422 CDXXII. The Praise (1/2)

When he finally got on his horse, he put a hand on his neck and began to caress him.

He then lowered himself, bringing his ear closer to the beast, trying to sense how he reacted to the load on his shoulders.

On the back of the horse, there was no saddle, but he seemed to be able to bear more weight, despite his paws that seemed to be about to break.

Dag then invited Freydis to grab his hand and climb up with him.

The girl did so without hesitation, noting that the horse could perfectly hold them both by not being too heavy.

Before the gate closed, Dag asked the archers on the towers to leave it open, telling them to stay in position, because after a few hours they would return to the fort.

The two lovers made their way outwards, riding slowly and looking around.

Nearby, there seemed to be nothing beyond the snow, but Dag recalled the words of Orvar, who throughout his history spoke of a forest not too far from the fort.

”Let's try to go over that kind of hill and see what's on the other side” Freydis said, hugging Dag tightly and resting her head on his shoulders, ready to go anywhere with him.

...

In the meanwhile, Kjell, Orvar, and Terje rode north, trying to see something in the distance.

For more than half an hour, none of them said a word, either because they didn't have much confidence or simply because they had nothing important to communicate, being focused on the mission.

Terje wanted to ask a thousand questions to Master Kjell, of whom he had deep esteem, but believing that his rookie words might have annoyed him, he gave up and tried with Orvar, who seemed more open to dialogue.