After estimating the income of kings and dukes, Vig turned his attention to the earls.
He recalled how Lennard had once dominated Mancunium, his strength far surpassing that of the other lords. But things had changed; as Ragnar's realm expanded, Lennard's influence withered, pushing him out of the top tier entirely.
By contrast, his old neighbor Ulf was thriving.
Thanks to the merit of slaying Mercia's crown prince Burgred, Ulf had been granted the southeastern edge of Britain—Kent.
Kent was the closest point to the continent. Merchant ships commonly stopped there before crossing the Channel, making it perfect for entrepôt trade. By reselling warhorses, wine, wool, and salted fish, Ulf earned money hand over fist.
Vig estimated that Ulf's annual income had already surpassed Lennard's—likely making him the richest among all the earls, possibly even wealthier than Ivar.
His calculations complete, Vig rubbed his sore wrist.
"In the next few years, as the three-field system and heavy iron ploughs spread, every lord's income is going to rise. I'd better earn what I can now, or risk being left behind."
The Lord of Bergen Arrives in Oslo
While Vig and Herligev were tallying numbers, the disgraced lord of Bergen—Auh—arrived at the docks of Oslo.
Four years earlier, Auh had rallied the nobles of Norway's western coast into resisting King Erik. They eventually reached a peace agreement—nominally submitting to Erik, but exempt from paying court visits or answering royal summons.
Now his domain had been ransacked, his savings were gone, and even the furniture in his longhouse had been hauled away by opportunistic townsfolk. Desperate, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and ask his liege for justice.
Walking along Oslo's filthy, chaotic streets, Auh followed a local's directions to an open field north of the town.
To his shock, the old longhouse had vanished. In its place stood a stone fortress.
The castle had a stone curtain wall as tall as three grown men, with a moat fed by diverted water and tall arrow towers spaced along the battlements.
"So the old bastard built himself a stone castle… Where did he get that kind of money?"
Auh cursed silently and presented himself to the guards at the drawbridge, requesting an audience with His Majesty.
Crossing the bridge and the gate, he found that only the main keep was finished; the rest was still under construction, at least a year from completion.
Inside the great hall, Auh ignored the astonished stares, strode straight to the throne, knelt on one knee, seized King Erik's fat, callused left hand, and planted a deep kiss on the ring.
What in Hel's name—?
Erik recoiled, startled, yanking back his hand. For a moment he even suspected Auh might be attempting an assassination.
He signaled to the guards to stay alert, then cautiously asked,
"My lord… what brings you here?"
Auh then recited his carefully prepared plea, claiming Vig had attacked Bergen without cause and begging the king to uphold justice.
A muffled snort nearly escaped Erik.
So the man who had once opposed him at every turn had finally been robbed blind?
Good. Good. Good!
Let him taste humiliation for once.
This was divine retribution—Odin finally doing something right for a change.
To avoid bursting into laughter, Erik downed two large cups of mead before straightening up and saying solemnly:
"Vig has always been reckless. Seven years ago, when Ragnar and I plundered Northumbria, he dared stand between me and a group of Anglo captives. That he has become a duke and done something like this is hardly surprising. Do not fret, my lord—I shall write to Ragnar. You will receive justice."
Of course, Erik would never be foolish enough to attack Vig. He was fifty-three now and knew his own limitations. His generalship was mediocre; he could only defeat backwoods nobles who had never seen a real battlefield. Someone like him could never have annihilated the Frankish army outside Paris as Ragnar had.
"Vig, Ivar, Gunnar…"
Erik muttered the three names repeatedly, lamenting why the gods Faveled Ragnar so outrageously, allowing him to gather such extraordinary commanders.
"Compared to them, my men are useless. Even Bjorn, Nielsson, and Olm aren't at their level."
Seeing the king's distraction, Auh prepared to press his plea—but suddenly Young Erik, the prince at the king's side, spoke up:
"My lord, I have a question. You said Vig distributed the grain to the townsfolk. He gave it away—not sold it?"
Auh: "He gave it away for free."
Young Erik immediately understood.
"He wasn't seizing territory nor plundering civilians. By giving out grain, he signaled that his anger was directed at you alone. Hah. Seems you've truly enraged the Serpent of the North."
His words snapped King Erik back to attention. Erik summoned a scribe and dictated:
"To Ragnar, King of Britain: in early May, your vassal led an attack on Bergen…"
Despite his land being attacked, Erik's tone lacked hostility; he spoke as if reporting some trivial matter between friends.
When finished, he ordered four fine white bear pelts prepared as gifts—one each for Ragnar, his sister Sola, and his nephew Sigurd and niece Enya.
Realizing the king intended to downplay the entire affair, Auh couldn't stop himself:
"Your Majesty, I believe you should take a firmer stance."
Erik's roar shook the hall:
"Are you teaching me how to rule?!"
The surrounding guards stepped forward at once, hands gripping their sword hilts, ready to kill Auh on the spot.
Erik waved them back.
"Vig has overstepped. I will send him a warning. If he ignores it, then I shall summon an army. You are weary from travel—go and rest."
That's it?
You don't even dare speak harshly to Ragnar—how could you possibly invade Britain?
Auh's eyes went cold. He bowed stiffly and left the hall, thoroughly disillusioned with the aging king.
After he departed, Erik dispatched two envoys—one to London with gifts, the other to Tyne Town demanding Vig explain his actions in Bergen.
Vig's Response
Ten days later, Erik's envoy entered Tyne Town's great hall and relayed the king's warning exactly as instructed.
Hearing the feeble threat, Vig felt nothing. If Erik ever dared invade by sea, Vig was certain he could crush him.
"As for what happened, I have already sent a full report to London, along with two witnesses—one from Shetland and one from Bergen. With both testimony and evidence, I trust King Ragnar will judge the matter fairly.
If you are interested, you may take a copy of the report back to Oslo."
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