The Son Of Ragnar

Chapter 138 The Wise Words Of Asger

?Birger had just told Ulf that he was the one going to kill Askild, this had to be some sort of joke because even if he killed Askild, he would be doomed.

They would kill him on the spot, and there were no two ways about it, as he could not even run due to being on a ship. The alternative was jumping into the sea, but there was no way anyone could survive.

"I refuse!" Ulf vehemently rejected Birger's proposal because while he did want to be a famous warrior, he was still loyal to King Askild.

"Where does your loyalty lie, Ulf?" Birger asked, and Ulf responded without any hesitation.

"My loyalty is with Kattegat!" Ulf's resolve was unshaken, admirably so that Birger could not help but smirk beneath his helmet.

"I will hold you to that…." Birger muttered, but the tone he used was only audible to himself.

Tyr sat alone; he felt isolated as no one was around or talking to him.

There was hatred in their eyes, and he finally understood that the only sheltering him from these things since arriving in Kattegat was the title of being a son of Ragnar; despite his contribution to this war, he felt isolated.

Asger noticed that Tyr was more conscious of this only because Bjorn had begun looking at him with those very eyes because, in reality, these eyes had always existed.

Tyr was blissfully ignorant as he was content as long as he had Bjorn on his side, but their relationship fractured.

"Bjorn…" Asger called his name as he sat beside him; the calmness of the night was refreshing as the lingering water moisture in the air relaxed their tense muscles.

Most had yet to recover from their injuries, so this was a much-needed break.

One week was not nearly enough to recuperate, but Skarde losing his sight was a tragic loss as they had lost such a warrior, but that was only because of the lady that helped him, or the alternative would have been death.

"Yes, sir?" Bjorn answered respectfully; with Ragnar in Vestfold, Asger felt a sense of responsibility for his children, especially Bjorn considering he was under his command.

"Are you alright?" Asger asked because while the war was over, the mental toll it must have taken on him would need to be discussed, or he might crumble under the pressure.

"I am great!" Bjorn responded with a smile, but Asger saw through the fake smile.

He knew Bjorn was putting on a brave face, they all had their wounds bandaged up and checked from the moment the war was over, but the excruciating pain still made it near impossible for them to move about freely.

"Bjorn Ironside… Do you know why enemies single someone out to give a title like that?" Asger questioned. He knew he needed something to hook his attention with, and what better way than a conversation about himself?

Bjorn's eyes lit up with curiosity as he was curious, he had only heard that name from Signy's mouth, but he was curious what the origin was.

"They do it for warriors they recognize as a threat; your enemies recognized you as a worthy enough warrior to name," Asger said, and he could feel Bjorn get tingly with this piece of good news.

It meant that the war was not in vain, but Asger was not done as he could feel Bjorn's mood gradually shift to being more positive.

"But that also includes your brother, Tyr, your brother. In a war, someone has to do the dirty work. Strength is not enough to win a war of this scale," Asger said. He wanted Bjorn to understand that Tyr should be considered a tactical genius instead of how Bjorn viewed him.

"We won this war because of your brother, Bjorn, or we would all be dead. What would have happened to Lagertha if you all died?" Asger said. It hit differently because Asger was someone he looked up to.

"I have fought with honor, but Egil bested me…" Asger said. This surprised Bjorn because if he was bested, why was Egil the one that was caught?

"B-Bested!? You won the battle!" Bjorn exclaimed, but Asger shook his head to deny this.

"I lost against Egil, he was the better warrior, but I won the battle because I was smarter. I have learned something from my time as a warrior. Just because you fight with honor does not mean your enemy would." Asger educated Bjorn on the harsher side of reality.

He knew that Bjorn was a kid when he came to it, it was no surprise he wanted to be the most honorable warrior, but this was no fantasy world.

"H-Honor is everything! Without honor, we are nothing but beasts and monsters that fight without a code!" Bjorn fired back, and as expected of a child, his reasons were based solely on his emotions.

"Tell me, what would you choose, your honor or family?" Asger tossed the question up in the air for the son of Ragnar to catch, which he did.

"I-I…." Bjorn choked as he had never given this much thought. Asger had caught him, and cracked the illusion that Bjorn clung onto,

"I would choose my family," Bjorn responded because he knew he could not lose them, and Asger had a relieved expression on his face because he had finally gotten through to Bjorn.

"So why do you punish Tyr for choosing his? For choosing you…." Asger said, and it hit Bjorn deep. He had realized at that moment that he had been looking at all this wrong.

"Damn it!" Bjorn cussed silently, looking in Tyr's direction only to see how defeated he looked.

He kissed his teeth because he could not help but feel responsible; he had 'abandoned' his brother.

"Go on. It's not too late." Asger encouraged him with a genuine smile, he would have made such a good father, but fate had other plans for him as he had possibly resolved the feud between brothers.