Legacy of the Valiant

LEGACY OF THE VALIANT A TALE FROM NORVEGR EDALE LANE PAST AND PROLOGUE PRESS CONTENTS Foreword and Acknowledgements Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Epilogue Like this book? Other Books by Edale Lane About the Author Legacy of the Valiant: A Tale from Norvegr By Edale Lane Published by Past and Prologue Press All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission of the publisher, except for the purpose of reviews. Edited by Jessica Hatch Cover art by Enggar Adirasa This book is a work of fiction and all names, characters, places, and incidents are fictional or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is coincidental. First Edition April 2023 Copyright © 2023 by Edale Lane Printed in the United States of America Created with Vellum Created with Vellum FOREWORD AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Myths and legends come from somewhere. I don’t believe one day some guy in Europe and some other guy in China spontaneously came up with the images and stories for dragons out of the blue. Something they encountered that was strange and unfamiliar inspired the similar winged serpentine pictures, the shape of the heads, the long, lethal tails. Then embellishments were added, the stories told more exciting, the artwork more detailed. I’m not proposing there were real fire-breathing dragons and Saint George gained his fame by killing one… and I’m not saying there weren’t. Yet I’m convinced from a historian’s point of view that once upon a time, long ago, people in different parts of the world saw a scary creature they never had before, and the tale of the dragon was born. The same is true of Norse, Roman, or Greek mythology. Fantastic tales of gods and heroes, imaginary creatures and horrifying monsters all had a basis in some actual person, animal, or event. In this book, you will read of fantastic adventures and extraordinary beings told by skalds and storytellers; you will also come to understand where such stories may have gained their origins. Could the greatest power on earth truly be human imagination? I would like to acknowledge the hard work and valuable input of my proofreader Aimée. Thank you also to my dedicated partner, Johanna White, and my facilitators, Stephen Zimmer, and J. Scott Coatsworth. I didn’t get this out to my regular team soon enough to receive beta input, but there will be ARC readers, and I appreciate you so much. Of course, I wouldn’t be still happily engaged in my new career if not for you, the readers, and I thank you most of all for taking this journey with me. And to everyone out there who ever thought you were too short, too tall, too big, too small, too infirmed, too flawed, or too unimportant to ever be of great worth, think again. I challenge you to dig down and find your inner hero. CHAPTER 1 Bàtrgørð, shipbuilding camp in Yeats, land of the Swedes, 690 A.D. “Tell us the story of Sigrid and Elyn,” Leiknir urged. Eager, round eyes peered up at his father Torsten, as he added another log to the fire. Its flames danced just far enough away to avoid catching the twig roof of their lean-to ablaze. Kai nestled close to her girlfriend, Tove, under the shelter of the shed. Spring marked longer days, thawing snows, and the beginning of boatbuilding season in Bàtrgørð, a small seasonal seaside village a short way north of Lagarfjord where King Freyrdan Finebeard and most of his people lived. However, temperatures still dipped after dark and body heat was especially welcomed. Powerful men who could swing axes to down trees and assist Torsten with constructing the vessels composed most of the sparse camp’s population, although women had important roles to play as well. Kai and Tove’s jobs were to prepare food, wash and mend clothing, take care of anyone who got injured or sick, and run errands as required. A few wives and older women also inhabited tents or crude huts thrown together for the season. Everyone would return to Lagarfjord for the next winter. “Aye, son, tales you never tire of hearing,” Torsten replied in good humor. A robust man with bark-brown hair, a braided beard, and talented hands, Torsten had a knack for storytelling. He was also Kai’s adopted father, whom she loved, and she shared his affection for Leiknir as if he was her blood kin. Eight years ago, when she’d been Leiknir’s age, she had wandered down from the piedmont, where her family had once taken goats and sheep to graze during the summer months. Kai had been half-starved and grieving over the fever that had claimed her parents and brother, leaving her to fend for herself. She never understood what had gone wrong, why her family had been cursed with the disease after they had gladly observed the practice of hospitality by welcoming in a weary traveler. The traveler had been the first to fall ill, and the rest had followed. It made no sense that her brawny father, strong mother, and lively big brother had all succumbed while she, the scrawny, too-small girl, had never fallen sick at all. It was a great mystery, which often prompted Kai to wonder if the gods may have had something important in mind for her to accomplish one day. She had spent years blaming them, but as she’d matured into a young woman, Kai realized sicknesses and accidents happened to the good and bad alike. Maybe no one was