Epilogue:
Ragnar sat on the dais in the great hall staring morosely into the fire. It had been almost a month since he had sent out messengers asking for allies to raid England, and not one favorable response had come in. Aslaug, sensing his mood, took the children outside to play, and he was grateful to be alone with his thoughts but the solitude only intensified his concern. If no earls chose to ally with him, there would be no raid this year. His men were already growing stale, restless and bored with nothing to do but drink and fish, and if there was nothing to look forward to, they would only grow more discontented and begin to quarrel with each other.
He looked up as the big doors opened a crack and Torstein stuck his head in. "Ragnar, there is an emissary who wishes to discuss his earl's desire to raid with us."
Ragnar sat up straight. "Ask him to come in."
Torstein pushed the doors wider. "You had better prepare yourself."
Bjorn strode past him into the hall, clapping him on the shoulder. "Thank you, Torstein. I should like some privacy." He closed the doors, shutting Torstein out, and went over to the fire to warm his hands.
Ragnar got up slowly and walked over to his son. "Bjorn? What are you doing here?"
"You heard Torstein. I am an emissary come to discuss a raid on England."
"You? In the service of another earl? What about your mother and Rollo?"
"Rollo is dead," said Bjorn flatly.
The room seemed to spin around and Ragnar groped for a chair and sat down heavily.
"My brother...how…"
"He died protecting my mother."
Ragnar looked up sharply. "Is Lagertha with you?"
"Earl Ingstad? No, she did not come."
"Earl Ingstad...wait, you mean your mother is the earl?"
Bjorn nodded. "She is. She wishes to ally with you in a raid on England. She offers four ships and over a hundred warriors."
Ragnar shook his head to clear it. "Why did she not come herself?"
Bjorn looked at his father with an odd expression. "My mother is not able to travel so soon after giving birth to her son."
A spasm of pain gripped Ragnar and he had to struggle to get the words out. "I thought your mother could not have any more children."
"Yes, I know," said Bjorn coldly. His voice softened at the look of anguish on Ragnar's face. "She says it all happened as it was fated to."
"Is she...is she…" Ragnar swallowed hard. "Happy?"
"As happy as she can be without Rollo. She looks to the future now, for both her sons. We should discuss the raid, father. She will want all the details."
"Yes, of course." Ragnar stood up, then sat down again. "May I ask what your mother named...her son?"
Bjorn smiled slightly. "She named him for his father, of course. My brother is called Rollo. And our seer said that one day he would be the father of kings."
The End
Rollo founded and ruled the Viking principality which became known as Normandy. His descendants were the dukes of Normandy and became the kings of England down to the current day. Every ruling monarch in Europe is descended from him.
