Well, not all.
'Those cowholes are being sleekit,' Finn growled, none too quietly. Jon Asanes glanced across at the prince's fire, then frowned back at Finn.
'He is a prince,' he said. 'An eagle among sparrows. You do him injustice calling him sleekit.'
Finn worked grease into his beard and cheeks, good proofing against the cold and looked Jon up and down, shaking his head.
'You learned a lot in Holmgard, right enough,' he declared. 'How to yabber in a dozen tongues and count in most of them. But you missed much, young Goat Boy. Like how eagles are not above stealing another bird's kill, for a start.'
Jon flared, bright as the fire with temper. He rose and I thought, for a heart-stopping moment, that he would fling himself at Finn, an act so beyond belief that being struck by Thor's hammer seemed more likely.
Instead he quivered on the cusp of it, red and raging.
'The eagle is a noble bird. That is why you will never be a prince, Finn Horsehead,' he said in a trembling high voice. 'You do not have enough eagle in you.'
He stormed off and Finn watched him, then shook his head and pulled a bone needle from behind his remaining ear. 'I preferred him when he bounced like a goat and wanted to know everything,' he growled, picking his teeth. 'Now he knows it all and tears around like a high wind through trees.'
'Whim rules the child as weather the field, as my granny once remarked,' Red Njal growled.
'She knew the Goat Boy well,' Finn muttered sourly.
'Heys — what do you know?' Red Njal answered, chuckling. 'You do not have enough eagle in you.'
The needle broke and Finn sighed into the laughter and shook his head sadly.
'True enough — but I am beginning to think our little Greek has had some Rus eagle in him,' he leered moodily and pitched the broken needle away.
There was silence at that, while everyone turned over in their head what they believed they knew about the unnatural passions of Greeks. I was blinking with the stun of it when Thorgunna whirlwinded in, harsh and anger-bright as embers.
'That is unworthy, of you, of Jon Asanes and of the young prince. If I were a man, Finn Horsehead, I would smack you to the floor and make it so that you could only eat meat someone else had chewed, for lack of teeth of your own.'
Finn, knowing he had sailed too far on this course even to back water, simply hunched into Thorgunna's rage and stayed shamefacedly silent, scratching the red cold sores on his knuckles until they bled. Everyone else, however, sat and chewed horse-gristle and tried not to think too deeply on Jon, his love of verse, his closeness with Pai and how it was well-known that Greeks were boy-lovers and Slavs lascivious.
Thordis plucked Finn's empty bowl from his knees and handed him one of her own bone needles. 'Here,' she said flatly. 'Pick your teeth. Not only will it make what you say sweeter, it will keep you from speaking at all for some time.'
'A woman, a dog and an old oak tree,' muttered Finn, taking the needle. Everyone silently finished the old saw for him — the more you beat them, the better they be. No-one said it aloud, all the same, not even Red Njal's granny
Thorgunna snorted, clattering bowls and heaping snow in a cauldron to melt. 'Little Olaf, if you have a story now is a good time to hoik it out.'
It was a pointed remark, since folk had grown so used to the boy's presence they had all but forgotten him — but now heads turned to where the boy perched, friend to prince and Goat Boy alike and he smiled into Finn's scowl, though it never reached either of his different-coloured eyes.
'There was an eagle,' he began and I held up a warning hand to him, for his stories bit like a dog on the hand that feeds it and there had been enough discord. I said as much and he shrugged his bony shoulders under the dirty white cloak.
'I will hear it,' growled a voice and we all turned to where Kvasir huddled, a cloth across both eyes, for his good one ached, he said, in the bright of the fire. He asked for the tale for Thorgunna's sake, I knew and I cursed him for it. Silently.
'There was an eagle,' Crowbone began, once I had nodded agreement. 'Young and in the first of his strength. Long ago it was — do not ask me when — and in a place far from here — do not ask me where — in the time wyrm were still seen above ground and not curled in the secret earth on a bed of gold.'
'If there is gold in it, this sounds like a tale I will like,' Finnlaith interrupted cheerfully, but Ospak nudged him silent.
'There was such a wyrm,' Crowbone went on, 'and the eagle and the wyrm were friends, or so the wyrm believed, for he took pleasure in the eagle's company and was lavish with his generosity in his cosy hov, so that the eagle returned again and again.'
'Heya,' agreed Hauk, grinning. 'I also have tasted the wyrm's generosity.' And he hoisted up his wooden cup to me, as if it was a mead-full horn and we were all in such a cosy hov.
Others chuckled, echoing the sentiment; so the allusion to my name was well made and quickly, too. Nor was it hard to work out who the eagle was and I felt despair creep in and curl up in my belly. This would be his worst tale yet, for sure.
'Each time the eagle flew away,' Crowbone went on in his wind-thin little voice, 'he laughed, because he could enjoy the hospitality of the wyrm in his hov on the ground, but the wyrm could never reach the eagle's eyrie, which was so far above the wyrm's place.'
'Not enough eagle in you, either, Orm,' chuckled Red Njal.
'The eagle's frequent visits, his selfishness and ingratitude became the talk of the other beasts and one thought it best to tell the wyrm of it,' Crowbone continued, ignoring the interruption.
'The eagle and the frog were never on speaking terms, for the eagle was accustomed to swooping down to carry a frog home for supper, so the frog called on the wyrm and told him. The wyrm did not believe him, so the frog said, "Next time the eagle calls, ask him to give you a lidded cauldron, so that you can also send food to the rest of the eaglets in their eyrie."
'So he did and the eagle brought a huge lidded cauldron, enjoyed a feast and, as he left he called out, "I will be back for the present for my eyrie." Then he flew away laughing to himself as usual. The frog said, "Now, wyrm, get into the cauldron. I will cover you over with fresh food, then the lid and the eagle will carry you to his hov in the high crags."'
'I do not care for this frog much,' Finn grumbled. 'Sleekit.'
'You are not yet done picking all your teeth,' Thordis told him and he shrugged, but fell silent.
'Presently,' Crowbone went on, 'the eagle returned and flew away with the cauldron, little suspecting that the wyrm was inside, listening to every word the eagle said as it flew. They were as harsh as the frog had described, so that the wyrm was smouldering by the time the cauldron was emptied out into the eyrie.
'The wyrm crawled from it and said, "Friend eagle, you have so often visited my home that I thought it would be nice to enjoy the hospitality of yours."
'The eagle was furious. "I will peck the flesh from your bones," he said — but he only hurt his beak against the wyrm's scales.
'The wyrm, saddened, said, "I see what sort of friendship you offer me. Take me home, for our pact is at an end." The furious eagle sank his talons into the wyrm's scales, which did not hurt the serpent one bit, and lifted him into the air. "I will fling you to the ground and you will be smashed to bits in your fall," shrieked the eagle. The wyrm closed its own fangs on the eagle's leg.'
'He should just have breathed on him,' shouted Onund. 'Smouldered him to smoke.'