Midwinter calling, day 52

The day before.

Guests.

Way before I woke up and breakfast, Hrappr, Ida and Ima are arranging tables, chairs, benches and so on in the pavilion and inside the meeting room, and baskets with fire wood for the pavilion fireplaces are stacked and ready. Jalida helps in the kitchen while Elvira hustles around as the general maid. Shakini, Ciara and Jane are doing more decorating, because there have been more decorations made in the last few days. Everyone agrees that the Christmas tree is a bit strange, but looks quite elegant and festive, especially since it now also have some hanging glass prisms.

Caecilia informs me that Merchant Danr's ship is anchoring in the strait between the islands, so I put on my outer wear and go down to the harbour to greet them.

In addition to Danr and Hagan, Storm Maurr, his concubine Lyngheida, their servant and two guards also step ashore. As we all greet each other, I understand that Danr and Hagan were in Lysesund the previous day to talk trade with his contact there, and met Maurr who had travelled there by the country road. I didn't even consider that Maurr might have trouble getting to the island, but he expected that someone could be paid to ship them over, although he was wrong about that, since he didn't have to pay. A merchant like Danr is just happy for the opportunity to make friends with a Storman. They've all heard the rumours about me and the islands, which makes them look at me and the surroundings with a little more respect. I also notice that Danr is accompanied by a beautiful slave woman with nice clothes and some jewellery, and Danr just kind of shrugs it off with a smile.

As we stand there and talk, the Millennium Eagle comes sailing with another ship behind, so we stay until they dock. The day is not that cold, and the sky is clear and not too windy so we can't complain. I hope it lasts for at least tomorrow. There have been a couple of snowfalls in the last two weeks but it melted during the day. As I expected from winters in this region, it is mostly cold wind and with some rain showers. Climate that means you need to be careful as the risk of hypothermia is high. Cold wind and rain just a few degrees above freezing is a dangerous combination. Colder just means ice and snow, especially dry snow, and that is not that bad and can be brushed off clothes. But being wet and cold? Dangerous.

We greet the newly arrived guests while the ship begins to unload. Hagan had definitely not expected the Royal Family to attend, and to be one of a few guests at this wedding who is not at least a Storman. Danr's crew will also spend time with my and King Aeriksson's ships crew, and just like everyone on the island, they will have quite good food and drink, even though they're not at the feast.

As usual, all the first-time visitors are very impressed with the island and mansion in pretty much every way, and it's funny when Danr and Hagan see my sambos, Jane, Caecilia and the maids. Everyone has pretty clothes too. Danr and Hagan have heard the proclamation that Asbjörn made, but still. Danr is quick to say he is glad his friend has acquired such impressive company and managed to build such an impressive mansion and riches in a very short time. Danr and Hagan really appreciate and are surprised that the guest house by the barns empty and just theirs for the entire stay here, and since his maid will take care of them and the household, Elvira will show her how the fireplace and everything works. I suspect that Danr's maid also serves him in a more intimate fashion too, and will discreetly check it via Elvira. I really hope it is 'voluntary' so he isn't raping her, but the kingdoms law will hopefully be changed in three months. Not that it change what have happened until then. For any woman or man.

The royal family will be our guests in the mansion in the same way as last time, and I think I see them feeling comfortable, familiar. Even though they have only been here a few days before, it seems to have made a big impression, and they seem to have been looking forward to the visit. According to Kari, Ulfarna isn't the best in pretending or thinking before saying, which historically have been both good and bad for her parents, and Ulfarna likes the room, and getting a confirmation that warm water for a bath or shower is available. Here, it always is. It's mostly a question about how hot, and with all the food preparations and such, the water is really warm. I give Asbjörn, Haera and the princesses a temporary room key each to their guest rooms.

My normal entourage with Caecilia and guards, accompany me and Iselin as we show Storman Maurr, Lyngheida, Olafr and Digraldi the guesthous and the village. They are ridiculously impressed by everything, and when I explain and show them the guest mansion, their praise does not diminish. They greet Skiringe's group and Liv, and Storman Maurr and Lyngheida make themselves at home. Designing and building the guest mansion was a very good idea, and that it has two larger rooms with double beds, plus several smaller rooms. Maurr doesn't mind his room only have a view of the backyard and the forest. I really made a lot of mistakes with assumptions when we started building on these islands, and how I designed buildings and what I had made. I should either not have built that house by the barns, or should have made it bigger and more useful or impressive.

Olafr and Digraldi to the village and the craft house and the foundry part that they will live in together with their accompanying maids. It's apparent that already during the boat trip they start to discuss the houses, amenities, crafts, forge and just normal work and their daily life. Olafr is really looking forward to testing the forge and apparently Olafr has brought a large heavy chest with tools and two anvils, plus several barrels of coal and a couple of hundred kilos of iron, which is quite expensive. I did say we would inaugurate the forge after the wedding, and he really doesn't want to run out of iron, coal or lack any tools. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a bit of 'tinking' and hammering from the forge before the wedding week is over. Olafr's hands seems itchy to start, while Digraldi looks appreciatively at the foundry. A wedding week feast isn't really day after day of just sitting at a table and feasting, so if Olafr want to do a bit of work, that is very okay. Both culturally and for me. Olafr remembers something and whisper that he brought the thunder weapons too. I sort of instinctively want to correct that to the Swedish inspired Norse 'shooting weapon' that I prefer, but honestly it's descriptive enough, and better than Jane's attempt at introducing the English 'firearm', and generally referring to them as 'fire' weapons. 'Gun' would be better as they don't shoot fire, or even have to use fire if they're compressed gas weapons, but they all shoot something. If I manage to do a good airgun, it's probably just a matter of time until I try to do some kind of flamethrower. And that is a good name.

The three musicians who will entertain during the feast week have been accommodated in the wing, and I welcome them. Two of them are women, and apparently the man and and one of the women is a married couple. I think I recognize the other woman, and she gives a satisfied smile when I ask if we haven't met before, and replies that it is true. Her name is Baugeid and we met at the Tosra gathering three months ago. Ah, there were many faces there, and a lot of music and feasting. Baugeid promises to entertain us with music, sagas, tales and dance. It's quite a collection of instruments they brought along, and I understand why they are careful of their instruments. Good dedicated carrying cases for instruments hardly seem to exist here.

Olafr have brought the finished thunder weapons, and again, they are excellent craftsmanship, and the hunt inspired him. There is a theme on the double barrel guns, and two have birds, including an Orre, nicely engraved. Others have foxes and hares. The hunting rifle, on the other hand, has moose and deer engraved. It's tragic that I can't head down to the range and test them right away, but such is life. Olafr has also finished the bayonets for the double barrel guns, and the guards are looking forward to trying them out too. We'll probably make some kind of hanging dummy from a sack and wood shavings.

The bayonet can be stored on the front of the shotgun with the tip and blade pointing back and nested into the grove between the barrels. It's basically a 30cm blade jutting out once mounted, and is very similar to my Boomstick's rhombic blade. To use, I just have to push out a small springy piece of steel and pull off the bayonet and stick it back with the tip facing forward. The hunting rifles are more complicated as the single barrel sticks out more, but he has made a bayonet for testing, which is threaded onto the barrel and rests against the edge of the muzzle and hooks into the front sight. Seems solid and good enough. The bad news is that the bayonet can't be stored on the hunting rifle as neatly as the double barrel guns, and if I want to put a silencer there, this solution won't work. Although I might use a similar style mounting for the silencer. It is quick to mount and dismount. For the time being, we ignore having bayonets for the hunting rifles, and since we have guests, all the bayonets will be stored together in a cabinet.

I hang two double barrel guns and the updated musket on the gun stand above the guards fireplace, and hang the finest looking double barrel gun and hunting rifle above my own bedroom fireplace along with the first hunting rifle, while the last hunting rifle and first musket are stored in my bedroom attic storage. Gunhild and Alith admire the weapons, especially the double-barrelled guns which they gently hold up and try to aim with, faces practically glowing with anticipation. I foresee a decreasing population of birds and small game in the area.

Unloading the ship and getting everything where it should go takes quite a lot of time, and I store the hourglasses in the workshop room, put the crucibles for steel making in the workshop attic together with the jugs of oil of vitriol, i.e. sulphuric acid, and several other things Kari brought back. There is a lot of furniture that the carpenters in Borgarsandr have finished, but the Academy is not finished, so the furniture parts are transported and stored in one of the Academy's finished basement vaults until future use. The finished windows are also stored in the Academy's finished basement. The armoured 'privacy screen' for a tent has also been completed, but we will have to pitch a tent and see how it is once the guests have left. The fabric used for the privacy screen is reasonably fine patterned and good looking fabric, and it is something that can be made more luxurious, especially if more are made, and if guests really misunderstand the screens purpose, I'll just be pleased. A lot of clogs have been made, so Caecilia along with Hrappr can drive around and let the guests try if anything fit, which they then can keep as a small gift. Some will probably be without, but such is life.

I'm overseeing work and preparations when Unn shows up with Völva Gauthild, who have come to perform the wedding ceremony. She is quite similar in overall look to how Liv looked when I first met her, although Gauthild is nowhere near as beautiful and older. Gauthild will stay with Unn, and they know that Liv is a guest, so they will probably have a lot to talk about during the feast week. A lot has happened since the Tosra Gathering, and obviously we will also talk. Three sejd women at a size wise small wedding is very unusual, but then I'm a Sejdmann, so it fits. Caecilia have fetched Iselin, so we talk a walk with Gauthild to talk about the ceremony. Iselin has planned for the ceremony to take place in a flat area just below the top on the low mountaintop across the bay due south from our mansion, and Gauthild agrees that it is a good place, so Iselin sends Caecilia to inform Hrappr to prepare it.

A messenger have arrived tells us that Storman Jolfr Lum with his wife and concubine, and two small children, a servant girl and two guards have arrived from via Orusingen. So, I go down to meet them. Interestingly, Jolfr's wife is considerably younger than him, while his concubine seems about the same age as him. My first thought is that his concubine have likely been with him for far longer and they love each other, but her social status didn't allow for marriage. Or he saved the marriage spot for 'a better deal'. Well, it's not for me to be judgmental. My own likely future situation with Iselin and Kari as wives, Ciara as concubine and Caecilia as my courtesan, makes it wise to STFU. And then there is that whole 'occasional friends with benefits' with Alith. And I'm trying to make Liv pregnant. So STFU, with a side order of FFS!

After presentations, they are shown to the most finished apartment in the residential area. My plan was that maybe Jolfr's group too would stay in the guest mansion, which technically there is room for if the servants and guards sleep on the floors, but it's just better they have their own place. Partly so that Myrun and Maurr's company doesn't have to listen to a screaming baby or small child. The children will probably delight Kari and Gunhild. The apartment have just four beds, and I forgot to consider the size of his group and he never said so, but it is easily solved and they have brought good sleeping pelts, since staff and guards usually do sleep on floors. The apartment is certainly luxurious enough for a Storman compared to the norm of many guests and relatives sleeping spread out on the feast hall floor.

I know that Jolfr feels important as heck by being invited to a really exclusive wedding. Important enough that the Royal Family and a well-known Jarl travelled here, and exclusive enough that he is one of a few participants. Jolfr dreams of the future and how important the Tosra Gathering will become, and how much the Academy Auction and the market twice a year will do for the region, and the guests who will visit for that. By just being in my vicinity, his own status and profile is raised. There will probably be a small self-reinforcing spiral in the coming years. It will be fun to see his reaction as Ackerek village and the Academy grows over a couple of years. How will my life be in 5 or 10 years?