Thereafter was feasting and rejoicing enough to please all, if the
notice had been short; and then Bertric must go his way, promising
to see us again as soon as might be. So we watched the ship pass
down the fjord and into the narrow seaward channel, and he waved to
us, and we to him, and the men cheered for Hakon, and so we turned
back to the new life of peace that lay before us.
There was not much fighting ere Hakon came to the throne in
earnest. Eric fled the land as man after man rose for his rival,
and at last took to the Viking path, and thereafter made friends
with Athelstane of England, and held Northumbria for him as
under-king. So he troubled Norway no more.
But for the spreading of the new faith Hakon would have had no man
against him; but therein he had unrest enough. Maybe it was to be
expected, as he went to work with too high a hand in that matter in
his zeal; for here we had no trouble. Phelim and Gerda won the folk
with ways and words of love, and before two years had passed all
were working to frame a church here with much pride in the
building, giving time and labour for naught but the honour of the
faith.
Hakon came to the consecrating of that church, and with him were
Bertric and Dalfin, and then those good friends of ours stood
sponsors for us at the first christenings that were therein.
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