Kattegat was put under lockdown the moment the death of Egil was known, but Askild kept it under control because he knew that Asmund had ears in Kattegat.
"HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!?" King Askild shouted in his throne room, Asger was the only one present with his head bowed. He had never seen Askild this angry and it terrified him.
"I-I do not know, my lord," Asger stuttered in fear. It felt as though his head might leave his body at any moment, and the thought sent shivers down his spine..
"THIS IS BAD! DO YOU KNOW THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS?" the king roared, furious at the lack of security. He had already taken those on watch as prisoners.
They were being tortured at that very moment for information, but this incident could mean war with Vestfold, a war King Askild was not prepared for. They had only two days before this looming threat would come to a head.
"My lord, you must keep your voice down," Asger advised despite the king's furious state. The silence that followed felt oppressive, as though the ground itself might open into gnawing jaws to devour him.
Askild's killing intent was all over the place, it was not directed at anyone but everyone could feel it.
He could not believe someone had been so brazen as to kill a captive. Everyone knew the value of that single man and that King Asmund had come for his sake. Despite the increased security, someone had managed to slip through. This was only possible if the culprit was of higher standing than the guards.
King Askild sat back on his throne and took a deep breath to calm himself
"You are right, Asger. Anger will not solve this situation," Askild said, his voice steadier. However, unease lingered, knowing that a war with Vestfold might push the other kingdoms to band together against Kattegat. If they did, Kattegat would surely fall.
No miracle could save them; no single warrior was strong enough to defeat an entire army. They were on the brink of disrupting the fragile balance that kept the other kingdoms in check.
"Asger, you must find out who did this. Find them and bring them to me." Askild was sounding like himself again with Asger nodding in agreement to the command of his King.
He bowed before taking his leave and the moment he got outside, his breathing hastened.
-
It was a relief, he was certain death awaited him in that room knowing King Askild but Odin's grace had spared him.
"Asger..." Ragnar called out and Asger jerked his head in his direction before strolling to Ragnar.
"Have you heard?" Asger asked his fellow warrior and Ragnar nodded.
"How could this have happened?" Ragnar asked, hoping Asger, trusted by Askild, might have information..
"I do not know, Ragnar, but this means war with Vestfold," Asger replied, his voice cracking not from weakness, but from anger.
"Do you have any suspects?" Ragnar asked. The knowledge that a threat lurked within Kattegat's walls was deeply unsettling. The safety of everyone was at risk, and the culprit remained unknown.
Askild has far too many enemies within Kattegat but they all had a mutual understanding.
That was the safety of Kattegat because they had families in this kingdom and Askild was the best candidate to keep their families safe.
"Ragnar, we have no suspects. And I strongly advise against seeing King Askild right now. If you enter that room, you might not return," Asger warned before walking away, leaving Ragnar in front of the door.
"I had no intention of seeing King Askild," Ragnar muttered to himself at this point. Moments later, he heard his name being called.
"Ragnar!" This was the voice of Hagen the boat builder.
Ragnar turned back, he had walked ahead of him despite both men leaving at the same time forcing Hagen to search for and luckily they were not far apart.
"Not so loud Hagen!" Ragnar warned with a finger over his lips to shush him.
"Where did you run off to?" Hagen questioned his friend.
"Go back home, Hagen. The streets are not safe. Lock your doors for the night and do not come out," Ragnar warned before walking away, not heading toward his own home..
He saw a giant, it was Erik The Berserker, and he looked down on Ragnar quite literally.
The weather was chilly, it felt like it danced with death, and seeing Erik made Ragnar feel uneasy.
"What are you doing here, Erik?" Ragnar questioned the giant.
"Kattegat is just as much as my home as it is yours, Ragnar Lothbrok," Erik said under his breath.
On a normal day, Ragnar would have questioned Erik but he was as loyal as they came.
He would never do anything that would potentially harm their king or Kattegat. He knew that Erik was the most loyal person he knew despite his madness.
"You are in my way, Erik," Ragnar said, looking right into the eyes of the much bigger man.
"Maybe it is you that is in the way, Ragnar." Erik retorted before chuckling and stepping aside.
"I am just kidding. But we will talk later, Ragnar Lothbrok," Erik said in a playful tone for he did not want to get into an altercation with the great Ragnar. Ragnar, on the other hand, had no problem with a little altercation as he walked past him and continued on his way.
Then the sky finally cried, and rain fell as it only increased in tempo and force, prompting Ragnar to seek shelter out of the rain. The rain was terrible and Ragnar stood there until the rain pellets reduced, which did not look like it would be anytime soon as someone soon joined him in the shelter he had found.
.