The moment Baldur stepped out of the longhouse, while having his arms wrapped in Valdris and Frida's embrace, Hrold's daughters-in-law—Hildirid (wife of Erik) and Signy (wife of Osborn) walked at their sides. They introduced themselves with a hasty, almost breathless eagerness, their eyes locked onto Baldur as they admired him like he was some rare and exotic animal they'd never imagined existed. But just as quickly as they'd appeared, they slipped past the four, flashing mischievous grins at Gyda and the pair of mother and daughter as they vanished inside to tend to the food simmering in the firepit that was left unattended for a rather long time.
A pang of guilt twisted in Baldur's chest. He felt a little ashamed of delaying their work while satisfying his urges. Almost surely, that meal was meant to be their enjoyment after a long day laboring on the farm, and he just thought of getting his dick satisfied while leaving that pot unattended.
Valdris had a rather awkward look from the looks her sister-in-laws sent to her and her daughter. After all, what weird idea must be passing through their naughty heads, as they have never seen her acting like this before?
Snow was starting to pour down as time passed, and he needed to leave without delay, so Baldur walked quickly to the stable where he could see Unnvaldr, while already carrying a sled loaded with the bear, the deer, and other things in there. Hvíta being beside him.
The moment he walked through the stable doors into the building, Hrold and his sons turned from their work and approached after spotting them.
"Baldur!" Hrold boomed, grinning with a knowing smile at Baldur. "Did my girls take good care of that wound of yours?"
Erik and Osborn shot awkward glances at their sister as they looked at her, failing to hide their confusion while trying to look that nothing was out of normal happening. Their father had made it clear: Don't ruin this. A new son-in-law—and a husband for both Valdris and Frida?... How? Wasn't Gyda his wife? How would he get him to marry Valdris and Frida?.... That was his and their business, and they weren't to interfere. But their weird, quick glances as they also looked at Baldur's young face and even more to Gyda made them even more awkward before everyone.
Valdris clearly caught and saw the unnatural look of her brothers and the deep meaning. She stared back and burned holes through them with her own until they looked away, flustered.
Frida, face red as a baboon's ass because of the shyness of her uncle's look, buried herself against Baldur's bear cloak.
Gyda could feel the weird look of the brothers overing between the four, but she shrugged them off as they weren't malicious...She could feel that something was wrong, like they knew what had happened inside the longhouse to have such a look...
Baldur was also rather awkward. He could see the weird situation at hand with the pair of brothers, Hrold, and the previous two women. 'Everyone knows what happened or knows something,' he thought.
The realization should've made him uneasy, but Hrold's easy smile told him this was exactly how the old man wanted it.
He cleared his throat. "They did, Hrold, thank you for asking them to help me. Your daughter and granddaughter tended to me perfectly."
"Excellent! Excellent!" Hrold smiled widely, as his praise was thick with satisfaction. Not mincing the eagerness in his voice.
Baldur gestured toward the sled. "Hrold, I can see that you and your sons also helped me take care of the bear... while I would like to leave you the bear as a proper thanks for your kindness and token of our new friendship, and hopefully one that would be everlasting to reciprocate your enthusiasm with me...I unfortunately can't do it as I would need it..."
"But I will leave you the deer that Unnvaldr had over him... At least as a little token of appreciation for you all to have as a dinner... I feel ashamed that we took a lot of time in the common house, and the food that was cooking was left unattended. I don't know if it would be as tasty as it should have been, but this meat would helpfully replace it."
Hrold waved it off. "No need, lad. Your words are enough. They tell me you're sincere, and that's all that matters." He leaned in, voice dropping just enough. "But since you're leaving now, I'll ask one thing: come back soon. My daughter and granddaughter have taken quite a liking to you." A meaningful pause. "What do you say?"
Baldur exhaled after a little pause, hearing Hrold's clear intentions of uniting them. By now, if he couldn't see that the old man was clearly taking a liking to him, that he even is pushing his daughter and granddaughter to him in hopes of becoming relatives, he should just pack any thought of greatness and just dedicate himself to being a farmer all his life. While he didn't know why Hrold had so much eagerness with him, even as Gyda was with him and having presented her as his wife instead of only his sister, the clear sincerity of him felt good enough for him to take this bait without thinking too much, to no say that Gyda wasn't troubled with him taking Valdris and Frida as his women and wives.
At another moment, he could ask his doubts. "Your words ease my mind, Hrold. I will come back as soon as I can, as the feeling I have for them is mutual, and I would like to ask you for them both as I intend to marry them."
Osborn and Erik were petrified hearing that. But Hrold boomed, laughing in approval. "Good. Good."
Hrold's had a broad smile. "But...Young Gyda, how did you feel about this? While I hope my daughter and granddaughter can have a partner for all their life to depend on and be taken care of. I don't desire them to have a hard life in their married life with the first wife."
"I can see you are a proper and strong woman, Gyda, and most likely what I say will never happen. But if they were to really marry, we would become family by extension, and I would like to know if you would be bothered by this arrangement."
Gyda smiled as she looked at Hrold. "Hrold, I'm not bothered at all... Even more, I look forward to them marrying. I already see them as my sisters who would, along with me, take care of our husband."
"That's right. Sister Gyda gave us her blessing in being with Baldur already." Frida nodded quickly, even supporting it as she embraced Gyda happily. "We are sisters already. I like Gyda."
"Mhm-hm." Valdris nodded with a blush before her father and brothers continued. "It's fine, Father... we already talked about this between us. Gyda is our new sister, and she welcomed us into her family."
"Buahaha!!" Hrold boomed with loud laughter around the place. His face was like a blossoming chrysanthemum. "That's good. That's good. A harmonious family is the key to a long-lasting relationship and a good home between husband and wives."
He looked at Baldur. "When you come back in your next visit, at that time, we will discuss the bride price for them, and we will get to know each other better, and I will introduce my complete family to you."
Osborn and Erik recovered from their shock as they heard the shocking revelations so far, and their father's free, enthusiastic approval and a pleased tone. "Congratulations, sister, congratulations, niece."
"Baldur! You will become my brother-in-law. I want to test your skill with the sword when you come back next time." Osborn laughed freely as he patted his shoulder.
"Alright," he awkwardly said.
"Mn-mh." Erik nodded in support of his brother, and also his curiosity was piqued and intrigued by his father, his sister, and his niece's look of happiness at the mention of them marrying such a young and married lad. "We want to know you better, Baldur. You must have quite a story to tell. Your golden eye and the gods favoring you, it is intriguing."
"It is a sure thing, I wish to know better the family of my future wives." Baldur smiled at everyone.
"Still… I feel a little bit ashamed of not giving something as a token of friendship."
He disentangled himself from Valdris's embrace, giving her a reassuring look before stepping toward Unnvaldr. With deliberate movements, he untied the leather sheath of his longsword and offered it to Hrold under the eye of the others, who had a curious look.
"This would be my token of friendship for now," he said. "And of the fate that brought me to know you and your family, Hrold."
Hrold unfastened the longsword as he looked at it while also admiring the blade and its clearly sharp edges.
"It may not look like much," Baldur admitted, "no fancy carvings, inlays, or ornaments. But it'll hold against any sword in existence and never break in a clash. In its own way, it's extraordinary."
Osborn grabbed the sword from his father's hand and observed it a little bit before testing it against a large, round wood lying around. After a clash, it broke the wood like butter.
"Haha," He laughed like a kid. "It's like Baldur says. The iron is stronger and better than most swords."
"Where did you get it? I want more of these." Osborn asked excitedly. "What swordsmith makes these? Or did you buy it from some merchant?"
"You! brute!" Valdris chided angrily her brother for asking what he shouldn't ask.
Osborn awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. Erik sighed, "Sis, Osborn is just curious about the sword."
"Well, let's stop here, everyone, the lad needs to depart or the snowstorm would get to him." Hrold also interceded to give Baldur a step.
Baldur smiled. "It's not a kind of super secret; this sword was cast with the help of two swordsmiths that I have working for me. It uses a new method of making steel that I developed."
He then pointed to his golden eye. "The gods blessed me with knowledge of it."
Hrold and the others were surprised and shocked at the revelation. Valdris and Frida looked at Baldur with eyes filled with infatuation.
"Well, the crafting of these is relatively new, and I intended to make a business of them. So...we can talk later on about them..."
"Good!" Hrold smiled.
Baldur walked next to the sled and pulled off the deer he had hunted before and brought it to Erik's hands. "Take it, we will become family, and I feel ashamed by the food left unattended, even if you all are fine with it. I care for my family."
Erik smiled, seeing the lad with such integrity in him for his family, even if they aren't united yet, but he could see that he considered them already, as they were in all but the ceremony. "Good, we take this, brother-in-law. I appreciate your feelings."
Osborn also smiled. "We are getting a good brother-in-law with Baldur, father."
Hrold smiled and didn't persuade anymore to not leave the deer behind, after all, it was the thought of care of his soon-to-be son-in-law to his family.
Baldur pulled Unnvaldr and Hvíta outside the stable before moving beside Valdris and Frida. "I should go now. We'll see each other soon, don't think too much about me, beauties." He grinned.
"That is not possible, Baldur," Valdris said with a sad voice as she embraced him strongly and then kissed his lips.
"Baldur, I will miss you! Please come back...." Frida, with a few tears, said as she embraced him and buried her head on his chest.
"I will miss you too, my lovely Frida." Baldur, a little reluctant, also took her cheeks into his hands and made her look at him as he kissed her tears away, and then he locked lips with her in a sloppy kiss.
"Sister, take care of our husband. I hope to see you again soon. I'm already missing you both without even leaving yet." Frida embraced Gyda strongly with a sad voice.
Valdris also embraced Gyda in a fierce hug with care. "Have a good and safe travel, Gyda. I hope to see you and Baldur again. I appreciate all that happened during this time inside my heart. I'm glad to have gotten the chance to know you, Gyda."
"Mhm. I'm glad too, of everything." Gyda nodded at their words. "We'll see again, sisters," Gyda said as they untangled themselves from their sisterly hug.
After Baldur mounted Unnvaldr, he addressed everyone. "Till our next meeting!" he said as he left quickly atop Unnvaldr that now could gallop with the stuff he was pulling along. Accompanied by Gyda in Hvíta.
.......
As Hrold and his children saw Baldur disappear in the distance, Erik couldn't help himself to ask. "Father, what is all this deal with Baldur?" Even Osborn was confused.
"Why? Don't you like the lad?" Hrold asked without turning his head.
"It's not that, I like him. He seems like a good, strong, and resourceful man by what we have seen so far of him."
"But he is with Gyda, his sister and wife, and what about our sister and Frida?"
"Then there is no problem; Gyda allows her brother to take more wives without having a problem. She seems to like Valdris and Frida, and they both like her and Baldur. Anything more than that doesn't concern you." Hrold shrugged him off.
"What do you say, daughter. Do you like him?" Hrold instead gently asked Valdris. And then he also looked at his granddaughter. "And you, Frida. Do you like him? Grandpa did all his best to find you a young, handsome and strong husband."
Frida was flustered but still answered her grandpa. "I like him so much Grandpa. Thank you for bringing Baldur here to let me know him."
"Good!" Hrold beamed, laughing happily.
"I also like him, Dad. Thank you." Valdris said simply with a blush, not commenting more. "Also, Gyda is a good girl, I already like her like a daughter and my soon-to-be sister-wife."
"That's good, sweetheart. I like seeing the look in your eyes that you have now."
"Dad!" Valdris groaned. "I'm going to help inside the house."
"Mom! I'm going too." Frida quickly said, also running away from her uncles and grandpa's looks.
"What are you two waiting for? There's nothing more to see here. Let's finish the work and go eat," Hrold grumbled as he walked past his two sons.