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 wasn't long before Ragnar and Tova had learned about what had occurred in Wessex. King Ecbert's men had attacked King Horik's camp soon after they left. Many warriors were slaughtered and Horik and Erlendur were forced to flee with their lives. Yet despite all of this news, they seemed to have learned nothing about Athelstan's whereabouts, which worried them the most.
While Lagertha had decided to return back to her husband, Bjorn had decided to stay, which seemed to relieve both Ragnar and Tova.
Ragnar was glad to have his son back while Tova was happy to have her old friend back with her, someone who was actually her age.
"You'll have to forgive the poverty of the feast," Ragnar spoke up, glancing over at his wife before back at Horik, "It has been a hard winter. We had to burn our own grain stores to rid ourselves of Jarl Borg."
"So I heard," Horik replied, not seeming to be interested in what Ragnar had to say.
Ragnar turned, exchanging a look with Tova. The girl sighed and turned to Erlendur, leaning forward in her seat. "Tell us, Erlendur, what happened in England, after we left?" She asked as she looked directly at King Horik's son.
Erlendur inhaled sharply, taking a sip of his ale before looking over at his father.
"We were betrayed by King Ecbert. We made contact and your Christian friend Athelstan arranged for further talks, or so he said," Horik answered for his son in a calm tone, "In retrospect, I wonder whose side he was really on."
"Ours, of course," Tova replied, beginning to glare at the man.
"In any case, a trickster was at work. Ecbert never meant to honor his promises to you," Horik continued, looking directly at Ragnar, "We were betrayed, taken by surprise. There was a great slaughter. Erlendur and I barely escaped with our lives."
Tova leaned forward in her seat, a concerned look on her face. "What about Athelstan?" She asked worriedly, "Where is he?"
"If he is fortunate, he died in battle," He replied and both Tova and Ragnar's face fell at the thought, "In any case, let's not speak of him. He was a worthless individual."
Tova remained silent for a long moment, beginning to glare at the man coldly. "How dare you."
"Poor Athelstan," Bjorn suddenly spoke up, causing both Tova and Ragnar to look at him, "My sister and I grew to love him as Tova did when we were children."
"He fooled you, young Bjorn," Floki commented, causing Ragnar and Tova to exchange an annoyed look, "He never denounced his Christian god. He was our enemy. And we should rejoice at his death."
Ragnar rolled his eyes at Floki, turning to look over at Horik once more. "So, what do you intend on doing now?"
"What do you think, Ragnar?" Horik answered in an obvious tone as he sat, "I intend on gaining revenge on King Ecbert. We should plan a raid as soon as possible."
