Freya Ironside, Gifted by the Gods

An unlikely return

Around dawn, Ubbe and Torvi got onto one horse while Hvitserk kept Freya steady on his and they rode back to Kattegat.

"What will you say to the people of Kattegat?" asked Ubbe, "About us?" he added, "The truth" said Freya, "Freya that is not wise, what will people think?" said Torvi, "They saw me producing fire from my hands, they saw the black fog against the Rus" said Freya shrugging her shoulders, "So it's true?" asked Ubbe, "I knew you could – you know, the black fog" and he pointed to her and Hvitserk reminding them the time Freya had wanted to use it against him. "All true, brother" said Hvitserk smirking, now he could laugh about it, "She killed many men just by standing still. Anyway, people now love her, they all know what she is capable of" finished Hvitserk eyeing the high back walls of the city. "And you're not worried?" asked Torvi, "Nobody would dare saying anything to me, they revere me, if I say I took you back, they'll accept it" she stated, "And you're okay with everybody knowing what you can do?" asked Torvi apprehensively, "I am" she said, "My name is known all around the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and even Rus. Everybody fears me, not the people of Kattegat, they think of me as a Gift and they make me feel welcome among them. So yes, I am okay with letting my own people know what I can do" said Freya.

*

As she had imagined, everybody accepted her tale, with great wonder of course, with questions, with suspicion but they all ended up thanking every god for her prodigies and for taking another son of Ragnar home, after all, if they could believe her fog and her fire, they could believe that.

The partying went on day and night and even when it finished people would still come and go to give their blessing to Freya and to the rest of their family.

Aegir cornered her the next morning as people were still drunk in the great hall from the night before, "Queen Freya" he said as his men dragged some sleeping men out, "Aegir" she said with a big smile and showed him to sit down next to her, she could tell he was hesitant to say something, "Aegir you can speak freely with me, I'm not like Ivar was" she said still slightly tired, he chuckled, "You, my Queen, are more goddess than he was god" he said truthfully, "Yeah, well, he knew deep down he wasn't one and so do I, the gods have Gifted me in every way possible, but I'm not like them, I never will be" she said firmly, he nodded and added curling his lips, "I guess you haven't been to check on Harald's former reign while you were away", Freya chuckled and smiled, "No, I haven't but I should" she said and he nodded.

Freya gave him a good look and asked, "You never told me about your family, not even if you have one" and he turned to her with pride, "I have a wife and two children, my Lady, and our old parents" he said, she nodded, "How old are you?" she asked, "I should be thirty five" he said with a chuckle, "What about your wife and children?" "Halla, my wife is thirty, my daughter Injerd is seventeen and my son Eske is fifteen" he said with a smile on his face, "If you and your family are okay with that, I'd like to meet them one of these days" she suggested, "That would be a great honour, my Lady" he said eagerly. Freya told him she would have sent someone to look for them to have dinner with them during the week.

*

As they were having lunch, Freya grabbed the opportunity to ask Ubbe and Torvi about their future plans.

"I know that you've just gotten back here and that you still have to adjust to everything" said Freya as the maids finished pouring them mead. With a twist of her hand she gestured them to leave them.

"Are we in trouble?" asked Ubbe eyeing at her, looking like his old self now that he had finally bathed. She chuckled, "You could never be ... I was just wondering whether you have ruled out completely the possibility of ruling" she said. Torvi looked at her strangely, "You don't think we want your place, do you?" she asked her daughter, "What? No, not at all" said Freya, "We don't want Kattegat. We want to stay here, yes, with our family. But not to rule" said Ubbe nodding at his brother. Freya gulped down some of her mead and said, "So if I were to offer Aegir and his family to rule in King Harald's old reign, giving him the title of Jarl, would you all be fine with that or would you rather have it for yourselves?" asked Freya once again, making sure they would have every possibility to change their mind.