"Where is Athelstan?" Lagertha asks, as she joins Ragnar in the living room. He has sent the boys away, so they won't interrupt while he and Lagertha are discussing their relationship, and their future together. He has been dreading this conversation for a long time, but he knows that they can't go on like this, so it's best to get it over with. But now that the moment is actually here, his heart feels like it is about to beat out of his chest.

"He's upstairs. Do I need to tell him to leave? I can…"

"He should be here."

"Really?"

"He is a part of this, and you know it," Lagertha says, and her words make Ragnar feel like he is to blame for all of this. Like he has messed it all up again. Just like he had done, all those years ago, when he had cheated on Lagertha with Aslaug. And although he knows that this is different, the guilt is still there, and he can't even face his partner right now.

He gets up, and he runs up the stairs, where he finds Athelstan making the bed, a nervous look on his face.

"Is everything okay?"

"She's leaving me," Ragnar whispers, and Athelstan drops everything, to wrap his arms around him.

"What did she say?"

"Nothing yet, but…"

"I'm sure it will be fine. Just go downstairs, and listen to what she has to say. She…"

"She thinks you should be there," Ragnar says, and the younger man lets go of him.

"Do you think she wants me to move out?"

"Athelstan, she…"

"I will go. It's better for you, and your…"

"I don't want you to move out," Lagertha interrupts, as she comes up the stairs. "It's me who is moving out."

"But…"

"Where will you go?"

"I'm moving in with Astrid. For now."

"What about us?" Ragnar asks, and his partner flashes a small, sad smile. "Please don't say it, Lagertha. I can…"

"You have done nothing wrong, Ragnar. I promise you, you have been…" She takes a deep breath, as she places her hands on his chest. "You gave me so much, but… this isn't working anymore. It's not how it should be."

"I will go. Please, I…," Athelstan tries, but when Lagertha turns to face him, he stops.

"What can I do to make you stay?" Ragnar asks.

"Nothing. I need to leave, for all of our sakes."

"I am so sorry," Athelstan says. "I never meant for any of this to happen. I thought…"

"Stop it. I am glad you have come into our lives. That Ragnar has..," Lagertha begins, but then she looks down at her feet, smiling to herself.

"You know, don't you?"

"I have known for months, Ragnar. I know you better than you know yourself."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I wasn't sure if you had realized you had fallen in love with Athelstan yourself. Not until I heard you tell him… And perhaps I wasn't ready to move on just yet," Lagertha admits, before looking up, a sad look on her face.

"I am so sorry," Ragnar tries to say, but his voice breaks, and as he wraps his arms around his partner, he can feel the tears falling from his eyes. "I love you so much, Lagertha, I…"

"I know."

"Are you in love with Astrid?" Ragnar asks, as he watches his ex-partner pack another bag to take with her. He still feels emotionally drained, and today feels like one big blur. He knows that tomorrow reality will hit him, and last time he had lost Lagertha, he had numbed the pain with drugs, but this time there is no running away from it. He is terrified, but he is trying to hide it, because he knows that this is all his own fault. If it hadn't been for him, Lagertha wouldn't feel like she had to leave.

"I'm not," Lagertha admits. "But I like her. A lot."

"Does she know?"

"She does. We're not… it is only for now."

"What will you do when the two of you…?"

"I'm not sure." Lagertha shrugs, as she turns to face him. "Maybe I will go and travel the world. Bjorn doesn't need me here, the boys don't need me…"

"They will always need you. You're family."

"I am not though, am I?"

"You are," Ragnar says, a serious look on his face. "You will always be their family, Lagertha. We need you."

"I need to do this, Ragnar. I need to figure out who I am, without…"

"The Lothbroks?"

"Yes." Lagertha flashes a small smile, as Ragnar wraps his arms around her, holding her tight.

"You will come back, won't you?"

"You know I will."


"You've been quiet all day long."

"Sorry," Athelstan mumbles, before getting into bed. He closes his eyes, but when Ragnar places a hand on the side of his neck, he knows he can't avoid it any longer. So he opens his eyes, only to see a worried look on the other man's face.

"What is it?"

"I'm just a little nervous about tomorrow."

"The party?"

"Yes."

"Because of Floki?"

"He tried to kill me, Ragnar!"

"I know." Ragnar sighs, and he rests his forehead against Athelstan's. "Floki, he…"

"What if he tries to hurt me again?"

"He won't."

"I'm scared," Athelstan admits. "What if he…"

"I won't let him hurt you, Athelstan. I promise I will keep you safe."

"I know."

"But if you want to go to the police, tell them what he did, make sure he gets locked up… I will go with you."

"But you said…"

"I took care of it, yes. But if it makes you feel safer, knowing he is locked away, then I will support you," Ragnar says. Athelstan stares at him for a moment, trying to see if he means it, or if this is a test. But before he can figure it out, Ragnar continues. "Floki, he ehm… he hasn't always been like this."

"No?"

"He used to be married, and he and Helga had a little girl. He was happy… normal… well, less crazy than he is now," he adds, and Athelstan can't help but smile. "But the three of them got into a car accident, and Floki, he was the only one who survived. He was stuck in a car with their bodies for hours. He lost his mind that day, and he…"

"I had no idea," Athelstan says, a horrified look on his face.

"He hasn't been the same since. I know that what he did was horrible, but he tried to protect me. In his own, sick and twisted way, he thought he was doing a good thing."

"I know, but…"

"But he can't be trusted," Ragnar sighs, and the younger man nods. "I know. That is why I will go to the police with you if that makes you feel safer. But I promise you, I will not let him hurt you."

"What was his daughter's name?"

"Angrboda."

Athelstan takes hold of the cross hanging from the chain on his neck, and he closes his eyes for a moment, to say a silent prayer. Ragnar watches him, and he can't help but smile to himself.

"What are you doing?"

"I will talk to Floki at the party tomorrow."

"And tell him what?"

"That I am forgiving him."


It's the last day of the year, and to celebrate it, the Lothbroks are hosting a party. They had invited the whole family, and all of their friends, even Aslaug, but not everyone had shown up. Aslaug had politely declined the invitation, so had Lagertha and Astrid, and Rollo and Gisla had cancelled at the last minute.

But all the boys and their partners are here, even Hvitserk and Margrethe, who have been avoiding Ragnar all night. And Floki has only just shown up, but he hadn't even said hello, he had simply grabbed himself a drink, before crashing down on the couch.

"Do you have a minute?" Athelstan asks, and the man looks up, raising an eyebrow.

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"No."

"Floki, please."

"No," Floki repeats, and he is about to close his eyes again. But when he sees Ragnar glaring at him from across the room, he rolls his eyes, and he gets up. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you," Athelstan says. "In the kitchen."

Floki is about to open his mouth to object, but Ragnar is still keeping an eye on him, so he simply follows Athelstan.

"What do you want?" he spits out, as soon as Ragnar can't see them, a dirty look on his face.

"You burned down my home."

Floki shrugs, but Athelstan won't let him get to him. Not anymore.

"I know you were only trying to look out for Ragnar. But what you did was wrong, Floki. You tried to kill me."

"If I had wanted to kill you, you'd be dead now. Athelstan."

"I am not scared of you," Athelstan says, before flashing a small smile. "I know why you did what you did. And I forgive you."

"I do not need your forgiveness," Floki spits out. He seems insulted, but it only makes the smile on Athelstan's face grow bigger. "You mean nothing to me."

"I know."

"I hate you."

"I know that. But we are going to be civil to one another from now on, for Ragnar's sake."

"You…"

"So are we done?" Athelstan asks, and for a moment, Floki simply stares at him. But then he shrugs.

"I still hate you."

"I know," Athelstan smiles. "That's okay."


"Are you okay?" Bjorn asks, as he hands his father a drink. "Mum told me."

"I asked her to stay, Bjorn. I…"

"I know," Bjorn quickly says. "No one is blaming you."

"If I had known this was going to happen…"

"What?" the young man laughs. "You couldn't have changed her mind. You know what she's like."

"I wouldn't have started this thing with Athelstan," Ragnar says, keeping his voice down. But his son raises an eyebrow, an unconvinced look on his face.

"Yeah, you would have. You and Athelstan… that is like…"

"What? Like you and Halfdan?" Ragnar laughs, nudging his son in the ribs. "Huh?"

"Shut up. What is going on with you and Athelstan now anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

"He used to be your 'friend' on the side, but now that you and mum have ended things… are you two going to make things official, or…?"

"I don't know."

"You haven't discussed it?" Bjorn asks, but when he sees the shy look on his father's face, he can't help but smile. "You're scared."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yeah, you are," he laughs. "You're scared he isn't as serious about this as you are."

"Maybe."

"I've never seen you like this. You really like him, don't you?" Bjorn asks, but his father just gives a nervous nod. At the same time, Athelstan and Floki walk into the room, and as soon as Ragnar sees the man he loves, his face lights up.

"Dad?"

"Mhm?"

"Tell him."


"Isn't this weird for you?"

"My ex-girlfriend being here?" Ubbe asks, as he looks over to Hvitserk and Margrethe, who are making out at the other side of the room. "The one who accused dad of trying to get it on with her? The one who has been manipulating our brother for months?"

"Yeah…," Sigurd says, looking down at his hands, regretting he has brought it up.

"He'll have to find out what she's like sooner or later." Torvi shrugs. "Let him enjoy it while he can."

"He's an idiot. Who would fall for that?" Ivar asks, and they all look at him. "That little act of hers isn't even convincing."

"You were the one who told him to go back to her," Ubbe says, and his brother shrugs, a bored look on his face. "You got into his head again."

"Like I said, he's an idiot."

"You get off on this, don't you?"

"I get bored," Ivar admits. "I find ways to amuse myself."

"You are messing with his life!" Ubbe spits out. "You messed with Sigurd's life!"

"We're good now, aren't we?"

"I guess," Sigurd mumbles, looking down at the floor.

"We should have each other's backs, Ivar. This is not… Hvitserk is going to get hurt, because you told him to…"

"Whoa!" Ivar cuts him off. "He chose to go back to that… her. I didn't force him to do anything."

"You didn't force him. But you know you messed with him. It's what you do," Torvi says. "Why don't you get a hobby? Put your energy to good use, huh?"

"Nah, I am good."