athelstanthescribe | (no subject)

(no subject)

Athelstan has barely said a word to Ragnar since they watched the sacrifices. He's been walking with Gyda, listening affectionately to her chatter and sometimes responding, but not to Ragnar.

That is, until Lagertha takes the children off somewhere and leaves the two of them alone.

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"Even your holy men?"

"They don't have to," Ragnar says, "because we keep them safe. But they know how to, even if they never do so any more."

He nods. "Perhaps some of our older men knew how, if they'd come late to the life. But most didn't... as I told you once, no one in England would have thought of attacking us."

"But they didn't think of protecting you, either."

"Because until you came, it never occurred to anyone we would be in danger."

"They know that now," Ragnar says. "As we know monks won't fight."

"Yes", he agrees. "So you can be sure it won't be so easy next time, at least on the mainland. The monks still won't fight, but..."

"There will be fighters at hand," Ragnar nods.

"Exactly. No king can afford to be said he let it happen, knowing it to be likely."

"Because kings are supposed to protect their priests, and priests are supposed to pray for their kings?" Ragnar guesses.

"Kings are supposed to protect all their subjects from violence by outsiders. But yes, priests and monks pray for their king."

"But other men can defend themselves and their families," Ragnar says. "The king can't be everywhere, and men aren't goats."

"The king doesn't do it all himself, of course. That's what he has soldiers for, to direct where he expects they may be needed."

"What would he need to keep soldiers for when men can fight for themselves?" Ragnar says. "I saw those fighters on the beaches; it's an odd idea to have men who do nothing but fight."

"There are times of year when most men would only fight in the immediate defence of their homes", Athelstan says with a shrug. "Harvest time, for instance, when there's work to be done. The king wants men who can and will go to war with him at his call, no matter when."

"Fighting through the harvest is stupid," Ragnar says.

A man must have priorities.

"It is if you have crops to be brought in. The king's soldiers don't, leaving them at his disposal - that's why he pays them, so they can buy food and don't need to grow it."

"But then everybody else will have to grow the food for them," Ragnar points out, "while they stand around armed, waiting in case there is war somewhere."

"It's a violent world, Ragnar", he says wryly. "They usually don't have to wait very long. And in the meantime, the people growing the food are paid to sell it, they aren't expected to grow extra for free."

"I know it's a violent world," Ragnar laughs. "I make it more violent. But I'd get bored if there was nothing to do in-between."

"Which is why you aren't a soldier", is the reasonable response. "Nor a raider either, you're a... farmer who raids. And now rules a town."

"Which I didn't ask for, but it works quite fine," Ragnar says. "But ruling more than that would probably get a bit boring."

"Perhaps", he agrees. "Or perhaps not. You could still go adventuring, from time to time."

"That sounds so tame," Ragnar says, "like an old dog being let off his leash for a bit of a frolic."

He snorts. "Hardly. Unless the dog holds the leash at the same time."

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