Still, he was her brother and most like her of all of them. “It is good to see you, Magnus,” she said. “Will you not greet me properly?”
He stopped and turned to her. She held her breath as he approached and kissed both cheeks and pulled her into an embrace. “You have grown much,” he said. “And I have missed you.”
Tears welled in her eyes, but she would never permit them to fall in front of him. Magnus valued strength more than anything.
“And you look worried when you need not be,” she said, offering a smile to show him her confidence in the situation.
He searched her face for a moment, nodded and stepped forward to stand in front of Gunnar.
“I have seen much these past months, Brother. Some that concerns me, and some that gives me hope.”
Saga did not want to miss one moment of his tale and so took a chair near Gunnar, leaning forward.
Magnus turned and watched as Giric and Osgar also came forward to sit near them. “Do we share everything with these Scots now?” he asked.
“There is much you do not know, Magnus. And if you will share your tales I will share mine.”
Magnus looked at Saga again. She nodded and smiled at him in encouragement. He was an act first sort of man, but he was intelligent and would see that aligning with the Scots was a logical and sensible solution to their plight.
“Very well. I have spent much time in Iceland. It is exciting there now and much has been established to make the villages viable places to live and prosper. They have a council gathering to air grievances called an allthing and it is quite effective.”
“How does that work?” Gunnar asked him.
“The chief oversees the proceedings. Each person who has a grievance has the opportunity to speak their piece and call witnesses. The accused may do the same and between the chieftain, council members, and those villagers in attendance, they pass judgement, which is final.
Saga sat back and thought about that. Including the villagers in decisions on grievances not only made them a part of it and therefore more likely to accept the judgement, but also took the pressure off the chieftain. She liked it.
“And what is the success of these proceedings?” Giric asked.
Saga noticed that he was leaning forward, practically hanging off Magnus’ every word.
“Much success in the villages employing it.”
“Do they not value the word of their chieftain alone?” Gunnar asked.
“They do, but these villages are new and so therefore the chieftains are not as established as they are here.”
“Where else did you travel?” Saga asked.
“I traveled to Lewis and Orkney. I wanted to see for myself how the villages were managing.”
“Lewis has tried and succeeded with marriages between our cultures, Magnus. Yet you oppose that happening here. Why?” Giric asked.
“Because it is a way of diluting out culture. We risk losing some of ourselves by absorbing others into our villages and homes.”
“I felt the same way at first,” Saga said. “But I believe the benefits outweigh the negative possibilities.”
“And do you think you are being influenced by this man because you want to take him into your bed?” Magnus asked.
She stood, her cheeks burning. Magnus had never spoken to her like that before. He essentially insinuated she would give up everything she cared about in order to bed a man. He went too far!
“How dare you say such a thing to me,” she said. “I am and always have been loyal to my family and my people.”
Magnus frowned. “I am sorry, sister. I did not mean that kind of offence.”
“What exactly did you mean?” Giric asked, also standing. “Your sister and I are betrothed. We have entered into the agreement freely and have the blessing of your chief. You are entitled to your opinions, but you do not get to insult my future wife without answering to me.”
While it was kind of Giric to speak on her behalf, it was not Saga’s way. She could defend herself and did not need his interference in order to put Magnus in his place.
