Freya Ironside, Gifted by the Gods

Blood Eagle

Two days before leaving for England there would have been a propitiatory ceremony to honour the gods and to ask them for the Great Army to be victorious. Jarl Jorgensen would have been the human sacrifice that night.

Freya followed the crowd with Helga, Floki and Tanaruz, the girl Helga believed to be her daughter now, as her mother and father would have arrived together with Guthrum later.

Helga kept avidly Tanaruz's hand as she spoke with Freya, "We are a family, we can't leave Floki" she told her. "Floki, Helga, Freya" said Halfdan arriving behind them, they all greeted each other. She escaped from Floki's vigil eye and remained a little behind with Halfdan, "Is your brother feeling good?" whispered Freya to Halfdan's ear noticing King Harald looked strange, "He is just eager for tonight" he reassured her calmly, she turned to him again and nodded. She had followed them around the city the past week and they were usually accompanied by the mysterious man she had seen with them twice, they seemed to be most interested into the walls of Kattegat.

They were all gathering around a platform and everything around them was lit up with torches. The brothers had already taken Ivar there. She walked to him and he kissed her hand before looking up to her lovably, "Will you be staying here with us?" asked Ubbe hoping having her near would calm Ivar when he would inevitably see Lagertha coming down the torch-lit path, she nodded and as Freya made room for Floki, Helga and the girl to walk behind Ivar, Hvitserk moved over to make room for her next to him. She didn't want people to think there was something wrong between them so she just went to stand beside him.

He was thankful she wasn't that much angry with him, she did go stand by him, at least people wouldn't have wondered whether there was bad blood between them; he gave her a kind smile once she took those few steps to go next to him. He glanced over at her from time to time, she seemed tense, he knew that was only the second time she had witnessed a human sacrifice but he knew she could have handled it. She was about to go into battle, she had to be able to handle it.

As everyone got there, Freya glanced and smiled to her mother and brother from the other side of the platform and behind them was Bjorn who nodded to her as well as he saw she was with his brothers, Floki and Helga.

She glanced at Halfdan and King Harald as well and both returned their focused gazes at her just before the rite was about to begin. Jarl Jorgensen and his brother walked down the path, slowly, savouring the last moments together and yet glad ... the Jarl walked up the platform and got ready, then waited until Lagertha came, in all her splendour and Ubbe put his hand on Ivar's shoulder to keep him still. Her grandmother resembled the members of the asynjur that night – Freya looked up to her so much, just like her mother did, she had two of the women she admired the most to raise her, she was ever so proud to state loud and clear that Lagertha was her grandmother, that she had her blood in her, her character and principles. She was glad she could say she was a mix of her, Torvi, Bjorn and Aslaug, the ones that had raised her ... but if she ever were to choose, Lagertha and Torvi were the ones she strived to be like the most one day.

The Queen took a beautiful sword from a man and in that moment the goddess Freya cried tears of gold that could be seen in the clear night sky above them, they all turned their heads to look up. She felt a shiver down her back and she knew that the gods were with them, just like everyone else did.

Hvitserk looked at her sideways, trying not to turn his head and make it obvious that he was staring at her, he slowly tried to take her hand as he noticed Bjorn wasn't there anymore; he brushed his hand against hers and finally succeeded in holding her, she did not shove him off, she held his hand back, making the tears in the sky tenfold better. He felt comfort as soon as she decided to hold him, he felt the gods closer to him than ever with her by his side.