SHE WOLF
— 23. Defeat
In the woods, Freya was holding Rorik in her arms while she held the hand of Gyda. It was snowing out and it was clear that both of the younger children were freezing.
Just then, hearing nearby screams alongside the laughs of men, Freya sighed in frustration since she knew the men were close. They must have been searching for them.
She stopped walking and looked down at Gyda, who was beginning to cry. "It's going to be alright. The men are coming and I can't let them follow us because we won't be able to outrun them. I must lure them here and kill them myself and you're going to help me."
Not quite understanding what she was saying, Gyda began to cry even more and Freya sighed in annoyance. She placed Rorik in a seated position on the snow and guided Gyda into standing beside him.
"This is what you're going to do," Freya informed her in a calm tone, "You're going to keep crying like you are, but louder. When they come over to you, cry even more. I'll kill them before they can hurt you."
Gyda simply nodded and Freya walked to stand behind a tree. Gyda and Rorik both began to cry louder, not because Freya told them to, but because they were frightened and had no idea what was happening.
It wasn't long before three men walked over, grins on their faces. "What do we have here?" One of the men spoke up, clapping his hands together, "It would seem we found them. That wasn't so hard, was it?"
The man began to stalk toward Gyda and Rorik, who whimpered and cried loudly in fear. He knelt in front of Rorik, on the verge of picking him up.
Gyda turned, watching as Freya appeared behind both of the other men. She had placed her hand over their mouths and sliced their throats with her knife without the man in front of them even noticing it.
However, the man soon noticed Gyda looking at something and turned, only to suddenly be slashed across the throat with a knife. He began to choke on his blood, clutching his throat before he finally dropped to the ground, dead.
Freya sighed dramatically and tossed the knife to the side. She bent down, stealing the man's weapons before placing them on her belt.
She stared down at Gyda, who was staring up at her in fear. "What? Don't look at me like that. I saved you," Freya argued with an attitude, "I am taking you and Rorik to Kattegat now and then I will be returning to Ashton to kill Henrik myself."
Freya groaned, finding Gyda to still be crying as she picked Rorik up. "Stop crying already, would you?" She asked her younger sister with an attitude, "I saw far worse at your age."
_____
Back in Ashton, nighttime had arrived. Numerous men were standing in the Great Hall, none of them loyal to Ylva. One of Horik's men was gripping onto Ylva's hair, continuing to dunk her face into a tub of water.
Ylva tried to fight back but was unable to do so. After a moment, she was lifted from the water and she gasped loudly for breath.
"Tell me where they are," The man demanded in a stern tone and Ylva remained silent, refusing to tell them where her children were. They wanted to kill them, after all.
If the past of her family had proven anything, it was that if they let the child of the person they usurped alive, they would grow up and try to take vengeance.
Just then, the doors opened and Ylva turned, seeing that they had brought innocent Gunnar in. "No!" She cried out and shook her head, refusing to let them kill an innocent child.
"Tell us where your children are and we won't kill anyone else," He insisted and Ylva remained silent.
"Ylva," Gunnar begged and Ylva turned, noticing how the man's grip on the boy had tightened as he held a knife to his throat.
Ylva turned away and looked down, noticing the man who had a grip on her had a knife placed near her throat.
Without hesitation, she jolted forward and bit the man's hand, before she snatched the knife from his grasp. Continuing to hold onto him, she threw the knife in Gunnar's direction. The boy screamed, watching as the knife embedded itself into his would-be assassin's neck.
Ylva punched the man in front of her, stealing his other knife before she stabbed him in the throat with it.
Another man moved toward her and swung his sword at her. She ducked, tripping him before she took the knife out of the other man's throat, and used it to kill the next one. She stole his sword and within seconds, she had killed the rest of them as blood covered her face.
Suddenly, hearing a scream, Ylva whipped herself around, only to watch as the last living man had stabbed Gunnar in the stomach.
"No!" She screamed in horror, wasting no time running forward. She stabbed him in the chest and rushed over to Gunnar, taking the child into her arms.
She cried out, watching as the life began to drain from his eyes. She looked down, noticing the blood now staining her pants. She knew it was her own and she knew what it meant. She was losing her child.
"No, no, no," She sobbed, shaking her head as tears streamed down her cheeks, "This can't be happening, this can't be happening."
At that moment, Henrik entered, smiling in satisfaction as he listened to Ylva wail loudly in devastation while clutching her belly. He dropped three bloody hearts on the ground. "These belong to your children," He informed her and Ylva shook her head, refusing to believe such a thing.
"I don't believe you," She argued as she glared up at him.
"I have your brother. I killed your children. The majority of your people have knelt to me. It is time you give up," Henrik argued to him and Ylva shook her head.
"I would rather die than let you take my earldom," Ylva managed to get out as she stood up and walked closer to him, "I accept your challenge for the Battle of the Succession."
Hearing her words, Henrik began to smile in satisfaction. "Good. Then, let's begin."
____
That night, the Battle of the Succession began and it was nothing like Ylva had been told it was like. People locked themselves in their homes for the fight and if the fight were to continue until dawn, that was the only time they were allowed out of their homes.
They were able to use the entire city to fight in and Sihtric was being forced to take part as well because he was a potential heir. Ylva thought Henrik to be stupid to allow such a thing to happen. He probably thought that Sihtric was like Erik and deep down, wanted the Earldom for himself but Ylva knew better. Being Earl was the last thing Sihtric wanted and there was no way he'd kill his own sister for any reason.
Hours had passed and Ylva still hadn't come face to face with Henrik. She and Sihtric split up. Ylva walked through the street until she made it to where there was a fire lit. She placed her hands over it, shivering from the cold. After all, it was snowing and she wasn't wearing any furs.
After warming up a bit, Ylva continued to walk away. She turned a corner, only to hear footsteps. She quickly swung her sword at the person, but they were quick to duck.
However, she sighed in relief when she saw it was just Sihtric. "Oh, thank the Gods," Ylva sighed in relief as she hugged her brother, "I was wondering where you were."
"I saw the way our Uncle fights. He's better than both of us. We can't fight him alone, but together, I think we could defeat him," Sihtric informed his sister in a calm tone.
"Then, let's do it," Ylva replied, smiling slightly at the thought.
Moments later, the sibling duo was walking together when they heard Henrik calling out to them. They exchanged a look before splitting up to trick their uncle.
Ylva walked right in the direction of her uncle, who ended up smiling at the sight of her. "Well, if it isn't the man trying to usurp my Earldom," She spoke up sarcastically as she pointed her sword at the man, "I fought my entire life for this Earldom. Do you really think I won't give it up without a fight?"
"You are your mother's daughter. Of course not," He replied as he smiled at her sadistic ally.
"Like my mother, I am skilled with a blade, so against a coward like you, I believe I can win," She informed him, clearly trying to taunt him. She knew if even Sihtric said the man was a good fighter, it must have true.
"Do you really think I fled the Battle of the Succession because I thought I would lose?" Henrik asked Ylva, letting out a large scoff, "No, it was because I knew I'd win. I couldn't bear the thought of killing my sister in the fight. She was always my favorite, after all. She taught me how to fight. How to kill. How to defeat opponents twice my size as she did. So I fled."
Ylva yelled out and lunged at Henrik, swinging her sword at him. He easily deflected her form of attack with the two swords he carried before Sihtric appeared behind him.
Sihtric swung at his uncle at the same Ylva swung, but Henrik arched his back and avoided them both at ease.
Ylva's eyes widened at his actions, never seeing someone fight quite like that. Henrik continued to deflect their attacks at ease and it worried Ylva. How were they supposed to beat him?
"Enough of that," Henrik spoke up as he smirked at them, "My turn."
Henrik swung at Sihtric twice, nearly hitting him the second time. He turned to Ylva and swung at her, but Ylva arched her back to avoid him. He whipped himself around and slashed at Sihtric, who ended up being cut on his arm. He was shoved to the ground and Henrik turned to Ylva, beginning to battle against her.
As Ylva was nearly hit with her uncle's sword, Sihtric appeared and blocked the form of attack. He shoved Henrik to the ground and moved toward him, lifting up his sword. He was on the verge of stabbing him, only to have thunder rumble in the sky.
Ylva and Sihtric both looked up, frowning at the sight of lightning illuminating the sky while snow fell from the clouds. They had never seen anything quite like it before.
Ylva looked down at Henrik, only to have her eyes widen when she saw him no longer laying there.
____
Hours passed and dawn arrived, which meant people finally left their homes. It wasn't long before Henrik made himself known again by appearing in front of Ylva. A crowd formed around them and Sihtric stood off to the side, deciding it wasn't right for him to join. This had to do with Ylva and Henrik, not him.
The people were now watching. Ylva needed to defeat Henrik on her own. It would be much easier now. He was wounded and left weaker.
The crowd cheered around them and Henrik moved closer to Ylva, smiling as he removed the fur cloak he wore.
"You didn't look for me, niece," He spoke up as he smiled at her, "I was quite surprised by that, actually."
Ylva glared at the man and yelled, beginning to charge at him with her sword raised.
Henrik quickly stepped out of the way and Ylva swung again, their swords becoming deadlocked with each other.
Henrik smiled as he leaned closer to her, pushing all of his weight against his sword. "Thank you, for deciding to take part in the Battle of Succession. It is the perfect way to revert back to the old ways of our people. When I am Earl, I will sever the link between Kattegat and Ashton once and for all."
He shoved her back and Ylva stumbled. He swung at her, but Ylva quickly ducked before countering the attack. They continued to deliver attacks to each other and as he watched, Sihtric felt uneasy since he could see Ylva was on the defensive side.
Ylva gained the upper hand and backhanded Henrik across the face, causing him to spit up blood. The crowd cheered and Ylva smiled gleefully. Their sword deadlocked and Ylva grabbed ahold of his arm. With the swipe of her hand, she took ahold of his sword and threw it far enough away that he couldn't get it again.
She backed away from him, preparing to finish him off when Henrik suddenly yelled out. He charged at her and before Ylva could react, he lifted her and threw her to the ground.
Her sword slipped from her grasp and Henrik smirked, picking it up off the ground. He walked toward where Ylva laid on the ground, smiling in satisfaction.
He raised the sword and was about to finish her off when Ylva lifted her foot, kicking him in the face. She rolled out of the way and pulled herself off the ground. She moved toward her brother, snatching his sword before pushing through the crowd.
She stopped, seeing her uncle's reflection behind her in a tub of water. She whipped herself around and tried to stab him, but he ended up catching her arm.
He groaned, using all the strength he had to pull her hand away before he threw her sword to the ground. He lifted his arm, elbowing her in the face before she fell to the ground.
His men shouted and cheered as Ylva hit the ground, coughing and groaning in pain. He moved toward her, pointing his sword directly at her.
"Kneel to me and acknowledge me as the rightful Earl or die," He demanded and Ylva stared up at him, blood covering her face.
"I would rather die than willingly give up my Earldom," She growled at him in a low, threatening tone.
He walked closer to her, placing his boot over her throat. She began to cough, grabbing ahold of his ankle as she struggled to breathe. "Die it is, then."
He yelled out, on the verge of killing her once and for all when he heard someone behind him. He turned, only to watch as Freya jumped off of something and stabbed him in the eye.
He yelled out, clutching his eyes as he used his other hand to reach for her. Without hesitation, Freya lifted her knife again and slashed him across the throat.
The crowd fell silent and Freya glanced around, blood covering her face. "She is your commander!" She shouted out as she pointed at Ylva, who was using all the strength she had to sit up, "Those who knelt to this would-be usurper are cowards and deserve to die and never go to Valhalla."
Freya walked toward the men loyal to Henrik, pointing her sword at them. "Kneel to your Earl. Or you will join those who made the same mistake of doing otherwise!" She announced loudly and most of Ashton's citizens knelt without question.
However, there were some that did not, but those who did so were the ones who had come with Henrik in the first place.
"Kneel or die," Freya demanded in a stern tone and not taking her seriously, one of the men swung at Freya.
She avoided his form of attack at ease and killed him by thrusting her sword through his chest. He fell to the ground and Freya smiled slightly, pointing her sword at the others who refused to bow. "You will kneel to Earl Ylva as a loyal subject or you are the enemy of Earl Ylva. If so, I will kill you."
Another fool ended up rushing at Freya and she slashed him across the back before doing the same to the next two. "How many times must I say it?!" Freya complained loudly as she glanced around, "Kneel to Earl Ylva or die. It's as easy as that."
Almost a dozen more had been brutally killed by Freya until finally, every person there knelt and lowered their heads in shame.
Freya glanced around, a smile forming on her lips. "Now, that's more like it, is it?" She spoke up sarcastically.
There was a moment of silence in Ashton, no one speaking a word. Everyone looked horrified. After all, how could a twelve-year-old girl do such things? Of course, many were just not old enough to know that everyone else in her bloodline, including Sihtric and Ylva, had been taught to do the same. To be killers at such a young age. It was why many in their family descended into madness.
Freya slowly turned to her mother, who stared up at her with an unreadable expression on her face. However, she didn't look horrified as the rest did, much to Freya's relief.
She rushed over to her mother and knelt in front of her. Ylva cried softly and cupped her daughter's bloody face in her hands. She hugged Freya tightly and Freya smiled, happy her mother wasn't disappointed.
However, Freya turned and locked eyes on Sihtric, who was staring at her in horror.
_____
In the main room of the Great Hall of Ashton, it was morning time and Sihtric was sitting alone, drinking some mead while Freya stood a few feet away. She was sharpening her sword when the doors suddenly opened.
She turned, her eyes widening when a familiar entered wearing a heavy fur cloak. "Bjorn?" She asked, beginning to smile at the sight of him as he removed his hood.
She slowly walked closer to him and Bjorn smiled down at the girl, who immediately noticed the large cut on his face.
Freya laughed happily and ran into his arms. Bjorn chuckled softly and hugged her back, glancing around as he did so. There were no guards as there usually was and only Freya and Sihtric seemed to be the only ones there.
Usually, it was filled with people, even in the morning. "Can someone please tell me what happened outside?" Bjorn asked as he began to walk around the room, "There is a trail of blood all the way to these doors and there are heads on sticks along the shores."
"Our uncle arrived after years of being gone. He had more than one hundred men with him," Sihtric informed him in a calm tone, "He challenged Ylva's claim to the Earldom, try to kill her children, and nearly killed her."
"Where is she?" Bjorn asked worriedly as he glanced around for Ylva.
"Resting in her room," Freya informed him in a calm tone, "She lost her unborn child during the fighting."
"I must see her," Bjorn declared and before they could argue, he had already walked in the direction Ylva's room.
Bjorn walked into Ylva's room, sighing in relief when he saw her lying there asleep. He walked over to her and took a seat at her bedside. He lightly stroked her cheek, eying her bruises. She had a bruise underneath her eye, bruises on her neck, and cuts all along her face.
Ylva groaned, slowly opening her eyes as she felt his touch. Her eyes widened, however, when she saw that it was Bjorn. "Bjorn!" She exclaimed, shocked to see her husband. She weakly sat up and hugged, relieved to see him.
"I am told a lot happened while I was away," Bjorn replied and with tears in her eyes, Ylva nodded, "Mind explaining to me?"
"It's a long story," She admitted in a whisper as she looked shameful.
"I have time," Bjorn pointed out, gently cupping her face in his hands.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
clearly the way freya has been acting has a TON of warning signs yet Ylva refuses to believe anything is wrong 🤷🏻♀️ (I mean it's pretty bad for someone her age to kill so many people and not care)
She sees her younger self in freya but in truth, freya is far worse.