Einar, his face flushed, listened as his brothers recounted what had befallen them during their six-month expedition. As it turned out, luck had been on their side this year, but there had been no shortage of opportunities for battle either.
Just a few days after leaving their home port, the Flame of Dawn encountered a pirate ship whose captain had mistaken the Stairon warship for a merchant vessel. By the time the pirates realised their mistake, it was already too late. They found themselves within range of the ballistae, and Olaf Anson had no intention of turning down such easy plunder.
The pirates proved to be no match for the Ytren warriors. The hold of the captured ship was crammed with loot, and the crew made a tidy profit at little cost. This first adventure boded well for the success of the expedition. As it soon turned out, the Flame of Dawn must have been blessed by the merciful gods, for the very next evening the silhouette of a merchant ship loomed on the horizon, and by morning they had drawn close enough to see the imperial flags flying from its mast.
At first, the merchants wanted to flee, but when they spotted the Stairon pennant and the imperial eagle beside it, they willingly sailed closer, counting not only on the warriors having booty to sell, but also hoping that they would be able to follow a larger and much better-armed vessel to one of the imperial ports in these waters.
The jarl had no objection, and once the deal was struck, they sailed to Iverlis. As it turned out, the local harbour master’s office had bounties posted for the heads of pirate captains. Upon closer inspection, Olaf also found on the list the pirate ship they had previously sunk, and he thanked his common sense for having kept the pirate’s flag and signet ring. The bounty on his head wasn’t particularly high, but it still gave the sea dog pause for thought.
Upon returning to the deck of his vessel, he gathered his sons and officers and presented them
