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Snake wondered where he had heard that name before. Thorfinn. He was sure he had never met another man with that name at any prior moment of his life, so why did it ring like he had heard it a thousand times?
There was something about that man. He looked like a walking corpse up until the moment that he drew his sword, and those moves... the ability to actually block his strike, he was no ordinary man, of course, he had known that the moment he began watching Fox cut away from him. He cut off half of his ear and still didn't flinch a muscle. He was a man that was clearly used to pain.
"In all the days I've lived, nothing good has ever happened to me"
Snake had no doubt, just from looking into his eyes, that he meant it. What kind of life did you have to live to be able to say something like that and actually mean it? Even the hardest of warriors had good things to look back on, whatever it was, family, a victory, free booze, there was always something.
"Nothing good ever happens to me"
It was so unlike Snake to be intrigued by someone else, much less a lowly slave, not that Snake was not the same. Maybe he wasn't branded with the label as a slave, but what else could you call a man that had nowhere to go, and who didn't even have the freedom to use his real name?
Thorfinn.
Not an uncommon name, many men of Nordic descent had names that started with "Thor". It could be a false name, but why would he bother? If he said that he wanted to die, even if his body disagreed, why would he hide his true identity, he didn't seem like he would care if someone came after him, so Thorfinn was probably his real name.
Thorfinn.
Thorfinn.
Thorfinn.
Snake tabbed his finger against the table, creating a small and consistent melody. Short, blonde, brown eyes, probably a warrior, of Nordic descent, and he couldn't be any more than 25, no matter how much older those eyes looked.
Young and broken, that was a little too relatable.
"Snake, are you done?"
"Hm?" Snake looked up and his tabbing finger ceased. For a moment Thorfinn was forgotten and that was probably for the better. He was thinking too hard about it, he was probably just some random warrior that made a mistake grave enough to be sold as a slave. With that sad attitude of his, he wouldn't be surprised if his fellow warriors had tied him up and sold him for drink money. "Whaaat old man? Are you tired of me?" He leaned back in his chair and stared down the old master of the farm.
He was an old man that didn't like admitting how kind he was, and he was just so fun to tease.
"Yes, you have a job on this farm, now go do it!"
Well, it was night out. He was right but he wouldn't admit that so easily. "Will there be breakfast waiting for me tomorrow? You know how hungry I get after a night of protecting this farm"
"The only thing you're protecting us from are mosquitoes! Now get going!"
The answer to Snake's question came a few nights after that when he was on night patrol once again. Fox began to brag, as Fox so often did, about how strong he thought that he was.
Snake didn't chime into the conversation, he just listened to the conversation with a small smile. His men were idiots, and that made them very amusing to listen to sometimes, and other times he wished they would just cut his ears off like Fox did with Thorfinn's ear.
The other men poked fun of Fox when his ego began to show a little too much, and suddenly Thorkell the tall's name was mentioned. A formidable and almost invincible Viking.
It was unheard of that Thorkell could be defeated... except for...
Oh.
It was so obvious and yet so unbelievable that Snake actually began to laugh. His memory served him correctly, he had never met Thorfinn before in his life, but he had heard of him, years ago during the Danish invasion of England there were many names that everyone could put a face on, such as Thorkell the tall who played an interning role in that war, fighting for both sides, and who was then famously defeated by a mere boy with two daggers.
"Boss? What is it?" Fox asked, embarrassed when he thought that Snake was laughing at him.
"Oh, nothing, you just keep talking amongst yourselves"
Thorfinn Karlsefni.
That battle alone made Thorfinn a known name, but that was the last time he was heard of, at least as far as Snake knew.
It made him wonder, how did a man strong enough to defeat Thorkell the Tall end up as a slave on a wheat farm in Jutland?
He stroked the stubble on his chin. It was interesting. Very interesting.
It was not the first time that Einar and Thorfinn were over for dinner at the old master's house after having delivered his horse back to him. Apparently, it was the only horse they could be allowed to borrow since the farmhands wouldn't lend them any horse at all. Snake had always known that those farmhands were scum.
"Why don't you just make them give you a horse? It's a pretty long way here from your forest, and it's extra chores" Snake asked waving a fork with a piece of ham around in the air before he took a large bite of it.
"Make them how?" Thorfinn asked, but not as a way to get advice but rather to let Snake come to his own conclusion that there was nothing to do. "Besides, we don't mind helping the old master in exchange for a strong horse" Thorfinn finished before he took a swig of his cup of wine.
"Oh, come on" Snake grinned and leaned his elbow on the table. "I'm sure Thorfinn Karlsefni could find a way to make them do it"
It must have been a shock to hear that old nickname because Thorfinn nearly choked on his wine, almost making it spill onto his tunic. He wondered if it had been a gift from the master or another slave since his lat tunic had been cut up by Fox.
"Huh? Karl-what?" Einar questioned after watching Thorfinn's unique reaction to the name.
"Uhh" Thorfinn stared between Snake and the table where he had shakily put his cup of wine down, luckily without spilling any. "I...don't know"
"Oh come on!"
"Snake, don't bother them" the old master interjected.
"Hey, I'm not bothering them, it's just that I remember where I heard the name Thorfinn before" Snake looked back at Thofinn. "And I just wanted to be sure that they were one and the same"
"You just wanted a good laugh"
"Ha, that too" Snake let out a burst of laughter and grinned.
"I feel sort of out of the loop, would anyone explain?" Einar asked again so innocently.
"It's nothing" Thorfinn tried to tell Einar. Maybe he was ashamed of his past, but that was rare.
"It's not?" Snake raised an eyebrow. "You must have guessed that Thorfinn was a warrior"
"Yeah?"
"Well, Karlsefni was the name given to him back then. Actually, back then if you said the name Thorfinn Karlsefni most people would have known who he was" Snake paused to look Thorfinn in his eyes. They were not as empty as before, maybe the lesson he taught him, that his body didn't want to die, had helped him a little. "You brought down Thorkell the tall, you were a royal Thegn, so what I'm wondering is: how does someone like that end up a slave?"
"Hey, don't you think that's a very insensitive thing to ask about?!" Einar nearly rose from his sweet.
"It might very well be, but then again I'm a very insensitive guy" he shrugged and then focused on Thorfinn again. Thorfinn kept his eyes on the table. It looked like he was deep in thought and Snake guessed he wouldn't get an answer to that question. He was insensitive but not enough to ask twice."You don't live up to your name at all," he said and watched Thorfinn's eyes widen a bit. "Karlsefni, man amongst men, I would have thought you were taller" he laughed, and somehow the atmosphere around the table wasn't just as dense.
"I don't really care for that nickname"
"Oh, I can tell, it's a shame though, now you're just Thorfinn, eh?"
Thorfinn looked like he considered that for a few moments and then the ghost of a smile formed on his lips as he gave a small nod. "I'm just Thorfinn"
"Hm, it seems boring, but do what you will" Snake shrugged and took a swig at his own cup of wine. The silence lasted a few more moments before Einar managed to bring the conversation back to work on the farm, however, Snake caught Thorfinn looking warily at Snake out of the corner of his eyes. Snake wondered if he was scared that Snake would tell everyone on the farm, there would surely be a few of his men that would demand a duel.
Snake wouldn't tell anyone, and he let Thorfinn know that with a nod and a reassuring smile.
It was far too good to share with others.
When they had eaten Thorfinn and Einar thanked the old master once again for being allowed to eat at his table, and for the horse as they thanked him for every day.
"Get some rest, I have just as many chores waiting for you tomorrow!" The old master yelled after them as they walked down the gravel road. Thorfinn turned around and nodded while Einar, always the more energetic one, even in the evening, shouted "yes sir" back to him enthusiastically. Everything for that horse.
Farmers.
"Snake" the old master said his name sternly, but kept looking at the young men's silhouettes "What was all of that about? With Thorfinn Karlsefni"
Snake smirked "You said it yourself, I just wanted a good laugh. This farm is so boring, I need to have fun with whatever I can"
"Hm, even if it was just for a laugh, and even if he's just a slave now, you could stand to learn a few things from him"
“…you don’t need to tell me that, old man”