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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On the boat ride back to Kattegat, Ylva was still resting. She was in a lying position in the middle of the boat, her hand placed over her belly.
Bjorn made his way over to her. He knelt in front of her and placed a hand on the side of her face. "Ylva."
"What is it, Bjorn?" She asked him as she turned to look him in the eyes.
"Are you thirsty?" He asked her curiously and Ylva shook her head, "Hungry?"
"I'm not thirsty or hungry, Bjorn," She spoke to him quietly, "All I want right now is to go home, to see my brother and Freya."
"We will be there soon," Bjorn assured her as he grabbed ahold of her hand, "I promise."
It wasn't long before they did, in fact, arrive in Kattegat. Ylva had wrapped her arm around Bjorn, allowing him to assist her in walking toward their rooms.
They walked past Aslaug, who immediately gave Ylva a concerned look when she saw how injured she seemed to be. "She will be alright," Bjorn assured Aslaug before he continued to walk away with Ylva.
Upon making it just outside the Great Hall, the duo ended up coming across Sihtric and Freya, both of which were shocked by Ylva's state.
Ylva smiled weakly as she stepped forward, only to wince as she placed a hand over her wound. Sihtric gently hugged her, a smile forming on his lips. "Someone had fun in England," He sarcastically commented, earning the slightest of smiles from Ylva.
"That I did," She replied before turning to face Freya, "I hope you've been training."
"Is it always training with you?" Freya complained but continued to smile at Ylva.
"It is when we will begin training in four days," Ylva informed Freya, causing Bjorn's eyes to widen in alarm.
"Ylva..." He trailed off and grabbed her arm. He moved closer to her, beginning to speak in a hushed tone, "Do you think that's wise? You still need time to recover. Not to mention, you are..." He gestured downwards and placed a hand on her belly, causing Ylva to look uneasy as she turned to glance at Sihtric.
Sihtric stared at the duo suspiciously. He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled at them. "Something you'd like to share?"
"I'm pregnant," She informed Sihtric, who didn't seem surprised, "What, you're not shocked?"
"It was bound to happen," Sihtric shrugged his shoulders and Ylva playfully rolled her eyes.
Hearing the revelation that Ylva was pregnant, Freya's smile faded, which Ylva was quick to notice. The girl turned on her heel and walked away, causing Ylva to frown in concern.
"What's wrong with her?" Bjorn asked, a confused look on his face.
"I don't know," Ylva admitted quietly as she continued to frown in concern.
