Chapter 16: Bindings...

''It is generally agreed upon by historians that the moment where King Magnus Olofsson began to truly assert his own authority over Einar Thambarskelfir's was the first attempted assassination of Hiccup Haddock and Astrid Hofferson, on their first state visit to Magnus's court in 1041. While Einar remained high in the young monarch's councils with his considerable political power and influence, his grip on the young king only continued to loosen. Given Einar's desires for power, this became the primary source of conflict between the two of them over the ensuing years. ''

''Magnus's growth away from Einar's control, however, took time. There is no significant debate that Einar's decisions were the instigating force behind, for example, the marital alliances for both Magnus and Wulfhild. In that specific case, while Magnus could have resisted the directives of his regent, it is generally agreed that doing so would have caused an open rift within his court, especially given the later developments and innovations by Haddock that openly terrified Einar and the other nobles.''

—Corpus Historiae Berkiae, 1396

Foreshadowing
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Epigraph Tie-In

 * The epigraph mentions that the first time Magnus asserted his authority over Einar was the first attempted assassination on Hiccup and Astrid. The chapter opens with Magnus ordering the perpetrators found and swearing an oath to Hiccup over it.



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