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Due to the chaos in the house and my daughter's frequent crying, I spent most of my time in my workshop, and that is where I held most of the meetings.

- So if I assign you more slaves, I'll see my fleet a year earlier? (Ulf)

- (giggle) ...maybe even more than a year. (Floki)

- Floki, it's not about time, I can wait a year more or even two, but they must be the best ships you can build. (Ulf)

- Have I ever let you down? but what are you doing here anyway? (Floki)

You didn't let me down, which doesn't mean you won't. By sending Ragnar and Athelstan to another region, I wanted to avoid a religious conflict, but only the Gods know what's in your crazy head.

- Rattles ... a toy for my daughter. I cut these two pieces of wood open, hollow them out, then put sand, a pebble, or a metal ball inside. Put the pieces of wood back together and the rattle is ready. (Ulf)

Suddenly, the door to the workshop opened and Mira stood in it.

- 👋✌👉👁 (Mira)

- Floki we'll finish our conversation next time. Apparently two people want to see me ... Mira bring them. (Ulf)

A moment later Skarde entered the workshop with another merchant whom I knew, but I did not know his name. I only knew about him that he had been to Kattegat several times and traded what he could and what was profitable.

- My King, you wanted to see me. (Skarde)

Usually, Skarde didn't address me formally, we've known each other for many years, from the time when I was making furniture and he was buying it ... but if he uses my formal title it means that he doesn't trust his companion or doesn't want to show that we know each other better.

- I have a task for you, but who is your companion? (Ulf)

- He's my wife's brother, Olaf. A merchant from Gotland. (Skarde)

- Every merchant is welcome in Kattegat. Skarde, as I said ... hand me that narrow chisel. On the left shelf ... yes, thank you... I have a job for you (Ulf)

- I'm listening, Lord. (Skarde)

- I recently conquered a lot of land in the west, you have been to Jorvik so you know this place. All this land is my property. (Ulf)

- And the locals? (Skarde)

- Some of them already know about it and decided to change their place of residence, and the rest will find out about it in time ... I have a lot of land, fertile land. Now I need people. You sail through various settlements and harbors, announce that King Ulf is giving away land and if anyone is interested he must come to Kattegat. (Ulf)

- What do they have to do to get this land? (Olaf)

- To be loyal to me and my family ... (Ulf)

- It's not a very high price, Lord. (Olaf)

- Value loyalty above all else ... you can leave (Ulf)

Over the next few days, I dealt with the problem of slaves in the copper mine, I also intended to improve the standard of living of pregnant slaves ... to improve their health and well-being, at my request, their food rations were increased. I was hoping that thanks to this, the children who are born will be healthy and more of them will survive. Of course, this was also to show other slaves that the easiest way to improve their fate is to get pregnant.

I also participated in a few Úlfheðinn trainings and I was very pleased with them, in a few years these children will be one of the pillars of my army and they will answer only to me. Everything they had was mine. The best weapons, the best armor, good food ... each time the instructors emphasized ... to whom they owe everything and to whom they should be loyal.

- Dad, what is this? (Yrsa)

- Rattles for your new sister. (Ulf)

- What are they doing? (Yrsa)

- I hope they'll make your sister cry less. (Ulf)

- Why is she crying so much? (Arne)

It was one of those days that have been many lately... usually around the thirtieth or sometimes fortyth question I gave up and sent them to Lagertha.

- You cried more, I remember when you were not much older than Ulfhild and you were lying in the cradle with Revna, Yrsa heard that you need to be fed and ran to the kitchen, got the apples and threw them in the cradle... there was a lot of laughter, but then Lagertha had to calm you down for over an hour. (Ulf)

- Dad, when was the last time you cried? (Yrsa)

- A long time ago, perhaps as a child... (Ulf)

Of course I won't tell them that I almost cried when I returned to Kattegat ... who would have thought there was so much peace in the war.

- Mum said that as a child you lived in the forest and that when you were bigger you came back to Kattegat, you met our mother and you followed her for so long, until she agreed to become your wife... (Yrsa)

What? What kind of lies does she feed my kids? This needs to be clarified.

- Sit down. I'll tell you how it really was ... When I first visited Lagertha's house and saw her, she was all covered in mud and more, because she was cleaning the pigsty. At first I thought it was a boy, Lagertha was as flat as the surface of our kitchen table. Your mother did not let me alone ... (Ulf)

Suddenly I felt a blow to the back of my head, turned and saw Lagertha standing behind me.

- Flat? You're not sleeping in our bedroom today. (Lagertha)

I slept in the workshop many times, it was nothing new. I just smiled and went back to telling the true story.

- How did you meet Hild? (Arne)

- We attacked one of the settlements in the Kingdom of the Franks, she was a prisoner, she had a beautiful ring that she could not take it off and I ordered her to cut off her finger. (Ulf)