King Askild was pleased that his summons had been answered, but all he saw was one man wearing an iron mask, concealing his face and identity.
"Birger, is that really you?" King Askild questioned the man, who did not get down on one knee as tradition in Kattegat dictated when greeting someone of superior rank. Birger did not recognize Askild as his king. This did not bother Askild; he did not need Birger's respect, only his knowledge.
"Askild, the man that took away my honor." The voice was hoarse but it came out crisp.
"Why do you wear a mask before me, Birger?" Askild asked the man, the Vikings were wary of his presence in Kattegat because everyone knew the kind of man he was.
"I wear this mask in honor of our temporary truce. The day I take it off is the day our truce and your life comes to an end, Askild... The Usurper." Birger's tone was anything but friendly, openly committing treason because it was Askild that needed him and not the other way around.
This put Askild in a compromising position, for he knew he could not afford to lose Birger or the war would be good as lost but he also knew that Birger would have his demands before helping them. This would ultimately be the bind that consolidates their truce.
"I want your head, but after this war is over. I have a debt to settle with Vestfold, and I need your military strength to pay that debt," Birger stated. It was a miracle he could breathe in that mask, which looked incredibly uncomfortable, though this was no concern of Askild.
"My head? I will accept your duel and leave it to the gods to decide who dies that day," Askild replied, to which Birger agreed. This marked a vital step forward, as Birger was pivotal to Askild's plan.
"Have you heard the news?" Vikings could be heard speaking of the arrival of Birger with bitterness, they were angry as they perceived this to be King Askild showing weakness.
Desperate times call for desperate action but this was far too desperate an action.
Erik overheard the fuss and felt a rush of excitement that Birger was back in Kattegat, it felt like the old days before King Askild became King and changed everything.
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Erik had a twisted ideology of what a Viking was, he believed that the strong can do as they please to the weak or those they conquer. This is why he submitted to King Askild.
Erik kept walking and barged into the children of Ragnar, he intended to pass them by but Tyr caught his attention. He did not know Ragnar had another son until recently.
Tyr nudged Bjorn like he just saw his idol, he was giddy and excited because Erik looked so cool to him due to his unique features. Bjorn, however, knew this man spelled danger the moment he saw him and his mother's reaction was not an overreaction. The young Bjorn was not oblivious to these things despite his young age, unlike his younger brother.
"What is wrong brother?" Tyr asked Bjorn, who drifted into his own little world and had to be dragged back to reality.
"If it isn't the children of Ragnar Lothbrok," Erik said with a smile, revealing his sharpened teeth. Tyr looked in awe but Bjorn soon stood in front of his younger brother.
"Who are you?" Bjorn asked with his hand on the hilt of his blade, something Erik noticed but he did not mind this action but rather appreciated it.
"Do you want to fight me, boy?" Erik questioned Bjorn, Bjorn thought he might have a chance with Tyr by his side because they fought their father and managed to win that spar.
This boosted his confidence, but when he locked eyes with Erik the Berserker, he faltered. Erik's intensity was unlike anything Bjorn had encountered, even from his father. Bjorn froze, paralyzed with fear, unable to speak or move. Erik laughed at the boy's reaction.
"Are you really the son of Ragnar Lothbrok?" Erik asked, moving past Bjorn and crouching right in front of Tyr. This question was not for the frozen Bjorn but rather for Tyr.
"I am a son of Ragnar Lothbrok but you have not answered the question of my brother," Tyr responded confidently unlike his brother, he did not freeze up.
"Those eyes... Those are not the eyes of a warrior, child," Erik said to Tyr before standing. Tyr didn't understand the comment, nor was he interested.
Patting his brother Bjorn on the back as both boys were on their way, Tyr might admire Erik for his physical attributes but he was not sure he liked him outside of that.
"What was that?" Bjorn asked Tyr, a feeling he was familiar with as he had felt it far too many times in Kattegat from Vikings that did not accept him as one of their own.
"That is what it looks like when death lingers in the mind of others, a killing intent so strong that not even you will go unscathed. Tyr educated his older brother.
"Why weren't you affected by it?" Bjorn asked. He then noticed Tyr's trembling hands.
"Who said I wasn't?" Tyr responded to Bjorn, he was so close to shitting himself but he held his nerves because he knew that no one was so crazy as to touch the children of Ragnar or he would long be dead as he knew that some Vikings did not accept him as one of their own.
Some Vikings viewed Tyr as nothing more than a slave who became a Viking through his father. This was why the impending war was so crucial to Tyr. Even though he was unaware of its approach, he would be a participant, King Askild needed every Viking he could muster.