DIVINE [HVITSERK RAGNARSSON]

27: PREPARATIONS

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN — 'PREPARATIONS'

Asta Stensdottir huffed as she peered at the abandoned training area. Once, Ragnar's sons had filled it with noise but now it stood gloomy and silent. Sigurd was dead, Ivar and Hvitserk no longer in Kattegat — it was only Ubbe left. And if Asta no longer had Hvitserk to train her, she'd make use of the space he left behind by herself.

She'd awoken that morning much earlier than anybody else and dressed in her armour, sheathing her sword at her side and picking up an old shield that was outside their cabin. However, once she'd arrived at the training area she'd found an old sword lying in the dirt. Inspecting it, she swapped her shield for it. It wasn't as good as the one Hvitserk had had made for her; it was slightly smaller and bore no runes and it didn't feel as strong, but she thought back to how Hvitserk fought so ravenously with two weapons and she wanted to try it.

She trained for hours that morning. Refining her precision with a bow and arrow, attacking the training dummies with a vengeance as if they were real and teaching herself to block with a second sword instead of a shield. She'd only stopped to take some breaths when Ubbe appeared from between the trees, making her jump.
"I uh, thought I might find you here." He spoke softly and Asta whipped around, her sword poised. She dropped it and relaxed her shoulders as she laid her eyes on Ubbe.
"Had to get my anger out somehow, didn't I?" She chuckled as she set the sword down and sat on a fallen tree branch that lined the ground.
"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." Ubbe sighed as he walked through the clearing and took a seat beside her. Asta looked up at him, a confused frown appearing on her face.
"For Hvitserk. I'm sorry I couldn't change his mind. I'm sorry I cannot tell you why he did what he did."
"Ubbe... this is not your fault. We are adults and I have to accept what has happened. I have to move on. I'm a shield-maiden and that is all that matters now." She breathed out and Ubbe pulled her close to him, her head resting on his chest.
"That doesn't mean you don't care, Asta. I know you will always love him." He cradled her head and planted a kiss amidst her hair as she began to sob softly, finally feeling the weight of leaving Hvitserk. And as he did so, he wondered why he'd made the decision to marry Margrethe and he wondered why the Gods let Asta fall for Hvitserk instead of him.