WRATH OF THE NORTH [BJÖRN IRONSIDE]

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Weeks had passed since Lagertha had returned to Kattegat. The days had blurred into one since they looked the same; training, planning and feasting. It was now only days until it was time to fill up the almost finished boats Floki had created with his bare hands and sail across the narrow ocean. Björn and Vál relation hadn't changed much which both of them seemed to appreciate. Neither one of them had the time to argue or fall in love even if the latter wasn't controllable. They still slept together in Björn's bed, sleeping only if they hadn't gotten drunk on mead during the feasts which only had happened three times.

The relationship that had developed was the relation between Lagertha and Vál. Both of them more than pleased to have another equally fierce shield maiden. Lagertha stepping in as both a mother and close friend to Vál, teaching the younger woman the simple things she couldn't develop alone in the mountains. Vál had gotten a good sparring partner and both of them had gotten even better fighters since they first fought each other. Björn felt contented that his mother and friend had gotten close. He usually smiled when he saw the both of them in deep conversations with each other during feasts or helping each other with combat.

Aslaug wasn't as pleased to see the growing relationship between the outsider and his husbands ex wife. She had been arguing with Ragnar a lot due to that fact and didn't want her children close to neither of the women but Ragnar refused to keep his sons away from Lagertha who didn't seemed to dislike them too badly even if they weren't her own or Vál who his sons adored till no end. Her days usually played out slowly as she sat outside the great hall to observe the village as one her hands rubbed her growing bump. She kept praying to the gods that Ragnar would be home by the time she was due. She had also visited the seer to speak about her future and the child in her stomach only to find out it was another boy.

Vál fond herself once again sitting by the boats, the sight of them floating in the water and the heavy wood creaking a few times relaxed her body and soul. Her mind was spinning and wanted to know what was a head of her. Her eyes slowly moved to the sky; the gods couldn't have brought her down here only to be killed in a battle with men covered in armor as anybody else, then they could've just had killed her that one cold night years ago.

"What are you doing here?" A familiar voice spoke from behind and she glanced over her shoulder to see Björn standing there with his brow raised. She only shook her head before standing onto her feet. "My brothers were looking for you." He continued and she raised her brow.

"Why?" She questioned as she walked over to him.

"To be with you." He said with a shrug and Vál smiled. "But they're eating now. However I wanted to see if you wanted to come with me to the forest?" He continued and Vál nodded with a smile.

"What are we doing there? Hunting?" She asked as they together side by side to the forest.

"Nope, I thought we could use some relaxing silence before we leave." Björn answered and she laughed.