate. Selti was well aware, but pretending to be oblivious.

Brenda herself felt very pleased, and silently praised her good fortune that her Selti's future would be in good hands. She sang and hummed happily to herself as she went about preparing and organising her home so that after the feast, she could relax and rest for a day without concern. She was hoping to head over to the Avdlak cottage within the next hour or so.

Vylder was helping to set up the bunting, the fire pit for roasting, the temporary stage for the village musicians and clearing an area for dancing. The rest of the day went on with the village busy making all the preparations, doing their share.

And so the preparations continued the following morning as well.

Once all was ready, at around midday, all the villagers gathered in the village square before the fire pit.

The square was lined with torches, with the fire being in the centre. The square was lined with some of the more prominent residencies, including the home of the priest, and the village chief's family home.

The village temple priest Gelden, was wearing his traditional white fur robe, and his dear antler headdress with crow feathers hanging from it. A thick leather headband held it all together. He stood before them in front of the carved pole, and slightly to the side of the fire pit.

He gave a sermon of observance, renewed vows of faith in the Gods, thanks for their bounties and their grace and care of their departed loved ones.

For this, the gathered villagers joined hands and rocked side to side. They chanted softly as the priest spoke the words of their gospel.

To an outside observer, it could be forgiven were they to think the chanting was a beautiful, sad dirge, such is the Halder religious observance.

They had different chants for celebrations, funerals, naming days, and for battle. All of these are religious devotions for them.

For the last part of the sermon, Geldon named each of the Gods, and gave thanks for their function,

"We thank you Briga, Goddess of our hearts for the feelings you bestowed us with, and for the rain from your tears of joy and sadness that give us life.

We thank you Durren, God of the sea, for your grace in allowing us the mastery of your domain, and the bounties within your home that sustain us when our fields cannot.

We thank you Myim, God of war for our prowess in battle, for the fires that keep us warm and those that burn within us, and for your great hall where our warriors can drink and sing of their glory.

We thank you Freidig, our Mother for sharing with us your body so that we may live upon it and from it.

And we thank you Everrin, for the knowledge and wisdom you endow us with, and all that comes from it, and for the day that gives life, and the night that gives all that which lives the time to rest."

With that, Geldon bowed his head, and the villagers followed suit as the chanting fell silent.

At this signal, several of the village boys, including Orn and Erik, came leading the pigs around the left side of Gelden, while Selti approached him from his right, holding aloft the ceremonial dagger.

She reverently handed it to the priest, who accepted it with the same amount of reverence.

The first pig was led to a deep borehole that was dug next to the firepit for drainage specifically for this purpose.

Just beyond it, before the stacked, but as yet, unlit fire pit was the ceremonial bowl. The priest led the pig towards where the bowl was, gently straddled the pig, and with the ceremonial dagger, deftly slit the pig's throat.

The bowl was filled and then taken by the first boy to the villagers to pass around so they could draw with their fingers two lines down their foreheads, and drink from.

This process was repeated until all the pigs that were selected for the feast had been killed in this way.

The villagers cheered, including the priest, and then they set to work lighting the fire and preparing the pigs for the feast.

The formerly sombre and serious tone of the gathering turned festive and cheerful. The village had finished their observances, so now it was time to celebrate.

Those that could play instruments headed up to the stage, and began to play common songs, and some of the villagers sang along to accompany the music.

Others danced in the square, while Chief Bon, Vylder and some of the other men took turns superising the fire and the pigs as they roasted.