Beware of Jezebel

5. The Tale of Kings

            Ivar crawled through the forest, with Mary walking briskly by his side, to the lair of the blind seer. The seer, always sitting in darkness, sensed their presence even before they entered the chamber.

"Ivar the Boneless," the seer's raspy voice echoed through the chamber, "I sense a presence by your side, one who carries a destiny entwined with yours."

Ivar, didn't interrupt, just sat comfortably on the ground, while Mary stood behind him and looked over the place.

"Mary, the healer and the harbinger of change," the seer said, empty eyesockets fixed on Mary. "She who walked a different path but is now woven into the threads of fate."

Ivar stole a glance of Mary, slightly unnerved by the seer's words. Mary, however, couldn't suppress her skepticism. She rolled her eyes and muttered dismissively, "Predictions and prophecies are but the stuff of superstition, tales spun to captivate the gullible."

The seer, seemingly unfazed by her disbelief, responded, "You think me your devil, but they are closer to you than you think. The fallen angel doesn't fly back up to heaven, so will you try to save them anyway?"

Those words left Mary feeling remarkably unsettled. She glanced at seer's distorted face as an unshakable unease lingered on her. She couldn't deny that the seer's words had struck a chord.

The seer then turned towards Ivar. "Your campaigns will tread on paths of blood and ambition, where victories and losses are intertwined. Be cautious, for the winds of fate are fickle. The Raven Banner may soar high, but it can also be cast down into the abyss. And pull others along."

As they went to leave, the seer's final words resonated through the chamber, "The river of destiny flows, and it carries people in its current. Trust in the unseen, for if you fight, you shall be split."

***

Hvitserk's men didn't take long, and the news they brought were... let's say Mary was glad they didn't go to Ivar directly. Instead, her, Hvitserk and Ubbe listened to their account.

"Rollo found Lagertha that very night," one man said. "But she pushed him away immediately. She didn't forgive him for betraying her by supporting Ivar."

"What do you mean by 'pushed away'?" Mary asked.

"Oh, you didn't know?" another man spoke looking at confused faces of Hvitserk and Ubbe. "Right, I suppose you're young. Years ago, Rollo was reaching for Lagertha's hand before Ragnar." 

"Mhm," another said. "Rollo suggested she and Bjorn go to Frankia with him. She refused and his admission didn't help."

"And then, he pulled out another card," the first man leaned forwards again. "He told Bjorn he's his father."

"What?!" Ubbe exclaimed right by Mary's ear. "This can't be true!"

The men shook their heads.

"I doubt it's true," one of them said. "And so does Bjorn."

"Lagertha didn't deny it too harshly, though," the second murmured.

"He will return soon to tell Ivar where Lagertha is hiding," said the first one.

"So it was all for a trade deal?" Mary spoke to herself once the three men left Hvitserk's hut. "It would make sense to claim Bjorn as his son too in that case."

"Well, we'll tell Ivar. Ubbe, let's go," said Hvitserk and stood up. Mary jumped too.

"Not yet," she said and pushed Ubbe back to the bench and the men looked at her with annoyance. "If Ivar finds and kills Lagertha, his personal issues will be solved. If you make Ivar chase Rollo right now, Lagertha will slip, and yet he will not eliminate Rollo, because that would cause a war with Frankia, for God's sake, and leave Kattegat with a weak army, that will not withhold any attacks on the city. "