Chapter 29: Inklings of a Sword
Thorkell's face went from joyous to indignant in less than a second, "What do you mean he's destined for greater things? Is the Marshal of our lands not a great enough achievement?"
Thorkell swivelled on his feet to face his father, "If his destiny speaks of such great things, then what about mine? What the fuk father?" Thorkell whined, unbecoming of a warrior of his stature.
Harald raised his hand, demanding silence, "I've spoken to our seers. The following was the prophecy that they mentioned: When stars fall from the sky, the young brother shall bring forth the fall of the rich and the restoration of balance."
Harald stroked his beard in thought, "We believe it to be a journey of exploration in foreign lands. Ragnar could even sit on the throne of Norway one day!" He guffawed in awe.
Ragnar grinned at the omen, "My my, what a favorable prophecy.
He slowly raised himself out of the chair, staring at Thorell, "I'm grateful that the seer thinks I will accomplish this much. When do we get going?"
Ragnar smirked as he glanced at Thorkell with a mocking expression. "I'm assuming the first place of order, would the Duke's castle? One of spectacular scenery or so I have heard?"
Thorkell raised his fist in the air as a warning for Ragnar to stop, "Father, don't tell me you're planning on doing what I think you're doing."
Harald raised his eyebrows at the accusation, "You mean to leave you here while we go to the Duke's? Of course, I'm planning on doing that. As a Marshal, you are my second in command. I will need you here as I transport the head of the Baron to the Duke's estate. You will be responsible for everything in my stead, and it will be a trial period for you to grow into a man of real responsibility."
Thorkell roared in frustration, "Father, but the Duke has sons and daughters that I wish to meet! It would be advantageous if I formed relationships with them early on."
Harald laughed at the thought, "Oh my daft son, the son's William, Robert and Richard are aged between 5 -10 years old. The daughters are similarly situated, with Adeliza being the oldest of her siblings and aged 11 years old. You will get nothing off meeting them currently. If I am appointed Baron, which I hope the Duke will have enough sense to appoint me as then we will be meeting them much more frequently."
The Marshal swivelled on his feet as he pointed Thorkell out the door, "For now, I want you to schedule the execution of the Baron, I want the announcement of the event to be spread throughout the town and a horse that's fed and washed to be ready for its commencement."
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Thorkell sobered up from his annoyance, grateful to be outside this stifling room. As such, he saluted and stormed out of the room, kicking the door open as he left in anger.
Harald chuckled as he glanced at everyone remaining in the room, "What a feisty young lad."
His eyes widened in alarm, "That reminds me of my woman! Let me go and find Helga. I haven't spent much time with her in a while," he said as he followed through the door Thorkell had just bashed in half.
With Harald gone, all that remained was Ragnar's entourage, who looked at him for guidance on what to do next.
Ragnar was still grinning at the prophecy when he noticed that everyone had their eyes on him, the hairs on his neck standing in attention as he pulled himself out of his daydreaming.
He straightened to his full height, towering above everybody else, especially the scrawny slave, Finan, who looked severely malnourished. "How often were you fed, boy?"
Ragnar asked as he tousled Finan's hair.
Finan glanced downward, twiddling his thumbs, nervous in front of the giant warrior, "I was fed on whatever scraps were left from the Earls meal, milord. Sometimes, the other Vikings would pity me and give me a couple of pieces of meat during dinner time, so I didn't sleep on an empty stomach."
Ragnar grabbed Finan by his chin and forced him to look upward, "From today onwards, you are a free man Finan. I will not have a fighting man as a slave in my entourage."
Finan bowed in gratefulness as his expression was slightly upturned, remembering a couple of happy moments with the beautiful shieldmaiden, "The only reason I'm still alive, though, is because Erika would share half of her meals."
Erika broke into the midst of the conversation with a gentle smile as she looked on at the young boy, "The scraps my father fed him were paltry, and as a growing boy, one should not suffer so much."
She shrugged as she continued, "I didn't do it cause I liked the little boy. It's just that I couldn't bear to see someone die if I could do something about it. Almost like a warrior's mentality of not wanting to leave a comrade behind."
Finan's smile turned back to a frown, looking dejected once again, as the girl he liked had called him a little boy.
Ragnar smirked at the interaction, as he could tell that the stunted boy liked Erika a lot. A very common occurrence, as Erika was his lifeline. Who wouldn't develop such feelings for an angel among a camp full of demons?
As such, he smacked Erika round the head in rebuke, "Don't downplay your actions. It's in your nature to help people, and not many warriors will go back to save someone."
Erika's face reddened with anger, about to explode before she looked upon Ragnar's soft emerald eyes. Her expression shifted for a slight moment before she turned away and pouted in annoyance. "Hmph! Whatever you say, Ragnar the Almighty. Of course, you're always right."
Ragnar chuckled at the childish behaviour of Erika's before continuing, "Alright, let's get some food in everyone's belly and then head to the blacksmiths before the execution. I believe I have a sword to collect!"
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