DIVINE [HVITSERK RAGNARSSON]

35: ALMOST HOME

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE — 'ALMOST HOME'

It appeared Hvitserk's plan had worked. After a few days, King Olaf had agreed to gather his army and prepare to march on Kattegat. Hvitserk only prayed it would be enough to take down Ivar and return Kattegat to what it once was.

"Tell me about Ivar." Asta hummed as she undressed beside the bed, her fighting leathers laid out on the blankets. Olaf had given them somewhere else to sleep once he had finally agreed to trust in them; a proper cabin with a large bed.
"What do you mean?" Hvitserk peered up at her as he too prepared himself in armour.
"How does he rule Kattegat? It must be terrible if you've decided to fight against him."
"Terrible is only one small word to describe it. Ivar is a tyrant. He thinks he is a god and he rules using fear and terror. He has a wife, Freydis, who only puts worse ideas in his head." Hvitserk frowned as he remembered how awful Kattegat was in the time that had passed since Ivar began ruling. He'd lived through months and months of mockery, embarrassment and belittlement from Ivar and he couldn't stand it any longer. He couldn't watch the innocent citizens of Kattegat be the subjects of his own brother's cruelty any longer.
"He has wife?" Asta snorted in shock, not quite believing the fact.
"Part of me thinks she is the one who persuaded him he is a god," Hvitserk sighed, "Kattegat is nothing like it used to be, when Ragnar ruled."
The room fell silent as both Asta and Hvitserk pondered over how life once was.
"I remember the first time I saw you, properly." Asta chuckled, "it was with Ragnar. He was giving you and Ubbe your arm rings, at the Thing."
"Before Paris. He let us go with him, but we weren't allowed to fight." Hvitserk nodded, remembering too.
"I remember the first time I really noticed you, properly, too."
Hvitserk raised his eyebrow at Asta's words, almost to mock her but she brushed him off. "It was on the ship to England, when you were arguing with my brothers over the sails."
Hvitserk chuckled at the memory. "I told you to keep them out of my way."
Asta giggled too, but their smiles turned to frowns as they remembered Erik.
"I'm sorry—
"Hvitserk..." Asta interrupted him. She knew that Erik's death wasn't his fault, whether he was on the side that killed him or not. She would never blame him.
"I heard you screaming..." Hvitserk breathed, his voice getting quieter as he remembered the battlefield. "I knew it was you, the gods told me. But you were so far away and I was trying to get to you but Lagertha's warriors were everywhere. Then Ivar sent the Francs in and....and I couldn't see you, but I could still hear your screams. I thought you were dying."
Hvitserk's voice became shaky then and Asta looked at him with wide eyes, shocked at the emotion he was sharing and showing.
"Then finally, the battle stopped and so did your screams. I knew you were gone. For hours, I searched the battlefield but never found you. And then I saw Erik, and I knew."
Asta began to cry, staring down at the ground and shaking her head. "It was Harald. Gods, all the times he laughed and drank and feasted with us..."
"I beat the shit out of him." Hvitserk looked at Asta finally as a small smile appeared on her face. "I know it's not much, but..."
"Thank you." She stood up from the bed and walked over to Hvitserk, placing her hand on his back. "He feasts with the gods now, Hvitserk."