Chapter 88

They left before dawn, Ildico and Phillip were laden down with the baked goods Gudrun and Ildico had made the night before.

Ildico smiled as she shouldered her pack and said,"My co-workers are gonna love these breads Gudrun and I made last night."

She grinned, "I really enjoyed meeting your mom Freya."

Freya smiled and replied, "Ah'm glad ye twa hit it off sae quickly. Mom has oanly mit one ay me friends an' she mostly hung it wi' me."

Freya shouldered her pack and stamped her booted feet a few times as if to wake up her feet. "By th' time we get tae th' loch, these boots oughtta be broken in."

She was resplendent in the new attire given to her for her fourteenth birthday.

She had on a new embroidered white linen shirt and grey trousers in addition to the heavily tooled boots, belt, sheath knife and pouch she had been given earlier.

She now looked like a young Jotun woman ready to take on the world.

Tucked away in her pack was the Portland Grunge attire she had worn up to the hamlet.

Roger shouldered his load, a freshly made pin cask of Jotun mead and Sigurd carried Roger's freshly filled firkins of Jotun ale.

The group posed for a couple of photos with Gudrun and taking up his staff, Sigurd whistled sharply.

From out of the pre dawn gloom appeared two giant wolves, they would be accompanying them to the lake to ward off any curious bears.

In truth, they had little to fear as no bear in his right might would take on one of the giant wolves of Jotunheim.

There was a brief pause as Gudrun hugged Freya, then Roger who always felt the lingering warmth of her motherly hugs long afterwards.

She hugged Ildico who laughed afterwards and said gaily, "Suddenly I was like a child again when you hugged me."

Roger just chuckled and said, "You haven't been hugged by aunt Barbara yet, her hugs are pretty intense."

Ildico asked, "What's so special about her hugs?"

"She likes to scoop me up and smoosh me between her breasts before kissing me quite soundly.

Since she is of, shall we say, 'Operatic proportions', it is a bit overwhelming and it annoys Freya." Replied Roger.

"Ah"

The first rays of the morning sun found them striding along with purpose.

The two enormous wolves trotted along as they investigated any new smells and signs of incursions into their territory.

As always, Roger and Freya walked hand in hand simply enjoying each other's company.

Phillip took lots of pictures and Ildico smiled at his boyish enthusiasm.

Sigurd strode along his eyes scanning the land ahead, on the alert for any bears.

The sight that greeted them at the lake was of Young Harald's party, the Williams family, the Swensons and their dogs.

Freya's aunt Barbara, her brother Leif, his 'girlfriend' and their wolvies, all enjoying their breakfast and mingling freely.

Sigurd's two wolves greeted Leif's wolves and soon they were lolling about, enjoying the fresh air.

Robert Williams grinned and called out, "Good morning! Care for some fresh coffee?" he gestured at the coffee pot sitting on the camp stove, "Help yourself!"

Roger and company set down their burdens and worked some of the kinks out while Freya poured herself a steaming mug of coffee.

She had barely taken her first sip of the invigorating brew when her aunt Barbara swooped in and happily scooped up Roger for one of her memorable hugs.

Only this time, she left out the big kiss, somewhat to Roger's relief.

Setting him down again she said gaily, "Oanly me betrothed gets me kisses noo, yoo'll hae tae gae ootwi' it!"

Looking slightly frazzled, Roger smoothed out his ruffled hair and said drily, "I'm glad to see you too and I'm sure I'll survive, somehow."

As Barbara headed back to rejoin her nephew Leif, Ildico muttered to Roger, "I see what you meant, she's like a force of nature."

"That's one way to put it." came his muttered reply.

Young Harald came up to them and smiled, "Ah see yoo've been tae uir tavern fer a refill and a sup."

His eyes glancing over the two firkins and the pin cask.

Roger declared, "Your uncle encouraged me to take a second firkin and the pin cask is filled with mead. We'll broach that, come the holidays."

Phillip and Ildico stood gape mouthed at the sight of the towering Jotun who stood over eleven feet tall, a giant even among giants.

Freya grinned and said to them, "Thes is me cousin Harald, also cawed Young Harald ur Harald th' tall, if ye prefer."

Smiling at Harald she said, "Thes is mah neighbor, Ildico Swensen an' thes is her boyfriend, Phillip Thorsen ur Phillip the Tall, as me faither has named heem."

Phillip extended his hand and Harald did likewise, engulfing phillip's hand in his own baseball mitt sized hand.

They grinned at each other, two tall men meeting for the first time.

Harald said in his basso rumble of a voice,"Ah kin see wa Sigurd cawed ye tall, yoo're th' tallest wee cheil ah've seen."

Phillip laughed and replied,"And I can see why they call you Harald the Tall, everyone else is like a dwarf next to you!"

Naturally, lots of photos were taken of the impromptu gathering of Jotuns and wee fowk on the rocky shores of Ape lake.

Freya met Leif's girlfriend and the two girls sized each other up.

The girlfriend was a couple of years older than Freya and had the robust build considered desirable by Jotun males.

She smiled at Freya and said, "'Tis a pleasure tae meit yoo Freya, Leif has tauld me much abit ye."

Freya gazed steadily at the girl and replied,"Leif hasnae tauld me abit ye, Ah dornt e'en ken yoor nam ur whaur yoor frae."

The girl flushed, "Me nam is Frieda Ericsdottir, Peter Ericcson is me aulder brither.

Ah mit Leif when he cam wi' me brither tae help heem an' hees family move it haur."

Turning even redder the girl said quietly, "Ah ken at once 'at he woods be th' cheil fur me an' Ah cam it west efter me brither an' hees family."

Freya's eyes widened and she exclaimed, "Ye cam it west aw by yoorself? Ur ye daft?"

"Ah wasnae aloyne, Ah had me twa wolvies wi' me tae pertect me. Ah may be a yoong lass in loove, but ah'm nae daft!"

Freya muttered, "'At woods explain wa Ah huvnae mit ye afore, ye were still oan yer way haur."

When Leif came up to them and said cheerfully, "Ah see yoo've mit Frieda!"

Freya hauled off and slugged him on his nearest arm and as he rubbed his injured limb, she cried,"Wa didnae ye tell me yoo had a suitor an' wa did ye let 'er travel aw aloyne, in th' woods, athwart half ay Canada?"

"Owww! Wa'd ye hae tae hit me sae hard?" Groused Leif still rubbing his brand new bruise.

"Someone has tae knock some sense intae ye!" retorted Freya.

Roger and Sigurd wisely chose to steer clear of Freya while she was still angry with her brother for being so thick headed.

They both knew that Freya was pretty even tempered and not inclined to slugging people.

She had no tolerance for bullying though and would step in if she saw it happening.

In their opinion, Leif probably had it coming when Freya belted him on his arm.

The moment was broken when Young Harald gave a sharp whistle and cried,"It's time we got oan uir way whilst th' day's still young!"

With that, the Jotuns said their fare thee wells to the wee fowk they had befriended and began shouldering their burdens.

The 100 Lb sacks of grain destined to become the potent beverages brewed by the two Haralds at the their small brewery.

With practiced ease young Harald slipped his great arms through the shoulder straps and settled his three bag load onto his massive shoulders while the others followed suit.

Freya quickly hugged her father and brother, then said to Frieda, "Mak' an honest cheil outta heem, an Ah'll be prood tae caw ye me sister!"

Frieda grinned and hugged Freya before taking up her own 100 lb sack of grain.

When everyone was ready, they set out for the growing hamlet hidden in the shadows of Ape Mountain.

As the giants departed, Robert spoke up, "Welp, I guess we oughtta break camp then."

An hour later, everything was taken down folded up and stowed aboard the Grumman Albatross.

Roger's three casks were carefully stowed and secured for the flight with the promise that Robert would get a taste of Jotun ale.

They said good bye to the Swensons and their dogs, then unhitched the seaplane and shoved it away from the rough hewn wooden dock.

As the Albatross drifted away from the dock, Robert and Valerie went down the preflight check list before giving each other the nod of approval, and Robert started the left engine.

There was the usual grumbling and coughing and clearing of its throat before the engine started running on its own.

A few minutes later, the right engine underwent its own version of waking up and settling into a busy idle.

Patricia called out, "Weather looks good all the way down, only a few scattered clouds."

Nodding his acknowledgement, Robert taxiied the seaplane towards the long end of the lake and brought it about.

Ten minutes later the roaring of the engines and the bumpy ride ceased and the Albatross climbed into the cloud dappled sky over Ape Lake deep inside the Tweedsmuir National Park, British Columbia, Canada.