Page 108 of The Very Virile Viking

And Magnus, in turn, shouted, "Rolf!" Then the two Viking men rushed toward each other and embraced warmly.

They both had long, blondish-brown hair and whiskey-colored eyes. The similarities were uncanny. It must be Magnus's long-lost brother, Geirolf.

It was the shock of a lifetime for all of them, but especially for Angela, who was already having trouble accepting the reality of time travel. Now she was faced with two time travelers meeting in the far distant future, by chance.

Or was it chance?

Lotsa catching up with two thousand-year-old men…

When they'd had time to recover from the initial shock, introductions were made all around. Magnus had his arm looped over his brother's shoulder, not about to let him get away again.

"You know all my children, Rolf. Torolf, Kirsten, Storvald, Dagny, Njal, Jogeir, Hamr, Kolbein." As each of them stepped up, Rolf shook their hands in the modern tradition, or hugged them warmly.

"And the little one?"

"Ah, that is Lida. She came to us after you left."

Rolf raised an eyebrow at that news, but luckily he did not make jest of his brother, as was his usual wont.

"Angela, come here, dearling; I would have you meet my little brother, Rolf, whom I have told you so much about."

"Li-little?" Rolf sputtered. Magnus was just slightly taller than Rolf, and a little bulkier, but Rolf was the youngest brother, so Magnus always delighted in giving him that appellation.

Rolf turned his attention to Angela then, and his eyes widened with appreciation.

"This is Angela Abruzzi. My… uh, friend."

He saw Angela flinch at his naming her his friend. What did she want him to say? Lover? He thought not.

"Angela and her grandmother have offered me and my family great hospitality these many weeks at the Blue Dragon, her family vineyard."

"You are living at a vineyard… here in California? But… but how did you get here? I mean, did you come from the Norselands direct to California?"

"Ha! I wish that were so. Nay, we came by way of Vinland and Hollywood."

"You have been in Hollywood? You ? I cannot credit such a thing."

"Why? Think you that just because you are prettier than me I would not be material for Hollywood? On the contrary. I have been invited to be an act-whore in a move-he, but I declined."

Rolf's mouth was slack-jawed with disbelief.

"But that is a story for another day. You will notice that Madrene and Ragnor are not with us. They stayed behind in Vestfold. Madrene wed recently. She and her husband run my farmstead. Ragnor is taking my place at Father's court."

Rolf nodded, but he was clearly confused.

"You know our parents died last year?"

Rolf nodded again, solemly.

"Who are all these smiling people behind you?" Magnus asked.

"Bloody hell! How could I have forgotten?" He extended an arm, and a tall woman with auburn hair and beautiful green eyes stepped forward into his embrace. Both Rolf and this woman, along with the workers in his large tent, were wearing Viking attire. "This is my wife, Profess-whore Merry-Death Ericsson. She teaches at a college."

"A wife? You finally wed, eh? Didst have to travel across time to find a female who had not heard of your reputation?" he teased, and reached out to give Merry-Death a big hug.

"It is so good to meet you, Magnus. Rolf talks about you all the time. Is it true that you have… Well, we can save that for another time." She hugged him back in genuine welcome.

"And this boyling is my son, Foster," Rolf said with much pride, lifting high in the air a little boy of about five years. "And that little mite chasing after your Lida is our Rose. She is almost three years old."