SHE WOLF
— 4. Assassination
In Kattegat, Ragnar was sitting at a table with Bjorn, who seemed to be frustrated about something. His son sighed deeply, causing Ragnar to smile as he turned to him. "What is troubling you?"
"What is troubling me is that you do not trust me," Bjorn complained as he lifted his head to look his father in the eye.
"I don't trust you?" Ragnar questioned, giving his son a weird look.
"That night you captured Jarl Borg, you told me nothing of what you meant to do," Bjorn explained, looking annoyed.
"I sent someone to find you," Ragnar argued in a calm tone, "They could not find you. Where were you?"
Bjorn remained silent for a long moment, avoiding eye contact with his father. Her lips parted and he let out a small sigh. "I was with Ylva."
"Ah. So it was your decision," Ragnar replied, earning an offended look with Bjorn, "You chose to be with her, rather than me. That is the difference between you and her. Duty will always come first for her, but what of you?'
"I only ask to be kept in your confidence as your son," Bjorn argued back, quick to change the subject.
"I will be the judge of how far I take you into my confidence. But as a father, I will give you some advice. Think with this..." He pointed at his head before pointing downwards, "And not with your...." He trailed off, smiling slightly while Bjorn looked annoyed, "That is why Ylva will always be stronger than you. She will never have that problem. She thinks with her head, always, and never with her heart or anything else, for that matter."
"She thinks with her heart," Bjorn argued, sounding annoyed since his father kept comparing him to Ylva as if they were rivals, "I know she does. It's the only reason she keeps her brother around, even after everything he's done to her. I don't understand it."
"You couldn't. No one can. Ylva doesn't think as we do. She had to learn to fend for herself at only ten. Her father killed her mother. She killed her father. Her brothers are all she has left in this world. Her only family and family comes first for her. They were her reasons for staying alive those three years in exile. If she loses them, she'll have nothing."
"He mistreats her. I have seen it with my own eyes and she treats it like it is nothing," Bjorn complained in an annoyed tone, "I don't understand it."
"And you never will," Ragnar replied as he shrugged her shoulder, "Ylva is her own person. She makes her own decisions and she doesn't like it when people question them so you would be wise not to. She's a lot like your mother in that way. But unlike you, she is an Earl and equal to me in rank so you must be careful. She might be as young as you, but she has more power than you could imagine."
"She's blessed by the Gods, it seems," Bjorn admitted in a whisper as he looked down at the ground.
Ragnar watched his son closely, gradually beginning to smile. "You like her."
Bjorn shook his head and turned to his father, a look on his face Ragnar had never seen on his son before. "I believe I love her."
Ragnar's smile faded and he sighed. "Then that is your first mistake," He told Bjorn, who scoffed and stood up before storming off.
____
It was evening time and in Ashton, Ylva was sitting at one of the many tables in the Great Hall with her brothers. Just then, the doors opened and Ylva's eyes widened, watching as Bjorn, of all people, entered.
She sighed, an uneasy look on her face. She turned her head, relieved to see Erik too busy to be talking to some woman to pay attention to her. She turned and exchanged a look with Sihtric, who had a calm expression on his face.
"Get rid of him before Erik sees," He mouthed to her and Ylva nodded before she walked over to Bjorn.
She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him toward the door, an uneasy look on her face. "You shouldn't be here," She told him in a low tone.
"You left without saying goodbye," Bjorn complained as he gave Ylva a weird look, "I had to see you."
"I'm sorry. I was in a hurry. I had to return here," She informed him, despite a part of it being a lie. She only left Kattegat because of Erik.
As she led him toward the door, Ylva avoided eye contact with him, unable to bring herself to look him in the eye. "Why won't you talk to me?"
"Because there is not much to say," She replied quickly as she stepped back and away from him a bit before he could see the bruises on her face.
"We have everything to say to each other," Bjorn argued as he pulled her back toward him. However, a small gasp escaped his lips the moment he noticed the bruises on her face. He sighed softly, lightly brushing his fingers over the bruises on her face, "Did he do this to you?"
"It doesn't matter," Ylva argued as she turned her head to the side.
"Of course it matters," Bjorn argued back in a stern tone.
Ylva sighed, shaking her head in disagreement. "It doesn't because I've already handled it."
Hearing Ylva's words, Bjorn immediately frowned in concern. "What did you do?" She asked her in a hushed tone.
"I don't believe you want to know," Ylva replied in a calm tone.
"Why wouldn't I?"
Ylva sighed, leaning closer to Bjorn. "Because you would never look at me the same way," She informed him lowly.
"What did you do, Ylva?" He asked her in concerned.
"I chopped the head of his lover and delivered it to his bed," She informed him, causing Bjorn's eyes to widen in shock, "I see the way you look at me. You believe me to be this helpless girl who can't defend myself, but I'm anything but."
"I know that and that's why I like you, Ylva," Bjorn complained and Ylva sighed as she glanced around.
"Anyone who grows to care about me never seems to live long," Ylva replied in a calm tone.
"I'm not just anybody, Ylva," Bjorn reminded her as he grabbed her hand. He leaned closer to her, on the verge of kissing her when Ylva pulled away. He looked down at her, an aggravated look on his face, "Why are you so difficult?"
"If you don't like it, leave," She snapped at him in a low tone.
Bjorn frowned at her, only to watch as she gestured toward the door. Just then, he watched as she walked toward the door and went outside. He glanced around, only to see that many people had been staring at them and that is why she didn't want to be there.
After a moment, he followed after her and the moment he arrived outside, someone suddenly grabbed his arm. He turned, only to see that it was Ylva.
"People cannot see me with you, especially my brother. What I said was true. Caring about me is dangerous," Ylva explained as she moved closer to him, "I am an Earl. I will not marry because I do not wish to stop being Earl, even if it means being with you."
"Then, we won't marry. I still want to be with you," Bjorn smiled, cupping her face in his hands before he pressed his forehead against hers, "In every way."
He ran his hands down her body, gently squeezing her ass as he went to kiss her. She laughed at him, wasting no time him kissing him back.
"You must return to Kattegat," Ylva insisted, causing Bjorn to frown in confusion as she slowly pulled away from the kiss and sighed, "Not because I don't want to be with you, but because I need you to do something for me."
"Whatever it is, I'll do it," Bjorn replied, grabbing ahold of her hand as he pressed a kiss to it.
"Tell your father I wish to join him on the journey to England," She informed him with a large smile on her face, "I have ships and men to give to him and anything else he may need."
"But you said no before," Bjorn reminded her, staring down at her with a confused look.
"I said no because of my brother, but he will not be a problem any longer come tomorrow," She responded, grabbing ahold of his hands and holding them with her own, "I swear on that. I will join you all on the journey to England. But you must go now, before it's too late."
Bjorn nodded in understanding. "Until next time," He whispered to her and Ylva smiled.
"Until next time," She repeated after him, earning a small smile from Bjorn as well.
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her one last time, just before he was forced to leave.
_____
That evening, Ylva was sitting in the Great Hall at the main table with her brothers as the people around her drank, conversed, and laughed happily.
"What was Ragnar's son doing here?" Erik asked Ylva in a low tone, causing her to smile as she turned to him.
"I sent him off to tell Ragnar that my men and I will be joining him in his journey to England," She informed her brother in a calm tone.
"Why do you get to decide that?" Erik asked in an aggravated tone.
"Because I'm the fucking Earl," She snapped at him coldly as she stood up, causing the entire hall to fall silent, "Is there a problem with them, big brother?"
"You're only going because you want to be with his son. Tell me, have you already spread your legs for him, just because he claimed to love you and you were foolish to believe him?" Erik accused her, causing Ylva to let out a large scoff.
"I am more than capable of separating feelings from duty," She argued in a stern tone, only to glare at Erik as he stood up to meet her at eye view.
"If that were true, you would have killed me the first time I challenged your claim. The fact that you haven't just proves that you are weak and unfit to rule. And you've shown the people of Ashton the same," Erik growled at her, and in front of everyone, he roughly grabbed her by the neck, "You're weak!"
Ylva smiled up at her brother threateningly as if his grip on her didn't affect her. Her men went to step forward, only to have her raise her hand to tell them to stand down. "No need. I have this handled."
"I don't think you do, little sister," Erik replied in a calm tone, his grip on her becoming tighter.
"Is that so?" Ylva questioned her brother and before anyone could react, she picked up two knives from the table and stabbed him in the eyes with them.
Erik dropped to his knees, screaming in agony as he clutched his eyes. The men and women in the hall jumped from their seats, their eyes widening in horror.
Ylva looked down at Erik, trying her hardest to contain her own shock. She couldn't believe she had actually gone through with it.
She turned, feeling uneasy as she watched Sihtric unsheathe his sword. He walked closer to her and nodded in assurance. She sighed in relief, watching as he removed Erik's head from his body with one clean swing.
"Now," Ylva spoke up in a loud tone as she turned to address her subjects, "Would anyone else care to question my decisions?" She asked and received silence in return, "Good. Then, let's begin talking about how we will be sailing to England in the summer with Ragnar Lothbrok."
Without a care in the world, Ylva sat back down in her chair. Sihtric sat down in Erik's seat, neither of them paying no mind to their brother lying dead on the ground.
____
Two days later, after getting a message from a man claiming to be a messenger of Ylva, Ragnar found himself riding through the woods that separated Kattegat and Ashton.
"You came," Ragnar rode up to the girl, a large smile on her face.
"Did you expect any less, Ragnar?" Ylva asked him as she smiled teasingly.
"No, not really," Ragnar told her, earning a playful eye roll from Ylva.
"How is Bjorn?" Ylva found herself asking Ragnar as the man rode around her.
"Waiting for your return, of course," Ragnar joked, continuing to smile, "I must ask, how many ships will you supply?"
"Six ships," She Informed him calmly, "About two hundred warriors. So what will it be, Ragnar? Will you accept me as an ally?"
"What do you think?" Ragnar commented, causing Ylva to smile and laugh, "It's funny to think that I knew you when you were a child and now, you are equal to me as an Earl."
"I suppose it's difficult for you," She replied, eying him curiously.
"Not at all, but I do wonder what your intentions are for my son. He cares for you, deeply," Ragnar began to explain, causing Ylva to avoid contact with him, "It seems all he talks about now is you. But I do know you have no intention of marrying any man or having children, even with him."
"I care about Bjorn, more than I thought I would," She confessed, purposely not mentioning marriage or children as Ragnar did.
"But?" Ragnar raised a brow at her.
"But..." She trailed off as she looked down at the ground, "Ever since he saw my brother lay a hand on me, he believes it is his responsibility to protect me. What he doesn't realize is I don't need protection. I've protected myself my entire life and I did a good damn job of it."
"Forgive him," Ragnar told her with an amused look on his face, "He's just protective of those he loves."
Hearing his words, Ylva frowned as Ragnar began to ride away. "Are you saying that he loves me?!"
Ragnar grinned, shrugging his shoulders as he rode away with Ylva following after him.
_____
Upon arriving back in Kattegat, Ylva was quick to practice sparring with some shield maidens. She had just won her second match by knocking one of them to the ground when she turned to see Bjorn walking up to her, surprised to see her in Kattegat. "Ylva?" He asked in shock.
Ylva smiled, lowering her sword as she turned to face him. "Hello, Bjorn."
Bjorn smiled. He rushed over to her and hugged her tightly. He slowly pulled away and Ylva wasted no time kissing him. She smiled up at him and Bjorn stared at her with wide eyes, shocked that she had kissed him out in public.
"What about your brother?" He asked her in concern.
"He's dead. I killed him," Ylva replied in a casual tone, which surprised Bjorn, "No one will ever threaten my rule again. I made sure of it. We can be together now, with nothing stopping us."
Hearing her words, Bjorn sighed in relief. He cupped her face in his hands, wasting no time kissing her.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
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