The trial of Gunnhild and the other men went by fast. They still loved Bjorn and wanted him and his family back in power. When the brothers questioned them, they remained firm that they didn't know where Bjorn was. Because of me, they knew that they were in a village in the mountains, but there were still no specifics.

When it was time for the execution, Ivar decided that burning was a good enough punishment. It was a community event, I thought darkly as citizens of Kattegat gathered around to watch the traitors burn. Thora skipped the burning, afraid of the smell of burning flesh (a lesson she learned when Lagertha burned the Seer), but Siggy was mandatory to come by order of the Ragnarssons. Just in case she ever got the idea of betraying them for her father, they told me. I thought this was counterproductive; Siggy had done nothing in the last five months that would indicate a betrayal was coming.

I let her stand beside me in case she needed any kind of comfort. Siggy watched the burning with a face made of stone, but she did grab my hand like a shackle and squeezed it so hard her fingernails dug so deep into my skin it drew blood.

As spring melted by, I remembered something King Ecbert once spoke about at length during a family supper. He had in truth been speaking directly to Athelred, trying to prepare him for ruling and what to expect. But I had been sitting at the far end of the table, listening to my father's loud voice and taking in every word.

"Peace time is dangerous for men in high places," King Ecbert had said. "Men need conflict, need war. Otherwise they sit and brew and think about everything else they could be doing. Peace time leads to men making rash decisions in order to find conflict if none arises."

Nothing rang more true than that peaceful springtime. Ubbe kept throwing him into his house building, Hvitserk was gone most of the time due to avoiding the secret, and Ivar was so restless it seemed like he had ants crawling over his skin. When this happened, he suddenly wanted nothing more than to fuck me.

"Bjomolf needs a brother," Ivar would growl into the back of my bare neck in bed. "Let me put another son in you."

When Ivar came inside me, he smiled wolfishly and whispered into my skin that he loved me. I smiled at him being happy but knew I wasn't ready for another pregnancy. The last one ended so traumatically and painfully that the idea of giving birth again was enough to give me pause.

But then I'd see Ivar laying on the bed with Bjomolf facing him and watch Ivar play with Bjomolf's toes and I was always tempted to change my mind then and there.

As the summer went on, Thora and Ascrida both explained what the midsummer festivities were. For a couple of days during the middle of summer, women would dance for the blessing of Freyja so that they could become fertile.

"And when you put flowers under your pillow at night," Thora explained the night before the festivities. "You would dream of your future husband." She laughed. "I used to try that every night back when I was a young girl."

I laughed too. "It sounds like something I'd do too. Though we were just supposed to pray to God and maybe he'll tell you. It's a lot more vague than dreaming of husbands."

Along with the actual dancing of women for fertility, I also apparently have a role to play beforehand. Aslaug used to wish the women luck and the Seer would run lamb's blood over their faces to let Freyja know that they were looking for her blessing. Seeing as I was both the queen and supposed new Seer, I had to do both tasks.

The day of the festivities was bright and sunny, and it was pretty warm. I woke up and stretched in front of Ivar, smiling at the warmth that was already soaking the room. "It's been so long since I've been this warm." I said, smiling at Ivar.

He smirked at me from the bed. "Get back over here and I'll make you warmer."

I felt my face blush and I giggled. "Really? That's such a tempting invitation."

Bjomolf let out a sharp cry from his bed, awake and demanding attention already. I looked from my son to my husband, where Ivar's smirk was still on his face. I pointed at him. "Maybe later when our child isn't awake and watching."

Ivar let out a dramatic sigh. "Very well. But let's not keep it off for too long."

I waved a hand at him as I went to grab Bjomolf. "It'll get cold again soon; you can keep me warm whenever." Ivar chuckled from the bed and started getting dressed while I cleaned Bjomolf and got him ready for the day too.

The dress I wore had specific runes and patterns sewn into the hem. Every woman participating in the dance around the maypole wore bright white, and spent a lot of the morning braiding flowers into their hair.

Margrethe was one of those women, and her pale blond hair shone brightly and the yellow wildflowers seemed to disappear in her pale hair. Ubbe was in charge of taking care of Ragnvald for the day, and the little boys hair shone just as brightly as his mother's.

Magnus came to sit with us before the dance started, bringing with him a blanket that he spread on the grassy ground. Ragnvald and Bjomolf rested on the blanket with Hvitserk, who laid himself down on his stomach and let the two eight month old babies pull on his braids and lean heavily against his back and shoulders.

Thora sat with Magnus and Una, watching Hvitserk play with the babies with a thoughtful expression that seemed more closed off than usual. She had gotten rounder in these last three months, and with it more withdrawn. She and Hvitserk now spent a lot of time together, and I'd often find them sitting on the beach together. I never interrupted these moments; it always looked like something that was private.

Among the women dancing were Margrethe, Ascrida, and Kari. When I asked Siggy if she was going to dance for fertility from Freyja, the younger girl had laughed harshly and said, "The last thing I want is a husband, Runa."

I stood in front of the maypole, looking up at the sheer height of it. The women who were participating hurried over to stand in front of me in a row, some of them looked to be as young as thirteen. Some of them were dancing for the first time, while others were already married and wishing for another baby.

A priestess of Freyja joined me with a large blood of fresh lamb blood (the slaughter had happened just five minutes ago a few feet away). I held a sprig of hemlock and dipped it into the blood. It clung to the leaves and dripped down thickly back into the bowl.

I turned to the first girl, a fourteen year old girl with dark blond hair and bright blue eyes who looked very excited. I smiled comfortingly at her and waved the sprig towards her. Her eyes shut right as the dark red blood was flicked onto her face, splattering across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

"May the goddess grant you what you wish," I said, flicking more blood onto the girl's pure white dress this time. "Dance for fertility, dance for strength, dance for Freyja." And with that, the girl stepped out of line and took a spot beside the pole. I dipped the sprig back into the blood and began the same process for the next girl.

Ascrida beamed at me when it was her turn, her bright red hair catching some of the lamb's blood. Kari was immediately next, and I couldn't help but notice that she glanced over to Magnus when I recited the words. I smirked to myself as Kari left to take her place.

When Margrethe came along, she was barely holding back excitement. I recited the words and flicked blood onto her face and dress and Margrethe practically ran to the pole. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of my friends and family sitting down. Thora was still there; she was watching Margrethe go with...sadness?

I finished the last girl and thanked the priestess for her help before going to sit beside Ivar. The women around the pole grabbed hands and glanced to Ivar, waiting for his mark. Ivar slowly looked to the men with the drums and nodded deeply, and the drums started fast.

"So they dance for how long?" I asked Ivar the moment the women started their dance around the maypole.

"Until they can't dance anymore." Ivar replied. He leaned back and pressed his arm against mine. "These used to be so boring when I was young. But Mother insisted we always attend for the whole time."

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. "I assume you can't really leave halfway through now that you're king."

Ivar paused and then groaned slightly. "You're right! Oh, Augusta at least I have you here now."

I smiled at that. "At least you have that." I looked over to the blanket where Bjomolf was laying down right beside Hvitserk. Ragnvald was sitting down with his back leaning back against Hvitserk's side. Thora was sitting at the edge of the blanket near Ragnvald, and she was smiling at him as he reached out and kept grabbing onto her fingers. Beside her, Magnus was watching the dancing with wide eyes, and I could've sworn that he was trying to keep up with Kari as she danced.

The whole scene was idyllic and serene and I couldn't help but remember what my life was just a year ago when we first landed in Vestfold. I looked back to Bjomolf where he was laying beside Hvitserk. Bjomolf has a fistful of grass in his hand, and Hvitserk was watching over him and trying to braid the pieces of grass together.

"Uh oh," Ubbe said as he approached the sitting area. The first girl had fallen, and the others were jumping over her and trying to dance around her. I recognized the fourteen year old girl who had been first to receive the lambs blood and I clapped politely as she got up and left the dancing, looking downcast. She glanced up at me as she passed and I smiled sympathetically and nodded. She brightened slightly and trotted back to where her family were waiting for her.

Ubbe had watched the whole exchange and he poked my shoulder. "You're doing good at this. People around here love their new queen."

I smiled up at him. "Thank you, Ubbe. That means a lot."

Ubbe smiled at me and laid down beside Hvitserk, scooping Ragnvald out of the way and blowing a raspberry onto his son's chubby neck. Ragnvald let out a loud screech of delight and sudden movement from the dancers let us know that someone else tripped.

Margrethe got up from her fall with a huff. Ivar clapped his hands once and Margrethe shot him a dirty look as she passed. Ubbe rolled up, bringing Ragnvald with him. He smiled at his wife as he approached her, Ragnvald pressed into his chest.

"It's alright, my love," Ubbe said, just loud enough to be heard. "I'm sure Freyja knows how much you want a second son." With one hand he held their son, and the other hand held Margrethe's face and tilted it up so that he could kiss her.

There was a sharp inhale, like from a wounded animal. I glanced over along with Ivar and Hvitserk and saw that Thora was getting up in a hurry, her round belly stopping her from moving as fast.

"Thora," Hvitserk started. But she was up and gone, hurrying back towards the city without meeting anyone's eyes. Ivar watched her go, his brow furrowed with curiosity. Hvitserk and I accidentally made eye contact and his mouth became a thin line and he sighed heavily. I looked from him to where Ubbe was watching Thora leave, looking blocked off. Margrethe seemed like she didn't notice.

Realization hit and I stood up, catching Hvitserk's eye again. He sat up and straightened, picking Bjomolf up as he went. "You're going to talk to her?" He asked quietly.

"I'll get her." I whispered back. I rubbed Ivar's arm really briefly before heading after Thora.

She was at the house she shared with her family, and I walked into the back of the house to where Thora's bedroom was.

Thora was laying on her side in her bed, curled up around her swollen belly. I slowly approached the bed, closing the door behind me. Thora didn't respond to my footsteps. I sighed, "Ubbe is the father, isn't he?" I breathed.

A small sob escaped her as an answer and Thora whimpered as she curled up around herself more. "I wasn't supposed to get pregnant."

"Can I sit with you, Thora?" I asked softly. When she didn't respond with a no, I laid down on the bed beside her, resting on my back. Thora didn't move. I laid there for a long time, not wanting to force Thora into a confession right now.

"I hadn't known about Margrethe," Thora admitted in a whisper several minutes later. "We were drunk and then…" She drifted off and another sob ripped through her body. "Hvitserk walked in on us the second time we…"

I closed my eyes and heaved another sigh. I thought about the sight Thora had just witnessed. Margrethe receiving a blessing to get pregnant, Ubbe had kissed her lovingly with their young son in his arms. I tried to imagine a similar situation for myself, if I couldn't marry Ivar, if he had married some Northern girl and they seemed happy...I could imagine the hole in my chest and glanced at Thora's back.

"I'm sorry for what you're going through, Thora." I said softly. "Do you love him?"

Thora rolled over and faced me. "I don't think so. It's just...he was so kind whenever we were together. I had never felt like that before, Runa. I didn't expect it to hurt so much when I saw him with Margrethe but, when I saw them together it just reminded me that I wasn't anything but a temporary woman to warm his bed for a few nights."

More tears filled her eyes and she scooted closer, wrapping me into a hug and I hugged her back. As Thora cried into my shoulder, I heard her say, "And now I have a baby and I'm so scared, Runa. I've been telling myself it's okay but it's not and I'm...I'm…"

I squeezed her closer as she broke herself off completely and cried some more. I thought about all the times I saw her and Hvitserk talking quietly. "Hvitserk's been a good friend during all this, hasn't he?"

Thora nodded, not saying anything and she continued hugging me and crying into my shoulder until she ran out of tears. When she was finished, we sat up and remained sitting in the bed for several minutes. We were still sitting very close and I was able to feel the baby in her belly kick.

We looked down at her belly and I struggled to imagine that it was another child of Ubbe's in there. Thora placed a hand on her belly and smiled softly. "I love this baby." She said gently.

"Are you thinking of names?" I asked.

Thora nodded. "I want to name them after my mother if it's a girl. I don't know about a boy yet."

I thought about it for a moment. "Hanna Thorasdottir. I like that; it sounds nice."

Thora looked comforted by the sound of her name being used for the family name. Even if Ubbe had nothing to do with the baby, Thora was going to be a great mother to this baby. I wrapped an arm around her and pulled my friend in for what I hoped was a comforting hug. It worked, I guess, because Thora hugged me back and we stayed like that for a long moment while outside the midsummer festivities continued on.