Ragnar Lothbrok was dealing with the rising tension in Vestfold, they had accepted him as their King, but this meant that the Earls sworn to Asmund would have to come to Vestfold to pledge their loyalty to Ragnar Lothbrok. However, this was the least of his worries right now.

Ragnar had to meet with political figures within Vestfold; for a man who has never liked politics, he was not looking forward to this but luckily he was not doing it alone.

"King Ragnar, they have arrived," A beautiful lady in her late twenties informed him. Unlike the women Ragnar was used to seeing, she had an enormous chest proportional to her ass size. She was attractive, but Ragnar only had eyes for Lagertha despite his urges surfacing frequently.

"Thank you," Ragnar simply said; he did not know her name, but she had already told him multiple times. He knew it would be awkward if he asked her again for it, so he steered clear of it.

"You have forgotten my name again, have you not, King Ragnar?" The girl said, and Ragnar started looking around like he was searching for something to stall, but Skarde walked in on them in time.

He had lost his eyes and was forced to use a came to navigate; this was enough reason to send anyone into a depressive state but not Skarde. Skarde was glad he was alive and grew tired of seeing the world's ugliness.

A certain peace of mind came with darkness, and Skarde was now out of the battlefield for life, a dream that Ragnar once sought and achieved.

"Hello, Porunn," Skarde greeted her; even without eyes, he knew who she was.

Ragnar was happy that Skarde walked at the moment he did as she greeted him too.

She was the lady that saved Skarde's life, and she did not seem crazy or has not shown that side to her yet, despite Skarde being curious about why she saved him.

Ragnar also noticed she acted differently when Skarde was around them; it was easy for him to point out that she was interested in Skarde despite his handicapped state.

And why everyone was wary of her was strange, but he did not want to put too much thought into it.

"Porunn, I will be ready shortly; inform them," Ragnar quickly said like he had always known her name, but this was not the case, and everyone in the room knew this.

"There is one more thing you need to know, a new kingdom wishes to ally with Vestfold; it goes by the name "Rogaland..." Porunn said, her eyes shifting from Ragnar to Skarde.

She could not focus on the conversation, which Ragnar noticed but did not mind.

"Rogaland made several attempts multiple times on Asmund's life, did they not?" Skarde questioned; this was information Ragnar was oblivious to, and Porunn confirmed this with a "Yes."

This already sent significant red flags to Ragnar because why would he trust a kingdom that had tried to kill Asmund?

"King Ragnar, I know what you are thinking, but we do not need their trust but their strength. Vestfold is vulnerable to attacks, and Rogaland is a strong kingdom. As your advisor, I would say it is worth meeting him," Skarde gave his two cents as he was Ragnar's advisor.

Ragnar was not a stubborn man, he listened to Skarde, but they were not expecting any people like this until a few days.

"You are right, Skarde; I will see him," Ragnar said, but Porunn's face showed relief.

"That is great to hear, King Ragnar, because King Rugalf is here right now," Porunn said, and this surprised Ragnar as he was not informed prior by her or anyone.

Ragnar followed behind her because he was curious about who this man was and what he wanted.

"Skarde, you will attend to the political heads. I was never good with politics and trust you to do what you feel is best." Ragnar said without hesitation. He was glad Skarde chose to stay with him, as one could not rule a kingdom with strength alone.

"Skarde will take my place in the meeting..." Ragnar said, pausing momentarily as he stared blankly at Porunn.

"You forgot my name again, didn't you?" Porunn asked, and Ragnar started to stall like he did earlier by pretending to be searching for something. Ragnar was not like how she thought he would be; it was no wonder why Ga had chosen him to be King. He was different.

Porunn walked in front of Skarde, who used his cane to guide his steps; one thing Skarde did not want was a pity as he was blind, not dead.

The moment they left, Ragnar heaved a sigh of relief before heading to the throne room to see the kind of man this 'King' was.

-

King Askild was backed into a corner; he noticed that his men had trouble keeping up with these attackers because of their injuries, and it would be pointless to lose more men now.

He needed them alive; he had already lost far too many men in the war, and there was no reason to lose even more.

"That is enough," King Askild said, abruptly ending the battle. It was clear that whoever this enemy was had Kattegat under their wraps, and it would be stupid to lose men without even knowing what was going on.historical

"That is enough; take me to your leader..." Askild said, sheathing his blade and prompting everyone else to follow the lead of their King.

"Welcome back to Kattegat..." A voice said behind the crowd, and they gave way one by one to reveal who that person was, but this voice. It was not one that Askild remembered.

The voice of the cloaked man had fought Herfj?tur, his injury wrapped.

"The King of Kattegat has been expecting you, Askild," The man said, and everyone's jaw dropped. They had conquered a kingdom but had lost another, a cruel trade.