MADNESS
— 8. Vengeance

Celebrations occurred in the Great Hall of Kattegat and Freya walked through, smiling at the sight of everyone. She saw Sigurd playing the lute from afar and smiled, shaking her head at the sight.

She spotted Ubbe from afar, speaking to two unknown men and decided to make herself known. "Ubbe," She greeted the young man as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "I see you are making yourself familiar with our new allies."

"And who might you be?" The man asked Freya, smiling at the sight of her.

"Princess Freya Ylvasdottir," She introduced herself and it seemed as though both of the men's eyes lit up at the revelation.

"Your mother is Queen Ylva the Dread," He realized and Freya smiled as she nodded her head in confirmation, "We've heard many tales of our mother. The poets always sing tales of her victories and triumphs. It is an honor to meet you."

"I hope in due time, I will be able to say the same of you," Freya smiled as she lifted her cup up slightly.

Just then, one of the men turned, beginning to laugh at something. "Who's the cripple?" He asked, continuing to laugh hysterically.

Ubbe and Freya turned, realizing they were speaking about Ivar. "His name of Ivar and he's my brother," Ubbe informed the men, whose smiles immediately faded.

"Yes, and if I were you, I'd stop laughing and watch what you say next or you might just find yourself with a blade in your chest. It'd be smart of you to respect and fear him. He is capable of far more than you could ever imagine," Freya explained to the men in a venomous tone. She snatched the cup from the man's hand and walked over to Ivar.

Ubbe smiled at the sight, watching as Freya crouched down in front of Ivar before handing him the drink.

Ivar smiled at her, the two of them clinking her cups together before they both turned to look at Lagertha, who was sitting on her throne. "Are you ready?"

"More than ready," Ivar replied without hesitation as they both began to smile.

____

Later that night, Gyda, as she stood near her grandmother and Torvi, frowned as she watched the doors to the Great Hall being closed and locked.

"Something is happening," She whispered to Torvi and Astrid, an alarmed look on her face.

"What?" Astrid and Torvi asked, only to watch as the rest of the doors were being closed.

Sigurd stood from afar, playing the lute. Before he could react, a man grabbed ahold of him and placed an ax to his throat. The same ended up occurring with Gyda, Torvi, Astrid, and even Rorik and Halig, who had also been there.

"Lagertha!" Gyda called out to her grandmother worriedly.

The crowd parted, revealing Ivar, Ubbe, and Freya standing together, their weapons ready.

Lagertha sat on her throne, not showing any fear as the trio made their way toward them.

Slowly, Lagertha stood up, glaring down at them. The trio showed no fear toward Lagertha, watching as she lifted the sword she had just received as a gift. She walked down the steps and forward them.

"No!" Gyda managed to get out as she tried to release herself from the man's grip, only to have his hold on her become tighter.

"Shut up!" Freya snapped at Gyda coldly as she pointed her sword in her direction, "Or I'll kill you too. You know I will."

Freya stepped forward alongside Ubbe, the two of them circling Lagertha as Ivar remained in front of the older woman.

Suddenly, the doors busted open and Freya turned with wide eyes when she saw Bjorn and Ylva entered, their men standing behind them.

"If you kill her, my brothers, my daughter," Bjorn spoke in a warning tone as he looked directly at Freya, causing her to feel uneasy, "You'll have to kill me and Ylva too."

"Maybe we should," Ivar spoke up in a cold tone, glaring up at Bjorn and Ylva as they walked past him.

"Shut up, Ivar," Freya snapped at Ivar, keeping her eyes fixed on Ylva, who was staring back at her with an unreadable expression.

"She killed our mother," Ubbe reminded Bjorn in a cold tone.

"I know," Bjorn replied calmly as he continued to tightly grasp his weapon in his hand, "You want revenge. So would I. But more importantly, we have to avenge our father. That is why Ylva and I came back. And that is what..." He trailed off, moving his ax closer to Ivar, who was glaring at him, "We are going to do."

Without hesitation, Lagertha tossed her sword on the ground. Ivar turned to look at Ubbe and Freya, only to become aggravated as they lowered their swords as well.

"You can have your fit later," Freya snapped at Ivar lowly since he looked to be on the verge of bursting, "Let's go."

With that, they began to leave together, but before Freya could get far, Ylva grabbed ahold of her arm.

Freya sighed in frustration, turning to look her mother in the eyes. "You're not going anywhere," Ylva demanded in a stern tone.

"Freya, are you coming or not?" Ivar suddenly called out impatiently, causing Freya to sigh as her attention went to Ivar instead.

Sighing in defeat, Freya gave her mother one last look before tugging her arm out of her grip. With that, she walked out of the Great Hall with Ivar and Ubbe.

___

Freya ended up returning to the cabin, where she sat with Ubbe and Sigurd, who was arguing about all that had just happened. Margrethe was there as well, seeing as though Ubbe was deciding to marry her. Freya found it amusing, knowing for a fact Margrethe was only the second option because Ubbe knew Freya would never marry her.

"I'm not saying we shouldn't do it, but think about it, if we—" Sigurd began to say, only to have everyone's head turn when Hvitserk entered.

"Hvitserk!" Ubbe exclaimed, laughing as he hugged his brother before Sigurd did the same.

Hvitserk turned to Freya, smiling widely. They hugged tightly and as they pulled away from each other, Hvitserk gave her a teasing smile. "What, no welcome back kiss?" He asked her jokingly since she had kissed him before he left.

Freya smiled, rolling her eyes as she shoved him away from her. He laughed and turned back to Ubbe. "I heard you freed Margrethe?" He asked before turning to glance at the girl, "You want to marry her. I'm glad."

Hvitserk made his way over to Margrethe, affectionately stroking her cheek. "Just don't keep her all to yourself," He commented and Freya rolled her eyes at them.

"You guys are sick," She complained and Hvitserk smiled as he walked over to her.

"Says you," Hvitserk retorted since it wasn't that long ago when she had been bedding all of them, "Perhaps you're jealous."

"Of course not," Freya forced herself to say as she glared at him, "For what reason would I be jealous?"

"It's good to have you back, brother," Ubbe confessed as he handed his brother a cup of mead, "Have you heard about Mother?"

"Yes," Hvitserk replied, glancing around at the group, "Well, you, Freya, and I, Ubbe, we jumped under the ice because of her. So I don't quite agree that we should kill Lagertha because of it."

Sigurd gave Ubbe and Freya a look, seeing as though someone finally agreed with him.

"Ivar thinks we should," Freya spoke up, earning a large scoff from Hvitserk.

"Ivar's crazy. You know that." Hvitserk complained, causing her to give him an annoyed look.

"Maybe we should wait," Ubbe admitted as he glanced around at the group.

"Until we avenge our father," Sigurd suggested in a calm tone, "Someone has to rule Kattegat when we're away."

"And if we kill Lagertha, we have to kill Bjorn and Ylva and I don't want to do that," Ubbe confessed and Hvitserk began to laugh since he knew Ubbe was afraid of both of them and he had every reason to.

"Neither would I, obviously," Freya muttered as she drank some of her mead.

"Well, maybe you couldn't do it anyways," Hvitserk commented, an amused look on his face as he glanced between Freya and Ubbe.

"Would you want to test me, brother?" Ubbe challenged Hvitserk, who simply shrugged.

There was a moment of silence between the group until finally, Hvitserk turned to Freya. "Your mother really misses you, you know," He reminded Freya, who rolled his eyes at her words.

"What of it?" She asked with an attitude, not admitting that she was afraid of facing Ylva after all that she had done while her mother and Bjorn away.

"You should go see her. She talked about you the entire time away. Her mood was spoiled the whole time because you didn't say goodbye to her. I think you should go see her," Hvitserk explained, which earned a glare from Freya since she believed he had no right to tell her that.

"And who are you, my father?" She complained and Hvitserk moved closer to her until their faces were just inches apart.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you haven't missed her," He insisted and Freya remained silent, unable to answer since she knew he was right.

Hvitserk smiled at the sight and playfully shoved her. "Then you should go see her, have a proper reunion," He suggested and Freya hesitantly nodded her head.

"Tomorrow," Freya replied as she stood up from her seat, "I'm too tired to do it today."

"Too tired that you can't spend time with me?" Hvitserk suddenly commented, causing Freya to turn to see him giving her a playful smirk, "It's been a long trip and I've missed you."

He stood up and walked toward Freya, who began to smile.

Ubbe and Sigurd groaned, exchanging a look with each other. "And that is my cue," Ubbe muttered under his breath as he, Margrethe, and Sigurd were quick to stand up and leave as Freya and Hvitserk began to kiss.

____

  That evening, in the cabin, Freya laid in bed with Hvitserk, her head rested on his unclothed chest. Their naked bodies were covered by furs. The smallest of smiles appeared on her face as she heard Hvitserk's heart beating so rapidly, which was something she noticed quite often while in his company.

Despite not caring for him in the way he cared for her, Freya had to admit. She felt a sort of comfort with Hvitserk when she was with him, a comfort she rarely felt before.

"I missed you while I was away," Hvitserk admitted, wrapping his arm around her.

"Did you now?" Freya asked playfully, smiling as she lightly ran her fingertips up and down his chest, "I'm sure you kept yourself busy."

"Hmm. Perhaps, but I found myself thinking of you often. As I always do," He admitted, a smile forming on his lips, "Though I'm sure you kept yourself busy with Ubbe."

"For a time, but then his interests went toward Margrethe. I don't blame him though. Margrethe could love him in the way he wishes to be loved. I cannot. She could give him children. I would not. I do not want children," Freya explained to him in a soft tone.

"Why is that?" Hvitserk asked her curiously, a smile forming on his lips.

"I need no one. The last thing I want is someone needing me," She admitted in a calm tone and lifted her head to look him in the eyes, "What about you?"

"I've always wanted a son or a daughter...I don't really mind which one. I would just want someone to love," He explained to her, smiling shyly as he shrugged his shoulders, "To care for, to nurture."

"Someday, I believe you will have just that," She told him with a soft smile on her face. She turned her head slightly, pressing a light kiss to his chest, "I think you will have a wife that loves and cares you deeply. A woman who would die for you. I think you'll have two children with her. A son and a daughter. You will love them both more than anything in the world."

"Since when did you become a seer?" He jokingly asked her, causing them both to laugh.

"I am not. I'm just saying, I think in the coming years you will find happiness with someone," Freya explained, pausing to look him in the eyes, "Someone who will love and cherish you in ways I cannot."

"Why must you talk so badly about yourself?" Hvitserk replied as he let out a large sigh, "Deep down, I know you can love. You just won't let yourself."

"Love is weakness," She reminded him and Hvitserk shook his head.

"I think love makes you strong, not weak," He argued, causing Freya to sigh as she avoided eye contact with him.

"Perhaps for you," She admitted in a whisper, "But not for me."

Hvitserk remained silent, watching as Freya tried to contain her disappointment. She placed her head back down on his chest. "If you'd really like to know, I missed you as well while you were away," She confessed as she shrugged her shoulders slightly and Hvitserk wrapped his arm around her, "I've grown rather fond of your company lately. It felt odd not to have you around for so long."

"Is that so?" Hvitserk asked, an amused smile forming on his lips, "I dare say I feel special."

Freya playfully rolled her eyes, only to begin laughing as Hvitserk started to attack her sides by tickling her.

______

    The following morning, Freya sighed as she woke up to find herself lying in bed with Hvitserk. They were both naked and Hvitserk had his arms wrapped around her. Scattered across the room, his brothers were fast asleep, including Ivar. Margrethe laid beside Ubbe, fast asleep as well.

Letting out a large sigh once more, Freya sat up and quickly picked up her clothes off the ground. She quickly dressed and left the cabin, knowing Hvitserk was right. She needed to see her mother.

It wasn't long before she arrived home. She opened the door to find Ylva sitting at the table, having breakfast with Bjorn and all their children.

Ylva immediately lifted her head, her eyes widening as Freya entered the room.

Freya glanced around, feeling uneasy when she found all eyes to be on her. The children looked frightened, especially Gyda. After all, Freya had committed many atrocities, especially while their mother was gone. They were more afraid of their older sister than they had ever been before.

It wasn't long before Gyda took up from her seat, beginning to glare at Freya. "I'm going to the Great Hall to see Lagertha. She promised me lessons," She announced, leading to Halig and Rorik standing up as well.

"I will come too," The boys answered in unison and before anyone could react, the children had left, leaving only Ylva, Bjorn, and their two youngest children, Erik and Thyra.

Freya tried to hide her uneasiness and sat down at the table. There was a moment of awkward silence and Freya sighed since all eyes were on her. "What?" She asked them in an annoyed tone.

"Lagertha told us you tried to kill her not once, but twice alongside Ubbe and Ivar," Bjorn informed Freya, who shrugged without a care in the world.

"She deserved it," She replied with an attitude as she looked down at the plate of food in front of her.

"How so?" Bjorn questioned, raising a brow at Freya.

"She killed Aslaug," Freya answered as if it were obvious.

"And?" Ylva frowned, letting out a large scoff.

"It wasn't an honorable death. Aslaug gave up her crown willingly," Freya argued in a stern tone, "All she asked for was safe passage away. As she went to leave, Lagertha shot an arrow into her back. It wasn't right. It wasn't just. And all the while, to keep me away, she used Gyda to lure me, Ubbe, and Sigurd to Hedeby before she locked us up."

"You would have tried to stop her from killing Aslaug if she hadn't locked you up. It was a wise decision," Bjorn reminded Freya, who turned to see Ylva nodding in agreement.

"Perhaps if you spent less time with Ivar, you would understand that Aslaug deserved to die," Ylva spoke up, earning a glare from Freya.

"Not to me she didn't," Freya complained and Ylva stared at her in disbelief.

"How can you say that? She ruined Lagertha's life. She bewitched Ragnar. She was a horrible mother and your sister Gyda nearly drowned because Aslaug said she would take care of her and didn't while we were away in Paris," Ylva explained to Freya, who rolled her eyes at the mention of Gyda.

"You really think I care about Gyda almost drowning? I would have been glad if that little brat had drowned that day. Perhaps things wouldn't be the way they are around here if she had died," Freya informed the group in a venomous tone.

"That is a cruel thing to say," Bjorn scolded the girl in a stern tone.

Freya roughly slammed her fists down on the table, causing Thyra to whimper in fear. "I did not come back here to be scolded by the two of you!" She complained loudly, "Perhaps I should have just stayed with the others."

"They are not your family. We are!" Ylva argued in a stern tone as she pointed between herself and Bjorn, "Yet lately, it's as though we are strangers."

"Oh, trust me, I definitely do not view them like family," Freya commented as she laughed humorlessly.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Bjorn frowned in confusion since she knew Freya wasn't saying that for the hell of it.

"I don't think I'd be going to bed with family," She commented, a sarcastic smile on her face.

Bjorn's eyes widened at the revelation while Ylva stared up at Freya emotionlessly. "All of them?" Ylva asked her daughter as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yes, all of them. It is just sex. It means nothing to me," Freya explained without a care in the world, "Though when it occurred with Ivar, he nearly strangled me to death, but that is a whole other story that you do not need to know."

"You need to stay away from him," Ylva demanded in a stern tone as she gave her daughter a warning glare.

"I will do nothing of the sort," Freya argued as she shook her disapproval.

"You will stay away from him," Ylva ordered as Freya roughly knocked over her chair.

"I will not be told what to do, not by you, not by you, not by anyone!" Freya yelled at Ylva in rage as she kicked the table, causing Thyra and Erik to begin crying.

"You see?" Freya asked, laughing humorlessly as she tears began to fill her eyes, "You're all afraid of me. What's the point of ever coming back here? Either I'm scolded for my actions or I'm stared at as though all of you are afraid of me. It's not worth it."

She scoffed loudly and with that, she stormed out of the home without another word said.

____

    After leaving home, Freya found herself in the woods. She found herself shooting arrows into targets when a chariot rode by. She turned in confusion, watching as it stopped in front of her.

She turned, watching as the person removed their mask to reveal themselves to be Ivar.

Her eyes lit up at the sight and she walked toward Ivar. "What in Odin's name is this?" She asked, a smile forming on her lips.

"Floki has built this for me for when we go to England," He informed her and Freya was about to open her mouth to ask him something when Ivar cut her off, "No more questions. Just get on!"

Freya laughed at Ivar's proposal and rushed over to him. She climbed onto the chariot and she stood in front of Ivar, who wrapped his arms around her before setting off, the two of them laughing and hollering loudly.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I know most of you probably like the pairing of Ivar and Freya cuz they're a lot alike but I have to admit I have a soft spot for Freya and Hvitserk 😭😩