GLORY OR VALHALLA
— 7. Freya

A few days had passed and all seemed to be well in Kattegat. Ylva sat upon her throne with Ubbe sitting on Bjorn's and Torvi on Gunnhild's. Gunnhild stood near Ylva, her hand placed on Ylva's shoulder.

The Great Hall was filled with citizens of both Kattegat and Ashton, who had come to hear what Ubbe needed to say.

"I feel strange sitting here on this chair. It was once occupied by my father, King Ragnar, my mother, Queen Aslaug, Lagertha, and now, King Bjorn Ironside, my brother, alongside Queen Ylva the Dread, one of the greatest shieldmaidens I have ever met. I do so only temporarily, of course. Since King Bjorn will soon return, his mission accomplished. For who could doubt that? But, in the meantime, life goes on."

Ubbe stood up from his seat, beginning to walk down the steps as he looked around. "Important matters cannot be left undone or unattended. If you have urgent issues with one of your neighbors, your family, or you seek justice for a crime committed against you, you can come to me or Ylva privately. And as your Law Giver, and Ylva as your queen, we will do our utmost to resolve them. Now, looking at Kattegat and Ashton, I want to announce that I have organized trade missions with King Alfred in England and Duke Rollo in Frankia. My brother. Hvitserk..." He trailed off and turned, expecting to see him standing beside Halig.

However, he wasn't, which caused both him and Ylva to sigh. "Hvitserk is going to lead a trade mission along the Silk Road, trading along its long route, perhaps even to China," He explained, causing the crowd to laugh, "Why not, huh? China seems a long way away to us now, but one day perhaps it will seem a lot closer, almost like a neighbor. As will those countries that King Bjorn and Queen Ylva visited along the Mediterranean Sea. We are Viking! We are travelers. And we are traders. That is our destiny! King Bjorn was right. We must go out into the world, and the world must come to us. If you believe in our future if you believe in the future of our children," He paused, pointing to Ylva, who was pregnant, and Halig, who was her son, "Then I ask you to support and to join them. Together...we will make Kattegat and Ashton two of the greatest cities in the world!"

The crowd cheered and Ylva smiled, only to have it fade as she watched Ubbe walk over to Halig and Amma. "Where's Hvitserk?" He asked them both in a low tone and neither seemed to know the answer.

"I'll find him," Ylva suddenly declared as she walked over to them.

Ubbe was about to protest, only to sigh as she walked past him and toward the door.

______

  In his cabin, Hvitserk was sitting by the fire, looking a mess as he frantically felt the need for drugs, which he didn't have. The sound of someone knocking on the door made him flinch, only to have him sigh when he heard Ylva calling out to him. "Who is it?" He asked angrily, only to have Ylva call him again, "Go away!"

"Hvitserk! Open the door!" She demanded as she pounded on the door, ignoring the fact that he was telling her to leave, "Please, Hvitserk!"

"You, go away!" Hvitserk screamed as he threw his empty cup at the door.

"Hvitserk, please. Open the door. I need to see if you are alright," Ylva pleaded and Hvitserk began to stumble toward the door, "Hvitserk, open this door, or I will find a way to break it down."

Finally, Hvitserk opened the door, squinting due to the bright sunlight shining on him after spending days in the dark cabin with no light but the light coming from the fire he had lit in the middle of the room.

"Hvitserk?" Ylva called out to him in a soft tone, concerned by the sight of him. His hair was greasy, his eyes were bloodshot red, and he looked paler than usual, "Hvitserk, talk to me. Please. Hvitserk!"

Instead of seeing Ylva, however, all Hvitserk could see was Freya. He gasped, his eyes widening at the sight of the woman he loved. She looked like she did at the beach. Pale, bruised, and half-dead.

He gasped in fright and fell back into the cabin, unable to take it anymore.

Ylva sighed, rolling her eyes before walking in. She walked toward Hvitserk, only to watch him crawl away from her with a terrified look on his face.

"What is going on with you?" She asked him worriedly, immediately rushing over to Hvitserk before she knelt before him.

"Oh, Freya. Freya. Oh, no," Hvitserk cried, cupping Ylva's face in his hands as he leaned closer to her, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Freya. My love, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. It's my fault. I shouldn't have left you. I'm sorry."

As he spoke to her, Hvitserk leaned closer to Ylva, pressing his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry, Freya, I'm so sorry," He sobbed and much to Ylva's horror, he pressed his lips against hers.

Unable to take it anymore, Ylva placed her hands on Hvitserk's chest and shoved him back, her eyes widening in horror. "Hvitserk, it's Ylva. I'm not Freya. I'm Ylva," She attempted to tell him, continuing to shove him back as he tried to kiss her.

Finally, he stopped, his eyes widening as he realized that it was, indeed, Ylva and not Freya. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," He told her softly, beginning to weep.

"Oh, Hvitserk," Ylva spoke softly, sighing as she wasted no time hugging him.

"It's all my fault. She's dead because of me. I left her with him. I knew what he was capable of. I knew what he'd do when he found out the child was his and still, I left her. It's all my fault. She's dead because of me," Hvitserk explained, continuing to cry into Ylva's chest as she hugged him tightly, "I loved her so much and now, she's gone. She was the love of my life and I'm the reason she's dead."

"No, you're not, Hvitserk. It was no one's fault but Ivar," Ylva argued, shaking her head.

"I miss her. I miss her so much," He admitted in a soft tone and Ylva nodded.

"I do, too," Ylva confessed, tears forming in her eyes, "I blame myself, you know. Perhaps if I had raised her better, she wouldn't have been in the situation that she was. I was a horrible mother. And now, as payback, I am being plagued with visions of my own father."

Hearing her words, Hvitserk lifted his head to look at her. "Your father?" He asked and Ylva nodded her head.

"I see my father everywhere I go. Sometimes, he just stands there, smiling. Other times, he speaks to me and tries to make me do things," Ylva explained in a soft tone, "But in truth, I don't think it's him. I think it's the madness inside me, but it's just choosing to appear to me in the form of my father, the first person in my family I had ever seen become plagued with the madness that runs in my family," She paused, letting out a large sigh, "What if I'm going mad, Hvitserk? Just like my father and just like my brother. What if everyone was wrong and I was destined for madness, not greatness?"

Ylva waited for an answer, only to have Hvitserk's small snores fill her ears. She grabbed the sides of his face, pulling it away from her chest to find him fast asleep. She sighed in defeat, a small smile appearing on her face. He looked peaceful, more peaceful than he had been in months and she was glad. It pained her to see him in such pain. She didn't even know why.

Of course, she had been close to him when he was just a boy, but in the prior years, she hadn't spoken to him much. After all, it wasn't long ago that he and Freya had betrayed her and the others to join Ivar. But now, she had realized he was just like Freya. He was just conflicted. The rest of his family was making lives for themselves while he didn't even know himself yet. She felt protective over him, just as she was with Freya.

_____

It was nighttime and Ylva was sitting on her bed in her room with Gunnhild standing behind her, braiding her hair. "I love Bjorn Ironside. I am so amazed by him. I have a great feeling about this journey he is on," Gunnhild admitted, a smile forming on her lips, "Perhaps he will succeed."

"Perhaps," Ylva admitted in a soft tone, smiling slightly, "If he does, King Harald would be eternally on our debt, which could work in our favor one day."

"You know, I am so jealous of you," Gunnhild stated, earning a curious look on her face, "To have a man such as Bjorn as a husband. A man who loves you unconditionally and you never have to worry about betraying you. Many women tragically never get to have the same in their lives. You and him are equals in every way. Many women are jealous. I know I am."

"Do you love him more than you love me, Gunnhild?" Ylva suddenly asked, turning to face Gunnhild with a soft smile on her face.

"How could I?" Gunnhild replied, placing a hand on the side of Ylva's face before she leaned forward, "Aren't you Ylva the Dread, the future Queen of all Norway?"

Ylva smiled at Gunnhild's words. She watched as Gunnhild cupped her face in her hands, wasting no time leaning forward to kiss her.

Ylva was on the verge of kissing her, only to sigh and pulled away.

"What is it?" Gunnhild asked, a concerned look on her face, "What troubles you?"

"Hvitserk," Ylva admitted softly, earning a weird look from Gunnhild.

"I try to kiss you and Hvitserk is what's on your mind?" Gunnhild frowned, a part of her looking concerned.

"No, no, no. Not like that," Ylva complained and shook her head, "I'm just worried about him. It's all I can think about lately. He is in so much pain and I want to help him. More than anything. I just don't know how."

"You can't help someone like Hvitserk. Not until he himself understands that he has a problem and accept that he needs help," Gunnhild reminded her in a calm tone and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, "Why do you care so much about him anyway?"

"He's the only one who can understand the pain I am in because of Freya's death," Ylva admitted and sighed in defeat, "He loved Freya as much as I did, if not more. He was the father of her child. A child that would have been my grandchild if Ivar had not let him to the foxes to be killed," She paused, beginning to smile sadly, "I could have been a grandmother."

"A very young and beautiful grandmother, I must say," Gunnhild commented, causing them both to quietly laugh.

It was odd to think about. Ylva was only thirty-seven. She would have been a thirty-seven-year-old grandmother.

Ylva smiled softly and nodded, deciding not to respond.

Gunnhild smiled back at her and leaned forward, lightly pressing her lips against Ylva's. "I love you," She told Ylva in a soft tone and Ylva didn't respond.

She pressed her lips harder against Gunnhild's, cupping the woman's face in her hands before they both dropped onto the bed.

_____

  At Lagertha's farm, Gyda was standing outside with her grandmother when they suddenly saw the women from just days before approaching in great haste. Many looked beaten and covered in dirt. "Lagertha? Lagertha!" They called out as they moved toward Lagertha, who stared at them in concern, "Two days ago, we were attacked."

"Bandits?" Lagertha asked in concern as Gyda wrapped her arm around Thyra when she walked over.

"They attacked at night. They stole our grain stories and our animals."

"They killed our sons."

"My baby was crying. They picked him and smashed his brains out."

"They raped me. They raped all of us."

"We didn't know who to tell. Our menfolk are dead."

"We thought of you," One of the women spoke up, glancing between Lagertha and Gyda, "And you, Princess Gyda, daughter of the great Queen Ylva the Dread."

Gyda stopped in front of where a blanket covered the dead bodies placed on the horse-drawn cart. She lifted the blanket, sighing at the sight of the dead body of a woman underneath it.

"We are so afraid they might come back."

"Oh, they will come back," Lagertha responded in a calm tone, "Of that, I'm certain."

As he stood from afar, Erik sighed and turned, exchanging a look with Hali.

"We must all prepare for another attack," Lagertha announced in a stern tone.

____

It wasn't long before Rorik, Bjorn, and their men arrived at their destination. At where they made camp, Rorik stood close to where his father was sitting. He watched the older man curiously, his arm crossed. He realized his father had a certain way of doing things that were entirely different than his mother's. He never noticed it before.

His father rarely planned for the future or wondered what his actions would lead to later on. He was far more impulsive than Ylva and nowhere near as cunning or calculating. He wasn't as patient as her either.

It wasn't long before three men arrived and sat before Bjorn and his son once given the order. "King Bjorn. Prince Rorik."

"What is the news?" Bjorn asked the men curiously, glancing between them

"King Harald is alive. But we fear that King Olaf could execute him at any time," One of the men confessed in a calm tone, "There seems no reason or logic to his actions."

"Trust me," Bjorn responded in a calm tone, "When I attack, the element of surprise will work in our favor. You will stay with us?"

"Wouldn't it be better if—" One of the men began to say, only to be cut off.

"No," Kjetil spoke up, pointing his knife at the man, "It wouldn't be better. Believe me. It's a question of trust."

Rorik frowned as he glanced around. He eyed Kjetill closely, not having the greatest feeling about him. He hadn't since the beginning. He knew if his mother were in charge, the man would have been dead long ago. He would have been dead the moment he returned from Iceland, making up lies about the whereabouts of Floki. But Bjorn Ironside wasn't Ylva the Dread.

They might have been married for over twenty years and had several children together, but they were two completely people, especially when it came to their way of ruling.

_____

   Since it was his father's plan, Rorik alongside Bjorn and numerous others swam through the colds waters outside King Harald's kingdom. They swam in the direction of the docks, but Rorik immediately stopped in place when he turned to see two of his father's men swimming in a different direction.

"Where are you going?" Rorik asked them in an aggravated tone, "Stay with us!"

The men ignored him and Rorik frowned, feeling in his gut that something wasn't right. "Father, there is something in this water," He complained in a hushed tone, "Something isn't right. They wouldn't leave this place unattended. Not while knowing we were here. I can't see any guards. I can't see anyone."

Just then, a flaming arrow flew toward them and hit the water. The moment it occurred, a ring of fire surrounded them, causing Rorik's eyes to widen.

"But they can see us!" Bjorn exclaimed, his eyes widening when he realized the flames were ignited on purpose so that King Olaf's warriors would be able to see them to attack them, "Retreat! Retreat! Under the water! Go under!"

Rorik's eyes widened, watching as another arrow came in their direction, blocking their way out and trapping them. With that, a volley of arrows began to rain down on them.

"Rorik! Rorik!" Bjorn called out to his son, quickly swimming toward his oldest son as bodies of their fellow men began to surround them, "Stay near me. Stay with me!"

Rorik simply nodded as he looked around, feeling uneasy about the whole ordeal.

"Retreat! Go under! Go under!" Bjorn began to command his men, looking around, "Rorik, we must go under! Under!"

Without hesitation, the father-son duo swam underneath the water, searching for a way out as the corpses of their men multiplied by the second.

"What do we do now, Bjorn Ironside?" Ketill suddenly asked Bjorn, who remained silent with a defeated look on his face.

He didn't know what to do. Even Rorik could see that. He hadn't planned for something like that occurring. Rorik knew one thing, though. His mother would have.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Okay, this is a long ass rant but pls read it. It's important!!!

Even I'll admit these past few chapters have been boring AS FUCK.

Lmaoo 💀 but in like a chapter or two, you'll see things begin to pick up, especially Gyda and Rorik/Bjorn's storyline cuz in due time, Ylva will leave Kattegat cuz obviously, both storylines need Ylva to clean up the mess Bjorn actions made. As you could see in this chapter, Rorik CONSTANTLY compares his fathers way of ruling to Ylva's. His mother has been a ruler of Ashton all his life while Bjorn only recently became king. Ofc he's gonna compare the two and you'll soon see everyone else around them do the same cuz we already know Ylva is twice the ruler Bjorn or even Harald or Ivar would ever be 😂

Also, on the subject of Ylva, y'all are probably wondering why tf all her scenes lately involve Hvitserk cuz lately it seems like all she's been saying is "Hvitserk this, Hvitserk that."

But you have to realize, when she's around Hvitserk it makes her feel close to Freya, in a way. She didn't get to save Freya so she feels the need to save Hvitserk, the boy she knew her daughter loved more than anything.

Not to mention, if you think about how Ylva was with Freya, knowing the girl's troubled ways, Ylva was CONSTANTLY forgiving her and giving free passes, which drove a wedge between her and many people and got a lot of people ticked off. (Gyda, Bjorn, etc)

She felt the need to always protect and help Freya, not realizing how much it was draining her and ruining her life and straining the bonds she had with everyone around her.

So you can probably see where I'm getting at with the whole Hvitserk thing. It's gonna be her CONSTANTLY defending him and giving him free passes like she did with freya and as you recall, there's something Hvitserk does in season 6A that enrages EVERYONE and even you can admit, it'd be pretty fucked uo for Ylva to forgive him for that but anywayyy 🤷🏻‍♀️

Keep ready cuz shits about to get good soon. I can't wait for season 6b though because that's when the true fun begins. (I'm changing sm of it)