The Pagan Goddess

Chapter Five

Later that night, we all met in Bjørn thrown room for the feast. Dressed in our best clothes and very hungry. Long tables sit in the middle of the room with one large chair at the end of the middle table where Bjørn sat. Everyone was scattered in the room drinking ale and eating the food Bjørn's servants served. My brothers men and Bjørn men seem to be getting along quite well as most of them were dancing around half drunk by the end of the night.

My brother and Bjørn talked with each most of the night and I kept to myself watching Thyra dance with Torsten, both of them drunk by now. Hilda and Alfric sat with each other and talked with laughs and smiles. It is weird seeing a nun being this comfortable around Danes, but it turns out Alfric's views are the same as Hilda's. Alfric serves Bjørn because Bjørn's father saved him from his abusive Saxon father when he was much younger. For that, he is in a life long debt to the Berntsen family or so he honors them that way.

I see Astrid bring Ivar over to Bjørn. Bjørn kisses the child's head with a smile. My brother glances at me and noticed my stare. Tears swell in my eyes and I look away. Astrid then brings Tora over to Thrya and Torsten, still with Ivar in her arms. "Say goodnight" Astrid smiles as Thyra and Torsten notice their daughter. They give her a big kiss and a hug before Astrid leads Tora away to put the both of them to bed.

After a few minutes of watching the drunk men and women dance around, I decided to go for a walk. I walked up the stairs to look over the tall walls and watched as the night sky lit up with bright stars and the moon. I hear wolves howl and see the trees blow in the wind. I lean on the wall and breath in deeply as the wind moved my long hair off my shoulders. The guard that was standing a few feet away from me suddenly left without a word. I turn around to see Bjørn slowly approaching.

"Freya," he begins and I start to walk away, but before I could move, he grips my arm tight preventing me from moving any further. He jerks me to look at him and now both hands were firmly on my arms.

"You unhand me right now!" I yell fighting his grip, but he was too strong for me. He leans down and gently places his lips to mine. My heart burns with passion and my body becomes numb. His grip loosens and for a second, I thought not to stop it.

I pushed him away by his chest and wiped his kiss off my lips ignoring my very strong feels I had for him. "I am not your whore." I said with a smack across his face. "My family and I will leave when the sun rises."

I push past him before I could see how he reacted and quickly walked down the stairs and to my sleeping quarters. Pushing myself past drunk men and women with tears running down my cheeks.

The next day, we all mounted our horses and said goodbye to everyone. Hilda decided to stay behind as her and Alfric seem to be enjoying each other company. I rode with Erik on his horse with Tora wrapped with fur around my waist and Thyra rod with Torsten. We plan to journey back to the convent as much as I hated living there, I cannot stand being here anymore and seeing Astrid with Bjørn. I rather spend eternity in a Saxon prison then watch the man I love with another women. Love? Did I just think that? I never thought I would fall in love with anyone. I never wanted to fall in love. All I wanted to do was bring peace to all Danes and Saxons. Never to fall in love. That was not part of the plan.

"Freya," I hear a deep voice say and a large hand gently touches my leg. I look down to see Bjørn with tears in his eyes pleading me not to go.

"Open the gates!" I yell loud enough for the guards to here me as I felt tears fall on my cheeks. The gates open and I smack the horses arse. The horse makes a noise before running out of the gated fortress with Torsten, Thyra, and my brothers men following behind us. My red hair blows in the wind as I take one look back. The last thing I saw before the gates were closed was Bjørn on his knees, his hands on his face, and Astrid running to his side. I put my head to my brothers back and my arms wrapped around his waist. I cry many silent tears as we marched forward to the convent.