Chapter 26: Dog Fight

With the clatter of metal, the crowd slowly dispersed as Harald scheduled the execution for tomorrow.

With the parting of the crowds, Ragnar and his entourage trudged through the sandy beach with a beautiful ocean as the backdrop.

The glint of a battle axe shimmered across Harald's vision as his eyes locked onto Ragnar's visage like a hawk.

"My bastard of a son finally decided to show up, eh?" Harald grunted as he leapt off the platform and rushed up to him, with Thorkell and Marquise quickly following in tow.

Ragnar saw his father approach with a fury in his step and knew that he was in for a beating. He'd let the glory go to his head and had taken his time with Eve last night instead of returning to the camp for his father's speech. A costly mistake for someone who had lofty ambitions for themselves.

Harald stopped about 5 feet away, trying to control his rage by taking deep breathes. "Where were you, Ragnar? Hmm?" his gruff voice broke out as he looked between Ragnar and Eve.

Before walking right up to the girl, who cowered behind Ragnar in turn, Harald spat, "Fucking this little whore?"

He then turned around, afraid that he might strike Ragnar if he got any closer, "I told you to get this girl and come back to the camp immediately!" He roared as he spun on his feet and came within inches of Ragnar, the smell of booze on his breath.

Ragnar held his father's gaze with nonchalance, "Father, I've done as you said and fetched Eve. Don't forget that you didn't specify when. I took time to spend with my "whore" and will do so if I please."

Harald gritted his teeth, as it was very hard for an overprotective father to see their son spread their wings and leave the nest. But there was nothing more annoying than a son who thought they knew better than a father with decades of experience leading men and fighting wars. "You listen, and you listen well, my boy. Respect is something that is earned, something that men who trust in you give willingly."

He then turned and indicated toward the stage, "That was supposed to be where you were, at the head of these men, earning their respect. Instead, they now see you as laggard."

Ragnar stood still, defiantly staring into the eyes of Harald as the cold mist of his breath hit the air. "I would rather be seen as a laggard than a stickler." He smirked before looking past Harald to Marquise, raising his eyebrows at the man.

Marquise nodded before crossing the space and standing by Ragnar. A man worthy of leading into battle stood by his liege, one arm resting on his bronze shield while the other gripped his spear.

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Harald, noticing the act, roared in frustration before throwing himself fist first at his idiot son.

Ragnar tracked his father as he leapt off his feet, easily blocking the strike but wasn't prepared for Harald's tackle as the two of them went down to the ground.

Eve screamed as the two started hitting each other while Thorkell roared in laughter, smacking his knees as he watched them rolling around in the sand.

Eve shrieked to no avail at the two, finally looking to Thorkell for help to stop the scrap, "Thorkell! Stop them before they get hurt!"

"Bah, shut up, woman. You don't know how men settle their disputes." Thorkell said as he tried to control his laughter.

Ragnar and Harald kept exchanging blows, sometimes hitting each other square in the neck, causing the wind to be sucked out of their lungs.

Tired of the prolonged fight, Ragnar decided to play dirty, using the ground game skills he learned as an officer to overpower the old man. Ragnar contorted his hips to flip them around, clambering on top of Harald as he grabbed the flailing appendage into an arm lock.

Harald's visage contorted as he struggled with all his might before yielding. "Let go! Ow, ya bastard. Where'd you learn that shite?"

Ragnar let go of his father, with a smile etched on his face as the two lay on their backs, staring at the cloudless northern sky above them.

Harald took the time to relax before bursting out into laughter, "It's been a long time since I've scrapped it out with someone. Too many people are trying to kiss my arse these days."

Ragnar snorted as he wiped the blood from his lips, "As I told, a stickler. Listen, father, I regret sleeping with Eve. I'd rather have been here in front of the men, but it was just impossible to resist the vixen."

Eve who was standing just a few feet away, blushed in embarrassment, "I'm standing right here, you know!"

Harald chuckled out once again, "Ah, yes. Women will always be there, my son. Chase success, and women will come to you."

He gazed out to the sea, "That is your domain, my son, the entire world out there. If you chase women, you sacrifice your dreams and the women who initially decided that you had potential will see that you're going nowhere, ultimately deciding that they need someone better in life. Someone who had originally chased their dreams."

"Sure, if the occasional woman throws themselves onto you, then take it. I won't tell my son to remain a monk! But, always keep that goal in the back of your mind and stick it out for a better life. As my father once said, comfort and women by your side are the killers of dreams."

Ragnar scrutinised his father's charming gray-bearded visage, spitting current male ideology with his jaw dropped, "Who taught you all of this, father?"

Harald turned to face Ragnar with a knowing grin spread across his face, "I had the same reaction back then as you did now, son. Everything just clicked, didn't it? I had a good father figure who had a strong male as a father figure before that. Our family has come from nothing and slowly chipped away at our legacy, becoming the strong warrior family that we are today. I've sought to improve upon that, as our misfortune set us back centuries."

The painful memories broke Harald's joyous expression as he slowly stood up and took in the sight around him, "Come boys, tomorrow we will finally take what is rightfully ours. And I will teach you the history of what it means to be a Sigvald."

Ragnar looked to Thorkell, who had a wide grin on his face. It was about time for a history lesson.

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Ragnar getting self development advice from a proper father figure? Would you look at that, what a rare sight in novels.

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