Christmas Day - 873, East Anglia
It was a dark cold winter night at Elmenham, East Anglia. Oswald, the new king of East Anglia was preparing the longhouse table of his home for the upcoming Christmas dinner. It was his first winter as King after the dramatic events earlier in the Autumn for him to become King. His life had changed drastically, he had made a lot of new friends, most of them Danes from two clans. Valdis' clan from Denmark and of course the Raven clan led by the famous Norse warrior Eivor Varinsdottir. Had you asked him a few years ago if he would be friends with the Danes, Oswald would have looked at you funny and said you were mad. The only connection he had with any Danes was with the Steward of East Anglia, Finnr. And he didn't really get along with Finnr sometimes but that had improved now as they got to understand each other more.
And Eivor, the main reason he was doing this. He had been wed to the fierce warrior for a few months now. Despite being married for a few months Oswald felt that they hardly knew each other- mostly with cultural differences being in the way. He decided that tonight would be the perfect occasion to host another dinner like the first one they had many nights and months ago, when he first met Eivor and Valdis' clan which went horribly wrong. He tried to push that out of his mind, he hoped this reunion dinner would go much better now that people liked him more than when he first came out as prospective king.
Oswald was continuing to set up the table for everyone and all the coming guests, when Eivor walked in from another adventure.
"What is this? Is this a Viking feast you are setting up?" she enquired as she watched Oswald continue setting up the table.
"Umm... no it isn't. I had something else in mind" he stuttered, surprised at his wife coming in and being caught off guard.
Eivor laughed seeing her tense and nervous husband. "What? Another Saxon dinner like the one we had when we first met?" she chuckled at the memory of Oswald's failed attempt at hosting
Oswald frowned. "I'm only joking, relax" she said, coming up and punching him in the arm , like she did on their wedding day.
Oswald relaxed his shoulders slumping "Yes, only it has a different name for it. It's christmas. It is our Lord Jesus' birthday today and we shall celebrate his birth by having a special meal" he explained.
For a moment it was silent, as Eivor let his words sink in to her. Lord Jesus? The same saxon god that he worshipped at the nearby church that they got married in. It seemed like Oswald wanted to continue with his Christian traditions, not only with the marriage in a church but also with this dinner.
"I see" Eivor responded after a while... nodding but not really understanding what it was . "So it is another feast that you saxons do on this particular day because of your god?" She asked summarising the best she could
"Yes. On the 25th December every year. I have been doing this since I was a young boy" he nodded, explaining to Eivor hands on his mouth due to the nerves at whether she would like it or not "And I would like to continue now even when I am King. I hope you like it" he muttered quietly
"Fair enough, just like I have been feasting since I was a young child in our own Norse way. As you understand as I have taken you to the one in Ravensthorpe" Eivor responded in her loud boomy voice compared to Oswald's nervous timid voice.
"Yes you have" Oswald responded reflecting on the time he went to the drunken hall of Ravensthorpe and ate so much meat and food that he wanted to puke after. "But this is different, it's much quieter and the meal's are lighter. It's a light christian dinner" he explained the best he could keeping it simple.
"Ah you humble saxons" Eivor chuckled at the contrast between the noisy vikings and the quieter saxons. "Is anyone else coming to this Christian dinner, besides me and you?" she asked, looking at the table which was now fully set up.
"Yes of course, many people. Some old friends. You'll see" he said, not wanting to spoil the surprise for Eivor.
An hour later, the longhouse was bustling and full of life, the fireplace had been lit and so were various candles around the table. The table was full of luscious meat including chicken and turkey with potatoes carrots and a mixture of other food and goodies. Everyone was talking and laughing . It was noisy.
"Ah Oswald! Good to see you still hosting dinner parties even when alliances are done and made" Broder and Brothir snickered referring to the first dinner he had
Oswald cringed at the memory of the same event at the same table. Everyone was sitting exactly where they were the first time. Eivor who was next to him noticed his tense face and squeezed his hand under the table.
"Don't worry if they try anything I'll beat them again" she whispered and smirked to Oswald at the memory.
"And I will too," Valdis shouted loudly. "You better watch it brothers" she snapped towards her brothers again as the brothers went silent and Eivor and Oswald chuckled.
Across the table, Randvi and Sigurd and a few other members of Ravensthorpe smiled too. "Randvi, Sigurd!" "You guys are here! I've missed you so much!" Eivor smiled at the surprise going over to cuddle them both.
'We did. As soon as we got the letter from the good king himself, we just had to come and visit you both. And try out this tradition with the "Lord Jesus". Sigurd smiled back at his sister.
Oswald meanwhile was pleased with himself, seeing Eivor enjoy herself for their first christmas. That's exactly what Christmas was about celebrating with your loved ones over the fireplace and a nice warm meal. He smiled to himself , proud.
However, not before Sigurd noticed. "And you, You better look after my sister ! Or else I'll be after you whether you're king or not I don't care" he said with a serious expression towards Oswald.
"Sigurd!" Randvi exclaimed looking at her husband.
"What? I'm just looking out for my sister!" he replied defensively, hands up in the air.
Oswald blushed, stunned and lost for words again. All he could do was gulp awkwardly as everyone was looking at them both him and Sigurd as the scene unfolded.
"Guys It's alright" Eivor chipped in, breaking the silence half laughing. "I can look after myself, and Oswald has proved himself worthy of battle. Besides, he is the most gentle, kind, loving soul and treats me with dignity and respect. He's the best I can ask for". Eivor responded with lovesick eyes towards Oswald as they held hands under the table.
Oswald's blush faded away quickly and he smiled back at her emotionally. He was so proud to have Eivor by his side and to call her mine too. In front of everyone.
"Aye! He has! Who can ever forget that time at Dunwich and when he came back and ruined the wedding?" Broder and Brothir chanted referring to when Oswald fought Rued twice at Dunwich and the wedding.
"No one can!" chimed Steward Finnr who slipped in with a stool and a cup of mead.
"Steward Finnr!' Oswald exclaimed in surprise. "You came!"
"Yeah." he grunted in his gruff voice. "I did when I got word there was a Christian dinner party and reunion with the East Anglia crew I just had to take a break from the seas and come back and check up on you lot, my longship's outside actually" he jabbed a finger backwards pointing towards the dock.
"Fair enough. Nice to see that you still enjoy sailing the seas" Eivor nodded towards Finnr.
"Now that everyone is here I would like to make a toast" Oswald announced getting up from his throne as the others looked at him again.
"To our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with a Warm bed and a roof over our heads, to the friends and family who sit on this table and for the food on the table. And for another year, another christmas. Merry Christmas!" Oswald shouted raising his wine glass to the others
"To Christmas!" Eivor cheered raising her glass along with Oswald
"Skal!" The vikingrs cheered in the norse alternative of Cheers as they sat down and started to dig into the food.
"This is very nice, What is it?" Randvi inquired to Oswald while digging into her Turkey
"It's Turkey, from the finest farms in East Anglia. I told the kitchen to find the best chicken they could" Oswald answered.
Randvi nodded, chewing the rest of the turkey . "Saxon beasts are certainly different from Norse deer". Brothir nodded agreeing and commenting too.
"What about you my dear?" Oswald asked, turning round to face his wife who was also digging on her food next to him.
"Yes it's different. It is nice though, and so is this wine. It's a nice change from the bitter taste of mead". "I like this saxon god and dinner of yours" Eivor admitted, voicing her thoughts aloud.
"It is made from the finest grapes. It represents our Lord's blood. I used to drink it at church growing up" Oswald reflected on his childhood memories.
"Did you?" Eivor was intrigued. "All I did was drink mead at Sigurd's camp and never had wine before coming to England," she admitted.
"I did. And we also had a piece of bread too. The bread represented our Lord's body too" Oswald explained further on his christian beliefs and traditions.
Eivor had to hold in a laugh. The saxons would eat a piece of bread as it represented their Lord's or God's body. What absurdity was this? But she didn't want to spit out her wine or offend Oswald so she kept those thoughts to herself.
"I see". Eivor just about managed to force herself to keep up a straight face and thankfully Oswald didn't notice.
"Anyway that is for Lent and Easter, which is after Christmas and next April. Seeing as you enjoyed this so much perhaps we could go to an Easter egg hunt around East Anglia if you're up for it?" he looked back at Eivor for a response.
"Yes. It does sound interesting. I would like to go round East Anglia hunting for eggs as part of your Christian tradition next year" Eivor answered.
"Good. I'm glad you do. It is time for the second part of Christmas . The gifts". Oswald said wanting to move on to the next part of the event
Now that the dinner had finished, it was time for the gift exchange. When everyone had done swapping their gifts to each other. It was time for Oswald and Eivor to exchange their ones to each other.
"Valdis, pass me the box please" Oswald nodded toward Valdis who was sitting diagonally opposite to where she was .
Valdis nodded as she passed a long looking rectangular box that was heavy and wooden.
"Ooo What is this?" Eivor looked at the wooden slab with interest.
"Open it and you will see" Oswald smiled at Eivor passing the heavy slab to her
Eivor took a deep breath as she opened the wooden case to reveal a shiny silver sword underneath which glowed when she opened the lid.
"What... wow What is this?" Eivor looked at the sword then at Oswald in awe as the rest of the table stared back in awe at the glowing sword too.
Oswald chuckled seeing all the vikingr's shocked amazed faces. "It's Excalibur. The finest sword in English legend. Wielded by the great King Arthur himself. It's a legendary sword hence the glowing thing" he explained blushing a bit
Eivor was taken aback. Not only had Oswald gifted her a Christian sword, it was a magical Legendary weapon- the finest english sword. Equivalent to Thor's mighty mjolnir hammer in her religion . Oswald was still smiling at her expectantly and patient waiting for a response.
"Wow... Oswald I don't know what to say... This sword is beautiful" Eivor said as she picked up the blade from the box and gently inspected and felt the shiny sharp edges carefully.
"You don't need to say anything. Just look after her well... It took me a while and a lot of digging to find it" he joked, admitting the process. That was putting it mildly. He had to call Valdis to help with pulling Excalibur out of the wedge it was stuck on. The sword had not wanted to budge.
"I will do, I will make sure of that. Thank you- I will take her out with me now so when I go away from Elmenham I will have a reminder of you" Eivor smiled, giving Oswald a peck on the cheek.
Oswald grinned in happiness he was over the moon. The evening was going better than he hoped it was perfect. The dinner then the sword and reuniting with their friends after. Before he could dwell on his thoughts anymore. It was Eivor's turn to give her husband something for Christmas.
"Close your eyes Oswald" she smirked while ordering him.
Oswald closed his eyes. "Now open your palm up" she instructed him as Oswald opened up the palm of his right hand as Eivor gently placed the silver necklace on his hand.
"Close your palms then open your eyes and when you open your eyes you can open your palm up to have a look at your present" She smiled while continuing to instruct him.
Oswald did just that. Close his palms while opening his eyes and when he opened up his palm he gasped. On his hand was a necklace made out of the finest silver, with a Thin cross at the end of it. A christian cross. Turns out he wasn't the only one full of surprises, Eivor was too.
"You got me... You got me a christian necklace" Oswald stuttered, too amazed and taken aback by what he had just gotten.
"Yes I did.. I did get you a christian necklace now try it on" Eivor smiled as she went to take the necklace from Oswald's hand as he was still too stunned to put it on himself. So she placed it on his neck.
"Eivor Varinsdottir getting her husband a christian necklace who would have thought?" Sigurd chuckled, teasing as Oswald was fiddling and inspecting the cross at the end.
"Shut up Sigurd!" Eivor responded playfully, slapping her brother on the arm.
"Ow!" he moaned while Eivor rolled her eyes.
"Wow this is a very beautiful necklace, as beautiful as the woman who got me it. Thank you" Oswald said, smiling at her.
"You two lovebirds ! Get out of here!" a drunk Finnr who had overdosed on his mead waved his arms groaning
Eivor laughed as they all turned round to face him. "Get this drunk fool out of here!" She chuckled jokingly as Oswald rolled his eyes at drunk Finnr.
Finnr then stumbled trying to get up before he could fall face forward, Valdis grabbed him by the arm stopping him from falling face first.
"I shall take him to his longship, so he can sleep it over" She explained looking towards Oswald and Eivor both.
"That's fine, will you be coming back?" Oswald asked her.
"I won't as it's time for me to go, I have things to do now as I'm now the jarl of my clan with Rued dead. It's nice to see you both again though, Thanks for the invite Oswald" she smiled at Oswald.
"Fair enough we won't hold you up though. Have a safe trip and your welcome you are more than welcome to Elmenham anytime if you ever feel like dropping by or visiting. We'll be here" he said, motioning and nodding towards Eivor.
"Come brothers! Let's go!" Valdis called over for her brothers to leave as they got up and followed their sister out who was carrying the drunk sleeping Finnr.
"Bye Sheep King!" Broder and Brothir teased. Eivor was about to unleash her fists when Oswald stopped her holding her back.
"Leave it, it's not worth it" he grumbled, still a bit unimpressed at their teasing. Some things would never change.
Sigurd and Randvi got up next . It was time for them to go too. "We must take our leave now, Oswald," he said, patting his brother in law on the shoulder.
"That's fine I understand, Thanks for coming anyway" he smiled awkwardly at his brother in law.
"Of Course ! We are all family here!" Sigurd Chided clapping Oswald on the back. 'Welcome to the family bro!" he yelled, pulling Oswald onto a hug.
Oswald blushed again as he awkwardly patted and hugged a slightly drunk Sigurd on the back.
"Ignore him, I will take care of him" Randvi rolled her eyes at her drunken husband's behaviour. "Once again, it was a lovely dinner Oswald. Thanks for having us" Randvi said politely to Oswald.
"Your welcome... Anytime" he smiled back at her
"Come on, let's go. Take Care Eivor and I will see you soon". Randvi ushered her drunk husband outside towards where their stead was. Before turning around to Eivor once more.
Once they had gone, Oswald turned around to Eivor. "What a night" he admitted as they sat down at the table while the servants approached cleaning up the mess and the table .
Eivor sat next to him. "Yes. Our first Christmas together and Your first Christmas as the King of East Anglia" she replied agreeing with Oswald.
Oswald replied looking back at her. "Yes, our first Christmas together. How was it did you enjoy yourself?" he asked curiously looking at her. He wanted to know how well he did prepping this evening of christian culture for her.
"I actually quite enjoyed myself" Eivor chuckled reflecting, a year ago when she was still living in Norway and if you had asked or told her that she would be sat in a longhouse in England having a saxon christmas dinner she would have told you you were mad. But then that was just life. It was unpredictable and had funny changes and could just change in the ways we least expect. Like her marriage to Oswald.
"It was nice to quieten down on the drinking and partying for one night, I also enjoyed catching up with Valdis and my friends and family back home too' she continued smiling.
"Good, because I had this in mind and planned for a while, I've been wanting to introduce you to the christian culture for a while besides our wedding obviously and I'm glad you like it" he babbled relieved
"Of course I do, like I said it's very similar to what we Norse do, just a toned down quiet version. That you would do, it just screams you and your personality" Eivor smirked and chuckled at the last bit.
Oswald frowned at her, not quite sure what she meant. "Something I would do? What do you mean by that?" he asked perplexed
With this Eivor chuckled a bit more . Oswald was cute when his brows furrowed up like that. "I'm saying with your quiet, humble and relaxed personality I am not surprised you decided to host this Christian dinner" she replied clarifying.
"Ah I see what you mean" he nodded understanding, she was right after all if it wasn't for the teachings of the christian bible perhaps he would of ended up a completely different person like the other kings were especially the norse kings who were strong and fierce and ruthless just like he had seen with Rued.
"But Like I said, I couldn't ask for anyone better. These qualities are what I love about you, a fierce warrior needs a quiet calm person to tame them. Just like a tiger does" Eivor continued smiling, speaking in metaphors.
Oswald smiled at Eivor's admission about his personality making her like him. It meant a lot to him and his insecurities. As throughout the alliance all the way to the wedding he always had self doubts about himself not being worthy and sometimes on bad days he would still feel that, but Eivor would always be there to lift him up on the bad days and that's what he loved about her too.