𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐃 | Ragnar Lothbrok ¹

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑

KING OF KINGS

KING RAGNAR, accompanied by Lagertha and Athelstan, was granted safe passage to King Ecbert's kingdom, fully aware of the situation at hand. Once Athelwulf had informed him of the Vikings' possession of his daughter, he was eager for the meeting. There they all sat around the dining table, ignorant of their shared history.

"What took you so long?" King Ecbert asked, receiving no immediate response as the two engaged in a silent staring contest. The crackling fire was the only sound in the awkwardly silent room. "What have you done to my daughter?"

"Your daughter is my guest," Ragnar finally spoke with a smirk. "I made sure that no harm came to her. Made sure she was well kept."

The smirk vanished from Ragnar's face as he began to speak again. "You betrayed me, and yet I took good care of your daughter, Sophie."

"Sophie?" King Ecbert muttered, trying to maintain a straight face. He thought she was gone. All this time he believed she was gone. Her return was a shock.

"You never told me you had a daughter," Ragnar remarked, the smirk creeping back.

"Would it have made a difference?"

"Might have, who would have known?"

King Ecbert sighed before continuing. "It was wrong of my son to slaughter all your farmers and their families," he said. "But as you probably guessed, it was done under my orders."

The two kings conversed in a language Lagertha had yet to learn, causing her to glance at Athelstan for translation.

"It's always better to address the worst things immediately, don't you agree?" King Ecbert continued. "Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa."

Through my own fault, through my most grievous fault.

"It was my decision. Of course, it was part of a larger and bolder strategy. But..." King Ecbert paused.

"And I know that, more than anything, you wanted to build a farming community here," he continued, glancing at Lagertha who had Athelstan whispering to her.

"And you killed all the settlers," King Ragnar told him.

"Yes. It's true. I did. But..." King Ecbert chuckled. "Now the tables have turned."

"You are a terrible father," King Ragnar said as he leaned forward over the table. "Even more terrible than I am."

King Ecbert smiled. "You're not the only one with a possession of what's mine; I also have someone of yours."

"And who would that be?" Ragnar asked, causing King Ecbert to signal the guard who nodded and opened the hall's door.

"Sire," the guard announced as he approached with a young boy in tow.

"On your previous visit..." King Ecbert began as the guard led the young boy closer. "You left behind a son of yours."

"Unfortunately, his mother, Queen Kwenthrith, is no longer with us," he continued, causing Ragnar to snort at the Queen's name. "But I've looked after the boy as if he were my own."

"Come forward, boy. Come, come," King Ecbert motioned for the young boy to approach. "This is your son, Magnus. Go on, Magnus. Speak to your father."

"I have waited a very long time for this moment," Magnus spoke. "My mother told me so much about you. She told me I was like you, and that one day I'd be famous like you. And now I see you, everything she told me was true. Everything about my life makes sense now."

"Someone once explained to me what a miracle is," Ragnar said with a smirk, his eyes flickering to Athelstan. "So now I understand, Magnus. Your birth was a miracle."

"A miracle?" Magnus asked.

"Yes," Ragnar sighed. "Because I never had sex with your mother. All she ever did was piss on me."

King Ecbert knew it but thought he would give it a shot. What was there to lose? "Perhaps you should leave us, Magnus," he told the disappointed boy who turned away with slumped shoulders.

"You know, I had my doubts about that boy all along," King Ecbert turned to Ragnar as the boy was led out of the hall.

Back to it.

"Why have you taken so long to return?" King Ecbert repeated his initial question.

"It was part of a larger... And bolder strategy," Ragnar smirked.

"I see," King Ecbert said with a smile.

"You like power, King Ecbert, don't you?" Ragnar asked with glinting eyes as he leaned on his elbows over the table.

"Well, I only like it because it allows me to do good things," King Ecbert replied.

"Really?"

"I think I've used my power rather well. For example, I've used it to unite all the small, squabbling kingdoms of England into a single entity, now capable of defending itself against any who might come to threaten or destroy it."

"Like me," Ragnar said.

"I thought you came in search of good farming lands and that you wanted to find some way that our peoples could live together and mutually benefit," King Ecbert told him.

"Oh, so you thought by killing all of my people, that was mutually beneficial, hmm?"

"No, no. Of course not. I've already expressed my deep regret," King Ecbert started. "The fact is... It was the right idea at the wrong time."

"But I firmly and I absolutely believe that such accommodations will come to pass. Perhaps even in my grandson's time," King Ecbert spoke as he glanced at Athelstan who looked rather confused at the gesture. "In Alfred's time."

Princess Judith's eyes met Athelstan's bewildered ones, a rush of warmth spreading over her face.

"We can make a new deal," King Ecbert said.

"What are you proposing?" King Ragnar asked him.

"Well, as you say, it's only a matter of time before you are driven away from here," King Ecbert said. "Without any legal right to English lands, you have no hope of staying."

"Well, I am king of kings," he continued. "And I can give you that legal right. I will give you a legal claim to the kingdom of East Anglia. It's a large kingdom. Because I am king, no one can question that claim. And it seems that... You have enough men to enforce it until it holds. That's my offer."

Ragnar seemed to consider the offer as he glanced at Lagertha and Athelstan. "Under one condition," King Ecbert said, causing Ragnar's gaze to shift back to him.

"And what is that?" he asked him.

"I'll have to see Sophie first."