You had a very long talk with Bjorn and Ubbe after Lagertha's funeral. You had explained everything. The attacks on the village, Hali's death, why you and Lagertha had returned. Then you had exposed the identity of Lagertha's killer.
Now, you sat in the throne while Bjorn paced back and forth in front of you while the crowd shouted and booed. Hvitserk was brought in, hands chained together.
"QUIET!" You roared
The crowd instantly went silent as they revealed the man.
Hvitserk stood up straight, surprisingly able to put on a brave face.
"I wonder if you even know, Hvitserk, why you have been brought here?" You ask, glaring at the man
"Yes." Hvitserk said
"Louder. I can't hear you." Bjorn demanded
"I know why." Hvitserk answered. "I killed Lagertha."
Even as he spoke, his voice was soft and quiet like the one of a child.
"What?" Bjorn asks, placing his cupped hand to his ear, daring his brother to tell everyone what he did.
"I killed your mother, Bjorn." Hvitserk spoke, loud enough for everyone to hear
"Ah!" Bjorn sharply sighed as he slowly walked toward Hvitserk, grabbing his brother by the neck. "Why?" The man quietly asked
"I thought she was Ivar. I thought that she-" Hvitserk tried to explain only to get smacked by Bjorn. "I thought that Ivar was coming to kill me."
This time, Bjorn smacked Hvitserk harder.
"Bjorn..." you growled. "You said you would handle this peacefully."
"I don't care what you thought!" Bjorn roared as he ignored your words. "Being drunk is no excuse for anything! You murdered my mother! You murdered one of the most famous shield maidens in the world! You! You sad, pathetic, raddled little man! You were not fit to kiss her feet! And you aren't fit to be called a son of Ragnar!" Bjorn exclaimed.
The angry and broken hearted man stepped toward, grabbing Hvitserk. "And when you killed my mother, you killed a part of me to. and you have to understand... I can never forgive you."
With that, Bjorn pushed Hvitserk away as he slowly walked back to stand beside you and Ubbe.
"I know that. And you're right, Bjorn. I am a sad wreck of a man. I've made a bad job of my life. And whatever Astrid chooses to do with me, even if I am burned alive, I'll accept it. For I've deserved it. Unlike you and Ubbe, I've never done anything to make our father proud of me."
"Hvitserk Lothbrok is guilty." You frowned as you stood, leaning your wait of your staff. "Everyone here heard him confess. Tomorrow, I shall decide his punishment. For now, take him away." You ordered your guards. They nodded and escorted Hvitserk out of the building with the crowd shouting at him.
-
"I want him dead." Bjorn hissed as you all sat at the dinner table.
"Bjorn, not in front of Yrsa. Please." You sighed as you looked to your brother in law and away from your daughter.
"Yrsa, darling, would you like to go play with Asa?" Torvi asks with a warm smile watching as the sad girl nods and walks off to find the younger girl
She had been sad ever since Lagertha's death and since she found out about Hali. You could understand why, of course.
"You have every right, Bjorn. I can't deny it. But neither does he." You sigh.
"He was not in his right mind when he killed your mother." Amma said. "It was not really Hvitserk who killed her."
"Don't talk about the drug addict." Bjorn scoffed. "Talk about my mother's village and what happened there. Talk about my son! Talk about our son!" Bjorn exclaimed as he looked to Torvi.
"Your son wanted to play a part in the defence of his village!" You hiss
"I should've been there." Torvi sighed.
"He wanted to prove himself as a warrior. He knew that his mother and his father would hear of his exploits." You say, grabbing Torvi's hand.
"He put himself in danger." Bjorn quietly spoke
"Yes. He had quite extraordinary courage." You sigh
"And now the gods punish me. I have lost 3 things. My mother, my son, and now the crown of Norway." Bjorn frowned
At this, everyone froze in confusion. You froze in anger.
"Crown of Norway...?" You slowly ask, looking to him
"While I was away, King Olaf summoned the Earls, Jarls, Kings and Queen of Norway to vote for a leader of all Norway. I nearly won but Harald got more votes. He is now King of all Norway, including Kattegat."
You gripped the arm of your chair so tightly that everyone could hear the wood cracking.
"We will burn Hvitserk tomorrow."
You slowly stood and left the room, thoughts of murder, anger and betrayal plaguing your mind.
-
By morning, everyone in Kattegat watched Hvitserk being tied to a post in the same place that you and Ivar sacrificed the woman that looked like Lagertha 6 years ago.
A large post in the centre of the water on a small floating platform awaited your friend as they towed to it on a small boat.
You never broke eye contact with Hvitserk until he looked to Bjorn who stood beside you.
After Hvitserk was tied to the wood, men splashed oil on the surrounding wood that would be the cause of Hvitserk's death when it was to burn.
"Light the fire." You said
The men dropped torches as the fire erupted and came to life. You watched as the roaring fire grew larger and larger, covering Yrsa's crying eyes.
But then you heard a voice coming from the sky. Looking up, you saw the sun shining through the clouds and down on Hvitserk as the god-like voice spoke to him.
Looking back to Hvitserk, you saw the man smiling for he could hear it to. Yrsa had stopped crying as she listened to the calming voice.
Bjorn had clearly noticed to for he nodded to Ubbe. Confused, you watched Ubbe take out his axe and throw it at the pole, slicing through the binds that held Hvitserk there.
Hvitserk fell in the water and Ubbe quickly dived in to save his unconscious brother from drowning as the people whispered and talked in confusion.
"What is going on?!"
"What is happening?!"
"Why did Ubbe do that?!"
Ubbe swam over, Hvitserk in his arms as guards helped pulled them both up from the cold water and into the cold winter air.
"I saved you." Bjorn told Hvitserk as he grabbed hold of his brother. "And do you want to know why I saved you? Because I know you were happy to die. But I don't want you to be happy. No. I don't want you to enter Odin's hall. I want you to suffer a living death, expelled from Kattegat and the haunts of men, destined to die in a ditch in some forest somewhere, utterly forgotten! Wretched, insignificant, unmemorable! Like a flea on a sheep's back. Take him away!" Bjorn ordered
Hvitserk was dragged away by guards as you stared at Bjorn.
"He won't survive the winter." Ubbe sighed
But no one spoke. Not a single word.
Only then did you realize that you were very slowly but surely losing power and that power was falling right into Bjorn's hands.
-
A week had passed when you and the guards loyal to you had evacuated Kattegat. You held Yrsa in your arms. With you losing power over Kattegat and Hvitserk being banished, you knew that you had little chance of remaining Queen.
The people had stopped listening to you, the guards stopped following orders. You heard the whispers of people planning your death.
So, with lots of planning, you, your shield maidens and your daughter had packed everything up and left.
A wagon full of blankets and needed supplies for the winter was being dragged by a horse as you and your warriors on your own horses rode beside it.
"What now, my Queen?" A woman named Revna asks. She was your most loyal and fierce warrior.
"Now, dear Revna, we search for Hvitserk. If we cannot find him, then we go to the East." You reply.
Of course, you didn't know that, that day was the last you would ever see of Ubbe Lothbrok for he travelled to Greenland with the man that drove your father away.