"Is this yours?" Margrethe asks, as she hands Athelstan his phone, before sitting down at the kitchen table. Athelstan hadn't even noticed he hadn't had his phone, but when he checks, he realises it is indeed his. "I'm sorry, it's the same as mine, so I must have accidentally grabbed it last night."

"That's fine," Athelstan says, before checking it for new messages. He expects to find a text or two, but there are dozens of missed calls, most from his neighbours, and volunteers at the community centre. And there are so many messages, that he doesn't even know where to begin.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure."

Athelstan opens the first messages, worried that someone might have gotten hurt, or worse, that someone has passed away. But he finds messages about a fire at the community centre, and everyone around the table notices the colour draining from his face.

"What is it?" Ragnar asks, a worried look on his face.

"There was a fire last night. I think…"

"At the centre?" Lagertha asks, but Athelstan can't get himself to answer. So Ragnar grabs his phone out of his hands, and reads the messages. He then jumps up, and drags Athelstan out of his chair.

"Come on, we're going."

"I'm coming too," Ubbe says, and before they know it, they're all on their way to the centre.


They find a crowd gathered there, most people huddled together, most likely gossiping about what has happened. But when they notice the Lothbrok family and Athelstan coming up to them, they keep quiet, and they quickly move away, to make room for them to enter the centre.

"It looks fine," Ivar says, as they go into the building. They had expected to find it burned down to the ground, but although there is a faint burnt smell in the air, they don't find any of the rooms burned.

"Athelstan? Thank God you're here!" a woman says, as she storms up to them. "I've been trying to call you all night! Where were you?"

"I was… what happened?"

"I'll show you," the woman says, and she leads them out into the garden, where the smell becomes worse, almost sickening. Ragnar already knows what's coming, so he puts his arm around Athelstan's shoulder, trying to show him some kind of support. But when they find the shed, reduced to nothing but ashes, Athelstan starts shaking, and tears start falling from his eyes.

"Come here," Ragnar says, and he wraps his arms around him. He turns him away from the shed, so he won't have to see it anymore, but there is no avoiding it. The shed, his home, with everything he owns inside of it, is gone.

"What happened?" Lagertha asks.

"We came home from a birthday," the woman explains. "We live next door. And my son, he noticed the smell. I think it must have been going for a while by then, because the thing was almost burned down by then, and the fire was already dying down."

"Did you call the fire brigade?"

"We put it out ourselves," Athelstan's neighbour admits. "Perhaps we should have called them, but…"

"You did the right thing," Ivar says, flashing a big fake smile. "Thank you, miss."

"If there's anything we can do, give us a call, love," the woman says. "Anything."

She leaves the garden, fully aware of the fact that she isn't wanted here. And as soon as she has left, they all turn to face Ivar. Ragnar lets go of Athelstan, who is still shaking, but who is trying not to show how much this is affecting him.

"Someone started this fire," Ivar says, before picking up someone from the pile of rubble, and handing it over to his father. "You cannot tell me that Athelstan has the same one."

"What is it?" Lagertha asks, but Ragnar isn't sure if he should show her, or anyone else. Because if Ivar is right, it means that someone has burned down Athelstan's home on purpose, perhaps even tried to burn it down, hoping he was inside.

"I'm not sure."

"It's Floki's lighter," Ivar explains. "He's had that thing for as long as I can remember."

"Perhaps he left it here when he was working on the garden," Hvitserk suggests, but Ivar just raises an eyebrow.

"He has never been in there," Athelstan says. "But I don't want anyone being accused of starting a fire. It is probably just…"

"An accident?" Ubbe asks. "The guy hates you. And he's crazy enough to do something like this."

"Athelstan is right. We are not accusing anyone of anything, not until…," Ragnar begins, but when he looks down at the lighter in his hands, there is no doubt in his mind as to whose it is. He then looks up at Athelstan. "You are staying with us until I've built you a new place. Just like we had already planned," he continues, trying to hide his anger. His fear. Because if Floki is capable of this, then what else is he capable of? "And we are not telling anyone about this, okay?"

"Why don't we go to the police? Let them deal with it," Margrethe suggests.

"I will deal with Floki."


"What are you…?"

Ragnar slams Floki into the wall, blood already pouring from a large gash on the side of his face. And although Ragnar had promised himself he would only ask him what happened, the minute he had seen him, he had lost his temper.

He punches him again, and Floki tries to hit back. But he is no match for Ragnar, who grabs him by the shirt, and slams him down on the desk.

"I know what you did!"

"I didn't do anything."

"Don't lie to me!" Ragnar shouts, before picking up a hammer, out of his toolbox, and holding it over Floki's face. "I know you burned down his place."

"I…"

"You knew that's where he lived!"

"I…," Floki tries, but when Ragnar threatens to hit him with the hammer, he keeps quiet.

"Were you hoping he was there when you burned it down?" Ragnar asks. "Is that it? Were you hoping to get rid of him?"

"He wasn't home then?" Floki asks, before letting out a nervous giggle. Ragnar almost loses it, and it takes everything in him to not smash Floki's head in with the hammer right then and there.

"You could have killed him, Floki!"

"He's fine though, isn't he?"

"He…"

"He'll get his new shed, so what is…"

"That was his home!" Ragnar spits out, as he throws the hammer across the room. It lodges into the wall, and a long, tense silence follows.

"You tried to kill a man, Floki," Ragnar eventually says, and his former best friend sits up. "Why? Why do you hate him so much?"

"I don't trust him. He has put a spell on you, Ragnar."

"He hasn't. I promise you that he hasn't," Ragnar says, and he sighs. "He isn't using me, he isn't taking advantage of me, he isn't… he is a good man, Floki."

"I only ever wanted to protect you."

"I don't need your protection. I appreciate you looking out for me, but not if it means that you're going to kill the man I love."

"You love him?" Floki asks, and Ragnar can't help but laugh. "Do you?"

"Yes, Floki. So stop trying to kill him."

"Oh, whatever." Floki shrugs. "He's fine, isn't he?"

"Will you leave him alone from now on?"

"I still don't like him."

"You don't have to like him."

"Good, because I don't."


Athelstan has been living in the Lothbrok home for a few weeks now, and although Ragnar could have finished the shed weeks ago, he has kept putting it off, because he doesn't want Athelstan to move out. Athelstan is fully aware of it, but he isn't complaining. Not at all.

He has just done the dishes, when he notices Sigurd out in the garden, sitting on his own. So he goes over to him, to see if he's okay. The teenager has been quieter than usual over the last few days, and his father had brushed it off, saying it was probably a school-thing. But when Athelstan sits down with him, he can tell that Sigurd is upset.

"What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking."

"About?"

"It doesn't matter." Sigurd shrugs, as he looks up at the sky.

"Boys?"

"I guess."

"A certain boy?"

"No, definitely not."

"Tell me," Athelstan says.

"It doesn't matter," Sigurd repeats, but after a moment or two, he changes his mind. "I was just thinking, what if I never meet anyone? You know, everyone here has got someone, and I…"

"You will meet someone. I know you will."

"But what if I don't?"

"Give it time," Athelstan says. "It will happen."

"I just feel like…," Sigurd begins, but then his face gets flushed, and he stops.

"What?"

"I feel like people will think something is wrong with me if I don't find someone soon," the teenager admits. "Because everyone here is dating someone, or even more than one person."

"There is nothing wrong with you, Sigurd," Athelstan reassures him. "You will meet the right person when the time is right. Maybe it will be next week, maybe next year, maybe…"

"I don't want to wait that long."

"You can't force these things. Besides, one day you'll be looking back at these times, and you'll be wishing you were still single. You will be missing your freedom, your privacy, time for yourself…," Athelstan tries, but Sigurd cuts him off.

"Like you would know. You have my dad."

"I had been single for many years when I met your father," Athelstan admits. "Almost as long as you've been alive. So actually, I do know."

Sigurd has a confused look on his face, and Athelstan can't help but smile.

"If it's meant to happen, it will happen."

"Like you meeting my dad?"

"That's not…"

"You are in a relationship with him, right?" the teenager asks, but before Athelstan can answer, Ragnar joins them.

"Thank you, for…," Sigurd quickly says, before getting up and going into the house.

"I overheard the conversation," Ragnar admits. "Are you missing your freedom?"

"No! I was only trying to cheer him up. Besides, I still have my freedom, don't I?"

"Of course."

Ragnar notices a sadness in the younger man's eyes, and he has to look away to not feel so guilty.

"You ehm… you didn't get to answer his last question."

"Which was?"

"Are we in a relationship?" Ragnar asks.

"Of course not," Athelstan laughs. "This is just something on the side, right? You're with Lagertha."

"What if…"

"I have some work to do, so…." Athelstan gets up, and Ragnar wants to stop him, but he can't get himself to do it. Because he isn't even sure of what he had been about to say. He knows what he is feeling, what he has been trying to deny to himself for months. But he has no idea what it is that he truly wants. Or perhaps he is simply not ready to admit it to himself yet.