Birger found himself on the back foot as the men that once served him moved to cease him.
Ragnar knew things were not adding up and had no intentions of letting Askild have his way.
"Stop this," Ragnar said, but the men did not stop in their attempts to restrain him.
But a glance at Ragnar stopped them in their tracks, and Ragnar walked beside Birger.
He knew Birger was not stupid enough to gather them here if he was just going to tell them a lie.
Askild always had a sweet mouth, Ragnar knew Askild was lying because if anything, Erik's loyalty to Askild made his words even truer despite Askild denying it.
Ragnar looked at Erik before looking at Askild.
"That is enough, we are here for Erik The Berserker, not Birger. You may do that after I have Erik's head," Ragnar said, the playful Ragnar was serious because this situation called for it.
"His head?" Birger asked; he wanted a swift execution but it sounded like Ragnar wanted to duel the monster.
"King Ragnar…." A voice called out behind him, Asger was shaking with anger because he did not know who to believe but he chose to stick by Askild's words, he had to or these years would have all been in vain but deep down, he knew.
"You do not hold such authority in Kattegat, that is King Askild's call to make," Asger said and Birger just smiled upon realizing this.
"What do you want to do?" Askild questioned Ragnar, he wanted to get in the good graces of Ragnar because he knew Ragnar had doubts about his story.
"I want to kill Erik, unbind him. Erik The Berserker, I challenge you to a duel to the death," Ragnar''s voice was cold and King Rugalf was happy about this development.
Rugalf had heard stories of both Erik and Ragnar but now, he was about to witness both men fight in earnest, but he had to contain his excitement.
Lagertha felt guilty, she blamed herself for not telling Ragnar sooner because she knew something in him broke the moment he heard another man had violated his wife.
Ragnar had a sense of guilt, he had failed to protect Lagertha, and she could have easily suffered the same fate as Asger's wife.
This is why Ragnar was certain that it was Erik that was responsible for Asger's wife as well.
ραпdα nᴏνɐ| сom Ragnar stepped towards Erik, Erik looked ecstatic, he was going to fight the famed Ragnar Lothbrok.
He could not have asked for anything better, this felt more like a reward rather than punishment.
The guards with the key were hesitant because it would be easier to just execute Erik right now.
All this looked like Erik was being given a way to survive, Ragnar hated that Erik exposed his children to such a vile act against their mother but one thing Erik was good at was survival.
Erik was freed from his shackles and the sinister smirk on his face never left.
"Give him his weapons," Ragnar further instructed and the murmurs grew loud, the crowds were confused as to why Ragnar wanted to give Erik a fighting chance as he was handed two sharpened axes, the tip was as sharp as a katana, the weight was perfect for Erik but something was strange, Ragnar was not brandishing his weapon.
"King Ragnar! I have been waiting for this moment all my life!" Eik screamed; he had nothing to lose anymore and he could feel his primal instinct taking over.
Erik knew Ragnar would be the one to break his shackles, and without even waiting for the go-ahead. Erik charged right at Ragnar, everyone had their heart in their mouth.
They could not believe they were witnessing this, Asger secretly hoped that Ragnar would make him suffer because Erik had always been a loose cannon but he was now a pawn Askild needed to sacrifice to survive.
Ragnar watched, his eyes steady and his emotions in check. Erik swung his ax vertically, aimed at Ragnar's midsection, with the other weapon simultaneously swinging horizontally in an attempt to split him in half. This skill set was impressive, Erik was not holding back because he understood that it was Ragnar he was fighting, he did not need to hold back.
Ragnar, who did not equip his weapon, stopped Erik's vertical swing towards his midsection by raising his knee to collide against his wrist and catching Erik's wrist to halt the vertical slash.
Everyone was stunned that Ragnar had the physical strength to contend with Erik.
"Is that it?" Ragnar asked, and Erik instinctively took a couple of steps back.
"HAHAHA! RAGNAR LOTHBROK!" Erik screamed, Ulf had underestimated his brother's strength in the war once because no one had ever seen Ragnar fight with bloodlust.
His children were stunned, they never thought their father would be this strong but Lagertha was worried about what this would trigger in Ragnar.
Erik charged at Ragnar once again but his speed was faster than it was before, Erik swung his axes randomly, which made it harder for Ragnar to predict and he only managed to dodge his swings at the very last moment. And against Erik, too close was not good, Erik soon cut through Ragnar's shirt but he did not harm him.
"You are getting comfortable, Ragnar. Show me the man that became King!" Erik said. Rugalf could not hide the smile on his face, something Tyr noticed because he could feel his heart beating. After all, this fight was making him anxious but he did not understand why.
Ragnar finally went on the offensive, Erik swung at his head but Ragnar duck down only to meet the incoming swing of Erik's other ax.
"Gotcha!" Erik bragged but Ragnar ducked even lower, Ragnar was not aiming for Erik's torso, he was aiming for his kneecaps because he knew regardless of how strong a person is, there would always be weak points.
Erik could not react to this attack, this was the con of dual-wielding, Ragnar dumped his full weight on Erik's kneecaps, managing to fracture one, and forcing Erik to tumble onto the ground, disarming him in the process.
Erik looked up at Ragnar from the ground, it felt like he was looking at god as the alignment of the sun concealed Ragnar's face.
"All-father," Erik muttered right before Ragnar punched him right in the face, he kept on punching him right in the face. Each blow splattered Erik's blood on Ragnar's face.
Ragnar's eyes were cold and Lagertha knew why she was feeling uneasy, this was why.
She closed her eyes, she could not witness this brutal nature but Ragnar was in his world right now, he did not see anyone but Erik right now.
Erik had a sickening grin on his face all through, even when he lost his teeth, he still smiled but Ragnar soon felt a metallic blade pressed against his neck.
"That is enough…" The voice said, everyone was shocked by this, more so Ragnar, looking over his shoulder to confirm if it was truly the person he thought it was.
".... Father." It was Tyr Ragnarsson.
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