"By all the saints and the relics of Patrick himself!" Áed roared. "Have you all lost your minds? You stand before your High King and dare suggest we offer alliance to this Ragnar who has swallowed half of England in two short years? Since when did Ireland fear a blacksmith's nightmare more than a warrior's blade?!"
Connor mac Nessa, powerful lord of Ulster, stepped forward with careful respect, though his weathered face showed the strain of delivering such unwelcome tidings.
"Your Majesty, with the greatest respect, this is no ordinary Viking raider from Dublin. Since the fall of The Fang, every ship that crosses the narrow sea brings the same story. Evidently his vassals in England already prosper under his rule. After some time the whispers have reached even our most loyal chieftains. They say alliance may be the wiser path than waiting for his fleet to appear upon our shores."
