r myself, I shall urge
this on." Osvif now went to see Gudrun, and told her that Bolli
Thorliekson had come there, "and has asked you in marriage; it is for
you now to give the answer to this matter. And herein I may speedily
make known my own will, which is, that Bolli will not be turned away
if my counsel shall avail." Gudrun answered, "You make a swift work of
looking into this matter; Bolli himself once bespoke it before me, and
I rather warded it off, and the same is still uppermost in my mind."
Osvif said, "Many a man will tell you that this is spoken more in
overweening pride than in wise forethought if you refuse such a man as
is Bolli. But as long as I am alive, I shall look out for you, my
children, in all affairs which I know better how to see through things
than you do." And as Osvif took such a strong view of the matter,
Gudrun, as far as she was concerned, would not give an utter refusal,
yet was most unwilling on all points. The sons of Osvif's urged the
matter on eagerly, seeing what great avail an alliance with Bolli
would be to them; so the long and short of the matter was that the
betrothal took place then and there, and the wedding was to be held at
the time of the winter nights.[5] Thereupon Bolli rode home and told
this settlement to Olaf, who did not hide his displeasure thereat.
[Sidenote: The wedding] Bolli stayed on at home till he was to go to
the wedding. He asked his uncle to it, but Olaf accepted it nowise
quickly, though, at last, he yielded to the prayers of Bolli. It was a
noble feast this at Laugar. Bolli stayed there the winter after. There
was not much love between Gudrun and Bolli so far as she was
concerned. When the summer came, and ships began to go and come
between Iceland and Norway, the tidings spread to Norway that Iceland
was all Christian. King Olaf was very glad at that, and gave leave to
go to Iceland unto all those men whom he had kept as hostages, and to
fare whenever they liked. Kjartan answered, for he took the lead of
all those who had been hostages, "Have great thanks, Lord King, and
this will be the choice we take, to go and see Iceland this summer."
Then King Olaf said, "I must not take back my word, Kjartan, yet my
order pointed rather to other men than to yourself, for in my view
you, Kjartan, have been more of a friend than a hostage through your
stay here. My wish would be, that you should not set your heart on
going to Iceland though you have noble relations th