SHE WOLF
— 26. Betrayed
Days later, Ylva was standing with Bjorn and Freya in the Great Hall of Kattegat, watching as Ragnar walked up to his throne to perform the arm ring ceremony. "Firstly, I want to announce that we leave for Paris in three weeks to the day," He announced loudly and everyone cheered, "But today is today, and we are here to perform an important ceremony, in which my two boys, Ubbe and Hvitserk, will received their sacred arm rings. Kneel."
Hvitserk and Ubbe exchanged a look with each other, just before kneeling in front of their father.
Bjorn lifted the sword he carried, allowing Ragnar to sprinkle salt on it. "Take this offering of earth and salt to remind you that you belong both to the earth and to the sea," Ragnar spoke up, holding out the blade to them. Once they ate the salt off of it, Ragnar handed the sword back to Bjorn and sat down on his throne. "These arm rings symbolize your coming of age. They also bind you in loyalty and fealty to me, your king and your father. Any oath you swear upon these rings must be kept, or else you will sacrifice your honor and your place in Valhalla. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Father," They answered in unison, smiling up at their father.
"Do you swear so?"
"Yes, Father."
With that, Ragnar handed them their arm rings. "Put your arm rings on, my brothers!" Bjorn spoke up loudly as he smiled widely, leading to everyone in the hall cheering.
They made their way over to their mother, who kissed them both on the lips since it was a part of the ceremony. Both of them smiling, they made their way over to Freya, who was standing near Sigurd and Ivar.
"I suppose you'll have to choose now which of us you'll marry when you come of age," Ubbe spoke up, earning a laugh from Freya as she shook her head.
"I will marry neither of you," Freya replied with a smirk on her face, "I will marry no one."
"I think she will marry me!" Ivar exclaimed enthusiastically, causing Ubbe and Hvitserk to laugh.
"She can't marry you," Hvitserk argued as he shook his head in disagreement.
"Why not?" Ivar asked, his smile fading.
"Isn't it obvious, brother?" Ubbe replied, frowning at Ivar, "You're a cripple."
"Being a cripple doesn't determine whether or not you can marry," Freya reminded them in a calm tone, a part of her looking offended.
"No sane woman would marry a cripple," Sigurd pointed out and Freya smirked at him.
"Then I guess I'm insane," She commented, causing everyone's smile to fade while Ivar watched. She winked at the group and walked away without another word said, leaving them all shocked.
_____
Since she was going to Paris, Ylva left her children in the care of Aslaug. Rorik was now over a year old, meaning he could stand on his own. She walked closer to her children, crouching down in front of them as she tried to contain her tears. "My children," She spoke up, smiling sadly as she grabbed ahold of their hands, "I will miss you and I love you. More than you could ever know. Do as Aslaug says. She will care for you while I am gone. Be good while I am gone, alright?" She asked them and both children nodded.
She kissed them both on the forehead, hugging them tightly before standing up. She turned her back to them, trying her hardest not to cry.
Later on, Ylva stood on the ship beside Bjorn. They were on the same ship as Ragnar, his sons, and Freya. However, Sihtric and Torvi were on another ship with Ylva's men.
Ubbe and Hvitserk were standing together, looking at the Docks of Kattegat. "Don't bother looking back," Freya spoke up as she walked closer to the duo, "We are not going that way."
At another part of the boat, Ylva sat down beside Bjorn, who was eying the ring he wore that happened to belong to Erlendur. "Are you going to do anything about Erlendur?" She asked him as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Not yet," He sighed as he turned to look her in the eyes, "Soon, though. Very soon."
"Whatever it is that you must do, I will stand by you," Ylva assured him as Bjorn intertwined fingers with her, "No matter what."
Bjorn smiled at her and nodded his head. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him as she rested her head on his shoulder.
____
It was nighttime at sea and Ylva was lying fast asleep alongside Bjorn, her head rested on his chest. Most people on the boats were asleep, including Sihtric who laid with Torvi.
Freya was lying beside Hvitserk while Ubbe sat beside them. Hvitserk kept tossing and turning, much to Freya's annoyance. "Sit still, would you?" She sighed in defeat and sat up, moving closer to Ubbe.
She grabbed ahold of his hand, smiling at him. "There's no need to be nervous. I went last time. It isn't that bad," She assured him in a whisper, leaning forward to press a kiss to his cheek before she did the same to Hvitserk. "Maybe that will comfort you both."
"One day, I will marry you," Hvitserk declared and Freya smiled at him teasingly.
"I would never marry someone who couldn't best me in a fight," She commented before laying back down beside him, causing Ubbe to laugh at his brother being rejected.
From afar, Ragnar chuckled and shook his head. He watched as Ubbe laid down next to Freya, which meant that the girl was lying between both brothers. As her eyes were closed, both Ubbe and Hvitserk seemed to be staring at her, practically blushing. It soon began to thunder and Freya smiled as she opened her eyes and looked upwards. Where she laid, Ylva moved closer to Bjorn, enjoying the sound of the thunder as well.
____
The following day, the people on Ragnar's boat ended up walking up to find that their boat have found its way separated from the others. Bjorn and Ylva made their way over to Ragnar and knelt beside him. Bjorn took the crystal from Ragnar's hand and held it up at the sun. "We have blown off-course. We have to head south," He informed the group in a calm tone.
"Boys, Freya, eyes out for the others," Ylva called out to the young trio and they nodded their heads in response.
Moments had passed until finally, someone spotted some ships. "Over there! Three of our ships!" Freya exclaimed and they turned to see Harald, Sihtric, and Lagertha's ships from afar.
They raised the sail and Ylva smiled in satisfaction. They soon made it them and they began to row.
Ylva smiled, exchanging a look with Bjorn before they called out to Ragnar after spotting something on the shore. "Frankish scouts," Bjorn informed his father, who nodded in response.
Bjorn, Ragnar, Ylva were one of the first to jump off their boats. They walked onto the land and Freya soon followed, smiling. "Why do you get to leave the boat and we can't?" Ubbe complained and Freya smirked at Ubbe and Hvitserk.
"Who said I was allowed to go?" She retorted, a mischievous look on her as she continued to walk with the men, holding her ax.
____
In the woods, a Frankish scout was in the middle of urinating when a small boot appeared underneath him. He turned, only to find Freya smirking at him. He turned again, spotting Ylva standing there with Sihtric, Harald, Floki, and Halfdan.
Freya shushed him and began to walk toward him. The man fearfully backed away, only to ended up colliding with Ylva, who covered his mouth before leading him to where the Frankish camp was located.
Later on, the entirety of the Frankish camp had been slaughtered. Their bodies were scattered across the camp but they ended up sparing a few as hostages.
Ubbe, Hvitserk, and Freya were standing together, laughing as they shot arrows into the man that had been strung up after Freya killed him earlier that day.
Moments later, Ragnar had brought the three children with him to the shores where their boats were located. Ylva and Bjorn had tied a man down on a wooden board before placing him in the water.
"Why are we doing this, Father?" Ubbe found himself asking his father out of curiosity.
"You'll see it," Ragnar told them calmly, "It's for our last boat. So that they know we're in front of them."
Freya laughed, watching as Ylva pushed the man further into the water.
With that, she turned on her heel and walked back to the camp, only to stop when she saw Torvi talking to Lagertha.
"How is Guthrum?" Torvi asked Lagertha in a concerned tone.
"Your son is healthy and well," Lagertha assured her as she turned to face her, "I have no doubt that the gods have great things in store for him."
"Thank you," Torvi told Lagertha, smiling sadly at the woman, "That is good enough for me to hear."
With that, Lagertha walked away and before Torvi could do the same, Erlendur cornered her, which gained Freya's attention. "Why do you ask her?" He asked his former wife in a taunting tone.
"Because I trust her," Torvi pointed out in a calm tone as he turned to face Erlendur.
Freya watched closely from where she stood, continuing to listen in. She narrowed her eyes at them, interested in what Erlendur had to say.
"And I'm nothing to you?" Erlendur asked her as he roughly grabbed ahold of her arm, "Come. We still have much in common."
"Really? Is it so?" Torvi retorted with an attitude and it was obvious that she wanted nothing more than to get away from him.
"We have your son in common," Erlendur reminded her as he walked closer to her, "I don't care about your feelings for Sihtric, because if I ask you to kill him, his sister, and Bjorn, you will have to do it. Otherwise, I will kill the boy. And believe me, Lagertha can't protect your son. You thought you were free, Torvi. Free to choose Sihtric over me?" He asked, laughing as he leaned closer to her, "But you never were."
Torvi was on the verge of walking away when once more, Erlendur grabbed ahold of her arm and pulled her back toward him. "And keep an eye on that girl," He demanded in a low tone and Torvi immediately knew he meant Freya, "She's a problem. I hear she's already onto you. And if she wants you dead, you will be dead. She is not someone to cross. I've recently learned that."
Freya quickly hid behind the tree and she smirked slightly. She had been right the entire time. Erlendur was using Torvi's son to force her to be a spy. Yet no one wanted to believe her.
Across the camp, Ylva was standing with Bjorn when they saw signal fires being lit by Franks. "Ragnar!" Bjorn called out loudly and Bjorn immediately rushed over to them alongside Harald and Halfdan to see what they saw.
"Signal fires," Harald spoke up and Ylva nodded in confirmation.
"News of our arrival will soon reach Paris," Ragnar informed the group in a calm tone and Ylva sighed in defeat.
"Come, brother," Harald told Halfdan and with that, they walked away.
Moments had passed and Ragnar, Bjorn, and Ylva were only left alone briefly before Harald and Halfdan suddenly walked past them with their men, dragging along with them the Frankish prisoners. Floki followed as well, alongside Freya, which immediately caused Ylva to frown in confusion.
"Where are you going?" Ylva asked her daughter as she exchanged a weird look with Bjorn.
"With them. Where else?" Freya answered plainly and with that, she walked away before her mother could stop her.
She continued to walk with the men, smiling as they brought the men over to the first signal fire. "Come on! Come on! Move! You'll give Christians a bad name. They'll say all Christians are fat and lazy."
Erlendur ended up untying the men before tying them to the wooden post and without a care in the world, Freya had climbed up the letter. She had grabbed pieces of straw that were on fire and threw them down, which allowed Harald and the others to use them to light the Franks on fire.
Freya smirked slightly, watching as the Franks screamed while being lit on fire. Her lips parted lightly as she watched intently, clearly taking pleasure in the sight of the men burning to death.
"What do you think they're saying?" Halfdan asked his brother in a mocking tone.
"I expect that, uh, they want you to put the fire out," Harald told his brother, who laughed, "Help them, brother, help them."
"I will try, I will try," Halfdan responded and with that, he began to piss on the men.
"So now we've sent another signal to Paris!" Harald shouted out and Freya smiled as she stood near Erlendur and Floki, "A signal from the gods! Do you think they can see it?"
The men continued to shout and cheered and finally growing bored of men's immaturity, Freya rolled her eyes and began to walk away. "And yet I'm supposed to be the one who's a child."
Bjorn and Ylva watched with Sihtric from where they stood. Ylva sighed, looking disapproving. Hvitserk and Ubbe walked to stand beside them and Ylva placed her hands on their shoulders. "These fucking fools," Ylva sighed in annoyance as she shook her head in disapproval, "And Freya is over there with them."
"I want to marry Freya," Hvitserk suddenly spoke up with a large smile on his face, causing Ylva and Bjorn to turn to the boy and smiled.
"Does Freya know about this, brother?" Bjorn questioned, causing Ubbe to begin laughing at his brother.
"She said she'd never marry someone who couldn't best her in a fight," Hvitserk admitted, a part of him looking disappointed.
Bjorn and Ylva turned to each other, both of them smiling in amusement while Sihtric scoffed. "You wouldn't want to marry that girl," He commented, causing the group to turn to him, "She'd ruin you."
"Why do you say that?" Ubbe asked, staring up at Sihtric as he frowned.
"Isn't it obvious?" Sihtric replied, sighing as he turned to leave, "She's mad."
"Don't start," Ylva snapped at her brother coldly and deciding that it wasn't worth starting a fight with his sister, Sihtric walked away. She sighed as she watched him walk away. His anger toward Freya and Ylva's constant need to defend Freya was causing a wedge between their bond that Ylva feared would never mend if it got any worse.
____
When it was officially time to sail to Rollo's camp, Ylva was on the same ship she had been on on the way there. She stood beside Bjorn, who had his arm wrapped around her. "There's no sign of Rollo's camp," Bjorn complained and Ylva exchanged a look with Ragnar, neither of them looking surprised.
"No," Ragnar replied with a grin on his face and Bjorn turn to him in confusion, "Does that surprise you?"
His smile faded and he walked away, causing Ylva to sigh in defeat. She turned, noticing Freya standing with Ubbe and Hvitserk. "Freya," She called out and Freya turned her attention toward her, "Come here."
Freya sighed in annoyance. She exchanged a look with Ubbe and Hvitserk, just before making her way over to Ylva. "Yes?"
"I don't want you around Harald and Halfdan," She ordered in a low tone, "Stick with Ubbe and Hvitserk from now on. Don't involve yourself in Harald and Halfdan's foolish actions."
"It wasn't foolish," Freya argued, an offended look on her face, "Those men were Christian. They deserved to be burn. We were doing the gods a favor."
"You are a child. I brought you here to watch and learn, not take part. Remain with Ubbe and Hvitserk or I won't take you next time," Ylva ordered in a stern tone and Freya began to glare at her mother.
"I deserve to fight with you. I am the only reason you survived long enough to take part in this raid. If it weren't for me, Gyda and Rorik would have died in Ashton and you would have, too. I'm a better fighter than half the men here," Freya complained and Bjorn sighed as he turned to Freya, "I am going to fight."
"You're too overconfident," Bjorn pointed out and Freya began to glare at him, "That is what gets you killed."
"You're not fighting. End of discussion," Ylva added in, agreeing with Bjorn.
Freya scoffed angrily, knocking over a wooden chest before she walked back over to Ubbe and Hvitserk.
They continued to sail toward the shore when suddenly, they spotted a person on horseback on the shore alongside several others. Ylva squinted, only to have her eyes widen when she realized who it was. Rollo.
She looked down at Bjorn, who had fallen asleep. She lightly kicked him and Bjorn's eyes shot open. He quickly stood up and looked forward, only to have his face fill with horror at the sight of his uncle on the side of the Franks.
Ylva didn't look surprised, however. Neither did Ragnar. Something like that was bound to happen.
"Is that not Rollo?" Freya asked Ylva and the woman remained silent.
"You know very well that is Rollo," Ylva responded in a calm tone while Bjorn seemed to be boiling with anger.
Ragner punched a wooden post, clearly feeling betrayed by his brother.
"Uncle!" Bjorn roared out angrily and Ylva sighed, shaking her head.