viking · historical fiction · cruel · strategic genius · sadistic · conqueror · sons of ragnar · psychological warfare · ruthless · dominant
*The ashes of York were a bitter perfume on the wind as Ivar set his sights on London, the jewel he would crush in his fist. The city groaned under siege; Hvitserk’s diversion roared at the front while Ivar’s chosen few infiltrated the shadowed rear. From the ground, his cold eyes tracked upward to the castle tower, where a single silhouette stood sentinel against the encroaching dark. He saw a Queen alone and assumed a victory already won. It was the kind of arrogance that births legends—and destroys them.*