The Son Of Ragnar

"What do you mean Tyr is alive?" Bjorn questioned, his father did not trust the words of Signy but Signy had no reason to lie at this point.

They did not see Tyr's body but they also did not see the body of Oskar so this could mean nothing, Ragnar hated it but he clung to that glimmer of hope that his son was still alive.

"We only killed a man that did not match the description of Tyr, if Tyr died it was not from my party. Did you see his body?" Signy brought it to their attention and Bjorn shook his head.

Before they could continue their conversation, Erik interrupted them by sitting between them.

"Are you guys becoming chummy buddies?" Erik asked, throwing an arm around Bjorn.

Bjorn began to boil the moment Erik did that, he hated him with every fiber of his being but he knew there was nothing he could do.

Ragnar was not bothered by his presence but the discussion they were having stopped telling Erik it was one not fit for his ears considering that Ragnar did not like him, that could be another factor.

"Erik, what are you doing here?" Ragnar asked, and Erik noticed that both of them were a lot calmer than they were a few minutes back, this meant that Signy told them something about Tyr.

"Signy, are you ready to watch your father die?" Erik asked, he was always trying to get under someone's skin and Signy was unfazed by it as he had time to accept his reality.

"I will watch him ascend to Valhalla. Erik The Berserker, I do not fear you anymore… You are a product of what the world broke" Signy muttered but it was the calmness in his voice that pissed Erik off. He could not stand him, Signy spoke like he was better than him.

"What do you think you know about me? A spoiled brat like you could never understand me…" Erik fired back but this was more of a banter to him as he did not take Signy's words seriously.

"You are strong Erik, I think you have the potential to be even stronger than your king but something is holding you back. You need someone to submit to, someone to guide you. You are like a lost child seeking daddy's approval because you never got it from yours." Signy said and Erik for the first time was left speechless.

"W-What the fuck?" Erik blurted out, he had fear in his eyes, even if it was for a second.

"I do not judge you, Erik. The day you become your own master is the day that no one will be your equal." These were words Erik had never heard before, he had been called a monster and looked at with fear and contempt but he sensed none of that from Signy.

Ragnar noticed this and intervened in the conversation before Erik did something reckless.

Signy's face was injured and swollen, Ragnar inched closer to Signy to check it out and the injuries were not as bad as they looked.

"Signy…" Erik muttered, before getting to his feet. He was so used to people being scared of him that he forgot what compassionate eyes looked like.

"I see why you are dangerous. It is not because of your skill with your sword, but the words with your mouth. That is why Asmund sent you, part of him knew you would be captured. And those words you weave are dangerous." Erik said, excusing himself.

This was the first time Ragnar had seen Erik humbled with anything but violence and he understood the threat Signy posed as well as why Asmund even considered Askild's proposal.

He was the future of Vestfold and even Askild must have realized this. This was the reason he was certain that Signy would not make it out alive.

Bjorn was amazed by how articulate he was, Signy had attained peace of mind after coming to terms that he was going to die alongside his father. This eliminated the fear in his heart.

-

The bodies of the warriors were set ablaze, and their purity was retained thanks to the rituals.

This gave their family closure as King Asmund stood to watch, and everyone chanted his name with pride and honor.

He was the beacon that kept Vestfold alive, they knew what was to come and they wanted to give him a send-off worthy of praise. A song that the gods danced to and Asmund smiled in response to this reception because he did not expect this.

Tyr had taken shelter and stolen clothes to blend in, but there was only so much he could do as his skin tone stood out. He concealed himself like someone traveling through the desert, covered from head to toe but he was smart enough to stay away from sight.

He noticed the striking resemblance between King Asmund and Earl Hakon, you could not tell them apart except that Asmund was slightly taller and had a broader face.

This made Erik's deduction even more impressive but Tyr recalled what Hakon had told him.

He had told him how to lower the gates of Vestfold, but he had also told Tyr how to end the war in a bloodless manner. The first thing he needed to do was get into Vestfold.

Tyr knew if he could take Amsund's head, he could end the war but who was he kidding?

There was no way in hell he could defeat Asmund if what he heard was true.

He knew that they would lower the gates to let Asmund through because Signy had been captured, Tyr got the gist of what was happening from the guards as it was a hot topic right now.

But this also told him that despite King Askild's earlier repulsion regarding his plan, he listened.

Tyr smiled but he was not sure if Askild had any intentions of following through with the plan.

But he had to do his job, once the gate falls.

He was confident that they would storm the place and it will give them a fighting chance in terms of attaining victory. Askild opposed the plan but this was him testing Tyr's earlier resolve of doing anything it takes to win, even if it meant going against his King.

Every single thing that happened, happened exactly as Tyr predicted. Not a single thing was amiss and this was nothing short of impressive.

Signy was a hypothesis that he proposed and the moment Askild got him in his possession was when he confirmed that Tyr knew exactly what he was talking about.

The Vikings gathered around the gates to lower them and allow their king beyond them.

"It is almost time…" Tyr muttered to himself but just then, he felt a hand grab his shoulder.

"Who are you?" An unknown voice asked.