Pater

A weathered laborer in his early forties, Pater keeps his eyes closed almost constantly, which lends him a permanently serene look. Old wounds mark his face in several places, and his cropped hair has long since turned grey. He stands at a modest height with an ordinary, unassuming frame.

Steady and even-tempered, Pater carries himself with the composure of a grown man who has weathered hardship. His defining trait is devotion to Ketil, the master who once held him, and that loyalty spills over into genuine helpfulness toward the newer arrivals on the property. His own years in chains seem to feed the compassion he shows Thorfinn and Einar.

Pater's road to the farmhouse ran through slavery. He was Ketil's property before Thorfinn and Einar ever arrived, then secured his freedom and elected to keep working the land for wages. The freeborn hands never quite let him forget where he started, treating him with a lingering contempt over his past.

He repeatedly smooths the way for Thorfinn and Einar, stepping in after the other workers humiliated the pair and refused to lend them a horse. When Leif reaches the estate hunting for Thorfinn, Pater points him in the right direction and urges him to buy Einar and Arnheid as well. He also tends to Arnheid's injuries after Ketil beats her. Even as his master unravels, Pater's allegiance holds firm; he throws himself into combat when Ketil marches his men against Canute's forces. He survives the clash and is there to bid the departing slaves farewell as they set out with Leif.