Querencia \\ Hvitserk Ragnarsson

Chapter 7: What has become of Rollo

For my supporting friend @demimcr . I dedicate this chapter to her.

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When we entered the castle we were welcomed by guards. Well, not exactly welcomed. It was more of an if you dare to look at me I'll kill you kind of thing. Not that it scared any of the Vikings.

"See how well treachery pays off, Björn," Floki said.

Bjarke rolled her eyes and Björn said: "Don't do anything stupid, Floki."

"I've never done anything stupid in my life. But I am contemplating whether dying would be better than dealing with this scum." The fact that Floki said that and the way he said it totally made Bjarke's day.

Rollo, sitting on what was most likely supposed to be a throne, welcomed Björn, Floki and Helga in the Frankish language. What happened next seemed to surprise not only Bjarke. He even recognized and welcomed Hvitserk.

He continued to speak in Frankish, but Bjarke was convinced no one actually knew what he was saying until two of the guards lifted the spears that had made sure the Vikings couldn't reach Rollo.

Björn stepped forward.

"I don't want to apologize. What would be the point? We are where we are," Rollo said. Floki scoffed and Rollo then continued with: "The gods have spoken."

That made Bjarke angry. The gods! What did he know about the gods! He betrayed all of them by becoming Christian. If someone had the right to be Christian it was Bjarke and yet she had chosen to be Viking.

"They have, but not about you," Bjarke said angrily. Her comment made Rollo raise his eyebrows. Hvitserk, who had been standing next to her, put a hand on her back in order to calm her down. He was not the only one who felt Bjarke's rage as Helga protectively grabbed her left hand.

"This is my wife, Princess Gisla. And our children: William, Marcellus, Celsa," Rollo said while pointing them out one by one.

William stuck out his tongue at Floki, which made several of the Vikings smile.

Gisla said something in Frankish and Rollo was the one to translate it, but Bjarke already knew what she had said. She'd ask the same question if she were in Gisla's place.

"My wife wants to know why you are here," Rollo said. "So do I."

Björn bent over to grab the map of the Mediterranean sea out of his shoe. All of the guards immediately responded, thinking he was grabbing a weapon.

Rollo told them to stand down, but the tension never left the room.

Björn showed Rollo the map and said: "I want to go here. To this sea. But I have to sail along your coastline to get there. I need safe passage for my fleet."

"In return for what?" Rollo asked.

"In return for not attacking your villages and towns, like we should do," Floki said angrily.

"May I take this," Rollo said. Björn said no, but Rollo had already grabbed the map.

Bjarke's rage grew even bigger. She stepped forward, only then to realize she was not the only one to have made that move. All of the guards responded by pointing their spears at them and then taking their weapons from them.

I was violently grabbed by one of the guards as I tried to resist, but unarmed I could do him no harm.

Flokki giggled and said: "How long do you think you can keep us prisoners, traitor? We have sixty ships outside your ports full of Vikings! Don't you think they will come knocking soon if we don't return."

Bjarke was able to pull her arm from the guard's grip and told him not to touch her. Not that the man could understand her, but her spitting in his face probably made things clear as he let go of her entirely and only kept his spear pointed at her.

She felt like she had earned some respect by doing what she did from some of the men around her.

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It was cold in the dungeons. All you could hear was the wind howling and chains rattling.

"This is an interesting place you've brought us to. I hope it's not the last place I see," Harald broke the silence.

"Why aren't you talking," his brother Halfdan asked. "Could it be because you know you made a bad judgement? We totally believed in you, and thought the gods did also."

"Still, you must have a plan for getting us out of this mess," Harald said. "And I'm sure we'd all like to hear what it is."

"How could you ever think you could do business with Rollo! He has killed hundreds of our people! He's lied and cheated, double-crossed his own brother, renounced the gods, committed every crime known to man. We should have attacked his fleet. At least we could have fought and died like Vikings, instead of sheep," Halfdan said.

"We cannot predict other people's actions, Halfdan. Only seers and witches can. That does not include Björn. You chose to believe in Björn once and there's no reason not to believe in him now. We're not dead yet, are we?" Bjarke said.

She earned a smile from both Björn and Hvitserk. Everyone knew she was right. Björn couldn't help it.

Suddenly they heard the doors opening and guards approached them. They unchained Björn and took him with them.

"Do not disappoint us, Ironside," Harald said.

Two of the guards stayed a little longer. They carefully walked towards the back of the dungeon, where Hvitserk and Bjarke sat, afraid of what the other Vikings might do to them. One of them lifted Bjarke up by her chains and then also unchained her.

Bjarke did not understand. What could they possibly need her for, and why had they waited until Björn was gone.

"What will you do to her?!" Hvitserk asked. When the guards completely ignored him he kicked one of them, but all Hvitserk got was a glare.

"I'll be fine, Hvitserk. I can take care of myself."

What neither the guards nor any of the Vikings knew was that Bjarke had never really been unarmed after what had happened with Sigurd. She had always kept a knife, wrapped in a cloth so it couldn't cut her, under her clothes. She had placed it between her breasts so no one could see it.

If the guards tried to hurt her, she'd hurt them. There was a lot of damage Bjarke could do with a knife.