After dropping Ivar off at school, Ragnar went on to work. For the past couple of years, he'd been worried about his two youngest sons. Especially after realizing that Aslaug basically ignored all the older children in favor of giving Ivar all of her attention. He had to take some of the blame for that. Traveling from country to country as he had, he'd basically left his children alone in the hands of their mother. After a while, they had realized their marriage wasn't working out. They had divorced and Aslaug promptly blocked him from spending time with the kids. It was why it had taken him so long to realize the situation forming between Ivar and Sigurd.

He walked into the trailer parked on his construction site. In the distance, he could already see Bjorn, Ubbe and Hvitserk working. It had been a good idea, bringing his company back home. It had given him the perfect excuse for spending time with most of his boys. Now that Hvitserk had moved Ivar and Sigurd in with him, Ragnar hoped to be able to spend more time with the two of them. He dropped his jacket onto the coatrack inside his office door. His business manager was seated at his desk.

Lagertha Lothbrok looked up and her heart skipped a beat. Even though she and Ragnar had been divorced for years, she still loved him. Many times, he'd told her he still loved her, too. Their marriage had been a turbulent affair. They both admitted they'd cheated on the other. They left unspoken the fact that she'd been unable to have more children after Gyda and Bjorn. After he moved on to Aslaug, Lagertha watched as he had four more children. He'd also begun traveling more often. By the time Ivar was born, Ragnar was very rarely in the picture. She could see the only reason for their marriage was their children. But Ragnar was never as happy as he'd been with her. Lately, though, he'd been happier. He was finally getting more time with his younger children.

"Well, how are your boys doing today?" She asked him. It always surprised him when she asked about Aslaug's boys. Ragnar dropped into the seat beside her and laid his head back.

"As far as I could see, they're doing OK, for now. All I can say is they didn't fight this morning. Ivar is still getting used to being independent and Sigurd is still hostile about their mother. I just hope Hvitserk really knows what he's doing. He swears that all we need to do is keep them away from their mother and they'll start getting along better." Ragnar told her.

"It will probably take some time for Ivar to get used to his new independence. In the meantime, Sigurd can see his mother and hopefully they'll bond, right?" Lagertha leaned toward him.

"That's what we're looking for. Whether we'll get it remains to be seen." Ragnar answered. Lagertha smiled at him.

"Hmm. Then you should give his plan a chance. Maybe that really is all they need." Lagertha said. She reached over and swept his bangs away from his forehead, just as the outer door opened. Aslaug walked in and her eyes narrowed as she caught the small movement. Lagertha raised a brow at her. It wasn't her fault Aslaug had been unable to keep hold of him.

"Ragnar! How is my boy? Since I'm not allowed to go near him?" She asked demandingly. "Is he really doing all right? He is taking his medications, yes? Some of it has to be taken on a regular schedule, Hvitserk knows this, right?"

"Ivar is doing fine. He's taking his medication exactly when he's supposed to be taking it. He and Sigurd haven't fought once. Oh, since you're curious, Sigurd is also doing well." Ragnar frowned at her. It was hard for him to remember why he'd ever been so enthralled with this woman. Aslaug put her hands on her hips and glowered at him.

"Yes, yes, all right. I'm sorry I didn't also ask about Sigurd. But he's able to get around on his own. Ivar can't." She snapped. Ragnar rolled his eyes at her.

"You know, I'm starting to get a very clear picture of why Sigurd is so hostile towards Ivar. You surely don't think, 'just because he's able to get around on his own', that means Sigurd doesn't need you, too? He was still just a baby when we had Ivar! They're only a few months apart in age. He needed you every bit as much as Ivar did. Let me guess, since I was away, you left who? Bjorn? Ubbe? Hvitserk? Maybe all three of them in charge of raising Sigurd? Because you certainly didn't raise him!" Ragnar snapped back. Aslaug huffed at him angrily.

"You just be sure they don't hurt Ivar. All of them bullied him, it wasn't just Sigurd!" Aslaug told him, crossing her arms defensively.

"So, you knew what you were doing. You knew that you were ignoring all of them in favor of Ivar. You knew that you were creating a rift between the five of them." Ragnar stood up and stared at her accusingly.

"Four." Lagertha stated. They both looked at her quizzically. "She drove a wedge between four of them. Bjorn was already grown and out of there by the time Ivar would have been old enough to fight with his brothers. He told me plenty about how he and Gyda were also treated whenever I dropped them off." She tipped her head challengingly at Aslaug, whose hands had curled into fists.

"Ivar needed me the most. The rest of them were well able to take care of themselves. He was completely helpless." She gritted, willing Lagertha to stay out of the argument.

"Completely helpless? Really? Then it's a good thing that he's moved out. Now he can gain some experience of taking care of himself. As for the rest of them, Ubbe was probably able to take care of himself. Hvitserk, maybe with Ubbe's help. Sigurd, no. He needed you as much as Ivar. You couldn't have spared at least a little bit of attention to him? It's the only reason he started fighting with Ivar! That was literally the only thing that could get you to pay attention to him. He needed a mother, just like Ivar." He settled his hands on his hips. Aslaug sighed and looked away.

"All right. I'll start paying more attention to Sigurd. But that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore Ivar." She said quietly.

"Actually, for the next few weeks, yes, you do need to ignore Ivar. He's doing just fine. Sigurd is the one you need to concentrate on right now. You can start this afternoon. Hvitserk and I will be taking turns picking Ivar up from school. You can pick up Sigurd." Ragnar held his hand up, forestalling another argument. "Get to know your son Sigurd. He's a delightful boy."

Aslaug's shoulders slumped in defeat. When Ragnar used that tone of voice, even she knew better than to defy him. "Please tell Ivar that I love him, and I miss him. Remind him to keep up with his medication and don't forget his doctor's appointments."

"We will take care of Ivar. You take care of Sigurd." Ragnar assured her. Aslaug left and Ragnar ran his hands through his hair. "Was l too rough on her? I really want my boys to be able to gather around a table and play games, get along without having to worry about breaking up a fight amongst themselves."

"No. You told her what she needed to hear. It's long past time that she finally sees what she did to them. No mother should ignore her children to such an extent that they start bullying the youngest child. That was not fair to Ubbe, Hvitserk or Sigurd, nor was it fair to Ivar. Now, she has a chance to set things right with Sigurd. Then maybe she can work on rebuilding a relationship with her older sons." Lagertha told him softly. "Right now, it's time for the boss man to get out there and direct traffic before your children come hunting you down."

Ragnar laughed and hugged her. Some might have said it was bad business, hiring his first ex-wife as his business manager. But Lagertha was efficient and kept his office running like clockwork. She sought out contracts and kept him informed of each new client she gained for them. As of yet, he couldn't see one bad reason of her being in charge. He picked up his hard hat and walked out to join the boys.