Freya Ironside, Gifted by the Gods

Lagertha leaves and Trap

Freya was glad to have the family back together. She was not sure about Hvitserk though. They hardly talked and if they were in the same room together, Hvitserk tried to conversate but she didn't. She just couldn't get over him leaving her, over the fact that he had killed Guthrum. Everybody saw him quickly becoming a drunk, worrying over Ivar and regretting leaving her, at least that's what Amma had told her, Hvitserk had bought her over in trying to help him winning Freya back but without success, he was lonelier day by day, everyone could see that but apart from Bjorn, Lagertha, Gunnhild and Amma, no one paid attention to him, no one went to him to talk ... at least not the people he cared about most – Freya and Ubbe. The few times that Ubbe did talk to him, their conversations were short and not very meaningful.

*

Six months had passed since Bjorn had become King. Everybody loved him very much. Freya spent more and more time with him and became a public figure now more than ever before.

One day Bjorn summoned many of the important families of Kattegat in the long house. They were all cheering him; Gunnhild, Lagertha, Freya, Ubbe and Torvi were there beside him, standing on the stairs in front of the throne. Bjorn walked through his people, followed by Freya who then went to stand next to Lagertha waiting lovingly for her, reaching out for her with her hand.

"People of Kattegat, I told you that when I became King my rule would be very different from that of Ivar's" he began before a cheering crowd, "And I mean to keep that pledge. Ivar built a wall around our town, he discouraged foreigners, outlawed free speech and dissent amongst our own people. Kattegat can only survive and grow prosperous through trade, not conquest! That is my belief" he continued, "This is your meeting, your thing, your chance to come to me with whatever you want and I will listen. I am but your humble servant" he finished, "King Bjorn!" shouted people from one corner of the hall to the other.

Then, from the main door, prisoners were taken before him.

"Who are these man?" he asked, Hvitserk's voice emerged from the crowd saying, "I know who they are. I know these men collaborated willingly with Ivar's regime. They served as his bodyguards. They did his biddings, however how worst, how depraved..." he stated with disgust in his voice.

Bjorn looked at them and asked, "Well are these men guilty?" and everybody exclaimed in agreement. Her father turned sullen and ordered them to be taken away. Lagertha left her granddaughter's side and went to talk to some women in the room. Freya glanced at Torvi and Ubbe and then at Gunnhild before being the one to go talk with her father, she stood beside him and felt Hvitserk's eyes on her from the chair he was sitting on but ignored him. She leaned in and asked, "What do you want to do with them?", he pondered then answered, "They'll be Skogarmaors" he answered simply, he looked at Ubbe, he went to declare the order to the guards.

*

The next morning, Bjorn and Gunnhild walked to the main doors of Kattegat, followed by Torvi, Ubbe and Lagertha. Freya was leading the prisoners. As they stopped she looked at her father for a moment and he slightly nodded.

"These men are all guilty, they committed crimes against our own people, against you. I know you think they must die, but there is something far worse than death, far worse. I will banish them for life. They will become Skogarmaors, men of the forest, forever condemned to live in the forest –'',

Freya took the iron marker that had been sitting over a fire in her hands, "and other deserted places. Their property will be confiscated. They will be branded as Skogarmaors and they can be killed with impunity. This is much worse than death. They will live not as human beings but as ghosts. Outside of human society. Every day forced to regret and remember their decisions and their crimes, yet unable to atone for them" he finished, then asked the people of Kattegat, "Such is my decision. All in favour, say 'aye'" "AYE!" "Then it is decided" he said calmly and he gestured Freya to go on. The guards holding them pushed them towards her, she walked swiftly up to one of them and marked him, then one after the other they were pushed outside. One managed to get loose and tried to get killed, a much fairer end than being an outcast. He ran towards Bjorn but Ubbe hit him with the flat side of his axe and made him fall down. Freya turned back around to Whitehair, the man who had worked for Ivar since the very beginning, since York; the man who only let her through to talk to Ivar and not his brothers. She smiled subtly to him and marked him. He was forced out like the rest of them. Hvitserk stood up from the log he was on and went to look at all those rejects leaving with Freya behind him as she stared down at Whitehair for the last time.