As they climbed from the ship unto the harbor of Vestfold, fifty-eleven people gawked at them. Those bold in nature pointed, while the—miss me with the coffee—teas sippers whispered kettle worthy nonsense behind their hands. Ivar slipped an arm around her waist. Hvitserk stepped closer to her side and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. Yet the mystical energy which thrummed among those gathered put her at ease. They were all sons and daughters under her dominion. Though Harald turned her stomach she and her mates would come to no harm there among his people.

Soon after their footing discover the dock the throng before them split. Frode, the seer of Vestfold, approached. A line of priests and high priestesses trailed him. When the stocky man stood in front of her he fell to his knees. With great reverence, he rested his face on the toe of her boots. The religious order at his back all followed his lead and dropped to all fours as well. Heahmund's disgusted snort reached her from his place at the rear of their party. Ignoring the disdaining Bishop, she reached down and took hold of the Seers face. The gilded scarlet swipe which shimmered over his left brow drew her gaze. Her sorcery had marked him as a trusted. This alone elevated him from long handled spoon treatment to inner circle benefits.

"Rise, Frode," she said, allowing her fingers to trail along his cheek.

"Supreme," he said, turning his face into her hand to lick her palm as he stood once more. Now that was one damn custom she didn't miss during her time in England. "You honor us by bestowing your presence upon Vestfold. Surely such a sojourn from our Most High will bring many blessings and good fortune to our shores. King Harald is overjoyed you've chosen to visit our kingdom." His vigilant stare swept to her mates. "Along with you both as well, King Ivar and Lord Hvitserk." His gaze lingered on Ivar as undiluted amazement sparked his eyes.

"I'll bet," she forced a smile.

"So overjoyed, he couldn't wait to hurry here and not greet us," Ivar said while darting his gaze about to cement his point.

Frode squared his shoulders and straightened his back. "He awaits you in the great hall. Follow me, please." He gave her one final incline of the head before turning to lead them towards Vestfold's longhouse.

After a prolonged walk from the harbor they arrived in the great hall to discover Harald upon his throne joined by his new bride Astrid. Reluctantly, the resident sovereigns stood from their thrones and bowed to her. "Supreme." They each mumbled.

Hvitserk snorted, while Ivar merely smirked as he cast an assessing stare around the great hall. No doubt comparing the luxuries of their surroundings to that of his throne room and their castle in general. Which was no more than an all paid ego trip on her betrothed part seeing Harald's long house needed a five star scrubbing along with a lifetime case of Febreze and hella heated scented oils to combat the fishy odor which clung to the air.

"Why didn't you return to Kattegat, King Ivar?" Harald rasped as he reclaimed the seat on his throne. "Which is not to say we aren't heartened for the visit, my wife Astrid and I." His triumphant gazed discovered hers.

This time Ivar and Hvitserk did laugh at Harald's need to assure them he'd somehow managed to wife up the former pet at his side. Indifference, however, lifted and dropped one of Bonnie's shoulders. Yet even she couldn't help the smile twitching at the corners of her mouth to know he'd bestowed upon her the sole benefit of his extraness.

Ivar cleared his throat as he attempted to bring his humor to heel. "Lagertha still remains queen of Kattegat, and by now I'm sure you've heard tales of the conflict between Ubbe and I which forced us to part ways."

"Yes, a conflict which consigned you to England, while also leaving you command of the great army," Harald added, his twelve pack a day smoker's voice hoarser than ever.

"This is true. Yet my way was the right of it." Ivar cocked a brow as he gifted Harald and his bride with a killer smile which he utilized to charm prey into a noose worthy of a proper swinging. He waved a hand at Hvits. "As you can see, Hvitserk agreed with me so he too parted ways with Ubbe and of course," his gaze dropped to her. He reached up and palmed her cheek as he gazed down into her eyes. "My love chose to remain at my side."

"And not Bjorn's side?" Harald's narrowed gaze shifted from Ivar to her, while his face might as well had been covered in question marks. "Before I left England to journey to Kattegat, it was spoken you'd sail back to the Mediterranean with Ironside." He waved at the full length of her. "And how is it you haven't aged a rising since last we met?"

She lifted her chin and presented him with a closed lip smile before uttering, "Well you know how the saying is spoken, Harald. If you wanna make fate laugh, then tell her your plans."

"I've never heard that spoken," Harald rasped with a firm shake of the head.

"You've never been known for your listening skills either, so I'm not surprised," Bonnie allowed her gaze to shift from him to Astrid. "However, I am surprised to discover Queen Lagertha's...prized shieldmaiden as your bride. How'd one such as you allow yourself to get trapped into matrimony by our King Harald Finehair, Queen Astrid?"

Astrid's eyes flared. She had the look of someone who'd been forced into doing a tell all Shade Room exclusive. "Well, I...ah...um...love?"

"Are you asking or telling me, Queen Astrid?" She questioned, feeling more than a little amused.

"Of course she loves me! Why wouldn't she?" Harald damn near turned three different shades of red as he came off his throne to bellow at her.

She smirked up at him. "Why wouldn't she, indeed?"

"My Love, do not torment him. It is unkind," Ivar said as he not so gently shoved her behind him into Hvitserk's waiting arms. "Though it pleases me to see you again, you must ponder why we've come to your shores, King Harald."

"You want to be King of Kattegat. You've come to ask I align with you," Harald resettled himself on his throne as he frowned down at them, her mostly. "You must see how this may be a hinderance for me."

"Why would I want to be King of Kattegat, when I'm already sole King of England, hmm?" Ivar demanded.

"Be-," Hvitserk began.

She turned in his arms and pressed her mouth to his. Gasps and a few sharp intakes of breath met her ears. After she broke the kiss, she began trailing kisses down the side of his neck. As she did so she whispered. "Hold your tongue, Berserker. Allow Ivar to spin a web Harald will soon not find his way free of."

"You allow...this?" Harald hissed at her back.

"What?" Ivar sounded a bit annoyed by Harald's diverging attention. "Should they not be allowed to show their affection for the other? They shall be sister and brother by the law of the gods after Bonnie and I enter matrimony. So will you lend your warrior so I may finally avenge my mother?"

"If I align with you and we overthrow Lagertha will you name me King of Kattegat?" Harald questioned in a slow but direct tone.

She craned her neck to stare at Ivar. He stood in front of her with his back straight, head high. "If you align with me and I'm finally able to kill Lagertha, then I'll place the crown of Kattegat on your head myself."

****

"Have you really forsaken Lagertha?" The Supreme stepped from the shadowed corner of Astrid's dressing quarters.

Astrid nigh misplaced her heart from her body. How had Bonnie gained entry into her personal chambers? The entrance was guarded. Yet what could two guards truly mean to one with a power such as hers? She'd once killed the woman only to have her resurrect not even two turns of the hour glass later.

"Supreme!" She quickly dipped herself into an ungraceful bow.

"Sure, your affair with her son was a little trifling, however I understood the motivation for your actions," The Supreme strolled further into the room. "So I never doubted your love for Lagertha. In a way, I believe it was love which led you down such a misguided path." She raised her hands. "And hey I'm not here to judge. We've all been caught on the wrong side of love a time or three. Myself included." She closed the distance between them. "I guess what I'm wondering is, have you learned from the mistakes you've made or have all of your missteps been missed opportunities?"

"Harald is my husband and Ivar is your betrothed," she said in the most respectful of tones. "Our place is at their sides, supporting them in all endeavors they should choose to pursue."

"I know who my fiancé is, but my sense of loyalty, right, and wrong didn't stop working when I agreed to marry him either," The Supreme snapped as her eyes flickered from verdant to gold. She took a step back. "Nor did yours. It's now time for you to decide exactly who it is you've become. Are you the woman Lagertha hoped you'd grow into or who Harald believes you to be? May you decide soon, because in two new moons the choice will no longer be yours to make." Leaving the warning to linger in her wake, the Supreme spun and sought her leave of the dressing quarters.

Later after she and Harald coupled, Astrid lay in his arms thinking of the Supreme's words. Although she'd come to love Harald, she owed Lagertha a debt. After neighboring rivals slaughtered her entire family the famous shieldmaiden accepted her into her household and taught her many things. How could she not at least warn her former lover of an impending battle? Was she the sort of woman who could turn her face from one who'd never turned away from her? No! That was not the woman she'd become. That was not the woman nor Queen she wanted to be. A debt was owed so a debt would be repaid!

****

"Is Freydis settled in her rooms?" Ivar questioned Bragg as they stood just outside the great hall after second meal.

"She and the babe are well." The warrior nodded, his gaze darting all about. "However, she has requested you attend her. She's refusing to eat or drink until you do."

A scowl overtook his face as his grip on the iron crutch tightened. If she weren't carrying his babe, it would gladden him to squeeze her lovely neck until the shine of life faded from her eyes. "Tell her I shall visit her later this eve after the long house is at rest."

The warrior nodded, and then turned to walk toward the harbor where he secreted away Freydis. He moved to enter the longhouse and Hvitserk stepped from a darkened area near the entrance. "What are you attempting to conceal, Ivar?"

"I have no notion of what you speak," he lied as if his tongue spoke the truth.

Hvitserk continued to stare at him as if he hadn't spoken at all. "What, or would I have the right of it if I say, whom is Bragg securing down at the harbor for you?"

"Hvitserk, where are you discovering these designs you've been spouting as of late." He balanced most of his weight on his iron crutch. "You should take care to who you speak such witless theories. Many will begin to believe you to have become addled from war."

"When Bonnie discovered you with the slave girl she fled York and gave herself to the Wessex Prince." Hvitserk took hold of the front of his tunic and yanked him close until their noses nigh touched. "What do you suspect she would do this time if she found you to have been untrue once more?" Hvitserk glared at him for a moment, before shoving him away and stalking inside the long house.

Ivar released a sigh as he straightened and steadied himself once more. Hvitserk's inquiries caused him great unrest. He could become an interference to his already well placed plans. Especially, if he had a mind to speak such things to Bonnie. He only had to uphold the deception until the birth of his babe. Then he could kill Freydis and present his babe to Bonnie with a false tale of the child being abandoned in the forest. From which moment forth, her heart would belong to the tiny defenseless creature. She'd plead with him to allow her to take in the babe. At first he'd feign as if he's opposed to the idea. An only after much convincing on her part would he finally agree to allow her to keep the child so they may rear him as their own. He had it all plotted. For now he only needed to ensure Bonnie remained ignorant to the entire affair.

****

Bonnie shifted free of Hvitserk's slumberous hold. The loud clink of Ivar's iron crutch tink-tinking away towards their chambers snatched her upright in bed. She'd waited up for him so they could discuss the plans he thought to exact with Harald. The time had come for him to decide what mattered more to him, having the cake or eating the damn thing. For the closer Bjorn's ship drew to the waters of Norway, the more restless she became. Even more so when Ivar spoke of nothing but attacking Kattegat and killing Lagertha. Truth be professed, lingering at her betrothed's side while in knowledge of his intentions ripped her in half. The act tore at the very sacredness within bestowed upon her by the Goddess of All. Something had to give or she'd seek her leave and her departure wouldn't be by her choice. No it would be the divinity within her honoring the vow she'd sworn to Bjorn.

The door to their sleeping chambers opened and Ivar limped in. Surprise snatched his eyes wide when they landed upon her. "Bonnie, why haven't you given yourself over to slumber?"

"Bonnie?" Her brows bunched.

"Is that not your name?" He limped further into the room and flopped down on his side of the mattress.

She sized him up from the cut of her eye. "Not if I based it upon how many times you actually called me Bonnie in the last six years." A frown tugged at the corners of her mouth as she watched him place his mud caked leathered leg braces onto the bed. "Would you like for me to remove those?"

"No, I'd rather continue to don them. I'm not yet secure in our alliance with King Harald." He reclined on the pillows. "Why are you still awake, My Love?"

"I wanted us to talk," she said, sliding over to cuddle into his side.

He wrapped his arm around her and brought her even closer. "About?"

"About us forgetting about Kattegat, Lagertha, and a war that'll set you against your brothers." She climbed in his lap and straddled him. "Let's just leave. You, me, and Hvits. We can go anywhere you want. Back to England, to Frankia, hell open a map and point to a spot. I don't care, let's just go, babe."

He shoved her from his lap and glared at her as if she spit on him and called him a crippled bastard. "What is wrong with you? Do you know who I am? Do you know with whom you've agreed to enter matrimony?" He spat through the slits of his teeth. "Lagertha killed my mother! My mother! She killed her in a way which makes her no better than a murdering coward. I don't expect you to understand what it is to have a mother such as mine die in such a lowly way. How could you, hmm?" He palmed her cheek as condescension poured from his eyes. "No one has ever loved you as my mother loved me. So this time I shall forgive you for attempting to tear me away from my purpose. For I will kill Lagertha, and nothing, not Bjorn or even you will stop me from avenging my mother." With that said, he turned his back to her and laid down.

Tears flooded her eyes and drenched her face. Silent sobs shook her body as she attempted to come to terms with just who the hell lay next to her. This was not the man she took a suicide dive to love. The emptiness in his eyes bespoke the soul of a monster. In that moment her struggle with her divinity became physically painful. Like an army of dead Travelers crossing over her as the anchor painful. Yet now she wasn't even sure why the hell she was fighting so hard to hold down the spot next to his disrespectful and ungrateful ass. She moved away from him until the back of her pressed firmly into Hvitserk. Even in slumber, her Berserker's arms wrapped around her on instinct alone.

For the next hour or so she lay there suffering unable to even think about rest let alone surrender conscious mind over to the Sandman. Fifty-eleven minutes into her silent suffering she felt the mattress shift next to her. Not long after, Ivar left the bed. The clinking of his iron crutch echoed off the walls of the room until she heard the light close of the bed chamber door. Once again, she wiggled out of Hvitserk's hold and eased out of bed. Soundlessly, she dressed. After she donned her clothes and cloak, she pulled the hood over her head to conceal her identity. She then released her sorcery to seek out Ivar. When her magic located his energy, she allowed the witchery to lead her to him.

Not long after leaving the great house she found herself being led back toward the harbor. Her steps slowed. Something inside warned her to brace herself. To brace her heart. This would hurt. She sensed the premonition of pain in every nerve ending of her body. It lingered between every breath she took. She'd always known Ivar would break her. Yet the possibility of an impending crash somehow still had the ability to shock her.

Moments later she stood in front of the dwellings often utilized by women whom society had set adrift. Why would Ivar come there? She knew they hadn't made love in weeks, but would he really seek out another woman? At a small dwelling near a secluded part of the harbor, she saw one of Ivar's personal warriors patrolling the area. She allowed her sorcery to lead him away. Once Bragg had left the cloth barrier of the dwelling, she approached the small keep.

At the entrance, she placed her hand on the scratchy material. She closed her eyes, released an exhale, and then pushed the barrier aside. Her world imploded on sight. Inside, Ivar and Freydis lay upon a narrow bed, deep in slumber. Her golden head rested on his chest, while his hand rested on what appeared to be a small baby bump. In that moment she heard Aslaug's words as if she stood next to her. You will love him without restraint, and he will break you. The agony will be unbearable, and you'll suffer.

Queen Aslaug was wrong. The agony wasn't unbearable, it was unsurvivable. If it wasn't for her immortality her heart would've stopped at the first sight of them. Tears rose to drown her eyes in the most unfathomable depths of her angst. All this time she'd believed the Ancient of Days and the Goddess of All had used Ivar. Made a fool of him to fit their designs, but it was her who'd been the fool all along. Because when someone shows you who they are... Damn, Maya Angelou's wisdom was timeless. Soundlessly, she backed out of the tiny dwelling. Though he'd decimated her heart, her mind had sought sanctuary in a resolution. It was time to go back. Back to where it had all begun. The time had come for her to return to Kattegat.

****

Early the next rising after calling the belongings she'd need for travel, Bonnie departed from the dwelling she'd spent the eve. Concealed underneath the hood of her cloak, she headed to the dock prepared to call forth Klaus' yacht to see her the short distance to Kattegat. Before she could step on the pier someone snatched her onto a secluded narrow pathway between two dwellings. With zero tolerance for fuckery she attempted to call her magic to the surface. Her normal on go sorcery remained in a listless state, refusing to offer even a fizzle for an effort. Her attacker yanked the hood from her head.