Chapter 174 For Better Or For Worse

Birger finished narrating what he had done, this included the physical assault on Lagertha, and Ragnar's face dropped, the look in his eyes held the rage of a thousand men.

Even Rugalf that was interested in the story found it sickening, most especially what he intended to do with Liv.

Rugalf looked at Ragnar, he felt like he was looking at death itself but this might be an opportunity to see Ragnar's skills in person.

Ragnar grabbed the hilt of his sword, all he wanted to do right now was run it through Birger's heart.

"What happened to Liv?" Rugalf questioned, the story had left it out and this included whose head was served on a platter to Lagertha moments ago.

Birger ignored Ruglaf's question, he had no obligations to answer, the reason he told the story was for one purpose alone and that was to get under Ragnar's skin.

However, Ragnar let go of the hilt of his sword and looked Birger right in the eyes.

"Huh? Am I sweating?" Birger thought; he could feel cold beads of sweat running down his forehead.

"Am I scared?" Birger was confused, it has been a while since he has felt true fear.

But he knew he had to show Ragnar Lagertha, clapping his hand.

A man came in, Lagertha had a bag over her head and was ushered into the room.

Ragnar's rage dissipated the moment he saw his wife, sorrow filled them and his lips quivered.

Ragnar was not a King at this moment, he was a father, a husband.

"Lagertha… I am back…" Ragnar apologized to his wife, the dried-up blood on her clothes showed him the pain she has gone through.

"My husband… Welcome back home," Lagertha's voice was as nurturing as ever.

Seeing Lagerha, despite her ragged state, lifted the weight off Ragnar's shoulder.

Ragnar Lothbbrok began walking towards his wife, but a sword was soon placed against her neck.

"Now, now King Ragnar. Let us not be hasty," Birger said, expecting Ragnar to stop in his tracks but Ragnar did not, he kept walking towards his wife.

Birger found that he could not move, something was overwhelming about Ragnar Lothbrok. There was something heavy about his killing intent, he ignored Birger's presence and took the bag off his wife's head despite Birger threatening him mere moments ago.

Birger stood awkwardly behind her with the blade against her neck, Ragnar casually pushed the blade aside and Birger found himself not resisting because every fiber in his body told him if he did, he would die.

"You look terrible… Are you sure you are my wife?" Ragnar teased Lagertha, caressing his wife's bloodied face.

"Y-You are still terrible at talking to women. How did we even get married?" Lagertha fired back, Ragnar chuckled in response, right before looking at Birger.

Birger instinctively took a few steps back, he was on high alert, something Rugalf took note of.

"King Ragnar, if you take Lagertha, you will never see your brother again…" Birger had a backup bargaining chip, and Ragnar was surprised his brother was caught but it made sense.

Ulf would rather die than let Lagertha be harmed to such a degree.

"I see…. Hear me, Birger. I will have your head at the end of all this," Ragnar threatened him.

Rugalf had goosebumps hearing Ragnar speak, he could not believe such a man existed.

Ragnar was everything he had about, and more.

"Hang in there, Lagertha…. I will get you out of this mess," Ragnar said, gently moving the strand of hair hanging in front of her face, past her ear.

Birger was both intrigued and terrified of Ragnar, but he knew he would redirect his anger elsewhere in a moment. Birger was not stupid, he knew Erik did something to Lagertha and he gambled on the chance that Ragnar was not aware, Erik drawing breath was what he based this hypothesis on.

"Erik The Berserker…." Birger blurted out and Lagertha immediately tensed up, something that Ragnar noticed.

"Was he the one that did this to you?" Ragnar asked, but he had just heard Birger's story moments ago and there was no mention of Erik. BIrger only told them about the fall of Kattegat.

He left out the part about Erik raping Asger's wife, he had plans for the ultimate reveal but the condition for those plans was yet to be met. Birger was curious about the kind of history Lagertha shared with Erik, it can't be a good one because he saw how much she wanted him dead a day ago, even though he did not know everything about it seems.

"Ragnar, I have to tell you something," Lagertha's voice was a perfect reflection of the emotions coursing through her body.

-

Arild was laying on Erik's chest, Erik could not believe that such a feeling was possible.

What he was feeling right now is a feeling he was not familiar with, a feeling he had never experienced himself. It was almost like Erik had an epiphany.

"You see, Erik… All you need to do is to let go," Arild said but this level of vulnerability was something Erik was not used to and he did not know what to do with the emotions flowing through him.

"Erik?" Arild called because he was not responding to her, she sat up to look at him in his eyes.

Erik had a soft look on his face, his eyeballs darted in the direction of Arild.

"You are just like her…" Erik blurted out, sitting up with his back against the wall.

Arild smiled, she was curious to hear who this lady was, was Erik once in love?

"I am just like who?" Arild asked, the anticipation evident on her face but Erik did not respond.

His soft face suddenly changed to a sinister one, what Arild felt next was Erik's hands around her neck.

"People like you should not exist!" Erik was furious, and his hands constricted, Arild struggled in vain but it was impossible to break free from the much bigger Erik.

Her body soon went limb, and just then, Erik snapped her neck like a twig.

".... Disgusting…" This was Erik's last word as he stared at Arild's lifeless body.