Leading his flotilla of eleven longboats along the coast of Frisia, Rollo made sure to stop periodically. His men needed the chance to let loose, to engage in viking adventures. The months spent on land building the new settlement hadn’t been easy. There wasn’t much treasure to be won on their way back to the Western Isles, as most of the settlements they passed had been sacked too often. The coast had suffered too many Danish and Norse invasions over the past fifty years.

For Rollo, though, there wasn’t any expectation of treasure. He saw each of these sorties as opportunities to have his men stay positive and hungry for more as the made their way towards his father’s Kingdom. Rollo was wise enough to know that the men had followed him because they were loyal to his father, Kettil. Rollo’s task was to have them become loyal to him in spite of his youth. It was rare that a sixteen-year-old became a leader of a viking expedition.

Crossing the sea to reach Scotland, Rollo stopped at a river town called Aberdeen. The town had been a frequent and favourite stopping point for travel both too and from his father’s kingdom. As they approached the docks, Halfdan noticed something amiss. The usual bustle of the port town was missing.

“We need to find out what is going on here before we allow the men to leave the boats,” Halfdan suggested. I don’t like what I am seeing here.”

Rollo agreed with Halfdan who had suggested that a very small group of men would have a better chance of mingling in the town to find out what was going on.

“We need to take the fleet upriver a league or two and wait for darkness to fall before we enter the town,” Rollo added. “We will more easily be able to discover what is going on.”

As dusk began to deepen into night, Rollo, Halfdan, and three other men entered the village on foot wearing inconspicuous clothing, including a hooded jacket. They followed along the river road past closed buildings searching for the Inn of the Flying Dragon, an Inn that had been their main meeting place alongside the river in the past. Better inns were to be found further from the river’s edge.

At the Inn, they edged in as unobtrusively as possible while a few drunks wobbled out the door to take a piss on the bank of the river. Rollo’s size was noticed, however that interest soon faded as the call to urinate took precedence. The five men sat at a table at the edge of the serving room, a small table that was tucked into a corner. Halfdan nodded his approval of the location. He ordered mugs of ale by holding up one hand showing his thumb and fingers. There was no need to speak to get service in the noisy tavern.

Rollo gave a start when he spotted Thórólfr sitting at a large table with at least eight others. He nodded to Rollo in recognition. Seeing him, Rollo let his gaze quickly go over the rest of the patrons at the Inn, searching for his father and brother. He was surprised that they weren’t at Thórólfr’s table, and even more surprised not to see them anywhere within the inn. Within moments, Thórólfr approached Rollo’s table dragging a stool with him.

“He’s not here, Rollo.”

“Where is he? I can’t remember the last time I ever saw you without him being at your side,” Rollo said, with concern in his voice.

“Haraldsson has murdered both your father and your brother. Not satisfied, he has declared you as a murderer as punishment for the use of a Blood Eagle execution.”

“How did that happen? When did that happen?” Rollo blurted out in surprise.

“Three weeks ago, in Danmǫrk. Before that, Haraldsson had seized the Western Isles during our absence.”

“What about my father’s men and longboats? Is everything lost?”

“No, not everything. I have scattered our boats and our men along the coast to the south. Haraldsson controls the north and all the islands. He dares not to come south. He fears the Saxons.”

“How did you survive and escape?”

“Fate and the gods are my only guesses,” Hrólfr stated with a shrug. “I have managed to gather about twenty-five longboats and twelve hundred warriors, with everyone waiting for you to replace your father. All of us want revenge.