Building a Viking Empire with Modern Industry-Chapter 219: Northern Alliance

The three of them stood in silence for a moment...

Suddenly a breathless messenger in the black and gold of the Lion Banner strode in and dropped to one knee before the Iron Father.

"My lord!" the man panted, "a most interesting guest has arrived at the southern docks. Three assassins rowed him across the Channel. He claims to be the rightful heir to the Frankish throne... Prince Louis the Stammerer, son of the dead emperor! He begs audience with the Iron Father at once."

Ragnar’s smile widened into something predatory as he exchanged a single glance with Gyda and Leofric.

"And there it was," Ragnar murmured, "the desperate one arrives first. Bring him to me. Let us hear what the true heir of Francia is willing to offer in exchange for the Lion’s protection."

The messenger bowed and vanished as quickly as he had come.

Leofric let out a deep laugh that shook the rafters. "I cannot wait to see his face when he realizes he just walked into the lion’s den with nothing but a dagger and a prayer."

The palace gates of City Titan stood wide under the Lion Banner, but the guards on duty still snapped to attention the moment the lone figure approached on foot. Louis the Stammerer walked alone now,the three assassins having refused to step past the outer walls.

"We wait here," the leader had said quietly, "You go in alone. The Iron Father will want to see you that way. No hidden blades at your back."

Louis had nodded once and stepped through the gates. The guards eyed him warily, hands resting on sword hilts, but they let him pass after a quick search.

One of them muttered something low to the other before waving him forward.

"Straight to the main hall," the guard said. "The Iron Father is expecting important guests tonight."

Louis said nothing. By the time he reached the tall double doors of the great hall, his hands were shaking inside his sleeves.

Inside, the hall was warmer than he expected.

Ragnar sighed the moment Louis stepped fully into the light. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Louis stopped ten paces away and forced his shoulders straight. His voice came out steadier than he felt.

"I am Louis, son of Charles the Bald, rightful Emperor of the Franks. I come alone. My mother sent me across the sea in secret... I need your help."

Ragnar leaned back in his chair, studying him for a long moment before speaking.

"Sit down, boy. You look like you ran the whole way from Francia. Gyda, pour him something strong. He’s shaking."

Gyda moved without a word, filling a cup and sliding it across the table. Louis took it with both hands, the warmth helping steady him.

Leofric snorted from his pillar. "Your uncle’s got two thousand knights and half the dukes already kissing his boots. What makes you think you can offer us anything he can’t?"

Louis took a long drink, then set the cup down harder than he meant to. "Because I’m the blood. My uncle took the throne with steel, not right. The dukes are scared of him right now, but they’ll turn on him the moment they see weakness. I can give you the south. The ports. Trade rights. Everything your ships need to reach the Mediterranean without paying his tolls."

Ragnar’s fingers tapped once on the arm of his chair. "And in return?"

Louis met his eyes. "In return you help me take back what’s mine. You land your army. You break my uncle’s knights the same way you broke that mountain in Norway. When I sit on the throne, Francia opens every southern port to you. You get a foothold on the mainland. I get my crown."

Gyda leaned forward, "You’re offering half the kingdom to a foreign conqueror. That’s a big promise for a man who just ran for his life."

"I’m offering survival," Louis shot back, "My uncle will kill me the second he feels safe. He already tried once. If I stay in Francia alone, I’m dead within the month. With you... with the Iron Empire... I have a chance. And you get Francia split down the middle. Your cannons on one side, my banner on the other. The dukes will have to choose. Most will choose the side with the bigger guns."

Leofric pushed off the pillar and walked closer, "Words are cheap. How do we know you can deliver? Your uncle’s already got the crown on his head and knights at his back. You’ve got three assassins waiting outside and a whole lot of nothing."

Louis turned to face him directly. "Because the dukes are scared. I saw it in their eyes before they dragged me away. They knelt to my uncle because they were terrified of those knights. But they’re even more terrified of you. They’ve heard the stories from Norway. They know what your cannons can do. If I come back with the Lion Banner behind me, half of them will switch sides before the first shot is fired."

Ragnar watched the exchange in silence, then finally spoke again, "More than a crown, you’re offering me a civil war I can finish in a single season. That’s tempting. But kings who lose everything often promise the world. What happens when you sit on that throne and decide you no longer need the Lion’s help?"

Louis leaned forward, "Then you remind me what happens to men who break their word to the Iron Father. I’m not stupid. I know I can’t beat my uncle alone. But with you... we split Francia. You keep the south and the ports. I keep the north and the title. We both win. My uncle loses everything."

Gyda tapped her ledger once, "And your mother? She sent you here knowing what this alliance would cost?"

"She sent me here because it’s the only way I stay alive," Louis answered, "She told me to give you whatever you want. Ports. Trade. Land. Whatever it takes... Just help me take back what’s mine."

Ragnar stood slowly, cane striking the floor once as he walked around the table until he was standing directly in front of the young prince. He looked down at him for a long moment...

"I have never stolen a throne from a man who still had a rightful claim. If I help you, Louis the Stammerer, it will not be out of pity. It will be because you are useful. Because your name still means something to the people of Francia. Because with you on the throne, the south opens to my ships without a single battle."

"Stay the night. Rest. Tomorrow we talk terms. Real terms. If you can convince me that you are more than just a boy running from his uncle’s knights, then perhaps we have a deal."

Ragnar nodded once, then turned back toward the table.

"Take him to the guest quarters. Feed him. Let him sleep. We have much to discuss in the morning."

As Louis was led away by two silent guards, Ragnar sat back down and looked at Gyda and Leofric, the ghost of a smile touching his lips.

"And there it was... the key we needed to open the southern ports without firing a single shot."