[Nogrod]

Stigend and Modtryth woke up early but didn’t want to wake Cnebba too soon. Modtryth went on with an inventory of what they were lacking. If they were to live here now, they might need a few items to make it their home, she told Stigend. They should have fresh flowers beside the window and so they would need a nice little vase for it, the rocking chair absolutely needed a rug on it...

“But you heard what the Eorl said. It’s just a month now, and only then will our fate be decided. I think you should worry about the vases and rugs then. Nothing’s certain yet”, Stigend tried to argue, but to no avail.

“C’mon now dear, surely we have savings enough to buy some essential things”, Modtryth looked at her husband half-challengingly. Then her face lightened and she said with a triumphant tone: “Remember, we don’t have to pay for our quarters or the food here, so we have at least a month’s expenses saved already.”

Modtryth was right as always. Lord Byrthold had paid him handsomely for his job and they had some left from the horse fair earnings too. And then there was Stigend’s secret “reserve” he had never mentioned Modtryth about. That meant the golden ring and the ornate silver necklace with two small gems on it he had been given by his Great aunt, the only person who somewhat approved of their marriage. She had given them to him when they were leaving their village. “I don’t have any eye for beauty anymore as I’m almost blind now, and I will not be suffering poverty on my last years. So take these and change them to silver to get you a living in times of despair.” Stigend had tried to decline the offer but his Great aunt had been resolute enough. And surely Stigend had appreciated the gift. He still appreciated it.

So Stigend had calculated that with a scanty living they might get on almost half a year with the money they had. And with the Great aunt’s gifts something more. Stigend didn’t have a clear idea of their worth. But he always wanted to be rather safe than sorry. He never wanted to use more money than was necessary as one never knew what the fate had in store. They had discussed this issue of using money during the years. They surely had.

It was not unexpected then, that when Cnebba finally woke up and Modtryth got something else to think about, Stigend was quite relieved.

After Cnebba had made a detailed account of his dream where he, Garmund and Lèoðern had adventured in the halls of the great King, tightly escaped a couple of dragons into a dead end and meeting there a horse-sized caterpillar that had turned into a butterfly and carried them to safety, they decided to go down and see whether there were breakfast still on offer.

As they opened the door the somewhat melancholic tune reached them. They just stood and listened to the melody. They didn’t hear well enough to make out the words but the player succeeded in getting the emotions through. As the song ended, Modtryth turned towards Stigend, almost whispering “That was so beautiful, wasn’t it?” Stigend was quiet for a second, just coming back from the world into which the melody had carried him. He couldn’t play any instrument and was quite bad a singer, but music sure was his weak spot, something that carried him away from the here and now easily and effortlessly. He looked at his wife smilingly, touching her cheek tenderly with his palm. “If we are going to be welcomed like this every morning to the breakfast, we sure are in the land of the dreams”.

“C’mon! I want to see it!” called Cnebba, already running towards the stairs. A new song had begun. Modtryth took Stigend by the hand and they both followed Cnebba downstairs and out to the courtyard.

Cnebba had stopped some ten yards away from the young man that was singing and playing. Even as he would so much have wanted to go and listen to the song beside Lèoðern, the stranger made him stay a bit farther away. Cnebba didn’t quite understand what he felt. It was something new. The man sang nicely and he admired him for it, but still he felt a bit disappointed to see Lèoðern being so deeply drawn into him and his song.

But then there was the butterfly! Cnebba’s eyes went round and the others might as well have heard how his jaw dropped from amazement and wonder. Wor a while he couldn’t say anything but just follow the butterfly as it danced around the singer and Lèoðern and then gracefully got farther, going up and down, left and right.

When the music stopped, he just couldn’t hold it any longer. He turned around to see his father some yards behind him and ran to him. “Daddy! Daddy! Did you see that! Was that the caterpillar we found yesterday?”

Stigend took the boy into his arms and answered, pretending to be serious “Well, it might have been. For that you must ask Garmund. But more probably that was the butterfly that saved you last night, don’t you think?” Cnebba looked into his father’s eyes intently for a moment and then bursted into laughter. Stigend laughed too and just couldn’t resist the chance and threw Cnebba high up, catching him only at the last moment before his feet would have touched the ground. They both laughed.

Only after he had let Cnebba to the ground did he realise that there were other people on the yard too. He hadn’t seen them the last evening, but they had to be people of the Mead Hall. He straightened his back and met some curios faces looking towards him and his family.

“Good morning to you sirs, mylady.” Stigend said a bit hesitatingly. He had no idea who these people were or how to address them. But they seemed to be of higher class. Still at least Lèoðern seemed to be in very close relation to that young man.

“My name is Stigend and I’m your new carpenter. This in my wife Modtryth and this is my son Cnebba. Nice to meet you all, in a good morning like this accompanied by the beautiful songs of you good Sir.” He bowed slightly and Modtryth followed his example.