Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 146 Dual Identity
In October, in Londinium, various lords came to pay their tribute.

With the surrender of the nobles of Cornwall (southwest corner of Britain), Ragnar nominally controlled all of Britain, hence the grand scale of the audience ceremony.

Amidst the fearful gazes of the onlookers, a large group of nobles gathered in the open space outside the palace gates, choosing their positions according to their rank.

Naturally, Ivar, Vigé, Esserwolf, and Theowough are ranked at the front, with the slight difference from last year being the addition of Gunnar.

This was Gunnar's first return to Britain since accepting the title of Duke of West Francia three years ago. He was no longer the disheveled hulking man of the past; his long, flowing blond hair was styled into a ponytail, his face was covered with a light beard, and he wore a purple embroidered robe with the famous sword "Dawn," stained with the blood of Viking pirates, hanging at his waist. Over this, he wore a black cloak embroidered with gold thread.

Most notably, he openly wore a silver cross pendant, acknowledging his conversion to Roman Catholicism.

Vig was friendly towards his old acquaintance who traded warhorses, asking, "I heard you had a son. How's the little guy?"

“That’s good. His crying voice was particularly loud. He’s truly my son.” Gunnar rarely showed a kind smile, and then casually mentioned the martial arts tournament that celebrated the birth of his eldest son.

"Both the equestrian champion and the foot warrior champion are our old acquaintances, Maurice. This fellow's horsemanship and swordsmanship are truly superb. No wonder he was chosen by a prominent widow of the Kingdom of Asturias (located in northern Spain). It's a pity that as the host, I couldn't participate in the competition and thus couldn't spar with him."

After chatting for a while, the palace gates slowly opened, and the dukes walked in unhurriedly. Looking at the heavily armored guards standing on both sides of the road, Vig thought to himself:

"Judging from this scene, it seems similar to the court assembly of the Central Plains Empire. It would be interesting if a eunuch were to join us."

When it was Gunnar's turn, the Imperial Guard Lieutenant "White Hair" Oleg stopped him. "Please step back, sir."

Gunnar stood there, stunned, unable to believe that this man dared to offend him.

"When Lao Tzu and Ragnar went out to raid, you weren't even fully grown yet. How dare you say such things to me? Don't you even know who you are?"

Oleg took another step forward, blocking the middle of the road. "My lord, in what capacity do you come to see His Majesty? If you are the Earl of Cambridge, you should be in the back of the line. If you are the Duke of Normandy or a member of the West Frankish royal family, you are not qualified to be here. His Majesty will meet with you at a later time."

Gunnar froze on the spot, his right hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of "Dawn." Seeing this, the heavily armored guards on both sides exchanged glances. Some of the more senior soldiers dared not offend their former superiors, while some of the hotheads had no such concerns and strode over to surround him.

Faced with this commotion, the crowd behind them came to a standstill. Oleg and Gunnar faced off in the middle of the road, neither willing to give way, until Ivar spoke:
"Since we cannot make a decision, we should inform the King as soon as possible and let him decide whether Gunnar's actions are reasonable. Including the knights directly under the royal command, there are more than 600 people waiting to be seen today. If we delay any longer, they may not make it to the banquet this evening."

Not long after, a guard brought back Ragnar's decree—allowing Gunnar to enter the palace, and "White Hair" Oleg signaled his men to make way.

"Your Excellency, this is not a personal matter, please forgive me."

Gunnar forced a blank smile. "You're quite good. I'll remember you."

Upon entering the palace hall, they bowed to the king and the two queens and presented the list of tribute.

Vig followed the procedure with practiced ease, then stood quietly in the right-hand queue, watching the familiar and unfamiliar vassals take turns coming forward to pay their respects. The majority, about 90%, were knights directly under the royal command. Due to limited space, the knights were not allowed to remain after their audience and left the hall under the watchful eyes of dukes, earls, and other high-ranking nobles.

Vig remained expressionless, silently complaining to himself:
"Phew, this is going to be tough. These little Karamis rarely get to interact with Ragnar, so they'll definitely take this opportunity to get close to him and make a good impression on their boss."

Rumors suggest that Ragnar intends to formally establish the rank of baron, and it's unknown which fortunate knights directly under the royal court will be included in the list of those to be promoted.

Along the way, occasionally someone would request a ruling. The most common conflict was a territorial dispute, where two knights would argue over some unnamed forest or river, severely slowing down their progress.

By noon, more than 300 knights under the direct command of the palace were still outside the palace who had not completed the process. They were given a quick lunch and a half-hour rest before being allowed to have an audience.

Working until just before sunset, Ragnar finally finished his task. His eyes were lifeless as he leaned against his uncomfortable throne, his tired and drowsy mind lost in thought:

"With Cornwall under our rule, we can bestow knights upon the new territories. The number of vassals is growing, and if we let them run wild, we may not have dinner on this day next year."

Therefore, he plans to establish an additional rule:
Before initiating a lawsuit, the knights must first submit evidence to the Minister of Justice. If mediation fails, they can then seek a ruling from the Minister himself.

Pascal was instructed to draft the law, Ragnar declared the ceremony over, and ordered the chief steward to host a banquet.

Instantly, Vig and the others on the right side of the hall breathed a sigh of relief.

They stood there from morning till dusk, except for a brief rest at midday; the rest of the time they were like clay puppets, motionless. The counts who were slightly behind could still chat, but dukes like Vig could only stand still, enduring until this moment when they could finally be freed.

Rubbing his aching thighs, Vig sighed, "Luckily it's only once a year, so I can barely manage. I wonder how the civil officials of the Chinese Dynasty cope with the more complicated rules and more frequent court assemblies?"

Looking back, the official morning court session in the Ming Dynasty was held at five in the morning, and officials had to gather outside the Meridian Gate at three in the morning. In the dead of winter, this was a double test of physical strength and willpower.

Soon after, the banquet began.

Sitting at the long table on the right side of the hall, Vig ate his food at a leisurely pace. His palate had become quite discerning, and he showed little interest in the dishes. He was more interested in listening to the conversations around him than in savoring the food.

During the meal, Gunnar walked up to Ragnar with a wine jug and invited his brother of over twenty years to have a drink.

"my pleasure."

Ragnar raised his glass and gulped down the deep red, sweet wine, ending the dinner in a hazy, celebratory state.

As the banquet ended, Ragnar, supported by his attendants, walked back to his bedroom. The narrow corridor was unusually quiet. Queen Sora whispered a suggestion, "Gunnar is completely unreliable. Find an excuse to detain him."

(End of this chapter)