A Clash of Honor by Morgan Rice

his lap. She giggled. Another servant girl came close to Thor, and a warrior grabbed her and tried to thrust her into Thor’s lap—but Thor held up his hands, and gently prodded her away.
    “Don’t you like the women?” the warrior asked Thor.
    “I like them just fine,” Thor said. “But there is one in particular who I am saving myself for.”
    “Just one?” the warrior pressed, disappointed. “Take two or three. Don’t fall for just one. You’re too young. Take as many as your hands can grab,” he said, and with that, he grabbed the girl himself, who screamed with delight, and carried her over his shoulder, off to a far corner of the room, to a pile of soft rugs.
    “Don’t listen to him,” came a voice.
    Thor looked over and saw Reece, sitting beside him, who reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder.
    “Gwen would be proud,” Reece said. “I am proud. That was exactly the kind of response I would want from a brother-in-law.”
    Thor smiled at the thought.
    “If I were to propose to her, would you really accept me into your family?” he asked.
    “What kind of questions that is that?” Reece asked. “You already are my brother. In every sense of the word. My true brother.”
    Thor felt honored. He also felt the same way about Reece.
    “Be good to her,” Reece added. “That’s all I ask. She’s tough, but sensitive. Don’t take a second wife. And don’t look elsewhere.”
    Reece went back to his drinking, and before Thor could respond, Kolk suddenly stood, across from Thor, and banged his mug on the wooden table several times, until finally the room quieted. All that could be heard was the crackling of the fire, roaring at the far end of the hall, and the growling of the dogs who fought with each other for a spot beside the flames.
    “Men of the Legion!” he called out in his booming voice. “Men of the Silver! The King’s soldiers! Today was a day of glory day for the MacGils! And we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the exploits of one warrior: Thorgrinson!” he called out, raising his mug to Thor.
    The entire room suddenly stood, raising their mugs.
    “Thorgrinson!” they shouted, breaking into a cheer.
    Thor stood and felt hands patting him on the back, tugging at him roughly. He was embarrassed, but elated at the same time. He hardly knew what to make of all this. Kolk. The warrior who had always rebuked him. He had never expected this.
    Kolk banged his mug again, and everyone sat back down, and the room fell silent.
    “Thor’s courage today typified everything we want in a member of the Legion, everything we want in a member of the Silver. Honor must be rewarded, at all costs. So from this day, Thorgrin, you are promoted to Captain of the Legion. You will answer only to me, and the rest of the Legion will answer to you. You have in your command now hundreds of the finest young warriors our kingdom has to offer. To Thorgrinson!” he shouted again.
    “To Thorgrinson!” the room shouted.
    As they all sat back down, Thor sat there, stunned, hardly able to breathe, not knowing what to make of all of this. He, the youngest of the Legion members, promoted to Captain of them all. A part of him felt he didn’t really deserve it. All he had done what was he had been trained to do.
    The room settled back into its festivities, and Thor heard a whining beside him. He looked down and saw Krohn, resting his head in his lap, and realized he felt left out—and hungry. Thor reached out and grabbed another hunk of venison, even bigger, an entire leg, with the bone, and Krohn snatched it from his hands and carried it happily across the room. Krohn found a spot beside the fire, walking boldly right between the pack of wolfhounds. Although they were all bigger than he, as Krohn walked down the center, they all parted ways, none of them daring challenge him. Already, Krohn exuded an energy unlike any other animal. Thor could see him growing bigger and stronger every day, more powerful,