Valkyrie

Chapter ten: Season One

The next day as Kattegat became calm once more, the rage and fire still burned heavily at the Great Hall. My door burst open and maidens barged into my room and arrested me. They then dragged me to the Great Hall. They dropped me to the floor in front of Aslang’s feet. I looked up humbly and rose to my feet. 

“I do not like you!” Aslang said, sharply. “I don’t know why.” “My boys like you.” 

“Wow, it’s that obvious!” I said to her. She did not even flinch. She just merely glared at me. Her fingers fiddled with a long, glowing silver, sharp blade. She twisted it gently back and forth in front of me. Tempting to reach out and bite me.

“I could kill you, you know?” She said, “With just a flick of my wrist, smoke will billow from your neck as your head falls from it…” “That is how hot this blade is.” 

I nodded gently, pursing my lips behind my teeth, trying not to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” 

“Death is bliss to a Viking,” I said. “I know where I will be going.”

“You’re right,” she smirked. She tapped her fingers nervously. “I know a greater fate worse than death to you.” 

She leaned over and said, “I’m going to take the one reason for you living…” 

“You are banished from Kattegat, Sigrun!” 

I gasped, my home is being ripped from me. Being banished means to never return again. That means I lost my entire livelihood. I lost the boys. She hit me where it hurts the most and she also used the boys against me.

“You witch,” I mumbled.

She smiled devilishly, “You are to never return, I don’t care where you go.” 

“My mother?” I said, feeling tears fill my eyes. 

“She will still be here in Kattegat and she will still be able to visit you.” 

“The boy-” I stopped, as tears went down my eyes. If I asked about them, I’m afraid it will set her off. I knew I wasn’t going to see them again. I could ask her if I could say goodbye to the boys.

“May I please-” I sniffled, “Say goodbye to the boys?”

“No.” 

A tear fell from my eye and I felt defeated, “Why are you doing this to me?”

“You will not take my boys away from me!” She growled, viciously at me. Her eyes fixated on me like two rocks. A tear fell from her eye as her lip trembled.

“I don’t need to take them for them to realize you are a bad mother to the sons of Ragnar!”

It doesn’t matter now. I’m to be expelled from Kattegat. I have nothing to fear. She did not strike back with actions or words, but instead sat and took my insult. She cannot deny the truth. She would be a fool if she denied the truth. She would not make herself look like a fool. Everyone knows I took care of her sons as she flaunted around. It would make her look bad and everything people have said about her would be right.

“You have one hour to gather your things…” Aslang said. My mother came from behind the curtain and rushed over to hug me. She had painful tears in her eyes that I have not seen since my father was called to Valhalla. Our family is truly broken now. Any beauty Kattegat has now is gone. Everything is gray and bleak. Every square inch of the Great Hall that once held happy memories is now painful.

My mother cupped her hands around my cheeks as the same painful tears ran down them.

“Do not cry, Queen of the Valkyries,” she whispered. “Queens do not cry.”