In which Ragnar Lothbrok raids England for the first time and in the process, he not only spares a monk named Athelstan, but a slave girl he ends up naming Tova. However, he soon learns that things involving the girl are not what they seem and she i...
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It was afternoon time and Tova sat near the docks next to Ragnar and Bjorn, smoothing out the paddles to the boats they'd sail to Paris in.
Bjorn was looking around, his eyes soon locking on Harald, who stood with some of his men. "Who is he?"
"You heard," Ragnar replied and sighed dramatically, "He's a King. From Tamdrup, wherever that is."
"And you trust him?" Bjorn asked his father curiously.
"No!" Ragnar exclaimed and stared at his son as if he were crazy for asking such a question.
"I don't trust him either," Bjorn nodded while Tova didn't say a word. She found no reason to take part in the conversation.
There was a moment of silence between them until Tova sighed, slowly lifting her head. She turned to Bjorn, an uneasy look on her face. "Why do you not care for your daughter Siggy?"
Bjorn stopped, turning to Tova with an offended look on his face. "I care for her. She just reminds me of things I'd rather forget."
Tova couldn't stop the loud scoff that escaped her lips. She turned, exchanging a look with Ragnar, who was quick to agree with her.
"What kind of man takes a mother away from her child?" Ragnar commented and Bjorn scoffed as he immediately turned to face him.
"I don't know. You tell us. As I recall, you took Tova away from hers, didn't you?" Bjorn retorted and Ragnar immediately looked offended by his son's words.
Ragnar scoffed, shaking his head slightly. "That is not the way it went. If you remember, I gave Tova a choice to return to Earl Haraldson and Siggy. It was her decision not to. She chose to stay with me. Isn't that right, Tova?"
"I'm not a part of this conversation," Tova complained before turning to glare at Bjorn, "And don't you ever speak of things you know nothing about when it involves me, do you understand?"
Bjorn rolled his eyes at Tova but hesitantly nodded his head in understanding.
"It is not easy being a father," Ragnar suddenly spoke up as he aggressively smoothed out the wooden paddle, "It is even harder being a husband. Maybe I have failed at both."
Bjorn and Tova stopped and looked at Ragnar.
"No," Ragnar stated and turned to smirk at the couple as he spoke in a whisper, "I have definitely failed at being a husband."
Tova couldn't help but laugh at the man's comment and slowly shook her head.
"If there is any advice I could give you both on the notion of marriage, it would be not to marry at all. It is simply a legal bind to trap you, nothing more. You do not need to marry to prove you love each other," He explained and Tova smiled, clearly agreeing with him.
