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Updated: May 13, 2025
She came swiftly, and at last I knew my own ship again, and thought that Halfden had come with news of peace, and maybe to take me to sea with him, and so at last back to Osritha.
Yet I thought that no man would trouble more about me and my ways, so that I said naught of it to Osritha. So I sat between Halfden and Thormod at the high place, and the whole hall was full of men seated at the long tables that ran from end to end, and across the wide floor.
"Aye maybe I would, after all," he answered, and was silent. Then he said, "Guthrum and I spoke just now, and he said that your faith must be worth more than he knew, to set you so fixedly on it." Now I would have told him that it was so, but there came a little sound at the door, and Halfden went and opened it. Across its half darkness came a woman's form, and Osritha spoke in her soft voice.
Now nothing seemed more plain to me than that Halfden meant that I should seek Osritha. "What is Halfden doing?" I asked. "Will he not go back to your own land?" "Why, no. For he takes Northumbria as his share of what we have won. Hubba is there now. But we fight to gain more if we may, and if not, to make sure of what we have. One way or another Ethelred's power to attack us must be broken."
Stately and tall, with wondrous black hair, was this maiden, and I knew that this must be that Osritha of whom the jarl was wont to speak to Eadgyth and my mother, and who wrought the raven banner that hung above the high place where she stood now.
Now I was pleased with this gift, both because I liked the man Raud, who was both brave and simple minded, and because it showed that the surly jarl had some liking for me. Yet I would that he showed this openly, and telling Osritha of the gift, I dared say so.
There I told him all my story, and he remembered how I had told him, laughing, of Beorn's jealousy at first. And when my tale was nearly done Osritha crept from her bower and came and sat beside Halfden, pushing her hand into his, and resting her head on his shoulder. Then I ended quickly, saying that Ingvar had done justice on Beorn.
She shrank away a little, as if frightened at the jarl's dark face and stern words, but Hubba called her by name. "Stay, Osritha; here is that friend of our father's from over seas, of whom you have heard." Then she looked pityingly at me, as I thought, saying very kindly: "You are welcome. Yet I fear you have suffered for your friendship to my father."
And while he lay there, all men held their peace, looking in one another's faces, and only the jarls and Osritha and myself stood near him. Very suddenly he raised himself up, and was once more calm; then he kissed the maiden, and grasped his brothers' hands, and then held out both hands to me, holding mine and looking in my face.
It were long to tell how the people cheered, and how they were answered from the ship, and how I spied Halfden on the fore deck, and Thormod at the helm, as ever. And when Osritha saw Halfden's gay arms and cloak and all the bright trim of the ship and men, she said to me, speaking low and quickly: "They have not been to Reedham, or it would not have been thus."
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