Chapter 2

They turned away from the river and headed for the main part of the settlement. Most of the homes were long-houses, much like those in other areas favored by the Scandinavians. Rika headed off to her home, while Finn went toward his own, the one occupied by Mikael's family, which included his wife and five children. In addition, there was a married couple named Bennett and a son and daughter in the house. The long-house had one large, long room with a fire pit in the middle. Over the fire was a hole in the roof, as there was no chimney.

The place had beds along the walls, enough of them to accommodate the small crowd. At the far west end was a section that housed the animals; the settlers had arrived with cows, a bull, sheep, chickens and short horses. A cow, a horse and chickens lived with Mikael's family. So did a dog. Except in winter or pouring rain, most of the people and animals spent much time outdoors.

Since the morning was nice, Finn found his family members outside, except for his mother and Bennett's Wife, as she was called. They were cooking something for breakfast. Finn saw his father sitting on one of the seats made from tree-trunk sections. The older man was honing his sword. A battle axe lay nearby.

"I told you to break off seeing that girl," Mikael growled, keeping an eye on his handiwork.

"We were just talking, Father."

"You were hugging and kissing." The man didn't look up from the sharp blade.

Finn glared at Kol who was in the doorway of the house and grinning at him. The young boy was a brat and a tattler. "Has it occurred to you that Kol might be making things up, just to cause trouble?"

"Of course, but I think he saw what he said," Mikael said, this time giving his eldest son a stony look. "I am serious, son. Her family is a good one, except for that one fault. A big fault. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Finn said. He certainly understood, but he also still loved Rika. He turned away from his father and found Elijah, sitting on another "chair," looking at him. Obviously he had been listening. Elijah could keep his face expressionless, so it was hard to see what he was feeling. He was fifteen years old and very serious about everything. He was just the opposite of Kol.

"I suppose you have an opinion, too, brother," Finn said as he sat next to him.

"It's none of my business."

"But you must have an opinion."

In a hushed voice, lest Mikael hear, Elijah said, "I believe you are old enough to choose a wife, but one must do it wisely."

Finn just grunted. "We have a limited number of possibilities here," he finally said. "And half of them belong to that clan."

"Mostly true."

"If you're going to talk near me, speak up," Mikael snapped.

"Just boring stuff," the oldest son assured him.

The two women and three girls came from the house carrying pots of something that smelled good, a stew of sorts containing the meat of wild rabbits and squirrels. The food was ladled into bowls that were set on two slabs of wood that made one long table. For the meal Mr. Bennett, his wife and their two young girls sat at one end and the others were lined up along the rest. There was fresh milk and buttermilk for the children and a weak ale for the adults.

Finn knew Rika was eating with her family at a similar table in front of a similar house. If he married her, she would come to his house, which would not allow much privacy. Of course, they could also build a small, private cabin just for themselves. There were several in the community. Not everyone lived in a longhouse, but it was convenient for most. One of the longhouses was utilized by men who were not married.

Some days groups of men went out hunting, but this was not one of those days. Mikael's family knew he would be home most of the day and that meant he would have training sessions with his sons. None of the boys were looking forward to that. As far as he was concerned, they all were to be fighting men, able to use the sword or battle axe or spear. Each of them should be able to hit a target with a bow and arrows.

As expected, Mikael started the session after breakfast. Finn had a sword and a shield, but his father did not expect him to fight with a sharp sword. There was no need for any of them to receive a wound that might fester, that might lead to loss of a limb or cause death. So, he faced Mikael with a double-edged, metal sword that was dull all the way around. The shield was moderately heavy, but his arms were strong from practice and from using an axe to cut down trees. On his head was a thick, padded helmet. Nevertheless, the father landed a few blows that hurt and would leave big bruises. Not to be outdone, Finn landed a few blows himself. Did he receive praise for that? No. And he certainly got no pleasure from the duel. He did not have a warrior's heart and a desire for battles.

Finally, his part of the training session was over. Mikael did not sit down for a breather, but summoned his second son to step forward and defend himself. Elijah was fifteen years old and was shorter at this stage of his life than either Finn or Mikael. He was not normally an aggressive boy, but he was well-trained, and after he received a couple of painful blows from Mikael, he became angry and then attacked aggressively. Mikael liked that and he laughed and goaded Elijah on. It was the father who called a halt to that duel and he gave a nod of acknowledgement of the youth's skill.

After a few minutes' rest and a drink of cold water from the spring, Mikael summoned the third son, the eleven-year-old Niklaus. This boy was a bit shorter than Elijah and slender of build. And everyone knew he was clumsy and easily frightened. Mikael could not understand why this one boy was so different, so pathetically unskilled. Still, the child took up the sword and shield and attempted to defend himself. He was quickly defeated and found himself lying on the ground and begging his father to end the duel. He refused to get up.

Not for the first time Mikael flew into a rage. He called Niklaus a blubbering coward and several other names. He kicked the boy, who tried to get away, scrambling on the ground. Mikael yelled and kicked and the child cried. Finally, Mikael stormed away in disgust. The youngest boy, Kol, cringed back away from him in fear as he passed.

Both Finn and Elijah went to Niklaus and helped him to his feet. In fact, Finn lifted the sobbing boy and started to carry him toward the longhouse, but the youngster asked to be set down so he could walk. Finn went with him to the door where the mother stood. She was angry at her husband, but she had not interfered. Esther was afraid of him when he was that angry.

For this, Finn felt some anger toward his mother. He loved her, but she had a secret and Finn was sure he knew what it was. Years earlier Mikael and a group of men had traveled way east to where the longboats were stored beside the big river. While he was gone, Finn had seen his mother sneak out during the night, several nights in a row. The first time he assumed she was going out to relieve herself, but when she went out night after night, he was curious. He was just a child at that time, but he was concerned about her and followed one time. A half-moon lit the scene.

He watched her walk out of the clearing and into the edge of the woods. Then he spotted a man hobbling along using a crutch, and he too went into the woods. He knew the man. A member of the other clan. To the boy's surprise, he saw his mother move to the man and they hugged and kissed. Baffled and somewhat upset by this, Finn returned to the longhouse and quietly crawled into bed beside his four-year-old little brother Elijah. Finn never forgot what he had seen and later he fully understood. Niklaus was born that year, and Mikael assumed the child was his. But that was not so, and Finn knew it.

A/N I hope you all liked this chapter. Although the story is about the family, it will be from Finn's perspective. As the oldest sibling he is most observant and understands more than the younger ones.