— 13. Wessex

Later that day, Ragnar and Tova were standing together in the Great Hall of Kattegat when King Horik entered with his two oldest sons.

"King Horik!" Ragnar greeted the King with a smile on his face as he walked toward him while Tova remained in place off to the side, "Welcome indeed."

"Earl Ragnar, my great friend," Horik greeted him happily as they both hugged tightly.

"I heard you came by horse. Where are your ships?" Ragnar asked him curiously.

"My ships are being prepared. I could not wait," Horik informed him in a calm tone as a woman walked over with a cup of mead and handed it to Ragnar, who handed it to Horik, "I have waited an eternity already. I said to my sons, I have to set off. I cannot even wait for the ice to melt. My ships will arrive soon enough."

"I look forward to getting to know your sons and introducing mine. Not to mention, my daughter, who you've met before many years ago," Ragnar turned and gestured for Tova to come over. She sighed, just before walking over. He smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder as he turned to Horik. "I'm sure you remember Tova, my daughter."

"I do," Horik smiled and nodded his head, "She was only a girl when I last saw her."

"She is sixteen now," Ragnar informed Horik, who immediately gained interest by the words.

"She is of age, then," Horik realized, gesturing between his two sons, "Perhaps when this is all over, we may negotiate a marriage alliance between one of my sons and your daughter."

Hearing Horik's words, Tova's eyes widened in shock. She turned and stared at Ragnar in disbelief.

"Perhaps," Ragnar replied, forcing a smile onto his way since he knew for a fact that was never going to happen, "There is someone else here that you will well remember."

Horik began to walk away with Ragnar while Tova turned, exchanging a brief look with Horik's sons before the three of them followed after the two older men.

Ragnar picked Ubbe off the ground, holding him in his arms as they entered the room where Jarl Borg sat close to Floki.

The moment they entered, Horik frowned at the sight of Jarl Borg, clearly not happy.

"Come here, Ubbe," Tova told the boy, taking the young boy into her arms.

"I can see, King Horik, that you're not too...delighted to see me, but I hope you're not surprised," Jarl Borg spoke up in a calm tone, "We made an agreement to raid together and I've come to honor it."

"The last time we met, Jarl Borg, I had the distasteful task of burying many of my kinsmen and friends," Horik explained to Jarl Borg as he glared at him hatefully, "And for the past four years, I've been paying you profits for my lands. But still, it is true, I am not surprised to see you."

Jarl Borg stared at Horik closely, leaning forward in his seat. "Good."

Tova turned, exchanging a look with Ragnar since they both realized it wasn't going well. They turned, watching as Rollo suddenly entered with Torstein.

Horik walked closely to Rollo, looking directly at Ragnar. "Is this not Rollo, the brother who fought against us?"

"Yes," Ragnar answered in a calm tone.

"And you spared his life?" Horik asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"The Gods spared his life," Ragnar corrected him, looking back at Rollo.

"What is your decision?" Rollo asked his brother in a calm tone.

"I accept you back, Rollo. I acknowledge you as my brother, but I forbid you to raid with us," Ragnar explained and Tova immediately noticed how disappointed Rollo looked.

"I accept your judgment," Rollo replied, nodding in understanding before he left the room.

____

That evening, another feast was held and Tova sat with Ragnar on one side of her and Finnr on the other.

All seemed to be well with everyone at the table, but Tova knew for a fact it wouldn't last. She turned to Finnr, smiling at him. She placed a hand on the side of his face, smiling as she briefly kissed him before turning her attention to the conversation Ragnar was having with King Horik's oldest son, Ari.

"How old are you, Ari?" Ragnar asked the boy curiously as he leaned forward in his seat.

"Seventeen. Nearly eighteen," Ari informed Ragnar and Tova smiled, thinking about how he was about the same age as Bjorn.

"Will this be your first raid?" Ragnar questioned, a kind smile on his face as he conversed with the boy.

"Yes. I can't wait to prove myself in battle," He confessed as he nodded his head slightly, "I want my father to be proud of me."

"I have a son about your age," Ragnar informed Ari, gaining the boy's curiosity.

"Where is he?" Ari asked, a determined look on his face, "I would like to meet him."

"Yes, where is he, Ragnar?" Tova asked in a sarcastic tone as she turned to Ragnar.

Ragnar shot Tova an annoyed look. "I do not know where he is. That is by his choice," He informed both Tova and Ari in a calm tone, trying to contain his sadness, "I should never have mentioned him. Drink."

As Ragnar began to converse with Horik, Tova turned to Ari and his brother Erlendur, a smile on her face. "So you are Ari and you are Erlendur," She stated and both boys nodded their heads, "And which of you is older?"

"I am," Ari answered in a calm tone and Tova nodded in understanding.

"And how old are you, Erlendur?" She asked the boy curiously.

"Sixteen," He informed her confidently, "Though if our fathers agree on marriage, it would probably be Ari that you marry. He is my father's heir. He would be king one day and you would be queen."

"Hmm," Tova simply hummed in response as she drank her mead. Feeling eyes on her, she turned to see Finnr giving her a look of disbelief, "What?"

Finnr shot Tova a glare. He stood up, just before leaving without another word said.

Tova groaned, briefly placing her face in her hands before she turned to Erlendur and Ari. She forced a smile onto her face, just before beginning to make conversation with them as if nothing were wrong.

____

When it was time to leave, Tova stood with Ragnar, saying goodbye to Aslaug and the children.

Ragnar held Hvitserk in his arms, telling him that he loved him before he handed him back to one of the servants.

He then knelt in front of Ubbe, smiling softly at his son. "Hey," He spoke to him softly, cupping the boy's face in his hands, "Now, you be a good boy. And you do what your mother tells you," He paused, leaning closer to Ubbe to whisper in his ear, "Most of the time."

Hearing Ragnar's words, Tova smiled and chuckled. She watched as Ragnar handed Ubbe a toy sword made of wood before hugging his son. "I love you, good boy."

While Ragnar said goodbye to Aslaug, Tova smiled and knelt before Ubbe. She smiled, hugging her brother tightly. "Until next time, little brother," She whispered to him softly, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

She stood up and as Ragnar left the room, Tova walked to stand in front of Aslaug. "Until next time, Princess Aslaug," She told the woman as she hugged the woman briefly before pulling away.

"I hope to see you soon again, Tova," Aslaug admitted as she smiled at the girl, "I've come to understand why Ragnar is so fond of you. In the last four years, you have become like a daughter to me."

Hearing the woman's words, Tova simply smiled and nodded before walking away. As her back faced Aslaug, Tova's smile faded and she began to look saddened, beginning to think of Lagertha and how much she missed her.

Aslaug was nice to her, that was true, but she wasn't Lagertha and she never would be. Lagertha was like a mother to Tova and always would be. The same couldn't be said about Aslaug.

____

It wasn't long before the ships set sail and Tova wasn't surprised to find that Finnr had decided not to come with them to England.

On the boat, Tova was sitting beside Ragnar, overlooking the sea. It wasn't long before Torstein walked over, a curious look on his face. "What do you think?" He asked the duo curiously.

"That we ought to be near land by now," Ragnar confessed in a calm tone.

"I agree," Tova replied, nodding her head before she stood up. She walked over to the small wooden cage holding the ravens. She picked one up, just before throwing it into the sky.

"What now?" Athelstan asked, watching as the raven flew away.

"We wait," Ragnar replied in a calm tone.

They had waited until nightfall and still, there had been nothing. They were soon plagued with dangerous waves and a storm Tova feared they wouldn't survive.

Tova stood next to Ragnar, tightly gripping onto the side of the boat.

"You having fun yet, Tova?" Ragnar asked Tova tauntingly, beginning to laugh as she angrily glared at him.

"Oh, shut up!" She snapped at him and Ragnar continued to laugh until they all suddenly looked up to see the sail ripping.

"It's going to tear, get it down!" Ragnar shouted out, running to the other side of the boat.

Just then, hearing waves crashing on something, Tova turned, her eyes widening in alarm. Ragnar had taught her enough about the sea to know what that meant.

"What is that?" Athelstan asked, a concerned look on his face.

"That's the sound of waves hitting rocks," Floki informed Athelstan, his eyes widen in alarm.

Tova and Floki walked to stand beside Ragnar, their eyes widening at the sight of the large rock ahead.

"Set the oars! Prepare to pull away!" Ragnar yelled out in a loud tone, "Pull away! Quickly!"

___

By dawn, the storm had finished and the group felt relieved. However, that soon diminished when they found the rest of the boats not with them.

"We've been blown miles off course, who knows where we are?" Athelstan commented as he stared up at Ragnar.

"The gods know, priest," Floki retorted with an attitude.

"What I want to know is where are all the ships?" Ragnar asked as he glanced around in concern. "How many do you see?"

"Only four," Floki replied in a calm tone as he looked ahead to see four boats of theirs from afar.

"Some of the others may have been scattered," Torstein responded.

"Or they all might have floundered," Ragnar commented, causing Tova to sigh in defeat.

"Father! Father, come see!" Erlendur suddenly shouted and Tova turned her head to lock eyes on what they did.

"What did I tell you, boy? Land!" Horik exclaimed happily, "I told my sons, Ragnar always finds land!"

Pushing past numerous men, Tova walked over to Ragnar, who placed a hand on her back as Floki joined them as well. The group of three squinted their eyes, attempting to look through the fog. "Where do you think we are?" Tova asked the two men curiously.

"I built boats, Tova, your father's the navigator," Floki commented and Tova smiled, playfully rolling her eyes.

____

It wasn't long before making it onto the land did they find a stream. Tova walked alongside Ragnar and Torstein, leading the group through.

"Ragnar, Ragnar. There's fish," Floki informed the group and Tova smiled in relief.

"I think this would be a good place to set up camp. Don't you?" Tova asked Ragnar, who immediately nodded in agreement.

Moments later, the men and women decided to take a rest there. Ragnar sat near the stream as he ate an apple. He smiled in amusement, watching how Tova struggled in catching a single fish in the stream.

He recalled how all those years Lagertha used to take Gyda and Tova to fish and both girls always failed miserably at it.

Finally, she caught one, causing her to smile and laugh victoriously. "Did you see that, Ragnar? Did you see that? I caught one!" She exclaimed happily, causing Ragnar to laugh and nod his head.

"I did," He replied with a smile on his face, "It only took you fifty tries."

Tova rolled her eyes at him, trying to contain her laughter as she attempted to catch another. Soon enough, she did so and smiled, making her way over to Ari and Erlendur.

She handed them both a fish, the two of them sitting together as they began to converse.

Moments had passed where all had been well. Just then, however, an arrow glided through the air and found its way into Ari as more began to stab others.

"Tova!" Ragnar shouted out in concern, gesturing for her to pick up her shield and run over to him, "Shields! Get down! Get down!"

Tova wasted no time picking up her shield. She made her way over to Ragnar, the two of them and countless others forming a shield wall.

Numerous other arrows shot through the air and Tova flinched, feeling bad as she heard Ari groaning in pain.

"They're everywhere," Tova admitted softly, exchanging an uneasy look with Ragnar.

"But how many?" Ragnar asked in a calm tone.

"I do not know," Tova replied and shook her head, cringing as she heard Ari screaming in pain.

Crouching down beside Tova, Ragnar lowered his shield as he glanced around at all of the Saxon soldiers from afar.

"Whether we live or die today is already in the hands of the Gods! They already know if we sup with them so fear not!" She suddenly heard King Horik shout out, "Fight well, and if you fall, surely Odin will take you to Valhalla."

"Odin!" Tova shouted out alongside the others, exchanging a look with Ragnar before the Saxons came charging at them.

She lifted her shield, blocking their forms of attacks as she slashed her sword at them. Blood splashed on her face and she flinched, just before swinging at them again. They were surrounded, but Tova refused to show fear.

She lifted her sword, slashing one of the men with her blade across the neck. She yelled out, lunging at another. She swung her sword at him, but the man was quick to block her form of attack with his sword. She stabbed him in the legs instead, causing him to hit the ground.

However, as she did so, two more came in her direction. The sword was knocked from her hands and Tova tried to hide her uneasiness as she tried to defend herself as best as she could with only her shield.

Ragnar noticed from afar and sighed in defeat. He pushed through the crowds, killing any Saxon who got in his way. He did anything in his power to get to Tova, refusing to lose her to some stupid Saxons.

Blood covering her face, Tova yelled out, swinging her shield at the Saxons trying to kill her.

Just then, Ragnar ran over, tackling one of the men to the ground before killing him. He picked Tova's sword off the ground and handed it to her. He killed the second Saxon, just before grabbing Tova by the arm and leading her away.

With her sword, Tova yelled out and swung at numerous Saxons in the way as she and Ragnar made it back into the shield way. "Open! Open!"

The Northmen stepped out of the ways, allowing the Saxons through before they surrounded them and slaughtered them.

Ragnar tackled one of the soldiers to the ground, stabbing them repeatedly. However, as he did so, he didn't notice the other Saxon coming toward him from behind with his sword raised.

"Father!" Tova suddenly shouted and before the man could kill Ragnar, she stabbed him in the back before knocking him to the ground.

Ragnar turned to Tova, smiling proudly. She smiled back at him, the men around them cheering about their victory.

____

After the battle, Tova walked past numerous men, sighing when she stopped in front of where Horik held Ari's dead body in his arms.

"I'm sorry for your loss," She told Horik and Erlendur, a sympathetic look on her face, "Ari seemed like a good man. It is a shame he was taken from us so early in his life."

"Tova," A voice suddenly spoke up, causing Tova to turn to see Ragnar gesturing for her to come over to him.

She sighed, turning to nod her head slightly at Horik. With that, she walked over to Ragnar, who placed a hand on her shoulder. "You did not hesitate today. You did well for your first battle. I am proud," He complimented her and Tova smiled, happily that Ragnar was proud her, "I know how much you admire Lagertha and the great warrior she was. And I must say, if she were here, she'd be proud of the shieldmaiden you've become."

Tova smiled even wider at Ragnar's words. She nodded her head, proud of herself.

With that, they made their way over to Athelstan, just before the three of them traveled to speak to the two Saxons they had taken prisoners.

Ragnar whistled as he walked over to them with Athelstan and Tova, holding the head of another Saxon in his hands.

"Where are we? This is not Northumbria," Athelstan asked the two men, speaking Anglo-Saxon, "You are not King Aelle's men."

"No, we are not," One of the men answered as he shook his head.

"What is the name of this kingdom?" Athelstan questioned, a concerned look on his face.

"This is Wessex," The second man replied, causing Tova's eyes to widen in shock.

"Wessex?" She asked him, speaking their language as well.

"Yes."

"So your King is King Ecbert," Athelstan realized and the first man smiled almost proudly as he nodded his head.

"Yes, our King is King Ecberth. Have you heard of him?" He questioned Athelstan, who tried to hide his uneasiness.

"I have heard many things about him," Athelstan replied, exchanging an uneasy look with Tova.

"Everything you heard is true," The second man answered in a confident tone.

"What have you heard about King Ecbert?" Ragnar asked both Athelstan and Tova as he glanced between them, noticing how they both looked uneasy.

"That he's just like you," Tova replied, causing Ragnar to smile and chuckle since he didn't believe her all that much.

If only he knew.

The difference between how Ragnar reacted to Tova messing up in battle to how he reacts to bjorn in season 2, episode 5 in the show is CRAZY. 😭 He'll treat them both so differently but I'm sure you can already see that and from the last act, you already know bjorn is jealous of the strong bond Ragnar has with Tova.