Roland was sitting in the front of the carriage controlling the reins. Gorm was sitting next to him watching the tree line for more bandits. Helga was sitting next to Sven in the back and was close as she can be to him without being intrusive. Thorkell sat on the opposite side as he sharpened his blade.
Sven noticed Helga was acting nervous and thought something was wrong. He placed his hand on her leg and asked.
"Is everything okay?"
"I'm just nervous about being out on the sea for the first time" She replied quickly looking away to hide her red face.
This was an obvious lie to everyone but Sven. Thorkell could notice how close these two were. Ah to be young again was all he could think. That, and how lucky they were to find two capable warriors to help them out. It was rare to meet someone who was so helpful out here. Most people wouldn't lift a finger to help you without some coin upfront. Slowly at a distance, you could see Breka coming into view. It's known mainly as a trading center. As they rolled into town you could see all sorts of stands and people trying to sell everything from furs to slaves. When Sven saw the people shackled up he seemed irritated. He still hates the concept of slavery, and if they weren't pressed for time to leave today. He surely would have intervened, and made his complaints heard.
"I know how you feel, but we can't cause a scene here. We need to go under the radar remember." Helga said softly trying to calm Sven.
"Your right Helga. Thank you for reminding me," Replied Sven
They were closing in on the docks. There were plenty of ships docked, and Sven was wondering which one they were taking.
"When we stop if you guys could load the goods into the ship at the end of the dock. See the man in red at the end of the dock. It's my brother Hjort. Once we get loaded up we can go." Roland said.
"I'm glad we can get going soon. I've never liked this place much. Too many drunks, and idiots roaming the streets. Had to break a frisky man's hand last time, and caused some trouble. By the way how long is the journey to Vinland?" Helga asked Thorkell.
"It's about two weeks give or take on the weather." Thorkell responded as they began unloading the carriage.
While they were loading everything up Sven was lost in thought. He was finally on route to get the answers he wanted. He quickly loaded up the ship, and they were off. Two, and half weeks have passed as they arrived in Vinland. The town wasn't too big yet. You could see there was a decent-sized market, several Inns, and bars. At a distance, you could see a small farm or two in the early stages of development. The docks had so many ships they could barely believe it.
Many people would travel here in the warmer seasons to gather timber, furs, and anything of value they could find before returning home. A few people stayed setting up farms, and exploring the lands for other areas to make settlements. Only in the past ten years did people begin building small businesses to take advantage of the increase in people coming to Vinland in search of fortune. Since it was easy to get business by running an inn that served fresh food, and good wine.
As they unloaded everything and helped them take it to the market. Sven and Helga were captivated by their surroundings They couldn't wait to venture out of the town and see what's out there. After a few hours of standing guard at the market, their job was done.
"Thanks again for all your help, and here's your pay. I wish we could give you more for the debt we owe you is still far greater. We leave back for Greenland in a few days. Will you be riding back with us?" Thorkell asked while handing them a bag of coins.
"Don't worry about it. We will be here for a while. It could take us weeks to find who we're looking for. Thank you for the offer though. Safe travels to you, and your son." Sven said.
Roland and his brother were seen waving them goodbye, as they all headed back towards the docks.
"So what should we do now?" Sven asked wanting to know Helga's opinion.
"It's getting late so we should start our search tomorrow. For now, let's find an inn with some space for us to sleep." Helga replied.
As the two walked off looking for a place to stay. There was a man watching them, he was wearing all black robes, and had been following them since they arrived. He quickly ran to the outskirts of town, and into the woods. Taking a rune out of his bag, and slicing his hand dripping blood into it. It began to glow and continued to pulse a red glow. He was sending a signal that the target had finally been found. The warrior who escaped that day when attacking Sven's village was the cause of this. He sat down with a mage when returning to base who probed his mind to get the images of what happened that day. After seeing what Sven looked like they sent a report and image to all of their hunters across the globe. They began sweeping England trying to find him and had just recently sent people to all Dane settlements with the hope of finding him. It would take time for them to gather, but chaos was on its way.
Meanwhile back to Sven, and Helga. They had finally found a room available, but it was the last one so they had to share it. Sven didn't see this as a problem, but Helga began overthinking it. She walked out of the room to go get something to eat. At least that's the reason she gave Sven, but really she was avoiding him. Sven sat on the ground doing his usual mediation to pass the time.
Helga began walking down the hallway towards the steps at the end of the hall. The sounds of people moaning in the rooms could be heard as she walked by. She tried to hurry up and ignore it. Quickly going down the steps. She always avoided those things, because she always heard too much about the affairs of her predecessor. The siren before Helga loved seducing, and bedding humans then killing them after. When she was younger she struggled to avoid the temptations being pushed on her. Normally they would only discuss the various songs they possessed, but occasionally it would revert back to the stories. She acted as if she was never interested but she witnessed some of the memories. Felt the sensations almost like she was the one in the act. She desired to feel these sensations again with Sven but was afraid of how he would react. She got to the counter where the man running the inn was working.
"Can I have some wine, please?" Helga requested flashing some coin at the man.
"Right away!" The innkeeper said eagerly
After Helga got her horn full of wine she sat down at the closest table and began drinking thinking over some things regarding Sven.