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 on a boat with Ragnar, fishing. As they did so, Ragnar turned to the girl with a calm expression on his face. "You killed a man the other day," He spoke up in a calm tone.
"I did it to protect myself," Tova replied softly and Ragnar nodded in understanding, "That is all."
"Do you feel different?" Ragnar questioned and Tova shrugged her shoulders.
"I know it was necessary, but I still feel guilty. That man could have been a brother, a son, or even a father," She confessed in a whisper, "I stabbed him and watched him die. I can't help but feel guilty about that."
"You are still young. You don't truly understand the concept of it all, but you will. I will make sure of it," He assured her in a calm tone, "Though it will not be long before Earl Haraldson comes for you."
"I know," Tova admitted in a soft whisper as she stared downwards.
"I might have no choice but to allow him to take you, even if I don't want to," Ragnar confessed in a calm tone, "Keeping you from him could cost us all our lives."
"I understand. If you to give me up, I wouldn't blame you. But I hope that one day, you would bring me back with you. I don't know those people and I never will," She explained and Ragnar nodded in understanding.
"Do you remember anything from before England?" Ragnar found himself asking the girl curiously.
"Not really," She confessed as she shook her head, "I only remember short glimpses of it all. I remember the day I placed at the gates of the monastery. I knew the man somehow. But I don't remember his name. He took me there on a boat."
"Was it like one of our boats?" Ragnar asked and Tova nodded her head in confirmation.
"What are you planning?" She suddenly questioned, causing Ragnar to raise a brow at her, "What are you preparing for?"
"What do you mean by that?" Ragnar replied in a calm tone.
"I've seen what you've been doing of late. You are about to do something. Something that has taken a lot of thought and patience. You have made yourself very strong in the past few days," She explained and Ragnar sighed in defeat.
"Perhaps not strong enough," He pointed out and Tova tilted her head, giving him a curious look.
"Do you plan to overthrow Earl Haraldson?" She suddenly asked, causing Ragnar to turn to look directly at her.
"No, but even if I were, I doubt admitting that to his daughter would ever end well," Ragnar commented, beginning to smile in amusement.
Tova sighed in frustration and rolled her eyes. "I don't even know the man. You're more my father than he is," She complained, only to turn to see the expression on Ragnar's face had changed, "What?"
