Vikings: Nordic women

Chapter 45 You Will Be Crowned Queen
……

Margaret and Ralph rode their donkeys, put on new clothes, and came to the training ground.

Alexander was standing on the "Eagle Drying Platform" and was giving an excited speech. Although his voice was immature, it was as loud as a bell, and his posture was confident, as if he was born to be a smaller version of Robert Jarre.

Margaret nodded with satisfaction. She knew very well that as a ruler, she could be bad but not incompetent.

She thought of Duke Xiang of Song in the Spring and Autumn Period, who was mocked by great men as having "a foolish morality" because of his adherence to the principle of "not adding to mourning, not taking advantage of disasters, not injuring the gentlemen seriously, and not killing the poor."

In contrast, Sun Wu did the opposite. He acted as immorally as possible and fought in ways that made the enemy suffer, and was revered as a military saint by later generations.

Margaret pointed to the eagle-drying platform and shouted to the officers, "Come here, some men, help me get him over there." She motioned for them to help Ralph off the donkey.

Alexander came running over with big strides, and proudly took credit for it: "Sister, I have arranged everything! I told them that no matter what the order is, they must obey it. Only by obeying can they stay."

His eyes suddenly fell on Ralph, and he looked at the person Margaret was supporting with curiosity: "Who is this Karl (untouchable)?"

Margaret glared at him, glanced sharply over his head, and secretly thought about how to knock him.

Alexander immediately covered his head vigilantly, stepped back repeatedly, and stared at her cautiously.

Margaret turned to the officers and ordered, "Come here, some people!" She pointed to the side, "Carry it over there!"

Ralph on the side seemed not to care about all this. He opened his arms and let Huscarz carry him to the falconry and sit down.

Margaret climbed onto the eagle-drying platform and walked to the seated officers. She patted their round bellies one by one and said firmly, "You will soon regain your strong bodies!"

Ralph struggled to stand up, his face covered with scars, and with crutches, he walked to the officers with difficulty. He waved his crutches and hit them one by one.

The officers were about to explode, but when they looked into Ralph's eyes, their anger was instantly extinguished, replaced by surprise and awe. They asked in a trembling voice, "You... Sir, are you still alive?"

Most of them were war orphans who grew up with Ralph, and they had a deep connection with each other. Even if their appearance changed, their voices and temperaments would not change, and they were not difficult to recognize. Just like a nearsighted person who takes off his glasses usually uses his voice to identify familiar people.

"Get down!" Ralph pointed at the officer who had spoken, his voice stern, "Don't wait for me to kick your ass!"

The officers did not dare to sit down any longer. Besides, Ralph had the support of Harold and others behind him. They could not defeat the enemy and walked up to the soldiers and stood in a row.

"During the time when Harold and I were away, it seems that you have slacked off quite a bit. I need to take a look at your training now. Let's make the arrangements!"

"As ordered!"

"Woo woo woo~" The horn sounded, and the riders led their horses out of the stables, and training props were also arranged.

In order to prevent the fixed scarecrow from injuring the rider under the recoil force, it was hung on the ash pole with straw ropes, with only the top end tied and the lower end loose, hanging in the training ground, stretching for 50 meters in the aisle, all the way to the edge of the city wall.

The riders rushed towards the dummies with maces in their hands, or chopped with lances in both hands, or stabbed with both hands in reverse grip, or smashed the dummies away one by one with maces.

Ralph nodded and changed to the next subject, horseback archery.

Someone was sent to pull the target, and the rider would accurately hit the target while rising and falling on the back of the warhorse at a fast pace.

It seems that they did not waste these eight years. However, when they became officers, it was very embarrassing. Because the food in the cafeteria was too good, the amount of training was not up to standard, and the belly was too round, they could not draw the bow and arrow at all. It was not because of lack of strength, but because the bowstring was blocked by the belly and could not be drawn. This is why Ouni has never practiced bows and arrows, and Amazon female warriors basically cut off their left breasts before they could draw bows and arrows.

Ralph's face turned black, and he immediately called the officers with big bellies to his side and ordered them to practice more and run around the training ground.

This was a life-threatening situation. The officers wailed and ran backwards with their bellies bulging amid the laughter of the grassroots riders.

"Kid, come here!" Ralph waved at Alexander.

"You should come and meet me!" Alexander curled his lips and stood still.

Seeing Ralph pondering for a while and walking towards him, he raised his head arrogantly and tried to look at Ralph, who was taller than him, with contempt.

Unexpectedly, the scar on Ralph's face twitched a few times, and he took advantage of his unpreparedness and slapped him in the face, causing him to lower his head, which frightened him in disbelief.

Margaret smiled sarcastically. She would not tolerate a ruthless man like Ralph.

"Angry?" Ralph asked Margaret for the whip, handed it to her, and pointed it at the officers who were running out of breath. "Go, show your anger, and whip those who fall behind!"

Alexander's eyes lit up. He took the whip and looked at Ralph, who was standing on one leg, for a while, as if thinking about where to hit him.

"Go quickly!" Unexpectedly, Ralph raised his crutch and was about to hit someone, which scared him so much that he jogged towards the group of lagging officers.

Kill two birds with one stone!
Margaret thought that this would not only supervise the officers, but also train Alexander. And given his position, the officers did not dare to resist.

While running and beating people at the same time, it is difficult to feel the torture of training on your will in such a positive and interesting environment.

It’s like there’s gold stretching for twenty kilometers ahead, and even a 300-pound fat man wouldn’t feel tired.

"When will you fulfill the conditions you promised me?" Ralph looked at Margaret.

Margaret was a little flustered: "Before next summer Viking, I need to find Xina to communicate with the gods, so that she will show up!"

"I'm waiting!" Ralph stopped talking. He seemed to have regained his former confidence. Facing the sunshine, she felt that the gloomy feeling in him seemed to have been reduced a lot.

She breathed a sigh of relief, looked at the donkey, and told Ralph her thoughts.

"Loyalty training?" Ralph pondered for a moment and shook his head. "I don't recommend you do this now, because the soldiers are not loyal enough to you. If you do this, you will only find that no one listens to you!"

"Is that so?" Margaret thought for a moment. She felt that what the other party said made sense. But she felt that the other party was just looking for a reason to prevent her from hurting the donkey.

Forget it! she thought.

"Go back and prepare. I heard the servants discussing that tomorrow is the day when the Gotland family will establish a nation, and you will be crowned as queen!"

Ralph called the group of officers to a halt, reprimanded them one by one, and then dispersed them.

Margaret stared at his leg, which had been amputated at the calf, and wondered if she could get him a prosthetic.

(End of this chapter)