Chapter 29

"You dare... to doubt God...? And you call yourself a follower of Christ?! You ought the be ashamed!! Doubting God's love is the last thing a devout Christian should ever do!! There is no father... who would not love... his own son!"

- Canute

Father and Son (父と子) is the 29th chapter in the series and the first chapter of Volume 5.

Overview
In December 1013, at the Danish army's station in Gainsborough, Floki tells King Sweyn that Prince Canute is missing. The King says that with Canute's whereabouts unknown and winter underway, no rescue can be sent out until spring, and that if Prince Canute had a greater affinity for ruling than his brother Harald, then perhaps he never would have been lost. In Gloucester, Mercia, Thorkell laments the onset of winter and the coming end of the war; Asgeir tells him there's to be a Witenagemot in Wessex soon, where England is to surrender unconditionally and Sweyn is to be crowned King of the Britons. Christians find Anne, still alive, in the snow. Nearby, Askeladd and his band hide in the farming village. Ear cannot hear far with the snow, but Askeladd still prefers it to sending out scouts, which would reveal their location. Willibald prays with Ragnar and Canute and starts to question God's trials and his love. Canute angrily tells him to be silent, that doubting God's love is the last thing a devout Christian would do, and that there is no father who would not love his own son. Thorkell receives word that the lord of an area up the Severn has asked for help with one to two hundred Danes who have taken over a small village. Happy to find Thorfinn and Canute's trail again, Thorkell prepares to march.

Summary
In December 1013, in the Danelaw's Danish army station in Gainsborough, Floki approaches King Sweyn's lodgings with several Jomsvikings. He is told the king is having breakfast in his bedroom and goes to see him alone, leaving the rest of the Jomsvikings outside. As King Sweyn sits in bed, fed by a female servant, Floki tells him survivors of Ragnar's troop have just brought news that Prince Canute is missing. Four hundred of them had tried to save the prince from Thorkell's grasp in the forests of Marlborough, but lost him in the chaos when a wildfire spread and wiped out most of them. King Sweyn asks if he might still be Thorkell's captive, but Floki says the messenger observed Thorkell's forces for two more days and never saw anyone who resembled the prince. King Sweyn says that Prince Canute might still be alive and awaiting rescue in English territory, but that with his whereabouts unknown and the winter underway, no rescue can be sent out until spring. King Sweyn says that if he Prince Canute had a greater affinity for ruling than his brother Harald, then perhaps he never would have been lost. Floki smiles and says it is a lamentable and grievous event. In Gloucester, Mercia (Central England), Thorkell observes the snow falling, poetically lamenting the fact that its onset means the war will pause. Asgeir asks if Thorkell likes his pork boiled or seared, and Thorkell says both. He joins his men indoors, where they drink and eat their fill. Thorkell says it hurt to let the prince get away despite his cowardice, as he had his uses; they could have proclaimed him the new king, demanded ransom money for him, or used him to recruit soldiers. Thorkell demands more beer, to the master's displeasure, as Thorkell's forces are causing them to run low on food and drink. Some of the workers say they're almost at their wit's end and ask the master if he can't convince them to stay somewhere else and the master says he's tried, thinking there must be some other way to drive them out.

Thorkell says they should've given Canute to the English if he was going to slip out of their hands anyway, commenting morale's been terrible lately and that they need something to perk them up. Asgeir laughs and says he is wicked, stoking them up the fires of war as soon as he senses them dimming. Thorkell replies that they're warriors after all, and that he'll do anything to ensure the war lasts as long as possible. Asgeir says if that's the case, he has bad news, as he heard from the town's priest that there's to be a Witenagemot in Wessex soon, where Sweyn is to be crowned the Bretwalda: King of the Britons. Thorkell startles, as that would be unconditional surrender. Asgeir says Denmark will soon have all of England, since the English nobility want the war to end so badly that they're willing to give up control of the country. He asks Thorkell what the plan is and if they'll wage a final assault on King Sweyn's stronghold, but Thorkell says that he loves fighting and hates losing, and only fights to win. He mopes about not having Canute to use as a hostage and thinks perhaps he shouldn't have crushed Ragnar's force, wishing the world could be at war all the time. Some Christian villagers find Anne collapsed in the snow. They notice her ring and deduce she might be of noble birth. As they go to take the ring, presumably to find out whos he was, Anne twitches and makes a sound, still alive. At Askeladd's farming village hideout in northern Mercia, Askeladd asks Ear, up on a tree, if he hears anything troubling. Ear says he doesn't hear much and that besides, the snow sucks up all the sound, limiting his range. Askeladd says that it is still better than sending out scouts and announcing to everyone in the area that they're here. Ear says he might want to do something about Willibald, Ragnar and the prince, who are praying nearby and who no one would confuse for simple farmers. Askeladd tells Ear to keep an eye on them; Ear says he should take his advice and tie them to a pillar, and wonders who'd want to worship a God so petty that they'd have to beg forgiveness for everything they do. Willibald kneels, leading the prayer in front of a makeshift cross, asking God to lead the souls of the dead to his side and bring salvation to the souls who killed them. Thorfinn observes from further back, maintaining his shortswords, and wonders if they're bored or just assholes, as they've got better uses for their time than praying for others. Willibald looks up and asks God if his voice even reaches Him, and says that they were created in His image, but without his strength. He asks God why He sends them trials and tests them in their weakness. Willibald admits he begins to doubt God's love. Canute stands and tells him to be silent, asking him if he dares to doubt God. He yells that he ought to be ashamed to call himself a follower of Christ, as doubting God's love is the last thing a devout Christian should do. Lower, he says there is no father who would not love his own son, then walks away, followed by Ragnar, whose heart aches for Canute. Thorfinn looks down to his father's shortsword in his hand, thinking of Thors. In Gloucester, the master tells Thorkell that they've received a summons for help from the Lord of an area up the Severn, where Danes have taken over a small village. The only, survivor, Anne, claimed there was one to two hundred of them. The master says they were thinking that the great and heroic Captain Thorkell would see to it that they were vanquished. Asgeir tells Thorkell that there can't be many Danish troops of that size acting independently at that time of the year. Thorkell assumes Askeladd's group feinted going by sea, then marched inland to Gainsborough and stopped when they were trapped by the snow, and that Thorfinn and Canute must be there now. He tells Asgeir to wake everyone up, as they're going marching, and tells the crushed master that they'll need five days' worth of provisions for five hundred man. Thorkell happily says that if they play their hand right, there'll be more fun to have from the war yet.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Floki
 * Sweyn
 * Thorkell
 * Asgeir
 * Anne
 * Ear
 * Askeladd
 * Bjorn
 * Willibald
 * Canute
 * Ragnar
 * Thorfinn