Kapitel 46: The Man That Escaped Death

A few days passed and Asger regained consciousness. He was stable now but woke to find no one by his side despite Ulrik being there throughout his recovery.

The healers did not say a word regarding this as this was the wish of Ulrik, so they respected it as it did not concern them but they felt Asger somehow knew he was there.

"Asger…" A voice called out, it was the familiar voice of Ragnar with Skarde following behind.

"Ragnar Lothbrok, I apologize for my pitiful state," Asger said as he tried getting up to show his respects to the two Vikings. However, Ragnar told him it was fine and encouraged him to remain in bed as he was still recovering from the effects of the poison.

"How is Arvid?" Asger asked as he rested his head back on the pillow.

Ragnar kept quiet, prompting Skarde to shake his head in a sorrowful manner, the gesture indicating that Arvid was far from doing well and Asger was hoping to hear that they had killed him.

If Arvid was still alive, Asger knew death was the one thing he would wish for now, even if it meant being denied entry to Valhalla.

"Damn that fool! What could make him do something so stupid!?" Asger said in anger, he was furious because he did not see this coming and his heart sank the moment Arvid raised his blade at him. He was angry that he could not grant him Valhalla as he too had denied another that same grace, so it was only fear that this was his fate for no warrior should be denied the halls of Odin.

"King Askild. It's that simple," Skarde said, prompting Asger to raise an eyebrow in question. His attention shifted fully to Ragnar, seeking an explanation, but Ragnar appeared just as puzzled.

"King Askild, there is no other reason why he would start a war and attempt to take your life," Skarde said. This was common sense because there was no other plausible reason why such a thing would happen if not for King Askild, as he had family in Kattegat. The fact that he was relocating them suggested he meant for Kattegat to burn to the ground.

"I heard Askild killed his family as well, I do not think you want to hear about the details," Skarde continued and he was right, Asger did not ask for the details, for the dead deserved to rest in peace.

"How are you feeling?" Ragnar asked, changing the topic as he sensed that this was a sensitive topic that should not be discussed right now and he was right.

"I am good, Ragnar. I should be back to myself in a few days. How are the war preparations going?" Asger asked as both Vikings sat down.

"It's done. We're ready to strike, but I don't know if we'll win this war, to be honest," Skarde said, voicing his doubts. He had heard tales of the forces gathered in Vestfold, and it was believed they were not fighting alone. If this was true, it would spell trouble for Kattegat.

"Where is your faith? Do you believe the gods will desert us in our time of need?" Ragnar said in a disappointed tone. Morale was vital at this stage and he was not surprised that such pessimism came from Skarde, a known realist.

"I have no doubt we will win but the cost will be heavy, will your sons join us Ragnar?" Skarde asked and Ragnar went silent the moment these words left his lips. Asger sensed Ragnar tense up and took a loud sigh to change the focus from Ragnar to himself.

"I think the sons of Ragnar are ready for this war. They'll make their names in it, and if they fall, Valhalla will welcome them. But I don't think they'll fall before Ragnar," Asger said. Skarde thought this was going too far, but Ragnar just started cackling.

"Asger… You have always been terrible at telling jokes!" Ragnar said as Asger joined in on the laughter, Skarde was confused but that was partly because he did not understand the dynamic between both warriors.

"I'll tell my sons today, but I think they already know. Bjorn and Tyr have been training non-stop for days now," Ragnar muttered. He was more surprised it had taken them this long to find out. However, he understood that they might feel betrayed by his secrecy, though he didn't view it as a serious issue.

He knew he needed to talk with them, but not now.

They continued speaking and got all caught up as they understood that this might be the last time any of them could speak like this again.

Tyr and Bjorn trained vigorously, with Lagertha watching. She noticed that they both went at it like they were trying to kill each other and she instinctively knew that they were aware of the brewing war. She did not know Ragnar's reason for keeping it away from them as they would find out eventually but she knew he had his reasons and did not question it.

"Mother! Did you see that?" Bjorn shouted, he bested Tyr in their little duel and he was proud of this but he was out of breath. Bjorn had greater stamina yet Tyr managed to wear him out despite ultimately losing the duel. She noticed that Tyr was inflicting more injuries as their sparring session progressed. This surprised Lagertha because it showed that Tyr was improving at a significant rate alongside Bjorn but Tyr was adapting to combat at a much faster pace.

He was not just fighting Bjorn to win, but he was fighting Bjorn to study his movements.

She had watched them fight numerous times and it felt like Tyr was not interested in winning but in learning. Who is to say he could not win if he fought seriously?

Lagertha had her doubts but she knew that Bjorn earned his victories as Tyr would not disrespect his brother's honor by holding back unnecessarily.