Midwinter calling, day 25
Spoiled
We are a fairly large group who early in the morning take our Knarr north. We bring clothes, food, two fire baskets, oil lamps and sleeping pelts, and just to be safe, I have brought my sleeping bag and inflatable sleeping mattress. Kari has sent Ida with a couple to check and prepare her longhouse mansion for our visit, who have brought four horses and a wagon that should be waiting for us. The tenant neighbours takes care of Kari's longhouse mansion and other buildings so they're in pretty good shape even though no one lives there, and the roof seems good and so do the rest - according to this era's idea of what is good. But it means we can sleep there, and use the longhouse's fire pit to cook and have warmth.
The plan is to inspect Kari's land, spend the night, go for an early morning hunt and then return home in the afternoon. Transportation takes time when it's done the Viking way, and time is limited by daylight, but it is the end of November and expected. It is less than a month until midwinter and the wedding.
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Iselin, Ciara, Elvira and Ida take care of the longhouse and other things while Kari, me, Alith and Hillevi ride around and check her land and properties, talk to the people who live there and use the land, and we inform that tomorrow there might sound like thunder in the forest. The farms that lease the right to use the fields and keep animals here are not allowed to hunt in the forest or fish in the lake unless they have bought those rights, but of course it is hard to check that when it's bow hunting for smaller game, unless the forest is patrolled, and most have limited hunting and/or fishing rights. Hunting is to put meat on the table, and they can't freeze meat and salt cost too much, so it's mostly birds, hares and so on.
I still haven't really learned to see land in mantal, and how much it can differ in size from place to place because it is a measure of the farmlands productivity and not area, but Kari's 22 mantal here on Orusingen is really big and is on the southern shore of the lake that in Midgård is called Kollungerödsjön, although the lake seems larger and I have to correct the map a little. Just like the islands, the land here and on the mainland is mountainous, and Kari's land include a lot of mountains and forests to the south, and we travelled through some of it on the way to her mansion. As the boundaries are pointed out to us and we find boundary stones and markers, I would say the 22 mantal here it is approximately three square kilometers. It says a lot about how large her entire inheritance of 380 mantals is in size, and then add all the animals which makes it extra valuable. According to Tingsman Jensi, my land from Radgeirrson in the south is very good farmland with the usual 1.5-2 times more in forest covered mountains, but due to the mountainous terrain, Kari's land is far more forest covered mountains than farmland in area, and her main property of 310ish mantal farmland must be huge.
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It truly hits me how damn rich Kari is. And that she prioritize staying with me instead of visiting it even once. Kari admits that it is weird that she is so reluctant to visit her properties, but if the weather permits, she will visit her main property after the wedding week. Which is a month from now, and then it will be winter.
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After supper, we mostly sit and talk and just relax and do some crafts or play music. Ciara is knitting something as usual. We haven't really spread the news about Kari's inheritance, and Olafr and Bruinn is surprised to hear about it and that she is Skarde's granddaughter, and give Kari their condolences, but at the same time they are happy for our sake.
The evening is long and it's time to go to bed for our early hunt. After Kari and I inaugurated the mansions bedroom and bed, Iselin joins us in bed, and it is very different to lie down and sleep in such a 'primitive' home compared to what we've become used to in the last months. Above all, Iselin feels that she has become so incredibly spoiled in no time at all, and less than six months ago, Kari's longhouse and properties here would have been an unattainable dream for her. Kari just smiles and give me a kiss before agreeing, but the unattainable dream that has almost been fulfilled for her is to live in a nice home and owning large property, and be married to a wonderful man she loves. Given that both the first and second are very fulfilled, it boosts my confidence in our future marriage.
Kari is proud to own this land and longhouse, but as we talk it is clear she think it is so primitive and she almost feel ashamed to have us as guests here. We talk a bit about how it might be a good idea to make a new building here in the future, just like in Skiringsalr, and have some free couple take care of the mansion and the building for her. It increases the value of her property and we can have it as a 'vacation home' or 'hunting lodge' near the Academy. With the future ferry, it will be easy to ride here in a couple of hours, and we will be able to spend the night and have a relaxing time, and then ride back the next day. It would give us more routes for a walk or ride, and get some variety and to be able to 'get away from everything'. Kari thinks the idea is excellent, and she suggest prioritizing trading for land adjacent to her property, which we agree with.
It feels pretty good to know that Kari's heritage, at least so far, hasn't seemed to change her desire to be my wife, because I like what's grown between us so far. I was also absolutely correct in thinking that Kari is a superbly competent woman who I am a lucky man to have in my life, and the sex isn't bad either.