The Son Of Ragnar



Ragnar welcomed back Gudleif and everyone was excited by the goods as expected.

Lagertha was glad that things went smoothly, Askild was slowly regaining his credibility.

Gudleif requested a private audience with Ragnar to give him an in-depth report of what happened.

Lagertha excused men, she knew her role as a Queen and she was in no way equal to Ragnar in terms of title.

King Ragnar permitted Gudleif to speak, and Gudleif went into full details about what happened, this included a Viking-turned-Christian being the one in charge of things there.

What did this mean? It meant that the Vikings had made contact with this land but for how long? 

Ragnar also heard about his sons' spar and found himself giddy, he did not look worried despite the tone in which the message was delivered.

Ragnar smirked, he was curious as to who won and the moment Gudleif said it was a tie, Ragnar looked a bit disappointed.

He wanted to see which of his son was stronger, but this was satisfying in its own way.

"Tyr Ragnarsson…" Gudleif muttered and Ragnar's eyes widened, looking at the warrior before him.

"Hm?" Ragnar thought to himself, Gudleif was rarely expressive and was the definition of a foot soldier that carried out his orders to near perfection.

"Tyr Ragnarsson is… a magnificent warrior," Gudleif said, Ragnar did not think anything was wrong regarding the method that Tyr used and was impressed.

He also did not see Bjorn's compassion as a weakness, what Tyr lacked, the others had.

They complimented each other. This was what made them such a formidable duo.

"Hahaha! He is my son! Of course, he is…!" Ragnar bragged but this was not what Gudleif meant.

"No, that is not it…" Gudleif thought to himself as he soon excused himself, Ragnar was glad with this information and the Kingdom of Northumbria was something that he did not pay too much attention to.

Ragnar did not want to put too much emphasis or importance on this, he was not mentally ready for another invasion on the other side of the world.

They did not know the terrain, they did not know the enemy's strength and if the Vikings did attack their territory then negotiation was most likely on the table.

Ragnar knew that this was vice-versa, or was it? Ragnar established that they made contact with Norsemen so they might have an idea of their way of life.

The only thing Ragnar caught from this was the fact that they were Christians.

A bunch of strange men with crosses, it sounded like gibberish to Ragnar's ears.

"You can come out now…" Ragnar muttered and out came Lagertha, she was eavesdropping because there was no way she would not hear about her sons and how they handled themselves. 

Ragnar already knew she was going to do this, this was a habit of hers and she came out shamelessly, she looked even more excited than Ragnar.

She too did not care about the land he spoke about, only her children because she knew that lands could be conquered and lost.

Ragnar almost lost everything with Vestfold, family was the most important thing.

Lagertha sat on her husband's lap, she was about to drop something.

Ragnar looked up at his wife and Lagertha looked chippy.

"What is it, my love?" Ragnar asked, and all Lagertha did was place her husband's hand on her stomach, and Ragnar instinctively knew what she was trying to tell him. She was pregnant. 

-

Kattegat was in a stable state, Magnus returned to his compound because he knew he was not safe wandering about.

Bjorn encouraged it too because the man needed time to digest what he had seen and if this was truly the life he wanted to follow as a man.

He needed to want to do it and not because his father willed it or he would lack the resolve needed to win the difficult battles.

Bjorn was walking down the street and he caught a glimpse of Ulf in a nearby tavern.

Ulf did not see him and was lost in thought, Bjorn thought about it.

He did not know if he should approach him or just let him be, Ulf might have lost his respect but he was still a warrior with a lot to give.

Ulf was no longer taken seriously after that trial because not everyone believed the verdict and this took a hit at his reputation.

"Fuck it…" Bjorn muttered under his breath as he walked towards his uncle and only when he was within proximity did Ulf notice him.

Ulf's senses had dulled and this was proof, he turned his head slightly and when he saw Bjorn, he simply returned his attention to his drink in front of him.

"What do you want?" Ulf was cold and distant but who could blame him?

Bjorn did not respond and simply sat opposite him, he had a look in his eyes that had a hint of sadness.

Ulf might have made a move on his mother but he should not let his skills go to waste.

Personal matters should not dull his sword and this was sad, Bjorn did not like the state his uncle was in even though he was yet to face Ragnar.

They both knew what would happen if Ragnar found him, the probability that they would fight was close to a hundred per cent.

"Is that how to greet your nephew?" Bjorn questioned and Ulf's eyes glanced at him before returning to his alcohol.

"Nephew, huh?" Ulf muttered before downing the cup of ale in front of him.

"You have seen better days…" Bjorn said before getting to his feet.

"Walk with me, there is something I need to discuss with you," Bjorn said sternly as he walked away, Ulf noticed that this was no longer the child he knew and trained with.

Bjorn had become a man and while he had no reason to follow him, Ulf wanted to be worthy in his nephew's eyes.

He knew Bjorn was the future and would do anything to mend their broken relationship.

He followed behind Bjorn after dropping a coin that was enough to cover the tab.

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes, Ulf waiting for Bjorn to get right to it because he knew it must be something important if he was willing to talk to him after so long.

"Ulf.." Bjorn finally broke the silence, both men stopped in their tracks briefly.

"You are not going to try and kill me, are you?" Ulf tried to crack a joke but this did not hit and Bjorn remained stern, what he was about to say was that serious.

"Are you still loyal to this family?" Bjorn asked and Ulf was taken aback by this question.

It seemed random, there was no premise for it but Ulf knew the answer to this question.

"I am, and I will do what I can to redeem myself," Ulf said; Bjorn took a deep breath before saying.

"I know it is not your fault…" Bjorn said, pausing briefly as he looked in his uncle's direction.

"I know that you love Lagertha and there is nothing you could have done at that moment. The heat of the moment," Bjorn said, he wanted to put his uncle's mind at ease because he did show remorse for what he did.

That was only fair, it is not like he forced himself on Lagertha, he simply misread the situation and while this was a betrayal to his father. Bjorn believed everyone deserves a second chance after he had condemned his brother in the past.

He vowed never to do that again, Tyr forgave him and now it was his turn to be just as merciful to others even though he did not look at Ulf with the same lens he once did.

Ulf was left red-faced by what Bjorn had said, but this was the reality, he always had a thing for Lagertha even though she chose Ragnar.

Ulf knew if Ragnar was not in the picture then things would have worked out with Lagertha but he did not hate his brother for taking her away either.

He could not think of a better man for Lagertha but he let his weakness get the better of him.

Ulf, for a moment, wanted to believe that maybe there was a chance with Lagertha.

He was not thinking at that moment and just let it happen.

"I do not hate you, Ulf…" Bjorn said and Ulf could feel the relief come off his chest.

"Bjorn…" Ulf muttered, his hardened exterior softening. 

"There is something I need you to do for me and I am placing all my trust in you, uncle. Do this for me and I promise you, our family just might be whole again…" Bjorn said and he meant everything he said.

"What do you need me to do?" Ulf asked and this was the sentence Bjorn has been waiting for because this meant that Ulf had mentally surrendered himself to whatever was about to come out of his mouth. Bjorn was not foolish, he was aware of the times that Tyr tried to manipulate him but it was nothing malicious and he did need to make it up to his brother so he played along but now, he was using that exact trick on Ulf. Ulf was Ragnar's brother, the only blood relation of the mighty warrior so he was the only one that could do this.

"How would you like to become the next King of Kattegat?"