Chapter 45: De Facto Leader

Harald returned on horseback, hopping off as he strode forward up to Ragnar and embraced his boy in a hug, "I'm proud of you, lad. You led these men to a ferocious victory."

The Baron pulled back, his bright emerald eyes scanning the features of the boy he'd seen grow up into a man now capable of leading men with tears welling amongst them.

Ragnar smiled in gratitude, "It was all thanks to your teachings, father. The shield wall held brilliantly, and the new armor that we purchased gave us a massive advantage over the leather and mail of our opponents. Marquise also helped out a lot as he's the one who raised the signal and helped relieve pressure on the other side of the wall with his dazzling spear skills."

Harald nodded in acknowledgement at Marquise before turning back to Ragnar, "Do we have any idea where their camp is? I've tried to pry out the information from a couple of the looters, but the most I could get was the general direction.

Ragnar grinned as he explained what he'd managed to get out of Roland before his father guffawed, "That's my boy! You have a way with men that I can't understand where you learnt. This information will save us much time."

Ragnar held up his hand, "First, we should take the head of their man called Strogar. It'll add to the fear we need to instil in their camp. It would be best if the remaining fighters gave up without a fight. And the head of their chief will do the trick." He grinned with his fist clenched before pointing out, "Go grab Roland and tell him to identify which body belongs to Strogar. We should find the chieftain with an identifiable face with his luck on our side."

Marquise slightly bowed before heading out to search for the body.

Ragnar's men spent the next 10 minutes sifting through the various dead Vikings until they eventually stumbled upon the man called Strogar.

His face had a large gash that went across diagonally and was probably the blow that killed the man. Thankfully, his face was still recognizable.

"Good, let's get moving now. When we approach the camp, I want his head held high so that the men on the ramparts recognize it." Ragnar nodded in approval.

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As the rest of their Caravan finally caught up to the lead group's antics, Harald barked orders to have them find a camp in the area while the rest went to search for the looter's enclosure.

They made their way up to the camp that Roland had mentioned scouring through the dense forest, cutting and hacking leaves and branches that got in their way.

Slowly, signs of cut down trees opened up to a larger clearing beside the river. A makeshift wooden spike fence surrounded the temporary housing of the Viking group turned looters.

Men upon the ramparts of the wooden fence pointed at the distant warriors coming their way. A panicked expression on their face as they realized these weren't their men that had left earlier in the morning.

"Hold the head high", Ragnar instructed, as Marquise raised his arm to display the decapitated head of Strogar's for everyone to see.

Gasps resounded upon the rampart as the men recognized their chieftain. Some of whom, running out of view to relay commands.

"Alright! We halt here. Hopefully, whoever is inside has the brains to come out for negotiation. We don't require needless bloodshed, but we will finish them if required!" Ragnar roared with his sword held high to the cheer of his men.

The shouts resounded across the open field and had a dual effect that Ragnar had planned. One was to bolster the confidence of his men, and the second was to lay fear upon the enemy so that they didn't think twice about surrender.

The massive wooden gates of the temporary enclosure groaned under the stress as it was slowly forced open.

An entourage on horseback made its way out to meet with the party. It consisted of four men that flanked a woman with a regal stature. Straight backed, chin held high, this was a proud woman who understood her charm and power.

Ragnar looked at the beautiful angelic woman with a curious gaze before turning to the Baron. "We should send a party to parley as well, father."

Harald nodded, "I'll come with you, but it's time for you to try your hand at negotiating. If you fail, we'll kill them all," as he roared with laughter.

Ragnar gathered Marquise, Harald, and two other hard set men loyal to him before he imposed out towards the parley at the middle of the field, trotting forward at a leisurely pace that suggested they had the control in this engagement.

They stopped about 15 meters away, still close enough to be heard without shouting. This time, Ragnar held the bloodied face of Strogar, with a smug grin on his face as he relaxed upon horseback, waiting for the enemy camp to speak.

The regal woman tried to remain stoic as she gazed upon the face held in the massive warrior's grip. Yet, Ragnar noticed a slip up among the hands of the woman, which went white from squeezing the reigns of her horse. "I am Astrid, wife of Strogar and de facto leader of this encampment, now that my husband is dead." The woman said as she held her chin high in defiance.

The Norse women had full authority in the domestic sphere, especially in the absence of their husbands. They could own property, request divorce and reclaim dowries if their marriages ended. Viking women were often left to lead their camps without their husbands and were given an unusual degree of freedom for a backward era.

As such, Ragnar scanned the woman's features looking for signs of weakness, "We will tolerate no less than surrender." His hard set gaze made the men next to Astrid squirm uncomfortably as his hand rested on the bejewelled hilt of his sword.

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Quick explanation for why there wasn't a chapter yesterday. In essence, I burnt out after my exam in the morning, two classes and then a two hour workout session. I should've realized that I wouldn't be able to write much once I reached home.

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