THE KING IN THE NORTH

5

It's a new day, the sun is shining bright, and everyone is busy—some going to the farm, the traders, and the blacksmith. Erik went to his son Carl's house. He knocked at his door, immediately opened it, and entered the house. Carl was lying on the floor, and his father walked in and sat in the small chair.

"You are still sleeping. I want to talk to you, son. Get up." Erik obstructs Carl's rest.

Carl got up, still on his bed, and just sat down and looked at his dad.

"What was that? The way you fought yesterday is too risky; I need you to get the mission done in England," Erik continues.

Carl kept silent for some minutes, and Erik kept looking at him, waiting for his response.

"Don't worry about me; worry about yourself and the throne." Carl finally said something.

"I need you, son. I love you, son. Be safe." Erik said it emotionally and left the house.

Carl streches himself as he goes out to wash his face. As he looks at the tree branches, he sees an eagle looking at him. He wonders what the eagle might be looking at. He leaves to haunt with his bow and arrow. Carl loves haunting and loves going alone; since childhood, he has loved doing things alone.

He took up his bow and moved into the bush to haunt. He , he walk for a long distance, saw a strange movement in the bush, and saw someone from afar looking lost. Carl was contemplating who that might be; the stranger doesn't look like a Viking or any of the slaves they have abducted from war. Carl followed the stranger to know who it might be; he trailed the stranger without getting noticed.

The stranger is a spy who had come to spy on the Vikings. The stranger is from the east. They want to attack the Vikings but are waiting for the perfect time when they will get distracted. The stranger had come to the Vikings land, knowing they had a fight battle with some fighters for the new war leader. They were planning on attacking when they had lost focus and the warriors were focusing more on the new leader.

They had camped far away. Carl trailed the stranger until he could see many soldiers; he saw many camps. That's what the enemy, Carl, said to himself. He climbed a tree where he could get a better view of the Easterners. They were more than three thousand well-armed, both swordmen, archers, and horsemen. They had some soldiers guarding the area where they had camped, making it difficult for Carl to follow the stranger into the camp. But he waited to see what happened. He stayed up the tree looking at the stranger until he dissapered missing within the soldiers.

Carl waited until the stranger came out, now returning to the Vikings land after six hours of staying there.Carl then followed the stranger back to know who he really is. At the same time, he had to warn his father about the soldiers; he had already told him to worry about his throne earlier.

The stranger is not really a stranger; he is from the Vikings, but a traitor; he was promised pieces of silver, some land, and three wives by the Easterners. On reaching the Vikings board, Carl double-crossed the stranger.

"Stop, don't move!

Drop your weapons!

Raise your hand where I can see them!! Carl pointed an arrow towards the stranger.

The stranger first stopped, removed his sword from the best throw it in the floor, hid a small dagger while backing Carl, Carl picked up the sword, and on approaching the stranger, he was attacked by the dagger which was hidden by the stranger. Carl being too fast, he dogded it and kicked the stranger stomach, punched him very hard, and kicked the dagger out of his hand. Carl then tied the stranger hand and took him to a hidden hut. The hut was built very strong, and it was very hard for someone to break out or break in. The body was built with a strong wood. That's where he keeps his prisoners. He then tied the stranger outside the hut to a tree and gave him so many punches. Left him their call, his father Erik

Carl went to see his father. Erik was eating when Carl walked in unannounced.

"Hey son, come join us and eat," Erik says as he welcomes Carl.

Calling him to come and share his food, Carl wasn't interested in the food as he had come for a separate issue. He looked at his father and the food and nodded his head.

"What's wrong, Carl?" Erik asked

Carl isn't a talking type; it is difficult for him to say something. He always has his grief and bitterness to himself. He didn't say anything to his father; he left him annoyed.

"What's wrong with him?" Erik asked himself.

Erik Maiden was standing close to him as he bent down. Definitely, definitely Erik wasn't talking to her; she didn't say a word.

Carl went back to beat the stranger; he kept punching him to the tree, asking who he was and what his mission was on the Vikings land. The stranger didn't say a word; he resisted talking. Carl continues to brutalise him until he opens up, revealing his true self.

"Ok wait, my name is Berg; I fight for the Vikings; the warriors are from the east; I was paid to spy on the Vikings," the stranger finally opens out.

"Fine, Berg, what are you spying on?" Carl asked.

Berg was too weak to talk, and Carl wasn't patient enough to try to give him another punch.

"They want to attack the land; they need me to give them information on how to attack; they have their plans to attack on the final day of the competition; that day is believed to be the busiest day in the Vikings land; the king, the warriors, the villagers, everyone will be at the wrestling ground; they will ambush the land; they will kill everyone; every animal in the land; they will take the treasures and take the head of the king." Berg confessed

Carl was shocked. He was silent. He hurriedly went to Arne. He didn't know he just walked inside Arne's house. Arne was not around. He looked around the house and couldn't find him. As Carl turned back to leave the house, he saw Arne standing at his back. He was frightened.

"Oh sh*t," Carl screemed.

"You came here to fight me?" Arne asked as he walked past Carl and sat on his seat.

Arne is blind but knows every corner of his house. He relaxed on his seat, and Carl was looking at him very annoyed.

"You knew about it all this while; why did you keep quiet?" Carl asked.

"Your father, Erik, is worried about what is not important; no one looks for treasures in a burning house, "Arne said.

"Burning house?, treasures?, what are you talking about? "Carl asks again.

Carl is throwing questions at Arne.

"The fight that your father seeks to embark on is a difficult one; he needs to clear the inside," Arne responds.

Still not going straight to Carl's question, the more he talks, the more confused Carl gets.

"What is the inside? Who is inside?" Carl asks again.

"You have a bond with the eagle; don't let it down," Arne said.

The more Carl asks questions, the more Arne keeps answering indirectly. Now talking about the eagle, Carl remembers the eagle, which was looking at him early in the morning before he took off for haunting. Carl is now upset; he got annoyed with Arne for not giving him direct answers to his questions. He left Arne's house in annoyance.

"Be careful; they are still coming. "Arne shouted to Carl to warn him of the Easterners.

Carl stopped. Now that Arne had said something relating to what he came for, he thought of going back to Arne to ask more questions, but he was already annoyed, so he continued walking home. Erik was done eating. He went to Carl's house to know why he had left in such a mood. He couldn't find Carl, so he called his name while standing in front of his house.

" Carl!

Carl!!

Carl!!! " Erik shouted

He then left to consult Arne. On his way to Arne, he saw Carl coming from Arne's house; his face was very strong, which means he isn't happy.

"I have been looking for you, son!" Erik says

"We have a bigger problem than the England raid; you only care about the England raid, not about your people of Vikings," Carl cried out.

"What are you talking about?" Erik said as he was confused and didn't know what exactly Carl was talking about or the direction he was going.

"The Easterners are planning on an attack on us on the final day and the coronation of the war leader." Carl opens up.

"That's not true; the Easterners were cleared a few years ago. I'm certain they have nothing," Erik said.

The Easterners were blessed with many treasures like gold , silver and many more, they were populated but the were having an inside war within themselves which led to the separation of many going far away to build a home for their selves and a new government, they had split into five place, all known as the Easterners, years after, the Vikings rounds out one of the Easterners village, they saw many gold, they were interested in the land and the golds, the Vikings gathered among them selves and attacked the Easterners , they killed every single human being took their gold, took away their animals, destroyed their crops, take away their harvested crops , the Vikings burnt all the house, no soul was left alive, this was a long time ago, Carl wasn't born yet, this was the era of Erik father who was the king then, Erik was rye war leader as he was the one who led the war against the Easterners, Erik never knew the Easterners had many settlements which they are not aware of .

After ten years, the other Easterners which found out that one of their settlements have been destroyed and no soul was kept alive they had to gather to fight who ever that destroyed their kind, they had made some researches looking and seeking for the people behind the attack , they finally got an answer from a soothsayer telling them how the Vikings had attack the settlements and took away their gold and crops with animals, they had swore to wipe out the Vikings, the Easterners wants the attack to be an ambush, they wants to attack the Vikings when they are sleeping, so they had sent many spies to the Vikings land but none of the spies are able to make it alive, they are either killed on the way to the Vikings land or slaughtered by the Vikings , the Vikings don't accept visitors, they kill anyone who they find strange in their land.

Arne had narrated the story to Erik and Carl, and they both went back to Arne to know what was on them.

"So these Easterners had been in existence after the attack?" Erik asked.

"Yes, the Vikings only destroyed one of their settlements, and that was the weakest among them; the other four are more dangerous." Arne added to his story as he responded to Erik.

"Why didn't you say anything after the ambush a long time ago?" Erik asked again.

"After the ambush on the Easterners, your father died two years after you were made king. I tried to tell you that the Easterners are still remaining, but your whole focus was to raid on England; you never let me tell you about it, "Arne said.

Erik was very weak; now that he knows he has something to clear, he left Arne's house with Carl. Carl then took him to the traitor.