Chapter 63

"Thorfinn! Why the hell are you always so dispirited!? Don't you want to become free!? It doesn't matter if you think it's impossible! I'm going to grow the damn crops and sell it so I can buy back my freedom no matter what! And to do that, I need a horse!"

- Einar

Need a Horse (馬がほしい, Uma ga Hoshī) is the 63rd chapter of the Vinland Saga series.

Overview
In September 1015, Einar and Thorfinn start working on uprooting the stumps in their field. They realize that they will need a horse to get the work done. They approach a worker to ask for a horse again, but they are denied on the pretext that the horses in the barn are there to rest. A farmer comes for a horse and the worker tells him to grab one of the "resting" horses. The farmer insults Einar and Thorfinn and says it's ridiculous that a horse should ask for a horse to work, as slaves are no better than horses or cattle themselves. Einar proposes that they ask the master for a horse, but Thorfinn warns him that this would insult the farmers and make them despise them more. Einar gets upset at Thorfinn's dispirited attitude and tells him that he will buy his freedom no matter what the odds, and that he needs a horse to do so. An old man working in a field overhears them and bids them closer. He asks for their names, and asks if he shall lend them a horse. Einar enthusiastically says yes, then asks for the old man's name.

Summary
On Ketil's Farm in Denmark, during September 1015, Einar and Thorfinn are still hard at work deforesting. Einar wraps a rope around a tree stump and begins to pull, but Thorfinn tells him to wait and proposes that they try digging a bit deeper first. After a lot of digging, they expose significant roots. As they sit down panting and tired, Einar says that they need a horse. He wonders why they're not lent a horse again to cultivate, since they've been lent one to move lumber previously. Thorfinn points out that the farmers only lent them a horse back then because they were technically doing their jobs for them by carrying the lumber. Thorfinn asks Einar if they should put off cultivating and keep cutting down trees for the time being. Einar says it'd be worth it to ask them for a horse one more time first. When they come to the barn to ask for a horse again, they are called annoying and once again told no. Einar specifies that they have permission from Pater to borrow a horse for the work. The worker dismisses Pater as a "former slave" and says the answer is still no, as the horses are used by the other farmers for their work. Einar points to one of the horses and asks to be lent that one, but the worker says the horses there now are resting so that they can regain energy, The other farmers approach and tell them to stop skipping work and get back to the forest. Thorfinn bids them good day, while Einar ignores them and avoids eye contact. The farmer points this out, saying the "bigger slave" always has no manners. One of the farmers says he's taking a horse with him, and the worker tells him to take the one he just told Einar was resting. The farmer tells Einar that as slaves bought with money, they are the same as cattle and horses and that it is ridiculous that one horse would want to use another for work. He calls them shameless, since it's already messed up that they have the right to borrow land and sell the crops they grow on it. He leaves, telling them to use their bodies for the manual labour and to know their place. As Einar and Thorfinn walk back, Einar grumbles that now they have no choice but to ask the master. He tells Thorfinn that they need a horse no matter what, both for uprooting tree stumps and to plough the fields later. Thorfinn points out that if they use the master's authority to borrow a horse, the workers will feel insulted and despise them even more. Einar asks him what they are supposed to do instead, since doing everything by hand would take a very long time. Thorfinn proposes that they clear more land before cultivating, as it's impossible to do both at the same time by themselves. Einar lightly shoves Thorfinn and asks him why he's always so dispirited. He asks him if he doesn't want to become free and tells him that he will grow the crops and sell them to buy his freedom no matter what, impossible or not, and that he needs a horse to do it. Thorfinn calls the worked up Einar quite lively for someone who doesn't even get decent meals; Einar retorts that it is Thorfinn who is not lively enough. In the nearby field, an old working man says that he sees what their problem is. He painfully straightens up, and tells Einar and Thorfinn to come closer so that he can properly talk to them. Einar says hello and asks what he wishes to speak to them about. The old man asks for their names and they introduce themselves. The old man asks if he should lend them a horse, since they need one. Einar and Thorfinn are shocked and Einar exclaims that they do need a horse and that it would help them immensely. Einar asks the old man who he is.

Characters in order of appearance

 * Einar
 * Thorfinn
 * Sverkell (unnamed)