Chapter 54

"Haven't you given a though... to what you're going to live for... after I'm dead, Thorfinn?... Ha ha... you haven't, have you? You're hopeless, you know that? [...] Move on, Thorfinn. Don't hang on... to this petty bullshit your entire life... You've got to move on... Go further... You are the son of Thors... So venture beyond the world he saw. That... is your true battle. Be a true warrior... son of Thors..."

- Askeladd

End of the Prologue (END OF THE PROLOGUE, End of the Prologue) is the 54th chapter in the series. It is the end of the series' first arc, the War Arc.

Overview
Prince Canute runs Askeladd through with the tip of his sword. Askeladd congratulates him before falling back, caught by Thorfinn before he hits the ground. Thorfinn urges Askeladd to get up and get away and is shocked when Askeladd tells him to kill him and that there is no time left. Thorfinn yells at Askeladd that it was not supposed to end this way and that he was the one who was supposed to kill him. Askeladd asks Thorfinn if he had given any thought to what he would do after he was dead, then chuckles and calls him hopeless when he realizes he did not. Askeladd tells Thorfinn to stop holding on, to move on and to be a true warrior and go further than Thors did. Askeladd dies. Canute tells Thorfinn he knows he will no longer want to serve him and he can go where he wishes. Thorfinn attacks Canute, leaving him with a gash in his cheek before he is tackled to the ground by Thorkell. Canute keeps the soldiers from killing Thorfinn, telling them his wound is shallow and a meager price to pay and that Thorfinn was not in league with Askeladd. Floki realizes the soldiers are obeying Canute and tries to take control of the situation before Canute wrests the military from him, but Canute steps forward and puts on the crown. Canute says he will decide Thorfinn's fate later, cancels the subjugation of Wales, and pushes back the distribution of valuables and lands. Thorfinn is dragged away and his shortsword is left behind.

Summary
Canute has run Askeladd through near the heart with the tip of his sword. Thorfinn looks on in shock, while Thorkell looks solemn and the rest of the men stop fighting. Askeladd asks Canute if it's the first time he's run a man through and congratulates him. Askeladd spits out blood and falls back, but Thorfinn catches him before he can hit the ground. The nearby men cheer about Prince Canute slaying "the brute" and avenging his royal father. Canute nearly faints, but Thorkell holds him up and tells him standing tall and proud is the important part and that he should not waste the stage that was made for his sake. Thorfinn yells at Askeladd for getting stabbed in the worst possible place and tells him he has to get on his feet, that they have to get out of there and that they'll fix him up later. Askeladd tells him to stop yelling and let him get some rest, offering him the chance to finish him off. He apologizes for the wait and tells Thorfinn his life is his now as he's used it up, though he doesn't regret any of it. He tells Thorfinn to kill him, as they're enemies. Thorfinn cannot believe Askeladd is going to die and asks him if he's kidding. Askeladd tells him to kill him quickly, as there's no time. Thorfinn angrily screams at him that it's not how things are supposed to be, telling him to get up and fight him, as it wasn't supposed to end this way and he's the one who's supposed to kill him. Askeladd asks him if he's given a single thought to what he'll live for once he's dead. Thorfinn does not reply and Askeladd chuckles, calling him hopeless. Thorfinn tells him to shut up and says it's none of his business. Askeladd tells Thorfinn to move on and to not hold on to it for his entire life. He tells him that he is the son of Thors and should venture beyond the world he saw, that that is his true battle. "Be a true warrior... son of Thors" are Askeladd's last words. Askeladd dies and Thorfinn lets go of Askeladd's tunic, standing over his dead body. Canute is gripping his sword so tightly that he has to unclasp his fingers from the hilt one by one with his other hand. The sword clangs onto the floor and he sighs before approaching Thorfinn. He tells Thorfinn he will not ask for his forgiveness, as Askeladd was struck by a sudden madness and killed the king and had to pay with his life. He says he cannot imagine Thorfinn will want to serve him any longer and that he is free to go where he wishes. Thorfinn turns around and looks at Canute with a broken expression. He lurches forward and strikes Canute with his shortsword before Thorkell pushes him to the ground. The men scream that Thorfinn attacked the prince, was in league with the traitor and needs to be killed, but Canute tells them to cease, as he is fine and Thorfinn was not in league with Askeladd. Canute says his wound, a gash on his left cheek, is a shallow wound and a meager price. He orders the soldiers back and tells them not to kill Thorfinn. Floki realizes the troops are obeying Canute's orders and that Canute will seize control of the military from him. He tells Canute that they cannot let him walk free without besmirching the dignity of the Danish royal line, but Canute specifies he will decide Thorfinn's fate later. Thorkell comments Floki always has to stick his nose in. Floki tells Canute to go rest in the back room to have his wound tended while he handles the rest of the situation and tells the soldiers to escort the prince. Canute asks Floki who commands the forces on the English front and has control now that the old king has died, then picks the crown off the floor and puts it on his own head. He proclaims that King Sweyn has passed and that he, Canute, now assumes control of the military and England. He cancels the subjugation of Wales, as they need to prepare for the uprising of the emboldened English forces once they hear about the King's death. He tells them the awarding of valuables and lands will be pushed back to a later date and that King Sweyn will be buried in two days, then dismisses them. Thorfinn is dragged away by a couple of men, who tell him to get to his feet. Thorfinn stares up emptily. He sees Thorkell point at him, talk to Canute and then walk away with him, but cannot hear what they are saying. He sees Askeladd's body, looks up, and sees the ceiling's beams distorting. Scenes of Thorfinn's past blend together, among them Thorkell after their last duel, a lone wolf, the dying slave from his youth, King Sweyn, Halfdan, the English mother, the Frankish commander he killed, Gratianus, Ragnar, London Bridge, Askeladd's band pillaging a village, a scared villager holding her crying baby, Bjorn, the dead Ear, Helga, Ylva, Canute, Leif, Askeladd bloody and laughing, Askeladd's sword thrown into the water by Thors, Thors handing Askeladd his shortsword. The last panel of the chapter (and of the War Arc) is Thorfinn's shortsword on the ground, left behind.

Characters in order of appearance

 * Askeladd
 * Thorfinn
 * Canute
 * Thorkell
 * Floki
 * Gunnar
 * Thors Snorresson (flashback)
 * Halfdan (flashback)
 * Ylva (flashback)
 * Helga (flashback)
 * Gratianus (flashback)
 * Sweyn (flashback)
 * Ear (flashback)
 * Bjorn (flashback)
 * Ragnar (flashback)
 * Leif Ericson (flashback)