DRAMATIS PERSONAE

The First Ecgberht, King of Northumbria (Randy's past life)

The Beautiful Bertha, Ecgberht's betrothed and one of his most attached compeers (Theresa's past life)

The Great Cnut, King of England and Norway, descended from Adam through his father and Choscisko through his mother (Howard's past life, our secondary villain ladies and gentlemen.)

The Earl Ulf, Cnut's second-in-command, descended from Adam through his father

The Dane Ogier, Prince of Denmark, descended from Adam through his father and Buri through his mother (Niall's past life)

The Invulnerable Harald, Man-at-Arms of the House of Denmark, descended from Njordr through his father (Ken's past life)

The Boneless Imar, King of Dublin and the Isles, descended from Adam through his father and Buri through his mother (Robert's past life, our primary villain ladies and gentlemen.)

The Wily Horik, King of Denmark, descended from Adam through his father (Cerdic's past life)

The Fay Modron, a Celtic villager, descended from Gorlois through her father (Carissa Graven's past life)

Bamburgh. The coast.

Upon a longship, four people stood while many others rowed. The thoughts of avenging King Horik of Denmark whom King Cnut had thrown to wolves flowed through their heads. None sought more to avenge Horik than his second born son Ogier, whom had cut Horik's bonds and given him a sword… And then Horik did something unexpected… He had yelled the name of the greatest of Norse gods: Odin… then he jumped into the wolf pit killing seven of the fifteen wolves in it before finally dying and going forth to Valhalla. Cnut rewarded Ogier by cutting off his left hand.

There in Cnut's fort was where Horik had died… It was also were Modron, a woman that Cnut had arranged to make his queen, was imprisoned. Ogier and Modron loved each other while there was one other, who like Cnut had a foul lust for her.

He was Imar, firstborn son of Horik, first King of Dublin, then the Isles and now Denmark. His face horribly disfigured and his left eye blind due to a falcon being sent at his face by his younger brother in self-defense, Imar was as much crippled as his Ogier but neither were in anyways unable to fight.

"Ecgberht…" Imar turned to look at Ecgberht, the King of Northumbria who had fled England to liberate it from his one-time friend. "What do you think? Three ships enough?"

Ecgberht shook his head. "No, Fort Bamburgh is not heavily guarded enough… We should be able to get avenge Horik and free both Modron and Bertha before the day is done!"

"Alright… You and me will save the fair maidens, Ogier you kill Cnut… Ulf too if necessary…"

"What will Harald be doing?" asked Ogier.

"Whatever he wishes, he can focus on killing any Saxon or Viking allied to Cnut if he wants."

Fort Bamburgh

The battle was long but at the end of it both Cnut and Ulf were dead. Ulf fell by Ogier's sword and Cnut was pushed into his own wolf pit while Imar rescued Modron. Ecgberht and Bertha were reunited, Ogier and Modron were reunited and most of all Horik was avenged. The celebrations would have continued uninterrupted had Imar not decided to challenge his younger brother to their long awaited duel to the death!

"Ogier, for too long I have had to share my glories with you but no longer! I am King of Denmark, Dublin and the Isles, Engalnd, Norway, all! The history books shall tell of how Imar the Boneless slew Cnut and Ulf and rescued his queen Modron all by himself for there shall be no record of wily Horik ever having a second son!" And with that Imar charged with his axe leaving Ogier to draw his sword.

The two clashed, Harald and Ecgberht tried to separate the two from each other only for both to slip out of their grips! The duel continued a long while until Ogier's sword was broken by Imar's axe! It all seemed like Ogier was doomed. Modron averted her eyes, Harald tensed up for the strike that would end Ogier's life while Ecgberht and Bertha tried to talk Imar out of killing his brother. Yet with his broken sword, Ogier stabbed Imar in the stomach. Dropping his axe, Imar fell to the ground and stared up at his younger brother.

"It never should have come down to this, Imar." Ogier picked up Imar's axe and handed it to him. "Our father died with a sword in his hands, you should not enter Valhalla unarmed."

Imar smiled and took the axe. "So speaks the King of Denmark, Dublin and the Isles, England, Norway all! May Odin smile upon you for all your days, my brother!" And with that, the short reign of Imar the Boneless ended and the long reign of Ogier the Dane began.

THE END