"Welcome everyone, I am Vig, Duke of Tyneburg, appointed by the King of Britain, and I rule over all the North. Some time ago, my envoy was murdered by someone on the island. Who is the murderer?"
To save their lives, the villagers named the local chieftain, claiming that he had fled to Bergen in a boat two days ago to seek refuge, taking twenty people with him, including family members and slaves.
Vig did not immediately believe this and asked his subordinates to interrogate each one separately. By combining the testimony of each, he reconstructed the circumstances of the envoy's murder.
The chieftain was not angry at first, but prepared enough wine and meat to feed the envoy.
After eating and drinking, the envoy broached the issue of loyalty. The chieftain insisted that he had paid taxes to the Lord of Bergen and had no reason to obey two lords at the same time.
At this point the situation remained stable. Unfortunately, someone had deliberately used words to provoke, which led to tensions between the parties and, ultimately, to murder...
"Where is this chatterbox who deliberately stirs up trouble?"
Vig ordered a search. It turned out that the man had tried to escape with the leader two days earlier, but his head had been split open with an iron axe, apparently out of hatred for him.
After four days in the Shetlands, with the weather clearing and a favourable wind blowing, Vig ordered the fleet to move east.
In the morning mist, the cogs cut through the waves, following the shallow-draft survey vessel as it slowly moved deeper into the fjord.
Holding on to the slippery side of the boat, Vig surveyed the fjord, which looked as if it had been cut by a giant axe. Thick pine and cypress trees grew on either side of the steep cliffs. Smoke rose from the wooden huts at the foot of the mountains, where two fishermen were drying their nets.
"Seven years have passed, and I have returned to Northern Europe for the first time."
Vig had spent most of his time in Britain since he set sail with Ragnar. His memories of Northern Europe were slowly fading, and returning home was filled with mixed feelings.
At that moment, Baron Dunbar, also known as Sheriff Jorn of Edinburgh, approached the bow of the ship.
"Sir, have you considered returning to Gothenburg this time? After so many years at sea, I suddenly began to miss the scenery."
Vigi's mind instantly flashed to the house where he had lived for over a decade, and the barren wheat fields.
After a long pause, he shook his head, pushing the memories away.
"This is unacceptable. We launched an attack on Bergen without permission, seriously challenging the authority of King Eric. We should not remain in Northern Europe for too long. Once we have dealt with Ol, we must return immediately!"
As the fleet approached Bergen, a deafening sound of horns echoed across the fjord.
The fishermen on the pier were the first to sense the danger, and they ran home on their knees. Chaos reigned. Several villagers armed with weapons lined up on the shore in a shield wall. As soon as they recognized the flag of the Serpent of the North, the shield wall dispersed in a matter of seconds.
Looking at the densely packed houses on the shore, Vig sighed:
"What a prosperous settlement! The population has at least doubled since seven years ago."
After Ragnar's conquest of Britain, over a hundred thousand settlers from the Nordic countries streamed west, increasing trade activity in the North Sea. The population
of Bergen, a key trading hub on the northern route, grew to two thousand, and under Eric's direct rule it became the second largest settlement in Norway after Oslo.
Sensing the prosperity here, Vig flared up with anger.
"If you have the money, why do you still refuse to pay? Only fifteen pounds of silver, and you've been dragging it out for four whole years!"
At his command, the shield guard blew his battle horn.
Soon a company of infantry stormed the beach, dealing with scattered enemy forces at the docks.
Within minutes, the number of mountain infantry on the shore exceeded four hundred people. At the insistence of the commander, small detachments of soldiers moved along the street to the lord's house.
"This is a personal feud between the Duke of Tyneburg and the Lord of Bergen. All strangers are not allowed to enter!"
The captain, moving forward, waved a flagpole with a triangular flag, calling on the inhabitants to retreat to the side of the street. After walking
a few dozen meters, a small group of enemy warriors appeared at the crossroads ahead, forming a wall of shields of about twenty people, blocking the street.
Beep-beep-beep! - the captain whistled into a whistle, signaling to his rear that they had encountered the enemy and were ready to engage in battle.
"Form into horizontal formation, forward!"
On receiving the order, the formation quickly changed from two columns to three horizontal rows.
The first row consisted of a captain and two shield bearers, all three wearing iron armor.
The second row consisted of four spearmen and two fork bearers.
The third row consisted of four archers and auxiliary soldiers who did not intend to participate in the battle.
When the distance was reduced to thirty meters, the captain and shield bearers snatched short spears from behind their backs and hurled them at the shield wall. Without stopping, they fired a second volley.
Six short spears hit the shield wall; one flew past, the other five pierced the shields. To the crackling of sawdust and a muffled groan,
three breaches appeared in the shield wall.
Taking advantage of this, the archers at the rear opened up a barrage of fire at the rate of twelve shots per minute, quickly taking down several of the enemy one after another.
"Attention, follow me!"
Sensing the enemy's morale, the captain raised his spear and led the eight warriors of the first and second ranks into the attack. Before they could reach the enemy, the ruined shield wall collapsed in an instant, and the survivors poured into the nearby alleys, leaving Lord Bergen completely behind. Time passed, and a succession of formations of mandarins arrived in the open space in front of the lord's longhouse. Here
eighty of Bergen's warriors had gathered,
half of whom were in armor.
And yet, as they watched in horror, a seemingly endless stream of soldiers poured out from every crossroad. As the enemy grew, the morale of the warriors of Bergen plummeted. Given the Northern Serpent's custom of not killing prisoners, they yielded to the enemy's offer of surrender after a short struggle.
Thus, Norway's second largest settlement changed hands.
Surrounded by many soldiers, Vig entered the lord's house in Bergen and learned that Ol had fled with his family.
"Forget it, we probably won't catch up,"
sighed Vig, looking to the east, at the hills and snow-capped peaks. He ordered his men to search the warehouses and inventory.
It turned out that the lord of Bergen was rich. In his bedroom were hidden two locked copper chests: one with choice amber, the other with various silver coins. The warehouse behind the house was filled with a large quantity of animal skins and goods imported from Britain.
The cargo included wheat, iron goods, woollen cloth and beer. Wig looked around and saw that at least a third of it had been produced in Tyneburg.
"He doesn't seem to want the money, so why does he refuse to pay?"
After half a day of counting, the five clerks who accompanied him drew up a list. Wig glanced at it. "The hundred pounds of silver and
the forty suits of armour worn by the prisoners are mine. The rest will be distributed according to the rules. Be careful not to take too much on board."