Ragnar issues the challenge to Earl Haraldson who initially declines on the grounds Ragnar is a criminal. He remembers what the soothsayer told him however and decides to accept. A pregnant Lagertha, fearing that Ragnar is too weak to win, thinks they should just run away.
Incumbent. The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent.
An incumbent is an official who holds an office. If you want to run for congress, you're going to have to beat the incumbent. Incumbent comes from the Latin word incumbens, which means lying in or leaning on, but came to mean holding a position. It was first used in English for someone holding a church office, and then someone holding any office. You'll most likely hear it today for political officials. In a race for mayor, the incumbent mayor faces a challenger. Incumbent also means obligation.