"And I tremble, and I grow pale, for this love is killing me."

chapter IV, act III ✧ 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔

" told me he had always loved Margarethe today," Nero spat out her drink, she had been drinking mead for way too long to care about the stares she got from the people at the feast in the great hall.

She hadn't seen any of the boys since her encounter with Ivar, so when Ubbe approached her to invite the wolf to his wedding that was to be held on the following morning, they soon began talking about everything.

"He did..." she breathed in, looking at Ubbe, a sly smile on her face as she blinked excessively, "WHAT?"

Okay, maybe Nero wasn't as fine with the idea of Hvitserk and her only being friends as she had previously thought. She had feelings for the boy, she would have to admit.

Of course what she felt for Ivar was stronger, what she felt for Ivar seemed... divine, but he never looked for her, and she didn't want to bother, so she decided she would, for the last time in her life, drink away her feelings, now both for Ivar and Hvitserk.

Ubbe couldn't help but let out a choked laugh at her reaction. For a brief moment she seemed so calm and contained, he almost thought she didn't care, "Let's go get you a drink."

She made a "pf" ing noise, nodding before following him. She already had a drink, she chugged it quickly, leaving her mug fully ready for yet another dose. She stumbled upon a familiar face and her eyes lit up, "Halfdan!"

"Wolf!" he screamed out, just as enthusiastic as her, he pulled her into him as she laughed, breathing in his sea salt scent. She looked at Harald, who seemed to be extremely concentrated in something, someone. She motioned for Ubbe to continue on without her, knowing he had his eyes trained on his fiancé that stood on the corner of the hall.

Halfdan, with an arm still around the girl, elbowed his brother, encouragingly, "Oh, so there's a giiirl," Nero slurred, smirking. The king looked at the two, they gave him proud smiles and thumbs up before shooing him towards the beautiful princess.

"That is the woman he wishes to marry," Halfdan informed and Gunnolf nodded her head, grinning, she had seen Harald behave awkwardly for the first time in her life, that had to mean he liked the girl.

From afar, they noticed the conversation beginning to become... tense. Nero, fully drunk, exposed her teeth at the thought of a fight, she loved fights. The duo walked towards Harald, wishing to back him up if he needed, "I have built my entire life around you."

Hearing the king so murderous and heartbroken stirred something in the girl, she wondered if anyone would ever feel that way about her. Love her enough to build an empire for her, love her enough to sound so heartbroken for her. She grew angry, unsheathing her knife and she watched Halfdan do the same.

"Everything I've done, I've done for you," he growled, his brother slipped the knife into his hand and Nero turned her back on the two, ready to avoid anyone that wished to interfere, "I love you."

And with those pained words, he allowed her to go and stormed off. Nero felt a sense of understanding. She walked outside following the king, even when Halfdan tried to hold her back. She grabbed two swords from the training grounds and stalked after him, determination clear on her features.

"Harald!" she screamed, her chest thundering with her words, her anger at love became directed to him for some reason.

They both understood the pain of heartbreak, but the girl, of course, was experiencing it for the first, confusing time. She barely knew why her heart was so broken, why she was so angry.

"Go away." he ordered, she forced him to face her, only to notice his eyes filled with tears. She threw a sword at his feet and he picked it up, anger and sadness becoming one, "She made me believe she would marry me once I was King of Norway!"

He roared and she growled, throwing themselves at each other, knives in hand, no armor. Vikings.

She looked at him, clashing their weapons "He made me believe I had a chance at love!" tears now ran down her cheeks, just as they ran down his cheeks, he lunged for her.

She swung her sword at him, he swerved, not fast enough as she opened a small wound on his shoulder, he screamed, "She goes and marries an earl?" her feet dug into the sand as he lunged at her once again, she blocked his blow, howling as she did, "An earl? When I was already king?"

"He goes and says he loves the girl that is about to marry his brother?" she hissed, her jaw clenching as she raised her sword just when he struck her stomach, she stumbled back before jumping at him, their weapons clashing centimeters away from their faces, "Oh, and then there is Ivar, who thinks all I say is a lie!"

"She made me guard myself, restrain myself from being with others," he raved, their swords being brought down when she raised her left foot and kicked at his chest sending him backward, "and I devoted my entire life to her!" he fell to his back, and she pointed the sword at his chest, but he blocked it with his own before he did a sweep kick, bringing her down.

"And all they care about is that slave!" she breathed out, all air leaving her lungs at the fall, he got to his feet and pointed the sword at her neck, an animalistic snarl came out of her lips, "One asks me to stay and leaves after I root myself deeper. The other is devoid of any emotion and doesn't believe a word I say even if I never gave him a reason to doubt me. Please, kill me."

Everything had been falling apart, Floki was not the same after Ragnar's death. All the boys were busy with everything else but her, and she found herself with nobody fully by her side.

The one thing she was scared of was being alone, and yet there she was, as alone as one could be. She grew angry at that. Everyone would always leave her. Her heart beat faster, she bared her teeth, her mouth completely dry.

Harald looked down at her before he was on the floor, a body on top of him. He threw the body off of him and stood up, sobering up a bit as he looked at the girl, thanking her for allowing him to release part of his anger, she nodded before standing up as well.

She growled in annoyance as Ubbe smoothed out his clothing, brushing off the sand from his furs, "What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?" Ubbe sneered, walking towards her, reprehension clear in his tone. Though she was annoyed at him, she couldn't help but feel slightly warm at the fact that though he had been absent, he still cared.

"I am doing what it looks like I am doing."

"It looks like you are trying to get yourself killed."

"Exactly!" she breathed out, her hands hitting her sides in frustration. Before her mind could fully process her own actions, she was lunging for a run, seeking to get to the great hall, but big rough hands wrapped themselves around her shoulders, pulling her back.

She thrashed against Ubbe's grip, whining and yelping at him to let her go, but soon she found herself too tired to fight back and she slouched against him, her full weight on his arms as he carried her to the cabin the princes shared like carrying a corpse. Her feet dragging against the soil.

He pulled her to a standing position, his hands on her shoulders as she looked at him tiredly. He opened the door to the cabin and pushed her in, towards his own bed. She fell face-first into the cushion. Ubbe sighed at the sight, hoping he had hidden his amusement at the drunk girl efficiently enough so she believed he was mad at her, "Take care of her."

He stomped out of the cabin, shutting the door with such strength that the girl's head shot up from the bed. She looked around, Ivar sat on his bed, toying with knives, Hvitserk was slouched against the wall, eating, and Sigurd was staring at her, a smirk on his face, "What could you have possibly done to make him so mad?"

Nero sighed, sitting up so she could face him and the other boys, her eyes averted Hvitserk, pretending he didn't exist.

She pulled her hair into a ponytail, her thoughts were messy, "IchallellengedHalfald," she huffed, knowing her words made no sense before she gave her face weak slaps, in a failed attempt of sobering up, "I — challenged — Harald."

She gave Sigurd a prideful smile at the fact that she managed to get her words right, Sigurd bit his lip trying to contain his laughter, Ivar chuckled, looking somewhere between proud and disappointed.

Hvitserk stood up, dropping whatever he was eating and stood in front of her bed, looking down at her, his face flush with anger, "You did what?" he roared and she flinched, causing Ivar to discretely aim one of his knives at his brother.

The wolf looked up into his eyes. Her own began filling with angry tears, tears that made the boy almost regret the way he spoke to her, he knew she was perfectly capable of winning, but she was completely drunk and she could have gotten injured.

She chuckled, crossing her arms over her stomach before feeling it cold, she looked down, to see her skin stained with blood, shaking her head, she continued, speaking each word slowly so she could properly pronounce them, "Vit—Hvitserk, do I — look like — Marjorie" she cleared her throat, "Margarethe — to you?"

The boy furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and anger, what did Margarethe have to do with any of this? She stood up, facing him, her eyes gleaming with anger. The other two brothers choked out laughs, trying to contain themselves.

Upon hearing no answer, she continued, "No — so you have — no right — to scream — at me." she snarled, walking out of the cabin and not bothering to close the door.

Hvitserk looked pissed, confused, and pained. For some reason, seeing her so angry at him brought a familiar ache to his chest.

She skipped towards the great hall, the feast continued but many of the people close to her had left, not wishing to be tired for Ubbe's wedding in the morning.

She shook her head and ripped someone's cup from their hands before finding Halfdan in the crowd. She quickly settled across from him.

"Should we kill that princess and hide her body?" she offered, chugging her cup and accepting more mead, she had sobered up in the slightest and she didn't plan on that being so for too long.

Halfdan hummed in appreciation, pouring the liquid into her mug and some for himself. They touched cups and murmured out a weak, "Skol."

"How is my brother?" he questioned, his hair falling over his eyes, and his expression, one of worry and amusement.

"Heartbroken, but he will get over it," she mumbled, sipping her drink and he nodded, his mind clouded with his own drunkenness.

"I hope you are right, wolf."

"Am I ever right?" she scoffed, closing her eyes. Suddenly noticing his silence, she looked at him and followed his gaze, only to find an angry Ubbe and a pissed Hvitserk. She downed her cup and ripped Halfdan's from his hand, downing it as well, "What could you possibly want?"

"Wh—"

"I haven't changed my mind since we last spoke, Ubbe," she murmured nonchalantly, knowing the boy was about to ask her the classic "what are you doing?" she looked at her nails and tried to stand up, but failed miserably, Ubbe sighed and laced an arm around her waist, supporting her, "Leave me to die."

"Nero, can you just tell me what is happening?" he inquired, supporting her as a fresh wave of alcohol hit her, she smiled at him, grinning so wide her teeth showed. Her head lolled from one side to the other with every step, Hvitserk walked by Ubbe's side, not speaking.

"I've lost it... completely!" she smiled, throwing her arms in the air. Her voice lowered to a whisper and her hand moved to his mouth pretending to sew it close, "Because... I like Hvitserk, and I love Ivar — but they like your girl!"

He chuckled, urging the girl to keep on walking, she stumbled and he sighed at how drunk she was yet again, "Did I not ask you to care for her?"

"She ran off." Hvitserk reasoned and Ubbe burst into laughter.

"Oh, she ran off?" he questioned, allowing his arm to leave the girl's shoulder, just to watch her fall to her knees.

She sat back, looking up at the two in utter confusion, she looked like a lost puppy, she looked down at her hands to notice them stained with the blood that came out of the wound on her stomach she waved them at the two, hoping to interrupt their staredown.

"You shouldn't have left her alone."

"Was not alone!" she snapped, and they finally looked at her, "I was speaking to my friend and you two interrupted, also, I am no slave to be under Hvitserk's supervision," she barked, her eyes filling with tears once again and her heart ached at the mere sight of him, she allowed her gaze to trail over his face.

"Great, she is bleeding," Ubbe snapped, picking the girl up in his arms and she threw her head back, blinking in confusion as to why he was carrying her.

He kicked the door to his cabin open and placed her on his bed, she sat up, looking at Ivar who was sitting across from her, in his own bed, Ubbe left to grab ointments and before he could come back, Nero crawled on all fours to Ivar's bed.

She pulled the covers from underneath him and covered them both with the furs, he properly laid down and pulled her into him.

Ubbe came back and sighed at the sight, Ivar looked at him, holding the girl with his two arms around her. She looked peaceful, a small smile on her face, her eyes closed.

"She just needs some sleep," the youngest Ragnarsson reassured, nodding his head and squinting his eyes dangerously, daring Ubbe to question his way.He knew what was best for her.