Chapter 54 - the Festival III
The third day of the festival was again all composed of the usual things. Food, drink, music and dancing. This third day, was dedicated to all the running games. For the older young men.
The north-men offered fairly high odds, for any local man to take a wager against Shan to win. Few did. With his long legs and his lifetime of running from all the other boys, well, the result was obvious. He was faster, and he had the wind when running in the longer contest. He graciously collected his two large high gold coins, that were his prizes.
The talk as night fell, was much of it around the locals offering slowly increasing odds. Odds for the north-men to risk wagering on Shan in any of the games, indeed, and the odds of him sweeping the events in total? Began to get quite high. Theyer was the group's reckoner, and had words with the men.
"Now, man. The custom is, that the coins must be present. Not that any of you would, yet, it does happen sometimes a man places a wager he is sure to win? And does not have the coin to cover his wager. So. Any wager we all end up agreeing on? Both sides, get to examine that every biscuit is there, and well accounted for. Now, I am my group's reckoner for such things. I see to wagers and merchants about coins. Do you men have a reckoner, that you might rely upon that as many coins are in the sacks, as agreed upon?"
They ended up getting one of the instructors from the garten, to agree to tally the coin sacks, to tie them up, and to sit with them through wagers. Everyone knew the instructors were above reproach.
After darkness fell, the men were in their horns and goblets. Shan mainly sat with his family and their friends, and often enough sat with the Oxen at their table. None of the local boys could have much sport with him, naturally. No one wished to offend the north-men, and with good cause. They were all big-men, and kingsmen with armor and weapons. Even the Oxen's women were tall, wore armor and sported swords and daggers. Var had already demonstrated publicly, that they knew how to use them quite well. What the hell their men were capable of? No one wished to know.
Gullina ended up getting out of her silk, and back into her new soft burlap under the soft leather work clothes. Because several of the young girls were old enough to be getting into wine now, and were loosening their tongues at her. When she went into the great-house and returned in her work clothes and presented herself to them, however? It stopped practically immediately.
The village young men were wary of her, and the girls? Well… they all but considered her one of the boys. They would only say things by this stage, behind her back. As Var said often enough. Aye, the rabble comes from the back, where it is polite to do it from.
As it turned out, Shan announced when several of the young men were within earshot to hear it, he was not going to compete in the touch stick games. Gullina, however, planned on entering. When the young men complained about it, she egged them on.
"What is the matter, boys. Scared of a girl? Hmm?"
Stuart gave up a small bag of large high gold coin, a geft for the festival. For the winner of the touch stick games. Gullina decided she would place her own wager, against herself at touch stick games. There were two. One, was to avoid being touched by another. Then, naturally, both having a touch stick. She had her own sack of coins from working at the tavern. Coins for working, coins extra for reckoning and saving the tavern-keeper and his family time reckoning things. Coins men drinking gave to the serving girls that waited on them well and catered to their needs quickly. She gave her own coin sack to Theyer to handle for her.
Theyer managed to get her some wagers, at a couple to one odds. The north-men made some coin, wagering on her as well. Getting those couple to one odds on it.
Gullina had spent all her childhood, and into young adulthood? Playing touch stick at the garten, and all the young men had attended irregularly if at all, and quit as soon as they could do anything useful on their own parent's farm. None of the boys could touch her with a stick, and she tapped them out regularly. Var was in her armor for this night's feast and sitting with her own armored lady friends, all sitting with their oxen. Var toasted her and made fun of the boys, for losing to a girl.
Shan had a bag of coins of his own. He had increased it, by wagering on Gullina and getting the odds. Gullina and Shan added theirs together, and gave it to Theyer to handle. In addition to everything else, Gullina had her small sack of gold coins she won from Stuart's prize he offered out. She folded this as well, into their combined wager.
Theyer was getting higher odds yet, for them all to be enticed to dare to bet on the steward's gentle son. His friends all continued to razz him for talking them into this, and risking coins on a surely losing prospect to hear the local men talk about it.
In truth? He begged off of the touch stick games, because seeing him play would cause the local men to think twice about the odds. Also, it allowed Gullina to show off besting the boys. And to win more coin for herself and Shan. So, they had more to throw into the pot when the time came.
Odds were now twenty to one, if the north-men "unwisely" chose to wager on Shan to win both the hand fighting games and the sword games, both. Tomorrow, was dedicated to the sword games. The following day? Hand fighting.