The expedition came to an end and Tyr paid off Frodē and his fellow slavers, buying the kids and leaving them in the care of Wychard.
He did this and made sure the money was taken from his share so there would be no discord.
Wychard took note of this supposed selfless act and looked at Tyr differently from the rest of the Pagans.
Tyr bought the services of Frodē too, he knew in the end money was the thing people valued above all else and if such wealth lay in a defenceless land then he could only imagine how rich the other lands were.
Frodē's services being acquired in a way meant he would stop his slavery, Tyr realized that the trade must continue as this could be an opportunity to sneak in warriors, younger warriors to say the least.
Tyr already drew up a plan but he needed the approval of Rugalf and a lot more men and boats.
Tyr, like always, did not give them the full gist of things as he intentionally left out details of what Wychard told him.
If Gudleif decided to venture out to Northumbria right now, he was sure to be lost at sea because Tyr gave him the wrong coordinates.
He had no intention of sharing this new adventure with anyone, he wanted to make that make for himself.
Tyr did not want to be known as the son of Ragnar but a man of his own.
He needed to become more famous than Ragnar so Ragnar would be the one associated with such a great warrior.
In the end, this was a monastery and that being said, there were no women present there for they were considered to be temptations meaning that Frodē would deliver these girls to England just like he always did, Bjorn knew they could not save everyone and Wychard could not raise everyone alone as they had just taken his earthly possessions away.
"Bjorn Ironside, are you sure that is your brother?" Magnus asked Bjorn, Tyr was cruel and he was not even trying to hide it.
"That is Tyr, the only brother I have known. Is there a problem?" Bjorn asked Magnus as Magnus's eyes settled on the muscular dark-skinned warrior in the distance.
"He is scared shitless!" Viggo popped into the conversation unannounced, wrapping his arm around Magnus.
"I must say commander, your brother is the real fucking deal!" Viggo said; he had returned to his usual self because even he was slightly unsettled by how different they were.
"Unhand me!" Magnus said, trying to break free from Viggo's hold but to no avail. Viggo was far stronger than him.
"Unhand me?" Viggo repeated as he could not help but chuckle, Magnus was so used to people doing as they were told that he failed to realize that this did not matter in this world.
"Commander, are you sure this man-child is cut out for this?" Viggo asked Bjorn.
"He has to be because I have a feeling we just opened a door that cannot be closed," Bjorn said, the fact that Vikings had made their way to England would not go unnoticed.
Bjorn did not know if Wychard would keep his mouth shut or inform the others that they had been attacked.
If he did the former and they find out that they were attacked some other way, it would diminish the trust they have in him.
If it was the former, then it would put him in their good graces but also make future raids more difficult because they would meet resistance.
Bjorn did not know what his brother was capable of but he was well aware that Tyr was prone to make unorthodox choices when he had to.
Bjorn could not judge his brother for what he had become, he had to become this person to survive out there and it could either be his strength or his weakness.
"He scares you too, huh?" Viggo's voice brought Vjorn back to reality, who was lost in his head for a brief second.
"What are you talking about?" Bjorn asked Viggo.
"Nothing commander! I am just messing with you," Viggo quickly laughed it off because he knew that Bjorn was not ready to accept the reality that his little brother was no more.
"I will advise you to watch out for Gudleif, he looks like a man that has personal ambitions, those are often the most dangerous kind of people, commander," Viggo's voice was stern, he truly believed Gudleif to be a threat.
"I know…" Bjorn responded and Magnus felt so lost in this world. He missed home, and the comfort that his status provided him.
Magnus did not understand how anyone would willingly partake in such carnage and violence.
Thorgard was within proximity and listened to every word they said, he thought that Tyr and Bjorn had a bond he admired but it turns out it was as fickle as any other thing.
This was rather disappointing but he understood where Bjorn was coming from, he would be worried if Vegard became as cruel as Tyr too even though he admired Tyr greatly and did not share the same fear.
He knew that this lifestyle would destroy his younger brother.
-
Tyr was done with the preparations to leave, he noticed that eyes were on him but he did not mind this considering what he was capable of.
"Tyr Ragnarsson…" Gudleif called out behind Tyr but Tyr did not even turn to acknowledge his presence.
"What do you want, Gudleif?" Tyr questioned.
"Do not be so hostile, Tyr Ragnarsson. I just came to say you are worthy of being the son of Ragnar…" Gudleif said but Tyr did not understand what he meant by this, it sounded rather disrespectful even.
"What do you mean?" Tyr questioned, hoping he was wrong but Gudleif leaned in closer and said.
"Well, it is obvious your brother is not fit to be a s-!" Gudleif could not complete his sentence before he found himself blocking Tyr's axe that was clearly meant to take off his head.
Gudleif barely reacted because if he was a second late, he would have no doubt lost his head.
"He actually meant to kill me?" Gudleif thought to himself as he quickly gained some distance.
The ensuing commotion was noted by everyone as Gudleif's men quickly raised their weapons in Tyr's direction but Tyr just laughed.
"Do you think any of you have the means to stop me from taking Gudleif's head?" Tyr questioned, equipping both his axes in the process.
"Bring it on!"
-
Tyr did not tolerate any disrespect directed at his family, even if he was not on good terms with them.
This was how strong his loyalty was and Gudleif was in no position to disrespect Bjorn whatsoever.
Tyr knew he had to remind him of just how little he was and he was willing to do that by force.
Tyr challenged everyone, they had the numbers yet none of them could move.
Sweating profusely, they felt the overwhelming killing intent of this enemy and they knew if they raised their sword, they would die.
Tyr was not messing around but Gudleif was surprisingly not bothered by this, he was unaffected even.
"Tyr! What do you think you are doing!?" Bjorn rushed over to break up the chaotic scene.
He knew the consequences of Tyr killing Gudleif, King Rsgnar would have no choice but to cut off ties with Rogaland and declare Tyr a wanted Viking.
A tale that sounded familiar, he had only just been exonerated from his exile thanks to him marrying Estrid.
Bjorn was not going to allow him to make a stupid mistake, one that would break up the family again.
He stood before Tyr and Gudleif, acting as the barrier.
"And you people know damn well that you cannot hurt my brother so why do you raise your sword!? Do you want to be killed? Put it away now!" Bjorn commanded and his tone was enough to make them back down.
"Bjorn Ironside, you really have become soft…" Tyr said but he was not putting his weapons away but instead raised one and pointed it at his older brother.
"Let us do this the proper way. I challenge you, Bjorn Ironside, to a duel," Tyr said and everyone gasped in disbelief. There was no way this was happening, it was not even Bjorn that was involved in the conflict.
But the Vikings wanted this to happen, even the ones that were on their side.
"You grew way more stubborn than I remember and I guess you have forgotten your place. I accept your challenge," Bjorn said and the cheers echoed.
It was so loud that the ground shook.
Tyr smiled because he knew that Bjorn was losing face amongst these people.
If Gudleif felt like this, the chances that others did was quite high and this was the only way to dispel that assumption.
Bjorn, however, accepted it for another reason entirely, he felt that Tyr thought he has outgrown him and Bjorn realized he needed to show his younger brother he was the older one.
A circle was quickly made and both brothers were standing against one another.
The Ragnarssons were about to fight, just like in their childhood
