There was a deep rift between Northerners of imperial descent and the clans. Without Ragnar, forced integration might have led to bloody conflict. With his support, all those fears were now unfounded. Bjorn paused, looking down into his glass.
"To be honest, I didn't expect it," he admitted.
"What, Ragnar's decision?"
"No, I mean, I thought his choice made sense," Bjorn clarified. "He's the kind of person who can distinguish between personal ambition and duty."
Bjorn had believed that if Ragnar understood what was right, he wouldn't selfishly pursue his own ambitions.
"But emotion and reason don't always align," he continued. "Sometimes you choose the reasonable path even while your heart bleeds."
"Well, maybe he had just enough to lose that he could still make the right choice," Sylas said with a wry smile.
