— 15. Reunion

They ended up coming to an agreement about a hostage exchange with the Saxons. While Ragnar would be sent to King Ecbert's Royal Villa, the King's son, Æthelwulf, would come to their camp.

Alongside Ragnar and countless others, Tova and the rest of the group came to a stop on horseback when they became near the gates to the Villa. They watched as a few guards walked out before Athelwulf rode toward them on horseback.

"Are you sure about this?" Tova asked Ragnar, an uneasy look on her face at the thought of it all.

"I am. Remember..." He trailed off, turning to give her a knowing look, "If I do not return—"

"I shall kill the King's son and I will be glad to," Tova assured him and Ragnar smiled as he nodded his head in response.

"Good girl," Ragnar replied before he began to ride forward.

Tova smiled, watching as Æthelwulf approached her and the rest of the group of horseback. "He's quite pretty, for a Saxon," She commented, causing the group of men around her to groan in annoyance.

"Don't start," Torstein was the first to speak up, rolling his eyes at her.

"What?" She asked, an innocent look on her face while the rest of the group rolled their eyes at her.

_____

The following day, Ragnar returned. Tova stood with her father, King Horik, and countless others underneath a tent as they spoke of what Ragnar had spoken to Ecbert about during the time he spent with the Saxon King.

"What else did this King of Wessex have to say?" King Horik asked Ragnar, a suspicious look on his face.

"That he might offer us land," Ragnar replied in a calm tone, taking a large sip of his mug of ale.

"And you believe him?" Horik scoffed, giving Ragnar a weird look, "Can you trust him...this Christian?"

"He wants something in return," Ragnar replied as he looked up at Horik from his seated position.

Horik smiled slightly, nodding his head in understanding. "What does he want in return?"

Just then, before Ragnar could respond, a horn was sounded, meaning someone was approaching them by ship.

Tova turned and exchanged a puzzled look with Ragnar.

"It's one of mine. It's Thorvard!" Horik informed the group and alongside the other, Tova ran in the direction of the shore, "Thorvard!"

As the man reached the docks, Horik laughed and immediately greeted his friend. "Thorvard. Welcome!"

"Thank you, my lord," He replied in a solemn tone, "I bring grave news for Ragnar Lothbrok," He announced, causing Ragnar and Tova to exchange a concerned look with each other as Thorvard walked over to them, "Your lands are lost, invaded by Jarl Borg."

"What?" Tova asked softly, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Your family has fled. Only the gods know where. Now, Jarl Borg lives in your Great Hall and rules in your place," He informed them and Tova growled under her breath.

_____

That night, alongside Ragnar, Tova rushed to pack her belongings so that they could leave the following day. The flap to the tent opened and it wasn't long before Horik entered with some others.

"You're leaving?" Horik asked Ragnar curiously.

"Of course I am," Ragnar replied as if it were obvious, "Tova will join me. We must find our family. Are you not coming?"

"I'm minded to stay here, Ragnar. To speak with this King Ecbert further. I think he is afraid of us and we'll make some deal to our advantage," He explained and Ragnar couldn't help but smile in amusement.

"You cannot even speak their language," He commented as he walked past Horik, "How will you communicate without me and Tova here?"

"If you will permit this man, Athelstan, to remain with me, he can do the talking," Horik informed Ragnar in a calm tone while Tova turned and frowned in concern.

"Athelstan is a free man. It is his choice," Ragnar replied, but obviously expected Athelstan to choose him.

"If I can be of help to King Horik, then I am happy to stay," He replied, causing Ragnar's smile to fade.

"I am surprised to hear you say that," Ragnar admitted and Tova sighed when she realized Ragnar was upset. He sighed and turned to Athelstan as he walked over to him, "For you know my family better than anyone."

"You've always said how important these contacts for the future and prosperity of all your people. So is it not more important for me to remain here?" He explained to Ragnar in a calm tone.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ragnar asked, stopping to look Athelstan in the eyes.

Athelstan glanced around, sighing before he looked directly at Ragnar and nodded.

Ragnar smiled slightly before he began to glare at Athelstan. "Then so be it," He replied in a calm tone before turning to address the men traveling with him and Tova, "Prepare the ships!"

He picked up a chest, just before turning to Athelstan once more. "If you change your mind, your friends will be leaving at first light," He told Athelstan and with that, he left the tent with Tova.

"What?" Ragnar suddenly asked, stopping to turn to Tova, "Will you leave me next?"

"Never," Tova argued, squinting her eyes at Ragnar as she shook her head, "My destiny is to be at your side and there is no way I would stay here, knowing our family is in danger. Jarl Borg will pay for what he has done."

"He will," Ragnar replied, nodding his head in confirmation, "And we shall do it together."

____

Despite leaving with three ships, Ragnar, Tova, and the rest of them ended up returning with only a single ship. Tova found herself worrying that Thor was angry with them. Perhaps that was why when he beat his answer, the waves consumed two of their boats and the men in them as well.

That night, upon arriving back home, they stayed at Floki's home but the following day, Tova was just as eager to see their family once more. They traveled to where Aslaug was hiding out with her sons, Siggy, and both Rollo and Finnr, who had been the ones to save them all in the first place. She learned that if it hadn't been for the two men working together to devise a plan to help the rest flee, they would have all died at Jarl Borg's hand.

They approached the farm their family was staying at and the moment they ventured close, Ragnar ran ahead of the rest of the group to greet his family.

It wasn't long before Tova and the rest of the group arrived at the farm. Tova soon came to a stop, her eyes widening at the sight of Finnr standing near Siggy.

She gradually began to smile, just before running to hug him. They hugged each other tightly and Tova smiled, slowly pulling away to kiss him.

"It is good to see you," Finnr confessed as he smiled down at her and Tova smiled back at him.

"It is good to see you too," She whispered softly before they both hugged once more.

After a moment, Tova turned to face Siggy, who watched them both closely. She sighed, just before walking closer to the woman who birthed her. She waited a moment before finally hugging the woman.

____

That night, Tova sat at a table beside Finnr, across from Helga and Floki. Ragnar was sitting on the ground with Ubbe and Hvitserk, the three of them all falling asleep against each other.

"Let's have a child," Tova suddenly heard Helga tell Floki. She turned, unable to stop herself from eavesdropping on their conversation as her head was rested against Finnr's shoulder with his arm wrapped around her, "If we survive, let's make a child," She told him, only to have her smile fade while Floki laughed, "I'm serious. You can't laugh about everything. Don't you want a child? I do."

"I would be worried that my child would be like me," Floki admitted in a whisper as he looked shameful.

"Why would that worry you?" Helga asked, a puzzled look on her face.

Unable to take it anymore, Tova looked away, tears beginning to fill her eyes. She wanted to be a mother, more than anything. She always had. However, Finnr didn't want children, which was surprising since most men wanted children to further their lines.

The moment Rollo had arrived, Tova found herself standing outside with him and Ragnar, speaking of what would occur in the near future.

"I want to attack Kattegat. Now!" Ragnar demanded in a low, threatening tone, "I want to destroy Jarl Borg. I want to make him suffer as he has made my family suffer. I want to kill that bastard with my bare hands," He explained as he placed his hands around Rollo's neck.

"I agree," Tova replied in a calm tone.

"Then I must be frank you both," Rollo responded in a calm tone as he glanced between them, "I know you lost boats in the storm, but it's a pity you didn't return with more men. As it is, we have no chance of defeating Jarl Borg or regaining Kattegat."

"Then we find more men," Ragnar suggested without hesitation.

"There are no more to find. Believe me, I have tried. And what's more, is that news of your arrival has only made our discovery more certain," Rollo explained to Ragnar and Tova lowly before looking directly at his younger brother, "Jarl Borg has placed a fortune on your head."

With that, Rollo walked away and Tova sighed, turning to face Ragnar with an uneasy look on her face, "What are we going to do?" She asked, a concerned look on her face.

"I don't know yet," Ragnar admitted softly, sighing as he crossed his arms across his chest.

____

"Ragnar, they're here!" Ragnar and Tova had heard Floki, leading to them both walking outside. Finnr stood alongside Tova, the two of them exchanging an uneasy look as they made their way over to Floki alongside Ragnar, "Ragnar, they're coming."

"Who's coming?" Helga asked, a concerned look on her face.

"Who do you think?" Floki retorted as he picked up his ax, "Jarl Borg and his men. They've come to finish us off."

Walking toward the fields, Tova squinted her eyes, only to have them widen when she recognized who was leading the army. "Floki, that isn't Jarl Borg," She stated, turning to share a smile with Ragnar.

The duo smiled, wasting no time running in the direction of the army.

Finnr remained standing with Floki and Helga, frowning in confusion since he didn't know who the people were and how Ragnar and Tova knew them.

As they approached the army, Ragnar and Tova smiled as they watched the horses come to a stop. Tova looked ahead, smiling at the sight of Lagertha leading the army of men.

"It has been a long time," Ragnar spoke up in a calm tone.

"Hello, Ragnar," Lagertha greeted the man as she climbed off her horse before looking directly at Tova, "Tova, you have grown into a beautiful young woman since I last saw you."

"It is good to see you, Lagertha," Tova confessed and walked forward as she smiled happily.

Lagertha stepped forward, wasting no time hugging the girl. "It is good to see you, too," She spoke softly before turning to Ragnar once more, "I heard of your troubles. I have brought these warriors to help you."

Tova turned to Bjorn, her eyes widening at the sight of him as she watched him climb off his horse and make his way over to them. He had grown tall since she last saw him and handsome. He had always been handsome, but it was different now. He was a man grown now as she was a woman. He was muscular too, which she found funny after spending years as children, teasing him that he'd never amount to being a strong and formidable warrior. However, despite all the changes in his features, his eyes were the same and it made her smile. She always loved his eyes.

"And you are...?" Ragnar asked as Bjorn walked toward him.

"I'm your so—" He began to say, only to be cut off as Ragnar tightly hugged him, "Father!"

"I always knew in my heart that I would see you again, but I would have never guessed in such circumstances," Ragnar confessed as he gradually pulled away from his son and smiled.

Bjorn pulled away from hugging his father and turned, his eyes locking on Tova, who smiled at him softly. "Tova," He greeted her almost shyly, "You're here."

"Hello, Bjorn," Tova replied as she walked forward and without hesitation, the duo hugged each other, "It is good to see you again."

Gradually, the duo pulled away from each other and Bjorn glanced around at the group. "Who can guess the plan in ways of the Gods? But now they contrived to bring us all back together and I, for one, am glad for it."

Hearing Bjorn's words, Ragnar smiled at the sight of his son. "Ah! I do not have to ask if you've been fed well. You have grown so tall! When this is over, we shall have many stories to tell."

"You and I, Father, are bound by both ties of memory and blood," Bjorn admitted and Ragnar smiled as he placed a hand on the side of Bjorn's face.

"It seems your mother and I have produced a son that is both strong and wise," Ragnar commented and Tova smiled at the group.

"And handsome," Tova muttered under her breath and since he had heard her, Ragnar smiled even wider.

"And if my sister had lived, she would have been the same," Bjorn confessed as he glanced between his mother and father.

"Yes. And you are right to carry her memory, as do I," Ragnar responded, trying to contain sadness.

"For a long time, Father, I feel I have carried nothing but memories. But now here, in this place, with you and with Tova and my mother, I feel...reborn," Bjorn explained, a large smile forming on his lips, "As if I have a life to lead."

Ragnar lightly slapped the sides of Bjorn's face, just before hugging his son tightly. "For far too long," He commented before pulling away from the hug.

He wrapped his arm around Bjorn and with that, the duo walked in the direction of the hideout together while Tova remained standing beside Lagertha.

"It is good that they have been reunited once more, don't you think?" Tova asked, a smile forming on her lips as she turned to Lagertha.

"That it is. For years, Bjorn has longed to see his father again. And now, he has. He can finally be truly happy," Lagertha explained, smiling as she wrapped an arm around the girl before they began to walk together, "But enough about them. How are you? I'm sure the men in Kattegat are just lining up to claim your hand in marriage."

"They've tried, but Ragnar has scared them all away," Tova replied, causing them both to laugh, "But there is one that has remained and shows no fear toward Ragnar."

"And what is this brave man's name?" Lagertha asked, a smile forming on her lips.

"Finnr. He is actually here," Tova admitted, earning a smile from Lagertha.

"Tell me about this...Finnr," Lagertha playfully told the girl, both of them laughing as they made their way in the direction that Ragnar and Bjorn had gone in.