I noticed that some of the people who reviewed in the beginning of the story are no longer reviewing. I hope that doesn't mean you aren't reading the story anymore! I appreciate ALL reviewers and readers!


Chapter 8- The Fight

Brynja hadn't told a soul about the infant growing inside her. She couldn't yet. Too much was happening. Bjorn had lost his father, and the sons of Ragnar were beginning to bicker almost constantly. She knew Bjorn didn't need anything else on his plate right now.

Yet, she was beginning to grow paranoid. She wondered if anyone else suspected her pregnancy. Helga could see the signs almost immediately, and Bjorn himself had seen his wife display these symptoms more than once.

She had avoided going into battle against Aelle. She didn't want to risk hurting the baby. Instead, she stayed at the camp with Helga and the girl that Helga had adopted. And, she was glad she didn't have to stomach watching the man get blood-eagled.

However, she knew Ubbe and Bjorn would eventually question her reluctance to fight. Normally, she would be right there with them the whole time.

They had just arrived at Repton, and Brynja found herself sitting next to Bjorn by the fire. All the brothers sat around, and then they began to talk.

"It seems to me that the Saxons are as timid as frightened women," Ivar spoke to his brothers. "Their hearts are faint. I don't think they can truly trouble us."

"You don't know enough, Ivar," irritation was clear in Bjorn's voice as he addressed his youngest brother. "You haven't seen enough. These are brave men. I've fought against them, you haven't."

"I can only see what my eyes tell me, Bjorn," Ivar argued. "And what I see is frightened people running before us. I see their spineless god running away from our gods."

"For once," Ubbe chimed in. "Why don't you just listen to an older, wiser brother? These people who are running away, they are not warriors. They are not the ones who will stay and fight to defend this kingdom."

"And protect their honor. What is a warrior without his honor?" Sigurd joined.

"I don't know," Ivar chuckled. "You tell me, brother. And, tell me again, how many battles have you fought?"

"Same as you, brother," Sigurd retorted. "Except I don't ride around in a comfortable, bloody chariot."

"What you have to learn, Ivar," Bjorn spoke once again. "Is that if you break up this brotherhood, we shall not succeed. We have many challenges ahead of us. So, if you want to keep arguing and whining, like a little girl, then I suggest you leave. We don't need you."

"Oh, but you do need me," anger was clear on Ivar's face as he spoke. "Why do you think Father chose me to come with him to England? He had a reason for doing so. He told me I was the one who would act for him—who would make sure he was avenged."

Bjorn held the head of the buck carcass up to his face. "If that's what you want to think, then think it." His voice was as if he was trying to entertain a small child. As he lowered the severed animal head, he let out a chuckle.

"I understand it must be hard for you to accept that the true heir to the great Ragnar Lothbrok should turn out to be a cripple and a reject," Ivar glared at Bjorn while he spoke.

Brynja's eyes suddenly roamed around, as if looking for an escape route. She didn't want to be caught in the middle of this fight.

Floki's giggle seemed to catch everyone's attention. "So, this is what the grunting of the little pigs was about."

Silence filled the air as the brothers all seemed to ignore each other temporarily.

"Are you going to fight with us this time?" Ubbe asked Brynja. "You stayed behind last time. That isn't like you at all." Brynja looked up at him and studied the concern in his eyes.

"I don't know," Brynja answered. "I haven't felt up to it lately."

Bjorn huffed in aggravation. "Come with me," he ordered as he began to walk.

Brynja rose from her seat and obeyed the man as he brought her into his tent.

"When were you going to tell me?" He crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for an answer.

"Tell you what?" she asked, even though she already knew what he was going to say. Her heart began to flutter as she became more nervous.

"I have had three children. I know when a woman is with child," Brynja could hear anger in his tone.

"I was going to tell you when we were finished here," her voice was quiet and weak—like she had just surrendered after a long battle.

Bjorn began to pace the room. She could tell he was deep in thought.

"Are you going to claim the child, or will it be born a bastard?" The question seemed to haunt her at night.

"He is my child, I will take care of him, "Bjorn practically growled.

"Can I ask you something, Bjorn?" Brynja watched him pace. She knew he was already mad at her. So, she saw no reason to postpone the conversation anymore. "Why did you do it?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked. His whole face was red with anger.

"Astrid," the woman answered simply. "Why did you sleep with her? Do you not want me anymore?"

"I am a son of Ragnar," his voice was eerily low. "I am a Viking. I am not confined to one woman! And if I were, it would be to my wife! Not to you!"

She flinched as he began to scream.

Before Brynja could say anything, Bjorn stormed out of the tent—leaving her there to contemplate his words.


After her fight with Bjorn, Brynja had successfully avoided human contact for the rest of the day. She needed time alone to think.

She was supposed to be sleeping in the tent that she and Bjorn shared, but instead she found herself crawling into the tent that Ubbe and Ivar were asleep in.

As Brynja approached Ubbe's sleeping figure, she couldn't help but admire the peaceful look on his face.

Reaching out slowly, she gently tugged on his shoulder, causing him to wake in an instant.

She put a finger to her lips as she nudged her shoulder in Ivar's direction, telling the older brother to remain quiet. She then made her way out of the tent, knowing that Ubbe would follow.

"What is wrong?" Ubbe whispered. He used his fingers to comb down his messy hair.

"Let's find a place where we can talk comfortably without being heard," Brynja said as she grabbed his hand and led him near the place that they had all been sitting earlier that day.

Once they were sitting, Ubbe waited for her to begin to speak, but words never came.

"What is it?" He asked again. He could see in her eyes that something was deeply troubling her.

"I am carrying your brother's child," Brynja knew no other way to break the news.

Ubbe seemed shocked for a moment. She waited for him to say something. Anything.

"Are you happy?" He asked. He didn't know whether he should congratulate his friend or feel pity for her.

"Yes, I am happy. I have always wanted a child more than I have wanted anything," she answered. "But I am terrified."

"Why are you terrified?" Ubbe could barely wrap his tired mind around the fact that she was going to have a baby.

"So many reasons," a tear fell down her face as her voice started to shake. "Childbirth is what killed my mother. What if it kills me too? I don't want to leave this baby alone. I don't know if Bjorn will acknowledge it as his. He has grown tired of me. I can tell. If I live through the birthing, I will be raising the child by myself; and if I die, it will have no one."

Ubbe rubbed her back as he began to speak. He knew that Bjorn and Brynja had fought earlier, but he didn't know what it was about.

"You know that Bjorn will take care of his child," Ubbe began. "Whether or not you are his companion. He is stressed right now. We all are. Give him time, and he might give his attention to you the way he did before. And just because you mother died during childbirth doesn't mean you are fated to as well. The gods gave you the opportunity to be a mother, and I know you will be a great one. And if Bjorn is not there to help raise the child, then I will do everything I can to help you."

Tears streamed down her face as she hugged her friend. "You are a great man," she said. His words seemed to comfort her at least for a moment.

"You can sleep with me tonight, if you don't want to share a tent with Bjorn," He told the woman in his arms. He had figured that she would be avoiding Bjorn for a while. Ubbe himself had heard Bjorn scream at her from quite a distance away.


Brynja found herself looking at Ubbe's sleeping face again. His arm wrapped around her waist as he snored lightly into his pillow.

This moment reminded her of the nights that she would sneak in with him when they were both young—the nights where she wasn't able to handle her father.

She began to feel sick as she thought about her father. She prayed to the gods that her child would never feel the overwhelming need to escape her, like she had often felt while growing up.

She wondered if the child inside her was a boy or a girl. She knew that Bjorn would want a son, but she didn't mind the idea of raising a daughter. If it was a son, she could teach it how to fight. But, if it was a girl, she could braid her daughter's hair and tell her stories about how she had met Bjorn.

She was still worried about the child, and her relationship with Bjorn. But at the moment, all she felt was excitement for the future.


Thank you so much for reading! I know this chapter is a bit short and dry, but it was needed. Next chapter will hopefully be better! Things will really begin to get interesting once I start writing out season 5 (which should be after the next chapter or two). As always, please leave me a review. A lot of you have said that you would like to see certain things happen in the story, and I really do consider your opinions before I write each chapter.