Airlin was a reknowned woman; she was famous for her quiet cunning, slow wisdom at Hiturwolf's disposal. Indeed, her family had many fame-earners; her geat-great-grandsire was Earl, the wealth-winner, who had raided enemy halls, shattered vault-doors, took away their heirlooms. He oft raided lands to the south, was wont to ride for foreign fields first; there, he recruited the slaves, shattered chains, split wrist-cuffs; they were only too happy to join him, help despoil those bond-holders, take payment for their toil. That way, Earl lost few men in fighting, kept in the rear-guard, while anger-surgers overcame the resistance, did the dirty battle-work. He was a clever man! At one raid, he captured Ruth, stole her from her sleeping chamber, slew all her kinsmen in that place; she was a handsome prize, soon became Earl's wife; she promptly bore him a son, though he died soon thereafter; in later years, she bore him others, strong crawlers that grew up, became tall like Earl, broad-shouldered in their youth. They lived in Okrund, a township in the thinned forest near the ________ gate, where a deep well pierced the earth-skin, dipped far into the watery, rushing gloom: it was said that many treasures lay in those depths. Some folk said it was some creatures hoard; oft, the scop told tales of a river-worm's mound of old jewels, twisted gold things, ancient heirlooms heaped up on the water's bottom. The scop spoke of the pillagering worm, of old-time scourges visted upon the ocean-faring folk, sea-testers; those ship-riders who taunted the wave-lashers, rode across the whale-road, tempted fate like that. It was their stolen loot that was sunk in those deeps. Near that mossy well, Earl had land, a large plot, some animals; he was rewarded for his deeds, the tithes he paid, dutifully. He begot sons, brave lads; his first born, Don blonde-locks, was a scop-clinger; a tale-lover; he drowned in the well, thrashed there in the dark, was doom-greeted when he was seven years old. After that, the old well was sealed up, closed for good; some say that Earl himself dropped a boulder there, sealed up that tomb; even now, those well-stones are scattered about, heaped up around that rock. His last child was a daughter, fair-skinned Brecca, who had a fierce temper, oft brawled with her brothers, bested them at grappling from time to time. It was Brecca who lived the longest, kept her life-air in her chest; she fought off illnesses, resisted that pest, deadly land-sweeper that reaped her kin, laid waste to her family, among myriad others. In turn, Brecca was hand-locked, ring-bound to a minor land-holder, an ignoble chap called Berccon, who lived nearby, inherited some holdings there. Soon, they produced twins, Brecca gave forth; it was an easy birth, the mid-wife was skilled in that art, knew how to welcome children into the world. She named those twins Morgon and Marik; they were strong, lifted up their heads, made fists soon after birth. When they grew up, twisted their first beard-braid, they earned a thane's friendship, lasting favor, when they saved his son, rescued that life from death's hand, those mildewed breath-clutchers, bone-freezers. That wight went hapless back to the river-side fen on that occasion, slunk away, lurked for other prey. Later, when Erik, their thane-friend took up bird-hunting, they oft joined him at that, slung arrows, shot down quarry. Verily, they were hunting brush-thumpers when Morgon first saw Hanna, caught sight of her in a hamlet; at that sight, he designed to marry her, petitioned Erik to undue her troth-plight, shiver that bond. Erik wielded influence, doled out coins, favors; finally, he shook the blade. Soon after that, Morgon and Hanna were marriage-bound, took up residence on Erik's land. Promptly, they had children, a healthy lot. Airlin was the third-born, a destined queen.
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