In which Ylva Sigefridsdottir, also known as Ylva the Dread, had been an earl since she was a young girl, despite having two brothers, following the death of her mad father and power-hungry stepmother.
Hearing of the girl's feared reputation and...
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A year has passed since Ragnar Lothbrok had become King of Kattegat following the death of King Horik. Ylva spent most of that year traveling back and forth between Kattegat and Ashton.
She continued her duties as Earl of Ashton, but she also spared time for Bjorn. The two of them were happy as ever, though there were many times where they bickered like children.
Ylva was standing outside the Great Hall of Ashton. Freya stood in front of her, the two of them sparring with staffs.
Ylva swung at the girl twice and Freya was quick to duck to avoid the woman's form of attack. They had grown closer over the past year. They practiced sparring nearly every day and as each day passed, Freya got better and better.
Ylva swung her staff at Freya, but the latter was quick to block her with her own. "Good, Freya," She complimented the girl with a proud look on her face before she shoved her back, "Again!"
The two females began to deliver numerous attacks to each other until Freya suddenly gained the upper hand and struck Ylva across the face with the staff.
Ylva stumbled back, her lip beginning to bleed. She quickly wiped it and turned to Freya, surprised.
Freya stood in place, a part of her feeling proud of herself while also uneasy that Ylva wouldn't take it well.
Gradually, Ylva's lips curled upwards and she smiled proudly at Freya, who slowly began to smile as well.
"We'll continue tomorrow," She told the girl before turning on her heel. She walked closer to where Sihtric stood, watching the scene occur.
"Freya is ready," Ylva informed Sihtric in a hushed tone, "She's even better than I was before fighting in my first battle."
"She's only eleven," Sihtric reminded his sister in a hushed tone, "She is far too young to go to England with you. She is still a child. Do not ruin her childhood as ours was. It is decisions like that which cause people in our family to go mad. It runs in our blood."
Ylva stared up at Sihtric and sighed, knowing he had a point. While the two of them were taught to already be fighting at Freya's age, it was not fair that Freya had to do the same. She was a child. And she could still be a child, unlike them.
For generations, the children in their family had been taught by their fathers starting at age eight to fight, to kill, and to win. Some were not built for it and they died in the process. Others prospered in their training and became some of the greatest warriors the Vikings had ever know. Others, it unleashed a madness in them that could never be undone. Like their father.
He had been one of the best fighters in their family, all thanks to how young his training had begun. However, it was caused him to have a thirst for blood that could never be quenched. And that had been only the starts of the atrocities done because of his madness.
