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"What's wrong?" Ivar asked as the two sat in the church. They were quite far above the rest of city and Alfild enjoyed being able to watch over the land from this high vantage point.
She turned to him with a small smile, "Nothing." She chuckled. "Why?"
"You just seem different. I've never seen you smile this much." He answered with a shrug.
The girl laughed gently, her emeralds sparking with life. Only weeks before she had lay at deaths door beside him, and now she sat as though it had never happened. Her resilience was dumbfounding.
"I haven't felt this way in a long time." She sighed, eyes wandering over the vast landscape once more.
Ivar followed her train of sight, but soon looked back to her. Those forest eyes were like the brightest sun in this singular moment of pure joy. She was at a level of beauty that simply no other woman could attain. Not necessarily because no other woman held her looks, but because none of them held her strength. None of them held that strange difference that made Alfild The Merciless like no woman he had met before.
Alfild sat savoring the moment as best she could. A storm would soon brew. A storm that would tear her apart again and leave her alone. But, for this singular time, she had peace. She had solidarity. She had love. And even if the streets were filled with blood and Ragnarok began, this would still be the happiest time of her tragic life. So, in the silence of joy, she sat and pondered.
"When we take back my kingdom, you and your men are welcome to stay there for as long as you need before we fight Lagertha." She let out after a long silence.
"Why wait to attack her? We should kill her while she's not expecting any attacks." Ivar answered bluntly.
Alfild, however, just gave a small smile. "King Harald has been trying to take her throne."
"So?" He looked to her, knowing that schemes and plans were already formulating in her head. She seemed to know all and have plans for all. This was something that had originally made the pair so formidable. Alone, they were excellent strategists. Alfild particularly excelled in the information she held. It seemed that she was aware of everything that was happening. No detail escaped her. Ivar particularly excelled in cunning plots that would catch people off guard, plots that no one could possibly predict.
"So, Lagertha is on high alert because King Harald was sloppy. We've already lost the element of surprise." She explained. Ivar sat, an unamused expression clear on his features. Clearly, she had a plan. So, he simply waited to hear it. Alfild digressed, "Harald could be an ally to us. With our armies combined and your strategies, there is no way that Lagertha could stop us. Once we kill her, you take the throne and make some deal with Harald so that he is satisfied. His ambitions will never cease so we must be aware of him, but we only need him to kill Lagertha. Once we have Kattegat, nothing can stop us."
Ivar smiled slightly as he watched the passion that flared in Alfild's eyes. "Once we have Kattegat?" He asked curiously. "Will you not have returned to your people by then?"
Without missing a moment, the queen spoke again. This time it wasn't fire that coursed through her. This time it was embers of warmth that heated her. "You are my people." She spoke sincerely.
