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MADNESS
— 24. The Beginning of Madness

 The Beginning of Madness

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A month had passed and it was morning time. Freya was walking through Kattegat alone. She began to glare at Hvitserk as he stood from afar with Margrethe, of all people. He had been avoiding her for weeks now, knowing something was wrong with her yet she refused to tell him what it was.

She made her way into the Great Hall and into Ivar's room, where she found Ivar lying asleep in bed. She laid down next to him, forcing a smile onto her face as she placed a hand on the side of his face. She smiled, pressing light kisses to his chest.

He began to stir awake, turning to grab Freya's hand. "I am with child," She spoke up softly and Ivar looked up, still half-asleep.

"What?" He asked her in a raspy tone.

"I am with child," She informed him again, causing Ivar's eyes to widen as he immediately sat up and turned to her fully.

He stared at her closely, gradually overcoming his shock. "With my..." He trailed off, beginning to tear up as Freya nodded her head.

"With your child, Ivar," She forced herself to say and she'd be lying if deep down, a part of her felt bad for him.

Ivar began to smile and gasped softly, placing a hand on her belly. "I love you," He whispered to her softly, "I love you."

He cupped her face in his hands, smiling as he leaned forward to kiss her.

She began to kiss back, only to slowly pull away to look Ivar in the eyes. "There is something we must talk about, though," She told him in a whisper as she placed a hand on his chest.

"And what may that be?" He asked her, leaning closer to her as he smiled.

"We must get rid of Margrethe. She is a problem. She is mad. She will tell people you are unable to produce children. She will cause problems. She will kill us if we don't deal with her while we still can," She explained and Ivar nodded, agreeing with what she was saying.

"I will send men to kill her," He informed her and Freya smiled, nodding her head before leaning forward to kiss Ivar once more.

_____

The following day, Ivar crawled into the room where Hvitserk was sitting with King Harald. He climbed into a seat and turned to his brother and Harald, who were watching him closely. "What are you going to do with her, hm?" Ivar asked Hvitserk, who gave him a weird look.

"Margrethe?" Hvitserk replied and by the look on Ivar's face, he knew his presumptions were right.

"She's insane," Ivar argued in a low tone, "She's going to kill all of us."

"Don't worry, Ivar. She won't kill you," Hvitserk assured his brother, smiling slightly in amusement.

"Why are you still here?" Ivar suddenly asked, turning to look at Harald, "Hm?"

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