MADNESS
— 29. Farewell

In the dead of night, Hvitserk and Freya were lying fast asleep in bed. They were both unclothed, their naked bodies being covered by only the fur blanket.

Freya was lying on her side with Hvitserk's arms wrapped around her. She stirred in her sleep and Hvitserk grabbed her hand, holding it with his own.

They both smiled and Freya pressed a kiss to his hand before closing her eyes once more.

Just then, hearing a floorboard creak, Hvitserk's eyes shot open. He immediately grabbed the knife from underneath his pillow and pointed it at the person, only to have his eyes widen in alarm when he saw it was Ivar.

Freya sat up as well, quick to cover her naked body with the blanket as she tried to hide her uneasiness.

Hvitserk sighed deeply in defeat and laid back down, preparing himself for whatever punishment Ivar was about to give them.

"Sorry to startle you," Ivar told his brother with a taunting smile on his face, "But you are in bed with my wife."

"Here we go," Hvitserk muttered under his breath as Ivar sat down on the edge of the bed.

"That isn't why I'm here, though," Ivar replied in a calm tone, which caused Freya to feel confused.

"Then why are you here, brother?" Hvitserk questioned as he sat up slightly.

"I've been thinking about you, my dear brother," Ivar confessed with a smile on his face.

"What have you been thinking?" Hvitserk asked, exchanging a brief look with Freya before he looked back at Ivar.

"I have been thinking...That you can make yourself more useful to me. It concerns me that you have no proper role here. That you live such an empty and idle life. And that is why you've taken it upon yourself to bed a woman who isn't yours. A woman who is my wife and queen," He explained, smiling at Hvitserk threateningly, "But I know it won't happen again, will it?"

He glanced between them, watching as the duo uneasily shook their heads. "I forgive you for it, Hvitserk. After all, you're my brother and I love you."

"How could I make myself useful?" Hvitserk asked, staring up at his brother.

"You could leave Kattegat," Ivar informed Hvitserk, causing Freya's eyes to widen in alarm.

Hvitserk remained silent for a long moment as he stared at Ivar, realizing he was purposely trying to get rid of him to keep him away from Freya.

"Go on a diplomatic trip to the Great Hall of King Olaf the Stout, and cement our alliance, help him prepare for our springtime attacks on York and Wessex," Ivar explained to Hvitserk calmly.

"And if I refuse?" Hvitserk questioned Ivar and without a care in the world, he leaned forward to grab Freya's hand to hold, "I don't want to leave Kattegat."

Ivar began to glare at the duo and Hvitserk stared up at Ivar confidently, showing no fear.

Freya, on the other hand, avoided eye contact since she knew the only reason Ivar was not doing anything about what was happening her was because he knew better than to do anything to her in front of Hvitserk.

However, she knew the moment she returned to the Great Hall with him, he was going to make her pay. The only reason he didn't do it now was because Hvitserk was there and Hvitserk would be sure to kill Ivar before Ivar dared to lay a hand on her.

"I'm afraid you cannot refuse," Ivar replied in a calm tone, smiling as he turned to glance at Freya, "Tell me, wife, who long has this affair been going on?"

"It only happened tonight," Freya spoke up as she forced herself to look him in the eyes, "It won't happen again."

"Hmm," Ivar hummed in response as he began to smirk at Hvitserk, "That is good. For both of your sakes. That is good, Hvitserk. After all, it would be a pity if I had to burn her alive after she gave birth to my divine child."

Hvitserk leaned forward, wasting no time pressing his blade against Ivar's throat. "You wouldn't do that, brother...Now, would you?" He asked Ivar in a low, threatening tone.

Freya watched on, feeling uneasy as Ivar began to laugh without a care in the world.

"No. No, I wouldn't," Ivar replied, shaking his head as he stared down at Hvitserk, "Not if you agree to leave Kattegat first thing in the morning and stay away from her from now on."

Hvitserk remained silent and turned to glance at Ivar. He sighed, looking back at Ivar as he had no choice but to nod his head.

_____

By the time they arrived back to the Great Hall, it was morning time. Freya felt uneasy as she followed Ivar into the room. She sighed, looking ahead to find his back facing her.

"Ivar—" She began to say, only to be cut off as Ivar whipped himself around and backhanded her across the face at full force.

She yelped in pain, blood immediately beginning to spill from her nose. She sniffled and wiped the blood before turning to Ivar, a cold look on her face. "You won't kill him."

"Who are you to say who I will and won't kill?" He asked her in a threatening tone.

"What, you're going to kill every guy I look at?" She commented and Ivar let out a large scoff.

"I'd say 'looking at' was the least of what you were doing with him. Or were you just lying with him naked to simply look at him?" He shouted at her in an angry growl, "After everything I've done for you! I saved you! You'd be dead if it weren't for me."

"I am dead!" She cried out, tears forming in her eyes as she stared up at him, "And you didn't save me, you've used me. You've used me this entire time. I've lost everything because of you. I'm only here because you threatened to kill me if I returned to my mother. What kind of husband is that?"

Unable to control his anger, Ivar punched Freya in the face, causing her to stumble back against the wall. She clutched her nose and her eyes widened, unable to believe that he dared to lay a hand on her a second time.

She growled, on the verge of lunging at him when he roughly grabbed her by the throat and slammed back against the wall.

She stared up at him, beginning to gasp for breath. "Yes, I am your husband. And you will do what I say. Do you understand?" He told her in a low tone and Freya remained silent as she glared him hatefully, "Do you understand?!"

Freya sighed and nodded her head. Due to her answer, Ivar finally let go of his grip on his neck. She let out a breath of relief and rubbed her aching neck.

"You will stay away from him. Do you hear me?" He snapped at her and Freya nodded but didn't say a word.

He shot her a hateful glare, just before walking off without another word said.

____

After the incident in the morning, Freya went to sleep for a short while, needing to rest after what had occurred. After her small nap, she woke up, only to have her mood ruined when she found Ivar sitting at the edge of the bed, staring at her.

"What is it? What is it you want?" She asked him with an attitude as she rubbed her eyes.

"I need to know that you have forgiven me. I'm sorry. I should not have laid a hand on you as I did," He told her, a saddened look on his face as he glanced at her cut nose and bruises on her neck, "I was just so angry. It broke my heart to see you in bed with my brother," He confessed, sighing in defeat as he stared down at the ground, "But perhaps it is my own fault you were with him. Being Queen is never what you wanted to be. You just wanted to be free. You prefer pleasure over power."

He paused, looking back over at her as he smiled sadly, "And it is not like I can give you pleasure. I am but a cripple."

"Yes, you are a cripple, but you are also a god and I love you," She forced herself to say to him as her voice cracked, "Of course, you are enough. It was a mistake. I did not mean for it to happen and it won't..." She trailed off, beginning to tear up as she stared downwards, "It won't happen again."

"I forgive you, but it cannot happen again. Or I will kill Hvitserk and then, you will die too once you give birth to my child," Ivar explained in a threatening tone and Freya nodded in understanding.

"It won't happen again," She replied softly as she shook her head.

Ivar stood up and made his way over to her. He placed a hand on the side of her neck, sighing as he ran his fingers over the bruises. He leaned forward to kiss her and Freya flinched. She took a deep breath before she began to kiss back, having no other choice.

Slowly, Ivar pulled away and smiled, pressing his forehead against hers. "I love you."

"And I..." She trailed off, stammering as she forced a smile onto her face, "And I love you."

Ivar pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, just before beginning to walk away.

"May I..." Freya began to say, only to cut herself off as Ivar stopped and turned to her, "May I at least say goodbye to him before he goes? Just this one time. After that, I won't go near him ever again. I promise."

Ivar stared at Freya closely, hesitant to give her what she wanted. However, he sighed and glanced down at the bruises he had given her, feeling the need to make up for it. He nodded and with that, he left the room.

______

Just moments later, near the docks at Kattegat, Hvitserk was on the verge of leaving when he heard someone calling out his name.

He stopped and turned, sighing in relief at the sight of Freya running in his direction.

As she became closer to him, Hvitserk felt uneasy as he noticed her bruised face and the marks on her neck. When she reached him, she wrapped her arms around him and Hvitserk immediately began to hug her back.

Slowly, Hvitserk pulled away and sighed, brushing his fingers against her bruises.

"Ivar has allowed me to say goodbye to you," Freya informed him as she smiled sadly.

"How nice of him," Hvitserk replied in a sarcastic tone, "I should kill him for laying a hand on you."

"He will pay," Freya replied as Hvitserk cupped her face in his hands.

"I know. Your wish has come true. He has sent me to see King Olaf the Stout and I will do what you said. I shall ask King Olaf to stand with me against Ivar. I will return to you, Freya, but not alone. I shall overthrow Ivar once and for all. We may finally be happy," He explained to her confidently and they both smiled as they hugged each other.

"When you come back and Ivar is overthrown once and for all, we should get married," Freya confessed as they began to walk together and Hvitserk smiled at the thought.

He was surprised to hear her words. Freya was never one to talk about their future together, especially when it involved getting married and having children.

"Yes, I'd like that very much," Hvitserk smiled at the thought as he let out a small chuckle.

"But don't expect me to be like your mother and sit around in the Great Hall, taking care of the children while you go exploring and raiding," She explained and Hvitserk smiled as he wrapped an arm around her.

"I never expected you to," He replied, only to suddenly stop for a brief moment and turn to her with wide eyes, "Children, you say?"

"Yes, we shall have many children. When you return, I will have already given birth to this one, but we shall have more," She explained, placing a hand over her swollen belly, "You will be a wonderful father. I know it."

"And you will be a good mother, with a bit of practice, I'm sure of it," Hvitserk added in as they continued to speak of their dream for the future.

They both turned to each other, beginning to laugh at the thought of it all. They stopped walking and Hvitserk smiled, cupping her face in his hands. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers as he briefly kissed her.

"Farewell, my love," He spoke to her in a whisper, staring deeply into her eyes as he smiled, "And be careful, yes?" He asked and Freya nodded in understanding, "Be careful of my brother. He knows the truth now. It won't be long before he suspects that I am the father of our child, not him. You must be careful."

"I will. I promise," Freya assured him and Hvitserk smiled in response.

"I shall return here with an army and we shall finally get to be happy. I know it," He promised her and Freya nodded, the two of them leaning forward to kiss each other.

The kiss lingered for a long while until Hvitserk finally forced himself to pull away. "I love you."

"And I love you," Freya replied in a whisper, trying to contain the sadness she felt at the thought of Hvitserk leaving. He had been her only constant of late. Now, he would be gone as well.

"Until next time," He told her and Freya smiled, nodding her head.

"Until next time," She repeated after him and Hvitserk pressed a brief kiss to her forehead.

He gave her one last parting look, forcing himself to let go of her hand before walking away.

Freya stood in place, watching him leave with a saddened look on her face. A part of her wondered if she'd even be alive long enough to see him again. After her child was born, only the gods knew what would become of her.