Re: Sigvard's Hall: Lagertha/Ragnar
It was a mercy to give him such an end, though he likely did not deserve such a thing. It was done now and Ragnar watched as the aged body of the former Earl hit the hard packed dirt floor, blood seeping in.
He had killed an Earl before. Killed fathers and husbands, sons and friends, and Earl's died like any other man.
His realization had come before hers, come when he held out the knife to her, when he refused to take the life of Hedeby's Earl and firmly thrust her into the spot instead. He saw the dulled realization in her eyes of what she had done, of what she had taken.
It wasn't a step she had prepared herself for.
He had felt the same when Haraldson decided to take all of their loot for himself instead and those that had risked their lives for it were granted only a single, chosen piece. Only then, the emotion that had risen was anger, determination. She was still making her peace with it.
Before she could go though, before she could leave, he knew there was one more step that must be taken before she went to make her peace. "Hail," he said low, voice easily heard even by the furthest person in the hall with the silence that lingered, his eyes on her. "Earl Lagertha."
"Hail," came one voice. Then another and another as men came from the crowd to take Sigvard's body away. Two of them had not hailed Lagertha and Ragnar knew that before Sigvard's funeral rites were complete, they would leave Hedeby. There had been a few that had left when he had become Earl, but there had been many more that remained, and more had arrived since. So it would be with Lagertha.
As more called out their support, the louder the hall became, until there was something that Ragnar heard that he hadn't since he first came into Hedeby - laughter. He smiled, and followed Lagertha to her rooms.