It was the next day, and it was sad to me as it was the day after Easter Sunday. But then when I found out one who sold us out to the Vikings, it was even more disgusting, especially since many of his religion had been killed because they were so loathed by my people and Viking alike. It was the Jewish trader, Johann himself.

"It seems as though you gentiles finally learned your lesson," Johann mocked. "It was I who told Emperor Charles to spread his forces on both sides of the river and now I shall share in part of the spoils of Paris."

"How could you?!" I shouted. "Do you even realize that with the hundreds they've killed in Paris, many of them were your own fellow Jews?!"

"A necessary evil for my people so they can see how worthless you gentiles really are," Johann replied. "And when the time is right, I will destroy these accursed Vikings as well, especially Stoick."

Just then a new vision came to me in a brief moment where Johann nearly launched a spear and was then frozen in a block of ice.

"Mark my words, God's judgment is coming upon you and your attempt to betray those who have helped you and the suffering of your own kin will have you frozen in a block of ice," I declared.

Johann just laughed as he left. I wondered if he was really so selfish as to allow the suffering of his own people or if he was bitter. It was people like him that caused many innocent Jewish people to turn to evil acts which caused innocents of my people to hurt innocent Jews. I knew that this never ending cycle resembled the Frankish struggle with the Bretons and the Latins of Aquitaine. It is because we were all corrupt at heart due to our sin nature.

It wasn't long after that soon everyone who had laid siege to Paris had fallen ill. Part of me felt vengeful and hoped that each one of the heathens would die from this plague. Another part of me felt pity for them because just like my people, the Romans, the Saxons, and the Allemani long ago, we were lost in idolatry just like them. Plus I noticed the actions of Stoick were to allow some of the women and young girls to die without having to experience the horror of rape.

"Odin, hear our plea," Stoick prayed. "We suffer under this horrible illness. Don't abandon us in our hour of need!"

"I've already prayed several times for the same said relief," that shield maiden whom I had dueled replied. "Apparently, he wants us to find the cure on our own. The gods will not do for us what we must do for ourselves!"

"But why not ask for help from the God who truly cares for anyone?" I questioned.

"After we desecrated His temple?" the shield maiden asked. "I doubt He would help us. You were right; He did send his punishment upon us after all. You warned my brother but he's known as fearless Finn Hofferson for a reason. Why would your God want to have mercy on a people like us?"

"Because He died for all of you and for us to," I replied. "All of our bad and evil deeds separate us from His holiness but He died and rose again so that we might be redeemed. Plus His word says that all have sinned and fallen short of His glory and also that if we've broken one law, we've broken them all. It is so that we would have a relationship with Him as the one and only God."

"But how could He be the only god when there are many others out there?" Stoick questioned.

"Because He's the creator of the universe itself," I replied. "Plus His love and power have been the only means of how a nation can truly thrive. All others are either humans worshiped as deities, idols of wood and stone, or demons."

I didn't yet know how to answer them but I felt in time, I would find a way to bring at least one of these heathens to the Gospel. The church friar, the priests, and I all called for a meeting. Many of those who weren't even Franks including the Celts and ironically a few of the Jews themselves came into the church. I called for a prayer to Christ Himself and all joined in. Ironically, father Armonde asked me to lead the prayer.

"You will lead the call for prayer Louis," father Armonde told me.

"But aren't you the head priest?" I questioned. "I'm not even an ordained priest yet. I have yet to take my vows."

"But Christ's command was for all of us to preach the Gospel to every nation tribe and tongue," father Armonde replied.

I knew I couldn't forbid him. Father Armonde was my mentor and my path to God. It was his wisdom that guided me to strengthen my relationship with God in the first place. What I said, I said first in Latin and then in French for I figured that if people could hear the similarities of French and the Bible, then perhaps they could become better educated on how similar our tongue was to Latin.

"My brothers, we must all pray for each other and yes, we must encourage the Vikings themselves to pray and fast to the Lord so that they may see the Light of Christ," I told them. "For Christ Himself when He was being crucified prayed, 'Father forgive them, they know not what they do.' Father, we come before you in hope that You will help us recover from this disaster that has beset our homes and pray that the heathens who occupy our city may see Your holy light that they may come to know You."

"Lord, hear our prayer," the crowd followed.

"We ask of you Mary, mother of God, to pray for the invaders that they may see the light of your Son and may turn to him and that your prayers will be upon us that we may recover from this," I prayed.

"Hail Mary full of grace, blessed art thou among women and blesses is the fruit of thy womb Jesus Christ," the crowd followed. "Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death Amen!"

Ironically, the Franks said the rosary first in their tongue but the Jews among us followed in Hebrew. The Jews added a few words to the rosary.

"Holy Mary, kin of our people, pray for us who have forsaken your Son the God of Israel that we may know Him," the Jews among us prayed.

It did my heart good as I saw many of the Jews come to know Christ. It is the will of God that all be reached for the Gospel. I then continued with a prayer request to my patron saint.

"Saint Patrick, pray for us as we witness to these heathens," I prayed.

So many others all went out from the church to convince the Vikings to pray to Jesus Christ. It was a time unlike any of us had expected because the next day the unexpected happened. I saw a sight to behold many of the Vikings were praying for forgiveness and for restoration from this plague. It was a sight to behold as even some of the most notorious of the Vikings were praying to Christ, including Oswald the antagonistic. Though I was afraid that many would fall back into idolatry as sin nature was so enticing and I myself was worried and wondered if this love and compassion I felt would fade and then I end up falling into hatred.

Meanwhile at Rheims, Charles had gotten word of the defeat and the sack of Paris.

"This is a disaster your majesty!" one of the advisors shouted. "We must act now! We must send a relief force and retake Paris immediately!"

"I have ignored my people for too long and trusted more so in the wealth and power of the material and that is what cost us such a defeat," Charles replied. "We cannot continue to risk lives while our people suffer under this heathen occupation! I will ransom my people in Paris and we must pay from the royal treasury and perhaps this will buy us some time as to prepare for the conflicts in the future."

"But you will be seen as weak by responding to such barbarism of murder, pillage, and rape among our people!" another advisor exclaimed.

"And if I don't act now, more will come to be murdered and raped," said Charles.

"The others may lose confidence in you and you will lose your realm!" a third advisor exclaimed.

"Then I will have finally paid for my mistake," Charles replied. "I should have listened to the men of God. It was the same ignorance and neglect of the prophets of God that cost the kings of Judah their throne and I cannot sit here while more innocents are suffering. Plus I should not have violated my trust with Ragnar. With seven thousand livres of gold and silver, we will be able to reclaim Paris."