Freya Ironside, Gifted by the Gods

King Bjorn and new beginnings

They camped on the beach when the rain stopped.

"I can't wait to see Kattegat" said Magnus all excited, "You are excited to die as soon as you get there?" asked Freya being fed up with him, Bjorn didn't even bother stopping her, "I am son of Ragnar, the gods will look after me" he tried to sound sure of himself. Freya focused on him, she desperately wanted to know if he really was a son of Ragnar and as she fixed on him, she saw something, like a snippet of a memory, but it wasn't hers, it was his. She saw Ragnar, as she remembered him when he and Ivar had left for Wessex, rejecting him and saying, "I am not your father", pushing him away and when she was again brought in the gloomy tent she burst out laughing, not even curious as to what her gifts had done now. She laughed.

"What is it?" asked King Harald mildly amused sitting across from her on his chair, she tried to compose, "You are no son of Ragnar" she said chuckling, shaking her head at Magnus, "Of course I am" he insisted starting to become angry, she moved off her stool, kneeling down in front of the scared young man, she brushed her hand on his left cheek, with him without even trying to shove her away, "Your mother lied to you. Ragnar said you were not his son – he pushed you away" she said sternly. Magnus eyes emptied, he pushed her hand aside and ran out of the tent. Bjorn, who had been watching the scene with a bowl of food in his hands, told Amma to go after him, to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.

Freya was still all cheerful after knowing that. She sat back on her chair and returned to eat.

"Why did you tell him that?" asked Bjorn condescending, "Because it's the truth" she said calmly, "How can you be sure?" asked Gunnhild siding with Bjorn, not really proud of how Freya had treated the young man. Freya looked swiftly at King Harald who glanced at her eagerly and Bjorn nodded, he knew of her Gifts already, "I saw it, just before, when I was focusing on him. I saw Ragnar pushing him away and telling him that. Just like I did when I told you I saw Lagertha" said Freya calmly, Bjorn then knew Magnus was not his half-brother. She saw her father's face, there it was, the look of betrayal, "Don't worry. I won't say anything else. We need all the men we have to get Kattegat back" she reassured him and he and Gunnhild left, leaving Freya and King Harald alone. She was sure Bjorn wanted to talk to Magnus now.

The King chuckled worriedly, "What do you mean, you saw Lagertha?" he asked moving to the seat next to hers, she turned to him and smiled warmly, "I saw the future, Lagertha was with us – and now I saw the past" she told him, he seemed vexed at the thought that Lagertha was still alive. "Why don't you like my grandmother?" she asked him, he smirked, "Oh, I like her ... and yet – and yet I hate her" he let out, "I admire the woman she is but she killed Astrid, the woman I loved" he added calmly, "I am sure Astrid grew to care for you" she began, "But you have to know this, we only knew that you and Ivar were going to attack us because Astrid had sent word through a fisherman" she told him. King Harald turned to her at once, bewildered and outraged, "What?!" he said, "Astrid still loved Lagertha and I fear she wanted to be killed by her" she went on, "Why would she want to die? Why? When she was carrying our child?" he asked grabbing her arm upset, she turned to him, stared at him right in the eyes and whispered, "She cared for you and she cared for Lagertha, she could not be left in the middle, to worry about both". King Harald looked grim, he was upset and nostalgic, he let go of her arm, "Don't have it in for Lagertha for putting Astrid out of her misery" she added weakly, he did not answer, he slightly turned his head towards her. They remained in silence for much longer, almost all night.

"You want to have sex?" he asked nonchalantly, out of the blue, when she had stood up to go pee. Was that his way to cope with what she had just told him? "No" she said calmly; during their silent moments, she had been thinking of what she had been able to do, it had been remarkable and she wondered whether she could see more of the past. "I thought I was on your good side" he replied hopeful, "All your men are on my good side since they will fight with us. I don't see them using that to their advantage" said Freya, "It served you as well, as I recall you didn't complain after it" he said cocky, "I had sex with you because I had to make sure you wouldn't send your men to try and kill me" "I told you. I never sent those two men" he repeated, "Good, then it was good sex" she let out with a smirk, "Then why don't you want to marry me?" he questioned genuinely curious, he seemed to have put aside their conversation of before, perhaps not considering it was a way to go on for him. She walked behind him and put her hands on his shoulders, "Because you and I, are far more better like we are now" she said bending over and leaning in towards his ear, "And what are we now?" he asked holding her right hand in his. She moved slightly to her right and leaned in again, towards his lips, she kissed him, warmly, he chuckled, "Whatever you enjoy calling this" she whispered and she walked out.