ane of England, and held Northumbria for him as
under-king. So he troubled Norway no more.

But for the spreading of the new faith Hakon would have had no man
against him; but therein he had unrest enough. Maybe it was to be
expected, as he went to work with too high a hand in that matter in
his zeal; for here we had no trouble. Phelim and Gerda won the folk
with ways and words of love, and before two years had passed all
were working to frame a church here with much pride in the
building, giving time and labour for naught but the honour of the
faith.

Hakon came to the consecrating of that church, and with him were
Bertric and Dalfin, and then those good friends of ours stood
sponsors for us at the first christenings that were therein.

Thereafter Bertric went home to England, and we have seen him no
more. Only we know that he is high in honour with his king, and
happily wedded in his Dorset home. Dalfin is still in Norway, and
high in honour with Hakon, and here he will bide, being wedded, and
holding himself to be a very Norseman. There might be worse than
he, in all truth. And Asbiorn is with Hakon, as the head of his
courtmen, silent and ready, and well liked by all. Those two we see
when Hakon goes on progress through the land, and comes in turn to
us, as he ever will, or else when we go to the court, when that is
near us.

Still over the hall against the black cliff glows the bright cross
at times, clear and steady. Men say that it does but come from some
unseen openings in the roof of the hall when the lights are set in
some unheeded way--but I cannot tell. However it comes, it has been
a portent of good, and minds me of that night when we brought home
at last my sea queen, Gerda. Surely it is a token of the peace
which has come to us and to her folk, under the wise rule of
Norway's first Christian king, Hakon the Good.

Notes.

1. The Norns were the Fates of the old Norse mythology.

2. Thrandheim, now Trondhjem, the ancient capital of Norway.

End of Project Gutenberg's A Sea Queen's Sailing, by Charles Whistler

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