MADNESS
— 3. Celebrations

Leaving the cabin, Freya groaned as she rubbed her aching neck. She had to admit, it hurt. Ivar could have killed her, after all, but she wasn't all that surprised.

She was walking through Kattegat, on the verge of heading home when she spotted Hvitserk from afar. He locked eyes on her as well and began to make his way over to her.

"How was it?" He asked her, a playful smile on his face.

Freya smiled, playfully rolling her eyes at him. She began to walk away, Hvitserk following after her. "Fine," She replied simply and Hvitserk chuckled.

She stopped, turning to face him as he leaned closer to her. "Better than me?" He asked teasingly as he leaned forward.

Freya laughed and playfully shoved him back. "You wish," She retorted and Hvitserk smiled as they continued to walk together.

"Is that so?" He asked her and Freya hummed in agreement. There was a moment of silence between them and Hvitserk sighed, his smiling fading. "Why aren't you sailing the Mediterranean with your mother and Bjorn?"

Freya was silent for a moment, shrugging her shoulders. "It's not my destiny, it's theirs," She admitted, smiling as she turned to Hvitserk, "What, are you going to miss me while you're off raiding with them while I am here in Kattegat?"

"What do you think?" Hvitserk replied, both of them beginning to smile.

They stopped walking when they reached Freya's home, causing her to sigh and turn to Hvitserk. "I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked him curiously and Hvitserk nodded. She watched as he moved closer to her until he was standing directly in front of her. He placed a hand on the side of her face and Freya did nothing as he leaned forward, kissing her on the lips.

Slowly, he pulled away and Freya stared up at him in silence. "Good night, Freya," He told her softly before walking away.

She watched him walk away for a moment, a small smile appearing on her face. She brushed her fingers over her lips, just before making her way inside the home she shared with Bjorn, her mother, and her siblings.

Instead of going to the room she shared with Gyda, Freya made her way to the room Halig shared with Rorik and Erik. She walked over to the young boy's bed, shaking him awake.

The boys groaned, rubbing his eyes before looking up at Freya. "Freya, what are you doing here?" He asked his older sister in confusion.

"I have something for you," She informed him with a smile on her face.

"What is it?" He asked her curiously as he pushed himself up into a seated position.

"An amulet, Thor's hammer. Your father gave me one as a girl. I thought it was only fair to give you one since you're still not old enough to have an arm ring like Rorik," She explained to her younger brother as she held it out to him.

She smirked slightly as he went to take it only, only to have Freya snatch it back and balled it up in her hand. "Take it," She insisted and Halig grunted as he attempted to pry Freya's hand open.

"I can't," He complained, causing Freya to smirk in amusement.

"Don't you want it, little brother?" She asked him tauntingly.

"I...I do want," He sighed in frustration, causing Freya to smile in amusement.

"Then take it."

"Don't you think I'm trying?"

Finally, Freya opened her balled-up fist, smiling as Halig was finally able to take hold of her pendant. He stared down at it, a smile forming on his lips.

"Thank you," He told his sister, continuing to smile at her as he hugged her tightly.

Freya was shocked at first but gradually began to hug him back.

______

      It was nighttime and Ivar was sitting in his room, taking off his shoes when Freya entered with a large smile on her face.

He frowned as he stared up at her, not expecting her to come around him after what happened at the cabin the night before. "What are you doing here?"

"Can't I come to see a friend?" She replied, a large smile on her face.

"After everything, I thought things would be..." He trailed off as he gave her a weird look.

"Awkward? Of course not. Why would it be?" She replied casually, causing him to give her an annoyed look, "It's all in the past. I'm over it. Just don't do it again."

Ivar nodded, which was his way of saying he wouldn't. "I'm actually happy you're here."

"And why is that?" She asked him as she took a seat on his bed.

"I wanted to tell you myself that I'm going with my father to England," He informed her, causing Freya's eyes to light up as she began to smile.

"What? Really?" She asked him and Ivar nodded his head.

"Yes, he asked me last night," He replied and Freya continued to smile at the news.

"That's wonderful! Are you happy?" She asked him and Ivar nodded.

"I thought he'd never ask me," Ivar admitted, looking down at the ground.

"But he did," She reminded him as she lightly slapped him on the arm, "And you better come back alive or it might just get dull around here."

"Is that your way of saying you'll miss me while I'm gone?" Ivar teased her and Freya scoffed loudly.

"Of course not," She argued as she shook her head, giving him an annoyed look.

"I believe it is," He taunted her and Freya sighed in annoyance.

"Fine. I'll miss you," She admitted as she rolled her eyes at him, "What of it? It's not a big deal."

"I'll miss you, too," Ivar confessed as he turned to face her fully, "I shall think of you every day while I'm gone."

"Good. I shall think of you as well," Freya replied casually and a moment of silence occurred between them. She slowly turned, giving Ivar an annoyed look when he saw the way he stared at her, "What is it?"

"There is a favor I must ask of you before you go, though," He informed her and Freya moved closer to him.

"What is it?" She asked him curiously.

"You might not like it, but I swear to you, I will make it up to you," Ivar responded and Freya's lips curled upwards into a smirk.

"It involves your brothers, doesn't it?" She asked him, a part of her looking amused as he nodded his head, "I'll do it."

"I haven't even told you what it is," Ivar complained and Freya smiled in amusement.

"Does it look like I care, Ivar?" She retorted as she took off her shoes and laid down on his bed, "I'm staying here tonight. I do not feel like going home. Is that alright?"

"Nothing new," Ivar replied as he casually laid down beside her. He turned, beginning to stare at her for a long moment.

Feeling his stare, Freya opened her eyes and turned to him. "What?" She asked him and Ivar quickly looked away.

"Nothing," He replied with an attitude as he turned his back to him.

"Clearly, it's something if you're staring at me."

"It's nothing. Stop asking."

"Whatever you say, Ivar," She replied, beginning to smirk as she turned onto her side and closed her eyes.

_____

    The following evening, Freya ended up agreeing to Ivar's plan, even though she knew it was a stupid one that she would regret later on. They sat with his brothers and mother that night, having dinner.

Instead of sitting between Hvitserk and Ubbe as she usually did, she sat beside Ivar. Ivar was all over her, which gained the attention of everyone in the room.

Hvitserk was in the middle of eating when he froze, giving the duo a weird look while Ubbe watched them intently.

They began to laugh while Sigurd rolled his eyes. "What are you laughing at?" Ivar asked his brothers as he turned to look at them, smiling, "Hmm?"

Ivar turned to Freya once more and she fed him a piece of food, trying her hardest not to burst out laughing. She found the entire thing hilarious. It was funny to see the looks Ivar's brothers were giving them while Ivar took pleasure in their reactions as well. Though Ivar was trying to prove a point to his brothers, Freya was not.

"She is my woman now," Ivar announced to his brothers and mother, causing Hvitserk to nearly choke on his food while Ubbe looked annoyed, "And she has a lot of reasons to be grateful to me." He grabbed ahold of Freya's hand and held it where his brothers could see.

"I'm not sure I believe you, little brother," Ubbe complained, causing Ivar to raise his brows as he turned to Ubbe.

"And I'm sure you're jealous," Ivar retorted, smiling at Ubbe.

"Freya has said it many times before. She is no man's woman and she never will be. Or has one night with you completely changed her way of thinking?" Hvitserk spoke up and Ivar smiled as he turned to Freya.

"They sound jealous. Don't they, Freya?" He asked the girl, who began to smirk.

"They do," She replied, knowing that Ivar was right. They were, in fact, jealous. Jealous that their younger brother supposedly achieved what they could not.

"We're not jealous," Ubbe argued with an attitude, "We just don't believe you."

"Mother," Ivar complained, a pouting look on his face as he turned to Aslaug, "Tell them to stop tormenting me."

"It makes me so happy you are with a woman. Especially when that woman is Freya," Aslaug answered in a calm tone as she turned to her other sons, "The rest of you should be already be married. Ubbe, you should have children."

"I probably already do," He commented and even Freya began to laugh at him.

"Just because you are the sons of a king does not mean you can be irresponsible. It's important to find a woman and settle down," Aslaug explained to her sons in a calm tone.

"I thought I had found a woman," Sigurd complained in annoyance, "But now Ivar has taken her away from me."

Ivar smiled in amusement and lifted his cup of mead. "Skol!" He made a cheers while Freya's smile faded.

She glanced around to see all of Ivar's brothers looking at her. They all seemed to agree with Sigurd. She had been reckless enough with them to cause them all to fall in love with her. What the fuck was she thinking?

"I don't mean love," Aslaug spoke up in a stern tone, looking annoyed, "You don't have to love the woman. As a king's son, you can have as many women as you like..." She trailed off as Ubbe and Hvitserk shouted in approval and clinked their cups together, "But you need one to breed with."

Freya frowned as she heard Aslaug's words. After all, her mother always said the opposite. Bjorn had been the son of a king yet he was with Ylva and no one else. He loved her and bred with her. In fact, Freya had never quite seen a love like theirs. Bjorn was devoted to her fully, something not seemed to have really expected out of him.

"So then you don't believe in love?" Sigurd questioned his mother curiously.

"I didn't say that," Aslaug replied as she shook her head.

"So you loved Ragnar when you married him?" Sigurd asked and Freya felt uneasy since she knew the conversation was bound to go nowhere good, "And he loved you?"

"Of course I loved him!" Aslaug snapped at Sigurd coldly, clearly growing frustrated with him.

"Some say you bewitched him," Sigurd muttered under his breath but everyone still heard him.

Hvitserk was on the verge of shoving a spoonful of food in his mouth when he froze. He awkwardly continued to eating while Freya watched the scene occur intently.

"What is wrong with you?" Ivar complained as he leaned forward in his seat.

"Nothing's wrong with me," Sigurd argued back, "I just want to know if she's ever loved anyone except Harbard."

"Of course she has loved someone else. She has always loved..." Ivar trailed off as Aslaug turned to him uneasily, "Me?"

Ivar began to smile widely as he looked at his mother, who smiled back at him. "Isn't that right, Mother?"

"She feels pity for you," Sigurd suddenly stated, causing Hvitserk, Ubbe, and Freya to freeze in place since they already knew what was about to happen, "That's all. As does Freya. We all feel pity for you. But sometimes we wish that she'd left you to the wolves."

"Sigurd!" Aslaug scolded Sigurd, who seemed to believe there was nothing wrong with what he had said.

"What?" He asked her without a care in the world.

There a long moment of silence and Sigurd continued to eat. Ivar glared at him hatefully and used his arms to push himself up and out of his seat.

Sigurd turned to his brother and smiled at him tauntingly.

"Ivar," Freya warned Ivar in a low tone as she stood up and backed away.

"It is alright," Ivar assured her in a calm tone as he continued to use everyone's chairs for support to make his way over to Sigurd.

"Are you coming over here?" Sigurd taunted him, taking his time standing up, "Come on, Boneless."

Ubbe and Freya exchanged a glance as they groaned in annoyance.

Ivar went to use Sigurd's chair to support himself, only to have Sigurd tug it away.

Ivar began to grunt and pant, his anger overcoming him as it always did. It was something he had in common with Freya, but over the years, while Freya learned to mostly keep it under control, Ivar's rage only became worse.

"Go on, little Ivar," Sigurd continued to taunt Ivar as he pulled the chair away from him over and over, "What are you going to do?"

Ivar groaned in pain as he fell to the straight. Sigurd's smirked, moving toward the door while Freya rushed over to Ivar. She bent down and placed a hand on his back. "Ivar," She warned him in a low tone, "Stop! Stop! Stop it!"

Ivar continued to crawl toward the door, but by the time he reached it, Sigurd had already left. Ivar screamed at the top of his lungs in rage and Freya knelt down on the floor beside him, sighing in frustration.

____

That night, deciding it wasn't wise to stay in the Great Hall of Ashton after everything that had happened, Freya went to leave when she heard Hvitserk calling out to her. She turned to face him, smiling as she watched him rush to catch up to her.

"Yes?" She asked him, raising a brow at Hvitserk as he stood in front of her. She sighed, watching as he lifted his hand and brushed his fingers over the bruises on her neck caused by when Ivar tried to kill her.

"It's from training with my mother. It got a bit rough," She quickly told him, but still, Hvitserk eyed her suspiciously, clearly not believing her.

"Are you sure?" He asked her, placing one hand on her shoulder, the other on the side of her face as he examined the bruises, "If someone did this to you, you could tell me. You know that, right?"

"I'm fine, Hvitserk," She insisted, a serious look on her face, "Really, I'm fine."

"You swear?" Hvitserk asked as he cupped her face in his hands, causing her to smile.

"I swear," She assured him, nodding her head. She remained silent and her lips parted, watching as Hvitserk slowly began to lean forward.

She didn't nothing, a part of her even smiling as he pressed his lips against hers. Her arms immediately wrapped around his neck and Hvitserk placed his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him to deepen the kiss.

Slowly, he pulled away, smiling as he placed a hand on the side of her face while she stared up at him. "I knew you weren't with Ivar," He spoke in a whisper, causing Freya to groan loudly as she realized he had tricked her.

She shoved him back and rolled her eyes, causing Hvitserk to laugh in amusement. "Shut up, alright?" She snapped at him, but it was obvious that she wasn't angry with him. She was simply aggravated that he saw through her. He always did.

"For what reason would Ivar want to parade you around as his woman?" Hvitserk questioned her and Freya's expression became unreadable. He stepped toward her, a concerned look on his face, "Did something happen?"

"What would make you think something happened?" She asked, letting out a large scoff.

"It's Ivar we're talking about," He reminded her in a soft tone as he gave her a knowing look, "He's crazy. I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one to cause those bruises."

"He didn't, Hvitserk," She assured him, moving closer to him before she grabbed his hand, "He didn't. You don't have to worry."

"You've always been a good liar, but for some reason, I still think you're lying," Hvitserk admitted softly, clearly concerned about her wellbeing.

"I'm not," She argued back, beginning to give him an attitude, "When are you going to get that through your thick skull?"

"I care about you, Freya," He replied as he shrugged his shoulders, "I don't want you getting hurt, especially by my brother."

Freya stared up at Hvitserk, smiling as she nodded her head. "You have nothing to worry about, Hvitserk," She assured him, placing a hand on the side of his face briefly before walking away.

_____

That evening, a feast occurred due to the people joining Ylva and Bjorn on their journey to the Mediterranean were arriving on their ships. Ivar jokingly lifted his hand and placed it underneath her chin as though he was going to kiss her, clearly to screw with her and gain the attention of his brothers.

She shoved his hand away and smiled, causing him to laugh at her. "How long are you going to do this for? They already don't believe it," She complained and Ivar turned to glance at Hvitserk and Ubbe.

"Until I go to England," He informed her and Freya rolled her eyes at him.

She froze, however, when she noticed Ylva walk past them. Her mother gave the duo a puzzled look before she continued to walk away. She watched as moments later, her mother's brother Sihtric past by as well. He nodded at them as a form of greeting and Freya glared at him, which Ivar noticed.

"What is that about?" Ivar asked her curiously, "Why do you hate him so much?"

"It doesn't matter why I hate him. I just know that one day, I will kill him," Freya informed Ivar in a determined tone.

"Your mother won't be happy about that. She loves him, even more than she loves you," Ivar reminded her and Freya turned to glare at Ivar.

"That is not true," She argued sternly.

"That is her brother. He's protected her all his life. My mother says they have a bond stronger than blood," Ivar explained to Freya, who was quick to disagree.

"They say the same of me and her," She pointed out and Ivar rolled his eyes at Freya since she was too stubborn to actually listen to what he had to say about the whole ordeal.

"Whatever you say, Freya," He replied and at that moment, Bjorn and Ylva walked over, leading Harald, Halfdan, and his men over to meet the younger sons of Ragnar.

Ylva had roughly tugged on Ubbe's braid, causing Ubbe to turn in confusion. "Ubbe!" Bjorn exclaimed and Ubbe gave Ylva an offended look while Hvitserk laughed in amusement. Bjorn continued to introduce the rest of his brothers with an amused look on his face, "Hvitserk, Sigurd, and Ivar. And of course, you know Freya."

Harald and Halfdan turned, their eyes widening at the sight of Freya, whom they hadn't seen in ten years.

Freya smiled slightly at them, recalling the last time she had seen them was back in Paris. They had allowed her to come with them to raid a village in Frankia. Ylva had been pissed at them because of it. She had also joined them on setting fire to some Frankish soldiers who were tied up, which her mother had also not been happy about.

"Freya!" Harald exclaimed, smiling at the sight of the girl, "You have grown into a beautiful woman since the last time I saw you. Are you coming with us to the Mediterranean?"

"Sadly, she is not," Bjorn answered before placing a hand on Hvitserk's shoulders, "But Hvitserk will be coming with us."

"I remember you," Harald replied as he pointed at Hvitserk, "I remember all of you! But how you've all grown tall. You're not boys anymore! And Freya is now a woman, a girl no longer."

"I am so much taller when I stand up," Ivar spoke up from his seat in between Freya and Aslaug.

"I'm sure you wish you could come with us," Halfdan commented and Ylva and Bjorn shared an uneasy look.

Ivar smiled, lifting his cup. "Go to hell," He replied, causing the group to laugh.

"I like him," Harald admitted as he patted Halfdan on the shoulder before Floki arrived, the three men having a heartfelt reunion.

Moments later, Lagertha, Bjorn's mother, was walking through the feast. She stopped when her eyes laid on Freya, who was sitting closely with Ivar and Aslaug.

Freya turned her head and locked eyes on Lagertha. She then turned to Ivar and Aslaug and began to whisper something to them.

Lagertha sighed as Aslaug and Ivar then looked at her. It wasn't a secret that Freya preferred Aslaug over Lagertha for some odd reason. She supposed it was because of all the time she spent with Ivar.

Lagertha viewed the girl to be her grandchild, even though she wasn't Bjorn's daughter by blood. After all, Bjorn had raised Freya as his own as long as Ylva had. Bjorn viewed the girl as his own daughter and Lagertha treated her like she would her own grandchild. However, while the other children Bjorn and Ylva had together adored their grandmother, Freya was always different.

She watched as Aslaug stood up and walked toward her while Ivar and Freya continued to converse amongst themselves.

"A toast!" Harald suddenly announced loudly, causing Freya to turn her head, "Reunited and stronger than ever! Skol!"

"Skol!" Freya shouted as well and alongside Ubbe and Hvitserk, they began to see who could down their drink the fastest.

She suddenly stopped, however, when her sister Gyda walked past them, locking eyes briefly with Sigurd before leaving.

Just moments later, Sigurd stood up and left the hall as well and Freya knew it couldn't have been a coincidence.