— 36. The Dead Who Conquered Paris

Everything was tense at the camp after Ragnar was baptized. Ragnar was now confined to his bed, too weak to stand on his own. Tova, on the other hand, was still able to stand upright, but as much as that should have been seen as a good thing, it wasn't.

It meant she was facing all the hate and backlash after what occurred instead of Ragnar himself. They had now chosen to blame her and many even chose to shun her.

Tova sighed as she stepped out of her tent. It was morning time and she winced as she rubbed her arching leg. She locked eyes with Bjorn and walked toward him. She had not seen him since the day Ragnar had been baptized. Like everyone else, he had been avoiding her.

"Bjorn," She called out as she walked toward him, a small smile on her face.

Without even turning to her, Bjorn rolled his eyes and began to walk away.

Tova watched him begin to walk away. She wanted to just stay quiet and not say a word as she did the others who ignored her like that, but she couldn't bear it. It was one thing for people like Erlendur and Kalf to shun her, but it was far more painful when Bjorn was doing it. She loved him and it broke her heart to have the man she loved turn his back on her like that for something she was not at fault for.

"Are you really angry with me for something Ragnar did?" Tova finally spoke up, tears forming in her eyes, "I cannot control him. He chose to do it on his own. I had nothing to do with him choosing to become a Christian."

"But you knew!" Bjorn shouted angrily as he whipped himself around to face her. He walked toward her, a furious look on her face, "You knew, Tova. And you could have told me, but you didn't."

As she stared up at Bjorn, Tova couldn't help but feel confused. He wasn't angry at her for the same reason everyone else was. He was angry because she hadn't told him the truth.

"Why would I tell you?" Tova asked as she frowned in confusion, "It had nothing to do with you."

"It had everything to do with me! My father decided to become Christian and you didn't tell me. You lied to me," Bjorn explained in a venomous tone, "The night before you joined my father in making negotiations with the Franks, you had come to my tent. When I asked you what my father was planning, you told me you didn't know. You lied. You lied right to my face. What else have you lied about, huh?"

Tova stared up at Bjorn in silence. She watched him for a moment before she shook her head. "You know, I don't even know why I try with you sometimes. You claim to love me but all we do is fight. You are married, but you are involved with me. You would think that is why we argue all the time, but it's not. We never argue about that. Instead..." She trailed off, angrily pointing her finger at his chest, "Instead, it is because you constantly complain about how your father trusts me more than you. Don't you think it's sad that you, Bjorn Ironside, the eldest son of Ragnar Lothbrok, is jealous of a former slave girl who is of no consequence to you? You are Ragnar's son. I am not. Get over yourself. And maybe if you did that and stopped acting like a whiny little boy all the time, your father would actually take you seriously."

Tova hatefully glared at Bjorn and scoffed. She spat on the ground in front of them before turning to leave.

"Are you really going to turn your back to me right now?" Bjorn complained and Tova turned slightly to look at him.

"You and everyone else here had no problem doing the same to me these past few days. Perhaps it is time you feel the same. I can't say you don't deserve it," She snapped at him angrily.

As she went to walk away, there was a bucket of water in front of her. Tova was not looking and ended up bumping into it. She groaned as the bucket not only brought pain to her right foot, but her entire leg.

She gasped in pain and bit her lip, trying to conceal her cry as she tried her hardest to remain standing.

Bjorn watched the scene occur and frowned. "What is wrong?" He suddenly asked as he made his way toward her, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," She told him in a low tone as she looked down at the ground, trying to contain her tears, "It's...It's nothing."

"If it's nothing, you wouldn't just be standing there," Bjorn complained as he lightly grabbed her chin to force her to look at him, "You're in pain. Why?"

"I'm dying," Tova suddenly responded and Bjorn scoffed.

"Don't be dramatic," Bjorn argued as he shook his head in disapproval.

"I'm not. I'm serious. You're right. I lie to you. I lie to you more than I tell the truth, Bjorn," She informed him, causing Bjorn to frown in concern, "I have been dying ever since we returned from Wessex the first time."

"Your injury?" Bjorn asked, a concerned look on his face, "I thought you had recovered."

"I am able to walk now, yes, but it brings me more pain than you could ever imagine. I can't even walk two steps without feeling some type of pain in my right leg. Sometimes, it's bearable while other times, it is. It sometimes hurt so much that my leg gives out completely. There are mornings where I wake up and can't feel it all. I am unable to move it those mornings at all," She explained, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, "And these past few days, while everyone has been shunning me, I've begun to feel that same type of pain in my left leg. It is not as bad as my other leg, but at the rate that it's going, it will be within no time that it is."

Hearing Tova's words, Bjorn frowned in concern. His eyes widened and he went to reach for Tova. "Tova—" He began to say, only to have Tova slap his hand away.

"Don't touch me," She snapped at him coldly, "Don't be nice to me just because you feel bad. I don't need your pity. I don't need anyone's pity!"

Bjorn sighed and went to speak up, only to have his eyes widen when he watched Tova purposely fall on the ground. "What are you doing?" He asked, a concerned look on his face.

"Leaving," She replied and just as Bjorn was about to ask her what he meant, he found himself looking horrified as he watched her crawl away using her hands, "If I stand here any longer, I can't promise that I won't punch you and I don't want to do that so if I can't walk away, I will settle for crawling away. At this point in my life, it would seem that I am actually better at crawling than walking."

"Tova," Bjorn complained, groaning as Tova continued to crawl away. He watched as she dragged her legs behind her, using only her arms to move away, "Tova, stop it. I can carry you."

"I don't need your help," Tova argued and continued to crawl away.

As she crawled away, the Frankish soldiers arrived with the gold that had been promised to the Northmen. Instead of joining the others in taking their share, Tova had traveled to Ragnar's tent.

She had crawled the entire way there and once arriving, she used her arms to crawl over to Ragnar's side of the bed. She took a seat on the ground and grabbed a mug of water that laid nearby. She moved closer to Ragnar, bringing it to Ragnar's lips.

He coughed violently and shivered, which made it clear that he was on the verge of dying. He couldn't bring himself to look Tova in the eyes, instantly noticing how she hadn't used her legs at all to make her way over to him. He wasn't the only one finding himself becoming closer and closer to death.

"They brought the payment," Tova informed Ragnar in a soft tone, and still, Ragnar didn't speak up or look at her, "I said—"

"I heard what you said," He told her weakly and shook his head, "It makes no difference to me."

"You realize what you've done, don't you?" Tova asked him in a cold tone, "They saw you, Ragnar. People are talking."

"People would have talked anyway. I am dying," He paused, grabbing ahold of the cross he wore on his neck, "But at least I know, I will see Athelstan again."

Hearing Ragnar's words, Tova began to tear up. She stared up at Ragnar, a heartbroken look on her face. "What about the rest of us, huh?" Tova asked, causing Ragnar to look down at her and frown, "What about Bjorn? What about Lagertha? What about..." She trailed off and began to cry, "What about me? When we all die, you will never see us. You will never see me. No. You chose to become a Christian just to see Athelstan again. But what about the rest of us?"

"Tova..." Ragnar trailed off as he reached his hand toward her, only to have Tova crawled back a bit.

"This pain in my leg is spreading. Today, I can barely even walk correctly so I have resulted to crawling. My legs will be the death of me soon enough. There is a chance you will be dead soon enough too. But we will never see each other again. Because you will be in heaven and I will be in Valhalla," She explained, tears streaming down her cheeks, "I have been at your side in all matters, Ragnar. Everything you've done, even when I knew it was wrong, I stood at your side without any question. But this..." She trailed off as she cried out, "This I cannot stand for. You have broken my heart in a way it has never been broken before."

Continuing to cry, Tova began to crawl toward the door. Just then, she stopped and sighed. She turned to Ragnar, a cold look on her face. "You know, people here are blaming me for what you did yesterday, even Bjorn. They are beginning to think the same of me as they did with Athelstan. They think I am corrupting you. That I have turned you into a Christian. Even if I do survive this pain in my leg, I can't say I won't be killed in a matter similar to what occurred to Athelstan, all because of what you did. They are going to shun me just like they did him and when that happens, I can't say how long I will have before they kill me just like they killed him. So thank you for that, Ragnar. It would seem you saved me all those years ago for nothing. You and our people will be the cause of my death, after all."

Tova let out a loud scoff and with that, she left, leaving Ragnar feeling ashamed. She crawled out of the tent, watching as numerous people had their eyes on her. She scoffed and looked away, refusing to give them the satisfaction of making them think she cared about what they thought of her.

As she was crawling, she stopped when the sounds of Kalf and Erlendur's conversation filled her ears. "Do you think it's true?" Erlendur asked Kalf in a curious tone, "What they're saying about Ragnar?"

"I hope so," Kalf admitted, causing Tova to turn and frown.

"Why?" Erlendur asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"Because no Christian king will ever be allowed to rule our world," Kalf informed Erlendur calmly, "It's unthinkable. An insult to our gods and our people."

"Then someone needs to kill him. And Tova along with him. She is the root of all this. Deep down, we all know it," Erlendur replied before he walked away with Kalf.

Tova walked on, fury beginning to consume her. She was right. Erlendur had been treacherous all along.

_____

That night, Ragnar ended up calling Tova to his tent and despite being angry with him, Tova couldn't help herself. She ended up going to see him anyway.

"Why have you called me here, Ragnar?" She asked Ragnar with an attitude as she sat in front of the man, who looked to be getting weaker and closer to death as each day passed, "I am still angry with you."

Ragnar sighed, taking a moment before he finally looked her in the eyes. "There will come a time when you will be responsible for our people alongside Bjorn," He informed her in a calm tone, "You have your issues with each other now, but I can see that you two are fated to be together. One day, the two of you will be Queen and King of Kattegat."

"You are our king," Tova argued as she shook her head in disapproval.

"For now," He hummed in response and weakly smiled at her, "But when your time comes, you must lead with your head and not with your heart. Bjorn struggles with that, but you cannot. You must be strong. You must use your head as you usually do. Can you do that?"

"Yes, Father," Tova replied in a soft tone. It had one of the few times she outrighted called him, "Father."

"I have something, I only trust you to do for me," He informed her and Tova sighed, knowing the last time he said that, everyone ended up being pissed at her, "I know you are angry, but I need your help. You are the only one I can trust. The only one left in this world that I truly trust. That is why I hope that once this is all done, you will forgive me. For if I survive this, I can't bear the thought of my daughter hating me."

Tova stared at Ragnar for a long moment before nodding. "I forgive you," She replied in a calm tone before moving closer to her father, "But what is it you're getting at? You're worrying me."

Ragnar lifted his head and looked directly at Tova, prepared to tell her about his plan.

______

The Franks ended up returning, wanting to know why they were still there. The Franks' commander, Count Odo had arrived and walked forward, straight toward where Tova stood upright alongside Bjorn.

"He wants to know why you're still here and not returned home," Sinric informed the group, translating what Count Odo had said, "They have honored their pledge, why are you not honoring yours?"

"Our king, my father, Ragnar Lothbrok, is too weak and ill to travel," He informed him, gesturing his hand in the direction of Ragnar's tent.

"He wants to see," Sinric replied and Tova smiled slightly, immediately wasted no time walking toward Ragnar's tent. She turned slightly, gesturing for Count Odo to follow them.

She limped as she walked toward Ragnar's tent, but she didn't care. She was just thankful to be walking again after crawling around for three days.

The moment they entered Ragnar's tent, Tova stood near her father, who laid on the bed. His eyes were closed and his face was pale as his whole body shook.

"If he dies, he has only asked one thing. That he receive a proper Christian burial," Tova spoke up and as he heard her words, Bjorn turned to her with wide eyes, "If you do agree to this, then we will not leave."

Odo stared down at Ragnar's body for a moment, sighing before he began to speak to Sinric to translate.

"He says you may bring his body to the cathedral carried by unarmed men. They will say a Christian mass for his soul," He explained and Tova nodded in agreement.

Ragnar weakly opened his eyes and shivered. It wasn't long before Odo left the tent with Sinric following soon after.

Tova was about to walk away as well, tears in her eyes. However, before she could do so, Ragnar weakly reached his hand out and grabbed her hand. She turned to him, a surprised look on her face.

She looked back at Bjorn and sighed, watching him scoff and leave the tent. She shook her head slightly and moved closer to Ragnar. She bent down, leaning closer to him. "You must stay strong. Please stay strong," She pleaded in a whisper, "You must know, though, I am going to tell Bjorn of our plan. I can't stand lying to him anymore. If I lie to him again, I will lose him forever and I do not want that."

Tova pulled away and sighed, taking one last look at Ragnar before she left.

____

It was nighttime and Bjorn was standing outside his father's tent. He was sitting on the ground, a saddened look on his face. He turned when Tova walked out of the tent. He expected her to walk away without even bothering to look in his direction but instead, she moved closer to him. "What do you want?" He asked her in an aggravated tone.

"You say I have been lying to you and I have. A lot," She informed him and Bjorn frowned up at her, "Which is why I've decided to tell you of the plan Ragnar and I have. I believe you deserve to know. But you must promise to keep it a secret."

Bjorn's eyes widened in surprise at Tova's words. He stared up at her and nodded. He watched as she sat beside her, wincing as she did so. She grabbed his hand and held it, leaning closer to him as she began to whisper the plan into his ear.

___

The following day, it was official. She and Bjorn had told everyone the news of Ragnar's supposed 'death'. Floki had made a casket in the shape of a boat, which Bjorn and Tova placed Ragnar into. They both exchanged a look with each other before looking down at the covered casket.

Bjorn bent down and sighed, briefly placing his hand on the wood before leaving.

Once he was gone, Tova sighed and stepped forward. "And so it begins," She admitted in a whisper before leaning downwards, "Mark my words, you better not actually die or I swear to you, I will become a Christian, just so I can go and meet you in heaven. And when I do, I will find a way to drag your ass down to hell, even if it means I will be tormented there as well alongside you," She explained, only to have her face fall. She sighed and placed a hand on the coffin, trying to contain her sadness, "In any case, just know that I love you and it has been an honor to call you father, Ragnar Lothbrok. I have learned so much from you and it will break my heart to be without you."

Tova turned and went to walk away, only to suddenly stopped. She took a deep breath and walked over to him once more. "If you get in there successful, don't go for the emperor. Go for the Princess. She is loved and she means more to the people than the emperor," She told him in a low tone, "He is weak and spineless. The Princess is the true power in Paris. She is beloved, and the men loyal to the Emperor would die for her. She is our ticket to riches and infamy. I promise you that. Good luck."

Tova inhaled sharply and with that, she walked outside to see all eyes on her. She began to tear up, but was quick to wipe them before walking away. She left Bjorn to tell them the news.

____

The army had walked all the way to gates of Paris as Ragnar's coffin was carried inside by several men. While those men were able to go inside, Tova stood in front of the remainder of the army that could not.

It felt like hours before the doors to the tunnel opened. She looked ahead and smiled, laughing happily at the sight of Ragnar standing there with his knife placed against Princess Gisela's throat.

He gestured for her to go inside and once she ran back over to her people, Tova smiled and raised her arms. She watched as men charged past her and into Paris.

She laughed happily and turned, exchanging a smile with Bjorn. She sighed in relief at the sight of Ragnar, watching as he made his way over to her.

"Our plan worked, my daughter," He spoke up as he stopped in front of her, looking weak.

"It was your plan, not mine," She pointed out, smiling slightly.