MADNESS
— 6. Grand Plan

In the river near Kattegat, Ivar was sitting on the shore as Sigurd, Ubbe, and Freya were naked in the water, bathing. Shieldmaidens loyal to Lagertha were scattered around the shores, keeping guard.

Sigurd sighed in frustration and swam closer to Ubbe and Freya, an annoyed look on his face. "What are we going to do?" He asked the duo in a hushed tone.

"If Father is dead—" Ubbe began to say, only to be cut off by Sigurd.

"Mother and Father," Sigurd corrected Ubbe, only to have his older brother spit water in his face.

"I said, 'If'," Ubbe argued in a stern tone, "It is possible that Lagertha might change her mind about keeping us alive."

"Of course she might," Sigurd replied as he suspiciously glanced around, "The only one we know for sure will survive this is Freya. After all, you are Ylva's daughter. How can we trust her?"

"We can't," Ubbe responded and shook his head, "But if we try and kill her, all furies will be released. And who would support us?"

"Mother and Father," Sigurd admitted quietly, a shameful look on his face as he shook his head, "I can't believe it."

"Even if it is true about Ragnar, we must all bide our time and tread lightly. We'd be bloody fools to give ourselves away too quickly. We must be wary," Freya explained to the duo quietly and Sigurd's eyes immediately went to Ivar, who continued to sit on the shore.

"So, what about Ivar?" Sigurd asked his brother and Freya curiously.

Freya sighed, shaking her head at Ubbe and Sigurd. "You can't. That is the issue. He is blinded by his rage after your mother's death. It will not end well. You know that."

Ubbe and Sigurd turned to each other, exchanging an uneasy look since they knew Freya was right.

____

On the hills near his brothers' cabin, Ivar was sitting on a rock, beginning to sob at the thought of his mother and father being dead. Suddenly, he looked up at the sky and roared loudly in emotional pain.

Freya, hearing his yells, made her way over to him as he wept. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and Ivar grabbed onto her. He began to sob in her arms and Freya held him close. "I'll kill them," He spoke lowly as Freya continued to hug him, "I'll kill them all."

"I know, I know," Freya spoke softly as she nodded her head. She pulled away from hugging him and knelt in front of him. She cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to look her in the eye, "And I shall help you, but we cannot act before thinking, Ivar. Lagertha will expect us to attack so soon. It will ruin everything. You cannot kill her. Not yet. Do you hear me?"

Ivar remained silent and nodded his head, but Freya found herself sighing, knowing for a fact Ivar wasn't going to listen to her advice. He wanted revenge and he wanted it now. There was no way he was going to wait.

____

The following day, Freya stood with Ubbe and Sigurd in the Great Hall of Kattegat. The crowd applauded and cheered as Lagertha entered, followed by Torvi, Gyda, and Astrid, who were in their battle attire. Halig and Rorik stood with them, alongside Torvi's son Guthrum.

Freya wanted to laugh at how Gyda looked, knowing that even if Gyda knew how to fight in battle, she was a coward and still a frightened little girl. She was no shieldmaiden and she never would be.

Lagertha walked up the steps and stood in front of her throne, ready to address the crowd. "Today marks a new dawn for Kattegat. For all of us. We do not know King Ragnar's fate, or whether he will ever return," She explained as she sat down on her throne, "You have not been ruled properly for a long time, and many things have been neglected. Kattegat has changed so much in the last few years. It has grown and flourished. By all accounts, it is now the largest, richest trading center in Norway. Which means that others are bound to be envious of our success. And they must look at us and wonder why we make so little effort to protect ourselves. It is my belief that we should begin to build fortifications, ditches, and palisades, around this site. Just as Queen Ylva had done for our sister land, Ashton, before leaving for the Mediterranean. And it is my hope, as your Queen, that everyone, men, women, and children, the fit and the wounded, will contribute to this great work."

"Count me out," Freya muttered under her breath as she let out a small scoff.

"Those who share my belief say 'aye'," Lagertha spoke up and many shouted after her while Ubbe, Sigurd, and Ylva remained silent.

They began to clap and cheer, only to have it die down as their way thudding on the ground. Freya sighed and rolled her eyes, knowing the sound all too well. "Here we go," She commented and Sigurd turned to her.

"How badly you think this will end?" Sigurd asked Freya, who scoffed.

"Pretty badly," Freya replied as Ubbe set out something for Ivar to sit on.

Ivar grunted as he climbed onto it, hatefully glaring at Lagertha. "Welcome, Ivar," Lagertha greeted the boy in a calm tone.

"I've come here for justice," Ivar announced in a loud tone, "Everyone knows that you killed my mother for no reason, except ambition. Therefore, I demand justice."

Ubbe sighed and walked over to Ivar, placing a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "Ivar—"

"Don't touch me, coward," Ivar growled at his brother as he roughly pried Ubbe's hand off of him and glared at him.

Freya smiled at Ivar's actions and shook her head. Ubbe rolled his eyes, returning to his place between Sigurd and Freya.

"He is not a coward," Lagertha spoke up as she walked down the steps and closer to Ivar, "But perhaps he understands some things that you don't," She explained as she placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I understand everything perfectly," Ivar replied in a venomous tone as he glared up at Lagertha hatefully, "You murdered my mother in cold blood. I want revenge. I challenge you to single combat."

Hearing Ivar's words, Freya's eyes widened in alarm and she exchanged an alarmed look with Ubbe.

"I refuse," Lagertha responded in a calm tone and Ivar was quick to argue.

"You can't refuse," He complained as he shook his head.

Lagertha kept her eyes fixed on Ivar and slowly backed away from him to address the crowd. "I refuse to fight you, Ivar Lothbrok, son of Ragnar."

She turned her back to Ivar and began to walk toward her throne. "Why?" Ivar asked, causing Lagertha to stop and turn to him.

"I don't want to kill you," Lagertha complained in a stern tone.

"Who's to say you would kill me?" Ivar found himself asking her, smiling at him in amusement.

"I do," Lagertha replied lowly as she took a seat on her throne.

"Alright," Ivar stated, smiling as he straightened his back, "Don't fight me, then. I don't care. Just as long as you know that one day, I will kill you, Lagertha. Your fate is fixed."

With that, Ivar began to crawl away and Freya was quick to follow after him, causing Lagertha to feel uneasy at the sight. Ivar was already lethal on his own, but if Freya were to be at his side, they'd be unstoppable.

_____

    Needing some clothes, Freya decided to travel to her actual home. She presumed no one would be there, seeing as though Rorik and Gyda were always with Lagertha now and the younger ones were being taken care of by Torvi.

She had picked up a pair of pants and a shirt from a chest, along with a dress. She was on the verge of leaving when she heard someone yelling out and objects dropping to the ground.

She walked in the direction of the boys' room, finding Halig standing there. He was yelling out, swinging his sword around as if it were a toy. In the process, he was knocking over numerous objects, including candles.

She watched for a long moment, a smile forming on her lips. "Halig!" She shouted out, acting as though she was scolding him.

Halig immediately whipped himself around to face her, his eyes widening in alarm. He stared up at her and without hesitation, he drove the sword forward.

Freya yelled out, dropping onto the bed as she acted as though he had stabbed her just to mess with him. She forced herself to tremble and groan, dropping onto the bed before she played dead.

"Freya? Sister?" Halig called out, a part of him beginning to worry, "Freya?"

Freya acted as though she was dead for a long moment before jumping up. She grabbed her brother's arms and yelled out, causing Halig to jump and gasp in fright.

Halig smiled, rolling his eyes at his sister's actions. They began to laugh, Halig gradually overcoming his shock. "By the Gods, you almost had me there."

Freya laughed and nodded her head. She grabbed ahold of the sword's handle, pointing it downwards. She turned to her brother, a large smile on her face. "Halig, this is not a toy. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Freya," Halig sighed in defeat as he nodded his head. He took the sword from her grasp and placed it down on the table near them, "They're all afraid of you, you know. Gyda, Erik, Thyra, even Rorik."

"And you are not?" Freya questioned, raising a brow at her younger brother.

"What reason do I have to be so?" He replied, earning a smile from Freya, "You're my sister. You're my protector."

Hearing her brother's words, Freya began to smile. He was, after all, the only one of their siblings to think that way. It was why she was so fond of him. He was the only one who never treated her like she was some monster. "They told me to stay away from you, even if I wasn't afraid, but I don't care. You're still my sister and my blood."

Before Freya could react, Halig tightly hugged her as she always did. She smiled, gradually hugging him back.

____

Ubbe was walking through Kattegat alone, searching for Freya, whom he hadn't seen in a few days. Not too far from him, on the shores of Kattegat, Freya was sitting alone, watching Thyra and Erik play in the water from afar.

Taking a deep breath, Freya finally made her way over to her two youngest siblings. "Brother, sister. It's been a while," She greeted them kindly.

However, she didn't end up getting the same reaction as she did with Halig. Instead, they turned to her with wide eyes and before Freya could react, they had run away from her in fear.

Freya sighed in defeat and looked down at the ground, trying to hide how hurt she was at that moment. They were so afraid of her, their own sister, that they didn't even want to be around her when their mother wasn't near.

She didn't have a problem with the younger ones, only Gyda. Gyda had always tried to piss her off, even while being absolutely terrified of her older sister.

"They are afraid of you," A voice spoke up and Freya turned to see Ubbe walking over to her.

"Really? I didn't know," Freya replied in a sarcastic tone as Ubbe stopped when he was standing in front of her.

"You haven't been back to the cabin in a few days," Ubbe told her as he bounced on his heels and smiled, "Your absence has been noted, especially by Ivar."

"I needed a break from his ramblings about killing Lagertha," She admitted, her lips curling upwards into a smile.

"What, afraid you will not want to help us enact revenge?" Ubbe found himself asking her, only to earn an offended look in return.

"Of course not. I said I would help you all and I will," Freya assured Ubbe and sighed in defeat as she moved closer to him, "I just know that if I help you, I will be cut off from my mother once and for all. She would never forgive me for killing Lagertha. Lagertha has always been like a mother to her."

"I understand," Ubbe nodded his head and Freya's eyes widened slightly as she turned to him.

"Really?" She asked him, the smallest of smiles on his face.

"Of course I do. Your mother is the only one you love in this world. I can see it. I'm not blind. But not only is she the only person you love, but she is also the only person you fear," Ubbe explained and Freya nodded her head in confirmation.

"She can be a pretty scary person," Freya admitted softly as she began to smile.

"Trust me, I know," Ubbe admitted as he smiled as well.

"She taught me everything I know. Not only do I love her, but I also look up to her. I could not bear to face her in battle," She explained and Ubbe nodded his head understanding.

"I would not want to be against her either I were you. It would break me," Ubbe confessed, only to watch as Freya shook her head.

"It would not break me," She argued in a stern tone, causing Ubbe to give her a confused look, "I wouldn't let it. But I know I would never forgive myself if I had to kill her."

"Who's to say she wouldn't kill you?" Ubbe asked, scoffing since he knew Ylva was one of the best warriors he had ever seen. Freya might have learned all she knew about fighting from Ylva, but Ylva would always be better than her.

He stared at Freya closely, watching as she moved closer to him until their faces were just inches apart. "Because my mother doesn't have it in her to kill me, no matter what I do. I learned that a long time ago and that has not changed."

With that, Freya began to walk away and Ubbe watched her. He sighed, shutting his eyes for a moment before opening them. "Freya..." He called out and Freya stepped walking, but her back continued to face him, "Do you want to have sex?"

Hearing his words, Freya quietly laughed. She slowly turned to face him, smirking as she did so. "Is that wise?" She asked him curiously.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Ubbe frowned, not knowing what she was getting at.

"Because Lagertha is right. You, Sigurd, Hvitserk..." Freya trailed off, sighing as she shook her head, "You're all in love with me. It will not end well."

Ubbe moved closer to her. He grabbed her hand, kissing it before he tugged her closer to him. He pressed a lingering kiss to her neck and then slowly pulled away to look her in the eyes. "Just sex. I promise."

Freya rolled her eyes at Ubbe, her lips beginning to curl upwards into a smile. "Fine. Just sex," She finally agreed, chuckling as Ubbe grabbed her hand and led her away.

_____

Later that day, the following morning, Freya was standing with Ubbe as he was making arrow tips for himself.

She suddenly frowned as she watched Ubbe turn his head and look ay something. "What is it?" She asked Ubbe, a concerned look on his face.

"My father is dead," Ubbe spoke up in a whisper, tears beginning to form in his eyes, "'How the little pigs will grunt when they hear how the old boar suffered.'"

Hearing his words, Freya's eyes widened and a small gasp escaped her lips. She quickly moved closer to him and hugged him tightly. Ragnar Lothbrok was dead.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Freya really toying with the feelings of Ubbe and his brothers like it's nothing 😭😭

it gives me 1864 Katherine vibes (if y'all watch TVD)