Accept the axe and hit it right in the center.

Tjorvi smiled softly as he grabbed the axe. Moving it around in his hand for a moment, getting used to the handle before he pivoted and threw the axe with the extension of his arm. In that swift motion, the weapon spun like a cyclone of lightning before striking the target dead centre, wiggling as the blade embedded in the wood. With a handsome grin, the man pulled back on his hood to let it bunch down behind his head. Long strands of reddish hair poured across his shoulders and upper back. Deep green eyes looked around at the crowd, but then specifically moved over to glance at Gyda. "So..." His eyes wandered playfully, taking the final sip of his mead with the other hand not used to throw the axe, "... what have I won?"

He was joking, but it seemed like Gyda was about to say something when another voice managed to get everyone’s attention.

“Tjorvi?” The sweet voice of Natasja Tryggdottir was faster than Gyda’s. Tjorvi’s head turned into the direction of the thrones, and he couldn’t help but admire that beautiful woman sitting there. Natasja had really grown into a fine woman, but some things didn’t change. Her voice was one of those things – while it had obviously matured, it still had that same sweet ring to it. The kindness was clear, and she was known for it as well. It had already given her some sort of resistance, from Vikings who didn’t believe such woman could rule over a town bigger than the huts and farms of her birthplace. Even with Bjor by her side, there were some people who’d rather have a shieldmaiden on that throne. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here! Welcome.” The blonde smiled widely as she greeted Tjorvi.

“I – It’s great to see you as well, Natasja. I wanted to congratulate you, in name of myself and my family.” Tjorvi spoke up as he walked closer, hoping his voice would sound firm and deep even though it was a little shaky. His hand reached down to pull his rusty axe from his belt, and with one smooth movement he had knelt down in front of the recently married couple. “And I wanted to offer you my axe. I want to join your raiding parties next season, and make a name for myself. That is, if you would allow it.”

There seemed to be visible confusion on the faces of Natasja and Bjor. Sure, there were plenty of men who were looking for adventure and fame. However, a lot of farmers decided to stay to their own craft, and the young rulers never had to deal with anything like this before.

“Why do you think we’d let a farmer come along on our raids, boy?” Erling Trygg spoke up with his bouldering voice, causing the entire hall to go silent.

“Father!” Natasja spoke up as she looked to the side, but there was some truth in the older jarl’s words. They had plenty of Vikings, and they didn’t need an extra axe, especially if that axe was rusty like that.

“The boy has guts, my Jarl.” A familiar voice was heard right behind Tjorvi. A growling voice, and the farmer’s boy could still remember that breath from earlier. He glanced back at the large giant that had tried to intimidate him earlier, and apparently standing up to him made the Viking have some kind of respect for him. “He won’t take much space on the ships, we don’t lose anything by taking him with us. If he dies during the raids, then so be it.” The giant continued, his words being less admiring but it did put Erling into thoughts.

“And he can throw an axe, that’s for sure.” Gyda piped in quickly although a mischievous smirk appeared on her face. “But anyone can hit some wood and hay, and having guts won’t make you useful. I still think he should prove himself.”

There was some agreeing rumble from the rest of the hall, and once again it was the brunette shieldmaiden that seemed to throw oil on the fire. She seemed very convinced to make Tjorvi prove himself to the limits as she announced that he should duel someone to prove his strength on the battlefield. Coincidentally, she claimed that his opponent should be herself.

“I can take down most of the men here when there are weapons involved, but since there won’t be any swords and shields around – it might be a fair fight if he’s worth anything,” Gyda smirked as she looked over at Tjorvi challengingly. It was clear that everyone thought it was a good idea, and most Vikings just wanted to see the fight between their favourite shieldmaiden and the newcomer…