Chapter 10 A Call For Help

"Hagen! Hagen!" Bjorn called out in front of his house but all they could hear was moaning from within as both brothers look at each other and said at the same time.

"They are playing!" Before both laughing but the moment they laughed out the moaning stopped and soon after, Hagen came out.

"If it isn't the sons of Ragnar, did your father send you?" Hagen said, looking around to try and figure out if they were alone and they were but they wanted him to figure it out himself.

"Bjorn, what are they feeding you? At this rate, you will be able to bring down Jörmungandr with a single hand!" Hagen teased. Bjorn smiled sheepishly with Hagen's gaze shifting and settling on Tyr.

Tyr knew he would be dead if Hagen didn't find him and owed him his life, he was not aware of the circumstances surrounding it but the fact that he woke up in Hagen's care meant he was the one that saved him, he was not aware of what transpired before then, including Ulf's actions.

"Tyr, the one named after the true god of war. I expect great things from you!" Hagen said with a gentle smile that inadvertently made Tyr smile back in return.

"Hagen, who is that?" A lady walked out to check just who Hagen was talking to.

​ It was a brunette lady, she had a gentle and soft appearance, it was hard to believe such lewd sounds were coming out of her mouth moments ago, she had the blankets wrapped around her to hide her nakedness.

She went by the name Sif, she was the wife of Hagen, who he married a few months back.

Sif was an extremely busty lady, with a plump but curvaceous figure

She looked at Bjorn and then Tyr, but her eyes lingered a bit longer on Tyr, cracking a smile before whispering something into the ear of Hagen's ear.

Hagen chuckled in response to this, before shaking his head and saying.

"They aren't man enough yet to handle her, Sif," Said Hagen while laughing.

"HANDLE WHO!? I CAN HANDLE ANYONE!" Tyr jumped in, without knowing what they were talking about but he thought it to be a challenge of some sort.

"HEY! ME TOO!" Bjorn shouted, there was no way he was going to let his rival hug all the fun.

"You are right, Hagen. They are not ready." Sif said with a peal of laughter before heading back in. She was referring to her oldest child being a potential bride for one of the brothers when they come of age.

Sif had two children from her previous marriage, her youngest child Floki, who was 6, and her daughter Ursa, who was 10.

The sons of Ragnar only had battle on their minds and love was the last thing on their minds, a far cry from their father but they are still kids, what do they know about love?

"What brings you two here?" Hagen asked, shutting the door behind him as he walked towards the boys.

"We want to raid!" Both boys said in unison and Hagen smiled, they were of age but Ragnar feared for their safety and that is exactly why they haven't become 'men' yet.

They needed to taste battle, but Hagen could not do anything about it without the permission of their father.

"That is impossible, I am afraid." Hagen said in a stern tone, he made the boys understand that this was Ragnar's decision but if Ragnar was not willing to lead them into battle where he could keep an eye on them, the chances of them entering the battle on their own without his protection grew increasingly high each day he refused them their 'rite of passage.

Hagen knew this, and this would be a tragic fate for the children of Ragnar, but he offered a solution.

"Let me talk to your father, I will convince him to let you guys go. We can't have two of our best warriors on shore after all." Hagen said, inflating the ego of both Bjorn and Tyr.

"Damn right you can't!" Both said in unison, but Hagen was hesitant. He did not know why Ragnar was keeping them away from the battle because this should be a proud thing for any father, which father would not want to watch his son become a man?

"Thank you, Hagen!" Tyr said, bowing to show his gratitude with Bjorn following suit.

-

"Egil Iversen," A man called out in a dark prison cell, it was Arvid. Arvid did not changed during the year, he looked the same right down to his hairstyle.

Egil, had been imprisoned and tortured for a year but refused to betray his king even if his king abandoned him. He understood the way of war and this decision was sound from a strategical standpoint as it would be considered a weakness but why did his captors not just kill him and be done with it?

"It looks like this is your new home." Arvid continued, mocking the man but he did not like the look on Egil's face. He did not look defeated, his mind and will looked far from being broken.

A year of torture did not dent his resolve. He was malnourished, his ribs were poking out of his flesh and his lips were dried up and bleeding. He was in the worst condition possible.

"That's enough, Arvid," A voice called out behind the Viking, it was the voice of Asger.

"Asger," Arvid said before shutting up. What he was doing was not wrong, so there was no reason nor cause for Asger to reprimand him but Asger wanted to talk to the fallen warrior alone and Arvid obeyed his superior's wishes.

"A-Asger," Egil muttered with a weak smile, he was glad to see a familiar face that did not wish for his head to hang, but there was little to nothing Asger could do.

"W-Why do you keep me alive?" Egil said but Asger's face had a hint of sadness in them.

"Not for long my friend, the King has ordered your execution," Asger said with Egil smiling broadly.

"At last, I can go to Valhalla," Egil said with his chapped lips bleeding.

"Egil, King Askild has denied you Valhalla, you won't be given a warrior's death. I am sorry my friend." Asger said and for the first time, the look of hopelessness dawned on the face of Egil.