GREATNESS
— 24. Home

In York, Bjorn and Rorik stood beside each other, shouting commands to the men in front of them as they practiced battle formations.

"Shield wall!" Bjorn roared out in a powerful tone.

"Up on the overturned keel, clamber with hearts of steel," The men began to sing and as he walked with his father, Rorik banged his sword against numerous shields, "Cold is the ocean's spray, your death is on its way. And your death is on its way."

They passed by numerous men and it seemed as though Bjorn had greeted every single one of them. Rorik parted from his father, continuing to give commands to the men.

Bjorn, on the other hand, continued to walk through York and smiled at the sight of Gunnhild and Ylva sparring against each other. Both women were laughing as the crowd around them cheered.

Gunnhild had swung at Ylva, who smiled and ducked at ease.

She stood back up and slashed at Gunnhild, leading to the woman raising her shield to block her form of attack.

The fighting continued and Bjorn watched with a smile on his face. Gunnhild was quite the formidable warrior and stood her ground against Ylva, which was quite the achievement. However, Ylva was and always would be better.

"Look at her!" Harald shouted out, smiling as he gestured to Gunnhild, "Ylva the Dread has finally found her match! Yes!"

Bjorn walked past the women and exchanged a look with Ylva, who smiled as she watched him eye her up and down.

She playfully rolled her eyes and turned back to Gunnhild, the two of them continuing to spar.

Bjorn stopped to give the two women one last look. He turned his head and glanced at Harald, who was laughing as Gunnhild knocked Ylva to the ground.

Realizing what was going on, Bjorn made his way over to the man. "King Harald."

"Bjorn Ironside," Harald greeted Bjorn, but his attention seemed to be on Gunnhild and Ylva more as he smiled.

"We need to make a plan," Bjorn insisted, glancing at Ylva and Gunnhild before looking back at Harald, "I am growing impatient."

As they sparred against each other, Gunnhild and Ylva smiled as they did so.

"What do you think they are talking about?" Gunnhild as she gestured toward Bjorn and Harald.

"You, I imagine," Ylva replied, earning a puzzled look from Gunnhild.

Just then, Ylva knocked Gunnhild to the ground and held her sword to the woman's neck. Gunnhild stared up at Ylva, the two of them beginning to smile.

"Hail Ylva! Hail Gunnhild!" The crowd began to cheer and both women turned to see Harald and Bjorn staring at them.

As the two stood together, they spoke about how Bjorn was the true heir of Ragnar, not Ivar and with that, Harald couldn't help but mention what had occurred when he was allied with Ivar.

"I had an arrangement with Ivar that, after his death, I would be King of Kattegat and perhaps even Ashton," Harald informed Bjorn, who nodded in understanding.

"Hmm. Well, then we will make the same arrangement," Bjorn suggested and Harald laughed in amusement, seeing as though the man had two living sons with Ylva and perhaps would soon have a third.

"Easy for you to say, Bjorn," Harald commented as he gestured toward Ylva, "But what can you swear on to persuade me to believe you?"

"My sacred arm ring, of course," Bjorn replied as he began to pace in front of Harald. He suddenly stopped when he was standing behind Harald, "And then on the life of my intended wife, Gunnhild. She must agree and swear to the gods that once I die, you will become King."

Harald stopped and turned to Bjorn, raising a skeptical brow at him. "Your intended wife? You already have a wife."

"Now, I will have two," Bjorn responded as he shrugged his shoulders without a care in the world.

"Ylva is not happy about that, I'm sure,' Harald commented as he let out a loud scoff.

"Who do you think suggested it in the first place?" Bjorn pointed out, causing Harald's eyes to widen in shock, "When I die, the Kingdom of Ashton will still belong to Ylva for it is her birthright, but you may have Kattegat. I will make sure Ylva, along with Gunnhild, agrees and swears to the gods that once I die, you will become King and not our son Rorik. While I know Ylva would never do such a thing, whether or not Gunnhild will want to marry you will be of no further consequence to me. I'll be dead. But for now, King Harald, you must give the orders and start preparing your ships."

Harald smiled slightly and nodded his head. "What an exciting world we live in. What an exciting world!" He commented and with that, Bjorn briefly glanced at Ylva from afar.

The crowd cheered and chanted her name. She turned, sending Bjorn a small smile before he walked away.

____

   It wasn't long before Gyda had been summoned to Wessex alongside Ubbe and Torvi, seeing as though news of an army of Danes arriving in Wessex spread throughout the land.

The moment she arrived in the courtyard of the Villa and climbed off her horse, Gyda smiled at the sight of Alfred standing there.

"You are alive," She spoke up, looking absolutely relieved.

"Of course I am," Alfred replied and Gyda laughed happily as she ran over to him.

She rushed into his arms and Alfred wasted no time hugging her, the two of them kissing without caring who saw.

Ubbe and Torvi stood together from afar, exchanging a look with each other. They glanced around, noticing numerous people seeing what had occurred between Alfred and Gyda. It would not end well.

Just moments later, Alfred stood inside a room with Ubbe, Torvi, and Gyda, speaking of how they planned to deal with the issue at hand.

Ubbe, Torvi, and Gyda stared down at the map in front of them. "Who are they?" Ubbe asked Alfred curiously.

"We think they are Danes," Alfred replied as he walked closer to the group, "They've sailed from their base in Dublin across to Cornwall with at least three hundred ships."

"You've talked to the Witan. You've talked to your nobles. Are they prepared?" Ubbe asked Alfred curiously, "How many warriors can they put on the field?"

"About two thousand," Alfred informed them, causing Gyda's eyes to widen in alarm as she exchanged a look with Ubbe.

"The Danes will have a thousand more warriors," Ubbe complained as he turned to face Alfred.

Alfred picked up his cup of wine, just before turning to face Ubbe and Gyda once more. "I will ride myself at the head of the army to inspire our forces. I also believe that I have some good commanders."

"The Danes won't be afraid to see you at the head of the army, Alfred, believe me. You are nothing to them," Gyda responded in a calm tone and Judith stood up from her seat.

"And why do you say that?" Judith asked, eying Gyda suspiciously.

Gyda rolled her eyes and turned to glance at the woman. "Why would I lie?" She replied with an attitude and Alfred nodded, knowing she had a point.

"Very well. Then what do you advise?" Alfred questioned, glancing between the group of three.

"I advise you make me the head of your army," Ubbe spoke up and Gyda nodded in agreement, "I think you should listen to me. Words are fine, but they don't win battles. If you make me the head of the army, I will find a way of dealing with the Danes. Otherwise, you have no hope.

"He is right," Gyda added in and Alfred turned to face her, "The Danes won't listen to you, but they will listen to Ubbe. He is a son of Ragnar Lothbrok. They will know who he is and they will listen to him. I know it."

___

   It was nighttime and in his room, Bjorn was wearing nothing but pants and an open robe. He was standing in front of the fire, poking it with the metal poker.

    Hearing footsteps, Bjorn turned, smiling slightly as he watched Ylva walk in wearing a dress he had never seen on her before. They had been married several years, yet every time she walked into a room, it felt as though she got more beautiful each time he saw her.

"I was wondering where you were. I have not seen you all day," Bjorn spoke up in a calm tone.

"I was with Gunnhild," She replied, walking over to him as she held a tray of food in her hands.

"It is as though you're always with Gunnhild now," Bjorn commented and Ylva sighed. She placed the tray down on the table in front of Bjorn before looking up at him.

"Jealous?" She asked, smiling playfully as she used a knife to pick up a piece of meat before holding it out to Bjorn.

He walked over to her, not breaking eye contact with her as he ate the meat off of the knife. "Of course not."

"King Harald is in love with Gunnhild, you know," He informed her as he walked closer to her.

"I know," She replied, eating a piece of meat off the knife as well.

"Did he tell you?" Bjorn asked and Ylva shook her head.

"No, but he told Gunnhild and Gunnhild told me. He told her they are fated to be together," Ylva informed her, an amused smile on her face.

"Hmm," Bjorn hummed in response, "Do you really believe that?"

"Of course not and neither does she," She responded in a calm tone, smiling slightly as they both took a seat, "He still wants to be King of Norway, you know."

"Ah. And it seems he puts the highest value on love," Bjorn commented as he leaned back in his seat, "He is a man who always wants to be in love."

"I pity him," Ylva replied in a soft tone.

"I would like to have his heart instead of mine," Bjorn confessed and Ylva raised a brow at him.

"Really?" Ylva asked, a curious look on her face and Bjorn nodded in response, "Why do you say that?"

"I am in love with you. I have been for as long as I can remember. Years have passed and instead of my love for you lessening, it has only grown stronger. I think about you all the time. Most days, you are all I think about. You are the mother of my children and I love you more than life itself. I've killed for you and I would certainly die for you as well," Bjorn explained to her in a low whisper, looking uneasy.

"Then what is the problem?" Ylva questioned, a concerned look on her face.

"I sometimes fear you do not love me," Bjorn admitted softly, causing Ylva's eyes to widen in surprise, "Not as you used to. What if you love Gunnhild? I see the way you look at her. You're the one who suggested I marry her in the first place and I know it wasn't for my sake. It was for your own," He explained, chuckling nervously while Ylva felt guilty for making him feel such a way, "I am afraid, Ylva. I am afraid to ask you if you love me. Because you and I both know that things between us are not the same as they used to be. We have sex, yes, and you are carrying my child, but things between us aren't the same as they used to be. They haven't been since we were forced to leave Kattegat and Ashton. There is a distance between us and because of that, I am afraid."

"You are one of the most famous men in the world, Bjorn. And you're afraid of me?" Ylva replied as she raised a brow at him.

Bjorn remained silent for a long moment as he stared at Ylva. "I am alone. Alone, naked, and afraid. And deep down, you know that you are too. We are married, yet we are alone, naked, and afraid. Instead of coming together as one as we once were, we distance ourselves from each other. You distance yourself from me most of all. You are hurting, I know that, yet still, you don't open up to me as much as you used to. You close yourself off."

"You know something? I respect you even more than I already did for saying that, for being honest with me about how you feel," Ylva spoke up as she rose from her seat and walked over to him.

She knelt in front of him and grabbed his hand, pressing a kiss to it. "And I shall take your words, Bjorn Ironside, and lock them away in my heart forever, but only if you promise to lock away the words I am about to say to you."

Bjorn stared at Ylva closely as he leaned forward in his seat. He placed a hand on the side of her face, affectionately stroking her cheek. "What is it you want to say?"

"I am in love with Gunnhild," Ylva confessed and Bjorn sighed deeply in defeat. He was about to take his hand away, but Ylva was quick to grab it, "But I love you, too, Bjorn. I have always loved you and nothing can change that. You are the only man I've ever been with. You were my first love and you are my true love. You always will be. You are my husband and the father of my children. I love you more than life itself. If I were still queen, I'd sacrifice my entire kingdom if it meant I could have you. I may love Gunnhild, but it is nothing compared to what I feel for you, Bjorn Ironside, and it never will be."

Ylva grabbed Bjorn's hand, pressing a kiss to it before she placed the palm of his hand against her chest. "You feel that?" She asked, referring to how rapidly her heart was beating, "Only you are able to make me feel like this, Bjorn."

Bjorn smiled softly as he stared down at Ylva. He inhaled deeply before they both stood up. He stood in front of her, glancing up and down before looking in her eyes.

"Say it, Ylva," He encouraged her in a whisper and Ylva could've sworn she saw tears in his eyes, "Say you love me."

Ylva remained still as she stared up at him, her lips parting.

"Say it," He encouraged her as he cupped her face in his hands, the two of them moving toward the bed without breaking eye contact, "Say it."

"I love you," Ylva replied in whisper and Bjorn nodded, smiling as he stared down at her.

He grabbed his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace. The world seemed to melt away as she placed her hands on the sides of his face, pressing her forehead against his.

  She felt at peace in his arms. When she was with him, she felt like she was at home and she always would be. Her kingdom might have been gone, but she still had her husband and her children. That was all that mattered to her. They were her home.

Ylva backed up and fell onto the bed, Bjorn climbing on top of her. Their faces were inches apart, Bjorn staring down at her. He lifted his hand, affectionately stroking her cheek. "I love you," He told her in a whisper and leaned forward, kissing her once more.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

It felt good to write such a tender moment between Ylva and Bjorn after so many chapters of her being depressed over losing Halig.