Word count: 3933.

Warning: Swearing. 

❝𝙸𝚏 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚏𝚊𝚍𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚗.❞

♔

It had been one week since Njáll's coronation. The council had been busy planning on what to do, going forwards. One thing was clear, if the Blue and Silver King wants war, he shall get war. Njáll was prepared to let the fury of the Berserks loose on the foreign King, however, they needed more alliances. Sure, the Berserk army was strong enough, with the help of the neighboring kingdom, to defeat the foreign King, but Njáll didn't just want to defeat the King and his kingdom. 

He wanted to teach them a lesson, to never mess with Björnheim, again. He was willing to take every necessary step to secure his people. Where his father might have failed, Njáll wouldn't. He refused to. He was going to take every chance to protect the ones he loved the most. The thought of him failing was nagging at the back of his mind, reminding him that he lost the people he looked up to in such a brutal manner, and those thoughts often escalated to made-up scenarios of his dear brother and sister getting slaughtered as well. It sent a shiver down his spine, and therefore, he was willing to go Helheim and back to not have history repeated. 

The new King was snapped out of his thoughts when Solfrid gently nudged his side with her elbow. He looked down at her with his tired, piercing blue eyes, an apologetic look crossing them. As of now, the council was having its last meeting for a while. Three days earlier, they had all concluded that they must travel, spread the word, and gain alliances, and today they would leave. Njáll would travel with Úlfr, alongside with their aunt Ása, Ráðúlfr and Alfvin, three of the council members, and Berserk warriors for protection. 

While Solfrid would make the longest, and nearly most important trip up north, to the most dangerous kingdom of them all. It might seem stupid to send the princess alone there, and it might look like a suicide mission, but the new King hoped it wouldn't be. The princess wouldn't travel alone though, she would travel with Egill and Guðlaug, the woman who is responsible for the army's training, as well as Signe. 

They had decided that it would be best if Solfrid would take a good amount of warriors with her, in case the infamous Dragon King would need some convincing. But she was nervous. She was worried something might happen to her brothers, the anxiety crippling her to the point where she could barely sleep, plagued by the nightmares as well, but both Njáll and Úlfr had reassured her that they would be fine. 

After all, they had the warriors with them now, and that neither Asbjørnsson's would go down without a fight. Plus, she the most important person that had to go there. Not because she was a princess, it was because she was the only one in Björnheim to speak their tongue. The ancient tongue that been spoken across Scandinavia once, was now completely dead, except for the dragonborns and their people, who only spoke in the ancient ways. The dragonborns and their people was a bit of a mystery to all since they never had real contact with the rest of the kingdoms in Scandinavia. 

They kept to themselves, stayed out of the wars that occurred over time, and killed anyone who tried to lay a claim on their sacred home. And that one time they fought in a war, they earned themselves the infamous nickname "Savage madmen" after shredding the enemies to bits, as well as torching those few who survived with fire. The tales all said that once a dragonborn has gotten the taste for blood, it will never disappear, and they will keep killing until their thirst is satisfied. 

Solfrid remembered her mother telling her all about them when she was younger, and it was from her mother that she learned the language. No one knew where Dagmær had learned the language, not even Asbjørn himself, but no one ever questioned her, and Njáll felt some sort of appreciation for the fact that their mother had taught Solfrid these two important languages. Solfrid had an advantage with her knowledge. When Guðlaug first had suggested to try and gain them as an ally, all of them had been a skeptic. 

They all knew that they were wary of strangers. After a while, and thinking, Njáll had agreed. It was worth the try, at least, Njáll had argued. With the dragonborns in their army, they could do some serious harm and put this foreign country in its place. Teach them a lesson. It was risky, but it had to be done. And there was no one else he trusted to do this for him. He trusted this with Solfrid, and the princess was ready to do everything in her power to convince the Dragon King to join her and her brothers in this mission of vengeance. Njáll cleared his throat, gaining the attention of every council member.

"Is everything prepared for our travels?" His voice was raspy, tired.

Just like his younger siblings, he couldn't sleep. Nightmares haunted him too, but he tried to brush them of. Tried to be strong for his people, his kingdom. He didn't want to show weakness.

"Yes, my King" Ráðúlfr, the older man, who's black hair had streaks of gray, and whose steel-gray eyes always alert, spoke.

Njáll nodded, satisfied, before standing up, signaling that the meeting officially was over. The rest of the council members stood up, as well as Úlfr and Solfrid, all eyes were on their king.

"Then the meeting is hereby over. We have a couple of long months in front of us now, which we can only pray to the Gods to bless, but in the end, I know that we are going to succeed. I have a feeling that the Gods are going to be with us through this all" Njáll spoke with confidence, some of the members nodding at his speech.

"But I want to thank you all for staying loyal to me, to Björnheim, and my father's legacy. Some would have most likely hightailed it out of here when things went sour, but all of you stuck it through and stayed, and I will be forever grateful for your loyalty" He finished.

Solfrid looked at her brother with admiration in her eyes, which many of the council members did as well. King Njáll was praised, as they all started to exit the Great Hall. All three siblings had packed all of their belongings the same morning, so they were ready to leave as soon as possible. When Solfrid stepped outside, she took the view in. It was now late summer, but the previous summer warmth had almost disappeared, replaced by the crisp cold that would arrive by the morning, stick by through the day, and intensify through the night. Even though the sun stood high upon the sky, blessing them with its hot touch, it couldn't get through the frostbite that had started to appear. But Solfrid enjoyed it. She had always preferred winter over summer. 

And the market and the burnt huts were slowly getting rebuilt. The people of Björnheim was working hard, as they were trying to get back to normal. Solfrid hadn't been able to just stand and watch her people work hard by themselves, so through this entire week, she had been helping anyone that needed help. She helped the elderly, the women, and the men who desperately needed it. She would watch the children of women who had to take care of the animals and damage, she would carry wood and build with the men who needed it, she would serve as dragging help to get large lumber to where it was supposed to be, she would help the elder men and women, get them food and prepare it for them when they couldn't do it themselves. 

She did it to help, but it was also a great distraction for her. When she worked, she didn't have the time to overthink everything. Solfrid didn't have the time to be consumed by the anxiety that rested in the back of her head, constantly reminding her of everything that has happened. Arnbjǫrg, Jórunnr, Hálfdan, Eindriði, and Þórfreðr had also been helping out. 

The princess also had a run, or rather, multiple run in's with that one person she didn't want to see, nor wanted to talk to. Sigmund. The first few times she had been able to avoid him, by either turning around, changing direction, or molding herself into the crowd at the market. 

But the last run-in she hadn't been able to do any of those things. It had been late afternoon, she had just finished her dinner with her brothers and friends in the Great Hall, and she had walked down to the lake to relax, and just to be by herself for a moment. The princess had felt a bit overwhelmed and just wanted to be alone. So she had been sitting there, deep in thought, when a hand suddenly had gripped her shoulder, trying to be gentle. It had startled her, making her jump and let out a high pitched yelp. Solfrid had been quick to stand up, whipping around to see who had scared her. There he stood, his dirty blonde hair messy as he looked tired and distressed. Solfrid had immediately tensed up, her eyes narrowing at him. Sigmund had tried to take one step towards her, but she stepped backward, putting as much distance between them as she could.

"What do you want, Sigmund?" Her voice had been cold, harsh. The opposite of what it usually sounds like.

"I just.. Why do you avoid me, love? I thought we were supposed to work things out?" Sigmund said.

"You know I didn't mean to lash out like that. It was an accident, I promise" The boy tried.

When he said that, Solfrid froze. She let out a long breath as stared at him, something snapping inside of her.

"I think you ruined the chance of us working things out when you let Iðunn suck away at your cock like her life depended on it" Solfrid growled lowly.

Sigmund's eyes widened at her comment. He opened his mouth, then closed it, then proceed to do it a couple of more times, like he was a fish on land, gasping for its life. Her ex-lover looked angry, shocked, frustrated. Solfrid kept her expression cold and unforgiving.

"How– what– I–" Sigmund managed to stutter.

"I saw it all. I heard what you said too. But don't worry, this 'stupid little bitch' won't be one of your concerns anymore. I just hope Iðunn was worth it" Solfrid snarled, hatred lacing her voice, before continuing.

"I thought you cared about me. I thought I meant more to you, I was–" Solfrid said, shaking her head, letting out a harsh, forced chuckled.

"If I were you, Sigmund, I would be happy for the fact that I haven't told my brothers about what you did, because I'm fairly sure you'd end up as a blood eagle. Just keep your mouth shut from now on, and leave me be. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to tell my brother's how you betrayed me" Solfrid said threateningly.

Sigmund's mouth closed, a scowl painted on his face, his fist clenched at his sides.

"I didn't have the time to react, Iðunn just pulled me aside and just started to attack me, I–" Sigmund tried to defend himself, but Solfrid held a hand up, stopping him.

"Didn't your mother teach you lying is a bad thing? I know you wanted that. Don't you dare try to hide that" Solfrid hissed at him.

Neither of them said anything else. Moments went by as both stared down one another. Not wanting to stay there with him, since he had ruined her mood and everything, she decided to walk away. The princess walked past her ex-lover, only to be stopped by her wrist, his hand wrapping around it. 

She didn't turn around to look at him, only glancing at him over her shoulder. He looked desperate at that point and taken by surprise, a tear rolled down on his cheek. For a moment she softened, thinking that he must be sorry, but then she remembered what he had done and what he had said. Sure, she had deep down forgiven him, but she could never forget. She wouldn't be fooled.

"Please, Solfrid" He pleaded. "I love you"

Solfrid stood still, watching Sigmund like a hawk. She couldn't believe him. Anger boiled inside of her, not believing her what she just heard. Yet tears started to well up in her eyes as she cursed her emotions for getting the better of her. She yanked her wrist free from him, now turning around to face him.

"No! No, no, you don't get to say that! What you have done is vile and disgusting. You betrayed my trust, I was willing to give you something so sacred, I wanted to be with you for a long time! You fucking disgust me, you piece of shit, may Tor strike you dead!" She roared at him, a couple of tears rolling down onto her cheeks.

She quickly wiped them away. They weren't tears of sadness, they were tears of anger.

"You aren't worth anything to me anymore, Sigmund. Just leave me the fuck alone from now on" Solfrid said, turning around and walking away.

He wasn't worth her tears anymore. Sigmund was the past now, and she felt a sense of relief washing over her. But it didn't stop the little sting she felt in her heart, but she brushed it away. Just like she said, he wasn't worth anything to her anymore.

The princess snapped out of her trance, looking over to the left, where the wagons and horses stood prepared. She breathed out, as the trio walked over to the horses. The Berserk warriors had all gathered around the wagons, prepared for the long journeys ahead of them. All of the Berserk warriors were tall and muscular, men and women, most of them were bonded with the ancient forest bears, but some were bonded with wolves, and some even the secretive lynx's or sly foxes, which you could see on the furs which they dressed in. 

Arnbjǫrg, Jórunnr, and the boys had arrived to bid farewell to the siblings leaving. And Arnbjǫrg was there to say goodbye to her father as well. Egill went to his daughter, hugging her, speaking to her. Solfrid began talking to Jórunnr and Hálfdan, who both looked sad.

"Please.. stay safe, Solfrid. We don't want to lose you" Hálfdan muttered, making Solfrid smile.

"Of course I will. I promise. And I promise to keep you know who safe as well" Solfrid winked at the younger boy.

Hálfdan started to blush as Jórunnr smirked at him, elbowing him in the side as she chuckled. Hálfdan had told Jórunnr about Signe as well. The older girl thought his crush was adorable. Jórunnr looked over at Solfrid, giving her a modest smile.

"Take care of yourself, princess. Don't let anyone kick your ass" She joked, making Solfrid giggle.

Solfrid hugged both of them, and when she let them go, Jórunnr went over to Njáll and Úlfr to bid goodbye, while Hálfdan clumsily made his way over to Signe to say goodbye. Solfrid glanced one last time over her home, before making her way over to her brothers to say goodbye as well. As she reached them, she hugged both of them close to her, squeezing them tightly. She could feel her oldest brother's chest rumble against her with a heartfelt chuckle. The princess could hold them like this forever, but soon enough, she let go of them, looking at both of them with love and warmth radiating off of her. Leaning forwards, she pecked both of their cheeks, slightly sniffling as she smiled.

"I'm going to miss you two, a lot. This is going to be tough but.. just, please stay out of trouble and come home safe" Solfrid said, making the taller boys gush at her.

"Don't worry, Sol. It's going to be fine. Plus, it's probably one of us that should say that to you" Úlfr chuckled.

"Yeah. Take care of yourself, and show those Dragons who we truly are" Njáll said fondly.

Solfrid smiled at both of them, before giving them an individual hug. Úlfr kissed the top of her, before going to his horse, mounting it. Njáll squeezed her extra tight, whispering something to her before letting go, walking over to his horse. After the King mounted, he turned to those who were going staying behind, looking at them with pride in his eyes.

"Take care of our home now. Protect it with your life, and may you all be blessed by the Gods and Goddesses" Njáll said, before spurring his horse on.

Most of the wagons and horses followed the King, as well as warriors marching behind them. Solfrid watched them leave, heaving a quiet sigh as she turned around to face Arnbjǫrg, who stood there with a warm smile on her lips and her arms open. She took four steps towards her best friend, as they wrapped their arms around each other in a tight, heartfelt hug. They stayed like that for a while, just hugging each other. When they let go of each other, Arnbjǫrg had a shit-eating grin on her face.

"I know you have promised the other's to stay safe and such. But you have to promise me to not get eaten by a dragon, okay?" Arnbjǫrg cackled, making Solfrid roll her eyes.

"Yeah yeah, I promise I won't be eaten by a dragon" Solfrid grunted, lightly smacking the shorter girl's arm.

"Stay safe. And don't let my father do anything stupid" Arnbjǫrg said as Solfrid nodded.

"Of course" She said fondly, the two girls hugging one last time.

Solfrid walked over to her mare, gently patting her on the neck as she nickered. Solfrid swiftly mounted, looking over at Egill and Guðlaug, who also were mounted and ready to go. Solfrid let her eyes wander over her home one last time, realizing that she wouldn't see it again until late winter if she was lucky enough. She sent a prayer to whichever God or Goddess that would listen to her, asking them to keep her home safe and protect while they were gone. When she had done that, she looked forwards, back at Egill and Guðlaug, nodding at them that she was ready to go. 

Solfrid gently nudged her mare into a fast-paced walk, waving at her friends as she left. Once she had caught up with Egill and Guðlaug, they began trotting, starting their almost two-month ride up north. Something tingled in her stomach and she couldn't help but feel curious. The tall girl would get to meet an actual dragonborn. She had often wondered what they were like, and she was going to find out. Something sparked inside of her, but she was completely unaware of that. Unaware that this trip would change things greatly, both for the good and bad.

Time went by quickly. The seasons changed fast, too. As the group rode on, and weeks passed, Solfrid got a glimpse of what the country looked like outside of Björnheim. She had never been this far away from home, and she was fascinated by it all. They had stopped by some villages, but most of the time they camped underneath the dark, starry sky. The further north they came, the colder it got. 

It went from late summer to autumn and when they finally were only a couple of days ride away from the isolated kingdom, it was early winter. Solfrid had certainly seen some beautiful scenery along the way, but it didn't compare to what she was seeing now when they only were a couple of hours away from the kingdom. She had witnessed pretty lakes with unique shapes, seen red and orange forests, seen some impressive, smaller mountains, but this was something else. It looked like something out of another world, and now she understands why they were so protective over their kingdom and the sacred land. 

A large mountain chain was present and so tall it almost looked like it touched the sky. The tips were covered in snow, and it was shaped like a slithering snake. It looked rough and edgy, and Solfrid was impressed. Then came the grand forest, filled with different sorts of trees, not limited to the fir- and pine-trees that surrounded their forest in Björnheim. Most of them were stripped of their leaves, standing tall and naked, but the fir-trees still wore their coat of protection. There was only one lake, as far as Solfrid had been able to see, which was frozen.

As they stood on the hill, which provided Solfrid with this wonderful view, she was also able to see the castle. The castle was made out of stone, and looked like the ruins she had seen on the way, the only thing being different was that this building was standing strong. It was huge, robust, and meant to be impregnable. Trying to attack that sort of building would probably not be worth it. It was strong, and it made the princess stare at in awe. As the snow gently fell from the black sky, landing softly on her thick hood, she continued observing the kingdom below. 

She began to feel nervous, yet excited to go there the following day. Egill and the rest of them were busy setting up the camp for the night. The familiar low gurgling sounds of the two abnormally large ravens that followed her around could be heard. She was surprised that they had followed her the entire way up here.

"I've set up your bedroll, my princess" Guðlaug gently said, as to not startle her.

Solfrid looked over her shoulder, her black hood falling as she smiled gratefully at Guðlaug.

"Thank you Guðlaug" She said, as she turned around and walked towards Guðlaug.

The older woman smiled back at the princess, gesturing her to the bedroll which laid safely underneath a roof made out of sticks and fir-tree branches, which provided good shelter, before leaving the taller girl alone. Solfrid sat down on her bedroll, grabbing the rest of her cloak, hugging it tight to her body as she laid down on the soft bedroll. She could still see bits of the outside as she laid there, and she wondered how the following day would turn out. 

Would they reject them as soon as they came near or would they accept them and let her speak to the Dragon King? She had repeated and rehearsed a lot of what she was going to say to the King. She just hoped she wouldn't mess things up. The ancient tongue was a bit tricky to speak, but she was determined to do this. 

For her parents, for her brothers, for her people, for her home. 

She wasn't going to give up, there was no chance that she would backtrack on it now. Slowly, as the cloak and her winter clothing provided her with comfortable heat, she began drifting into a darkness, which for once wasn't plagued with nightmares that would haunt her. 

So unaware that her life would change so drastically the following day.  

♔

― 𝚎.𝚛