The conquered town still smoked when Bjorn walked its streets. Bodies lay piled at the edges, the stench of blood and fire choking the air. Yet amid the ruin, something new was stirring. Merchants who had once fled were creeping back with their carts. Villagers, terrified yet obedient, began carrying stones to rebuild walls and mend homes.
To most, this was simply survival.
To Bjorn, this was empire.
Standing on the balcony of the seized longhall, Bjorn looked down at his men and the townsfolk alike. For the first time, he was not only a raider—he was ruler.
"Fear gave me this town," he murmured to Haldor, who stood at his side, arms folded. "But fear alone cannot hold it. I must bind them not only in terror, but in law, in order, in a system that makes my rule stronger than any wall."
Haldor raised an eyebrow. "You speak like a king."
Bjorn's eyes gleamed. "I am becoming one."
The Bones of a New Order
Bjorn summoned his captains, his wife, and his concubines into the longhall. The air was thick with smoke, torchlight glinting against polished axes and stolen goblets.
"This town," he began, "is the first stone of what we will build. Raiding fills our bellies for a season. Ruling fills them for generations. I will not waste what we have taken."
He spread a crude map on the table.
The System Bjorn Declared:
The Thing (Council): A gathering of warriors and leaders would still meet, as in Viking tradition, but Bjorn would have final say. "They may speak, but my word is law," he declared.
Jarls and Captains: He appointed trusted men as governors of districts. Eirik, brutal yet loyal, was given charge of executions and order. Haldor was named keeper of the stores, trade, and coin. Sven Iron-Foot commanded the watch and walls.
Concubines' Role: His women were more than pleasure. Some were placed in the kitchens and weaving halls, spreading loyalty through whispers. Others were planted among the townsfolk to root out dissent. They became Bjorn's invisible web of spies.
The Priesthood: Foreign priests were forced to bend or die. Some were spared to collect taxes and teach children, but only if they swore loyalty to Odin and to Bjorn.
Tax and Tribute: For the first time, Bjorn instituted a steady tribute system. Villagers would give a share of grain, silver, or labor. "Not as theft," he said, "but as the price of protection. They will hate it less if they believe it is order, not plunder."
His warriors exchanged glances—half impressed, half uneasy. This was new, different, the beginnings of something beyond raiding. But none dared question him.
Life in Kattegat and Beyond
News of the conquest spread quickly. When Bjorn returned to Kattegat with wagons of grain, captives, and silver, the people greeted him not as a raider but as a king returning in triumph.
The town itself was changing.
Streets bustled with smiths, carpenters, and traders.
Floki, inspired by Bjorn's vision, began designing larger docks for fleets.
Bjorn's wife managed the women of Kattegat, ensuring the warriors' households stayed loyal.
His children, still small, played among the pillars of the hall—symbols of legacy that reminded all that Bjorn's bloodline would endure.
Even his concubines, once spoils of war, had become part of the system. Some bore him children. Others whispered in foreign tongues, carrying secrets from travelers. Each one was both servant and instrument.
Bjorn walked among them often, not only as lord but as watchful shepherd. Fear and love bound Kattegat to him, and both grew in balance.
The First Challenge
Yet no rule goes untested.
One night, smoke rose in the distance. A granary had been set aflame. Tracks of saboteurs led into the hills. Villagers whispered of priests who had escaped the massacre, calling for rebellion.
Bjorn's rage was cold, not hot. He summoned his council.
"Let the world see what happens to traitors," he said. "But also let them see what happens to the loyal."
The next day, rebels were dragged into the square. Some were hanged, others impaled. But alongside them, Bjorn called forth villagers who had aided his soldiers, who had rebuilt walls, who had sworn to Odin. Before all, he rewarded them with silver, land, or protection.
Thus, the people learned: loyalty brought wealth, rebellion brought ruin.
A Throne Forged in Blood and Order
As weeks turned to months, Bjorn's system took root. Tribute flowed in, ships were repaired, warriors trained with stricter discipline. Kattegat grew into more than a harbor—it became the capital of something larger, the seed of empire.
One night, seated in the high seat of Kattegat, Bjorn looked over his hall. Warriors feasted. Concubines served wine. Children played by the hearth. And outside, merchants haggled, ships unloaded goods, and villagers whispered of their lord with both fear and admiration.
Odin's blessing throbbed in his blood, whispering that this was only the beginning.
"I am no longer a raider," Bjorn thought, lifting his cup. "I am ruler. And soon, I will be king."
The hall thundered with celebration as Bjorn raised his horn of mead high, his voice carrying above all others:
"To conquest. To empire. To eternity!"
The warriors roared back, the sound echoing across the fjord, carried on the night wind like a promise to the gods themselves.