SHE WOLF
— 25. One and the Same
The following day, King Harald's brother Halfdan had arrived and celebrations began in the Great Hall. Freya stood with Ubbe and Hvitserk, cheering and laughing as men played games with knifes.
Freya turned, glancing around for Ylva and Bjorn. Her smile faded and she began to walk away, deciding to search for her mother.
She passed by Aslaug, who was carrying Ivar since he couldn't walk. She passed by Harald and Halfdan as well, who locked eyes on her for a long moment.
After all, she didn't just stand out because of her feared reputation. She looked different than everyone around her. She had dark hair, dark brown eyes, and a skin tone a bit tanner than Ylva's. She was practically a foreign beauty, even at her young age, and she stuck out like a sore thumb to people who had never met her before.
She made it outside and walked up to Bjorn and Ylva, hugging them both. She turned, only to have her smile fade at the sight of Sihtric and Torvi.
With that, they made their way inside and Ylva laughed as she walked in with her hands on Freya's shoulders. She and Bjorn were immediately greeted by numerous men. As the three of them walked past Harald and Halfdan, the two brothers were quick to look at them.
"They say she is the most feared woman in Norway. A she-wolf like her mother," Harald informed his younger brother as he spoke about Ylva, "Many men have tried to kill her, but none have succeeded. Standing side by side with her husband in battle, they are said to be untouchable, favored by the Gods. The Gods flipped a coin and while her father, grandfather, and brother's ended up landing on madness, hers landed on greatness. The same can't be said about her daughter's."
"Who knows?" Halfdan replied, a smile forming on his lips, "Maybe that girl will amount to greatness in the future."
They turned to glance at Freya once more, who was standing with Ubbe and Hvitserk next to where Bjorn, Ylva, Sihtric, and Torvi sat near the fire.
____
The following day, Freya had convinced Aslaug to let her take Ivar out to play, despite Ubbe, Hvitserk, and Sigurd deciding not to join them for once.
Freya was sitting with him on the side. Ivar was in his wagon as he always was to get around when he wasn't being carried.
Ivar turned his head, his eyes locking on some children who were tossing around a boy. He smiled slightly, envious of the children. "Ivar, do you want to play with them?" She asked him curiously and Ivar nodded.
She smiled, grabbing the handle of the cart before he brought to where the children were placing. She took a step back, only to watch as Ivar struggled in getting the ball for himself. "Here! Give it here!" He called out, but no one seemed to toss it to him.
"Not to him," She suddenly heard one of the kids say, which earned them an angry glare from her.
"My turn! To me," Ivar insisted and Freya ended up catching the ball before it could go past them.
She smiled, wasting no time tossing it to Ivar. However, before he could throw it to another child, someone snatched it from his grasp. "Come on! Here!" Ivar called out, only to watch as Freya snatched it from the boy who stole it from him and shoved him to the ground without a care in the world.
She tossed it back to Ivar, who smiled at her. She smiled back at him, only to have it fade when another child ran over to Ivar and tried to snatch it from him. The two children began to fight over it until suddenly, Ivar grabbed the ax that was in his weapon and hit the boy in the head with it.
The children screamed in terror and ran as the boy dropped to the ground, dead. Freya watched on, a part of her feeling shocked at first. Her mouth gaped open and she froze as she realized something. He was just like her. He couldn't control his anger, just like she couldn't.
Drops of blood staining his face, Ivar screamed out and Freya rushed over to Ivar. She grabbed the sides of his face, forcing him to look at her. "Look at me!" She demanded in a loud tone and after a moment, Ivar looked her in the eyes, "Don't be afraid. It's not your fault. Everything's all right. I promise. But we must go."
Freya grabbed the handle to Ivar's wagon. She glanced down at the young boy's dead body uneasily before she pulled Ivar away from the scene.
____
In their cabin, Bjorn was sitting at a table, eying the ring he held. The map he found in Paris was laid out in front of him but he continued to stare at the ring.
Just then, Ylva entered and walked over to Bjorn, a curious look on his face. "What is that?" She asked him and Bjorn held up the ring to show her, "May I see?"
Bjorn nodded, allowing Ylva to take ahold of the ring to get a better look at it. "Where did you find this?" She asked him curiously.
"I took it from someone," Bjorn admitted in a calm tone, "Why are you so interested?"
Ylva rolled her eyes and handed it back to him. "There's something I'd like to talk to you about," She informed him as she walked over to the bed and took a seat.
"What is it about?" He asked her curiously and Ylva sighed deeply in defeat.
"Us," She replied, earning a concerned frown from Bjorn, "We have moments when I feel so close to you, especially when you're inside me, but lately, a distance has grown between us and it started ever since what happened with Freya and Sihtric back in Ashton. I fear..." She trailed off, sighing as she looked down at the ground in disapproval, "I fear that like everyone else, you believe she is mad."
Hearing her words, Bjorn suddenly chuckled, earning an offended look from Ylva. "I didn't know that was funny," She complained, beginning to glare at him.
"Ylva..." He trailed off as he walked over to her. He placed a hand on the side of her face before kneeling in front of her, "There's nothing to worry about. I know Freya. I do not believe she is mad."
Bjorn lifted the skirt of the dress Ylva wore and pressed a kiss to her inner thigh before he looked back up at her. "I believe she is an angry child and she has every reason to be. She is just like you were when I knew you as a boy."
"Good," Ylva replied as she placed a hand on the side of his face, "I would have been angry with you if you thought she was mad like everyone else does."
"You see? So angry," He commented as he gave her a taunting smile, "It runs in your family, it seems."
Bjorn began to kiss her leg once more, making his way upwards. Ylva sighed softly, smiling at the feeling his touch gave her. Her smile faded as she looked down at the ring on his finger and tried to hide her uneasiness. "By the way, that is Erlendur's ring you wear," She commented, causing Bjorn to immediately lift his head, "He got it from his father, King Horik."
"How do you know that?" He asked her, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Freya told me. She asked me why you wore it, because it belonged to him," She explained to him and Bjorn sighed in defeat, "How did you even get it?"
"Remember I told you about the Berserker?" He questioned her and Ylva nodded, "He wore this ring. I believe it belonged to the man who sent the Berserker to kill me in the first place."
"Erlendur," Ylva spoke softly, her eyes widening in realization.
Bjorn nodded and stood up. "I need to find Freya and ask her about it," He declared and Ylva scoffed.
"Good luck getting answers out of her. She only tells the truth when it benefits her," She commented and Bjorn sighed in defeat, knowing she was right.
_____
Outside, Freya was standing alone after bringing Ivar back home to Aslaug. She knew it wouldn't have been wise to keep him out after he killed that boy.
Feeling eyes on her, she turned, smiling as she watched Bjorn walking up to her while holding up the ring that used to belong to Erlendur. "I wondered how long it would take you to come ask me about that," She commented and Bjorn gave her a scolding look.
"How do you know this belongs to Erlendur?" He asked her curiously and Freya stared at him as if he were stupid.
"Because I'm not blind. I've seen him wear it," She answered as she shrugged her shoulders.
"There is something you're not telling me," Bjorn pointed out and Freya smiled slightly, knowing he was right.
"He is the son of the man your father killed. Ragnar is only king because he killed Erlendur's father. Horik didn't just want Erlendur to be spared that night because he was his son. It was because he knew Erlendur would avenge him as any loyal son would," She explained and Bjorn sighed in frustration when he saw the look on her face.
"There's still something you're not telling me. Say it," He demanded in a stern tone as he walked closer to her.
"He tried to convince me in Paris to help kill you and Ylva. I said no," Freya revealed and Bjorn's eyes widened in disbelief.
"And you didn't think to tell us!" He exclaimed and Freya shrugged her shoulders as she always did.
"I forgot," She replied without a care in the world.
"You forgot, huh?" Bjorn scoffed loudly, "How can you forget something like that?"
"I thought nothing of it at the time. He is a fool. I didn't think he was capable of actually killing you two. Turns out, I am right," Freya explained and Bjorn sighed in frustration. He was on the verge of walking away when Freya spoke up once more, "I told Sihtric that one day, I would kill him and I will, but I don't want someone beating me to it."
"What are you talking about?" Bjorn asked as he turned to face her once more.
"Erlendur was too willing to let Torvi leave with Sihtric. Why would he want to keep Torvi's son with him when the child isn't even his?" Freya explained to him, smiling since she already knew the answer.
"Leverage," Bjorn replied quietly as his eyes widened in realization.
"Why would he need leverage?" Freya questioned as she walked closer to Bjorn.
"So he could threaten the child's life to make Torvi do something," Bjorn realized and Freya nodded in confirmation.
"Torvi is now living in a hall where your children live and your wife. My family travels to Kattegat all the time, giving them access to Ragnar as well. Am I right?" She explained to him and Bjorn remained silent for a long moment, knowing she was right.
"How did you piece everything together?" Bjorn asked her and once more, Freya shrugged.
"I am a child. I have a lot of time on my hands," She replied, smirking almost sadistically.
"You scare me sometimes. You're just a child, but you scare me," Bjorn confessed in a whisper, shaking his head as he looked down at her.
"I scare everyone. I am a child one moment, clever another, and a killer the next. Why wouldn't you be scared?" Freya replied in a calm tone.
"Ylva loves you more than almost anything in this world, whether or not she says it. She says has a bond with you that she has with no one else, a connection," Bjorn reminded her and Freya nodded.
"I feel the same way of her. She's the only one I truly love in this world. I've killed for her and I would die for her," Freya confessed and Bjorn tried to hide his uneasiness as he thought about the prophecy Ylva told him about.
"So you would not betray her?" Bjorn questioned, raising a brow at Freya.
"What reason would I have to betray her?" Freya asked, letting out a large scoff, "She's given me everything I could ever ask for. She is the last person I would ever betray."
Bjorn sighed and shook his head, knowing he shouldn't have said anything. "No reason," He replied and began to walk away.
Freya watched on, a part of her feeling concerned since she knew that Bjorn had been lying. What did he know that she did not?