GLORY OR VALHALLA
— 13. Failure
On the docks, the crowd cheered as they stood near the water. Olaf, Bjorn, Ylva, and the others Kings and Queens gathered for the election.
"I cast my vote..." One of the men trailed off as he raised a black rune, "To Ylva the Dread."
He dropped the rune into the water and Ylva watched on, trying to contain her satisfaction.
She turned to glance at Bjorn, who was uneasily moving in his seat.
Another Jarl stood up, grabbing a rune before walking to the middle of the platform. "My vote goes to King Harald," He announced before aggressively tossed the rune into the water.
Just then, a dark-haired woman walked up and grabbed one of the runes. "And mine to Earl Thorkell."
Another man walked over and ended up voting for Bjorn. The voting continued and the one who seemed to be getting the most votes seemed to be tied between Ylva and Harald.
_____
At Lagertha's farm, Gyda stood with Asa and Thyra, helping their grandmother with dinner. She walked over to the table to grab a cooking utensil, only to stop when she heard the horn outside.
Feeling uneasy, Gyda rushed over to the two young girls and placed her hands on their shoulders. "Now, we do what we planned, you hear me?" She asked the two girls, who immediately nodded.
Gyda sighed, leaning closer before she kissed both of them on the forehead. "I love you," She whispered to them softly before leading them toward the door.
"Prepare for the attack!" Gyda shouted as she ran outside, "Go to your stations!"
Gyda walked over to one of the women, handing Asa and Thyra to her. "Look after them," She demanded in a stern tone, "They must be protected at all costs. They are heirs to the thrones of Kattegat and Ashton."
"Of course," The woman responded and nodded her head, "I shall protect them with my life."
Once Thyra and Asa were out of sight, Gyda walked over to her grandmother and the other shieldmaidens, unsheathing her sword.
"Come! To your stations. Go," Lagertha demanded in a stern tone.
_____
At the election, Ylva sighed as she watched a woman walk over and vote for Harald.
Slowly, Harald and Ylva turned to look at each other, seeing as though they were at equal votes.
Just then, an unknown man walked over, prepared to make his vote. He reached toward the black runes belonging to Ylva but at the last moment, turned and grabbed Harald's instead. "I cast my vote for King Harald!" He announced loudly, causing Ylva's eyes to widen in alarm.
______
At Lagertha's farm, as the bandits approached, one of the older men walked forward, carrying an ax in his hand. He watched as the bandits rose from the tall grass but showed no fear. He didn't have the need to feel fear. He knew he'd be dying for something worth it and would get to go to Valhalla in the end.
"Come on, then! Attack us!" He encouraged the men in a loud tone, "We are not afraid! You have made a big mistake! I have fought with men whose names you should never be allowed to utter! I have fought with Ragnar Lothbrok! I have fought with Rollo and Floki! I have fought for Sihtric the Terror. And I have fought with Queen Ylva the Dread! I have lived a real-life! Come and fight me! I yearn for Valhalla!"
The old man spread out his arms as he spoke, only to be struck with several arrows to the chest.
As he collapsed to the ground, the bandits walked closer to the grain stores, led by Whitehair. They reached the body of the old man and looked down at him. They glanced up again to see the boys standing on the hills with boys but it wasn't long before those same boys were attacked from behind by bandits and were slaughtered.
With that, they continued to walk toward the walls of the grains stores. He attempted to look through the cracks but saw nothing.
They kicked open the gates, only to find a maze inside. They looked around, clearly confused.
_____
At the election, Jarl Thorkell stepped forward, making his announcement. "It has always been his dream! It has always been his ambition! And now, it has come to pass. I cast my vote..." He trailed off, looking between Bjorn and Ylva, "For King Harald! Hail King Harald! King of all Norway!"
As the crowd cheered, Ylva felt uneasy, knowing that by Thorkell voting for King Harald, he had broken the tie of votes between her and Harald. He had now won by a single vote.
Slowly, Ylva turned to Harald, glaring at him hatefully.
Sighing out, Ylva turned, exchanging a look with Bjorn. They turned, watching the priests walk past them and over to where Harald stood, thanking those who had voted for him.
"Thank you!" Harald exclaimed, extending his arms out.
"And so it has been fated," King Olaf announced and Ylva leaned forward in her seat anxiously as she watched the scene occur intently, "And who are we to question the wisdom of the gods?"
Hearing the man's words, Ylva scoffed and rolled her eyes. She turned to Bjorn, who seemed to have had the same reaction as her.
"Harald Finehair, you have been chosen to be the first King of all Norway," King Olaf announced and by the look on his face, it seemed as though he wasn't happy about it either, "Drink from the sacrificial cup."
King Harald walked forward. He stopped in front of the priest and grabbed ahold of the cup. He brought it to his lips and wasted no time taking a large gulp of it.
"Kneel," Olaf demanded and Harald obeyed, "Let no one here dispute this result, but embrace it freely, in the spirit of all gathered here today."
After being handed the crown, Olaf turned to Harald, raising the piece of metal into the air for all to see. "Harald Finehair, I crown you the first King of All Norway," He announced and Ylva sighed, watching the crown being placed on his head, "All hail King Harald...King of all Norway!"
As the crowd cheered, Ylva sneered, tightly balling her right hand into a fist. She tried to maintain composure as she turned to Bjorn, who looked just as upset as her.
It didn't make sense, especially since they had both taken part in the election. It couldn't have been possible for Harald to have won. Not when Ylva the Dread and Bjorn, the oldest son of Ragnar Lothbrok, the greatest hero of their time, had been a part of the election. It didn't make sense at all. It meant somehow they had cheated but they knew better than to accuse the people there of such a thing without evidence.
As the celebrations continued, Ylva remained at Bjorn's side. They walked in the opposite way of everyone else, pushing through the crowds of people. They clearly weren't in the celebratory mood that everyone else was. They had entered that election that day, believing even if one of them didn't win, then the other would and they were fine with that. However, somehow, at the end of it, neither of them had. It was humiliating, to say the least.
And while Harald and Bjorn were somewhat on peaceful terms with each other, it was obvious Ylva didn't like the man all that much. She never had. She had always held resentment toward him since the day she had been met. Even more so after those times in Paris when he had roped Freya into his atrocities against the villagers there when Freya was just a girl. She had always preferred Halfdan, anyway.
Much to their disappointment, from afar, Ylva and Bjorn could hear Harald calling out to them. They sighed, exchanging a look with each other. They stopped, slowly turning to see Harald walking toward them.
He pushed through the crowds, all of which cheered and patted him on the shoulder.
"Bjorn! Ylva! No hard feelings!" He called out to them and while Bjorn forced himself to smile at Harald, Ylva's expression remained stoic. She wasn't going to hide her disappointment.
She knew it wasn't the madness deep inside her making her think in such a way. She knew for a fact Harald couldn't have had a chance of defeating both her and Bjorn in an election such as the one they took part in that day. It was meddled with, she knew it.
"It was a fair fight," Harald told them as he extended his arms out while looking directly at Ylva. He knew she was the one he had to kiss up to if he wanted to remain on his throne. If one more person had voted for her, she would have one.
"And, unbelievably, all of us settled our differences peacefully," Harald continued and Ylva continued to stare at him in silence, "Who would have thought? Especially when you were just one vote away from winning."
"Who would have thought?" Ylva finally spoke up, forcing herself to smile. He had purposely reminded her of that just to piss her off.
"Tonight we will feast together! All of us!" Harald announced loudly as he turned toward the crowd, who cheered.
He turned to the married couple again. Both of them wore expressions so deadly, Harald knew if he didn't tread lightly, either of them could have killed him at any moment and he was betting on Ylva.
"I hope you will join us," He told them in a calm tone, "I will need your advice, your experience, and your strength, and Ylva's love of the people in the months and the years to come."
Ylva opened her mouth to rudely respond, only to have Bjorn speak first. "We will be there!" Bjorn interrupted, smiling at Harald widely while Ylva turned to frown at her husband.
"Thank you, my friend," Harald replied and patted Bjorn on the shoulder before turning to the crowds of people once more, "Thank you! Thank you all! Tonight there is a grand feast!"
Ylva watched her husband turn, his smile immediately fading once his back faced Harald's. She smirked slightly and immediately began to walk beside him.
"Years?" She scoffed loudly and rolled her eyes, "Bold of him to assume he'll last that long."
Bjorn sighed and shook his head at his wife's words. Besides that, however, he barely reacted to it. He wasn't surprised to hear such treasonous words escape her lips just minutes after someone had been appointed in a position above theirs.
Harald being King of all Norway meant neither of them, especially Ylva, could no longer go on doing anything she wanted or rule whatever way she wanted as she usually did. For years, no one ever stopped her whenever she dared to conquer lands of Norway or appoint herself a queen of Ashton when she had been just an earl month before all those years ago. She never had to answer to anyone nor did anyone ever tried to control her.
But now, she did have to answer to someone. Harald, of all people. He was now King of all Norway. They all had to answer to him.
"I'm not giving up my lands, Bjorn," She declared as she turned to shoot her husband a stern look, "Not to this fool. If I have to start a war with all of Norway, I will."
"I feel the same way," Bjorn simply responded and began to walk ahead of Ylva.
Ylva thought nothing of it, however. She didn't even notice how Bjorn's responses were so short and simple. As if he wasn't even in the mood to talk to her.
"Together, we can fend off any who dare to try to make us do otherwise," Ylva continued her rant, smiling widely at the thought. It was just like old times.
Just them against the world without anyone standing in their way. A true partnership as they once were. Bjorn Ironside and Ylva the Dread, the most famous couple among their people. Known for their love and devotion towards each other. A love so strong no one could come between them, a bond so strong that nothing could break it.
What had happened to them?
Hearing Ylva's words, Bjorn stopped walking. He sighed deeply and slowly turned to face her with a cold look on his face. "Why are you here, Ylva?" He suddenly asked and the smile immediately fell from Ylva's lips.
"What do you mean?" She replied as she began to frown.
"You are not acting like yourself. Something happened while I was away. It is why you are here. You are trying to distract yourself," He explained as he walked toward her, causing Ylva's face to pale.
He knew her better than anyone. Of course, he'd see right through her and the mask she had been wearing the whole day. Of course, he'd see that despite not showing it, she had been on the verge of breaking down the entire time she was there. After all, their son was dead and Bjorn didn't even know it. She had been keeping it from him the entire day.
"What happened?" Bjorn asked sternly and Ylva began to tear up, "There's something you're hiding from me. I can see it on your face."
Ylva's lips parted as she stared up at her husband. She took a deep breath, wiping the tear that was on the verge of spilling down her cheek. "Hali and Erik..." She began to tear up as she glanced down at the ground, "They're...They're dead."
"Hali is d..." He began to say, only to have his eyes widen as she began to take in the second name she had spoken, "Erik..is dead?" He asked her as tears formed in his eyes, "Our son is dead?"
Not speaking a word, Ylva nodded as she silently cried. She watched as Bjorn's bottom lip quivered. He closed his eyes for a short moment, taking in the news. He didn't speak for a long while, processing it all. His youngest son was dead. And so was Hali, his nephew.
"And you've been here this entire day?!" He suddenly snapped at Ylva angrily while he was also crying, "And you didn't think to tell me? How did he die?"
"Whitehair killed him," Ylva answered as she stared up at Bjorn, waiting for realization to hit him.
"The man I spared,"He realized, his eyes widening as he realized he was at fault for his son's death.
"Yes. The man you spared. He wanted revenge on us. He took it out on our poor son, just as I told you he would," Ylva explained, her eyes softening for a brief moment before she began to glare at Bjorn, fury in her eyes, "You didn't listen to me. And our baby boy paid the price."
Shooting Bjorn a glare, Ylva spat on the ground before beginning to walk away.
She didn't get fair because it wasn't long before Bjorn grabbed her by the arm. "Don't walk away from me, Ylva," He demanded in a stern tone.
Ylva scoffed, roughly snatching her arm from his grip before turning to face him. "Why not!" She shouted at him angrily, "This is all your fault!"
"What are you talking about?" He asked, beginning to frown in confusion. She wasn't just talking about Erik.
"This is all your fault!" She repeated her previous statement as she gestured to everything occurring all around them. The celebration in honor of Harald being appointed King of all Norway.
"What do you mean!" He exclaimed, still confused about what she was getting at.
"You think you're capable of ruling this land on your own but you are not. Your father was right. You have the strength of a man and the will of a little girl. I don't know how I didn't see it earlier," She scoffed loudly and shook her head, "I thought you matured since the day we first married but I was wrong. I still have to save you from all the messes you get yourself into. And I'm sick of it."
Ylva sighed deeply. She turned, only to tense up as she found her father standing to the right of Bjorn, smirking evilly. "Kill him. Kill him and be done with it. Kill him. He only holds you back. He is a burden. Kill him."
Ylva took a deep breath and turned to Bjorn once more.
"What are you saying, Ylva?" Bjorn asked and Ylva closed her eyes, trying to block out the sound of her father telling her to kill Bjorn.
"I'm saying I need time to think everything through," She forced herself to say, despite not wanting to. She felt it was needed, though. She was unstable and she didn't walk to cause any more problems with Bjorn than she already had. She loved him far too much to lose him because of the madness consuming her.
"Ylva..." Bjorn trailed off softly, on the verge of reaching her hand.
As her father kept on with his demands, Ylva opened her eyes, unable to take it anymore. "No!" She blurted out and Bjorn immediately frowned at her, believing her outburst to be directed toward him.
She sighed and turned to him, trying to contain herself. "I don't want to divorce you, Bjorn. I just need time to myself. To think. I need space. Will you give it to me?" She asked calmly and without saying a word, Bjorn nodded in agreement.
"Good," She forced herself to say before she turned.
As she walked off, she began to tear up while Bjorn tried to contain how upset he was. What the hell was going on with her lately?
"That was weak," Ylva heard her father say as he appeared in front of her when she was walking away.
He began to move toward her in a threatening manner, leading to her glaring at him coldly. "You should kill him while you still--"
"Will you just shut up already?" She complained and nodded her head slightly, "Enough talk of Bjorn or any of those I love. Just tell me how to kill those who stand against me before I lose anyone else."
Hearing her demands, Sigefrid's lips curled upwards into a sadistic, yet somehow proud smile. He moved toward Ylva, bending down to meet her at eye view. "I was wondering how long it would take you to ask," He responded in a calm tone, "And so it begins..."
Sigefrid backed away from Ylva. He turned, beginning to walk away with her following after him.