Page 114 of The Very Virile Viking

"Yes." Tears were streaming down her face now.

"Yes what?" Oh, God, if you are going to be on my side, now would be a good time .

"Yes, I will marry you. Yes, I love you. Yes to everything."

"Thanks be! Can I get up now? My aging knee is about to crack." I knew I could count on You. Thank You, nonetheless .

She laughed gaily through her tears as he picked her up once again and twirled her around in his arms.

As he hugged and kissed her, it was unclear whether the wetness on their faces was her tears, or his.

"Did she say yes?" Torolf wanted to know. He was rushing up from the house with the whole troop

following behind, including Grandma Rose, who had her rosary beads in hand, Juanita, who was drying her eyes on her apron, Miguel, who was drying his eyes on a linen pocket cloth, and Lida, who was waddling up at a fast pace, arms outstretched, saying, "La-La, La-La!" As Angela picked up his little girl, Hamr said, "I know just what to get you for a bride gift."

Everyone answered for him: "A bow and arrow."

Kirsten asked, "Can we have a big wedding feast? Please, please?"

"I want to wear flowers in my hair," Dagny said.

"Well, I am not wearing a suit, and that is that," Njal declared.

"Perchance I could carve a statue of the bride and groom for the nuptial cake," Storvald offered.

"Well, you had all best wait a few weeks for this event so that I can dance at the wedding," said Jogeir, who was still on crutches.

Kolbein, ever the soft-spoken one, piped in finally, "I could be the ring bearer."

"Wouldst you have me for your best man, Father?" Torolf inquired hopefully. "That is what they call the main witness in this new world."

"Please, sweetie, tell me that you will have the wedding soon after harvest… while my roses are still in bloom," Grandma Rose said.

"Ay-yi-yi! The preparations we will have to make. The priest, the food, the wines, the music." Juanita was speaking to Grandma Rose, and they were both smiling at each other, clearly jubilant at all the work facing them.

As everyone gathered around to congratulate them then, all of them speaking at once, Magnus put his arm around Angela's shoulder and hugged her closer to him. An immense warmth came over him then, a feeling of Rightness that he had found his place in the new world.

"You know, heartling, Rolf told me that he once considered himself the last Viking, and he took much pleasure and pain in that prospect. But I find there is only one thing I want to be."

"And that is?" she asked, reaching up to kiss him lightly on the lips.

"I only want to be your Viking… Angela's Viking."

Epilogue

Vikings sure know how to party…

Magnus Ericsson and Angela Abruzzi were married on the lawn of the Blue Dragon on September 27, 2003. Father Sylvester officiated at the Christian rituals, but it is said that the Norse gods smiled down on them that day, too.

She wore her grandmother's Italian lace wedding gown, and white roses in her hair. Magnus wore a black tux with a snow-white shirt. All of Magnus's sons wore tuxes, too, and, boy, were they fuming!

Kirsten, Dagny, and Lida were pretty in pink—organza gowns, with matching pink baby roses in their hair, just like Angela's.

Rolf and Jorund had tried to convince Magnus to have a traditional Viking wedding, complete with Norse attire and foods and rituals, but Magnus had balked at that. He said he was a modern Viking, and he was putting aside the old ways. Rolf had tried to tempt him by offering to bring several well-fattened acorn hogs from Rosestead for the feast, but Magnus had declined the offer. Thus it was that Magnus allowed his children to select the menu; to no one's surprise, they settled on dome-nose pizzas and chocolate layer cake. Scattered about the heavy boards were tubfuls of feast ale and Kool-Aid, not to mention the Blue Dragon's own fine wines.

The band played Britain Spear and Arrow-smith music, among other tunes. Everyone danced, even Magnus, who claimed to be too big and clumsy, but turned out to be smooth and sexy in his moves. His children were, of course, mortified.

Lida and Kolbein were the flower girl and boy, respectively. Torolf, Rolf, and Jorund stood up for Magnus… though they professed to be standing him up, so shaky were his knees. All three argued over who was to be the "best man," and finally settled on the three being the "best men."