Kjell was left stunned by this revelation because it left a bitter taste in his mouth that Asmund was so willing to give up on Xenophanes despite the king of Kattegat being willing to give up his life for Asmund.
"Why did you give up on him?" Kjell could not help but ask, his curiosity had the best of him but Asmund did not mind the question and that was why he told the story.
"Hahaha! It was because he was a traitor…" Asmund said in a joking manner, the tone not matching the seriousness of the situation but his joyful face turned sour.
"... Or at least that was what I forced myself to believe. I knew there was no way he would turn his back on me not after risking the stability of his kingdom on a whim but I am not like Xenophanes. I had to do it for the sake of my kingdom. I had to treat him like we do traitors…" Asmund said, but Kjell did not believe a word he had said.
"You did it for him, didn't you? You knew his loyalty to you would destroy his kingdom…" Kjell muttered and Asmund went silent, he did not utter a single word letting Kjell know that he had struck gold.
"I think we have spoken enough, Earl Kjell. You should return to your post." Asmund dismissed the Earl because he knew that he had said too much.
"M-My apologies, King Asmund!" Earl Kjell blurted out nervously as he excused himself soon after.
-
Signy was with Askild at all times, and he knew he might as well try to get a conversation out of him in a bid to persuade him to lower his arms but he knew he would have to do more than just talk.
"King Askild, do you intend to let me live?" Signy asked, he did not sound scared despite subconsciously knowing the answer to his question already.
"I think you know the answer to that, young prince…" Askild said. He had no intention of letting Signy live. This was not a very honorable way to win the war but Askild was never a man big on honor still, this attack was too sudden.
It was far too impromptu for it to not have been planned, but no one else but Askild knew what was going on in his head.
"You injured my father, did you not?" Signy asked, recalling the blood that was smeared on his face, and judging by Askild's reaction, he was aware.
"Why did you wait a month to attack, King Askild? I thought it was because of what you had your men building but now I do not think that was the case… Why did you wait a month?" Signy questioned. He was safe for now because Askild could not kill him or attempt to, not until his father was beyond the wall.
"You ask a lot of questions, do you know that?" Askild responded but Signy knew he was onto something, there was no doubt about that but he had to figure it out before his father came out.
"I am going to die either way so I would like to know what we did wrong," Signy dismissed Askild's suspicion and maintained that it was mere curiosity.
Ragnar approached them, prompting the conversation to end abruptly. Ragnar greeted Askild, it was clear he wanted to talk to Signy and Askild was more than willing to let him have this conversation.
He carted Signy off, taking him to a secluded part of their temporary camp.
ραпdα nᴏνɐ| сom Askild did not trust what Ragnar would do and gestured for Erik to keep an eye out for them.
"Do you know who I am?" Ragnar began the conversation in a calm tone and Signy nodded.
"You are Ragnar Lothbrok, it is an honor," Signy replied, recalling him from the meeting with his father.
"I am sorry we are meeting under such circumstances," Signy added, he had no hostility behind his voice but this did not mean Ragnar could trust him either. He was an enemy after all.
"It is a pity but this is war…" Ragnar responded, sharing a non-hostile conversation with an enemy. Bjorn sprung out of nowhere and landed a blow right across Signy's face.
The other Vikings around them started laughing, there was no reason why Bjorn could not lay his hands on him as long as he did not kill him.
"You bastard! You killed my brother!" Bjorn cussed out. Signy did not offer any form of resistance and took all the blows as they came. Ragnar did not try to stop Bjorn either and he did not need to because Bjorn stopped on his own. His uncontrolled rage was replaced by sorrow, sobbing profusely as his tears trickled down Signy's face.
"You must be Bjorn, or should I say, Ironside?" Signy whispered, his lips swollen and his right eye blackened.
'Ironside?" Bjorn asked, sliding off him and allowing him to regain himself.
"It is what my people call you… I hate to be a bearer of hope but your brother did not fall by my sword or any of my men." Signy blurted out and the reaction from both Ragnar and Bjorn was telling.
"What do you mean?" Ragnar asked, and Signy had no problem spilling the beans as he said those words that both Vikings yearned for.
"Your son is still alive…"
-
"Ready the bodies to burn in 10 minutes!" A Viking shouted and a resonating response followed. The hold-up was over and it was time to give their warriors an honorable send-off.
The fire was burning and the skies had darkened, it was almost time.
Hidden in one of the corpses was Tyr Ragnarsson. He had dug out the organs of the corpse, organs Signy saw right before he was captured and his emancipated state allowed him to hide comfortably in one of the much bigger Vikings that had been slain.
Tyr exited the body, covered in blood and filth, he used the darkened skies to his advantage to slip away undetected and unnoticed.
He had done what no one could and that was infiltrating the walls of Vestfold but what now?
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