'Vikings' Season 4 Premiere Episode: Series Creator Spills Scoop On Ragnar Lothbrok's Fate

"Vikings" season 4 premiere episode picked up right from where it left off in the third season finale.

Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) is still severely ill and according to series creator Michael Hirst, that will go on for the better part of the season.

Aside from health, the emotional challenges he is facing might take its toll on him, too.

"Ragnar's a very sick man," Hirst told Variety when asked to talk about "Vikings" season 4 premiere episode titled "A Good Treason."

"He's physically ill and I think comes very close to death, and he's mentally in a tough place because he knows that Floki was the one who killed Athelstan, who in a sense was his best friend. He's in a tough place now, because who does he talk to? He's in what amounts to a bad marriage. He was able to talk openly to Athelstan and now there isn't anyone obvious around to whom he can unburden himself."

Fans are worried about Ragnar ever since it toook a break in April last year. With his health, some think this is the time Fimmel and his character with leave the History Channel TV series.

Hirst said the season is more about Ragnar and his sons.

"The sons of Ragnar develop and it's partly, I think, a reflection," he said in another interview with Zap2It. "If I had to say what this season is about, it's identities and people trying to find out who they are. Trying to find themselves."

"Bjorn has to go into the wilderness, into the ice land, to find out who he is. He's been born to over-achieving parents who both love him but they patronize them. He's come from a broken home and he's always wanted to please his parents. So here he is, striking out on his own. He wants to know who he is and he knows his father doesn't think he'll survive."

The next "Vikings" season 4 episode is titled "Kill the Queen" and will air on Feb. 25.