King Askild looked into the vast sea, pondering what he wanted to do next.
He had expanded his control, but such a thing would only mean he would have more enemies because people would grow wary of Kattegat.
This would inevitably mean that other kingdoms might begin to merge to stand a chance against Kattegat, a thought that did not sit well with Askild as they did not have the men to hold these territories.
Erik had fallen asleep not too far from him, he did not understand what he wanted, but Signy's words sat deep in his heart. Erik knew he wanted to meet Signy again, he had a feeling that Signy could give him something Askild could not, but this did not mean he intended to betray Askild or Vestfold.
"I will conquer the world…." Askild muttered to himself, but a voice soon called his name.
"King Askild, it was Ulf. Ulf had gained the respect of Askild because he had managed to stay close to Birger and watched him throughout the war.
"What is it, Ulf?" Askild asked as he adjusted to allow Ulf to sit beside him, which surprised him because Askild had never recognized him until now.
Askild granted him an audience on the spot. That was unusual for someone like him.
Ulf took this chance. He contemplated telling Askild about what Birger had planned, but that would ruin his dream because he was aware that Birger was the one that could give him the power he sought.
"I am grateful for the trust you put in me to watch over Birger, but I know he is the brother of King Asmund. I know nothing else about him." Ulf said. It was no surprise he did not because the information regarding what Birger did was limited.
It was intentionally contained to just a few people; even Asger obeyed the gag order.
All most people knew was that Birger was exiled; this was the only way he could avoid death because Askild did not know what killing him would have done at that moment.
But Birger did not leave Kattegat alone; he had a following of loyal warriors sworn to him.
Asger's wife's killer was killed as far as the public was convinced.
"Birger is a threat I knew you could handle, Ulf Lothbrok, but I also know he is a man blessed with the devil's tongue. I sent you to watch over him because I trusted you could not be swayed. Ulf, I trust you…." Askild, and there was something about hearing Askild say these words that made him question whether he should tell him about Birger's plan to kill him.
"King Askild, there is something I need to tell you…." Ulf said; he looked anxious because he did not know how Askild would take what he was about to tell him.
Askild was no fool, he knew that Birger was after his life, but there was a twist to this.
If Ulf told Askild, he would be questioned further, and Askild would find out that he had withheld this information from him for quite some time.
This single act might undo everything he had gotten since the war started, and he might lose the respect he had worked so hard to gain from King Askild.
He choked; the words could not leave his mouth because he reconsidered his whole thought process.
Most of the warriors were already asleep and resting because they were exhausted and hungry; it was almost like they had forgotten the threat Birger posed.
Not only was Birger's ally the snake that gave Asmund the upper hand, but Birger had publicly undermined Askild's authority.
Ulf swallowed the words but saw that Birger had somehow closed the distance between King Askild and himself. Birger was no easy prey. If he could land a sneak attack on King Askild, there was no way Askild would survive.
He noticed that Askild was exhausted, one could not blame him as he was always on his guard, but no one was above being tired, not even the sleeping Erik.
Ulf could see Birger approaching from Askild's blind spot, and with Askild's attention focused on Ulf, he was left vulnerable.
A vulnerability that was about to be exploited, Ulf had two options.
Alert Askild of the impending threat or keep silent and allow Birger to carry out his plan.
But there was a third option, an option he planned on taking: killing Askild himself.
If he killed Askild, he should be King by default, right? Is that not how Askild became King?
Ulf clutched the hilt of his sword and casually allowed his fingers to caress it. Askild thought nothing of this, but Birger was glad because this would be a two-pronged attack; Askild would be unable to avoid it.
"That's it, Ulf.." Birger thought, and the moment he was close, he swung his blade to take off Askild's head, an action that Askild himself did not register.
And Ulf unsheathed his blade simultaneously, this meant that Askild's attention only remained focused on him, but Askild's face showed no fear. This momentary indifference from Askild was enough to sway the mind of Ulf, who redirected his blade in Birger's direction.
Birger caught this from his peripheral vision, but there was no way he could dodge this at this point.
Birger smiled in defeat as he realized the side that Ulf had taken.
"It is just as I expected…." These were Birger's last words right before his head left his body as Ulf had just hit a home run, sending it into the sea as his headless body dropped to the floor in one fell swoop. Ulf was breathing hard, a strong warrior, and he used the element of surprise to his advantage.
Birger fell to his blade, and Askild did not turn back. Askild simply smiled, and this single action told Ulf that Askild was aware of Birger's presence.
This test showed that Askild was equipped to evade the attack if need be, but if he needed to do that, he could rule Ulf out as a traitor. Luckily, Ulf made the right choice.
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