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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"Or I write of them myself. Perhaps I will, one day."

"I should bring you writing materials from my next raid, then," Ragnar says, in the tone of voice of somebody making a list of things to get at market.

"Would you?" he asks hopefully. "And books, if you can fit them in."

"What should the books be about?" Ragnar asks, grinning. "Must they be religious, or would you take love poetry?"

Athelstan gives him a sidelong look.

"Bring what you can find. I won't be particular."

"Well, don't blame me if it's all love poetry, or lists of sheep," Ragnar says. "I can't tell what's in a book."

"Exactly why I won't be particular."

"I could always ask the monks we're raiding," Ragnar says. "I don't think we'd be killing all of them again. They might be happy to not be killed in exchange for books about holy people, or farming, or whatever you might want."

"You could", he agrees. "Whatever books they have to hand, then. And please try not to kill any of them, they won't fight back."

"I know that now," Ragnar says, sounding very serious. Apologetic, even, if Ragnar ever sounded apologetic.

It's appreciated, as far as it goes. Athelstan nods.

"I suppose you'd never met men before who wouldn't."

"No," Ragnar says. "We hadn't. Men fight; that is what they do. Always."

"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."