In which after the numerous losses she was forced to experience, Ylva the Dread begins to lose herself, slowing descending into madness like her brother and father before her. Will she be able to save herself before she's far too gone to be saved?
V...
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Later that night, Ylva was lying outside on the ground near the fire, fast asleep.
Suddenly waking up with a gasp, Ylva sat up to find herself sitting in the Great Hall of Ashton, much to her confusion. She was sitting upon her throne and after a few short moments, the doors to the Great Hall opened.
She watched as her father walked in, moving straight toward her. "What are you doing here? What is this?" Ylva asked in a soft tone, feeling uneasy, "Why do you keep appearing to me?"
"Only you can answer that," Sigefrid answered in a calm tone, stopping when he was standing directly in front of her, "It's just you and me now."
"What do you want?" Ylva asked her father in a low growl.
"The people you surround yourself with..." Sigefrid trailed off as he dramatically looked around, "They're holding you back. They know nothing. They are fools. You mustn't listen to them. They fear your power. They fear what you're capable of. Your husband is one of them. He knows you are destined for greater things than him."
"I spent my whole life being told by you that I am weak," Ylva argued as she laughed in amusement, "What made you change your mind?"
"I was you once," He suddenly told her, causing Ylva's smile to fade, "I was destined for greatness but I let the madness took over. Just as it did Erik and Freya. But you're different."
"How so?" Ylva questioned, smiling since she clearly didn't take him seriously.
"You reside in the middle," He stated, which piqued Ylva's interest.
"I don't understand," She replied softly and shook her head.
"You have both the madness and the greatness. For you, it goes hand in hand," He informed her as he intertwined his fingers together, "You use both sides of yourself equally to do what needs to be done. You know how to control both sides and use the madness to your advantage. You know when to let it all out. You know all the right times to let that chaos bottled up inside you explode. And you must continue to do so instead of letting the madness take over."
"What are you getting at?" Ylva desperately asked her father as she leaned forward in her seat.
"You are capable of far more than you realize. You underestimate yourself. You allow your husband to hold you back but if you truly wished, you could be Queen of all Norway in due time," He explained, moving closer to her.
"Tell me how," Ylva demanded and Sigefrid smiled in response.
"I must know first that you are prepared to do what it takes," he replied and Ylva found herself growing impatient.
