"You did? I was hearing about objects from our own worlds turning up mysteriously in Hadriel, but I never looked for any. I was too busy at the time. Maybe it was a blade I had made for my brother? I used to experiment with metal alloys, trying to produce weapons that not only looked spectacular but could cut ferociously and would not break, no matter what." He is rather pleased that one of his brothers found it, whatever it was.

He catches that look of surprise and curiosity. Of course he does assume that Ivar has a life and ambitions and work of his own. How else could it be? Two minutes of knowing this son of Ragnar is enough to make that obvious.

"A Viking? A word that strikes the ears like the chime of steel." He grins. He doesn't know the language, but he is marvelously sensitive to the way sounds contribute to meaning. "You are a great leader, then. Tell me, what wars have you fought? What conquests have you sought?"

They have something in common, then.