"Thank you for your kindness."
The Raven Charmer did not refuse his master his courtesy. He had lived in Uppsala for over ten years and was familiar with the customs of his fellows. It certainly did not hurt to be cautious.
Over the next few days, Wig was busy studying legal texts, giving time to advise the Stirlingshire Railway Stagecoach. In late April, he received a letter from the Sheriff of the Shetland Islands.
"The Shetland Islands refuse to surrender? How dare you!"
The northern route from northern Europe to Britain is relatively safe. From Bergen on the west coast of Norway, one can head west to the Shetland Islands, then south to the Orkney Islands, and then south to Scotland.
The Shetland Islands are about 200 kilometres from Scotland and are in the North Sea fishing grounds, making them suitable for fishing.
According to a trade agreement reached the year before, Vig was obliged to pay Gunnar pig iron, pickled fish, tin and furs in exchange for high-quality Frankish war horses.
Pickled fish made up almost 40% of this.
According to medieval church classification, fish were cold-blooded animals and were not considered "meat". Therefore, during Lent,
fish was the only legal source of animal protein, leading to a high demand for pickled fish in Western Europe.
Concerned about the Shetland fishery tax and possible shipbuilding contracts, Vig wrote back to the Sheriff of Orkney, urging him to resolve the matter quickly.
In early May, Vig received the unfortunate news that the Sheriff's messenger had been murdered by locals.
"How dare they kill my countrymen?"
Heiligewe, sensing her husband's anger, leaned over to read the letter. "The Shetland Islands are sparsely populated and the local chieftains are taking a hard line. I fear there is someone behind this."
Vig unfolded the map. Iceland lay to the northwest of the Shetland Islands, and Bergen to the east.
Björn, the Icelandic lord, and I had a warm relationship. Thurnberg supplied us with food, iron, wood and wine. Bjørn had no reason, either emotionally or practically, to act this way.
He turned his gaze to the west coast of Norway, looking at the dark spot that symbolized Bergen.
"I'm 90% sure that this is connected with Ohe (the lord of Bergen). Well, it so happens that I have a score to settle with him."
Their feud had begun four years earlier (in 846 CE).
At that time, King Eric, following the advice of the merchants, decided to follow the example of the great king Charlemagne and achieve his ambitious goals. Having accumulated military equipment, he conquered settlements all over Norway. Vig took the opportunity to sell his military equipment, and Bergen received the largest share.
However, after selling the weapons, Vig remained unpaid. He repeatedly sent envoys to Bergen demanding payment, but only received answers like: "I have little money now. I will definitely contact you next time."
When the war ended, Earl Bergen simply refused to pay, claiming that the weapons Vig had sold were of poor quality: the Purple Bow had insufficient range, the arrows had poor tail feathers, and the round shield could not withstand a blow from a two-handed axe.
Eventually, he even blamed Vig for the defeat and demanded a large compensation.
In the years that followed, Vig had been involved in numerous wars, and the memory of this incident had gradually faded. Now, however, the memory of this incident had reignited his anger.
Looking at her husband's appearance, Herrigev realized that he had murderous intent. "Nominally, Lord Bergen is Eric's vassal. Before you do anything, you should first write Eric a letter."
"Inappropriate!" Vig paced back and forth in the study.
"Eric is greedy and cowardly. If he had made up his mind, the old man would have taken the Shetland Islands for sure. Better to strike first and get rid of the chieftain and Lord of Bergen at one blow. I want to see if Eric dares to go to war with me."
Her husband had made up his mind. Herrigev yawned and went to the bedroom. Now that she was pregnant again, her energy was much lower and she did not have time to sit up late with him.
"Ugh, I'm terribly sleepy. Sleep with our son tonight and remember not to talk nonsense to him."
"No, I will not sleep tonight. I am gathering an army and preparing weapons. I will sail early tomorrow morning."
Most nobles had no standing armies at this point, and relied on a few dozen guardsmen. Vik planned to launch a surprise attack on Bergen as soon as possible. Another day's delay would allow the local lord to gather more troops.
Coincidentally, the first cog of the Tyneburg shipyard had recently completed sea trials. It had made an uneventful round trip to the Frankish lands, carrying pickled fish, making it a suitable vessel for Vik.
After an eventful night, Vik led fifty shield-bearers aboard the cog Albacor.
While the sailors were still loading supplies, Vik gave a short tour. The cog was the same size as the Gothenburg: twenty-five meters long and six meters wide, with a fifteen-meter mast and a massive square wool sail. With a fair wind she made good progress, but
against a headwind the crew had to row with the oars, as there were twelve oar holes on each side.
Below, among the piles of barrels, the air was filled with the salty smell of fish, mingling with the stench of pickled herring. The sleeping bags of the passengers were packed tightly on both sides of the corridor. Because of the limited space, some even had to sleep on deck.
Being a lord, Vig did not have to huddle in the dark and damp hold. He naturally took up residence in the captain's cabin, where for the next few days a flimsy hammock served as his bed.
Returning to the deck, he found that on the lower deck there was a wooden rudder with a long handle, steering the ship.
Wig had the impression that the later three-masted sailing ships had wheelhouses, but unfortunately he did not remember them in detail; otherwise, the Albacore's maneuverability would have been even greater.
The ship also had a small wooden tower (similar to a lookout tower) where four crossbowmen could be stationed to fire at the enemy during combat.
Half an hour later, having replenished their supplies, the captain asked permission to put to sea, and Wig agreed.
"Raise the anchor!"
At the captain's command, two sailors worked together to raise the capstan, lifting the heavy anchor out of the water. Meanwhile, the oarsmen carefully towed the Albacore away from the pier.
Having reached the middle of the river, the cog raised its sails and gradually disappeared from sight at the pier.
Two days later, the Albacore, along with dozens of Viking longships, docked at Edinburgh. The Vikings had gathered a total of 600 highlanders from Edinburgh and Stirlingshire, plus another 100 garrisons from the Orkney Islands, bringing the fleet's total to 1,000 men, including sailors.
Heading northeast, the fleet reached the main island of the Shetland archipelago, a region cut by jagged fjords. The land was barren, trees were few, and the hillsides were dotted with sparse flocks of sheep.
"Gather the natives; I have a question for them."
Following the lord's orders, the soldiers herded more than 400 civilians onto the dock. Seeing the famous banner with the black snake,
the locals immediately understood who the invaders were and did not dare to resist.