Surprise :)

Please don't laugh too hard at my super quick and very minimal effort photo edit of Briet and Ivar. I'm laughing at it too but I also think it's kind of adorable 😅

This is it! 14,220 words. I hope you enjoy the ending to this crazy ride. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking with this story, voting and commenting, it means so much to me. 

Still humming the melody that was played at the food hall last night, I put all of the mended clothing into my trunk and got started on stoking my fire. I had asked Thora to come to my home for supper this evening and I needed to prepare for her and possibly Svend.

A knock at my door made me jump and drop the fire poker on the stone floor, echoing loudly through the space. I sighed, calming myself down before I yelled "One moment!"

I quickly threw a few pieces of wood onto the fire and rushed to the door. Before I answered it, I wiped my hands on the apron I had been wearing to keep my current clothes clean and then reached for the handle.

"Einar!" I gasped, surprised to see him standing at my door.

His eyes looked puffy and red and his clothes were covered in soot and what looked to be tiny burn marks. Einars' back was hunched, his shoulders drawn into himself. He always had a confident air about him but this new posture made him look like he was defeated.

When I didn't say anything he cleared his voice which made me realize I had been staring this whole time.

"Oh, um, sorry. Come in, please." I moved to the side so that he could make his way inside.

His arm brushed against my shoulder and I felt my heart skip a beat. I hadn't realized just how much I missed him.

Closing the door behind him, I rushed over to the table and poured him a cup of mead and pulled out a chair for him to sit down. He looked at it and gave a tight lipped smile. He still hadn't looked me in the eye and now I was beginning to worry about the reason for him coming.

"Sorry I look so awful," he chuckled dryly. "I've been helping Svend for the past few days and, well it's been a lot." He said sheepishly.

I held out the cup so that he could take it. His fingers gently brushed against mine and I wanted nothing more than to drop everything and run to him.

"Thank you," he said and downed the drink, sighing once it was all gone.

"I uh... I'm sure that Thora has told you but I wanted to tell you myself." He started. His voice was quiet and he sounded unsure of himself.

I wanted to hold him in my arms and take his pain, the pain that I had caused him.

Einar walked over to me and hesitantly took my hands in his. For the first time, his forest green eyes met with mine and I felt butterflies in my belly.

He squeezed my fingers gently as he smiled awkwardly down at me. He seemed so nervous to speak to me.

"I am leaving with Svend and Thora tomorrow. We are planning to leave Norway and go to Sweden. There is a town I used to visit when I was a child with my parents, Sigtuna. It's beautiful and I think you'll love it there. " He quickly bit his lip at the last part about me loving it. I could see just how hopeful he was.

Einar took a deep breath. "I wanted to know if you would come with us... with me."

My heart sank into my stomach.

"Oh," I sighed.

Taking my hands from his, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him as tightly as possible. He let out a small laugh before he also put his arms around me, his body melting against mine. I wanted to stay like this forever but my reality crept in.

This would be the third time I have to let him down. I want to go with him, to leave this all behind and start anew but after my realization form the other day, I can't. I have to stay and see that I finish this.

I buried my head in his chest and took in his smell. I didn't know if I would even be able to do this, or if I would survive to be able to see him again. This made me hug him closer still to me.

"Einar, I have to stay. There is something I must do." I finally said, taking my face from his chest and looking up at him. "It... it's going to be the hardest thing I have ever had to do but I-"

"You don't have to tell me what it is." He reached up and brushed some of my hair behind my ear. "I understand." He tried to hide the obvious pain on his face with another tight lipped smile.

"Sweden is a long ride from here..." he started. "We planned on traveling to Uppsala and staying there for two weeks before heading to Sigtuna. We could wait for you there?"

"Einar, I am not sure if I will survive this." My voice was low while the depth of what I was about to do sunk in. Hot tears started to fall from the corners of my eyes.

Einar nodded his head. His hand cupped my cheek and he leaned down and pressed his lips to my forehead, keeping them there for a long time. I didn't want this to end.

"I will wait for you there, Briet." He whispered, putting his forehead to mine and wiping my tears with his thumb.

"I will wait for you in Uppsala. If I do not see you, then I will hold out hope that you find me in Sigtuna."

I couldn't help the sad chuckle that escaped my lips. "Don't waste your life waiting on me."

"It's not a waste of my life." Our lips met in a passionate yet sad kiss.

Deep down, I think we both knew that this would be our last kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on as tight as I could, not wanting this moment to end.

"Thank you for understanding." I whispered.

I walked him to the door of my house and saw him out. It broke my heart to see him walk away but I was at least happy we parted ways on good terms. And there was a part of me that was hopeful that I might live through this and make my way to him and Thora and Svend in Sweden.

Only the Gods knew what was going to happen.

I stepped back inside my home and before I closed my door my eyes landed on a pair of familiar ice blue ones that were watching me from across the road.

Ivar.

My friends left in the middle of the night. At first I thought they were crazy, surely there is no harm in waiting for the first light of morning before leaving but I am glad they stuck to their plan. Ivar's guards had the doors of the siege wall closed and stood by them, swords and axes ready to try and stop anyone from leaving.

One of the guards who was being hounded by a very angry farmer had accidentally let the information slip that Bjorn, Hvitserk, King Harald and King Olaf's army had made camp not far from us and that we can expect an attack at anytime.

The information spread like wildfire around Kattegat making the air around town almost palpable. People were hurrying around preparing their homes and themselves for the upcoming attack.

By midday Ivar was forced out from the cozy walls of the great hall so he could address his people. He tried his best to rally his people on his side to hate Lagertha and Bjorn and even his brother, Hvitserk, who he made out to be a traitor.

Anyone with eyes could see that most of the people here did not believe Ivar but they tried to play the part. Especially when Ivar warned of what would happen should anyone turn on him.

Ivar waved his hands to dismiss everyone. The people awkwardly looked around at each other waiting for someone else to make the first move for fear that they may have misinterpreted Ivar's motion.

I couldn't help my eyes from rolling. I was disgusted at how frightened Ivar had these people... his people. The ones he was supposed to protect but instead he was about to sacrifice them in a war between his brothers just to prove himself.

Pushing through the crowd, I was the one to make the first move. I wanted to get back to my home where I was safe behind my walls to think about what I must do.

Glancing up to where Ivar still was standing, I was surprised to see him staring back at me. His features quickly turned to a look of sadness. What did he even have to be sad about? He has everything his twisted little heart wanted. I glared back at him and continued my way to my home.

Closing and locking the door behind me, I sat down at my table and poured from the last bottle of wine I had left from Ivar. I figured it was fitting considering I now had to plan out how I was going to go through with this.

How I was going to kill Ivar.

The bottle of wine has long since been emptied and I was on my third pitcher of mead and still no solid plan.

I've thought of everything from sneaking in to through the back entrance of the great hall and creeping into his room at night to slit his throat to going to him in person, faking sympathy for his situation and handing him a horn of poisoned mead.

Nothing seemed viable. And with every cup I poured my ideas became even more outlandish.

"Who am I kidding?" I slurred, running my hands through my hair in drunken frustration. "Can I even do this?"

Maybe I could sneak into the chaos tomorrow, find Ivar and shoot him with my bow. It took a moment for the Irony to sink in. The same bow that killed his mother.

A drunken laugh escaped my lips at the thought of my bow coming full circle. It killed the woman who helped create this monster and it could also kill the monster itself.

The idea was sounding more and more enticing the longer I thought about it.

By dawn the next morning the battle horns blasted, waking up anyone who managed to get any sleep last night. I heard the warriors running to the siege wall to defend Kattegat, their war chants rang through the streets.

I, on the other hand, was still drunk and wanted no part in this. I didn't want to be killed trying to defend Ivar. Rolling over, I tugged the blankets up over my head to try and drown out the chanting. I wanted nothing more than to fall back to sleep but the thoughts of plotting Ivar's death flooded my mind.

This might be the only time I could do this. To be able to make it look like an accident or like he was actually shot down.

I scrambled out from under the fur blankets and tumbled onto the floor. The world was spinning around me while the sun was blinding me as it spilled in from the cracks in my walls.

Pushing through the slight nausea, I pulled on my pants and my blue tunic. I quickly tied up my boots and then grabbed for my armor. Unfortunately all I could find was my leather arm guards and my leather vest. It would have to do, I had no time to look for anything else. I ran to the door where I knew I had my bow and quiver.

I slung the quiver over my shoulder and quickly strung my bow and then reached for the door handle. My shield caught my eye just before I slipped out and I couldn't help the sad smile that crept on my face.

Florian's voice filled my ears, teasing me for my stubbornness about never using a shield.

"Sorry Florian, I won't be needing it today." I whispered and then ducked outside.

Most of the men were at the front doors of the siege wall either on the inside ready to defend should the walls be breached or on the other side of the closed doors already engaged in combat. The rest of the warriors were at their designated spots on top of the wall shooting arrows at the enemy.

Moving through the crowd of warriors was like trying to swim against the tide. They were all huddled in close together in a fighting formation, ready incase the doors were broken down. One of the men yelled at me for breaking formation but I brushed it off and kept pushing towards the wall. I tried to stay unnoticed as I broke the line and ran to the ladder that was furthest away from where everyone was and started to climb.

When I reached the top I threw my bow onto the floor and crawled the rest of the way over. I thanked the gods that there was no one posted here and so far I hadn't been spotted. I didn't stand up, instead I sat with my back against the wall and tried to gather myself.

My heart was beating out of my chest and my hands were trembling. I was seriously going to go through with this. After everything I've been through, it's led to this. This was my chance.

I grabbed for an arrow from my quiver and knocked it so that I was ready to defend myself if I was seen by the other warriors. I rose up on my haunches to peak out over the top of the wooden beams and searched for Ivar.

He must be in the turrets by the doors, it would be the best place to watch the mayhem and be able to give out commands to his army. I had almost given up and looked on but one of the warriors moved and revealed Ivar standing, hunched over the wall looking down as his warriors slaughtered Bjorn's, laughing maniacally.

Now was my chance.

Staying low and mostly hidden behind the wall, I brought my bow up over the railing and drew back the string as I took in a slow deep breath. I held the air in my lungs while I steadied myself and aimed. My arrow was pointing at the middle of his back which was perfect because he had a group of archers positioned right behind him and his guards. This would look like an accident.

My palms were sweating from being so nervous while my eyes stayed focus on Ivar. This was it. All I had to do was let go of my breath and the string and I would be free. Free of everything.

I felt my lungs starting to get tight from holding my breath for so long. Come on, Briet, loose your arrow, I thought.

Ivar moved in a way so that I could see his face. I could see the look of shock before he yelled a command I couldn't hear.

Do it, Briet! I scolded myself.

Ivar turned and again screamed another command at an archer who was standing not far from him. He pointed down over the wall like he was telling the archer to shoot at someone specific.

My lungs were burning. I needed air. I had to take my shot.

I saw Ivar's face go from one of rage to one of disbelief. Or was it a look realization?

I let go of my breath and then immediately gulped in air. Slowly and carefully I brought the wood part of my bow back to my chest and took the arrow off the string.

Why couldn't I do this... what's wrong with me?

I pulled myself back over the railing, my back hitting against the wall I slumped down onto the floor. I sighed out in frustration. Why couldn't I do this? A wave of anger rushed over me. Gripping my arrow tightly with both hands I broke it against my knee.

Defeated, I climbed down the ladder.

What happened to me? I was so adamant about having to kill him and when I got the perfect opportunity I froze.

Walking away from the battle and my failed attempt at killing Ivar, our horns sounded off signaling that we were the victors.

The sun was shining bright now that it had risen up higher into the sky and I had to raise my hand up to my forehead to block the light. Now that the the adrenaline was wearing off I was acutely aware of the hangover that was taking over my body.

My head was throbbing, the sun seemed brighter than normal and my joints were aching from being dehydrated.

All around me were bloodied vikings, still high on their own adrenaline rush. Some of them were banging their axes against their shields as they sang songs worshiping Odin, the god of war. I could feel my head splitting from all their noise.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw pitchers of water set out on the tables in the food pavilions. I rushed to the nearest one, grabbing it and immediately downed the water hoping that it was instantly take away this awful feeling.

I made a point to stay away from the great hall and headed towards the fjord. There was a spot where the sand met with the tree line that was far enough away from town and the hall. I didn't want to run into Ivar. I couldn't stand to look at him after I just failed to murder him.

Once I was far enough away from everyone I fell onto the sand. Stretching out my cramped, achy legs in front of me, I leaned back with my arms locked behind me to keep me up right.

I wonder if Ivar knows about his walls weak spot? When the tide goes out there is a narrow strip of sand that is exposed making it easy enough for you to make it around the wall unnoticed. This is how Thora, Svend and Einar escaped early this morning. It was high tide now making the water several feet deep.

Despite my best efforts of trying to stay away from everyone, he still found me.

"Briet," Ivar called, his voice quiet.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. This hangover was coming on stronger by the minute and all I wanted was to sit here in silence and beat myself down for not shooting Ivar. I drank the last bit of water left in the pitcher before I threw it out into the water in frustration.

"Come to gloat?" Not that he knew I was trying to kill him.

He stumbled through the sand and collapsed next to me. Frantically, his fingers freed his crutch from his arm and then he threw the metal contraption off to the side.

"I came to thank you." His quivering voice replied.

Confused, I turned to look up at him. After winning a battle against his oldest brother, Bjorn, I thought he would have been ecstatic. Instead he looked broken.

"For what?" My curiosity got the better of me.

He was staring out at the water. I couldn't tell if his eyes were getting watery or if it was the reflection of the waves.

"You were right..." he said taking in a deep, unsteady breath. "You were right about Freydis and Ulf."

A strange feeling of regret and sadness took over me. I could see just how heartbroken he was from this. But he needed to know. He finally took his eyes from the water and looked down at me.

"I confronted her about it the other day. She denied it, but I could see in her eyes that she was lying. She lied the whole time." He was trying to keep himself together while he spoke.

"At the battle this morning, I ordered for one of the men to shoot Bjorn but... but he didn't. He didn't listen to me. He didn't listen to his king." Ivars' eyes left mine and went to his fingers that were tracing patterns in the sand.

He scoffed. "It seems that my wife isn't the only one who is not loyal to me. The people hate me, Briet and rightfully so. I had everything I ever wanted, Kattegat... you. But then I pissed it all away."

"I'm leaving Kattegat, Ivar." I'm not even sure why I said that. Maybe it was more for me. My words visibly piled on top of him. His body sank further into the sand, his eyes rolling back while his lids fluttered shut.

"I..." his voice got caught in his throat and he tried to sniff back his tears but one managed to escape, slowly rolling down his cheek.

Why was I feeling so guilty for telling him about Freydis and telling him that I am moving on with my life?

"I won't stop you. I just... I need to know that you've forgiven me. I am sorry, for all that I've done... for all that I do. I am truly sorry. I love you, Briet." His eyes locked with mine. Those beautiful, ice blue eyes held me captive.

Averting my eyes from his, it was now my turn to watch my fingers trace patterns in the sand. I don't know how to respond to his confession.

He sighed and moved towards me. I felt his fingers gently brush against my cheek. I surprised myself when I didn't flinch from his touch. Instead, I slowly looked up into his eyes and pressed my cheek further into his touch.

Ivar's hand cupped my cheek, his thumb rubbing my skin. Our eyes stayed locked on each others and I for a moment I felt liked we were back in the woods at the waterfall, before all of this every happened.

"There is a secret door, along the wall right out back of the great hall. It's small and covered by tapestry with a black wolf on it. Take it. Go. Leave Kattegat before they come back tomorrow." He didn't fight the tears that started to fall.

"Is this a joke?" I scoffed.

"No... no." He begged. "I've hurt you enough. You want to leave and I... I respect that. And I want you to go before something happens to you."

His confession had me stunned.

"You're letting me go?" I couldn't believe he wasn't hitting me over the head with an ultimatum.

"Briet, I have loved you since we were children. You always looked at me like I was normal and I ruined it. I destroyed every possibility of you being with me. Of you loving me. This is the least I can do."

"Ivar I loved you too, at one point." I said.

His smile spread across his face making his teary eyes light up. His fingers slid to the back of my neck and he gently pulled me in closer to him so that our foreheads were resting against each others.

"I don't deserve you." He whispered.

His confessions had my head spinning more than this hangover did. It was slightly comforting to know that he did have feelings for me and I wasn't just some possession to him.

"There is going to be a feast tonight. I don't know when you were planning to leave but I would like for you to come. Have as much food as you can before you leave to wherever you're going." His voice sounded so hopeful.

I bit my lip and pulled away from him. "Don't think you'll be able to convince me not to leave. I've made up my mind."

Ivar laughed. "No, no. You're too stubborn, when you've made up your mind on something it'd be hard to get you to see otherwise. I just thought it would be nice to have someone real around me tonight. I suddenly feel so alone." He confessed.

I knew exactly how he felt. I had felt so alone the last few weeks with Thora and Katla ostracizing me and then Einar.

"If I agree will you leave me alone so I can get over this hangover in peace?" I rubbed at my temples with my fingers.

Ivar shifted his weight and took his water pouch from his belt and handed it over to me. I gladly took it from him and drank down the water.

"I'll see you tonight." He answered.

The air in the long house that night was split. On one hand all of the vikings who were still loyal to Ivar and the idea of the great heathen army were celebrating their victory over Bjorn and Olaf's army while those who were against this war sat and faked their joy.

The hall was lit brighter than I've seen it since Ivar's take over making it look like it used to when Lagertha was here. Light hearted music filled the room as well which only added to the confusing emotions.

I was sitting at a table near the front doors so I could make a quick escape should anything happen. A few men who were seated at the other end of the table kept screaming their cheers to Odin and crashing their cups together making mead splatter near me.

At first I would glare in their direction but after a few drinks myself I started to think it was amusing, smiling even. The food that was being served by the thralls was better than anything I've ever eaten in my life. Maybe it was because I was starting to feel the effects of my drinks, only the gods knew but regardless I kept filling my plate with the different meats, bread, vegetables and fruit.

A few of the men from the other end of the room started clapping and cheering making me crane my neck up over the crowd to try and see what the fuss was all about.

Ivar had walked into the room along with Freydis. As soon as the two of them stepped through the doorway Freydis quickly made her way to her throne and flung herself down on it, pouring herself a cup of wine. Ivar walked slowly through the crowd faking a smile as best he could to the warriors who were happy to see him.

I quickly sat back down on the bench when his eyes met mine from across the room. The feeling of joy that was starting to settle in me had vanished. I had made a failed attempt on his life earlier today and I was still planning on killing him.

I shouldn't be here. This is almost cruel. He came to me afterwards and was so distraught about how things turned out for him and his actions against me. He invited me here tonight because he wanted to see me, to be around me and here I am planning on killing him.

Pushing myself away from the table and swimming my leg over the bench seat I was about to stand up when I heard him calling my name.

Fuck.

Ivar slid on the bench so that he was sitting next to me and poured himself a cup of mead. "I'm happy you came tonight."

"Well I couldn't pass up free food that I don't have to prepare." I joked sarcastically before taking an awkward long sip from my own cup.

"No one has bothered you tonight, hmm?" He looked like he was raking his brain to try and start a conversation with me.

I chuckled. "No, I've been left alone."

"My king, Ivar!" One of the men at the other end of the table yelled out, lifting his horn in Ivar's direction. "SKOL!"

Ivar and I raised our cups and drank in response to the very drunk viking.

"He's having a great time." I commented, turning back to Ivar making him laugh.

He put his horn down on the table and lightly traced the rim of it with his middle finger. Ivar looked uncomfortable and not just from the ever present pain in his legs. He kept shifting his weight and opening his mouth as if he was going to say something then quickly closed it.

The air between us was awkward and uncomfortable while I waited for him to speak. The only way I could think to calm my nerves was to keep drinking from my own cup. This would prove to be a silly mistake.

After the third or fourth time he did this I finally took pity on him and spoke up. "You look like you want to say something."

This made him sigh deeply. He took another sip from his drink and then looked at me, putting both of his elbows on the table.

"Do you remember the night of the sacrifice? The one my mother preformed to bless Bjorn's voyage to the Mediterranean?" He asked.

How could I forget that night. I felt my cheeks heat up while I held his gaze thinking back to what I knew he was referring to.

"I do." It was one of the best nights of my life, I answered mentally. "What about it?" I asked, trying to play cool.

He bit his bottom lip while he chuckled. "That was the best night of my life." He answered quietly.

"Really?" I asked, my voice high in disbelief. I quickly cleared my throat, I didn't mean to sound that excited.

I changed my tone to one of sarcasm. "Of all the things you've accomplished you choose that as the best part of your life?"

This caused Ivar to burst out laughing. "Yes, being with you that night beats all of the battles I've won."

"You need to get out and do more, Ivar." I teased, resting my elbows on the table as well, bring me closer to him.

His smile widened still as he bowed his head while he continued to play with the rim of his cup. He looked deep in thought, like he was replaying that night in his mind. I couldn't help but do the same thing.

"I wish I hadn't gone with Ragnar to England." He confessed.

My brows furrowed looking at him. "Surely you don't mean that. That was the single action that spurred all of this." I waved my hand around gesturing to the great hall and all the people, the people that he now ruled.

"Yes, exactly." He took another long sip from his drink and then reached for the pitcher on the table and poured me and himself another drink.

"That one decision to go to England and be trapped in a cell while my father and King Echbert planned his own death made me come back another man. All of this happened because I wanted revenge. I should have listened to you and stayed here... with you."

Ivar's hand reached out and grabbed mine, squeezing my fingers gently in his.

"Everything would have been different. Better."

I couldn't help but purse my lips at his realization. My drunken self wanted nothing more than to yell I told you so in his face but I bit my tongue. Instead I sipped away at my freshly poured drink.

You should stop, I scolded myself. You have to leave in the morning.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"You're a mind reader now?" I shot back, faking shock and surprise by putting my hand on my chest. This caused Ivar to chuckle, bringing him out of the pit of self loathing he seemed to have fallen into.

My air of sarcasm that I had for most of our conversation fell and I answered truthfully. "I'm not sure. I was thinking Sweden, that is where my friends are journeying to but I am not so sure that is where I'm destined to go."

Ivar nodded his head, looking back up at me. Maybe it was because I was drunk but I swear to the gods that he looked different. Changed. For the first time he looked truly remorseful.

"I wish I could leave." He whispered.

My stomach flipped, like the way it used to when his actions made butterflies flutter in my belly. I had to bite at the inside of my cheek ,because I was so close to inviting him to leave with me. I cursed myself for drinking so much.

I quickly looked away from his icy eyes and focused on something else in the building. Unfortunately, my eyes landed on Freydis who was sitting with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at Ivar and I. Her lips were turned down in a scowl and her back looked rigid as if just the sight of me made her be in physical pain.

I smiled drunkenly, I didn't fully hate that idea.

"Why all of the confessions?" I asked turning my attention back to Ivar. The slur in my speech was starting to become more evident.

Ivar was no different, his speech was slightly slowed and his normal pause before his calculated responses was gone. Instead he answered quickly and more authentically.

"The wool has been lifted from my eyes and I can see everything clearly now. I had you and my brothers telling me the truth this whole time but I chose to listen to someone I had no history with. I don't know..." he stopped, taking the last sip from his cup. "I can feel everything changing and I don't want to be left with the regret of not apologizing to you. I've ruined everything with my brothers and the people of Kattegat and I am okay with that... but not with you."

He chuckled again, reaching for the pitcher. He went to pour more mead into his cup but the pitcher was empty. Ivar frowned dramatically at me, jerking the pitcher over his cup as if that would make more liquid appear.

I laughed at his dramatics while I turned and reached for a pitcher that was further down the table by the men who were still doing cheers. One of them looked at me with a raised brow as I was laying on my stomach on the table with my arm fully stretched out.

I smiled up at him in an overly confident way and continued to try and grab for the handle of the pitcher, my finger tips just scraping the handle.

I could hear Ivars' hysterical laughs behind me which made the three men in front of me also start laughing.

Gods, I was drunk.

One of the men finally took pity on me and slid the pitcher a little closer. I wrapped my fingers around the handle and then slid myself back and off the table. Turning back to Ivar I smiled smugly and poured him another drink.

"Well, since you've been confessing all of your deepest secrets." I said, leaning over closer to him in a teasing way.

His back stiffened the closer I got to him and his eyes widened. I leaned my elbow on the table and then rested my chin on the heel of my hand, looking up at him. I did miss being this close to him and I loved the obvious physical reaction I was causing in him.

"I must confess that I tried to kill you today." My inner sober self was slapping me in the face. Why... why would I tell him that?! I sat there scolding myself mentally while on the outside I had a stupid drunken smile painted on my face.

Again, Ivar laughed. His drunken laugh was contagious and soon I started in too.

"It took you long enough!" He took another long swig.

He wasn't mad? No, you idiot, he's drunk and must think you're joking.

"You know something, Briet? You've changed. In a good way!" He added quickly at the end when he saw my brows furrow into a fake scowl.

"Oh?" I cocked my brow and moved closer to his side.

Ivar bit his lip as he looked down at me. The dress I chose to wear this evening was somewhat low-cut and I could imagine my chest was even more on display at this angle. I relished in the effect I was having on him.

"So I changed for the better?" I asked when he didn't continue.

"Yes, yes. You're more confident and you're a fierce shield maiden."

"Ivar..." I started, moving closer still.

His brows raised and a smug smile tugged at his lips.

"Why don't you come with me?" What did I just say? I've been trying so hard this whole time not to invite him to leave with me and now I just blurted it out.

Ivar smiled letting out a short, fast breath through his nostrils. "I would love to. But you don't mean that. You're drunk, little one. Besides, I've started something and I need to see it finished, no matter how stupid it is."

I felt all the wind being taken out of my sails. Deep down, I wish he said yes.

We continued talking for hours. We shared stories of when we used to play together as children and even reminisced on the few good times we had together in private when he came back from England.

I understand how he feels. I believe he actually loved me but his heart was split between avenging the death of his father and proving himself a man and just living a simple life in love.

Many of the people had left the hall or were now asleep at the tables. Ivar looked up to the thrones, I followed his gaze and saw that Freydis was gone. She was glaring our way most of the night so I don't blame her for leaving. She probably took this chance to go to Ulf.

I sighed. "I must go now, Ivar."

I could see his heart breaking. His eyes slowly turning red like they do before his tears start to pool. He quickly cleared his throat and closed the small space between us so that our legs were touching.

He leaned in to me and whispered, "The secret door is behind this building, there is a tapestry with Vidar covering it. No one else knows of this door except for freydis. Take it, leave this place and go live the life you deserve."

Without warning, his hands gently cupped my jaw and brought me in for the most gentle kiss I had ever experienced. Instinctively I put my hand on his chest and felt his heart racing under his shirt. I couldn't help but part my lips, letting his tongue inside my mouth and tasting him.

As quickly as he pulled me into him, he pulled away. My eyes fluttered open and I looked up at him, his hands still holding me.

"Goodbye, Ivar." I whispered and pulled myself from him. If I didn't run away now, I would never leave.

I paced all night, or at least what was left of it. Paced like a caged wolf inside the walls of my home. There was no doubt that Olaf's army, lead by Bjorn and Hvitserk would be returning at sunrise. They were already defeated once, who knows if they would be able to penetrate the walls and defeat Ivar but Bjorn is stubborn. And knowing how stubborn the sons of Ragnar are, I could see them attacking every day until they did defeat him.

Then there was the matter of Ivar. Now that he knows the truth about Freydis and Ulf it seems his whole world has crumbled around him and he is left standing in the rubble. His confessions to me this evening were genuine. In fact, he was the most sincere he's ever been.

And now I am left pacing the length of my home debating what I should do: wash my hands of everything and leave Kattegat, kill Ivar to save the people of Kattegat or save him from certain death and smuggle him out of town.

I sunk into the chair at my table, exhausted from stomping back and forth. Thankfully, I was no longer drunk but I was left with a dull headache from being dehydrated.

The only conclusion I managed to come to is that Ivar didn't deserve to die. He has suffered enough. Going through the mental turmoil of growing up with a physical ailment, being deserted by his father, being shoved aside by his brothers, forced into a ship with foreign warriors and shipped across the sea knowing his father was being killed to everything Freydis has done to him.

War horns blasted in the distance startling me out of my back and forth mental debate. I had run out of time. Glancing over to my window I saw that the sun was already raising over the fjord.

Standing, I tugged my dress up over my head and threw it to the side, grabbing my pants and tunic and frantically pulling them on. I shoved my feet into my boots, lacing them around my calves and then worked on putting on my leather arm bands and vest.

I still had no idea what I was going to do but I figured it would be best to be prepared for a fight. I put my quiver and bow over my shoulder and grabbed my sword.

Coming out of my door I was again met by warriors running into battle but this time they were not Ivar's warriors. Their colors painted on their shields was different and many of them looked unfamiliar.

I gripped the hilt of my sword even tighter and went to step into the mayhem when I saw Hvitserk. He was standing atop a wagon, his sword raised and pointed towards the center of town. Swarms of his warriors ran past him and splintered off down the different paths, attacking the citizens.

"Hvitserk!" I yelled over the chaos, trying to make my way to him. "Hvitserk! Tell them to stop! You're killing many innocent people!"

Hvitserk looked down at me, his eyes were dark and his face twisted. I'd never seen this side of him.

"Anyone loyal to that beast must be killed!" He yelled down at me. I couldn't help but feel threatened.

"You're fight is with Ivar. Call him out and speak with him. You'll see he's changed, he feels remorse for everything he's done. Please, you've already made it in the city, you've won, stop this!" I argued.

People were running and screaming from Olaf's vikings as they continued to slaughter them. This was wrong and Hvitserk knew it.

"We are not going to talk with him, Briet, we are going to kill him."

He must have seen my eyes widen in fear and disbelief. "We already have guards posted by his secret escape door. We know he is here and we are going to kill him. If we find out he has escaped, I am going to assume you helped and so help me, Briet, I will kill you."

His threat was like a knife to the chest. I stood there, my mouth open in shock while Hvitserk smirked before jumping off the wagon and running into the crowd.

They came so fast and they were relentless. None of our warriors had time to prepare for battle and were not able to defend our people. I felt like I was frozen in place as I watched.

"Enough!" I heard Bjorn's voice bellow over the the screams. "ENOUGH!"

Snapping myself out of the shock, I sprinted towards where I heard Bjorn's voice coming from, pushing past people and ducking out of the way of attacks.

I saw Bjorn, Hvitserk and Harald all standing in the middle of the crossroads in the center of town. Bjorn was grabbing his warriors and shaking them to get them to stop their attacks. When the vikings around them all stopped, Bjorn spoke again, addressing the people.

"People of Kattegat, we have come for Ivar! We have no intention of killing you, our friends. Stay inside, don't fight us. We are here to set your free."

Many of the townspeople around me scurried back into their homes, not wanting to be apart of this.

"The hall!" One of the men I recognized from the market yelled, pointing in the direction of the great hall.

Bjorn smirked and then jerked his head in the direction of the hall, letting the others know that that is where they must go.

I had to get there before they did. I had to let Ivar know. I hadn't seen or heard him during this attack, who knows if he was even awake or prepared to meet his brothers.

I took all of the back ways I knew so that I could get to the hall first. Bjorn and Hvitserk took the main roads and they were all filled with their own vikings as well last the townspeople making it slow goings.

Bjorn was screaming Ivar's name above the noise of the crowd, calling him out so that Ivar would meet them in public. My hands were sweating and my lungs felt like I had swallowed fire.

Crashing into the doors of the hall, I stumbled into the building and tried to catch myself before I fell to my hands and knees. My sword slid away from me on the ground with a loud clattering sound and my arrows spilled out of my quiver.

"Ivar!" I yelled between my panting. "Ivar, where are you?"

"He's not here."

My head snapped up. Freydis and Ulf were standing in the middle of the hall, their smug smiles made me want to punch them both.

"You!" I snapped, getting up to my feet. My hands clenched into fists.

Freydis looked up at Ulf and smiled, raising up on her toes and giving him a kiss on his cheek before she started to back away. Ulf glared at me, his lip turning up in disgust while his hand slowly moved to the axe on his belt.

"Where is Ivar, what are you doing here?" I demanded.

Ulf laughed maniacally. "Gods only know where that bastard is! I am here to collect my wife so we can leave this forsaken town and get as far away from those animlals they call the sons of Ragnar."

"Your wife?" I repeated.

Freydis laughed from her spot by one of the pillars making my eyes leave Ulf and land on her.

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked rhetorically.

I felt my brows furrow. I knew they were fucking but I didn't think it went this far.

"He is my husband. We have loved each other since he first saw me as a servant for Lagertha. I offered to travel to England and serve the Ragnarsons while they were on their mission to kill King Aelle so I could still be close to Ulf. We had been trying to figure out a way to get me freed so we could be married.

"When Ivar asked for a serf to be sacrificed, I volunteered. We saw what he was doing, slowly taking over the great army so that he could be king. I thought that if I could impress him enough, show him how devoted I was to him, that he would free me. It was a risky idea, I'll admit but look at how well it worked out for me." Her smile that normally pissed me off had me seeing red while I listened to her speak.

"After he freed me, I immediately went back to Ulf and we were married in private. Lucky for us, the man who married us was killed by the sickness that ravaged York after you and Ubbe left. Our marriage would easily be kept secret." She continued.

"We watched Ivar start to descend into madness on his own but we thought we could push the envelope. When we had returned from England we saw how angry he was and then after the battle of Kattegat and him finding you, he noticeably changed. He got softer. We didn't want that to happen.

"You see, Ulf and I had intended to overthrow Ivar so we could be king and queen. We were planning on him going insane, being a cruel king so that Ulf could come along and defeat him and be loved by the people. The first part of that plan was to make sure that I was queen so when Ulf became king, we didn't have to worry about killing you off."

She chuckled at that last part. "Not that we don't mind killing you, that is."

"I started coming around, making my presence known to Ivar. I could see in his eyes that I had made an impression on him so I used that. He asked if I was married and I said no. Then Ivar let it slip that you could not bear him a child after what happened to you and I saw my opportunity. After that, I kept whispering in his ear how special he was and when I saw how well that was working, it was easy to plant that idea in his head that he was a God."

"I don't really have to explain the rest..." Freydis' smile spread wider while she saw how I was reacting to her story.

My rage was spilling over. How could they destroy someones life like that? My fists were clenched so tightly that my fingernails broke the skin on my palms and I could feel my sticky blood pooling in my hands.

"You didn't just destroy Ivar's life, you stupid, selfish bitch. You destroyed my life, you had Katla and her whole family burned alive. You destroyed the remaining bond between Ivar and his brother Hvitserk. Everyone in town has suffered because of you and your selfish ambitions, you stupid whore!" I growled.

"I'd watch how you speak to my wife." Ulf sneered. The whole time Freydis was speaking I had ignored him and now he was standing right in front of me.

His fist collided with my cheek making my head snap in the direction of his blow. My hair whipped around and covered my face.

Ulf took my moment of being blinded to his advantage and hit me in the stomach making me collapse to the floor on my knees. He grabbed the hair at the top of my head and yanked my head back so he could hit me again, this time in the corner of my mouth making my teeth cut through the skin on the inside of my cheek.

His hits knocked the wind out of my lungs and my head was left spinning while my mouth filled with blood.

Before he could land another punch I quickly rose up and wrapped my arms around his waist, tackling him to the ground. His head hit hard off of the wooden floor making his eyes screw shut from the pain.

I pushed myself up so that I was straddling his legs and brought my fist up, ready to punch him in the groin but he quickly grabbed my hand.

"I know your one trick, girl." He snarled before he again hit me in the face with his free hand.

The force made me fall over onto the floor next to him. My bow that was still around my shoulder snapped when I hit the floor. The skin on my cheek split from the decorative ring he wore. I could feel the warm blood that was now seeping from the gash and going down my cheek.

Everything was spinning and it hurt to close my mouth. I imagine my jaw must be broken with all this pain. I groaned, rolling onto my side so that the blood that was now pooling in my mouth wouldn't spill down my throat and make me choke.

"We were ready to forget you and let you live out the remainder of your sad life." Ulf spat. His hand rose up to the back of his head where he rubbed the spot that hit against the floor. He brought his hand back around and saw that it was covered in blood. Getting up on his feet, he glared back down at me before he kicked me in the stomach.

The blood that was collecting in my mouth spewed out, covering the floor with the crimson liquid.

"But you just can't seem to stay out of this." He kicked me again.

I choked out a scream of pain, grabbing ahold of my abdomen. The room was starting to straighten out but now breathing caused excruciating pain to radiate through my body.

"IVAR!" Bjorn's voice sounded like it was right outside. Had they gotten to him? Was I too late?

I had to get to Ivar. Rolling from my side and on to my hands and knees, I watched the bloody drool spilling from my parted lips onto the floor. I tried to wipe it with the back of my hand but it only made more of a mess.

"You think you can save him? He dug his own grave and now Bjorn is going to put him in it." Ulf sneered.

"No," I choked.

"You can't even save yourself." He continued with a laugh. "I am going to kill you and I will enjoy every part of it."

"Ulf, my love, we should leave." Freydis spoke, her voice sounding frightened.

Ulf turned from me and looked to his wife. Now was my chance, I had to do something. I struggled to get to my feet, my face scrunching up in pain and I used every ounce of my might to tackle him again onto the floor.

Freydis let out a surprised scream when he hit the floor. The air was knocked from his lungs with a loud, strained cough. In his moment of trying to suck in air, I straddled his hips and started assaulting his face. I felt my knuckles breaking with every hit but I kept going. I couldn't let him win.

My hits were starting to slow, I was in so much pain that every movement was excruciating. Ulf took this opportunity and grasped onto my throat, squeezing.

My hands clutched onto his trying to pry his fingers off from around my throat.

He looked up at me through his rage filled, swollen eyes that were already bruised black and blue.

"I am going to kill you." He roared, rolling over so that he was now on top of me, using his body to pin me to the ground. "I'm going to fucking kill you!"

He shook me violently and his hands tightened still.

I could see fuzzy, black clouds forming at the corner of my vision. In desperation, I took my hands from his and started to claw at his face. I could feel my nails break his skin while I dragged them down, his skin bunching under my nails.

Ulf let out another roar of pain while I continued to claw at his face, aiming now for his eyes. This only made him put his body weight down onto me. My legs were kicking frantically under him but he was too far up for me to be able to kick him.

This was it. There was no way I was going to get out of this. Ulf was going to kill me.

I could hear Freydis laughing from somewhere on the other side of the hall.

My hands felt so heavy, too heavy to keep clawing at Ulf. I let them fall onto Ulf's thighs. My head felt like it was going to explode from all of this pressure and my vision was almost all black now.

My hands started to slip off of Ulf's thighs when I felt it. His axe. With every last ounce of willpower and energy I had left, I slipped the axe from his belt loop, brought it up as high as I could manage and buried the blade into his collar bone.

Ulf screamed out in pain, launching himself backwards onto his haunches. I made sure to keep my grip on the handle of the axe tight so when he fell back, the weapon stayed with me. I rolled over to my side, coughing hoarsely, trying to fill my lungs.

I couldn't take any chances. Regardless of Ulf being wounded, I knew he wouldn't stop attacking me. I forced myself up onto my knees and in front of him where I brought the blade down into his neck and with both hands, dragged the blade across. His blood spraying out all over my face, his eyes widening.

His body hit the floor with a loud thud, his blood spilling from the open gash in his neck and forming a pool around him.

I stood there trying to catch my breath and regain myself after the assault.

Freydis' hands slowly moved up to cover her gaping mouth. Her blue eyes were wider than I had ever seen them with thick tears forming.

The door to the great burst open, Ivar scrambled inside and put his body against the door, using his weight to close them. When he looked up his eyes instantly landed on Freydis.

He was panting through parted lips while he still rested against the door, his face scrunched up in pain.

"Freydis, my love. How did they get in?" He asked, still trying to calm his breathing.

Her hands fell from her mouth and rested at her sides. She straightened her back as if me killing her husband hadn't just happened.

"What are you talking about, Ivar?" She asked, turning her head to the side playing dumb.

She let them in, of course. Ivar said she was the only one who knew about the secret door.

Ivar, pushing himself off of the door, situating the large wooden beam into the slots so the door was locked behind him. It wouldn't hold for long, not with the amount of warriors that were outside but it would save him some time.

"There is no other way they could have got inside the walls. Someone betrayed me and let them in." He said, his voice oddly calm.

Her silence said everything.

"Are you going to deny it?"

"It was easy," Her fake smile dropped. Freydis' brows furrowed and her lips turned down in a scowl. "I slipped out last night right under your nose. You were too busy speaking with her all night to notice me leave and go to your brothers!"

Freydis pointed her finger at me in an accusing way. Ivar's head snapped in my direction.

Shooting pain radiated through my lungs causing me to go into a coughing fit. I put my hands over my mouth and as I coughed I felt blood and spit staining my hands. The coughing caused even more pain throughout my body. When the coughing fit finally ended I whined from the pain.

I looked up and my eyes instantly locked with Ivar. He looked both confused and horrified but his question seemed to be answered when he looked down at Ulf's corpse that was still seeping blood on the floor at my feet.

"What happened?!" Ivars' voice boomed while he turned back to Freydis.

Before she could answer I croaked out a response. "Freydis and Ulf were planning on escaping together."

Ivars' free fist clenched, his nostrils flaring.

"It was all you." He finally realized everything.

Stepping over Ulf's dead body I limped over towards the two of them.

"You tricked me. Used me." Ivar said, moving slowly towards her. He put his free hand in his pocket, moving it around like he was looking for something.

"You destroyed my life." He finally took his hand from his pocket, producing a thick chord that was wrapped around his fingers.

I could see what was about to happen but I wasn't about to let him take the satisfaction of killing Freydis from me.

She was slowly back away as we both approached her. She knew she was cornered and the panic was showing on her features.

Ivar dropped his metal crutch, the sound of it hitting the ground echoed through the room. Before he could make his move, I put my hand on his chest and pushed him back, launching myself towards her. I wrapped my arms around her and the two of us went flying through the air until she landed on her back on the floor with me on top of her.

Immediately I started assaulting her face. A years worth of pent up anger spilled out of me. My knuckles were broken from having beaten Ulf but rage made the pain feel like nothing more than a tingle.

The sound of her nose breaking was covered up by her screaming. Her beautiful face was starting to be covered in contusions. The more I hit, the more her skin started to swell and eventually split open. My hits were starting to sound wet and squelchy and her screams were turning into chokes.

Stopping my actions I straightened myself up, so I could look down at my work. Nothing was more cathartic than destroying her pretty face.

She was laying there limp, barely moving. Freydis's eyes were swollen, I could only see her pupils through small slits. Her nose was crushed and moved inches to the right and her lips were cut open with a deep split in the middle of her bottom one.

She was choking on her blood that was no doubt pouring down her throat. I wasn't going to let that be the thing that end her.

My fingers cracked and popped as I opened my clenched fists to wrap them around her throat. I grimaced at the pain and then squeezed her tiny neck with all of my might.

Her swollen eyes widened slightly, her mouth opening and closing trying to bring in air but the blood in her mouth only caused her to choke more. Tears fell from the corner of her eyes, trailing down into her hair. Freydis' legs were kicking out frantically under me while she tried hitting my arms but she was already so weak.

There was rapid banging at the front door that Ivar had locked. They made it through the town to the hall and now we were out of time.

"You deserve a slower death." I growled, annoyed that my time was cut short.

Her arms fell to the ground at her side and slowly, her writhing body stopped moving, only twitching randomly.

There was another loud banging at the door followed by someone screaming for Ivar.

I wasn't going to take any chances. I turned up and looked at Ivar who was standing behind me watching the entire thing unfold between Freydis and I. I leaned over and plucked the dagger from his belt and then plunged it into Freydis' heart, if she even had one.

I could hear the faintest moan come from her lips.

I kept stabbing the knife into her, putting all of my weight into it so that the entire blade was hidden inside her, grunting with every move. I could feel her blood covering my face. My rage was other worldly, if it wasn't for Ivar placing his hand on my shoulder, I might have never stopped.

Freydis, the demon who took everything from me and destroyed my life, Ivar's life and the lives of the people of Kattegat was finally dead.

I pushed myself off of her and using the heels of my feet slid myself backwards, looking at the unrecognizable form that was bleeding out on the floor. With my adrenaline finally starting to crash, I felt myself coming back to Midgard. The pain was also starting to set in.

The banging at the door made me jump.

"Ivar..." I croaked out, out of breath. "We have to go."

Ivars' lips tightened into a thing line. "No. I have to stay, I have to tell my brothers what happened, they will understand."

"Ivar, no. They are planning on killing you. They will not talk to you. Not after the severity of everything you've done. They will not believe you, we have to go. Now!" I begged, struggling to get up on my feet.

"I have to try, Briet." Ivar pushed.

"I have just killed the two people in Midgard who helped push you into insanity. The only other person who can help plead your case is me and they won't believe me after our past. There is no talking to them." I tried reasoning with him.

Ivar looked from one dead body to the other.

"Ivar, please. We have to go." I begged again.

There was one loud bang at the door followed by a few seconds of silence then another crashing sound. This repeated two more times making me realize they were trying to ram down the door. I could see the wood of the door starting to splinter. We had maybe a minute.

I wasn't going to wait for his response. I bent down and grabbed his crutch, shoving it under his arm and started to pull him down the hallway at the back of the room to one of the back doors.

"Where are we going? They came in through the secret door, we won't be able to escape through there and we certainly won't be able to leave through the front gates!" Ivar sounded panicked now.

I stopped in my tracks. Ivar stumbled forward making me have to pull him back towards me to keep him from falling. I situated him so that his free arm was around my shoulders so I could put my weight into his side to help him stand up. He was right. How where we going to escape?

"Fuck!" I screamed out in frustration. The world felt like it was closing in around me. After everything that just happened, learning the truth and having fighting for my life just to be killed without getting to explain anything.

The door at the end of the hall creeped open. This was it. We watched a head poke around the door.

"Ivar!" The man whisper yelled, moving in through the small opening and quietly closing the door behind him.

It took me a moment but I recognized the man as Vigrid, one of the other blacksmiths of Kattegat. He was always loyal to Ivar throughout everything, even when we were in England but I still couldn't trust him.

Reaching across Ivar's torso, I forced my fingers to close around the hilt of his sword and pulled it out of it's sheath, pointing the blade at Vigrid.

"Please," he said, putting up his hands "I am here to save you two but we must hurry! Bjorn and the others are still fighting off your warriors but they are about to break down the door. No one has come around the back of the hall yet so now is the time! Hurry!" He waived his hands in a silent command for us to come with him.

I looked up at him with a questioning gaze. I was at a loss, my anxiety was through the roof and I couldn't make a decision if my life depended on it... and it did.

Ivar looked down at me, his ice blue eyes were filled with fear and sorrow.

"If this is a mistake... I am so sorry little one." He whispered before looking up to Vigrid. "Let's go." He growled, taking his sword from me and shoving it back in its sheath.

Behind the great hall Vigrid had his cart waiting. We helped Ivar into the back of it and quickly covered him with a sheet of fabric. To make it look less conspicuous, Vigrid placed some wound up rope and a few pieces of cut wood onto Ivar.

"Here," He said, handing me a hooded cloak. He reached around to the back of my head and pulled the chord that kept my hair tied back, though most of it had fallen out from fighting. Running his hands through my hair so that it curtained my face and then pulled the hood up over my head. To add to the disguise, he made me hold another bundle of rope against my belly so I would look like I was with child.

The both of us hurried onto the bench of the cart and quickly Vigrid whipped at the reins. The old cobbled horse lurched forward. Vigrid took some of the empty back paths away from the hall. With every rock the cart rolled over we heard Ivar grunt in discomfort until eventually we pulled out onto the main road.

I leaned over to him, still keeping my head down. "Where are you taking us?" I whispered.

Vigrid chuckled nervously. "Through the front gates?"

"You couldn't come up with a better plan?" I snapped. "They'll have the cart searched!"

Vigrid looked over at a passerby, nodding his head and smiling. "There is no other way out of here, the wall encompasses the whole town." He whispered, straightening himself back up.

The wall did stretch from one end of the fjord to the other. The only ways out were the front gates and the secret door but this idea was asinine. Bjorn will have everything searched, especially large carts leaving town.

Then it hit me.

"Wait, Vigrid, turn around. Go back towards the Fjord."

He turned to me with his brows furrowed. "Are you planning on swimming to safety?"

"No! When the tide is low, you can sneak around the wall into the woods. They are camped out on the other side of the wall, we can escape unseen."

Looking up in the sky I tried to see where the sun was behind the clouds. It was still early morning so the tide should just be turning now. If we hurried we could make it before the water got too deep.

"Quickly, Vigrid! The tide should be starting to come in." I snapped.

Vigrid took in a deep breath through his nostrils and then pulled the rains. Turning around the cart in busy street earned us a lot of mean looks as well as a few nasty comments.

"I hope you're right, girl." He murmured.

It took longer than anticipated getting to the beach. Despite everything happening it seemed that many people were still carrying on with their daily chores because the streets were now packed with people. Bjorn's forces were also still tearing through Kattegat, capturing anyone who was known to be loyal to Ivar.

Harald and a few of his men were standing in a circle, laughing. My stomach dropped. If he saw me with Vigrid and in this disguise he would know something was going on. I looked up to the sky and silently begged for Freya to let us pass unnoticed.

Glancing back in Haralds' direction our eyes locked. I was frozen in fear and couldn't take my eyes from him. It took a moment but I could see his eyes widen when he realized it was me. Harald went to move through the crowd towards the cart but his attention got pulled in another direction.

"Harald!" Someone called from behind us in the crowd. "King Harald, Bjorn and Hvitserk need you. Ivar is gone!"

Vigrid must have heard this because he pulled his horse to the left to go down a side alley and out of the line of sight of Harald before he could turn back around.

"We're running out of time!" I hissed. My palms were starting to sweat from my nerves.

Finally, we made it to the beach. I didn't think it was possible but my heart sank even further. The tide was already coming in and judging by where it was, the water would probably be up to my belly where we would be trying to sneak around. Vigrid's horse was also having a hard time pulling the cart in the soft sand making it increasingly hard for the poor horse.

"Let us off here," I said, sliding off of the still moving cart.

Running to the back of the cart I pulled off the canvas. "Help me!" I demanded.

Ivar fake smiled up at me. "What took you so long?"

I jumped up to sit on the edge of the cart. Ivar slid down and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. Vigrid helped get Ivar's legs off of the edge and propped his crutch under his arm.

"Why are we at the water?" Ivar questioned nervously.

"We couldn't go through the front gate. Briet made a good point, they would have searched the cart." Vigrid said, turning to look back at the town.

"We can make it around the wall here, but the tide is higher than I was hoping." I finished.

Ivar looked out at the water by the edge of the wall.

"How deep?" His voice sounded even more nervous.

"I'll be with you, Ivar." I said, trying to reassure him.

Vigrid turned his attention towards us. "Hurry up, before anyone sees you. I'll go back through the front gates alone and I'll come and find you."

Vigrid whipped at the reins of his horse and started off back towards the gates.

"Briet, I can't swim, I can barely walk!"

Looking up at him, I tried to give him the best reassuring smile I could muster. My jaw was still in so much pain from earlier.

"I'll be with you the whole time." I said.

We rushed as fast as Ivar could towards the water. I could feel he was shaking against me. I wrapped my arm around his side and pulled him closer to me.

"I'll be right here." I said before trudging into the still freezing ocean water.

I sucked in air through my teeth. Gods it was cold. My body seemed to slow down the deeper we got from just how cold the water was.

Ivar gripped onto me tightly. The sandy bottom was slippery making it even harder for Ivar to balance and his crutch was useless since it kept sinking into the sand and getting stuck. With every wave that washed into us I heard Ivar trying to stifle a groan.

The water was even deeper than I thought. At the deepest, it was up to my collar bones. The salty ocean water burned as it washed against all of the open wounds Ulf had caused making me hiss in pain.

Ivar's crutch sunk into the sandy floor again, this time making him sink down so that only his head was above water. His eyes widened and his body stiffened in pain from the violent motion of being sucked down into the water.

"Let go of the crutch, Ivar." I demanded, trying to push it from his hand. He reluctantly let go of it, letting it sink into the water. With his crutch gone he was able to stand upright again with my help and keep himself stable.

Whispering words of encouragement I made him push forward.

I could feel Ivar putting even more of his weight on me now that his crutch was gone making me sink further into the water. He was in excruciating pain from the current crashing into his legs as well as the freezing temperatures. I leaned my opposite shoulder against the wooden beams of the wall to help keep myself and Ivar up above the water.

By the grace of the gods, we made it around to the other side and out of view of everyone. We both stumbled awkwardly out of the water and fell onto the sand, panting and shivering while we crawled away from the waves.

When we were far enough away from the water under the cover of the trees I flipped over and fell onto my back, sucking in air.

"We made it." I said shivering and out of breath. "We're safe."

Ivar sat up next to me and reached his hand under my neck. He pulled me up in one swift motion and with shaking, ice cold hands grabbed either side of my swollen face and crashed his lips onto mine.

I groaned in pain from all of the contusions that covered my face but melted into him nonetheless.

"Are you alright?" Ivar asked with a shiver, pulling away from my lips and looking over the bruises covering my face. "It must have been one hell of a fight between you and Ulf..."

I nodded my head in response, still staying close to him letting his body heat warm me.

"Thank you." He said.

"I didn't just do it for you." I couldn't help the snarky tone in my voice. "Ulf was a bastard, always harassing me and he tried to kill me when I threatened his secret. They ruined my life too, you know."

"I've never loved you more." Ivar confessed. "You killed one of the most ruthless warriors from the great army."

I scoffed. "Don't try and sweet talk me."

"It's true!" He laughed, putting his shaking hands up to show he was being honest.

I couldn't help but smile. I had finally got my revenge on not only Ulf but Freydis too and I was relishing in the feeling.

"And your brothers," I added "they should have at least tried to hear your side of the story."

Ivar scoffed. "There is nothing I can say to them that would change their minds. Freydis and Ulf did push me further into madness but I had already taken the first steps on my own. I killed Sigurd..." He trailed off.

"Where will you go?" I asked keeping my voice quiet to try and hide the sadness.

Ivar's blue lips shivered while he pulled them into a tight lined smile.

"I'm not sure. So many people know of me, I don't think they will be willing to welcome me with open arms, hmm?" He answered.

I still wasn't sure where I was going to go either. Though Thora and I had made amends before she left, I still couldn't help but feel like an outcast amongst the group.

The sound of Vigrids' cart broke our uncomfortable silence. I looked behind us and watched as he got closer.

"I guess this is goodbye, then." Ivar said solemnly, looking at me through his thick lashes.

His words hit me like shield hit to the chest.

"Lets go!" Vigrid yelled from his cart, tossing Ivar a walking stick.

Ivar caught the walking stick out of the air with one hand and used it to hoist himself up on to his feet.

"I guess so..." my voice was cracking from the tears that threatened to fall.

Standing up, I kept my gaze on him, looking into those deep, icy eyes. This was really it, this was goodbye.

Ivar's hand rose up and he used the back of his fingers to gently rub my arm. He smiled another tight lipped smile down at me. I could tell he was debating wether or not he should move in and hug me goodbye.

I chose for him, snaking my arms around his torso and burying my aching face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, bringing me into him even closer. His lips pressed against the top of my head and I could hear the hitch in his breathing.

"We'll meet again, little one." He whispered, kissing me one more time on the top of the head before he started to pull away. I flexed my sore arms to help keep him in place making him chuckle. He put his hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me from him.

"Ivar, put her cloak on and let's go." Vigrid demanded. You could hear how impatient he was in his tone of voice.

I took the soaking wet cloak from around my shoulders and handed it to Ivar. I couldn't bring my eyes to look up at him because if I did I know my tears would fall freely.

"Where are you going?" I asked, looking past Ivar to Vigrid.

"Traveling the silk road until we find a place that doesn't know of Ivar. King Harald and King Olaf do not send many of their traders on this route so I figure it will be the safest." He answered.

Ivar wrapped himself in the cloak, pulling up the hood and then turned to head towards the back of the cart.

Vigrid helped him onto it, lifting up his legs so that Ivar was seated with his back against the wall of the cart and his legs stretched out in front of him. He kept stealing glances at me every chance he got. I could see how glossy his eyes were, he was also fighting back his tears.

"Thank you, Briet." My eyes moved from Ivar to Vigrid who was speaking. "You were right, I was searched going through the front gates."

When I didn't answer him or even look at him, Vigrid took in a deep breath through his nose, pursing his lips. The air between the three of us was uncomfortable, no one knowing what to say. He slapped the side of his leg, making a sharp smacking noise fill the air.

"May the Gods watch over you, Briet. We must be on our way." Vigrid waved awkwardly at me before he turned on his heal and headed to the bench of his wagon.

Vigrid shook the reins, giving his horse a verbal command to go. The horse stutter stepped, putting its weight forward until the cart started to move. All the while, Ivar and I stayed with our eyes locked.

I was never really sure about anything in my life. I was always so indecisive, even about trivial things. I have the opportunity to go to Sweden and be with my friends, with Einar- who I have no doubt has feelings for me. And deep down, I know that I have feelings for him as well just... not the same as him.

I couldn't help the feeling of feeling alone when I was with them. They were my friends, yes, but I still felt like I was an outsider looking in on them. Did I want that for the rest of my life?

Ivar could look at me no longer. He jerked his tear stained face from mine to look ahead of him.

There was a voice inside me, ringing out as clear as day telling me to go, go to Ivar, wherever he is is where I belong. Where I won't feel alone. I don't know what this invisible tether is that has me tied to him but there is no denying it's there and it's strong. Even as children, I was always drawn to him. Even through the years where we stopped talking with each other I always caught him watching me and I always found myself asking Sigurd about him.

It was like we were fated to be together.

I pushed myself forward, running to catch up with them.

"Ivar!" I yelled, my voice hoarse from the bruising on my throat.

Ivar didn't look back right away until he heard me trying to pull my sore body up onto the moving cart. He quickly put out his arm and helped me up onto the cart where I crashed into him, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"This may be a stupid mistake, but I want to go with you." I whispered. "I don't know what it is but when I am with you I don't feel alone. I don't want to feel alone anymore, Ivar."

Ivar let out a relieved breath and a smile spread across his face. More tears started to spill down his cheeks but these were for a different reason.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer still to him. Ivar's lips met mine, his fingers gently digging into me while I moved my own fingers into his damp hair. Before our kiss deepened he pulled away just enough so he could speak.

"I'm never letting you go again." He whispered back.

ᛅᚾᛏ

End