Word count: 5414.

Warnings: Very long chapter!! Sexual themes, gore, swearing, blood, character deaths. 

❝𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚕𝚢, 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐.❞ 

♔

"Let the feast begin!" Her father had called out and the grand people of Björnheim cheered.

Solfrid watched all of the people with a small awe smile on her lips. Granted, not all the people of Björnheim could fit in the Great Hall, so most who simply couldn't fit or didn't have the time to attend would come by to pay their respects and congratulate the princess on her big day. Solfrid was grateful for all of this, as warmth spread through her body. She could feel her father wrap an arm around her shoulders as he began leading her through the crowd of people. She tried her best to answer and thank everyone who congratulated her, but it was a bit hard, considering how many said it at the same time. 

She tried her best, however, cheering with people and briefly laughing with them. The Great Hall was lit up by candles and the large fire that was now present in the large fire pit in the middle of it all. It painted the Great Hall and the people in a red, orange, and yellow hue. Overall, the atmosphere was great and comfortable, and it smelled so deliciously of food and mead. Her pale, ice blue colors traveled all over the room, in search of familiar faces. While looking, Solfrid could see the thralls running around, keeping everything in order just so there wouldn't be a problem, and by them doing that, they allowed the feast to go on smoothly, which made Solfrid even feel more grateful. 

She made a mental note to thank every thrall personally tomorrow. It made her so warm and happy to see them work like that, for her sake. She didn't know what she had done to deserve that. While she was busy appreciating everything that was going on, she failed to notice her aunt Ása, her husband, and their daughter, as well as her mother Dagmær approaching her and her father. Solfrid was snapped out of her daze when her aunt spoke up.

"Oh my, you look so beautiful Solfrid! But I thought your dress was going to be a short-sleeved one?" Ása gushed, giving Solfrid a bone-crushing hug.

Solfrid awkwardly chuckled, patting her aunt's back, before Ása pulled away.

"Thank you, aunt Ása" Solfrid thanked her, before continuing.

"Well, I changed my mind and mother was quick enough to get it changed. I thought it would look better" Solfrid smiled.

Ása nodded understandably, before turning to her brother as she started to talk to him. Solfrid greeted her Ása's husband and their daughter, her cousin, with a small wave. Then she turned her attention to her mother, who stood there, watching Solfrid with love radiating off of her. Solfrid smiled at her mother before engulfing her in a bear hug.

"Oh my little bear, you look like a true queen now" Dagmær whispered in Solfrid's ear, making Solfrid giggle.

"Stop it mother" Solfrid jokingly said as the two of them let go of each other.

Dagmær held Solfrid's face in her hands, squeezing her apple cheeks together.

"My baby is finally growing up, oh how will I survive?" The Queen said dramatically, making Solfrid laugh out loud.

Suddenly, she was squeezed against her mother, feeling multiple arms wrapped around her. The princess let out a surprised squeal, as the entire royal family now was squeezed into one large family hug. Asbjørn, Njáll, and Úlfr hugged the two of them tightly, laughing at Solfrid's surprised noise. Soon enough, they let go of each other as Njáll and Úlfr were smirking down at Solfrid.

"Happy birthday baby sister" Úlfr said, trying to ruffle her hair.

Solfrid was quick to smack his hand away though, as she was about to scold him, but she stopped when she saw the strict, yet playful gaze their mother gave her. The princess rolled her eyes before a sly grin made it onto her lips.

"Thank you very much, old man" Solfrid said, making Úlfr choke on air.

"Hey– what the– I'm only three summers older than you!" Úlfr argued, making Njáll laugh while dunking his little brother's back.

"Happy birthday, Sol" Njáll warmly said, while still dunking on Úlfr's back, as he continued to cough.

"Thank you, big brother" Solfrid said.

"Let's find the others and feast on the delicious food" Njáll said, wrapping his arms around both Solfrid and Úlfr's shoulders.

Njáll bid a quick farewell over his shoulder to their parents as he escorted his younger siblings through the crowd. Music was playing loudly in the background, Solfrid humming along.

"You look really good in that dress though, Solfrid" Úlfr complimented, making Solfrid grin.

"Thank you, you don't look too bad yourself for once" Solfrid teased, making Úlfr gasp mockingly.

"Oh why you little–" Úlfr began before Njáll shushed the two of them.

Soon enough they found Jórunnr, Hálfdan, Þórfreðr, Eindriði and last, but not least, Arnbjǫrg. But no Sigmund. Solfrid felt a little disappointed at first but later realized that he probably only was away to get some mead or something. She brushed those feelings away, focusing on her friends rather than him. Memories from earlier today came flooding back, but she shook her head, clearing her mind from them. They were all chatting amongst each other, wearing their fanciest clothing. 

Jórunnr's blonde hair was braided into a braid crown, leaving no hair to be let down. She wore a deep blue dress that matched her eyes very well. Arnbjǫrg wore a golden dress, her ginger hair braided beautifully. The boys' hair was braided as well, making them look more formal than usual. Most of them were drinking mead, so when the trio approached them, Hálfdan began choking on his mead as he looked up and down on Solfrid, not so discreetly. 

Þórfreðr began dunking on his back, while Solfrid and the others burst out laughing. A blush coated the younger boy's cheeks as he tried to recover.

"H–hi Solfrid" Hálfdan said between coughs.

"You look really pretty" He complimented, gasping for air.

"Thank you Hálfdan" Solfrid said, feeling just a little bit bad for the younger lad.

Njáll soon let go of his younger siblings as they all began chatting with each other. Not too long after that, they made their way over to the long tables, where they sat down and began feasting on the food. It tasted heavenly, and Solfrid thanked the Gods for the thralls who made these delicious dishes. Hálfdan was seated on her left side, Eindriði on her right and Arnbjǫrg on the opposite of her. Solfrid was engaged in a conversation with Arnbjǫrg, eating and sipping on some of her mead. 

She wasn't the biggest fan of the honey tasting wine, but she drank it nonetheless. It had been a while and she still hadn't seen Sigmund at all. Her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she looked around the Great Hall. No sight of him.

"Have Sigmund been here at all?" Solfrid asked Arnbjǫrg, however, the ginger had no chance of answering before Hálfdan chimed in.

"Nope. We haven't seen him, not even when we got here" Hálfdan said before drinking more of his mead.

Solfrid looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. Realizing that he had just interrupted their conversation, Hálfdan smiled at them sheepishly before muttering a sorry.

"Really?" Solfrid asked and Arnbjǫrg nodded.

Solfrid sighed, thinking back to their argument earlier that day. When she saw that neither Njáll nor Úlfr paid attention to her, she leaned slightly forwards, which made Arnbjǫrg do the same thing.

"Well, me and Sigmund talked earlier today. Or, well, more so that we argued. I asked him about yesterday since I just wanted to get some answers. And then it was like he completely lost it– he lunged forwards at me and grabbed my arm where my wound is and he kept pushing his nails into the wound even when I begged him to stop" Solfrid confessed, as she could see how Arnbjǫrg's eyebrows narrowed through her short story.

Anger and confusion swirled in Arnbjǫrg's hazel green eyes. Her fists clenched, her knuckles slightly turning white.

"Are you fucking serious?" Arnbjǫrg whispered harshly. "What has gotten into him?" Arnbjǫrg borderline growled.

Solfrid simply shrugged, since she didn't know herself what had gotten into her lover. The princess hadn't noticed that both Hálfdan and Eindriði had eavesdropped on their whispering conversation. Suddenly, Solfrid jumped when Hálfdan slammed his cup down. Solfrid looked over at the younger boy, who was about to rant, but before he could do that, Solfrid hurried to slam her hand over his mouth, her eyes wide. His amber eyes stared at her in surprise and embarrassment, as Solfrid casted a glance over towards Njáll and Úlfr, who luckily hadn't noticed the commotion. They were happily talking, eating, and laughing away with Þórfreðr and Jórunnr. Arnbjǫrg sent a pointed glare at Eindriði who was also about to speak up.

"Shh, Hálfdan, not a word about this, loudly, to anybody" Solfrid hissed at him.

For a moment, Hálfdan looked at Solfrid with awe, before he snapped out of it and nodded his head. Slowly, Solfrid removed her hand, before looking over at Eindriði, giving the same pointing glare as Arnbjǫrg gave him. She looked between the two boys, narrowed eyes.

"Neither of you shall say a word about this to the others. It's just a.. small bump between me and Sigmund, nothing more than that" Solfrid began, before continuing.

"And it's my day today, yeah? Let's just enjoy this feast" The princess finished, as the two of them stubbornly nodded their heads, obeying their princess.

Solfrid looked back at Arnbjǫrg. Even though her voice was strong and confident, her eyes were easily read and Arnbjǫrg understood that it was more than just a small bump between the lovers. Arnbjǫrg, not wanting to see her best friend in a sad mood on her special day, decided to take Solfrid's mind of those sour thoughts. Once they had finished eating, Arnbjǫrg drank the last of her mead in one go, before standing up with a dramatic gesture towards the middle of the Great Hall where people had begun dancing. Solfrid looked at Arnbjǫrg, surprised at first, before it clicked for Solfrid, knowing exactly what Arnbjǫrg wanted her to do. Solfrid stood up with a grin on her lips, as the two girls hurried over towards the crowd of dancing people. 

The rest of their friend group was left stunned for a moment before they understood what the two of them were about to do. They soon followed suit, Eindriði asking Jórunnr to dance with him, while the other boys went to find their own dances, Solfrid and Arnbjǫrg missing the jealous glare Úlfr sent them, secretly cursing Solfrid out for stealing his crush away. Arnbjǫrg had grabbed Solfrid's hand, surrounded by happy and drunk men and women who wear dancing their hearts out to the music played by the lovely band. Solfrid placed her other hand in Arnbjǫrg's as they started to dance. They twirled, jumping around in circles as their waves of laughter echoed through the Great Hall. Arnbjǫrg began mocking one of the Jarls dancing, to which Solfrid quickly followed suit, playing along while laughing at Arnbjǫrg's facial expressions. 

They danced and danced, as Solfrid could spot Njáll secretly making out with one of the thralls in a secluded corner of the Great Hall. Solfrid stopped in her tracks, and so did Arnbjǫrg, as Solfrid discreetly pointed over to the pair making out. Arnbjǫrg gasped, her eyes wide before she started to laugh once more. Solfrid couldn't help it, as she too began laughing. Njáll had never been too good at hiding things like that from people. Solfrid and Arnbjǫrg began dancing once again, jumping, clapping their hands to the music as both of them sang along, in particular Solfrid, who poured her heart out to the sound of her favorite melody. Jórunnr and a few other girls came up and joined Solfrid and Arnbjǫrg, all of them dancing in a large circle, their hands intertwined. Solfrid found herself in the middle of the girls' circle, twirling away as they cheered her on. It seemed like the evening would never end, her laughter mixed with song ringing clearly through the Great Hall. She came to a stop, breathing heavily with a large smile on her face. Sweat laid in a thin coat over her forehead as she felt like she was in a true state of euphoria. 

At this very moment, all the sadness she had felt disappeared. In her state of mind, she had forgiven Sigmund. She wouldn't dwell on it anymore. She simply didn't care. Not right not, at least. A thrall came by, offering Solfrid a bit of mead, which she took. The drink burned her throat as she drank, the honey taste became somewhat overwhelming but in a positive way. She happily thanked the thrall for the mead and her service, before returning the cup. Solfrid could see the small smile on the lips of the thrall before the thrall disappeared into the crowd, making her feel happier. When Solfrid turned back towards Arnbjǫrg, she saw Arnbjǫrg and Úlfr occupied with dancing. A sly smirk formed on her face as she was well aware of his obvious crush on her best friend. 

Everybody except Arnbjǫrg knew about Úlfr's crush. Arnbjǫrg was rather dense when it came to the love side of things. Solfrid could feel a light tap on her shoulder, as she turned around to look at who it was. Her eyes met a pair of amber-colored ones, which belonged to no other than Hálfdan. The younger boy's cheeks and ears were red, both from a blush and the alcohol he had drunk through the evening. He smiled shyly, before speaking up.

"Can I have a dance with you, my princess?" He asked, his voice small.

Her face softened as she nodded, giving him her hand.

"Of course, since you asked so nicely" Solfrid hummed with a playful tone.

Hálfdan giggled, a drunken hiccup following as he grabbed her hand and began dancing. The melody playing was one slower than the others, so the two of them swayed to it, Hálfdan stepping on Solfrid's feet every now and then, apologizing profusely while Solfrid just laughed it off, assuring him that it was fine. Soon enough his hands were awkwardly hovering above Solfrid's waist, while her hands rested on his shoulders. Solfrid didn't mind that he was a bit shorter than her, reassuring him that it was okay. The two of them continued to sway, making small talk while Solfrid giggle every now and then.

"Hey, Solfrid?" Hálfdan asked, making her look at him.

She hummed a yes, waiting for him to continue. His cheeks became even redder, making her smile wide at him, finding it adorable.

"There is this thrall girl.. that I really like. But I don't know how to approach her" Hálfdan said, unsureness coating his voice.

"And.. well, she's very close to you. Do you have any advice?" Hálfdan asked, meeting Solfrid's pale eyes, which only held admiration for him.

Hálfdan had always been the bold one of them all, close behind Arnbjǫrg, but Solfrid had never seen him this vulnerable before.

"What is her name?" Solfrid asked, and Hálfdan cleared his throat before muttering.

"Signe"

Solfrid looked at him with wide eyes, before she laughed a joyful laugh.

"Signe? My Signe? Oh, Hálfdan, don't you worry, I will definitely help you out with this" Solfrid said, happy for Hálfdan.

"I have good advice for you, my pupil, but we shall take that tomorrow since you're probably a bit too drunk now" Solfrid laughed.

"I want you to be able to remember everything I tell you" She teased and Hálfdan rolled his eyes.

"But Signe? Really? It seems like you have a thing for older women, do you not?" Solfrid laughed.

"I– shut up, Solfrid! It's not a big deal, I'm only a year younger than you anyways, so it isn't that bad" Hálfdan grumbled, making Solfrid laugh harder.

The two of them continued dancing for a while before the melodies once more became more upbeat. Solfrid thanked Hálfdan for the dance, sending him a knowing smirk before leaving the dancing crowd. She turned around to watch the crowd dance as she smiled to herself. She felt someone wrap an arm around her waist, as she turned her head to look at her side, revealing her mother who stood there with a proud smile on her lips.

"How are you enjoying the feast, dear?" Dagmær asked quietly.

"I'm enjoying it very much, mother. I've had so much fun dancing with the girls" Solfrid said, making her mother's smile widen.

"I'm glad to hear that. Your singing was on point, too" She gushed, making the tips of Solfrid's ears turn red at the compliment.

"Stop it mother" Solfrid whined, embarrassed.

Dagmær laughed, before kissing her daughter's cheek affectionately. Asbjørn came up behind them, wrapping his arms around them, bringing them in for a hug. He teased Solfrid a bit, saying how he had seen how many admirers he had witnessed staring at her with heart eyes. Solfrid blushed, begging her father to stop with the teasing. Asbjørn kissed his wife and kissed his daughter's head, squeezing them tightly.

"Happy birthday once again, my Sol. We love you so much" Asbjørn said to his daughter.

Solfrid got warm inside.

"I love you too" She said back to them, happy to share these tender moments with her family and friends.

"Have you seen the way Njáll has been making out with that thrall? Thinking he was hiding enough for us to not notice?" Asbjørn said, making Solfrid look at her father before bursting out laughing.

Dagmær began laughing too, followed by Asbjørn's thundering laughter. It was moments like this that really could make you doubt the fact that Asbjørn is the Fearless Skull King, leader of the Berserk army.

"Father!" Solfrid said between breaths, not believing her father actually had said that.

Their little moment was interrupted when Jórunnr walked up to them, a sheepish smile on her lips.

"Is it okay if I steal the Princess away for a moment, your highnesses?" Jórunnr asked.

"We don't mind at all, hun" Dagmær was quick to say, as she made her husband release his grip on his daughter.

Solfrid smiled at her parents, excusing herself as she linked her arms with Jórunnr. The two of them began walking towards the doors of the Great Hall.

"I just need to take a breather, it gets pretty tiring dancing with Eindriði, who's only goal in mind is to bed me tonight" Jórunnr whispered, laughter following her comment.

Solfrid looked at Jórunnr with wide eyes, before snorting. Eindriði had always been a player, and these news didn't exactly surprise her.

"Don't do anything out there that I wouldn't do!" Solfrid could hear the voice of her father shout, making her look over her shoulder at him, mouth agape.

"Father!" She said loudly, before shaking her head and following Jórunnr out.

The two girls were greeted by the chill summer air, as both of them took a deep breath.

"It's nice to get some fresh air, isn't it?" Jórunnr smiled, Solfrid nodding in agreement.

They made their way over to the stairs, sitting down. The two of them had known each other for a long while, Jórunnr being the fourth person to join the group of friends. Solfrid and Jórunnr got on nicely with each other and hardly fought, ever. The two of them engaged in small talk, all in a comfortable atmosphere.

"Has anything happened between you and Sigmund?" Jórunnr asked, looking over at her close friend.

Solfrid glanced at Jórunnr, before looking forwards again. All the time she had danced she had completely forgotten about him, and it made her feel a bit shameful. She hadn't even tried to look for him, which now made her feel guilty about it. Solfrid filled her in on what had happened earlier today, Jórunnr listening closely and paying attention to everything the princess said.

"That's just.. not like him. I wonder if something has happened to him" Jórunnr began, making Solfrid look over at her friend.

"I've noticed a change in him. It started two weeks ago but I just.. didn't have the gut to say anything to you about it. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, I'm sorry Solfrid" Jórunnr confessed, then apologized sincerely.

Solfrid knew that Jórunnr came from a good place, so she accepted the apology. It felt relieving to Solfrid to hear that someone had noticed that Sigmund was acting strangely, too, it made her feel like she wasn't imagining things.

"It's okay, Jórunnr. I understand why you would hold it to yourself" Solfrid said, seeing how Jórunnr relaxed.

"I just hope we're going to be able to work through it.." Solfrid whispered, more to herself, but Jórunnr still heard it.

The older girl placed a hand on Solfrid's shoulder, smiling reassuringly at her. Solfrid returned her smile, happy that she had this conversation with Jórunnr. Out of seemingly nowhere, the sound of an empty mead barrel falling over and crashing against something made the two girls snap their heads towards the source of the sound. Solfrid raised her eyebrows, wondering what that was about before she looked over at Jórunnr, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. Suddenly feeling a bit adventurous, Solfrid looked at Jórunnr with a playful smile forming, as she stood up and brushed her dress of.

"Should we check it out?" Solfrid asked, and Jórunnr soon began smirking, standing up as well.

"It could be Njáll. I saw him sneak out with that thrall a while ago" Jórunnr said, making Solfrid look at her with surprise written all over her face before it turned to something smugger.

Solfrid grabbed Jórunnr's hand as they both sneaked towards the huts, where the sound came from. When they arrived at the huts, the two of them slowly peaked their heads from the front side of the hut, towards the alley between the two standing huts. What they had expected turned out to be something far worse than interrupting your big brother and a thrall possibly having sex. 

There stood no other than Sigmund, his head leaning against the wall of the hut, mouth slightly agape as one of his hands rested in Iðunn's auburn brown hair, as her mouth was completely wrapped around his cock. Solfrid's face completely drained of all its color, her smug smile dropping as she just watched in complete shock and horror at what was happening.

"Thank the Gods you're finally able to do this.. that stupid little bitch never wanted to do something with me, all the times I tried anything she just said she wasn't ready for it" Sigmund moaned, loud enough for Solfrid to hear.

Iðunn briefly stopped, looking up at Sigmund.

"We will soon be able to celebrate properly" Iðunn purred, making Sigmund smirk.

"Yes, yes we will" He agreed.

However, their heads snapped towards a strangled noise. Even though neither of them could see anything, they became more alert.

"What was that?" Iðunn asked as she got off her knees and wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

"I don't know" Sigmund hissed, clearly frustrated that the two of them had been cut off.

The taller boy put back his cock into his trousers, before walking towards the corner of the hut. When he arrived there, he couldn't see anything. He looked around, and towards the Great Hall, but no one was there. It must be the paranoia reaching his head, he thought to himself, as he let out a frustrated sigh. He looked over his shoulder, back at Iðunn.

"There is no one here. Let's get this feast properly started, shall we?" He asked and Iðunn smirked.

Sigmund had completely missed Solfrid and Jórunnr rushing back to the Great Hall. Solfrid hadn't meant to let that noise out, it was like her body completely shut down and she was no longer in control. The princess felt like her entire world had just been turned upside down and it felt like she was imagining things. But she hadn't. Deep, deep down she knew that she hadn't imagined that awful scene. There Sigmund had stood, with Iðunn, talking shit about how Solfrid wasn't ready to go that far with him yet. How could she had been so foolish? How hadn't she seen the signs that something was going on between the two of them? How many times had Sigmund gone behind her back to be with that awful human being? Both of them were awful. So many mixed emotions went through Solfrid's head as she couldn't help but replay that scene over and over in her head. It made her heart sink and crush at the same time. Had she not given him enough? He had told her beforehand that it had been okay if she wasn't ready. She thought that he could have been patient with her. 

But doing this, on her special day of all days? Maybe she should be thankful for not giving Sigmund such a precious thing as her virginity. But her vision was blurry with hot tears, which she quickly brushed away as Jórunnr lead her away. Luckily they had gotten inside the Great Hall just as Sigmund had begun looking. 

Jórunnr directly lead Solfrid towards one of the backrooms, catching the attention of both Arnbjǫrg and her mother Dagmær. The two of them weren't able to get too far though since Dagmær was able to catch up with the two girls. Dagmær grabbed her daughter's shoulders, turning her around to face her. Solfrid's eyes were glossy and she refused to make eye contact with her mother. The kohl around her eyes was slightly smeared and the queen was confused as to why Solfrid was upset.

"What has happened? Solfrid, dear, why–" She began to talk, but cut herself off when she saw that she wouldn't get a clear answer from her daughter.

The queen turned her attention to Jórunnr instead, worry shining in her eyes.

"Jórunnr? What happened?" She gently demanded to know.

Jórunnr looked between Solfrid and her queen, before turning her eyes down to the floor.

"Well– we were outside and we heard this noise and we thought it was Njáll and the thrall messing around so we thought it would be a good idea to prank him but.. but it turned out to be Sigmund and Iðunn messing around with each other.. sexually" Jórunnr spilled.

The queen looked at the girl, shock written all over her face before it turned into anger and hurt.

"Is that true, Solfrid?" Dagmær growled, though her anger was not directed towards her daughter, rather it was directed towards the scum that dared to call himself Solfrid's lover.

After a couple of moments, Solfrid whispered a weak yes. No tears had fallen yet as shock still had its grip on her. She felt rather numb. Slowly, she looked up at her mother, sniffling as she could see the emotions on her mother's face. Just as she was about to speak, however, a bloodcurdling feminine scream echoed through the Great Hall. 

And suddenly Solfrid felt a hot liquid splash all over her face and neck, it smelled of iron. An unsettling familiar smell of blood. When she came back to it, she looked at her mother's face. Her mouth was covered in blood, as it dripped from her chin. All of the colors paled on her mother's face. When she looked down, she could see the arrowhead sticking out from her mother. Solfrid drew a sharp breath as she looked at her mother's face once again. Her eyes, which at one point was full of life, were slowly becoming dull.

"Mother?" Solfrid whispering, her voice cracking.

She could hear Jórunnr throwing up. But the look on her mother's face was one she would never forget. It was like she was there one moment, and the next, she wasn't. Her mother's body went limp as Solfrid reached her arms out to catch her. Her mother's body tumbled to the floor as Solfrid held onto her. Dagmær's eyes flickered from the ceiling onto her daughter's face. Dagmær whimpered in pain, as Solfrid sat there, dumbstruck, not knowing what to do.

"Mother? Oh Gods, oh no, oh no–" Solfrid began rambling as she realized what had happened.

For a split second, Solfrid looked up, just in time to see her father getting an axe right to the face, cutting Asbjørn's head in half. Solfrid gaped, not believing what she was seeing. A strangled shriek mixed with a cry escaped her lips as she watched in horror, as strange and unfamiliar soldiers barged in. She couldn't see her brothers or friends anywhere, however, she could see the soldiers attacking the crowd, the screaming intensifying as she saw many more people dying in front of her. 

Solfrid looked down at her mother again, who was crying at this point. Tears began to well up in Solfrid's eyes once more, as she cried out in horror. Solfrid held her mother's face in her hands, chanting no over and over again, crying harder as she saw her mother's chest stop heaving. Her mother's body went completely limp in her arms, her mother's eyes rolling back into the back of her head.

"Mother no!" Solfrid cried out, screaming in absolute horror.

Solfrid cried. She cried hard, harder than she ever had done before. Her lips were trembling as she began hyperventilating.

"Mother, mother no, Gods, no" She cried. More screaming from her people rang in her ears.

A hand wrapped around her upper arm, yanking her away from her mother's corpse. She cried even harder, not wanting to leave her mother's side as she tried to fight the person off.

"Solfrid stop struggling– we have to get out of here" Jórunnr's desperate voice begged.

Solfrid couldn't help it. After some more struggling from Solfrid's part, the princess reluctantly gave up. She allowed herself to be dragged off, out through one of the backrooms and through the backdoor. Her body was numb as tears streamed down her bloodied face. Arnbjǫrg had somehow managed to catch up with the two girls, noticing the distressed state of Solfrid. Arnbjǫrg immediately went to help Jórunnr, grabbing Solfrid's other arm as they hurried towards the royal stables. 

Solfrid casted a glance over her shoulder, seeing everything in flames. The market, all the huts. The people of Björnheim running frantically around, trying to put out the fires. This had to be some sort of sick nightmare. It had to. This couldn't be real, Solfrid tried to deny it. She would wake up soon. Yeah, this was just a nightmare. Wake up, wake up, wake up, she repeated to herself, yet it didn't work. 

The trio had made their way to the stable, where the stablehands had already finished up two horses. They were trained for this sort of situation, where the goal was for them to get the royal family quickly to safety. Jórunnr mounted one of the horses, whilst Arnbjǫrg mounted the other. The stables helped a seemingly limp Solfrid up behind Arnbjǫrg. Solfrid was seated in a sidesaddle seat. Her arms wrapped around Arnbjǫrg's waist. Jórunnr and Arnbjǫrg exchanged glances as they began riding, Arnbjǫrg being in the lead. 

As they were leaving everything behind, Solfrid could see Njáll, followed by Úlfr stumbling out of the burning Great Hall. Solfrid began screaming after them, her voice strained. She choked, sobbed, sniffled as she watched her two brothers disappear further away as the horses were beginning to gallop.

"Njáll! Úlfr! ugh–" Solfrid's desperate cries rang through the air.

The three girls left their home behind, which was now getting swallowed by flames so large they looked like they reached the sky. Solfrid's home was now in flames, there was nothing she could do about it. Her heart ached like it never had done before and now she had been forced to flee the only safe place she knew, leaving her brother's behind. The princess could only pray that they would survive, guilt running through her veins.

Oh, why did the Gods have to be so cruel? What had she done to deserve this? 

♔

― 𝚎.𝚛