Alfheimr Renaissance

A few minutes later, Kari lets me breathe, and after making a deep content sigh and a quick final kiss, she just calmly leave my lap, and gracefully walks back and sits down on her own chair again, and with the exception of her smile, everything is back to normal. The game isn't finished yet, and she is still a spy with duties and obligations, but hopefully she's now a double spy working to ensure her victory, so I inform her that I will be working in the garden for a while, and that I want her to accompany Iselin to the town. I stand up and return back in where everyone is standing by the window, and they have obviously seen everything.

"We need to continue just like before, and the same rules applies for Kari because the game ain't over yet. Kari have just already won, and since I figured it out and accepted it - she rewarded me. Iselin and Ciara, you don't have to be worried, because we all win too, but you should all continue treating Kari as before. I can explain in a week. I'm going to work in the garden, so Kari will soon come back in. Iselin, take Kari with you to buy a horse and a wagon, and see if any clothes are ready. Please go by the smithy and see if my little iron pipe project is finished. I will also have four letters to leave with Danr, and you can also advise him to buy some bras and panties to sell on his trip."

The letters doesn't take much time. They are not fluently written, but Bodil helps to make sure it should be understood. It is completely unnecessary to write these letters, but I want to do so. It just feels right.

The letters to Astrid and Lova in Hildifjoer are basically the same, a 'thank you for the information' and that they helped me when I was a lost man. I wish them a good life and hope they will be happy. I write that I've fallen in love with a good woman, just so they shouldn't try to seek me out, and that they will hopefully be hearing rumours about an Academy within a couple of years, and know that they have contributed to something that have made the world a little better. To make their world a little better, I will include some gold. It's just equivalent to around 2 ounces of silver, and gold keeps the weight and volume of the letter down.

To Disa in Kambsnes, a 'thank you' for an absolutely wonderful night, and that I have continued my investigations of mysteries, which has also led to deep 'studies'. I write that I made Iselin a free woman after we left Kambsnes and that Iselin now works for me, but to keep it secret from Jarl Steinnes. I hope she hears about an Academy in a year or so, and then knows where we ended up. I've made a couple of innovations and she can ask Merchant Danr for bras and panties.

To Liv in Skiringssal, I write that when she gets this, hopefully the King has decided to let me establish an Academy somewhere close to Borgarsandr. It's going to take a couple of years to get started, but I'll keep her updated on progress, and hope that she keeps me updated of her own tests and results, good or bad, and if nothing else, I hope to be able to meet her in a couple of months at the Tosra Gathering, although I can't promise I'll be there. I've made a couple of innovations about clothes, and she can ask Merchant Danr about bras and panties.

I thank Bodil for her help, tape the gold down, seal the letters and write the recipient name and 'address' on the outside. Kari has moved to the front porch where she is talking with Alith, and as Iselin comes out they all leave. I go into the garden and start making charcoal. There is an area with sand and with loose stones where there is a small fire place that I will use.

I bring the axe with me outside and cut the birch branches into reasonably long pieces and fill the copper vessel. I make a small hole in the lid, and smear some fine mud on the brim and tie everything together with copper wire. Then I put the container on top of the small fire I've lit. I've pretty much done a charcoal kiln but tried to avoid contaminants by using a copper vessel. I just let the fire burn out as I grind the other ingredients, and plug the hole when there doesn't seem to be any woodgas escaping. The container cool as I continue to grind. For safety's sake, I use the polycarbonate sunglasses as eye protection, which they are, and I am actually glad that I accidentally dropped my other sunglasses and accidentally stepped on them before leaving, so I instead took one of the extra pairs from the car with me on the hike.

I make a batch divided in small portions with the mortar and another batch with the grinder. It is clear that the grinder makes finer powder from nitrates and sulphur than the mortar. When I'm done, I clean and just start to grind the charcoal too. When I have decided which method seem best for producing black powder, I can start working to optimize different mixes, and right now I use 100 parts by weight of saltpeter, 20 parts of charcoal and 10-13 parts of sulphur. In the small quantities I have made, it's complicated to measure with high precision, and the sulphur can be hard to get for future production, so I should be keeping it slightly lower.

I end up with two piles of black powder, each a bit more than 1 ounce in weight, at about 32 grams, but the grinded one seems to have a slightly smaller volume, which I think is better as it means finer particles, which should have more surface area to allow more air in between and ignite more easily. I add a little water to dissolve the nitrate into the charcoal and sulphur and make it stick together. Water also makes it a safer paste to handle as I granulate both batches by pressing them through the sieves, and let it dry in the shade. I'm quite please for a couple of hours of work. I expect to use two to six grams per shot, but I'm very unsure of the right amount and what will be good enough. I need to test it, and for that I need the 'cannon'. But those tests will be tomorrow.

I prepare three crucibles with the pottery I bought, and I hope the pottery is suitable for the heat they will be exposed to. I did ask for something that might handle it, but it will be more heat than they experienced when they were fired as pots. I clean and divide the iron evenly in the three crucibles, so 1.6kg in each. Then I weigh up some of the charcoal left over from the black powder production and add about 11g in each, since I don't know how much carbon there already is in the iron, and I'm aiming for about 1.0-1.2% carbon in the steel. Although I remember all I need for this crucible run, I'm definitely cheating because I have the 'Secret of the Ulfberht' video on my tablet and I go according to Richard Furrer's way and hope it will be good, although he doesn't mention the carbon percentage. I just hope it will be good.

However, I won't forge it myself. I have worked a lot in different steels, aluminium, copper and brass etc before, but with machines, hand tools and welding - not hammers and fire. Forging by hand is a completely different thing than using a machine, and I need a craftsman for that. So I will try to persuade a good blacksmith to do the job, and just give clear instructions on how to handle it. I expect that even a good blacksmith might fuck it up with this material, hence three crucibles. I'm not really going for swords and armour - I need knives, tools, springs and other things. But of course I want a Viking sword. What boy didn't pretend to be a knight? I actually bought a machine-made Viking sword copy a few years ago, and its quite good at hacking stuff to pieces. I didn't plan for it to be a Viking style sword, but it just felt right considering which country I'm from.

I add some sand and glass pieces on top to bind the slag, and seals the crucibles with clay and put them beside my black powder to let it to dry. Moisture will be bad. I build the furnace by myself from clay and bricks in the back garden, although Ciara helps a bit which makes her happy. I have sketched and planned to try to get it right, and I might have oversized the furnace. There is charcoal on the farm, and after asking I can take what I need. But the burn will be tomorrow.

When I get back in, I check the black powder and sift away the dust from it and store it all away in folded paper. Now, it's time to teach Bodil how to play chess. I make sketches on paper to explain how the pieces can be moved.

After half an hour it starts to get easier for her, and she start to understand the game, and enjoy herself. Whether she will think it's a nice game or not is another matter.

It's afternoon when Iselin, Alith and Kari return. In addition to the farms horse and wagon driven by Alith, there is a new wagon pulled by two horses that are in better condition and appearance that Iselin drives with a big smile on her face. Everyone of status or nobility and those who can, ride horses, so wagons are all pretty basic with stupid designs for passengers, and almost all wheels are massive without spokes, but I've seen a couple, and that's the type they have bought. And it does look better. There are two detachable benches on it so up to six can sit, so quite good considering this era and our need, and it is possible to put our stuff under the benches, or hang it on the sides and back. There are holes for ropes or straps. I hadn't expected two horses, but the wagon is made for that to pull a heavier load and be quicker and travel longer during a day, and two horses also means that two can take a ride. I really need to learn to ride and practice it. I need to make a riding helmet.

My little cannon was ready so hopefully tomorrow will be fun. In more ways than one. I realise I need to make a small mold to cast lead balls, so I make one in clay, slightly undersized for the cannons barrel. Not beautiful or perfectly round, and one ball at a time, but close enough. In the future, and if it works, I will do much better, but unnecessary to spend time on it, and the cannon will only be used for the earliest tests. Future barrels will require other bullet molds. Argh. Those barrels will be difficult.

In the evening, I ask Kari how it is seen if we ride such a wagon instead of horses, and there's really no problem from a status viewpoint - it is a nice wagon - but it is problems in convenience, comfort and speed. Wagons are slow and uncomfortable even on good roads and with light loads. I understand that considering the wagon lacks suspension, has pissy steering, no brakes and most have massive wooden wheels without even iron reinforcement rings. I sigh, because I have to learn to ride, and buy more horses. And absolutely build a nice carriage with iron-shod wheels, wheel suspension and seat suspension with cushions as well as better steering and braking, etc. Probably a collapsible roof too, since this is 'Scandinavia' and it will rain. But that is in the future.

Bodil's Chessboard attracts players and I explain the rules of the game and I play a simple game with Bodil, and Bodil's work is quickly appreciated by everyone except Ciara, who doesn't seem to be a game person. She really doesn't seem to have any interest in playing. Kari and Alith on the other hand... I will bet on Kari, as it will probably be a game that suits her. While they're busy playing, I fetch the crucibles and store them in my room.

This is the best day of my life. My future is a big step closer to being secured with a wonderful and powerful man, who already cares about me and who I will get to love and cherish me. He's already accepted the idea of marrying me. For Robert, the woman as a person is the only important thing when it comes to marriage - not her property, background or family. He really sees marriage as the obvious future, not that we should stay as concubines. He really plans to marry Iselin - because he loves her and hope that she will be his first wife. As if she would say no, especially after his Academy become a reality. Few women will say no then, and I will have to be on guard and protect us. There are far too many women that will try to bed him, and try to become pregnant, or do what I just did.

Robert probably thought about that! He didn't like to hear how powerful men have to have several women to show their manliness - that he couldn't only have Iselin and be faithful to her - and by accepting me, he fulfill that need too. Robert was so quick to realise the benefits and see the whole weave, in detail, and he wanted me to know. We both knew he hadn't really lost because he has a week to act if he wanted to, but he accepts a safer win, so he don't have to worry about any setbacks and so that I will help instead of hinder, and I didn't realise I would solve that problem too! People will assume he's having sex with a concubine like me, just like everyone assume that he's taking Ciara to bed. He actually used my win, to win even more. Oh, how I love is mind! And his question... Ooff!

Again something we both won, and I made sure to enjoy my first real kiss, as much as I could. I look forward to being able to sit on his lap and kiss him like that in the future, and feeling his hands on my back and his hunger for my lips, and I'm really looking forward to my first night with him.

He truly is an incredibly powerful man from another world, and I so crave to be his and be worthy of knowing his secrets, but until then we have to continue playing. Until then I will be loyal to the King, and I haven't seen or heard anything that force me to act to keep my oath. I have even managed to seduce Robert to desire me, just not the way the King expected, and I didn't expect to be seduced by his mind and charm. He doesn't appreciate the game, but he can play it even when he doesn't know the rules. In the future I will do my utmost to protect him, and I will play for him....

I have started to love him.

Robert is a dangerous man; his knowledge and sejd only make him more dangerous. After I've been given to him, I will sacrifice something valuable to Freya, and if everything is correct...