Cursed Blessings

Chapter Five

Chapter 5
         I was to be a king and so the king made sure that I was given the proper education for such a station, which not only includes fighting skills but also etiquette, chivalry, reading, writing and deductive reasoning skills.
         I was given many tutors from many different parts of the world as well as different trades.  One of these tutors was named Reginn.  He was a blacksmith and he taught to me the secrets of sword making.  As the years went by and my strength grew Reginn and I became close friends.  He became my most trusted confidant.
         Shortly after my mother told me her story Reginn came to me and persuaded me to ask the King for a horse.  The King, having never denied me a thing, bade me to choose any horse that I wished from his stock.
         I thanked him and left to prepare myself.  The King’s stock consisted of many herds roaming wild and free over a lot of land and forest, so finding one would not be easy.  I would be venturing for more that just a day in the woods and countryside; a satchel with some cheese, bread and fruit and one skin of water would do fine so long as I took my spear, bow and arrows to hunt meat with.  I headed into the forest.
         I had been walking for hours searching out the herds when I noticed the daylight giving way to the night.  It was time to find a place to camp.  A shallow cave seemed the perfect spot, so I built a small fire and set off to find some game.
         The hunt turned out to be a fortunate one for I killed two rabbits with a single arrow.
         Upon returning to the cave I found a white bearded old man stirring my fire.  He looked up at me and said, “This is your home then?”
         “It is for tonight,” I responded.  “Have you been lost?”
         “No, Boy, I am a traveler,” he answered.
         “What do you travel for?”
         “I travel for many things; knowledge, to see the world, to meet new people.  What do you carry with you?”
         “It is rabbit.  Are you hungry?  Would you like to share my meal?”
         “Rabbit is a delicious meat and you do have two of them.  It would seem that fortune shines on us both today.  It would be an honor to share a meal with you.  Thank you, Young Sir.”
         “I am the one who is honored, Sir.  Shall we acquaint ourselves?  My name is Sigurd.”
         “I truly am fortunate.  Not everyone gets the pleasure of dining with a prince.”
         “You know who I am?”
         “One does not travel in another mans country and not know who the people of importance are.”
         Through the night the old man and I spoke of many things.  We laughed about many things.  We enjoyed one another’s company, conversation and the food.
                This entire time we also studied one another.  Through paying attention to his mannerisms I was able to see that he was not some old hermit or crazy man wandering the woods.  His speech was educated, the motions he made were calculated and never wild.  His white hair gave him the appearance of old age, but it was only a façade.  The skin around his eyes when he smiled did not crinkle like an old person.  At most he was middle aged.
                Before bedding down to sleep I informed him of the purpose for my journey into the forest and I asked him if he would like to help me.  He said to me this, “We shall see what the morning brings, my young friend.”
                                                                                          *  *  *
                I awoke to the sound of his voice whispering in my ear for me to rise.  When I opened my eyes I expected to see him next to me, but he was not there.  I looked around and saw him sitting just outside of the entrance.  He said to me, “The herd is moving to the river for a morning drink.  We must go now.”
                With youthful vigor I rose to gather my things.  I noticed the fire was only a few embers that were still burning red, so as I rinsed the sleep out of my mouth I spit the water on them to ensure they would not catch fire.  Outside there was the slightest lightening to the sky, telling me that the sun would be awake soon itself.
                As we headed out I realized that there was no river within a short distance of us.  It would take us half a day’s walk to reach it.  Reaching the herd in time to catch them at a morning drink would not be possible.  I felt no need to mention this to the old man.
                We pushed on and periodically he would stop to listen.  I don’t know what he was listening to because I couldn’t hear anything.
                “Where are you leading me to,” I asked, growing impatient.
                “I am leading you to the horses.  Now be silent,” he answered.
                “I don’t hear any horses.  Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
                “My ears work better than most and so does my nose.”  After telling me this he pressed a finger to his lips for silence and pointed ahead of us.
                I looked where he pointed and no more than thirty yards in front of us I noticed a drop off, which indicated that we were atop of an embankment.  I walked to the edge and peered over.  It was not high and not steep, but at the bottom of it there was a river and there were horses drinking from it.
                By this time the sun had risen above the horizon, but the light it was giving off was still gentle.  As I watched the magnificent creatures below I wondered how I was going to capture one and convince it to follow me to my home so that I could train him to bear a rider.  I stared at them in awe thinking, which one should I choose?
                My mind was asking questions and trying to give me answers at the same time.  My heart was pounding as if it would burst from my chest.  I could barely contain my excitement.  I turned to the old man for advice.
                “It is simple,” he began.  “You must first drive them all into the river.  Then watch for the one swimming across and jump in the water after him.  Swim to him before he crosses and be on his back when he emerges from the water.  Once he is still you will be able to get off of him, then look him in the eye and say his name.  After this is done, give him this.”  From his robe he pulled an apple and gave it to me.  “You will do fine.”  He took my things from me leaving me with only the apple and a small purse to carry it in and walked away.
                Now my only problem was figuring out how to drive the herd into the river.  Just a few yards away lay a fallen tree trunk that I could roll over the embankment.  The noise resulting from it would create a panic in the animals and frighten them into the water.
                I looked down at the river to measure its width and flow.  It would be a tough swim, but I could make it.  With my heart pounding so loud the whole forest could hear I searched the landscape for something that could give me leverage.  I found a nice thick branch that would do perfectly.
I shoved the branch under the log and paused to give a silent prayer to Odin for strength.  As I rose from a squatting position, concentrating on the muscles in my arms and legs, I felt a surge of power wash over me that seemed to make the task effortless.  As the log rolled, my excitement grew.
Suddenly the tree gave way and started rolling downhill.  I watched as the horses jumped, startled by the sound.  I too jumped.  Over the edge of the embankment and down toward the river I ran.
                The animals, almost in unison, jumped into the water and started swimming.  Most swam out a little and turned with the current only to return to land.  There was only one that did not turn.
                When I reached the water I wasted no time, I dove straight in.  There is no sensation like that of being plunged into icy cold water.  The first thing you want to do is scream, but you realize you can’t because you will drown.  The second thing you feel is thousands of knives are stabbing you.  After this you start to panic as your brain tells you that you are dying.  The trick is to fight the death.
                My head came out of the water and I took a deep breath.  I saw my horse’s head swimming away from me and I struggled against the flow of the river and the logic of giving up pursuing him.
                My desire to make him my own won that battle, for soon I found myself in the position to take hold of his mane and maneuver my way onto his back.  This happened just in time because soon after his feet found the ground and we both came up out of the water.
                He must have been just as exhausted as I.  There was not much fight left in either of us after that swim.
                After both of us began to breathe easier, I slid off his back so that I could look him in the eye.  As we stared at one another we bonded.  I reached into my pouch and fed him the apple.
                He nudged me with his nose and I smiled, “It’s nice to meet you, too, Grani.”
                The only trouble now was getting back across the river, but the hard part was over and I had my prize.