Problems on the Mount

Tumultuous days followed Aidlith's funeral: conflict sprouted like choke-weed on Steorogot's crown. Bickering belittled the mead-feasts held in the hill-top hall. Often, heavy fists hammered the table, crocks shattered; oaths and curses tumbled down the road. The ruckus disquieted livestock at all hours of the day. Every now and again, brawlers tumbled from the front door, grappled in the dust, pummeled each other; jeering rings oft looped around the feud-grapplers, egged them on. Sometimes, a death-blow was dealt: the brain-house was crushed, or the neck snapped; on those occasions, blood-money was paid, the score settled in the traditional way. Verily, it was a time of discontent, when old agreements unraveled, and bond-links slipped and broke—even renowned war-companions, stout fellows like Gorm heavy-hand and Edrid, fell out, came to fist-blows on an occasion. Enen feuded with his brother-sons, championed his claim to the high-seat before the counsel of thanes; he refused to back down. Mediation was difficult; the thanes were evenly split—the thanes of the West sward stood against Enen, he was not thought highly of in the out-lands; his tax policies were heavy-handed, unfair to the horse-herders out there. The others—thanes of the hills and forests--even the soft-spoken scop could not broker peace. Weeks passed; the neighboring clans surveyed the unrest, grew antsy in their battle-halls; land-lusters began to plot in the mountain halls to the north. One day, Enen drank too much at a mead-meeting of thanes. He sprawled upon the empty seat—an arrogant gesture! Aerk, Aidlith's son became red-faced; he gripped Enen's tunic, threw him to the grimy floor-boards, gave him a kick in the trousers. He insulted him, mocked him with laughter. Enen sprang up with a dagger, plunged it in just below the breast-bone. When Aerk choked on blood and died soon thereafter, Enen was named kin-slayer, beyond blood-price. He was strung up in the afternoon; his wealth was split among Aerk's kin; his family was expelled from their plot just below the western flank of Steorogot's hill. They were tramps, after that.