Page 109 of The Very Virile Viking

Rose and Lida were indeed having a grand time running around in circles. Personally he thought his Lida, though younger, was the faster, but then she had her new, light moccasins on, which probably gave her an advantage, and Rose was wearing a long gown with an open-sided apron in the Norse style.

People were gathering about, watching with interest the reunion of the two brothers. Mayhap it was not such a good idea to garner that kind of attention. So he and Rolf walked to the back of his exhibit, where the rudimentary frame of a longship had been erected. Angela and Merry-Death followed them with Lida and Rose in hand. They were chatting softly.

"What are you doing here? Do you live in California?"

Rolf shook his head. "Nay, I live on the other side of the country… in Maine. I operate a Viking village called Rosestead, where the people do everything we did back in Vestfold… and in the old ways, too, which is ridiculous, really. I would much rather use a drill and electric sander, but people like to see me expend all that energy doing everything by hand." Rolf rolled his eyes at Magnus, a silent message that the old ways were not really so old to them. "We raise our own animals, weave our own cloth, make soap, design jewelry, even build longboats. Rosestead is open to tourists six months of the year. That is why I am here at this culture festival. Our appearance here brings us publicity, and therefore we attract more tourists."

"And you make money doing this?"

"Yea, we do. Mostly the village was financed in the beginning by my selling my armrings." He looked pointedly at Magnus's armrings and those on Torolf.

"Do you have any idea how much those things are worth here? More than seventy-five thousand dollars."

"Really?" Magnus said without much interest. "Dost know how much just one gold coin from our time is worth? Close to the same amount. These people are barmy here, if you ask me. They call my coins antiques."

Rolf narrowed his eyes at him. "Just how many of those gold coins do you have with you?"

Magnus just grinned.

His brother laughed. "You ever were the thrifty one, Magnus… always saving for bad weather."

"Whatever," Magnus replied, not about to rise to his brother's jibes.

Rolf laughed even more at his use of that modern word.

"We are quite a pair, are we not?" Magnus said, hugging his brother once again. "Two thousand-year-old men meeting by happenstance in a field a world away from home." But then he thought of something and pulled away in alarm. "Rolf, I cannot believe that I did not ask earlier, but what of Jorund? You know, he left after you and never returned."

"I know."

"You know?"

"Yea, Jorund is living in Texas with his wife, Maggie, his two adopted daughters, and his son, Eric. In fact, he would have been here this weekend, except that Maggie is big with child. I mean, really big. They expect twins."

Magnus knew how devastated Jorund had been when he'd lost his own twin daughters to famine several years back. It was good to know that he had gone on with life.

"Does Jorund run a Viking village in Tax-us, as you do in Maine?"

Rolf shook his head, and his eyes twinkled merrily. "Nay, he teaches demented people how to lose fat and gain muscle."

That was the most incredulous thing Magnus had heard all day. Jorund was—or had been—a warrior of great word-fame. And now he worked with demented people?

He and Rolf glanced at each other and shared a smile.

"You and I and our families will go to Texas and surprise Jorund with your presence here in this land,"

Rolf suggested. "He will be so pleased."

"Magnus," Angela said, coming up to his side. "Would you like to invite your brother and his family to stay with us at the Blue Dragon tonight? They plan to exhibit here again tomorrow. It would give you a chance to catch up some more. I can call ahead to Grandma. You know she would love the company."

"Yea, that is a good idea, sweetling." He looked toward Rolf, who nodded his agreement. Then he kissed Angela on the top of the head and said, "Thank you," before she walked off to make her call.

When he turned back, Rolf was watching him with clear amusement. "And who exactly is Angela?"

"The reason for my being here," he answered truthfully. And that was all he could say for now.

Leaving on a jet plane…

Angela was at the airport, seeing Magnus and his family off with Rolf and his family. They were all going to San Antonio, where they planned to surprise the third brother, Jorund, and his wife, who was about to give birth to twins.