Chapter 6: The Harvest Festival, Part 2
The next day was the day of the festival. The wide market square where Nuffink first met Kristoff was covered in red, orange, and yellow decorations. Booths with games, trinkets, and performers of all kinds entertained adults and children alike. And after applying just a few more healing spells to himself, Nuffink was fully healed just in time to enjoy it all. Upon exiting his temporary room in the castle earlier, he had almost tripped over a small sack of coins that had been left just outside his door, and he easily guessed who they were from and what they were for. Leaving most of his belongings behind, including his cloak, Nuffink gave the guards a cordial greeting as he strolled out of the castle grounds and into the wider part of the city.
While they were still slightly wary of him due to his armor and the sword hanging from his belt, the citizens of Arendelle had acclimated to Nuffink's presence among them well enough to at least give him a polite greeting, which he gladly returned with a smile. After all, this was a time for celebration, not isolation.
When he reached the square, Nuffink was amazed at the sheer number of activities that had been set up. As he stood in one place with a hand on his chin, trying to decide what to do first, the young boy he'd rescued from the runaway bull approached him, alongside a handful of other children.
"Hello again, Mister!" the boy cheerfully greeted.
"And hello to you as well!" Nuffink returned the greeting with a grin. "What brings you here?" To his surprise, the boy suddenly became meek and sheepish.
"W-well, you see, sir, I told my friends about how you saved my life, but they didn't believe me. I thought it would be better if they heard it from you," he explained. Nuffink glanced at the other children, a mix of boys and girls who all looked at him expectantly. He chuckled good-naturedly.
"Oh, so it's a story you lot want, eh?" he asked, and the children nodded. "Well, I don't fancy myself as much of a storyteller, but I think I can manage just this once..." Nuffink sat down on a nearby bale of hay, and the children sat in a small circle around him, listening intently as Nuffink began weaving the tale from his point of view...
...
As time passed, Nuffink found himself telling one story after another as the children begged for more. His stories, some true and others fictional, attracted more children and even a handful of adults. And as he was concluding the story of how he became renowned as a hero in his village, he failed to notice the approach of an older man with hawkish features, beady deep-set eyes, thinning white hair, and clad in white-and-red robes. This was the abbot of a nearby monastery, and he couldn't stand how his faithful church-goers were so entranced by this...heathen!
"BLASPHEMY! HERESY! LISTEN TO HIM NOT!" the abbot yelled, shaking his fist as he strode up to the crowd. Nuffink was so startled by his sudden appearance that he nearly fell off of the hay bale he was sitting on.
"Aww, c'mon, Father Abbot! Nuffink was just getting to the best part!" one of the children complained.
"I hate to tell you, Father, but the lad's right. You've just interrupted a very fascinating tale, and Nuffink's quite the adventurer," one of the adults added.
"He's also a Viking! A pagan! The sworn enemy of the Church and everything She stands for!" the abbot argued.
"Let me see if I can rephrase what you seem to be implying," Nuffink interjected, turning the attention back to him. "What you are saying is, I am automatically a bad person purely because my system of beliefs differs from yours?"
The citizens of Arendelle looked at the abbot expectantly as he struggled to find a suitable answer.
Finally, he scowled and said, "You Vikings are all alike. You and your ilk have pillaged and plundered our sacred halls for hundreds of years, spreading death and destruction wherever you go. How do we know others didn't place you among us to weaken us from within?"
The crowd started murmuring amongst themselves until Nuffink somberly replied, "Because I am the last of my kind. I am the only survivor of a vicious attack on my tribe. I lost everything; my home...my family...my betrothed...all mercilessly slaughtered." The adults started murmuring again, this time in sympathy. Nuffink continued, "I left the ruins of my homeland and came to your kingdom to begin a new life. I mean no harm to you or your people." Nuffink turned back to the children and smiled. "Now, then...shall I continue?" The children all giddily replied in the affirmative. "Alright, now where was I?"
"The bear had your sister cornered against a pile of rocks," a small girl reminded him.
"Ah! Thank you. Now...with a broken leg and a dislocated shoulder, Zephyr was unable to either fight back or flee; she was completely at the creature's mercy. I was too far away; the only thing I could do to help was draw the bear's attention upon myself, so that's precisely what I did. When I threw a rock and got the beast to face me, I suddenly noticed a detail I hadn't before: this was not ordinary bear. This bear was diseased, and the disease was driving it mad! I had to put it out of its misery before anyone else could get hurt or infected. Using an oaken branch as a club, I clobbered the beast's face to disorient it. While it stumbled around in a daze, I braced myself and jumped onto its back. Then, wrapping my arms tight around its throat, I strangled the mad beast with my bare hands!"
"And that saved your sister?" Asked a young boy with stars in his eyes. Nuffink smiled again.
"That it did, lad. From that day forth, I became known as Nuffink the Dragonheart, for I was every bit as fierce, protective, and loyal as the majestic creatures that once ruled our skies," he finished. The people cheered and applauded the end of the story, and the abbot stormed away with a huff.
"That story was incredible!" Nuffink heard from behind him as the crowd around him finally dispersed. He turned around and spotted Anna walking up, wearing a brown long-sleeved jacket over a dark green dress, a brown girdle, and short brown boots with gold buckles. "You are such an amazing storyteller, Nuffink!" Anna continued.
"Thank you very much, Milady," Nuffink replied as he stood. "Although I really don't understand how I attracted a crowd so quickly."
The two continued to chat as Anna showed Nuffink around the festival attractions. Kristoff and Sven joined them while Anna was explaining how the monetary system in Arendelle worked (Vikings almost never had much use for money; goods and services in the Archipelago were usually bartered for rather than bought). Sven was understandably wary of Nuffink, but the other three enjoyed themselves until it was time for the banquet.
As the sun went down and the oil lamps lining the streets were lit, the booths in the square were cleared away and replaced with a long line of wooden tables. Once the tables were in place, a small army of castle servants brought out many, many dishes of food, kegs of wine and other liquor, and pitchers of milk and juice for the children. Anna sat down near the ornately carved wooden chair at the head of the table, with Olaf on one side, Kristoff on the other, and Nuffink next to Kristoff.
As the other guests of the banquet sat down, it was then that Queen Elsa made herself known. Gone was her regular blue-and-white attire, replaced by an eye-popping gown that was yellow and scarlet with gold embroidery. On her head was a golden circlet resembling a wreath of oak leaves, with small, round rubies acting as berries.
"Welcome, one and all, to the annual Harvest Festival banquet!" Elsa called out with a wide smile, causing the guests to cheer. "I regret that this has been the first banquet since my parents' passing, but I'm sure you can understand that Anna and I had other things on our minds." This elicited a small chuckle from the guests. "Nonetheless, this is a yearly tradition that she and I are very happy to bring back! Eat! Drink! Be merry! And above all, thank the Lord for this year's bountiful harvest!" Elsa signaled to the abbot, who rose from his seat and said a blessing over the food, glaring daggers at Nuffink as he did so. When he finished the blessing, the people were allowed to dig in, while a band played music in the background.
When everyone had just about eaten their fill, Elsa gave her approval for Nuffink to give a short speech of his own. Thus, the Viking stood and addressed the crowd.
"It's been nearly two months since I first arrived at your shores, a stranger in a strange land, and I can't thank you enough for your hospitality! Especially yours, Queen Elsa; in my country, the generosity you've shown me this past week alone would surely earn you a place at my father's table." Nuffink paused for a moment as he picked up his tankard. "With that in mind, I propose a toast. Your people may only worship one God, but I have need of many, and I will be praying to them all for the Queen's good health! LONG LIVE QUEEN ELSA!" he cried, thrusting his tankard into the air.
"LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!" the crowd bellowed back, clanking their own tankards and goblets together before downing the beverages. Once everyone had eaten and drank their fill, the area around the tables turned into a kind of dance floor, with almost everyone dancing along to the fast-paced music. Elsa, however, didn't consider herself to be much of a dancer, so she was happy just to observe.
At one point, Nuffink was persuaded to sing a song from his homeland. He did so in his native language, his deep, rich voice easily carrying across the square:
Miðr móðir sagði mér
Einum dagi mun ek kaupa
Skeiðr með góðum árum
Segl til fjarlægra landa
Stand upp á stafnboga
Hinn edla skip stýri ek
Stöðug leið til hafna
Hǫgg margar fjandmenn
Hǫgg margar fjandmenn
The whole song was just the same verse repeated multiple times, and when the other musicians listened long enough to get a good grasp of the lyrics, they joined in as the chorus.
Meanwhile, Elsa couldn't stop smiling at the sight of her people being so happy and carefree. She felt even prouder when she noticed Nuffink and Anna dancing with a group of children. After a while, Nuffink came up to her and bowed while offering her his hand.
"May I have this dance, Milady?" he asked with a broad grin. Elsa was flattered, but still tried to refuse until Anna finally pestered her into relenting. Even though she'd never really danced before, Elsa greatly enjoyed herself, letting the rhythm do most of the work. The citizens cheered and clapped at the sight of their beloved Queen finally participating in the festivities.
Alas, when Elsa and Nuffink stopped to catch their breath, everything went terribly wrong. A tall, well-built man armed with a sword ran into the square and looked around frantically until he spotted Elsa, at which point he gave a frown of grim determination and drew his weapon.
"DEATH TO THE QUEEN!" he screamed and charged forward. Things became almost unbearably slow as the would-be assassin leaped into the air with his sword raised. Elsa was too stunned to do much more than squeeze her eyes shut as she waited for the incoming blow to hit its mark...
CLANG!
Elsa opened her eyes to see that Nuffink had intercepted the killer's blade with his own. The attacker struck again, and Nuffink parried the attack once more. As the two continued to fight, it became clear to all who watched that the Viking was by far the better swordsman. The would-be assassin soon tired out enough for Nuffink to knock the sword out of his hands.
With the tip of Nuffink's blade tickling his throat, the attacker sank to his knees and was promptly handcuffed by the guards and hauled away. The festival ended with Nuffink being hailed as a hero.
I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter. The song above that Nuffink sang is "My Mother Told Me" from the video game Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. I just translated the lyrics into Old Norse using ChatGPT.
I actually found an Old Norse cover of the song on YouTube. Because I can't insert an actual YouTube link here, just type this into the search bar:
/watch?v=v2ZEEfl8F5g