MADNESS
— 7. Wrath
At the cabin, Freya was sitting with Ivar and Ubbe at a table while Sigurd was standing in the doorway, whittling something with a knife.
"That is my knife," Ivar suddenly spoke up in a calm tone and Sigurd ignored him as he entered the cabin and closed the door behind him, "That is my knife."
"No, it is not," Sigurd argued and Freya sighed in frustration since she knew an argument was about to occur. He sat down beside Ivar, who rolled his eyes at him.
"Give it to me," Ivar complained as he held his hand out for Sigurd to hand him the knife.
"You're crazy," Sigurd retorted as he snatched his hand away, "It's not your knife. Father gave me this knife."
"I want it," Ivar admitted, taking a seat on the ground before he began to crawl toward Sigurd, "I will kill Lagertha with it. I will kill Lagertha with Father's knife."
"Well, you can't have it," Sigurd argued as Freya exchanged an annoyed look with Ubbe.
"That's enough," Freya scolded the boys in a stern tone, "You're acting like children. I could have sworn you were grown men."
Ivar yanked Sigurd's stool out from under him, causing his younger brother to grunt as he fell to the ground. Ivar crawled closer to him, attempting to take the knife from his grasp.
Sigurd simply lifted his arm while holding the knife, making Ivar unable to grab ahold of it.
"Are you to handle this or shall I?" Ubbe asked as he turned to Freya.
"Go right ahead," She suggested, gesturing toward Ivar and Sigurd.
"Give it to me!" Ivar growled at Sigurd as he tried to take the knife from Sigurd. He grabbed Sigurd by the shirt and headbutted him in the face.
They continued to fight each other until Ubbe pulled Ivar off of Sigurd. He grabbed Sigurd next and pulled him off the ground. "We have important decisions to make," He reminded his younger brothers in a scolding tone.
"As usual, you must tell us how to behave!" Sigurd complained loudly.
"Well, perhaps if you simply acted your age, he wouldn't have to," Freya commented as she shrugged her shoulders.
Ivar and Sigurd turned to Freya at the same time, glaring at her. "Shut up!" They snapped at her in unison, causing her to smile and lift her arms in mock surrender.
"I wish Bjorn and Ylva were here," Ubbe sighed deeply in defeat as he sat down next to Freya.
"You think Bjorn knows about Father?" Sigurd asked Ubbe curiously as he spoke of Bjorn.
"Oh, so, you think that Odin told us, but forgot to tell Bjorn? Hmm?" Ivar asked his brother with an attitude as he tapped his temple with his knife.
"Hopefully, he and Ylva will be home soon," Ubbe admitted as Ivar found himself looking at Freya, "In the meantime, it is up to us to decide what to do."
"I'm listening. Say something interesting," Ivar insisted and Freya smiled.
"Yes, for all our sakes," She agreed with Ivar, causing Ivar to smile as well.
"You heard what he said, how the little pigs will grunt when they hear the old boar suffered," Ubbe reminded them as he glanced between Sigurd and Ivar.
"So now we're grunting. So what?" Ivar asked with an attitude.
"We want blood-revenge against Aelle, hmm?" Ubbe complained as he glanced around at the group of three.
"Yes," Sigurd nodded his head in confirmation.
"Not only against Aelle," Ivar reminded his brother in an annoyed tone, "I-I told you, King Ecbert offered our father up like a sacrifice, so we'll do the same thing to him. That is what Father wanted. That is the message that he wanted me to bring you."
"That is so easy to say, Ivar," Ubbe retorted as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Here he is, the voice of reason," Ivar argued as he slammed his knife down on the table, "I hate reason."
Having heard enough, Ivar walked toward the door while Freya continued to listen to what Ubbe and Sigurd had to say.
"What do you mean, Ubbe?" Sigurd asked Ubbe as he moved closer to his brother and took a seat, "I'm listening, even if he's not."
"As am I," Freya spoke up, nodding her head in agreement.
"Aelle has a small kingdom, but Ecbert's kingdom is vast. How do we overcome that when we have never attempted anything like that before?" Ubbe explained to the duo in an aggravated tone.
"We raise an army," Sigurd suggested in a calm tone.
"No, you're not listening, brother," Ubbe complained and Sigurd shook his head.
"We raise a great army," Sigurd corrected himself and as he was about to leave, Ivar stopped, interested in what his brother was saying, "An army bigger than ever before."
Ivar ended the door and turned to the group. "Sigurd is right," He spoke up and Freya turned to look at him, "We call in favors. We do deals with Kings and Earls that we hate. Whatever we have to promise them, we promise. And in the end, we assemble an army twice the size of the army our father took to Paris."
"And we declare war on England," Sigurd added in and Freya smiled at the thought.
"No," Ivar argued as he shook his head, "In the name of our dead father, in the name of Ragnar Lothbrok, the greatest hero of our country, and in the name of Odin, we declare war on the whole world."
"I like the sound of that," Freya confessed, sounding almost mesmerized by the idea.
Ivar turned to Freya, the two of them sharing a sadistic smile.
____
In Kattegat, men, women, and children were working on the new fortifications of Kattegat. The shieldmaidens soon locked eyes on Freya, who stood at the gates. "Shieldwall!" They shouted, quick to guard their queen.
Freya laughed loudly in amusement at the sight, glancing around at the women. "Are you serious right now?" She asked them as she rolled her eyes, "If I wanted to kill Lagertha, I wouldn't do it in an open space like this, you fools. I come here in peace."
The women stared at her in a way that told Freya they didn't believe her. She groaned in annoyance and lifted her hands in surrender for Lagertha to see.
"Let her pass," Lagertha commanded and the women continued to glare at Freya as they stepped out of the way, "Freya." She greeted the girl, who made her way over to her.
Torvi, Astrid, and Gyda walked to stand near Lagertha, prepared to fight against Freya if need be.
"I'll admit, I am impressed, Lagertha," Freya stated as she glanced around, "The work around here seems to be going very well."
"Kattegat is worth defending," Lagertha reminded Freya in a calm tone, "I remember, a long time ago, when it was nothing but a few houses, a single jetty."
"I know all too well what happened to Kattegat, Lagertha. I grew up, traveling between here and Ashton nearly every other day," She explained to the woman in an annoyed tone.
Lagertha stopped digging briefly and turned to Freya. She smiled slightly since the girl's attitude reminded her so much of Ylva's.
"We are going to raise an army to invade England and avenge the death of Ragnar," She informed Lagertha, who immediately stopped what she was doing, "The others want to know if you'll come with us."
Lagertha turned to Freya, raising a brow at her. "Would they really want me to come with you all?"
"It doesn't matter what we want anymore. What matters is what needs to happen and we need all the help we can get, even if it's from people we don't particularly like," Freya explained to Lagertha with an attitude, "And as I recall, don't you have reason to come? Ragnar is, after all, your true love or whatever you like to call him, I don't really care."
Lagertha smiled slightly, so used to Freya's attitude and rude remarks that it didn't even faze her. She placed a hand on Freya's back, beginning to walk with her, away from Torvi, Gyda, and Astrid.
"I also have a reason to stay here. I understand you and Ragnar's sons are inviting other rulers to come and join your army. Don't you think some of them will be envious when they see the size and understand the value of this trading station?" Lagertha explained and Freya shrugged her shoulders.
"I suppose it depends on what is more important to you, Lagertha. Your thirst for power or need for justice and vengeance," Freya explained to Lagertha, earning a glare from the woman.
"That is cruel of you to say, Freya," Lagertha scolded Freya, who seemed almost satisfied by how much her words had affected the older shieldmaiden, "I know what Ragnar would have wanted me to do."
"Is that so?" Freya asked, a smile forming on her lips, "Are you so sure about that?"
"I am," Lagertha replied, only to have Freya laugh in her face before walking away.
Once she was out of sight, Astrid and Torvi walked closer to Lagertha. "I do not trust her," Astrid complained in a calm tone, "It does not matter if she is Ylva's daughter, she is a threat. I know she is not Ivar—"
"You're right. She's not Ivar," Lagertha replied as she nodded her head, earning a puzzled look from Astrid, "She's worse."
Astrid looked concerned by Lagertha's words, watching as Torvi nodded in her agreement. Torvi would know, after all. She was married to Ylva's brother Sihtric, a man Freya had sworn at the age of twelve to kill solely because he threatened to tell Ylva about how she killed two little boys who were teasing her.
___
That afternoon, Freya found herself sitting with Ivar as he sharpened his ax in the smith's place. Sigurd soon walked in and handed the smith his ax to be sharpened. "I still have a bone to pick with you, Sigurd," Ivar complained as he blew on the blade of his ax after sharpening it, "Why were you silent when I demanded justice from Lagertha?"
"As I recall, Freya was silent, too," Sigurd pointed out and Freya turned to him, giving him an annoyed look for mentioning her.
"Don't bring her into this," Ivar warned Sigurd in a stern tone, "I know where her loyalties lie. They are with me. But what of you?"
Sigurd sighed, looking down at the ground almost sadly. "We have different memories of Mother," He admitted quietly, "She doted on you, and she ignored me. She had eyes only for you and for Harbard," He explained and Ivar turned to Freya, smiling since he found what Sigurd said amusing, "To me, she was cold and distant."
"So you feel sorry for yourself?" Ivar asked his brother with a taunting look on his face, "Poor little Sigurd."
"You're wrong, Ivar," Sigurd argued as he was handed back his ax, "I don't feel sorry for myself."
"Yeah. Right. No. Of course not," Ivar replied sarcastically as he mockingly lifted his hands.
Sigurd was on the verge of leaving when he stopped. He scoffed, making his way over to where Ivar sat and Freya stood. "I'm telling you the truth. I have very good reason not to feel so angry with Lagertha."
"Then what kind of a son are you, hmm?" Ivar asked lowly, leaning closer to Sigurd as he tapped his ax against his older brother's chest, "What does it matter what your mother did to you? She was still your mother."
Sigurd scoffed, a smile forming on his lips at Ivar's words. "You would say that, wouldn't you?"
"What does that mean?" Ivar questioned, staring up at Sigurd with a threatening look on his face.
"What do you think it means?" Sigurd retorted as he glared at Ivar.
"You tell me," Ivar encouraged Sigurd as he smiled at him threateningly.
"Alright, I will, mommy's boy," Sigurd replied with an attitude, smiling as he moved closer to Ivar, "Mommy's little favorite! Are you really just sad she can't breastfeed you anymore, is that it?"
Enraged by what Sigurd had said, Ivar lifted his ax and swung it in Sigurd's direction. However, before it could actually hit Sigurd, Freya had suddenly caught Ivar's hand.
Sigurd stared down at Ivar in shock, noticing how close the ax had been to killing him. If it hadn't been for Freya, he would have been dead.
Ivar turned to Freya in shock, not expecting her, of all people, to stop him.
"You two are brothers!" She snapped at them angrily as she roughly shoved Ivar's arm back, "It is time you start acting like it."
Sigurd continued to stare at Ivar in shock until he turned to Freya, looking almost thankful.
"Go," She demanded in a stern tone, and with that, Sigurd left.
Once he was gone, Freya scoffed angrily and turned to Ivar. "You could have killed him."
"So what?" Ivar asked with an attitude, earning an annoyed look from Freya.
"He is your brother yet you act like enemies," She complained and Ivar found himself rolling his eyes at her words.
"You're one to talk," Ivar retorted with an attitude.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Freya asked, frowning in confusion.
"How many times have you nearly killed Gyda?" Ivar commented as he leaned closer to her.
"That is different and you know it," Freya argued as she began to glare at Ivar.
"How so?" Ivar told her, smiling at her tauntingly.
Freya scoffed, shooting him a glare before she began to walk toward the door.
Ivar frowned at her actions, clearly expecting her to continue arguing with him or just stay with him and not respond to his retorts. "Where are you going?"
"Away from you. I'm in no mood to deal with you right now," She replied in an annoyed tone.
"Come on, Freya," He complained, but Freya was already out the door, "Freya!"
____
The following day, Ivar was sitting on the docks, watching as their potential allies began to sail into their harbor. Hearing footsteps, Ivar turned, watching as Freya walked over to him. She took a seat beside him, wrapping an arm around him before she pressed a kiss to his cheek.
He smiled, playfully rolling his eyes as he wiped his cheek. "Stop that," He complained quietly, continuing to smile.
"Stop what?" She asked him, playfully dumb.
Just then, Ubbe walked over and playfully messed up Ivar's hair. "Our first arrivals, huh?" Ubbe asked the duo, causing them both to smile.
"For the greatest army ever assembled," Ivar replied as he looked up at his older brother.
"And they will be our instruments," Ubbe added in as Freya and Ivar looked up at him.
"Our instruments of wrath," Ivar corrected him as he and Freya began to laugh.
There was a moment of silence between them until finally, Ivar decided to speak up. "Are you really going to allow Lagertha to escape her punishment?" Ivar found himself asking Ubbe in concern, "Hmm?"
Ubbe remained silent for a long moment, just before he finally shook his head. "No."
"We must have revenge," Ivar insisted and Ubbe nodded in agreement, "And sooner rather than later."
"So we shall," She spoke up, her lips curling upwards into a smirk, "Why wait? Let's do it tonight."