The city of Kattegat was prosperous, this was due to King Askild's iron claw rule for he disposed of anyone or anything that threatened the peace, by whatever means necessary but it was not always like this, there was no town in Kattegat once upon a time but their ancestors changed that and built one because of the huge body of water around it, it was ideal for fishermen and the varying currents made it quite difficult for ships to navigate in terms of an invasion making it a perfect defense against attacks from the sea, they had to be specially made and Kattegat currently had one of the best boat builders in Hagen. But on land was a different matter altogether.
"King Askild, the unit led by Asger has asked for reinforcement in Vestfold!" A messenger, who was tattered and out of breath, requested while on the knee.
"Asger is being pushed back?" The King questioned.
King Askild was a tall man with a bulky figure as he stood at 6'0, he had numerous scars across his face with an eye patch above his left eye complementing his grey right eye. He had a white waist long silky hair and a neatly shaved beard, with an armband tattoo reminiscent of a dragon's tail around his left arm with a crown on his head.
"Their army is being led by King Asmund himself, King Askild." The servant said but the expression on King Askild's did not change because he had predicted this outcome.
"Hahaha! That crafty old man still has it in him! Even with reinforcement, we would not be able to win with him on the battlefield. Tell Asger to return home if he does not wish to reunite with his wife in Valhalla." King Askild said in a dismissive tone, which the messenger had no choice but to heed as he got off his knees and out of the building.
"My king, I do not wish to question your decision but is this the best course of action?" A brunette, who had the tip of her neck-length hair woven, beside the king questioned in a non-threatening tone.
She had a large chest but quite an unattractive face and wore a crown that established her role as a queen with a silky brown strap dress, she had a petite frame measuring only 5'5 in height.
"You wish to offer me counsel, Liv?" King Askild asked his wife, pausing as his gaze turned cold.
"A woman with a cursed womb dares question my decision?" King Askild continued, with a scornful tone. Liv Vilulf was not a woman Askild loved but she was one he needed to ascend the throne due to her family's influence in Kattegat.
A guard looked at the queen's face with disgust upon the completion of what the king had said before quickly averting it but the King had noticed this.
"You… Step forward." The King addressed the guard responsible, which he did without question.
King Askild got off his throne, his wife just as surprised as the rest of his guards.
He walked down the stairs slowly, his cloak made of animal skin swept the ground until he was mere inches from the kneeling guard.
Crouching, he placed his hand on the shoulder of the guard.
"Hello there." He whispered before gouging out the right eye of the guard, much to the horror of his wife with the optical nerve still dangling from the eye socket.
The room immediately resonated with the cries of the guard and a sadistic grin crept up on the face of King Askild, who shoved the eyeball right into the mouth of the guard to shut him up.
"No one disrespects my wife. NO ONE disrespects the queen." He warned, pushing the lower jaw of the gagged man up, with his clamping teeth severing the optical nerve.
"Now, that that's done. Go tidy yourself up, friend." Askild muttered in the most casual yet polite tone as if he didn't just mutilate him, patting him on the shoulder as he returned to his seat with a hidden smile on Liv's face.
Ragnar and Hagen sat across from each other inside the house of Hagen, laughing and joking with a cup of ale in both their hand. This was not what Ulf had in mind.
"Ragnar, what is it that truly brings you here?" questioned Hagen
"That boy, Hagen. I have never seen skin like his before. It is beautiful," Ragnar responded, taking a sip from his cup as he admired the skin of the kid.
"That cannot be the only reason you are here, Ragnar." Hagen probed further but was not comfortable with Ulf in the room for he did not trust him.
"We will have to take him to King Askild, won't we?" Ragnar asked visibly uneasy by this prospect and Hagen nodded to confirm his suspicion.
"The King is a madman. There is no telling what he would do with the child." Ragnar continued.
"It is because he is a madman that Kattegat became so powerful and I would not want to be on the receiving end of his wrath," Hagen said with a nervous smile catching a glimpse of Ulf.
"Whatever the king intends can't be worse than Ulf condemning him to death," Hagen said while shooting a glance to meet the hateful glare of Ulf.
"What is he talking about brother?" Ragnar asked, not sparing Ulf a glance as he took a sip of his ale.
"I-I don't know brother but we should take the child to King Askild at once." Ulf tried changing the subject and Ragnar didn't mind either but this could be because of the ale in him as their gaze all focused on the sleeping child.
-
The battle of Vestfold waged on, Asger forces regrouped at their temporary camp they had set up in Hillestad but they had been let to advance and raided with little to no resistance from King Amund's forces until they had reached Hillestad.
King Asmund commanded his forces to surround them once they were deep enough into his territory, cutting off every possible escape route.
The objective of this siege was to raid but Asger took this as an opportunity to raid in deeper areas due to the limited military might he thought Vestfold had. This was a deliberate act by King Asmund to not only lure them but trap them.
"King Asmund, what shall we do?" A topless man named Egil, who was in his late twenties and his entire torso covered in burns said. The scars were ugly but they also struck fear into the hearts of those that saw them, this held for both his enemies and allies, with black eyes completing his face.
He had short wavy brown hair that complemented his masculine frame standing at a whopping 6'9 in terms of height with King Asmund mounted on a white horse beside him.
"It seems like the messenger we let through was of no use, I would have liked to lure more of them here but it seems that madman is not a foolish one," King Asmund said with a smile, he was an old man in his late fifties but he had the stamina of 5 men and this is why he had remained king of such a large county, standing at a height of 5'10.
He had white hair gotten from old age that barely touched the nape of his neck, a stubble beard, and green eyes. He was a very handsome man despite the many wrinkles that creased his face.
"What should we do with them?" Egil asked.
"Kill them all, all except Asger." King Asmund commanded with Egil nodding in acknowledgment to this command as King Asmund used the sole of his feet to tap the horse.
"You aren't partaking in the attack, King Asmund?" Egil asked while mounting his horse facing the opposite direction.
"This little game was fun but I have more urgent matters to attend to, I thought hearing my name will force that brat in Kattegat to send more men but that didn't work so there is no need for me to remain here." King Asmund responded, giddied up his horse, and began his journey back to the capital.
"Leave the rest to me, My King," Egil said as a force of over 4,000 men stood behind him and a beheaded corpse mere inches from where he was, lay on the ground.
Meanwhile, the camp of Asger was filled with anxiety and unrest as they knew an onslaught was imminent, the whispers grew louder with each passing second.
The messenger never came back, for the enemy had gotten a hold of him first to extract the information, not only leaving Asger clueless but also vulnerable.
Asger saw the unease on his men's faces and couldn't blame them but he did not share the same uneasiness as his 'soldiers'.
They were told that this would be a simple raid on one of the smaller villages just outside the border with enough loot to feed their families but Asger got a little too clever for his own good as he had tried to ransack the more wealthy tows and now they were in a do or die situation.
"This is bad, Asger. They are giving up." A slender man measuring 5'8 in his early 20s, with slicked back brown hair and tattered clothes whispered but Asger, who was a rather unattractive man with a big build despite his average size. He was bald with a tattoo running across his forearm that represented Thor's hammer.
"Giving up? You are wrong Arvid, they are preparing for Valhalla." Asger said with a satisfying smile.