Love Never Dies

Part 7

When I arrived in Hederby, it was morning already. I was all night on the road, I was really tired, my whole body was in pain and I couldn't wait for some sleep.

I left the horse and saw two women training, one had black hair and tattoos on her neck and the other one was blonde and very beautiful. They stop fighting and look at me, the one with neck tattoos says to me: "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I am sorry for interrupting, I am looking for Largertha. Is she here?" I say softly, looking at her.

The blonde woman comes and stands in front of me and says: "You are Kaya's daughter."

"Yes I am, how do you know?" I look at her confused.

She smiles at me, gives me a hug and says: "I am Largertha. Where is your mother?"

"My mother is dead." I say to her.

"That is awful, but she is in Vahalla now. With your father, drinking with the gods." She says putting a hand on my cheek.

I simply nodded in response and she asks me: "If your mother is dead, why are you here? How did you know where to find me?"

"It is a long history." I say with tired eyes.

"You must be starving come, you can bathe and then eat. After you can tell me everything." She says while guiding me to a Great Hall.

After my bath, Largertha made sure that a feast was prepared just for me. We sat on the table and I started to eat, realizing that she was really important.

"You have authority here, are you the wife of the Earl?" I ask her.

"No, I am the Earl." She says full of pride.

"Wow, you are everything that my mother told me. You are an amazing woman and warrior." I say with admiration in my eyes.

"Thank you, but tell me why are you here?" She asks me concerned.

"Well, I needed to leave Kattegat. Can I live here? I can work for you, do something." I say to her.

"You do not need to work for me, you are Kaya's daughter. Which means that you are my daughter too Steena." She says with a bright smile on her face.

"How do you know my name?" I ask her confused.

"Your mother always said that if she had a daughter, the name would be Steena. The same name of her mother." She says with a warm voice.

"Now tell me why did you leave? Did they not treat you right?" She asks me.

So I told her the whole story, how my mother always told me about her. How she hated Aslaug for making her leave, the admiration and loyalty I felt even though I never met her. About my mother's death, about Ivar and how I ended up there.

"You can live with me, and do not worry about anything. I will always protect you, your father and mother saved my life many times. This is the least that I can do." She says hugging me tightly.

I was so relieved that she welcomed me in her city, and after I met her I could see why my mother loved her so much.

"Thank you so much Largertha. I am forever in debt with you." I say to her.

"There is no need for that, and later tonight I will give a feast for your arrival. Go get dressed and I will make sure that everything is good for you, you will sleep in a room next to mine." She says pointing to the room.

I leave the table and entered the room, my room. This was my life now, without Ubbe being so protective over me, without Hvitserk making fun of me, without Aslaug being kind to me, without Sigurd teasing Ivar all the time and without Ivar, without his touch, his kisses, his body over mine, feeling his scent every time he walks in, never again.

It was night already and I could hear the music and people outside, I was dressed, but I did not wanted to leave the room. Largertha walks in and says to me: "I need you outside, how can I introduce you to the people?"

"Alright, I will go." I say forcing a smile.

She leads me to the Great Hall and asks for everybody to pay attention to her, when everyone was looking she says: "This is Steena, she is the daughter of one of the best woman that I knew. She is like my own child, so she deserves the best. So let's feast and celebrate her arrival."

Everybody started to scream and chanted, people came to me and asked about my life and my mother. It was good not think about Ivar and every one in Kattegat, I could have some fun.

The next morning I was really tired because of the feast, but I was really grateful for Largertha. She took me in without asking for anything in return, the loyalty that my mother taught me to feel towards her grew even more.

I left my room and I saw Largertha, I walk to her and I say: "Good morning Largertha, and thank you for the feast. It was really fun."

"But you did have a good time." She says at me with concern

"Is that obvious?" I say looking down.

"No, but you are just like your mother when something is bothering you. I could see in her and I can see in you." She says with a soft tone.

"She always said that I looked like my father." I say looking down.

"You are. On the inside, you love deeply just like him. You are like this because of Ivar?" She says putting a lock of my hair and puts behind my ear.

"Yes, I was so stupid to believe that he could love me. I give myself to him and he just wanted to play with me, to get me in his bed." I say starting to cry.

"Do not cry for him anymore, he does not deserve you. You are too good for him." She says hugging me.

"Thank you Largertha, you are a great woman." I say to her.

"You do not need to thank me, I am glad that I could help you." She says.

A few days pasted and I was feeling sick all of the time, everything that I smelled made my stomach sick. I was always tired and sleepy.

One day I was puking and Largertha saw me and said: "You are with child."

I look at her and I say: "No that is impossible, it only happened once."

"That is all that takes sometimes." She giggles at me.

"I need to go back to Kattegat, Ivar needs to know that he will have a child." I say to her getting up.

"No, he does not deserves to know. He does not love you, what makes you think that he will love your child?" She says concerned and angry.

"But is his child, he can love the child. It does not matter if he does not love me." I say looking sad.

"It matters to you, what if he says to you that is not his child? Insult you? Or even worst? What if he takes this child away from you?" She says putting her hands on my shoulders.

"What I am going to do? I will not allow him to take my child away from me." I say putting my hand on my belly.

Even if I just discovered that I was with child, I love it with all of my heart. A love so strong that not even Ivar would come first.

"Good, I will help you. You will get every help that you need from me, I will do everything in my power to love and help you and your child." She says hugging me.

Largertha makes me feel so powerful, that I am capable of anything. She was a great friend to me, I knew that I can count with her, I love her for being so kind to me. For treating me like her own daughter.