Nerida sat outside the Great Hall next to her large blacksmithing forge, the celebration all too overwhelming for her and her unborn child. She was worried that others were catching on, since she had refused the ale that had been given to her and had become sick at the smell of salted pork.

"May I join you?" Ivar whispered as he crawled beside her, Nerida scooting over so he could join her by the welcoming heat of the forge. Her mind was racing with ways to tell him, but no matter how much she wanted to, she could not shake the fact that Ivar was letting some slave girl influence him.

"The air in the Great Hall was turning putrid." She teased as she offered him what was left of her soup, Ivar smiling as he took the bowl from her, their eyes connecting in a way that made the butterflies tumble in her belly. She loved him, but part of her worried that he no longer loved her.

"She means nothing to me, Nerida. I love you and you alone." Ivar said as he broke the silence, Nerida tearing her eyes away from his as the moment became too much for her to bare. She wanted to rush back into their marriage bed and make love to him all night, but in her mind she feared that another woman had taken his heart.

"I know she has been trying to convince you to divorce me, and take her as your wife, or your Queen." Nerida said as she stood and gazed into the fire of the forge, her anger towards the young slave girl rushing back as she slowly turned to face Ivar. "I know she kissed you Ivar."

"I did not welcome it, I told her to leave at that moment." Ivar protested, Nerida able to hear the frustration and desperation in his voice.

"Can I trust you Ivar? First Margarethe and now this other slave girl, Freydis. Can I trust you with my heart and my love? Will you love me in return, or will you only love me until someone else catches your heart? My heart cannot bear that Ivar and—and- "She stumbled on her words as she tried to tell him about their unborn child, but the words never made it past her tongue.

"Ubbe has told me about your plan with Lagertha, also I would appreciate if you do not go to my men asking them for favors. My pirates are loyal only to me and you owe you nothing." She said sternly as she turned to face him, his gaze lowered as she saw the pain in his eyes.

Nerida's attention was broken as she saw the ships in the harbor, a smirk on her face as she saw Bjorn in the distance. "It seems as if your brother has returned, maybe your revenge will have to wait." She said as she left his side and rushed toward the docks.

"Nerida!" Bjorn exclaimed as she embraced him in a tight hug, not shocked that he examined her eye as he broke the embrace. "I heard about what happened in Greece, you are lucky he only took your eye."

"I am lucky I was not beheaded along with the others, but luckily they still saw me as one of their own."

"Are you? One of them?" Bjorn asked as they began to walk towards the Great Hall together, Nerida rolling her eye at his question, since they both knew it was foolish. As much as she missed the sea and the thrill of adventure, her home and her life was in Kattegat.

"I am Viking, Bjorn. You know your brothers want revenge against your mother, I am sure that you know of what has happened." She said changing the subject away from her, an uneasy feeling overcoming her as Bjorn's eyes went dark.

"I know, but if they kill her, they kill me. I will speak to them. No worries." Bjorn assured her as he placed his large hand behind her neck, an understanding flowing between them. "What is wrong with you and Ivar?" He asked as he noticed her necklace missing, Nerida shaking her head no, as she moved away from him.

"Nerida." A deep voice said behind her, a smile on her face as she turned to face Hvitserk, his face now covered in a thin beard. Nerida hugged him tight, shocked at her realization that she missed him, and Bjorn more than she fathomed.

"Thank you for bringing your men, without your help, the men who killed our father would surely defeat us." Hvitserk said as his hand cupped the side of her face, Nerida cupping his face with her hand as their foreheads touched. He was like a brother to her, a brother that she would not let perish in battle.

"Of course, dear Hvitserk. This is my home and Ragnar, was very near and dear to my heart. My men will die in order to see revenge for his slaying." She assured him as she hugged him once more before he followed Bjorn into the Great Hall, the sun barely starting to rise as Nerida knew that the days ahead were going be most dire.

***

"What are you making?" Bjorn asked as Nerida finished hammering out the metal for Ivar's new "legs". She had been working tirelessly on them for weeks hoping that it would be some sort of olive branch for them, since she had been wanting a reconciliation.

"You will see. They are for Ivar, for his legs. What brings you here Bjorn, I figured that you and Torvi would be having sex." She smirked as she set her hammer down, her smirk fading as she saw the look in Bjorn's ice blue eyes. "You have heard that I left Ivar."

"Yes, and that you nearly gave your life to help us with the Great Army. You are a noble woman, Nerida, and a better fighter than most of my men." Bjorn said as he approached her, his hand resting on the table beside them as his eyes bore in hers.

"Bjorn?"

"I have thought of no one else since you left on the boat that early morning. Nerida—I can care for you better than Ivar can, I am a better man." He whispered as Nerida felt her heart begin to race and her body start to tremble.

"We cannot do this Bjorn, you must—" Her words cut off as he kissed her deeply, Nerida's body tensing as she placed her hands on his chest. She was shocked at how good his kiss felt, at how it sent a chill straight to her core. Before she could stop herself, her hands cupped his face as she deepened the kiss, the long nights of loneliness finally overcoming her.

"This is wrong, we cannot do this." She whispered as she broke the kiss, her body on fire as she turned away from him. "I love Ivar, Bjorn and I promised your father to always protect him and to never hurt him." She whispered as she turned back to him, her mind now filled with confusion.

"Why do you love him? Would you love him if he had not claimed you? Would you love him if you did not pity him?"

"I do not pity him! I love him Bjorn and despite everything he is my husband." She hissed back as she stepped towards him, her chest rising and falling as Bjorn locked his gaze with hers.

"Does he truly love you, Nerida? Would he risk it all for you? Would he die for you? I love Torvi and I am grateful for all she has given me, but my heart will always be yours." He confessed as he walked from her side, leaving Nerida alone with her racing mind. She knew that Bjorn was trying to fill her mind with doubt, but Nerida's heart belonged to one man and him alone.

Nerida worked well into the night on Ivar's new legs, her hands red and blistered as she finally set down her hammer and sat on the dirty ground below. She was tired in her body and her mind, but she knew that soon they would be sailing towards Wessex, a place she honestly was ready to see again. She was ready to watch King Aelle suffer at the hands of the sons of Ragnar.

***

"Nerida?" Ivar whispered as he woke in the early morning to see her sitting on their bed. He smiled as she leaned in and kissed his lips softly, his hand cupping her face as he deepened the embrace. His brow furrowed as he began to undo her blouse, her hands stopping him as she motioned for him to follow her outside.

"We have a surprise for you, Ivar." Floki said as Nerida watched him pick up Ivar and carry him on his back. Her excitement was almost too much to contain, but she knew that once Ivar saw the gift, she and Floki had made for him, that his smile would once more return to his face. The fog was thick as they walked through the thick woods towards the small clearing they had been working secretly in, Nerida glancing at Ivar's face as he saw the chariot Floki and she had crafted.

"What is it?"

"It is your legs, my love, and your wings." Nerida said as she watched his mouth drop open and his beautiful eyes finally light up again. Floki lowered Ivar to the ground, Nerida following him as he slowly crawled towards his gift.

"Is it—really for me?" He whispered as Nerida saw the joyful tears run down his face as he looked up at her.

"Yes, my love. This is yours and yours alone. With this you will be the most feared of all on the battlefield. With me by your side." She whispered as she knelt in front of him, his lips kissing hers as he let out a joyous laugh, a laugh she hadn't heard in so long. "I love you Ivar."

"I love you. Does this mean—you are my wife again?" He smiled as he took her hand in his, both ignoring the fact that Floki was watching them only a few feet away. The moment Nerida nodded her head, Ivar pulled her to him for a deep passionate kiss, a kiss she had been longing for. It was the kiss of true love, a love so deep it would take death himself to destroy it.

"Ivar, there is something I must tell you." She whispered, the moment cut off as Floki suggested that Ivar get into his new legs and try them out. The moment that they hooked up the horse to the chariot, Ivar raced away from them, his cries of pleasure and joy filling the air as he flew through the wind with ease.

"Do not tell him of the child. His head needs to be in the battle just as yours should be Nerida. Once they take their revenge on King Aelle then you tell him of his unborn child, but until then it must remain your secret."