The Virtue

The Burn

Narrator's POV

Ivar falls on his knees as he pulls Alfie closer in his arms and weeps 

Nova too, silently weeps as she stands by and watch it all unfold

"Oh son, I cannot believe this" Ivar's voice cracks as he speaks

"Dadie?" Alfie asks innocently

Nova buries her face in her hands as she know that her son would hate her forever

"Momie said dat you wer ded!" Alfie claims as he touches Ivar face, finding it hard to believe that his father is still alive and well

"Alfie.." Nova mutters but Ivar looks at her in anger

"Mommy thought I was dead too, but the gods kept me alive to see you" Ivar says while seemingly covering up for Nova

Nova takes a deep breath and shuts her eyes, in a slight relief

"DADIE!!!" Alfie giggles as he hugs Ivar tightly, while innocently believing the story 

"My child!!" Ivar hugs and squeezes Alfie

"I wan to tel yoi ol about mah friends and tois" Alfie jumps in excitement

"And I want to hear all about it" Ivar smiles as he kisses Alfie's forehead

"Jus a moment dadie" Alfie jumps and rushes to his room to retrieve his butterfly collection that he is so desperate to show his father

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Nova's POV

"I will never forgive you!" Ivar says as he walks towards me

"I don't want your forgiveness" I say

"NOVA! STOP SMARTMOUTHING ME" Ivar yells as he stands in front of me with his bloodshot eyes

"For all I knew, you were dead to me and then you have the audacity to walk into our life!" I fire back

"You lied to my child about me, you kept him away and hidden" Ivar screams

"He needs a man to look upto, not a man who abandons his pregnant wife!" I scream

"You think that I knowingly abandoned you?! Nova life is not a fairytale that you have grown up hearing about!" Ivar pushes a chair as it falls to the ground

"Who says that my life is a fairytale? I have no family, no love and a heart full of betrayals! All I did was give up everything for a man who gave nothing to me!" I yell

"LAGERTHA KILLED MY MOTHER AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT YOU WERE PREGNANT!" Ivar screams

"If you would have known, had you stayed?" I ask