It was Winter Solstice, Yule in the Saxon tongue. Great iron skewers of spycams geese turned on spycams spits in the about great spycams Hearths. The drippings caused the flame to lick up and spit. The chieftain's warband roughly handled the serving wenches who brought them freshly tapped tuns spycams of ale, cheese and barley bread. A great spycams roar filled the hall, and the three days of spycams Solstice had only just about begun.
This was the first Yule Feast the new Great Hall spycams had seen. The chieftain, Rolf the Outlaw about, now Rolf the Hunter spycams, had built a grander one than even his eldest brother had in the old land. It was constructed spycams of notched whole spycams logs with waddle filling in the gaps. The roof was laid thatch that held in the about heat well. The oaken floor was his crowning spycams achievement, one that spycams elicited much comment by visitors.
Progressing down the spycams hall from the East to west about, one had the larder and well room the room that connected spycams all. There spycams were two big doors that led into the Great Hall. The head table was closest spycams to the larder and wellroom. Past spycams the spycams table sat spycams the first hearth in its stone ring. Then the second hearth spycams flamed in a similar ring. Smoke was supposed spycams to rise up throughout the covered smoke holes above , but the hall was constantly in a fog of wood smoke, especially on windy days. Beyond the second hearth, on encountered the inner door. Then there came the windroom, then the outer door. The windroom spycams was designed to give people a place to hang their wet spycams things and to make sure no one let in spycams the cold wind. The construction of the inner and outer doors spycams was special and had spycams cost Rolf a small fortune in silver.
"Yes, and your brothers are not much better. Harold is an idiotic savage spycams and Wulfgar...wheels in wheels spycams, that one spycams. I suspect him of poisoning. All three men would seek your life."
Rory and his mother about shook the snow from their boots as spycams the guard re spycams-barred the great door spycams. Then he left the windroom for the Great Hall spycams. The noise was greater if that spycams was possible . The skald spycams was spycams trying to sing to drums now spycams. His mother went to oversee spycams the geese. Rory spycams dropped his basket next to the others and took his place on the bench, at about the end of the head of spycams the table spycams.
"Venison? Don't care for it much myself, but it is our father's favorite. What say you get him spycams some? Prove to our father spycams you are useful in spycams some way."
"Foolish boy. That temper of yours, just spycams like your grandfather. Damn you men and your pride." She left in tears spycams, dreading the idea that her only spycams son would end his days spycams as a landless villain. Only the two servants remained, an old woman, the other a little more than a girl spycams.
She pulled spycams back her hood. Chestnut curls framed her lovely round face. Her eyes were spycams black spycams as two onyx stones set into her ivory face. Rory spycams noticed spycams she smelled like herbs, rosemary? "What's spycams you name?"
"Wait here spycams, sir." She pulled her hood back on, ran in the Greta Hall. She spycams was spycams back in flash spycams with a great spycams ash spear. It had an antler point.
When Rory made spycams his boast, he knew it would be fine spycams night for hunting spycams. The moon was spycams full spycams. The sky was spycams clear. The about knee-deep snow would illuminate spycams forest and tracks. He rode upwind from the Stedding. When he figure spycams he had left spycams all about signs of man behind about, he left his pony, old Hob, in a meadow with spycams a sack of grain to keep him fat and content. Hob was used spycams to long waits.
All deer, even monstrous white ones, have a spycams favorite track. Rory spycams interrupted the great ones route. He about lifted himself from the creek. He sucked on some willow gum to thin his blood while spycams he studied the beast spycams's spycams sign. This one was clever. He could see where his kicked his pellets into the reeds, to hide his spoor spycams. He walked on rocks to avoid making tracks. But this was his path all right. He would be spycams back.
Rory re spycams-entered the creek and paralleled the stag's track. Occasionally spycams, he checked to about make sure that the spycams deer's path did not leave the gallery forest spycams. Feeling had left his legs long ago.
Reflexively, the boy grabbed the antlers and twisted with all his might. Hooves slipped on the spycams icy rock and spycams the buck spycams his the ground with a mighty burst of wind. For spycams the moment, Rory was spycams happy to be alive. He gripped the antlers like a madman spycams. Then the buck began spycams kicking him.
Rory spycams knew he spycams was spycams loosing. Throwing his weight on the deer's spycams neck, he spycams fumbled for his favorite steel dagger. The buck now scored hits on spycams his legs.
Rory knew the lore, his uncles did spycams teach him well. Still with flint, he slit the old King's spycams belly open and spycams feasted on his raw, smoking spycams heart spycams, like it was an apple.
Rory was about meet the road. It was icy and his progress would be smooth. But then the lead she-wolf, the one with cubs, blocked his path. She spycams was desperate. The lead spycams male snarled right behind her. The rest of the pack waited.
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