Stavanger Bay i thought i lost you, my brother

The man needn't have put much effort into his lie; Atoll was not paying very much attention to his words. Her eyes and nose were focused on her back, leaving just her ears to log communication. She could detect no hint of deceit in his strange, accented voice - and, honestly, she did not look for it. Such traditions were the cornerstones of her home pack. To give and be given in marriage was simply a way of life, and Atoll, accustomed to these things, merely wondered what woman he'd been promised. Fluer, Leokadia, or even sweet Lagertha?

A tiny frown made its way onto her face as the last option came to her. Murgash seemed a sturdy fellow, but his ill health would surely be as displeasing to the kind woman as it was to Atoll herself! This did not sit well at all with the Blackrock beta, and she sought to rectify it at once. Perhaps there would be hope yet for a happy pairing.

"Then let us annoint you," she suggested, nudging him deeper into the water. "Scratch - it will help. When the itch is relieved, perhaps you could find something for me - I will, of course, have a fresh meal ready when you get back."

She had some dried marigolds for him to scent, but they needed to be fresh in order to do him any good. If he went out and found them for her, she could get started on making a proper poltice to spread over his mangy back. Hopefully, it was just mange, and not something she could not cure. Honey, of course, would do wonders either way, but she was at loathe to waste the precious golden syrup that she and Lagertha had taken such pains to acquire. Of course, Laggy might be more inclined to forgive her if she knew that it would be used to make her future husband more presentable.