It had been written that the daughter of Ragnar Lothbrok was taken to Valhalla as a young girl.
But what if the gods didn't take her? What if the gods spared her?
Gyda Ironside, the only daughter of Ragnar and Lagertha rejoins her family as a train...
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"You will have to forgive the poverty of the feast, it has been a hard winter...We had to burn our own grain stalls to rid ourselves of Jarl Borg." Father continues, his voice directed to Horik.
I watch the king as he nods his head, his eyes not leaving his plate he picked from.
"So I heard." Not one hint of concern.
I was conflicted about my first meeting with the king. Since I had not yet been sworn into the KingsGuard, I have stayed in the training village that rests on the other side of our kings lands, so I have not had the chance to meet him. Stories told from our commander paint him as greatness but the man that sat before my father was not what I expected.
The only sound at the table is everyone digging into their meat, as there was not much of it. Father's gaze falls to Horiks's eldest son as he disregards the kings tone.
"Tell us Erlendur, what happened in England after we left?"
Erlendur doesn't answer my father, he only stares to his plate whilst sipping his ale, a resentful look in his eyes.
"We were betrayed by King Ecbert." his father speaks for him, "We made contact and your Christian friend, Athelstan, arranged for further talks or so he said."
Athelstan? I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My mind had wondered the past few days where the gentle monk had ended up.
"All in all, I wonder whose side he was really on? In any case the trickster was at work. Ecbert never meant to honour his promises to you. We were betrayed, taken by surprise. It was a great slaughter, Erlendur and I barely escaped with our lives." The kings eyes finally meet my fathers, full of malice.
"What about Athelstan? Where is he now?"
Horik only scoffs at his words.
"If he was fortunate he would have died in battle. In any case let us not speak of him," the king downs the last of his ale, "He was a worthless individual."
My hands clutched into a fist in my lap. My good opinion of Horik deteriorating.
"Poor Athelstan."
Everyone's attention is bought to Bjorn.
"My sister and I grew to love him when we were children." A smile is laid upon his lips, I look over to see the same on fathers.
"He fooled you, young Bjorn." Floki interjects, "He never denounced his Christian god. He was an enemy, we should rejoice in his death."
The look father shoots him made him silent as he continues on with his meal.
