Shieldmaiden | Vikings

09

'I promised you something, I intend to keep it.'

~

Ingrid let out a scream as she began to push the baby out of her.
"Come on Ingrid one last push!"
Ingrid let out a cry of agony as she gave one last push almost ripping her apart as she gave birth to another child.
She collapsed back onto the bed, sweat rolling off her head, tears filling her eyes.
"It's okay you did it" Ubbe whispered to her as he gently kissed her forehead.
"Ingrid?"
The young shieldmaiden looked up to be met with her mother Lagertha holding her baby who was wrapped up in a white cloth.
"Its a boy" she says placing the baby in her arms.
Ingrid looked down at the little baby wrapped up in blankets. How he resembled so much of his father. Those icy blue eyes stared right up at her. Ingrid let the tears fall. He wasn't here to witness this beautiful moment. The birth of his son. His first son.
"Sigtrygg Ivarsson."
Ingrid felt suddenly really lightheaded and soon darkness had welcomed her, the last sound she heard before darkness consumed her was the cries of her baby Sigtrygg.

~

Bjorn stood outside the hut for a long time the crying and screaming had stopped once his sister had given birth to a baby boy. He had entered the hut the moment after she had given birth, he watched as she named her son Sigtrygg Ivarsson and he watched as she had passed out, nearly almost dropping Sigtrygg in the process, only to be saved by Ubbe. Bjorn had rushed over to her bedside. He placed his head close to where her heart beated. A steady beat remained. She wasn't dead. Bjorn had let out a sigh of relief. His sister had been under a lot of pressure with the battle and struggling with the birth of her son.
Now Bjorn stood outside the hut to let his mother Lagertha tend to his little sister. The sound of the wooden door took him out of his trance, his mother Lagertha soon came to join her son at his side.

"You still angry at yourself for bringing her into battle?"
Bjorn turned to face his mother. "He could've killed her."
"Yet he didn't, we should be grateful he didn't."
"If she wasn't pregnant it would've gone a different way."
"Bjorn you need to stop thinking about that. All that matters now is that she's safe and her baby is safe. You are king of Kattegat now, she'll need you, everyone in Kattegat will need you. Even Sigtrygg will need his uncle to guide him in this world."

Bjorn looked at his mother, she had aged, her face had become withered and worn out, her hair was grey, and her blue eyes seemed tired. Lagertha was tired of war and violence. The only goodness that came out of it all was Bjorn, Gyda, Ingrid and her grandchildren.
"You get some rest mother" he says bringing her in for a bear hug.

Inside the hut Ubbe sat at Ingrids bedside. She had passed out after giving birth to Sigtrygg. The pressure of it all had been too much for her. He took her hand in his, her eyes soon fluttered open.
She groaned at the sudden pain in her head. Her green eyes opened to be met with the Ragnarsson.
"Ubbe?" she groaned. Then her eyes widened. "Sigtrygg?!"