THE KING IN THE NORTH

3

Out of the country, England has a boundary with the Vikings; just a sea separates the two countries. The Vikings are very ambitious; they travel a lot; they conquer villages and cities; they steal their treasures; they take away the citizens and turn them into slaves; they make their land their own. The Vikings had a king who was more dangerous than the lion; he didn't accept defeat; he had a lot of enemies surrounding him; but he was too scary; he killed and drank the blood of anyone who trespassed.

The king of the Vikings is King Erik; he had two sons, Martin and Carl. Martin is the first son of King Erik; he is a warrior, has won many battles and raids; he is very good at swords; he is very fast in controls, visions, and martial arts; while his brother Carl is quite cool but he is unpredictable; he is unstoppable when handling a bow and shooting arrows; he has his own squad, which he trains in archers; his target is straight; he doesn't miss a shot; most of the people of the Vikings fear him because he barely talks; his actions stay in him; no one reads his next move.

The king of Vikings, King Erik, has his personal witch doctor, named Arne. He has lived for ten decades, he is powerful, he also sees the future, he prepares Erik and his sons for battles, he is blind but knows everything that happens around him, he goes to the battlefield with the rest of the Vikings, he uses his power to fight, and he walks with a stick. Arne has walked barefoot since he was born; his feet are so big that no sandals can fit them.

Erik went to Arne to have a chat with him; he went with his son Martin. Arne is living in a small brick house close to the forest. Erik knocked at the door.

"You don't have to knock; I know you were coming," Arne said.

Erik pushed the door slowly and walked in with his son Martin. They had to bend down to enter the house. The door entrance is 4.5 feet. As they enter the house, Arne is sitting on his seat. The house is very small. There is a small bed at the corner, a table on the other corner, some bottles on it, each with some liquid in it, some pot, and a clay kettle. Inside the clay kettle, smoke is coming out. A candle that was on fire is the only thing giving light to the house.

"What brings you to here, King Erik? You said I need to rest," Arne asks.

As Erik and Martin sat down on the small seat, they dropped their swords on the floor.

"You can't tell me you don't know why I am here." Erik answered

Arne drinks from the cup that was placed under his seat.

"Is it not time to attack England?" Arne said.

"You keep saying this every time; last year, two years ago, ten years ago, they had a new king; this is the perfect time," King Erik said angrily.

Arne kept quiet for some time and didn't make a move or say anything.

"You have to give us a go-ahead order; we need to conquer the English; they have so many treasures; we can't keep raiding on small cities and villages; if we take down England, hopefully Paris will be us." Martin said, giving his own thought.

"Darkness will cover the throne of England, then we will attack; we shall attack at night; the light is dimming; until it gets out, we will attack. Be patient, Erik; the English raid will be your last if you disobey," Arne tells Erik.

Arne is giving Erik a serious warning about the England raid. Erik is not afraid of death.

"My last words are, I have to conquer Paris, then I will be accepted in Valhala," Erik said.

"Being the last, you ain't talking about death, huh?" Martin asked.

"Mmmmmh, the new king of England, King Alfred." Arne paused

"What happened to King Alfred?" Erik asked anxiously.

"You give me more days to get through the England cities; I will travel to England and get some information; I will be back in the next two months," Arne said.

Erik and Martin looked at each other.

"No, I won't let you go there; I will assign a spy; you will bless him tomorrow; I need you here." Erik protests Arne leaving for England.

"If you don't want me to go, none of your spies can get back here alive except your son," Arne Saud

Martin was looking furious; he wouldn't like to go to England alone; he doesn't trust himself; surely he will get caught because he will try to kill the king. Erik knows very well about his son's character.

"I will assign my son Carl; he will be the one to travel to England," Erik says.

Arne didn't say a word again. Erik and Martin drink from a cup at the centre table; that's the normal tradition; if you come to seek anything from Arne before leaving, you drink from the cup on the table. Erik and Martin left Arne's house to go home.

Martin's face wasn't looking good; Erik noticed it.

"What's your thoughts on Carl travelling to England? Erik asked

"Carl is very strong; he is unpredictable; every time he is quiet, he can't be read; he will do a great job; I am afraid if he fails; I will like to go there; I want to kill the king with my sword," Martin said.

Erik touched Martin and pointed to the sky.

"You see the clouds; they move slowly," Erik tells Martin.

Martin was confused. What does the sky have to do with the discussion at hand?

"What is that?" Martin asked.

"Hahaha, we have to support Carl on this mission; we will raid England, and England will be ours," Erik said as he smiled.

They both walk home with their swords, and Martin sees a bird fly with a leaf. The bird is very beautiful and has not been seen anywhere in the land before. He continues looking at the bird as it flew far away.

Erik saw Carl cleaning his bow and brushing his sword. Martin had gone to meet his crush.

"Hey son, there's a new plan and a mission you need to carry out alone," Erik said.

Carl didn't say a word. He looked at his father, Erik, and continued with his sword cleaning.

"You will go to England and work as a spy in the house of the king," Erik said.

"How is that possible? What will I do in the palace of England? If I go to England, I will kill the king," Carl tells Erik as he stops cleaning the sword.

Carl sat down on the chair to hear more from his father, King Erik.

"Your not going to kill the king of England; your going there to spy on them, give us information, and alert us on when to attack; we need to take over England; this is our major obstacle to fighting Paris; England has enough weapons, gold and silver; we will be richer than any country; we need an insider to defeat England; I want you to go because I trust you, Carl; you are the only one capable of fighting this." Erik explains his words.

Carl didn't say anything as he took his bow and sword and left his father. As he walked out from Erik, Carl went into his house. Erik stood for some minutes and left.

Carl went into his house. He was thinking about what his father had told him. He laid down on the wooden bed, dropped his bow, and held his sword beside him. He thought of how he would work in the palace and spy on the throne of England. He has the capability, but his inability to control his anger will be a stumbling block to his journey.

A lady was sitting on a fallen tree, looking at the stream as the water flowed through.

"What are you doing here all alone?" Martin asked.

"Looking at the stream, Odin has blessed us." Ina responded

Martin sat with Ina as he joined her with the sight of

"Yeah, we are blessed, but we need to sail far away from the land; we will conquer and raid all the way to the east and west," Martin said.

"Tell me, Martin. I heard some rumours about the raid on England. Is it true that your father Erik wants to take over the country?" Ina asked.

Martin looked at her. He smiled, but not in satisfaction. How did she know about the raid on England?

"Where did you hear that from?" Martin asked back.

"It's no longer a secret; everyone knows about your father's ambition and plan to take over England. England won't be an easy raid, but Odin will be with us; he shall conquer the country," Ina said in confidence.

"Yes, it is true. He wants to raid the country, but we need a spy within the palace. Someone has to travel to England, get into the palace, and work for the throne. Then we can get information about the land so we can succeed victoriously," Martin said.

The Vikings don't need to monitor a land or send a spy to read the environment before the attack; why is this one different? Ina is surprised as well.

"Why do we need a spy before we attack England?" Ina asked.

Martin can't tell her what Arne said; he kept silent for some minutes.

"That's the will of my father; he can't afford a mistake; we raid England, and we win," Martin said.

Ina can't say otherwise; she nods her head.

"Who is the spy?" Ina asked.

"I want to go, but my father wants my brother Carl," Martin said.

Martin wants to change the topic; he wants to get married to Ina.

"Ina! " Martin called on Ina.

Ina looked at him and waited to hear what he would say.

"You haven't said anything about us. I love you, Ina," Martin said.

"This is it, Martin. I love you, but this is the deal: we will get married in England. Let's defeat England and we get married," Ina tells Martin.

Martin was sad to hear that they are to get married in England after they had a successful raid in the foreign land.

"How can we get married in a foreign land?" Martin asked.

"Try and conquer England," Ina said as she walked away from Martin.

Martin stayed alone, thinking about what Ina had said to him. He loves Ina with all his heart, and he then thought of going to England to spy on the throne itself. He is now desperate to raid England.

Carl left his room, and as he went to meet Arne, he wanted to ask him about his journey to England. He rushed to Arne's place. He knocked at his door.

"You don't have to knock; I know you will come," Arne said.

Carl walked inside. He sat on the chair close. He sat and didn't say a word as he kept looking at Arne without saying a word.

"You can't just come and keep quiet, kid! Somethingothers yoyou;hat bothers yoyou?"Arne aasked.

Carl drank from the cup on the centre table and still didn't say a word for another minute.

"I believe you know what I am here for; you can't deny it. What will happen? I want to know,, "Carlasked.d.

"Hahaha, if you tell me, I will know what I will do; right now, I don't know what you want, "Arne said.

"Will I succeed in England? My father has sent me to spy on the throne of England, "Carl tells Arne.

Arne knew everything; he kept quiet. Carl was getting annoyed with Arne with his silence. Carl kept waiting for Arne to say something, but he was silent. Carl got angry, left his house, and drank all the liquid in the cup. Arne smiled as Carl left his house.