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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Ragnar hadn't been the same since Tova had told him of Athelstan's death. He had taken it hard and they both knew who killed Athelstan but didn't dare to admit it out loud. Ragnar had shaved his head entirely and wore Athelstan's chain around his neck, not caring what anyone, especially Floki, thought.
On the boat to Paris, Tova sat beside Ragnar in front of Floki, the two men staring at each other intently. Ragnar tilted his head and continued to stare at Floki, looking almost taunting.
"Lord Ragnar," A voice suddenly called out, causing the duo to turn to see that they were nearing Paris
Tova's eyes widened slightly and her lips curled upwards, beginning to smile in admiration. "It's beautiful," She spoke up in a soft tone and Ragnar smiled.
"Indeed," He agreed, tucking the cross he wore, which was previously Athelstan's, into his shirt.
______
While the others were setting up camp, Tova traveled with Rollo and a large number of others on a boat to test Paris' defenses. Tova studied her surroundings closely, only to look up to see some of the Frank soldiers standing on the walls, pointing crossbows down at them.
"Raise shields!" Tova shouted out and the men immediately obeyed her. She glanced around, studying the Franks closely as they continued to shoot at them, "Row, row!"
It wasn't long before they arrived back at camp. When they did, Tova and Rollo were among those who arrived at the tent where Ragnar was to hold a meeting.
Tova ended up taking a seat beside Bjorn at the large circular table. She sighed and avoided eye contact with him. After all, she had been avoiding him ever since Athelstan's death.
"King Ragnar, we have reached Paris," Earl Kalf spoke up in a calm tone, beginning to conversation, "Now, we all want to know—"
"Up, puh, puh," Floki spoke up, lifting his hand as he tried to silence Kalf, "The King...my oldest friend has asked me to take command."
Hearing Floki's words, Tova turned and glanced at Ragnar. She looked back at Bjorn, the two of them sharing a smile.
Kalf glanced around, only to decide not to question it and instead just sat down.
"So, uh..." Floki awkwardly trailed off as he looked around at the group, "How do we best attack the city?"
Tova groaned, facepalming herself at Floki's words.
There was a long moment of silence as everyone glanced around, waiting for someone to speak up.
Unable to take it anymore, Tova sighed before deciding to speak up. "Some of us have taken a closer look at the city from further up the bank," She informed the group in a calm tone, "Those of us who have done that suggest a plan. We should mount simultaneous attacks both from the water and from the land."
