“Should you like to hear it, my lord?” he asked, securing the strapping and testing his leg gingerly. Roper said that he should, and Skallagrim stared into the fire for a moment, took a deep breath and began. The chant was often performed with drums and throat-singers accompanying it, but the only adornment that evening was the location; the sense of significance and anticipation that loaded the air. The men paused in the treatment of their equipment, leaned close, and tried to lose themselves in the tale.
