Vikings in Equestria

Ragnar and his friends were riding through the heavy Gotland rain. They finally arrived in the town were Jarl Borg was residing.

"That is not way to treat guests, whoever they are.'' Thornstein grumbled. They had been allowed to enter the great hall but Jarl Borg kept them right at the entrance. They were all wet and cold, yet they were kept away from the warning fire.

"If I stay this we, I will rust." Floki complained.

Finally Jarl Borg looked up from the discussion he was having with another man on his table. The Jarl Borg was a big man, with long blond hair hanging to his shoulders. His beard was thick with two braids hanging down the corners of his mouth.

He made a sign to the guards and they let the group forward, where they sat down, close to the fire.

"Are you the emissaries from King Horik?" He asked, earning a nod from Ragnar, "You are wasting your time. It is my land and I want it returned.''

"The king hopes we can achieve some kind of agreement." Ragnar explained, "He wants to make peace with you."

"I shall have peace with the King when he leaves my land." Borg rejected the idea.

"How can you have peace with the King, when you insist on humaliting him?" Ragnar wanted to know.

"If I invade and defeat him." Borg argued, "Would he not be more humalited?"

"Not if he fights well." Ragnar objected, "I any case. I believe he would relish a fight."

Jarl Borg seemed to think about this answer for a while, "What is your name?" He finally asked.

"Ragnar Lothbrok." Ragnar introduced himself.

Borg's eyes opened slightly. He had not excepted such famous guests.

"You areRagnar Lothbrok?" Borg asked for confirmation, "The one who sailed west?"

"I am suprised that you have heard of me." Ragnar replied modestly.

"Of course, The stories of your exploits are far spread." Borg explained, "Why haven't we offered our guests warm clothes and food?" He asked one of his servants, "Eat and drink. Get yourself dry and warm. Tommorow we will talk."

The next morning, they ate breakfast before Jarl Borg invited Ragnar and Rollo to his table to talk about the land. They had all eaten their meals, but still there was food on the table and Ale in their cups.

"I take it away from what I just said yesterday." Borg began, "King Horik is prepared to compromise and offer some deal, regarding those lands. Or mine, which he still occupies."

"He is prepared to pay you to renounce your illegal claims." Ragnar explained, "Of his lands."

"You disappoint me, Ragnar Lothbrok." Borg said, "I almost thought you came here with a serious proposition."

"If you would just name your price." Ragnar said before taking a sip of Ale.

"The land is priceless." Borg explained, "What King Horik knows very well. And which is why he wants to keep the land for himself."

"Every piece of land has it's price." Rollo said, "Just like every human.''

"You don't understand.'' Borg argued, "We're not talking about a price of turf where you grow onions. There are minerals in the earth, the land is worth a lot. Which is why I assert my claim."

"King Horik resists your claim." Ragnar smiled, "But still, in good faith, he is prepated to settle with you."

"If you name a reasonable price." Rollo added.

"At the moment.'' Borg said, "My price is King's Horik's head."

"It seems, I'm done here." Ragnar smiled, standing up from the table.

"Please, sit down." Borg offered, "Let's see if we can find another way.''

"What do you have in mind?" Ragnar asked.

"What if my claim was acknowledged, but I was willing to lease the land King Horik during his lifetime." He offered, "Or if we defeat judgement on the ownership but share minerals rights? Can we negotiate this?"

"Sure, why not?" Rollo replied.

"I have not been given the authority to negotiate this manner." Ragnar sighed.

"You mean King Horik send you here with nothing but a demand?" Borg asked furiously, "And yet he speaks of peace..."

"I don't know what is in his mind." Ragnar said.

"Well, maybe you should ask him?" Borg proposed, "Why don't you send one of your men back to King Horik and tell him of my proposal? In the meantime, you and your men can visit our famous ash tree. It is not only famous for it's size but it also never loses it's leaves. Some think it might even be Yggdrasil."

Ragnar nodded.

"I have only one small request." Borg said, "I would like one of your men to stay behind, as kind of security. You understand, I hope?"

The group left the great hall on their horses, with Rollo staying behind and Floki heading another way, as a messenger to King Horik.

Rollo was sitting in the hall with Jarl Borg.

"You seem to get on well with your brother." Borg began, "I once had a brother too."

"Really?" Rollo asked.

"We were as close as we could be. We fought together in the shield wall, we shared women." Borg told him, "Then our father died and there was fierce competition, who would never be his successor. Although I was the oldest. I was not sure that I would secceed. I was still elected at the Thing. And at the feast, my brother poisoned the drinks. I only survived, because my wife took the cup that I was about to drink from and drained it herself in celebration. My beautiful, young wife. We had just gotten married. Her screams haunt me for the rest of my life."

"Ragnar would never do such a thing." Rollo said, knowing that Jarl Borg tried to separate him from his brother.

"Of course not.'' Borg agreed, "Your brother is a great man, a great warrior."

"As am I.'' Rollo stated.

"I'm sure you are." Jarl Borg agreed, "But before you came here, I had never heard of you.''

The group was riding through the Gotland countryside. When they reached a river, Ragnar let them halt and set up a camp.

"Further down the river is a waterfall." Their guide told them, "There's some excellent fishing."

"I'll go." Arne declared.

"And I will go, too." Thornstein added,

"That makes us three.'' Vigi added, "For everyone knows. Five eyes are better than three."

They walked along the river until they could see the waterfall in front of them. They walked closer and suddenly ducked. They saw a beautiful naked woman which was standing in the pool, bathing. They stared at her in awe for a few moments before someone interrupted them.

"Keep your eyes away from them." A voice behind them said. The three warriors whirled around and saw four shieldmaidens stand behind them, their weapons directed at the three.

"I can't see. I'm blind." Arne joked, holding a hand before his good eye.

One of the women lashed out with her axe and slashed Thornstein's cheek.

"What? Are you going to kill us for protecting the reputation of our mistress.'' Another one asked as Vigi's hand moved to his axe's.

"We came on your mistress by chance." Vigi tried to explain, "We meant no harm. We're strangers here, guests of Jarl Borg."

"Jarl Borg? Why did you not say so at once?" She replied. Arne, Thornstein and Vigi were about to go away, when the woman who had bathed came closer to the group.

"You spied on me." She accused them.

"They say they're guests of Jarl Borg." One of the women told her.

"Are you here alone?'' The mysterious woman wanted to know.

"No. We're traveling with Earl Ragnar Lothbrok.'' Arne explained.

"Then I think, Earl Ragnar owes me an opology on your behalf." She smiled.

Back at the camp, the three men were sitting in front of Ragnar.

"I never knew that fresh fish was also covered in soap.'' Ragnar teased them, "Now you get your cheek slashed and I shall apologize for the three of you, staring at her?" He asked annoyed. Arne nodded.

"We went there to fish, we saw her bathing there. What were we supposed to do?" He asked.

"Fish?!'' Ragnar suggested.

"You did not see her." Arne objected.

"Who is she anyway to put such a high price on her nakedness?" Ragnar wanted to know. Arne merely shrugged.

"Well, tell her I invite her here. Neither dressed nor undressed, neither hungry nor full, neither in company nor alone." Ragnar told him, "Can you remember all that One Eye?"

Ragnar looked up from the campfire, as a young woman approached the camp. Ragnar stood up and met her halfway. He carefully mustered her and had to admit, she was pretty. She was clad in fishnet, which hid just enough to hint a very well shaped body. She was chewing on an apple and held a dog on a leash.

"So, Earl Ragnar. I come to you neither dressed nor undressed, neither hunry nor full, neither alone nor in company.'' She spoke, "Do I pass your test.''

"I owe you an apology.'' Ragnar replied, "Come and join us.''

He guided her back to the campfire and let her sit down on an dog log.

"May I ask you your name?'' Ragnar began.

"My name is Aslaug." She replied.

"We're on our way to see the great Ash tree.'' Ragnar explained, "Will you come along, Aslaug.''

"Of course I will.'' She smiled.

In the great hall in Kattegat, Siggy and Lagertha were weaving. Siggy began to cough and kept coughing for almost a minute.

"What is it?" Lagertha asked, concerned.

"I just visited my cousins a few days ago.'' Siggy explained, "She had just put her young son in the ground."

"How did he die?" Lagertha asked.

"One day he caught a fever that made him sweat and cry out in the night.'' Siggy told her, "And the next day, he was dead." Then Siggy collapsed before her eyes on the floor. In a moment Lagertha was knelling beside her, helping her to a bed.

The group was travelers was standing at the foot of a tree, staring in the sky in astonishment. It was at least three times as high as any of the surrounding trees. The uppermost branches were not even to be seen from the ground for they vanished between the clouds.

"If this is Yggdrasil, then it must be the same three that Odin hanged himself from." Bjorn said, looking to the crown in the clouds.

"Why not? All things are possible?" Aslaug replied.

"I hung from a windy tree. For nine longs nights, I hung there''Ragnar told them the story of Odin hanging himself, to find out how the death felt like.

Kattegat had been fully hit by the fever. Siggy had only been the first one to get sick, but within hours, there had been many more. Juta and Lagertha were taking care of mother and daughter. The great hall had been opened to everyone as quarter for the kick.

Myrus was taking care of the others as well. Wiping the coughed up spit and blood from the faces or placing wet towels on their brows had become a task for everyone.

In the camp, the mood was good. Night had begun and everyone was having a good time. All except Bjorn. He was staring angrily at his father, who laughing together with Aslaug.

"What's wrong, my friend?" Arne asked, sitting down next to Bjorn.

"My father is making a fool out of himself." Bjorn grumbled.

"He's enjoying in the comapany of a beautiful woman.'' Arne said, "What's foolish about that?''

"If Lagertha were here, she'd cut his balls off!" Bjorn replied in anger.

"Then it's a good thing she's not here." Arne laughed. Upon seeing the look on the boy's face he added, "Your father and mother are famous people. They love each other, everyone knows that. Don't begrudge your old man a little harmless fun."

In Jarl's Borg great hall, Rollo was eating dinner, watched by Jarl Borg.

''I trust that everything is to your satisfaction?" Borg asked.

"You treat me very well." Rollo replied.

"Well, we would like to keep you entertained, till your brother returns." Borg stated.

"You always talk about my brother.'' Rollo said.

"What choice do I have?" Borg asked, "He is your Earl." He indicated the two female servants, standing in the corner, "Which one would you like tonight?" he asked, "Why don't you take both?''

"I don't need to be bribed with women." Rollo refused.

"Then, what is it you really want?" Borg demanded to know.

Floki had reached the resistance of King Horik. Now he and the King were outside in the woods, talking about the gods. Floki told the story of how the gods caught the terrible wolf Fenrir in chains, forged by dwarves from the things, men could not see or hear.

"These things really interest me." Horik admitted, "Like the tricks of the god Loki. How he turned into a flea to steal the precious necklace from the godness Freya."

"He's only a very distant ancestor." Floki laughed, "I have come here to talk you about Jarl Borg."

The King looked at the boatbuilder, waiting for further details.

"He doesn't want to sell." Floki began, "But he is interested in a deal."

"But I am not interested in deals with Jarl Borg." Horik told him.

"That would make it very hard for Ragnar.'' Floki mentioned, "Are you not interested whether the negotations fail?''

In Kattegat, the fever spread further with every hour. Nearly every moment, another sick person walked into the great hall. By now, Myrus was sick, as was Gyda. Juta and Lagertha had been spared so far and were struggling to take care of the ill.

Lagertha knelt next to her child, holding a cup of water against her lips.

"Am I going to die?'' The girl asked.

"No. You are not going to die." Lagertha assured her.

Standing at the foot of the three, Aslaug spoke to Ragnar.

"I think I should tell you the truth about who I really am." She began, "I am princess Aslaug. My mother was the shieldmaiden Brynhilda."

"Everyone has heard of your mother." Ragnar told her.

"But I am not." Aslaud continued, "I am myself."

"Why did you come with us?'' Ragnar wanted to know.

"Because I had no choice." She told him.

Ragnar looked in her eyes for a moment, then kissed her gently.

"Why did you do that?" Aslaug wanted to know.

"Because I had no choice." He told her.

In the middle of the night Bjorn woke up. He was about to get back to sleep, when he heard panting and moaning from back of the tent. Carefully not to be noticed, he turned his head around. He could see Ragnar and Aslaug, together under he furs. He quickly turned away and tried to sleep.

The next morning he walked up to his father.

"I hate you.'' He said, "It's disgusting."

"I could not help myself." Ragnar admitted.

"Should I tell that to Lagerthayour wife?" Bjorn asked furiously, "You cannot love her that much after all, no matter what people say."

"If you want to." Ragnar offered, "But I do love your mother."

"Swear to that It won's happen again." Bjorn said.

"I swear to you, it will not happen again." Ragnar said, "I love you."

The fever was still holding Kattegat in it's claws. Only very few were not sick. The sick people could no longer find a place in the great hall, there were just too many. Most of them stayed where they collapsed. The dead accumulated in the alleys.

Siggy was healed. She had begun to take care of others again. Carefully, she pulled back the sheet over one of the dead and let out a scream in horror. In front of her lay the lifeless body of her daughter Thyri. Siggy kept crying for hours.

"How is Myrus?'' Gyda asked Juta as she brought her a cup of fresh water.

"He is now so weak, he cannot eat." Juta explained.

"Pray to the gods for him, please." Gyda urged her.

"I will." Juta promised

In the meantime, Lagertha and most of those, who were not sick were outside on the beach. There were lots of dead bodies and each of them needed a funeral.

Night had fallen upon the camp where Ragnar and his companions were. Everyone was asleep. Aslaug clad in her nightgown walked carefully among the men lying on the floor until she had reached Ragnar. She lifted her shirt and sat on his belly. She began to kiss him, hungrily.

"No.'' Ragnar said. Aslaug stopped for a second, then kissed him even more passionate. Ragnar waited till she had breathe, then said, "No." Aslaud still kept kissing him, until Ragnar held her head between his hands, "I said no.''

Aslaud did not bother to hide her dissappointment. She nevertheless obeyed and walked silently back to her own sleeping place.

Unknown to both Ragnar and Aslaug, a pair of eyes was watching them the whole time. As Aslaug let Ragnar go, Bjorn smiled to himself.

At sunrise, several inhabitants of Kattegat has assembled on the town's square. One of the farmers had brough a goat with him

"Lord of Lords.'' Lagertha began, ''We offer you this sacrifice, hoping you find it pleasing.''

She quickly cut the goat's throat and completed the rite by smearing some of the spilled blood on her face.

At noon, Myrus awoke and rolled over on his cot. He was healed, then he looked at the cot next to him.

"Gyda.'' He tried to call her.

When she didn't answer to him, he stood up and looked closer. Her brown eyes stared at him back, empty.

This evening, everyone was back Jarl's Borg great hall. Floki had also returned from his mission. They were sitting on the table, everyone eating and drinking.

"So, what does the king say?" Borg adressed Floki, "What compromises is he willing to make?"

"Can I not eat first?" Floki asked, munching on a chicken's leg. He ate for a couple of minutes, then sighed, "He will make no compromise." He told the Jarl, "No deals. He says you must name your price."

"Or?" Jarl Borg asked.

"He didn't say ''or'''' Floki clarified.

"Well, it seems your mission has been entirely wasted, Ragnar Lothbrok.'' Borg stated,"You and your men must leave in the morning. Unless you want to renounce your alliegiance with King Horik.''

"Great.'' Floki murmured, "War.''

While everyone else was asleep, Rollo was still in the company of Jarl Borg.

"So I have no choice.'' Borg began, "I have to attack and claim what is rightfully mine. Clearly your brother will not support me. But what about you Rollo? Will you fight beside me? Together we can carve out a new kingdom. Is that not what you want? The death of your brother and the start of your own fame?"

Rollo looked at his eyes for a moment and was quiet for a few minutes.

"Yes.'' He finally said, "I will fight with you against my brother.