25 The broadest of wedges
Slowly Kattegat and the surrounding areas recovered from the bloody civil war that had raged over the countryside. All over the hills, there were still farms and villages of which nothing more than a couple of burned timbers were left, bearing witness to the actions of the Ironborn and Erlendur's warriors.
Many of the families had lost some of their relatives, more often than not the ones to be considered safe at home, women and children. And as in every campaign, a number of warriors had perished and joined the feast in Valhalla. The mourning families were looking for blood, and a grim fate awaited the captured Ironborn.
In the meantime, King Ragnar had begun to reestablish his rule over the lands. Small groups of warriors were out in the woods, hunting down the fleeing remainder of the Ironborn, while he himself sought to compensate the families who had lost someone to the his abilities.
It was one evening, when he was approached by Lagertha at the table.
"Don't you think it's time we returned to Westeros?" the shieldaiden wanted to know.
"Maybe", Ragnar shrugged, while still munching on an apple.
"Our son is a hostage", Lagertha pinted out, "Our daughter in law and your brother are still trapped there as well. We cannot leave them there…"
"Very well", Ragnar replied, "Let me think about it."
On the tournament grounds in the Red Keep, everything was ready for the great tournament. Noble Ladies and Lords were sitting on their seats, eagerly waiting for the participants of the melee to assemble.
Joffrey was sitting lazily on his chair, Rollo and Cersei at his side. The young was sipping on a small cup of wine, but it was obvious that he was bored badly.
"What are they waiting for?" he finally asked around, "Can't they just start fighting?"
The knight overseeing the participant's preparation looked up before he answered.
"Not all participants have arrived yet, your Grace", the knight explained, "In particular we are missing the prince of the Northmen."
"How dare he insult me like this? Being late for my nameday tournament!" Joffrey raged, "Send someone to fetch him at once!"
The knight barked an order at one of the nearby guards, and the redcloak ran off towards the tent in which Bjorn was preparing himself. The redcloak entered the tent, careful not to disturb the esteemed hostage.
"Northman, they are waiting for you", he announced, "King Joffrey is angry with you."
Bjorn was sitting cross-legged on the floor, carefully whetting his dagger with a flat stone.
"Let him wait", the Viking replied, "Tell me, what is your name?"
The redcloak was slightly taken aback by the unexpected question. Finally, he answered, "B…Brennard, mylord."
"Well, Brennard, I feel like I should say I'm sorry for what is going to happen today", Bjorn sighed, as he slowly stood up. While the redcloak was still trying to make sense of Bjorn's words, the Viking warrior drove his dagger into Brennard's throat. Blood spurted out of the wound, before the body went limp and slid to the floor.
Outside, King Joffrey was getting more and more impatient as the time passed. It was hot, and the sun was burning down from the sky.
"What is taking him so long?" the king muttered. Next to him, his uncle sighed.
"Uncle, go and tell him that he is to come out of his tent immediately", Joffrey ordered Tyrion. Before the Imp could stand up, Sansa had risen and was volunteering to go on his behalf.
"Just go, the two of you", Joffrey finally sighed, "Get him here – now!"
Tyrion and Sansa quickly hurried over to the tents, and opened the flap on Bjorn's tent. Sansa went in first, but as soon as she had entered, she found herself with a blade at her throat. Bjorn guided her forward, the bloody dagger threating her throat.
"Bjorn, what is the meaning of this?" Tyrion asked in shock as the northman and his hostage left the tent.
"I'm leaving", Bjorn simply explained, "And since I wouldn't be allowed to leave on my own, I snatched myself a travelling companion… If anyone tries to follow, she's dead."
"No one is going to follow you", Tyrion tried to negotiate, "Please release her."
"You know exactly that I can't do that", Bjorn shrugged. He began dragging Sansa away, while the rest of the nobles were beginning to notice that there was something wrong here. One after the other came towards the row of tents, some unarmed, while others were carrying their swords.
"What is going on here?" Rollo roared as he reached them, "Bjorn, don't be foolish!"
"It's not like I could trust you right now, uncle", Bjorn retorted, "I have to fulfill my own fate."
The nobles watched as Bjorn slowly moved away, his dagger still pressing against Sansa's throat.
"No one shall stop them", Tyrion ordered, "It would be a disaster if Sansa Stark gets killed…"
Slowly, Bjorn and Sansa moved through the castle, Tyrion, Rollo and the other nobles hot on their heels. Finally, they reached the big gate. At a signal from Tyrion, the guards lowered the drawbridge and raised the portcullis. Bjorn quickly checked that there was no trap set for them, then he quickly moved out of the castle, still dragging Sansa with him.
Finally, the two came close to what remained of the Viking camp. A few dozen warriors had stayed behind, originally tasked with guarding Dany. As they sat eyes on the tents, Bjorn laughed out.
"Well, we made it", he grinned, "I told you this would work."
Sansa nodded and rubbed her tender throat, as Bjorn released her and sheathed his weapon. Together they walked up to the makeshift palisade that surrounded the camp. The warrior on watch there had noticed them before, but only now seemed to recognize his king's son.
"Bjorn Ironside", he greeted him, "We never thought we would see you again after all this time. Go on to the command tent, your wife will be relieved to see you alive."
Bjorn and Sansa made their way through the camp towards the command tent. As they entered, they found Dany brooding over a map. She looked up as they entered, and after a few seconds her face lit up.
"Bjorn!" she cheered, "I feared I would never see you again. Especially how Rollo betrayed me..."
She stood up from the table and melted into Bjorn's arms. For a while they were just holding each other. Finally, they pulled apart slightly and for the first time, Dany seemed to notice Sansa's presence.
"This is my friend Sansa, of House Stark", Bjorn introduced her, "She was the one who helped me escape."
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A/N: I am incredibly sorry for how much longer than usual it took me to update. Real life has been very busy, and I've actually hit a spot where I was not liking the way I was going forward with this story. And finally, with the incredible weather I've had in my hometown the last two weeks, I'Ve been a bit lazy concerning my writing. Again, I'm sorry.
Nevertheless, I hope you liked the update... Finally Bjorn is free again, so how is the war going to proceed?
Don't forget to review!