The sun rose at last, what a long night that was and key events had taken place everywhere.
But with these events, the conclusion drew nearer but this was not the only place that something interesting happened in the cover of the night.
In Kattegat, Ulf had gotten close to Lagertha and she had let him because, in the end, she knew Ulf before Ragnar.
Ragnar met her after she had helped the brothers avenge their grandfather, Siward but Ulf knew her before then, and seeing her do this only heightened his feelings for her.
Ulf played it safe, he never took any risky moves because he was content being in her presence but this harmed how Lagertha perceived him.
She did not see him as a sexual candidate but seeing Ragnar fight in battle was what drew him to his younger brother.
Unlike Ulf, Ragnar was callous and carefree, he spoke what was on his mind yet his swordsmanship was so refined.
Ragnar teased her and the two went at each other whenever they got the chance and Ulf could only watch Lagertha slip through his fingers.
But now was his chance to correct that mistake.
Ragnar had not seen Lagertha for quite some time and like everyone, Lagertha had carnal needs that needed to be satiated.
Ulf had always slept on the floor or the chair during the time he had spent there but he decided to be brave today.
He wanted to take the chance his younger self did not have the balls to.
Ulf did not think Ragnar would come back, and it would be a safe assumption to say Ragnar had moved on.
He knew that this was what Lagertha felt deep down and Ragnar cutting off ties with Kattegat put a strain on their marriage as Lagertha's loyalty was sworn to Kattegat.
Ulf and Lagertha shared their memories through stories and how ridiculous Ulf was as a kid.
They laughed and laughed but there was a moment.
A very brief moment that Lagertha looked at Ulf with eyes only meant for her husband.
A moment Ulf had noticed, and he had plans to take advantage of as he immediately kissed Lagertha.
This stunned Lagertha, and without hesitation, she pushed him off her and gave him a resounding slap.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!?" Lagertha barked, she knew the thought had crossed her mind but never would act on it and betray Ragnar.
And she was repulsed that Ulf thought her to be such a woman. Ulf was embarrassed because he knew he had crossed a line that he should not have but one could blame the heat of the moment.
"I-I am sorry Lagertha! I thought you wanted to!" Ulf pleaded his innocence.
"GET OUT ULF!" Lagertha was furious but she blamed herself, what was she thinking letting another man sleep in their home?
She trusted Ulf and suspected he had feelings for her but she did not know he was stupid enough to act on them.
Ulf hung his head down and exited the house, Lagertha slammed the door but she suspected the commotion had woken Bjorn up, she had forgotten about him in her fit of rage.
She gently entered his room to check if he was sleeping and she was thankful that her son was a heavy sleeper when under this roof.
She heaved a sigh of relief as she left the room and just then, Bjorn's eyes opened and boy, did he look mad.
-
King Ragnar had taken the advice of King Rugalf regarding their relationship with Kattegat.
He knew he could not let his personal feelings get in the way of what was best for Vestfold and right now, an alliance with Kattegat profited them the most.
Skarde had been an invaluable asset to him, he heard about the death of Herfjötur.
He was proud of how she died, she died fighting for Kattegat but he did mourn her.
Skarde knew he would reunite with her in Valhalla should the time of his death ever come as he had lived a life worth the rewards of the Great Hall.
Ragnar had commanded Skarde earlier that night to make contact with Kattegat for a meeting.
Ragnar had an army with seven individuals on par or even stronger than the warriors that bore the title, "commander" that Askild had given his strongest warriors.
Ragnar was advised to take a wife, but he refused nor had he laid with a woman despite not seeing his wife for so long, he remained faithful.
The temptation was resounding, he had urges and every girl in Vestfold wanted his seed so they could be Queen.
But not everyone accepted Ragnar as King and there have been rumors of a force being formed within Vestfold that posed a threat.
They had one goal and that was to overthrow Ragnar but no one could get close enough to Ragnar.
Ragnar was cautious, he knew he had enemies but he knew the best way to keep them in check was to make them understand that they needed him.
When one is useless, being liked is a necessity or they would be disposed of but what happens if one becomes indispensable? Being liked becomes an option. And right now, Ragnar wanted to become the latter.
Ragnar had set up a council composed of the average people, they would discuss the affairs and needs of the common people and pass it on to Ragnar to see if it was worthy of implementation hence creating a sense of inclusivity but the political figureheads did not like this as they sensed that their influence was diminishing with this new unprecedented form of ruling.
Ragnar noted this but he knew how to keep them happy. Skarde was left in charge of that affair because he was better equipped to handle the rich and powerful. Skarde was getting closer to the woman that seemed to have everyone else under her control but he was no fool, he knew this was her attempt in wrapping her webs around him.
One thing was certain, the Viking era was about to enter a new age.
