MADNESS
— 31. Death Sentence

In the Great Hall of Kattegat, Freya was sitting upon her throne, watching as Ivar made his way over to his own throne after being handed a cup of mead. "So?" He questioned, waiting for the men to tell him of what they had learned.

"We saw three armies marching together. One was led by Bjorn Ironside and King Harald Finehair. Another led by Queen Ylva the Dread and her son, Prince Rorik," The man explained and Ivar tried to hide his uneasiness, knowing if Ylva and Rorik were leading an army separate from Bjorn's, it must have been they had taken back Ashton. Ashton, after all, was rightfully Ylva's and Rorik's as her eldest son and rightful heir.

"You recognized them?" Ivar asked, trying not to look nervous as the man nodded.

"And the other army, by a King or earl we did not recognize," He informed Ivar before the woman standing next to him spoke up.

"Together with someone we did recognize," She spoke up, looking uneasy.

Ivar stared at the woman closely, already knowing the answer. "My brother, Hvitserk," He stated and at his words, Freya began to smile and sigh in relief.

"Yes, my King," The man responded and nodded his head in confirmation.

"And you are completely sure?"

"Yes, without any doubt," The woman paused, looking uneasy since she knew what she had to tell him next would not sit well with Ivar, "My King, Ylva the Dread has also taken back the kingdom of Ashton. The people threw down their arms and pledged fealty to her without a fight even having to occur."

Hearing the woman's words, Ivar began to laugh as he turned to face Freya. "That is good, huh? Don't you think that's good, Freya?" He asked her, beginning to laugh almost maniacally, "My fellow gods at last allowed me to see my fate. Now all of my brothers are against me. Now I know I'm the chosen one. And that bitch proved to me what she had been boasting about for years. The love the people of Ashton have for their beloved queen counts for more than the fear they have for an unknown leader or invader."

Freya stared at Ivar closely, trying to hide her uneasiness. The war for Kattegat was beginning for the second time.

_____

It was morning time and Freya laid asleep in bed. Hearing the commotion outside, she rolled onto her side before her eyes fluttered open. As she did so, she laid eyes on Ivar, who sat at the foot of the bed.

She felt uneasy, feeling as though history was repeating itself. This had happened before.

She sat up and stared at him closely, a puzzled look on her face. "Ivar, what is it?"

Ivar was silent for a long moment. He sighed and glanced down at the ground, looking shameful. "I need to know that you have forgiven me," He told her and Freya remained utterly silent, "I am sorry. For all that I do. I'm sorry. I love you, Freya. You know that."

Freya sighed and stared at Ivar for a long moment. Gradually, she nodded, beginning to tear up. "And I love you too," She managed to get out, "And I...And I forgive you."

A horn was sounded, causing Ivar's eyes to widen as he looked elsewhere. He sighed and looked back at Freya, knowing the horn meant it was time for battle.

"May I..." She trailed off and sighed, "May I fight in this battle?"

"I cannot let you do that," He told her in a calm tone and Freya looked disappointed since it had been so long since she truly fought, "I cannot have you risking your life. You are the queen of Kattegat."

Knowing she couldn't argue, Freya nodded her head as she looked almost hopeless.

Ivar stood up and made his way over to her. He placed a hand on the side of her face and she flinched. He leaned closer to her and Freya tried to maintain composure as she kissed him.

She forced herself to kiss back and Ivar slowly pulled away, pressing his forehead against hers. "I have to go," He told her in a whisper and Freya nodded in understanding, "Take care of yourself."

With that, Ivar pressed a kiss to her forehead and began to walk away.

"And you, my love..." Freya replied, beginning to speak softer as Ivar became further away, "May Thor strike you dead."

_____

With the battle occurring on the walls of Kattegat, Freya had placed on a hooded cloak before sneaking to her family's former home. She opened the door and snuck inside, finding Halig standing near the window with a worried look on his face. He held a sword in his hand, clearly prepared to defend himself if something bad were to happen.

"What's happening?" Halig asked as he rushed over to Freya, who immediately hugged him, "What's going on outside? Are we under attack?"

Slowly, Freya pulled away from the hug. She sighed and placed her hands on Halig's shoulders. "Your mother and father are attacking Kattegat," She informed Halig, whose eyes lit up at the thought, "I hear your brother is with them as well."

"Our brother," Halig suddenly corrected Freya, who gave him a weird look, "Our mother. Our father. Not mine, ours."

"Not anymore, Halig," Freya replied in a whisper as she tried to contain her sadness, "I am disowned, don't you remember?"

"If Mother and Father live through this battle and I am reunited with them once more, I will make sure they know that you are not the person they think you to be," Halig explained in a confident tone, "You saved me, you protected me, you've cared for me. I would not have survived if it weren't for you and I will tell them that. You will be forgiven, I know it."

"That is where you're wrong, dear brother," Freya shook her head and placed a hand on the side of the boy's face, "Kidnapping you was the least of my offenses. I still chose to remain with Ivar in York rather than go with Mother and Bjorn. I still tormented Gyda growing up. I still..." She trailed off, sighing as she looked downwards, "I still killed Sihtric."

"It was a battle. He came up to you. It was him or you. You made sure it was him who died in the end. If it had been you who had died, my mother surely would have treated Sihtric the same way she has treated you of late," Halig explained and Freya remained silent, knowing he had a point.

"There will be many battles to come," Freya suddenly informed Halig as she purposely changed the subject, "Ivar will surely win this one, I know it. He has been planning it for months. And if Ylva and Bjorn are not careful, Ivar will win next time as well and if they suffer another loss, their armies will never recover in enough time to attack again."

"What are we going to do?" Halig asked, a concerned look on his face.

"I don't know yet," Freya admitted as she sighed in defeat, "But no matter what it takes, Halig, I promise you, I will get you home, even if it means my own death. Do you understand?"

Halig stared up at Freya. He didn't respond, not wanting to even think about her dying. It pained him too much. Instead, he nodded his head and smiled slightly as Freya hugged him.

"I must right the wrongs I've committed in the past," Freya told him in a whisper, trying to contain her sadness.

____

Outside, on the walls of Kattegat, Hvitserk had been one of a select few to successfully climb over the walls and get into Kattegat. He slashed at one of the men rushing toward him.

Once he had killed him, he began to run down the wall, finding two men running after him. One of them was about to reach them when he was suddenly hit with an arrow from behind. The same occurred to the second man soon after.

Hvitserk frowned at the sight since he knew to be hit with an arrow from back, it meant someone in Kattegat had shot the men to save Hvitserk.

Slowly, Hvitserk turned, his eyes widening at the sight of Freya standing from afar wearing a hooded cloak. They locked eyes briefly and Freya smiled softly, nodding her head at him.

He briefly smiled back at her before Freya walked away. He sighed in defeat and before he could risk himself anymore, he climbed back down the wall of Kattegat to retreat.

She was still alive. But she didn't look pregnant, which meant she already had the child. He wondered where the child was, where it was a boy or a girl. All he could think about at that moment was winning the battle so he could finally be with Freya and have a family with her. He wanted that more than anything. And so did Freya.

_____

"When I tell you to kill Bjorn and Ylva, you kill them!" Ivar had shouted as he scolded the men who stood before him outside the great hall.

Freya watched on closeby, sighing in defeat since Ivar was clearly furious.

"You have to understand one thing. That Bjorn and Ylva are not your friends. They are your enemies. If the two of them and King Harald succeed in their ambitions, then what future do we have? They have great plans, yes, but those plans do not involve you. You, the ordinary folk of Kattegat, I am the only one who speaks for you. And I swear, that I will live and die for any of you."

Hearing Ivar's words, Freya smiled in amusement and crossed her arms. His speech was something that would have been heard coming out of Ylva's mouth, not his. She was the one who would die for her people. She was the voice of the common folk. She was the one who spoke up for her people and defended them. She cared nothing for the riches that came with being queen, only that everyone who lived in her lands was happy, safe, and always had food on their table to feed their family. Most of all, what people didn't know was that despite being such a powerful ruler, she barely had any gold and riches to her name. She always gave the majority of it to her people so that they could afford to put food on the table and live a plentiful life with their families without any hardships.

It was one of the many reasons why Ylva was so loved and adored by her people. She put them first always. She'd kill and certainly die for them. She kept them safe. There had never been a ruler of Aston as loved as Ylva. The only one who ever the same close was her mother and she was certainly who Ylva got the need to be charitable from.

"All that I ask is for your absolute loyalty," Ivar continued on,s snapping Freya out of her thoughts, "Otherwise, we shall all perish together."

As Ivar walked past her, Freya turned and sighed at the sight of the dozens of warriors that had been hung that day by Ivar for refusing to kill Ylva and Bjorn.

She shook her head slightly, closing her eyes for a brief moment before she walked away.

_____

In Kattegat, the Great Hall was filled with warriors and slaves celebrating their victory. Ivar sat from afar, conversing with some men. Freya sat upon her throne, looking lost. She found herself in deep thought as she stared at Ivar, thinking of all the ways she could kill him.

It made her feel better when she thought of such things. He had caused her so much pain in the past few months, but what hurt her the most was the fact that he had taken her child. Her child. Hvitserk's child. It broke her heart to think that in due time, she'd have to tell Hvitserk the news. He'd be broken. Even more than she had been.

Freya's nostrils flared as she glared at Ivar hatefully. She balled her into a fist. She had balled them into such tight fists that they were now bleeding.

Finally, she looked away and sighed, knowing what had to be done. She couldn't wait any longer. She didn't even care if it meant her own death. It needed to be done.

_____

It was the middle of the night at the cabin where Hvitserk, Ylva, Bjorn, Harald, King Olaf, Gunnhild, and Rorik were making plans for the upcoming battle. Outside stood a few guards loyal to Ylva. The moment they saw two figures riding toward them on horseback, they raised their bows. "Halt!" The man shouted in a stern tone, "Who are you?"

"I am Freya Ylvasdottir and this is Princes Halig Bjornsson," Freya announced in a loud tone, much to the shock of the men.

Inside the cabin, Hvitserk was closest to the door when a hooded woman entered. He turned and the moment the woman removed her hood to reveal herself to be Freya, Hvitserk's eyes widened in shock.

He gasped and immediately rushed over to her. He sighed in relief, cupping her face in his hands before he pressed his forehead against hers. "Freya, what...what are you doing here?" He asked in a concerned tone, "Ivar will kill you if he finds out you are here."

"I had to come," Freya informed him calmly as she turned to look at Bjorn and Ylva, the latter being unable to bring herself to look her daughter in the eyes, "I have things I must say. But first..." She trailed off and turned, the whole group watching as Halig entered with a calm expression on his face.

"Halig?" Ylva asked in disbelief and Halig smiled, nodding his head at his mother.

"Hello, Mother," He greeted her and within seconds, Bjorn and Ylva rushed over to their son. They hugged him tightly, both of them beginning to cry tears of joy now that their son had been returned to them.

Smiling, Rorik walked over and hugged his brother as well.

"I am sorry, for all of this. Partly, this is all my fault. I could've stopped him long ago, but I only made matters worse," She confessed, tears in her eyes as she looked around, "He killed our baby, Hvitserk."

The moment he heard the news, Hvitserk froze in place. He slowly turned her, his eyes widening in disbelief as tears began to fill them.

Ylva sighed as she heard the news, turning to exchange a look with Bjorn.

"He...He left him in the woods to die because he had the eyes of a snake, just as Sigurd had. The eyes of the serpent your grandfather slain in the sagas," Freya informed Hvitserk, tears beginning to form in her eyes, "Ivar is a monster. You have to stop him. I wish I stopped him long ago, but I didn't. I should have, but I didn't."

"How?" Ylva asked as she finally looked Freya in the eye for the first time since the girl had arrived.

"There is a secret way into the town. Ivar created it for his own escape. That's how I got out," She informed the group in a calm tone, "I will show your scouts where it is and I will open it for you in the morning. Be ready."

Bjorn walked toward Freya, looking almost suspicious of her.

However, without saying anything else, Freya turned to leave. Bjorn ended up grabbing her arm before she could do so and Freya hesitantly turned to face him. "Thank you, Freya. This means a lot," He told her in a soft tone and Freya stared up at him, trying to contain her tears.

"I want to see Ivar strung up in a tree. I want him to experience the most painful of deaths after everything he has cost me, even if it means I myself have to die," She explained in a low, threatening tone, "He cost me everything. I shall return the favor."

Freya glanced around, quickly wiping her tears before she went to leave.

"Freya," A voice suddenly called out, causing Freya to turn. The moment she did so, she found herself being engulfed in a hug by Halig, "Thank you. For everything. I would not have survived what I did if it weren't for you."

"You would have. You're stronger than you let on," Freya admitted, smiling sadly as she placed a hand on the side of his face, "I will miss you, little brother. Just know that I love you. You were the only thing keeping me sane these past few months."

"Please don't leave," Halig pleaded, staring up at Ylva with tears in her eyes, "Please don't leave me. If you go back, you'll die. I don't want to die. I need you. You're my sister. You're my blood, my family. I need you by my side."

"I must go, sweetheart," Freya replied softly as she cupped his face in his hands, "But it will be alright. You will be alright, I promise," She paused, beginning to cry as she hugged him tightly, "I love you, sweetheart. I love you."

"I love you, too," Halig responded, crying as he hugged her back.

Freya closed her eyes, forcing back her tears as she kissed him on the head before she headed toward the door.

"No, please!" Halig shouted out as he rushed toward the door, sobbing, "Please don't go, Freya. Please! He'll kill you! You know he will! Please!"

Rorik and Amma quickly rushed over to Halig and pulled the crying boy back, watching him sob and scream as Freya left the room.