Page 44 of The Viking’s Captive

“Yea, he is that vain,” Alinor said.

“As I was saying, this is the saga of Adam the Lesser.”

“Once was a Saxon healer,

All the maids his beauty did stir.

Some said he was overly cocky,

But, till then, his life had ne’er been rocky.

Along came a Viking princess,

Warrior by trade and dress.

Wanted the man,

Clobbered the man,

Carried off the man,

Heeded no ban,

Off she ran,

Took him to her clan,

Because the lady had a plan.

Now, some say she needed his talent,

That a miracle in him the gods sent.

That very well may be true,

But on this idea you should chew:

Exactly which talent of the knave

Did the fair maid crave?

And, further, this advice I confide:

Best that Eve should watch her backside

When Adam is untied…

Or better yet, at her bedside.”

Tykir and Alinor declared it the best poem Bolthor had ever created.

“It even rhymed this time,” Alinor cooed. “And it was long, too,” Tykir added, as if that were an asset for a good saga.

Rashid was practically in a swoon and swore that he and the skald would make celestial music by combining Bolthor’s poetic talents with his own mental stash of proverbs.

Tyra had walked up just as Bolthor began to speak. She was looking rather red, so Adam assumed she had overheard the saga. And, yes, her lips were kiss-swollen.

Adam closed his eyes and wished he were back in Northumbria where being a hermit was sounding better by the minute.