In which ten years have passed since the Second Siege of Paris and everything has changed for Ylva and Bjorn Ironside. Upon the sudden arrival of Ragnar Lothbrok, they choose to sail on their journey to the Mediterranean instead of joining the man o...
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Several days had passed and not much had changed for the group living in Wessex. Alongside Bjorn, her two oldest children, and the rest of the usual group, Ylva stood in front of Alfred, who sat on his throne with his brother standing on one side of him and his mother on the other.
"A large Viking army is sailing into Wessex. From reports I have heard, the leader of the army is King Harald Finehair who, as you well know, has visited us before," Alfred explained to the group in a calm tone, "I agreed to give you refuge here, so long as, in return, you agreed to fight against your countrymen. Now, the time has come. You will work with my brother, Prince Aethelred, and Bishop Heahmund, to devise a strategy to defeat Finehair's army. If you refuse, you will be killed."
Bjorn remained silent and turned his head, exchanging a look with Ylva.
"There will be no future here. No grant of land. Nothing," He continued as he rose from his throne and walked down the steps, toward them, "You must understand, and I think you do understand, that I've taken a huge personal risk to protect you," He explained, stopping when he was standing directly in front of Gyda, "So, I pray that none of you will betray me now.
"I will not betray you," Gyda assured Alfred without hesitation, "I will fight alongside you against King Harald. I swear it."
Remaining silent, Ylva turned her head and exchanged a look with Bjorn, both of them noticing the lingering stare between Alfred and Gyda.
Next, Alfred walked over to Bjorn and stared up at him, noticing his new haircut. "What?" Bjorn rudely asked Alfred, giving him a weird look while Ylva smiled in amusement.
"You cut your hair," Alfred stated in a calm tone before giving them the gesture that they could leave.
The group wasted no time heading for the door. Gyda turned on her heel, on the verge of following after her brother. "Gyda," Alfred suddenly called out, following after the girl before he grabbed her by the arm.
She stopped walking and turned to face him, letting out a large sigh. She walked toward him, a questioning look on her face.
"I wanted to thank you," Alfred told her, a small smile on his face, "And to ask you a favor."
"Anything," Gyda replied, smiling back at him,
____
That afternoon, Gyda stood in the woods with Alfred, who now had a different haircut. He had clearly gotten the idea from her father, which she couldn't help but find amusing.
Alfred sighed, running a hand through his hair before he turned to face Gyda. "First lesson of the day, never be afraid," She informed the young king in a calm tone as she held an ax in her hand. She sighed, gesturing toward a nearby tree, "Now, go and stand over by that tree."
