I grumble to myself, relieved but never enough, as we trudge through this forbidding place. That proud reckless boy! If I find him alive I will kill him, I think with a mix of affection and worry.

"Thank you, young Amleth, for these reassuring words. But if your mother..." Damn old age. What did I say my son was called? Oh yes. "But if your mother has heard nothing of Sintram, it may be that he has received the kiss of a Valkyrie on the battlefield." I smile despite myself. "If he did not run from her or challenge her, of course. That lad thinks only about duels and battles and hunting. It is high time that he found a nice maiden of proper breeding to beget an heir who will inherit the..." I check myself just in time. "... the family estate."

I am getting too trustful of this young man. The story of his father has touched my heart. I wish I could shake away the mantle of deceit I have woven about me for the sake of Thidrek's security. Is it still too soon? Certainly, if I go on like this, Amleth will tear it away from me with his own hands.