Negotiation Failed

"Egil Iversen is dead, King Asmund." Askild responded in a stoic tone and King Asmund did not take him seriously due to how the message was delivered but the facial expression of Askild said otherwise. He could not help but think Askild was joking because coming here when Egil is dead could only be seen as arrogance. Did he not fear for his life?

"King Askild, surely you know what will happen if Egil is dead, don't you?" Asmund's voice was threatening yet calm, but the seriousness in Akild's eyes told Asmund he was ready for the repercussions.

Asmund's calm face creased into that of anger, slamming the table and his brute strength splitting it into two.

Askild instinctively got to his feet with a hand on the hilt of his blade, the noise attracted the warriors standing guard at the door as they rushed into the room to see both kings about to face off. Ragnar, Erik, and Asmund were surrounded with swords pointed at them from every direction.

"King Asmund, do you want to do such an undiplomatic thing?" King Askild asked in a mocking tone, as he too was soon surrounded by multiple swords pointed at his neck.

"Tell me one thing, King Askild..." Asmund muttered, and Askild's dull eyes looked into the eyes of Asmund.

"Tell you what?" Askild asked. He was unnaturally calm despite the swords shoved in his face because there was a possibility that Asmund would try to have his head right here and now but he could easily cut down these Vikings around him. They were like mere children compared to his swordsmanship.

"Did he die with honor?" Asmund asked in a mourning tone but Askild started to chuckle, that chuckle soon turned into full-on laughter.

"Honor? No, he died like a dog." Askild responded, his voice turning chillingly cold. He was mocking Egil and adding pepper to injury. King Asmund was not pleased with this response, it angered him and he instructed to kill Askild where he stood but just as everyone suspected before attacking him, Askild was far superior in terms of swordsmanship.

He cut every one of them down with absolute ease and minimum difficulty but Signy came in right about this time to check what the commotion was about, an opening that Askild exploited.

Askild subdued and took him hostage, Asmund valued his heir. The love of a father proved to be a weakness that Askild was glad to take advantage of.

"Are you sure you want my head or the head of your son?" Askild asked rhetorically, he noticed that Asmund was emotional when it came to Egil as he displayed this same heightened emotion in Kattegat.

"You bastard...!" Asmund muttered under his breath, he could not lose his son and knew it. Askild used his emotions against him and he just realized why he antagonized him.

He did it to force Asmund into a rash decision and that is precisely what happened. Now, he had a hostage, a life he placed more value on than his own.

-

"Erik... Take a deep breath..." Asger encouraged Erik, he was getting a bit too excited and they all knew what would happen if he began to fight. He was called a Berserker for a reason.

"Hahaha! You fucking puny Vikings! Do you want us to have some fun?" Erik exclaimed, he was excited as hell because he knew the Kingdom of Vestfold had strong warriors if one could best Asger in a duel.

The words of Asger fell on deaf ears but an arrow soon pierced Erik through the chest.

"Erik!" Asger shouted, jerking his head in the direction the arrow came from and it was from a young boy that looked familiar. It was the boy he let go in the battle of Hillestad.

The enemies started to act arrogant and chuckle because they thought they would make light work of them.

"If you guys value your life, get away from him," Ragnar said with a sigh and this confused everyone around because he was the one injured, he was the one with an arrow in him.

There was no reason for them to fear and they called it a bluff but they soon realized this was far from a bluff. Erik bifurcated five men in a single swing, breaking their swords apart in the process.

"Hahaha! Now that is what I am fucking talking about!" Erik shouted, pulling the arrow right out of his body. It should have been fatal, that arrow hit a vital point in his body yet Erik brushed it off like it was nothing. Ragnar and Asger knew there was no stopping him now and watched as Erik rampaged, cutting down every single person in sight.

The Vikings were scared, but they stood their ground regardless Erik saw Askild exit the building covered in blood, with a sword to the neck of Signy and this momentary lapse in concentration allowed the child that had buried an arrow into him moments ago. He moved unnoticed to bury his sword this time into Erik's torso.

The child smiled victoriously but Erik focused his murderous gaze on him, he was unfazed.

"Well, that tickles," Erik said, he was ready to behead the child in a heartbeat but his sword met resistance, it was another blade.

"What do you think you are doing, Ragnar?" Erik questioned, his blade did not bulge further, and Ragnar completely stopped his swing at full strength with relative ease despite the difference in body size.

"He is just a kid, Erik," Ragnar responded, the child noticed this opening and retreated. While he was a Viking warrior, he was still a child at heart, and fear of death existed in it. Erik brought out the fear in people, and he had no problem-fighting Ragnar here and now but King Askild would frown on this.

"You are too soft Ragnar," Erik muttered, retracting his blade in the process.

"You are too cruel, Erik," Ragnar responded, retracting his blade. The Vikings around paused the moment they saw Signy in the grasp of Askild. This also surprised Ragnar and Asger because they did not know him to do something like this but this did mean that Askild was not sure he could kill King Asmund.

Asmund exited the building right after Askild and he looked furious, a face that his men had never seen before. They all backed away from their King, it was like a warrior's instinct.

This applied to both Asger and Ragnar as well, they felt it. It was a strange feeling but this was not killing intent, just pure contempt.

"What are you doing in my way?" King Asmund asked the man before.

"Hahaha! I am here to take your head, old man!" The man in front of him was revealed to be Erik The Berserker.

"