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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Later that day, Ragnar and Tova were standing together in the Great Hall of Kattegat when King Horik entered with his two oldest sons.
"King Horik!" Ragnar greeted the King with a smile on his face as he walked toward him while Tova remained in place off to the side, "Welcome indeed."
"Earl Ragnar, my great friend," Horik greeted him happily as they both hugged tightly.
"I heard you came by horse. Where are your ships?" Ragnar asked him curiously.
"My ships are being prepared. I could not wait," Horik informed him in a calm tone as a woman walked over with a cup of mead and handed it to Ragnar, who handed it to Horik, "I have waited an eternity already. I said to my sons, I have to set off. I cannot even wait for the ice to melt. My ships will arrive soon enough."
"I look forward to getting to know your sons and introducing mine. Not to mention, my daughter, who you've met before many years ago," Ragnar turned and gestured for Tova to come over. She sighed, just before walking over. He smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder as he turned to Horik. "I'm sure you remember Tova, my daughter."
"I do," Horik smiled and nodded his head, "She was only a girl when I last saw her."
"She is sixteen now," Ragnar informed Horik, who immediately gained interest by the words.
"She is of age, then," Horik realized, gesturing between his two sons, "Perhaps when this is all over, we may negotiate a marriage alliance between one of my sons and your daughter."
Hearing Horik's words, Tova's eyes widened in shock. She turned and stared at Ragnar in disbelief.
"Perhaps," Ragnar replied, forcing a smile onto his way since he knew for a fact that was never going to happen, "There is someone else here that you will well remember."
Horik began to walk away with Ragnar while Tova turned, exchanging a brief look with Horik's sons before the three of them followed after the two older men.
Ragnar picked Ubbe off the ground, holding him in his arms as they entered the room where Jarl Borg sat close to Floki.
The moment they entered, Horik frowned at the sight of Jarl Borg, clearly not happy.
"Come here, Ubbe," Tova told the boy, taking the young boy into her arms.
"I can see, King Horik, that you're not too...delighted to see me, but I hope you're not surprised," Jarl Borg spoke up in a calm tone, "We made an agreement to raid together and I've come to honor it."
"The last time we met, Jarl Borg, I had the distasteful task of burying many of my kinsmen and friends," Horik explained to Jarl Borg as he glared at him hatefully, "And for the past four years, I've been paying you profits for my lands. But still, it is true, I am not surprised to see you."
