Askild was allowed passage, but only him; everyone else was held at the harbor.
He could not believe that Kattegat fell despite having two commanders here, and he was confident that neither of them would betray him, but that is the thing with betrayal, and that is what makes it so terrifying. Askild also wondered what happened to his wife.
Askild began to probe who could be responsible as his mind raced, but there was no way for him to know until he met this leader.
"Askild, I know you are probably wondering who was responsible for this," The man spoke to Askild like equals, without the title they were. The one title that gave Askild power was no longer his, and with a new king, the men of Kattegat were no longer sworn to Askild.
Everything will soon be revealed, but there is one thing you need to know," The man said. He was not stupid enough to escort Askild alone as he could not even defeat Herfjötur, so there was no way he could touch Askild if a fight would ensue.
What is it?" Askild questioned calmly; he was worried but hid it well.
"There is this lady we found in the throne room; she is quite a marvelous woman." The man said with a sickening grin as his cloak slipped from his head to reveal his face.
Askild looked at him with a disgusted look, he had a very innocent-looking face, and Askild could estimate his age to be in his mid-twenties.
He was a relatively small man, measuring 5'9 in height, but Askild could tell he was in no way weak.
"I think her name was Liv…." The man called out the name of Askild's wife, and this prompted Askild to stop in his tracks the moment he called out her name.
"What did you just say?" Askild questioned; the murderous intent in his eyes forced the others escorting him to clutch the hilt of their blade in anticipation.
"She has such beautiful skin…. Especially when exposed…." The man said, licking his lips as the men around him giggled. He was trying to provoke Askild, and it was working.
"I have a habit of mixing names, so I might be wrong," The man said, playing it off as a joke, but he knew the trigger button of Askild with this little joke.
"What did you do with my commanders?" Askild asked, but he got no response.
The walk felt like an eternity, but it was in less than seven minutes.
The men stopped at the entrance and gestured for Askild to move forward.
He was surprised that they would let him in alone; did that mean they did not consider him a threat, to begin with? No, that could not be the reason.
Aksild stepped into what was once his throne room, and what he saw horrified him.
He saw Liv, half-naked and tied to the throne, but no one else was in this room apart from her.
"What is going on?" Askild asked; he looked around to see if anyone was around, but there was not, so why did they bring him here?
"K-King A-Askild? Is that you!?" Liv said desperately, but her voice was not one of a maiden in distress but fear for her potential savior.
"Take it easy, Liv; I am here. No harm will come to you," Askild said calmly; he tried his best to reassure his wife, but it did not sound like she needed his reassurance.
"GET OUT OF HERE! KING ASKILD!" Liv screamed in desperation, and Askild was surprised because he had never heard his wife speak this way.
She was blindfolded, so she could not see, but Liv could hear everything, and right now, her husband's life seemed to be in danger, a danger she alone perceived.
Askild naturally assumed a defensive stance because there was no way he was planning to leave Liv, his wife, alone with the enemies because he did not know what would happen to her if he did.
"I am not leaving you here…." Askild said sternly, his voice threatening as he gazed right at her.
"Did they…" Askild stopped himself from completing the question, but Liv knew precisely what he wanted to ask.
"I am fine, no one touched me, King Askild." She reassured her husband and still gave him the respect that came with his title as King, even though that title might very well be lost.
Askild began walking towards his wife, but he was cautious as he did not know if a trap awaited him. He was relieved she was fine, but why did they want him here?
Where was the leader? Did they just want to show him that they did not hurt Liv?
Why go through this much trouble? Askild soon realized why he was there.
He saw Lagertha, but unlike his wife, she was unconscious and bound to a chair close to the door.
He only realized she was there after walking a few meters forward as his attention was focused solely on Liv.
"Lagertha?" Askild was confused; who possessed the combat skills to defeat Lagertha?
Lagertha was far from weak, as her combat prowess was rumored to be on par with a commander.
Before he could figure out what was happening, he could hear someone clapping their hands in the distance. It got closer with each passing second. Liv looked terrified; she kept whimpering and sobbing.
"He is here!" Liv muttered under her breath, and Askild was sad to see his wife in such a state.
He expected to return to feasts and celebrations as they had done what most once deemed impossible, but now he understood why. That was why Kattegat fell.
"Well, well… If it is not the usurper, welcome back to Kattegat…." The man paused, his face coming into view, and Askild's eyes widened in surprise; he could not believe what he saw.
"You…." Askild muttered under his breath.
"You are Birger Helvig!" Askild shouted upon seeing the man standing behind his wife.
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