Swedish-Russian Borderland, March
"Herr Bosson, we are wondering how you are able to orientate in this sign-less wilderness." a daring guard asked.
"There are only trees, no landmarks on a hundred mile's distance!"
"That's none of your business" muttered the nobleman back. Knut hadn't been himself lately, his before so calm temperament had changed and now he was aggressive against all and everyone. It was quiet for a while until the man again opened his mouth. Knut was amazed by his courage.
"So when will we arrive?"
"We arrive when we arrive, I can't say exactly what day. Stop being so god damn inquisitive, Ulf."
"Ok, ok. You're the chief. We trust you Knut." said Ulf and walked away from Knut towards two other men in the company obviously not satisfied with the answeres he had got.
Knut looked at them as they sat down and began discussing. They were probably discussing his sanity now, perhaps even preparing mutiny. What did Knut care? They would probably starve or freeze to death out here anyway. The priest who had followed them had already given up praying for their well-being and was now instead asking the wooden cross they carried for salvation in heaven and their families' continued well-being without them. But did God hear them so far out in the wilderness? It was one week of travel between Stockholm and Lödöse, a distance of between about 25 and 50 miles depending on where you were from. Miles were defined differently all over Sweden, in Finland a mile was about 6000 metres or 17000 feet while it was more than twice that in Västergötland. That distance was covered in a week on good roads, let's say we should make that in two weeks if we go through the forests. A quick calculation in his head and Bo figured they must be 200 miles away from Korsholm now. 200 miles away from civilization, still pushing forward towards the edge of the world. At least he'd get to see it, he thought. He had always wondered what it was like to stand looking down at the perilous beasts roaming the underworld.
His stomach was rumbling, he hadn't eaten anything yesterday. One of the men had told him a week ago that it'd be necessary to limit the food or else they would run out of things to eat soon. Hunger wasn't a problem though, because that was only a feeling. It could be ignored, or even enjoyed if you exerted yourself enough. He had begun to get a headache though, and he noticed how everything became more and more tiring. He had also become more irritated, and since his men were the only ones nearby they had to stand his fits of rage. He had had one yesterday, when Ulf had been accused of stealing someone else's food. He kept yelling at the boys all night about how they had to cooperate and work together, although he knew such a telling-off would only serve to further decrease the morale among the men. He was a bad leader, bringing his closest men with him on a suicide mission into the Finnish forests.
They kept travelling in quietness that day. For every hill they approached Knuts imagination pictured houses and humans behind it but everytime they reached the top he always got dissapointed, and the hope to find civilization became smaller and smaller. What instead grew was the frustration of not finding anything, the despair of being alone so deep inside the forest that not even the largest of bonfires would create a pillar of smoke tall enough that anyone except themselves would see it. They were doomed, the gods had abondoned them. Knut began praying, honest for the first time in his life, to both God and Ukko to lead them right... and it'd be good if they hurried!
"Herr Bosson, shouldn't we stop soon?" one of the guards said to him.
"The horses are tired." Knut prepared to yell at him for disturbing his concentration, but changed his mind when he noticed how it had begun to darken around him. He must've fallen asleep, he thought, it was indeed time to call it a night.
"Yes, indeed, let's stay at that hill over there." he said. His naive imagination of a village behind the hill came back, and he dreamed of sleeping in a warm bed at some rich farm tonight instead of here at the hard and cold ground.
As they reached the top of the hill there was no village though, and Knut's heart fell. What did he expect, a Russian welcome envoy? he thought sarcastically. Suddenly a young man walked up to him, he was only 20 years old but Knut liked him a lot. Especially since both his parents were native Finns, christian but still.
"Herr Bosson, do you hear that?"
Hear what, my crying heart? My rumbling stomach? Knut thought acrimoniously but kept quiet. Then suddenly he heard it too. Was that a human voice? If it was, it spoke in a foreign language that Knut couldn't understand.
"Is it animal sounds or could it be...?"
The smile on the young man's face answered his question. He was blonde, born to Finnish parents but with the Swedish sounding name Sven, and his face shone of happiness. A man stepped out of the woods, perhaps 25 metres away from them. He was so large that Knut first thought it was one of the giants that was said to inhabit the woods and he had a golden beard with not a single sign of gray hair in it.
"Hail!" Knut had never heard someone speak with such a strange accent before. Yet he knew where the man was from.
"Kai, come here!" Knut shouted and Kai came, naturally followed by the rest of the men.
"Russians!" Russians? Is it really true, did he mean humans? When the men saw where Knut was pointing they all made big eyes. A human indeed, they had arrived.
"Hail!" Knut answered, and stared at the man like if it was the first time in his life that he saw a human being.
"What's your name?"
Kai translated with a slightly shaking voice.
