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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The following day, King Harald's brother Halfdan had arrived and celebrations began in the Great Hall. Freya stood with Ubbe and Hvitserk, cheering and laughing as men played games with knifes.
Freya turned, glancing around for Ylva and Bjorn. Her smile faded and she began to walk away, deciding to search for her mother.
She passed by Aslaug, who was carrying Ivar since he couldn't walk. She passed by Harald and Halfdan as well, who locked eyes on her for a long moment.
After all, she didn't just stand out because of her feared reputation. She looked different than everyone around her. She had dark hair, dark brown eyes, and a skin tone a bit tanner than Ylva's. She was practically a foreign beauty, even at her young age, and she stuck out like a sore thumb to people who had never met her before.
She made it outside and walked up to Bjorn and Ylva, hugging them both. She turned, only to have her smile fade at the sight of Sihtric and Torvi.
With that, they made their way inside and Ylva laughed as she walked in with her hands on Freya's shoulders. She and Bjorn were immediately greeted by numerous men. As the three of them walked past Harald and Halfdan, the two brothers were quick to look at them.
"They say she is the most feared woman in Norway. A she-wolf like her mother," Harald informed his younger brother as he spoke about Ylva, "Many men have tried to kill her, but none have succeeded. Standing side by side with her husband in battle, they are said to be untouchable, favored by the Gods. The Gods flipped a coin and while her father, grandfather, and brother's ended up landing on madness, hers landed on greatness. The same can't be said about her daughter's."
"Who knows?" Halfdan replied, a smile forming on his lips, "Maybe that girl will amount to greatness in the future."
They turned to glance at Freya once more, who was standing with Ubbe and Hvitserk next to where Bjorn, Ylva, Sihtric, and Torvi sat near the fire.
____
The following day, Freya had convinced Aslaug to let her take Ivar out to play, despite Ubbe, Hvitserk, and Sigurd deciding not to join them for once.
Freya was sitting with him on the side. Ivar was in his wagon as he always was to get around when he wasn't being carried.
Ivar turned his head, his eyes locking on some children who were tossing around a boy. He smiled slightly, envious of the children. "Ivar, do you want to play with them?" She asked him curiously and Ivar nodded.
She smiled, grabbing the handle of the cart before he brought to where the children were placing. She took a step back, only to watch as Ivar struggled in getting the ball for himself. "Here! Give it here!" He called out, but no one seemed to toss it to him.
