Chapter Ten: King Sigurd, Snake in the Eye

"Why do you look so different," Hvisterk said.

"Hvisterk! Watch your tongue," Prince Harbard said nervously pushing the boy to another corner of the room. Hvisterk was only curious about why his cousin looked so different from them. Though he had the same golden hair and blue eyes as them, his skin was different.

"I'll be mindful of what you say, Young Hvisterk," Prince Magnus said.

"If he is anything like my sister, you don't want to offend him, you hear me," Prince Harbard whispered to his son. Ragna heard this with his Internal hearing, a smirk on his face as he grabbed a drink from a tray from one of the servants. He was beginning to understand the relationship his mother had with her family. Helga and Freya came up to him, Helga's eyes analyzing Ragna while Freya nervously followed her sister.

"You must be Helga and Freya," Ragna said.

"And you must be Ragna, our cousin who we've heard so much about," Helga said. "I have to say you look different from what I imagined,"

"I suppose so," Ragna said. He turned to Freya, noticing the faint aura around her. She's the Volva. Ragna's psychic energy strengthened his internal senses as he focused on her. There's a core within her already. How is that possible? He had heard that the Volva's cultivation was different from what non-Volva went through even though they both used Runic Cultivation. Was that what made it possible for her to have a core already? Freya noticed Ragna's perception aura on her and was surprised to find out that he could use Psychic energy. She was about to speak out when the door to the hall opened, King Sigurd walking in with two guards by his side. The cousins turned their attention to their grandfather, the King of Norland. King Sigurd saw his family and his baby girl back from Kattegat. He was glad to see his family whole and together as he walked up to the front of the dining table. The rest of the Lothbrok followed their Patriarch to the table, Magnus taking the other end of the table in front of his brother. King Sigurd signaled to Bestla to the chair on his right, while Prince Harbard took the chair on the left. Aksel chose the one beside Bestla, followed by Ragna and Freya. Princess Ingrid, Hvisterk, and Helga took the remaining three chairs on the left. King Sigurd smiled as he picked up a cup which a servant then proceeded to pour a drink into the cup. The servants poured for the rest of the family while Ragna's cup was refilled. King Sigurd raised his cup and glanced at his family.

"Blessing to the Aesir, the Disir, the Landvaettir, the ættarfylgja, for bringing us together and for the blessing that we are about to receive." King Sigurd said, praising both the gods, the spirits of the land, and their ancestors. King Sigurd did not care for the gods nor for any other deity. The only reason he venerated them was for traditional sake even though most traditions did not mean much anymore. The others repeated what the King said, venerating the higher beings relating to them, though Ragna was the exception as he muttered nonsense before taking a sip of his wine.

Soon after they all took a seat, enjoying the luscious food that was before them. The Guards that had followed King Sigurd into the room was nowhere to be found, having retreated into the darkness, their presence hidden, only to make a move if any threats come into their radar. As Ragna dove into his food, he noticed the concentration of Essence in the food was denser than the food he ate back in Kattegat. He felt something within his body stirring from just the couple of food he had eaten. King Sigurd was observing his grandson, Ragna unaware of his grandfather's attention on him. Ragna was preoccupied with the thought that his cousins had been eating this quality of cuisine while his had been less down theirs. He wondered how much potent the Essence within them would be compared to him. Ragna wasn't worried as he knew he had more advantages than them. He continued to eat the fried vegetables mixed with rice and various kind of beans and peas.

The boy doesn't seem to care that his Essence potency in his diet was weaker than his cousins, King Sigurd said to Bestla mentally.

Ragna's too strong to care, Bestla responded. Bestla knew her son would not complain about how he did not get the same resources that his cousins seemed to have been given. While their bodies might be stronger than his, his mind was more powerful than theirs. As they nearly finished their meal, King Sigurd finally spoke to the grandson that he had the least interactions with.

"So, Ragna, I heard you are interested in the history of the lost civilization," King Sigurd said. Ragna lowered his utensils, not sure how to feel about the King speaking to him. Should he interact with him as the King or his Grand father. He had no relationship with the man. All he had were just stories his mother had told him growing up.

"Yes, I'm really interested to learn about what the world was like before the Desolation," Ragna said. King Sigurd smiled hearing his Grandson speak about such thing. King Sigurd was one of the oldest Norseman in the continent. He was only a boy when Ragnarok had begun, too little to do anything. But it was in that chaotic age that he had grown up and become the renowned Warrior that he was. He observed his grandson and saw the interest in his eyes when he spoke of his desire for such knowledge. King Sigurd wished deep down that Bestla had stayed in the capital and raised her son next to him. He would have loved to be so close to his grandson. But alas, Bestla had insisted on staying in Kattegat. She had given no reason as to why she wanted to take charge of such a place. But Sigurd did not reject her desire.

"Well, the Library is always open to those who are interested in checking it out," King Sigurd said. "I recommend reading the Heimskringla. It is the best collection of stories about the Ancient King's past deed and their origin," King Sigurd said.

'Does that include information about the Conqueror," Ragna asked.

"The Conqueror, heh," King Sigurd said. "Yes, it contains information about the Conqueror and his origins." Ragna couldn't help but let out a smile at that. For years he had tried to find as much information about the Conqueror but the Library in Kattegat didn't offer that much information. The little he had found mentioned the Conqueror as the one responsible for conquering all the Known lands of Midgard and bringing them together under one rule. "Why are you interested in the Conqueror,"

"It seems to me for someone who was able to bring the world to it's knee, he must have been a powerful cultivator," Ragna said. "I wonder what kind of civilization he must have created. What kind of world that would be? Such a person would have gone ahead and achieve godhood in Valhalla,"

"Indeed, he did achieve such a thing," King Sigurd replied remembering the Heroes who had descended from the heavens to fight in Ragnarok. "He conquered the world. He unified it, but that didn't stop the conflict that existed." King Sigurd said. "Conflict will always exist as long as humans exist,"

"Did you know the Lothbrok are descended from the Norman lineage," Prince Magnus said. Everybody turned to face the Prince. Even King Sigurd regarded his brother with a raised eyebrow.

"Really, I didn't know that," Ragna said.

"Yes, we are." Prince Magnus said. "One of our ancestor was a Norman who married into the Lothbrok family some time after the Conquest,"

"All this talk of conquest, you don't happen to have an urge for conquering, do you?" Prince Harbard said to Ragna. Although he did his best to hide it, Ragna could see him eyeing his Mother besides him. What the hell did his Mom do to his Uncle?

"Ha, Not really. I believe it's better to know one's history in order not to repeat it," Ragna said. He remembered a quote from his past life that went similar to what he said.

"Not only book smart, but also wise." King Sigurd said. "A good combination. So are you ready for the coming of the age ceremony that is tomorrow."

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it," Ragna said. Since he had an idea on what the ceremony entailed after the discovery he made. As the Lothbrok neared the end of their dinner, King Sigurd stood up from his table. He stared at his Grandchildren, about to enter adulthood tomorrow and begin their life as Vikings or Volva in Freya's case. He raised a finger raising up the cups by the Grand kids. Ragna was startled to see the finesse control that his Grand father displayed as he pulled those cups towards him with his Will. The cups levitated around him as he grabbed a knife and cut his wrist. Reddish blood tainted with a golden light within it poured into the four cups. Ragna recognized what was happening as the cups flew back to each of their owners. King Sigurd's wound stopped bleeding and healed instantly. Ragna grabbed his cup as each of the Grand kids stood up.

"Drink of mine blood, and let the Divine blood of Odinson awaken within you," King Sigurd said. Ragna gulped down the wine mixed with his Grand father's blood, recognizing the divinity within it. As he drank the wine, he felt his blood boil and something like an electric current flowed through the trillions of cells within him. He felt his vitality- the vital energy that determined his lifespan strengthened and followed by his semi transcendence soul expand. And yet Ragna still couldn't form a core within his soul to trigger his awakening. But he felt something stirring in his blood. A power that was foreign and yet familiar. This must be the divinity that the Lothbrok lineage possessed. Ragna stared at his cousins and saw the same expression on their face as his. it seems the future of the Lothbrok family was bright.