Love Never Dies

Part 2

When I entered the hut, I saw the fire but Ivar wasn't there. I went to the forest and look for him but I didn't find him anywhere, so I went back to my home.

I opened the door and saw my mother laying on the bed, coughing, pale, with tiredness on her eyes.

"Mother what happened to you? I thought that you said that you were not feeling well, just because of Aslaug." I say with deep concern in my voice.

I got close to her and put my hand on her forehead. "You are feverish Mother, I'm going to prepare some herb for you. Are you in pain?"

"No my child, but I feel very cold, can you grab more fur to keep me warm?" She says with her eyes closed.

I grab the furs and put on her, after I started to prepare the medicine for her. I give it to her and she smiles at me saying: "You are so good my child, you are everything that I am not, you got that from your father."

"Tell more histories about him mother, they always make me feel so happy." I say to her while grabbing her hands and kissing her knuckles.

"Alright, let me tell you the day I met your father. I was a farmer's daughter but I also was a great shieldmaiden, your father was a great warrior never afraid of anything or anyone. We were in the battlefield when your father saved my life, after we won the battle, I went to him to thank him for saving my life, but he said to me..." "I can guarantee you that if you are mine and I'm yours I will always save your life, as I am sure you will save mine." We said together, both of us smiling as we remember him.

"I will never get tired of hearing that history." I said to her with pride in my eyes.

"The history that I love to tell you is the day that you were born." She says with joy.

"Tell me then."

"Your father went on a raid but he did not know that I was with child, you were late, I was in great pain but I knew that you were not gonna born until you heard your father's voice. I did not know the day that he was going to come back, when he arrived in Kattegat I did not hear, he ran towards our home and I was sleeping. He saw me sleeping and put his hand on my waist, he was shocked when he felt my swollen belly. When he was going to wake me up, you did it and a few hours later you were in my arms. Your father came to me and said that you were the light of his life, that you were the most precious thing that he had." She says while stroking my hair.

We both fell asleep right there, but when I wake up, I realized that her fever did not broke. Putting some rag on her forehead, I started to stroke her hair carefully, to not disturb her.

When she opens her eyes I realized that she was even paler and weaker than yesterday.

"My child I think that I'm going to reunite with your father in Vahalla, to drink and feast with the gods." She says whispering at me.

"No mother, you are going to get better, just give some time." I say to her while tears were starring to built on my eyes.

"Listen to me, I lived a great love with your father, you need to have that in your life as well. The gods know that you deserve so much more." She says with her eyes closed and her hands in her chest.

"Mother, please."

"I love you you with all my heart and your father did too, everyday we thanked the gods for such a great daughter they give us. May the gods always be with you my sweet Steena." She says and then she close her eyes forever.

I did not know what to do, cry, run, scream. I left my home and entered the Great Hall and Aslaug get up of her throne.

"My mother is dead." I say looking at nowhere, Aslaug comes to me and hug me tightly while tears fall of my face.

I did not attend my mother's funeral, I was looking from afar.

"Do you need anything Steena?" Ubbe says with concern in his eyes. I nodded and then he walk away.

Every time someone asked me if I was fine, my answer was the same "yes, thank you." With time people stopped asking. But everyone saw that I was not fine, I was not happy anymore.

Since my mother died I did not entered my home, it was too painful. All of my great memories of my father and mother were inside and I did not have the courage of going inside. Aslaug insisted that I slept in a room next to her's, I only accepted because I had nowhere else to go.

I was in so much pain, and I did not talk to anyone because they would not understand. This was worst then my father's death, I suffered too but I had my mother by my side to help me and now I was completely alone.

One day I was at the beach and then he said to me: "You are not the same anymore Steena, you are broken inside."

I met his piercing blue eyes and said to him: "What do you know about being broken inside Ivar?"

"I know a lot, I have legs that do not work, anger I can not control, a brother that despises me, a father that I miss and he abandoned me." He says with sadness and pain in his eyes.

I knew that he never told those things for anyone, since Ragnar left he never talked about him with anyone.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" I say to him.

"Because you are becoming me. You were always happy, full of life in your eyes. And now you do not talk to anyone and spend your days alone. I can not stand a creature like you become like me, soon enough this pain will become anger and then you will be me." He says grabbing my hand and kissing my knuckles.

"I thought that nobody would understand, I want her here Ivar, I want her with me." I say with my head down.

"I know you do, Kaya was a great woman, a great warrior and an even better mother." He says with a soft tone that I never heard before.

"Thank you Ivar, you made me feel better. You are so kind to me right now." I say to him with a smile on my face, stroking his hair.

After a long time I feel joy and Ivar was the one giving to me. The man I love, the man of my dreams.

"Do you want to drink some mead?" He says shyly.

I nodded and then I follow him towards his hut.