Volume 12

Volume 12 is the twelfth volume in the series.

This volume makes up the second half of Volume 6 in the English-language release of the manga.

Chapters

 * Chapter 79: Portents of Storm Clouds
 * Chapter 80: Gardar's Assault
 * Chapter 81: Storm
 * Chapter 82: Bondage
 * Chapter 83: Atonement
 * Chapter 84: A Convenient Dream
 * Chapter 85: Confrontation
 * Chapter 86: No Going Home

Cover Characters

 * Arnheid
 * Gardar

Plot Overview
A man rushes by Sverkel’s house on horseback, chased by Fox and Badger, who yell out that he's the escaped slave and just killed Lizard. Arnheid recognizes the escaped slave and calls out to him. The man, Gardar, stops his horse, happy he's finally found his wife. He asks Arnheid how their son Hjalti and tells her all three of them can go home. Snake tells the guests to restrain Arnheid. Einar raises his axe to go help Arnheid get to freedom, but Thorfinn stops him and asks him if he can really kill another human being. Snake quickly lands a blow to Gardar's side and knocks him down; he tells his subordinates to take him away and have five guards posted around him. Einar tries to convince Arnheid they should fight for her freedom and plan to save Gardar, but she asks him to let the storm pass and do nothing. She tells Thorfinn and Einar of her past: she lived a happy and peaceful life with Gardar and Hjalti, until Gardar's friend convinced him he should join the fight for the rights to an iron deposit in a forest far away. The men of the village all decided to join. Several weeks after they left, enemies raided the village, burning down the houses and killing the old. They took the women to sell them as slaves and killed their children, as unmarried women fetched higher prices. Arnheid reveals that she recently realized she's pregnant with Ketil's child, and means to raise the child happy and healthy on the farm. Later that night, Arnheid comes to the guests' lodgings to tend to Gardar's wounds. Snake, on his way out, denies Arnheid’s request and tells one of the other guests to get her back to Sverkel's. The guest nevertheless allows Arnheid to tend to Gardar. Gardar apologizes to Arnheid. As the guest approaches Arnheid to tell her her time's up, Gardar bites off a part of the guest's throat, killing him. The rest of the guests rush outside as Gardar tells a horrified Arnheid to cut his ropes with the dead guest's knife. Snake and Fox come back to the guests' lodgings to find that Gardar has killed his guards and escaped. They find evidence that he's been stabbed deeply and rush out to find him.

In the morning, Einar and Thorfinn wonder if there'd be a place they could live peacefully with no need for swords. Thorfinn remembers Leif's stories about a place like that across the sea. Einar is excited by the prospect, but Thorfinn points out that they'd need many other outcasts like themselves to build such a place, that it is very far away, and that he doesn't know exactly where it is. Fox and some of the other guests arrive to search the barn; Thorfinn deduces that Gardar must have escaped. Thorfinn and Einar go see Arnheid at Sverkel's, where she tells them she was the one who helped Gardar escape and that she brought him to Sverkel's to treat his wounds. On Sverkel's advice, she hid him inside before Snake and the guests came. On the assumption that Gardar ran away on his own, they stationed her outside as bait and are waiting for Gardar to come for her. Einar tells her that if she can't give up on Gardar, he and Thorfinn will help her run away with her husband. Spider tells Snake he thinks he just spotted Gardar by the trees. Snake, Spider and Badger get on their horses to catch the man. Einar, covered in a hooded cloak and posing as Gardar, runs towards the forest to lure them away. Snake realizes that the man is running too fast for someone who’s badly wounded and leaves. With the guests gone, Thorfinn and Arnheid come inside Sverkel's house to move Gardar to the carriage. Snake arrives at Sverkel's to stop them. Thorfinn hears and sees Askeladd, who asks him what a true warrior would do and if he'll fight for the helpless or keep his new promise of non-violence. Thorfinn wonders if he could knock Snake out with a strike to the chin, then tie him up and escape. Thorfinn and Snake fight; Snake eventually places himself beside the carriage Gardar is in and stabs him in the chest. Gardar rises and grips Snake by the neck until he passes out; Thorfinn is unable to make him let go of Snake, but Gardar lets him drop when Arnheid asks him to go home to Hjalti with her. Sverkel gives them his carriage and Arnheid thanks Thorfinn and Einar for what they've done for her. Although she knows he's beyond saving, she leaves with Gardar. They talk for a bit until he collapses; Fox and the guests close in on them.

Plot Summary
Badger, Fox and Lizard spot a suspicious armed man sleeping in the forest. They assume he's the escaped slave and loudly argue about whether they should apprehend him now or get backup first as Snake suggested. The escaped slave approaches them while they argue. At Sverkel's, Snake reads the Bible to Sverkel out loud; Thorfinn tries to overhear, as he finds it interesting. Sverkel wets himself while trying to leave to do work. Snake notes he probably doesn't have that long left and that Thorfinn and Einar should thank him while they still can. A man rushes by on horseback, chased by Fox and Badger, who yell out that he's the escaped slave and just killed Lizard. Snake runs in to grab his sword, while Arnheid recognizes the escaped slave and calls out to him. The man, Gardar, stops his horse and calls back to Arnheid, happy he's finally found his wife. Gardar, forgetting about his pursuers, asks Arnheid how their son Hjalti is. He offers her a hand and tells her all three of them can go home. Fox and Badger catch up; Snake tells them to restrain Arnheid, then slices the throat of Gardar's horse to keep him from escaping. Einar raises his axe to go help Arnheid get to freedom, but Thorfinn stops him and asks him if he can really kill another human being. Snake quickly lands a blow to Gardar's side and knocks him down, then calls out to Badger, who takes the bound Gardar away. Snake orders Fox to have five guards posted around him. Einar asks if there's a way Gardar could be set free; Snake says there's not, as he's killed several people and means to murder Ketil and steal Arnheid. Einar tries to convince Arnheid they should fight for her freedom and plan to save Gardar, but she asks him to let the storm pass and do nothing. She tells Thorfinn and Einar of her past: she lived a happy and peaceful life with Gardar and their son Hjalti, until Gardar's friend convinced him he should join the fight for the rights to an iron deposit in a forest far away. The men of the village all decided to join. Several weeks after they left, enemies took advantage of the men's absence and raided the village, burning down the houses and killing the old. They took the women to sell them as slaves. As female slaves fetched higher prices when they were unmarried, Hjatil was killed. Arnheid says that she was frightened by Gardar today. She reveals that she recently realized she's pregnant with Ketil's child, and means to raise the child happy and healthy on the farm.

Later that night, Arnheid comes to the guests' lodgings to tend to Gardar's wounds. Snake, who's been asked to go see Ketil's wife immediately, denies Arnheid’s request and tells one of the other guests to get her back to Sverkel's. The guest allows Arnheid to tend to Gardar and keeps watch as the other guests head inside to escape the rain. Gardar apologizes to Arnheid and asks her to set him free, promising he'll never leave her or Hjatli's side again. As the guest approaches Arnheid to tell her her time's up, Gardar launches forward and bites off a part of the guest's throat, killing him. The rest of the guests rush outside as Gardar tells a horrified Arnheid to cut his ropes with the dead guest's knife. Snake and Fox come back to the guests' lodgings to find that Gardar has killed his guards and escaped. They find evidence that he's been stabbed deeply and rush out to find him with the intent to kill him on sight. In the morning, Einar asks Thorfinn if he was serious when he wondered about the possibility of ridding the world of war and slavery. They wonder if there'd be a place they could live peacefully with no need for swords, far enough that even Vikings couldn't reach them. Thorfinn remembers Hordaland's musings about such a place, as well as Leif's stories about a place like that across the sea. Einar is excited by the prospect, but Thorfinn points out that they'd need many other outcasts like themselves to build such a place, that it is very far away, and that he doesn't know exactly where it is. Fox and some of the other guests arrive to search the barn; Thorfinn deduces that Gardar must have escaped. Thorfinn follows Einar, who knows Gardar will try to take away Arnheid and wants to do anything he can to keep her from more suffering. They find her at Sverkel's, where she tells them she was the one who helped Gardar escape. She reveals that she brought Gardar to Sverkel's to treat his critical wound, but that he passed out and she couldn't carry him away. On Sverkel's advice, she hid him inside before Snake and the guests came. On the assumption that Gardar ran away on his own, they stationed her outside as bait and are waiting for Gardar to come for her. Einar tells her that if she can't give up on Gardar, he and Thorfinn will help her run away with her husband.

Spider tells Snake he thinks he just spotted Gardar by the trees. Snake and the two guests get on their horses to catch the man. Einar, covered in a hooded cloak, runs towards the forest to lure them away. Snake realizes that the man is running too fast for someone who’s badly wounded; he tells Spider and Badger to keep chasing him and leaves. With the guests gone, Thorfinn and Arnheid come inside Sverkel's house to move Gardar to the carriage. Sverkel demands to be taken to the carriage as well, as they'll draw less suspicion if he's the one riding. Snake arrives at Sverkel's, having dismounted as to not alert Thorfinn; he draws his scimitar. Thorfinn hears and sees Askeladd, who asks him what a true warrior would do and if he'll fight for the helpless or keep his new promise of non-violence. Thorfinn wonders if he could knock Snake out with a strike to the chin, then tie him up and escape. Thorfinn and Snake fight and realize how strong their opponent is. Snake places himself beside the carriage Gardar is in; he ignores Arnheid's pleas to spare him and Sverkel's offer to compensate him for the deaths of his five subordinates, as to him it's not about money and their lives were not expendable. He stabs Gardar in the chest. Gardar rises and grips Snake by the neck until he passes out; Thorfinn is unable to make him let go of Snake, but Gardar lets him drop when Arnheid asks him to go home to Hjalti with her. Sverkel gives them his carriage and Arnheid thanks Thorfinn and Einar for what they've done for her. Although she knows he's beyond saving, she leaves with Gardar. They talk for a bit until he collapses; Fox and the guests close in on them.