Freya Ironside, Gifted by the Gods

Queen of all Norway

Freya had convinced Ubbe, Hvitserk and Torvi that Rollo would have been prone to grant their ships safe passage. Now all she needed was to have Aegir's word that he would have looked after Kattegat for her while they were away.

She had sent her maids to look for him, they would have dined together that night. Hvitserk had ordered that nobody disturbed them and once it was almost dinner time, one of the doors of the hall opened and there it was Aegir and his wife and children. His son Eske looked just like him, while his daughter Injerd had taken the gentle looks of her mother Hella.

"Queen Freya, King Hvitserk" said Aegir entering and once he saw they were not alone he added, "Lord Ubbe, Lady Torvi". As they got closer the four of them bowed a little in front of Freya and Hvitserk, "Please, sit down, it's an honour to meet you all" said Freya with a broad smile.

The dinner went on quite nicely, they were all very likeable people and they all exchanged memories of the Great Army before passing to more important matters.

Freya began to explain to them her plan of expanding their trading destinations and ships, how she meant for their men to still be able to fight through Spain, and the rest of the Mediterranean but not England and Frankia ... he seemed to be of the same mind.

Things got more interesting when she said, "I want to personally convince Rollo, the chief of Frankia –'' "I remember Rollo, he came to Spain" said Aegir, "Him, Ragnar's brother" said Freya before continuing, "But to do that I will have to leave Kattegat for a while, together with Hvitserk, Ubbe and Torvi. We will all go to Paris" she explained glancing at her family.

Aegir looked around the table and questioned, "What about Kattegat?", she smiled mildly and leaned back on her chair, "I was wondering whether you and your family could rule in my absence, it shouldn't take more than a month" said Freya. Aegir and his wife were speechless, "My Queen ... I – I don't know what to say" said Aegir, "You all have time to think, but while you do, I must ask you if you'd consider something else as well" she reassured him, "My Lady?" he asked curiously, "King Harald's old reign, once our agreement with Rollo is secured, we'll come back and we'll start to prepare our ships for upcoming voyages, but his old reign would still be deserted. I was considering whether you'd want to go there with your family of course, put it back together and once it's up and functioning again thanks to the families that will work there with you, rule there, as one of my Jarls" she finished.

Aegir looked quicky at his wife and they must have had pretty good communication skills because they all nodded immediately and Aegir leapt to his feet and knelt before his Queen, "We would be honoured, my Lady – about looking after Kattegat as well" he said proudly.

Freya smiled happily to his wife and children and to her own family, she then turned to Aegir and gestured him to sit down again, "You're a good man, you've been loyal to my father in grave times ... and you've been loyal to me ever since his death. I want your family to have this position" she said truthfully; Aegir reminded her somehow of the loyalty Floki had towards Ragnar and his family.

*

In the next few weeks, they all began to explain their plan to the rest of the warriors and traders and to the farmers that, right after their Queen's return, should have gone to King Harald's old lands with Aegir. Of course the pillages to the south and the trade would have started in the spring and early summer ... that winter Freya had already much on her mind with the elections, going to talk to Alfred in Wessex, sailing to Paris and taking care of something else.

It had almost been two weeks since they had shared their plan with the people of Kattegat and late one morning, they heard the horns being blown.

Hvitserk and Ubbe ran to the beach, all geared up and ready to fight followed by Aegir, while Freya took her time, she took Torvi by the arm and walked to the beach with little Ragnar in her mother's arms. Torvi was preoccupied enough for the both of them, she kept trying to rush her to the beach.