"Ivar."A low and deep voice said as Nerida heard a roar of thunder outside, her eyes going wide as she turned to see a tall, gray haired man with one lone eye staring at Ivar. "Your father is dead. Cold in the iron earth, Ragnar lies." The man said as Nerida watched him disappear into thin air, the very breath taken from her lungs as she watched Ivar scream out in anger as he continued to hammer the red-hot metal.

Nerida felt a force pulling her outside, the sky dark and swirling as the wind blew so hard it knocked those around her to the ground. Nerida saw the tall one-eyed man walking towards the beach, her eyes locked on him as she walked against the wind. Stuck into the sand, (on the exact place that Ivar had found her), were two gold-plated daggers that had been pulled from her as she tumbled through the stormy ocean. "It is time to prepare for battle, Daughter of the sea." A voice whispered on the air as a silk red sash washed up from the water and clung to her daggers. Nerida bent down and grabbed the sash, a savage feeling growing inside her as she slowly placed it around her waist, tying the knot perfect to her hip.

A battle cry rang out from her mouth as she retrieved her daggers from the sand, lightening flashing all around her as rain spilled from the dark clouds. "I heard, I heard, across a darkened sea, the old voice warning me. Beware, Beware the daughter of the sea. Beware, beware of me!"

****

"You leave me so early dear wife." Ivar whispered as Nerida felt his hand touch her neck, his touch sending a chill down her spine as she turned and smiled at him. She pressed her lips to his, a giggle running past her lips as his hand traced over her breast.

"I am overseeing the training of what troops we have, and I need to continue forging your new legs, husband." She whispered as she cupped his face, their time spent as husband and wife some of the best moments of her life. Her wedding to Ivar had been beautiful, and almost dreamlike. She had not wanted to marry in Kattegat, but rather on the edge of the cliff that overlooked the sea.

Soon after they were married Nerida felt her belly grow with child, a child that never saw life. One day while bathing in the pond, Nerida was surrounded by dark red blood, her heart breaking as she remembered the sadness in Ivar's eyes as he comforted her. She knew that the gods had their reasons to take their child from them, and when the time was right, she would bare another child.

Nerida brushed the hair from Ivar's face knowing it was now long enough to braid or twist, the softness of his eyes something she wanted to remember always. "You have important things to discuss with your brothers, Ivar. You need not forget that once Bjorn is back, we must prepare for the greatest battle, Wessex has ever seen." Nerida smiled as she kissed his forehead and stood, her hand still gripping her sash as she tied it around her waist.

"Why do you wear that? That is apart of your old life, and if I recall, you are no longer a pirate." Ivar smirked as Nerida locked her eyes with his. She grabbed her daggers and slipped them into their sheaths, once again feeling complete as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Odin gave these back to me. They were lost at sea, but now here they are around my waist once more. In battle I will use these to avenge your father's death. They will no longer be used to cut short the life of those who did not deserve it. I have been given a chance at redemption in the eyes of the gods, and I will not waste it." She spoke as she grabbed his hands, watching as worry filled his face, a worry that Nerida also shared.

"How will I join you in battle dear wife? I cannot crawl behind you."

"Leave that up to me. When Floki returns with Bjorn, he and I will start working on your battle legs." She assured him as she cupped his face and kissed his lips before slipping from the bed. "I love you." She whispered as she stopped by the door, her eyes meeting Ubbe's as he opened the door with force.

"They are waiting for you a top the hill." Ubbe said as Nerida nodded her head and walked past him, her eyes narrowing as she saw Sigurd was not far behind. She hated when Ivar and Sigurd had to be alone in a room, since she knew they detested each other.

"Do not antagonize him." She whispered as she grabbed Sigurd's arm, a smirk on his face as he pulled his arm from her, Nerida ignoring his gaze as she walked from the Great Hall. She did not make it far before she was stopped by Lagertha's shieldmaidens, a regular occurrence since Lagertha had been requesting to speak to her alone for several days.

"The queen wishes to speak to you—now." A young woman said as Nerida noticed their swords were drawn. She laughed as she knew she could easily kill each one of them, but she was not in the mood for that chaos.

"If she is this persistent, I suppose I have no choice. Lead the way little one." She said in a mocking tone as she clasped her hands in front of her. She was not shocked that the women took her daggers from her hip and the throwing knives from her boot, since her husband had promised to kill Lagertha.

Nerida followed the women to the edge of the city, where the great towers of fortification were still being built. Nerida held her hands out as one of the maidens tied her wrists tight with thick rope before allowing her to see Lagertha. She had to admit if she got the chance to kill Lagertha, she doubted she would take it.

"What do I owe the honor Queen?" Nerida asked as Lagertha walked over to her, Astrid close by her side. In truth, Nerida did not hate Lagertha, but she found no honor in killing a woman who was walking away peacefully. It reminded her of the cruel and ruthless killer that Nerida had once been, taking lives so easily as if they were nothing.

"You look well Nerida, I am terribly sorry to hear of the child you lost." Lagertha said as Nerida looked away from her and held back any and all emotion for she did not want to appear weak.

"I appreciate those words, but I doubt it's the reason you had seven shieldmaidens bring me to you." Nerida hissed as she held up her bound hands, her eyes looking at the slaves and workers who all looked at her with fear.

"You are a smart woman, you remind me of myself when I was just a simple farmer. I have to ask Nerida, where do your loyalties lie?" Lagertha asked as she stepped closer to Nerida, her body tensing as she knew she could effortlessly rip from her bindings.

"I am loyal to my husband Ivar, and I am loyal to the promise I made Ragnar before his death." She said catching Lagertha's attention as their eyes locked. She hadn't spoken of her secret conversation with Ragnar before his death, not even to Ivar.

"I am curious as to what he said, for I was not aware of a friendship he had made with you."

"We understood each other, and respected each other, and it is because of that respect that I will not harm you Lagertha." Nerida said as she jerked her hands apart, the robe slipping from her wrists as the maidens readied their swords. She watched as Lagertha held up her hand, assuring the women that she was safe, but Nerida knew she was anything but.

"Ragnar made me promise to love Ivar, even when he doesn't deserve it. I am not blind to how my husband is, and I know his ambitions. I know that our love will be tested, but as I promised Ragnar, I would never stop loving him. My loyalties are to my husband and his brothers. Together we will avenge the death of Ragnar, but when the battle is over and the celebrations are done, I cannot promise that I will not come after you." Nerida whispered as the two women shared a moment of understanding.

"When that moment comes, I will be ready, and I will welcome the fight." Lagertha said with a soft confident smile.

"No Lagertha—you won't."

****

"Why must I always find you two fighting!" Nerida shouted as she pulled her husband from Sigurd, her body and eyes too tired to deal with their childish rivalry.

"You heard what father said, oh how the little pigs will grunt when they hear how the old boar suffered." Ubbe said as Nerida sat on the bed, Ivar joining her moments later.

"So, we are grunting now is that it?" Ivar said as he grasped Nerida's hand, her heart calming as she watched Sigurd and Ubbe finally sit.

"You are grunting, but not in the way your father wanted! We go after King Aelle, but we must also go after King Ecbert. To this we need to raise a great army, an army so great that it will make those men feel like children again." Nerida spoke, a smile rising over her face as she knew she had their attention.

"My beautiful wife is right, we need to raise a great Army. We call in favors and make deals with kings that we hate, we do whatever we must." Ivar spoke, his eyes locking to Nerida's as they shared a beautiful moment.

"I know of men we can call to arms, but I must journey to Greece and speak to them, it—"

"No, you will not go sailing the seas alone. I lost you once Nerida, I will not lose you again. I need you here Nerida." Ivar said as he grasped her hands in his, his desperation for her to stay evident in his eyes.

"You will never lose me Ivar, but these men I speak of are ruthless, I sailed with them before and I know what they are capable of."

"These men, are they pirates?" Ubbe asked, Nerida nodding her head as she saw the doubt on their faces, including her husbands.

"I am like a Queen to them, they will follow my orders and my orders only. If I command, that they fight with me under the flag of your father then they will do so. The journey will not take long, and I will be back in Kattegat before the next full moon." Nerida spoke as she stood knowing that having the pirates fight for them would surely mean victory.

"No! What if you are lost out there? What if something happens to you?"

"What if we lose to King Ecbert? The sons of Ragnar do not want that as their history. Do you want the world to know of your failure? Or do you want them to sing songs about the great victory over Wessex?" Nerida spoke as she looked to each one of them, Ivar's eyes lowering as she could sense he was more than angry.

"Ivar, my love. I will come back to you, I swear on everything that I am that I will return to you my love." Nerida spoke as she knelt in front of him, her hands clasping his as she saw his eyes welling with tears.

"I do not want to be away from you again. If you go then I go with you." Ivar suggested as his demeanor turned hard and stern, a fire igniting in her belly as Nerida allowed herself to submit to him.

"Of course, Ivar, whatever you want."