[31]

Inside of a Chambre de Chasse Freya falls to her knees gasping for breath as she clutches her tunic in her hand over her heart.

"Please Aunt Dahlia, Vidar is in so much pain…please let me go to him." Freya begs Dahlia urgently as the woman kneels down in front of her and cups her cheek.

"I cannot, that boy is too much like me and Mikael." Dahlia says softly almost lovingly like a mother, before nearly spitting Mikael's name.

"What do you know about my Vidar ! ? !" Freya snarls angrily as the pain in her second heart only increases.

"I have watched over that boy since he confronted me, and nearly killed the both of you trying to protect you from me." Dahlia replies back almost immediately with an amused voice, as Freya reels back in shock.

"He is so intriguing…such displays of cruelty at times…but he never forced himself on any women…unlike your filthy father." Dahlia continues speaking almost fondly about Vidar, and then saying your filthy father as if it was a curse.

"Y-you've been watching Vidar…why?" Freya asks even more worried over Vidar than before.

"At first it was just a curiosity…but then I felt the power of your bond continuing to grow, under my constant suppression...you two can still meet and have your trysts in your shared dream world…it was also interesting how your brother's first born died within months of being born…and then how all of his lovers that have left him were shielded from my sight…I know you're brother has multiple descendant lines but I can't sense the children from any of them…probably due to the witches on the other side…our dear Vidar holds more power than he realizes…so much so he could come take you from me and with the power of the other side behind him I'd be unable to resist him." Dahlia continues speaking her fondness…almost obsession for Vidar never leaving her voice.

Freya feels true fear towards her aunt Dahlia for the first time in a long long time.

'Vidar is mine…I have to protect him from Aunt Dahlia.' Freya steels herself as her second heart and now her heart aches.

~ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — ~

~ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — ~

I bolt up right and find myself lying in a grand bed aboard the Dauntless, I see Jack worriedly pacing back and forth while Gar lays on my feet, and Bekah lays beside me holding my head against her breasts. 

"No, no not again…please just make it stop." I beg softly as I throw myself away from the bed shocking Bekah, Jack and Garmr, Gar opens his maw and lets out a happy yip, and I feel the phantom sensation of his neck snapping underneath my powerful hands.

Jack starts to walk over to me and I'm hit with the phantom sensation of ripping out his heart and eating it, Bekah rushes over to me…I breathe in her sweet scent and I remember pinning her to the forest floor having my way with her and accidentally ripping off her head. 

"No…no no, stay away, stay away from me I don't want to kill any of you anymore." I beg as I speed away from the Dauntless after crashing through the side of the ship. 

~ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — ~

I find myself on an island city…a colony…a pretty young blonde smiles at me and waves her face becoming overlaid with Lagertha's visage.

"Why, why'd you break our promise?" I ask as I grab Lagertha and press her up against the wall of the building.

"Because my Husband…my duty is to protect you…even from myself." I hear Lagertha's voice, the echoes of a dying girl's gasps almost being completely drowned out by Lagertha's voice, a rush of self hate floods through me and the change washes over my face and I bury my fangs in her neck, and drink till there is nothing left.

I pull back…I don't see Lagertha's face anymore but that of a young budding dead woman, that I drop to the ground, someone roughly grabs my shoulder and I round on them burying my fangs into their neck as well.

"Eat, my husband…feast you need your strength." Lagertha's voice whispers in my ears over powering the screams, and the smell of fire and fear.

By the time I come back to myself the colony city is in ruins. bodies litter the ground half burnt out house broken stone buildings surround me.

I feel Garmr start to lick the dried blood from my face while letting out a soft whimper growl sound and I pull him close to me and bury my face into his thick fluffy fur around his neck.

"I-I can't be around you Gar…I'm afraid I'll hurt you." I sob into his fur and feel his big hug wrap around my back like a hug.

"Your son couldn't wait for you to return so he tracked you down." I hear Lagertha's voice whispering in my ears but I know it's an illusion now…it has to be…a continued side effect of the cursed treasure.

Gar let's out a deep rumbling growl and I can feel the vibrations of it deep into my bones through our close connection as he conveys his feelings of comfort to me and that he's staying with me and will track me wherever I go.

"I love you Gar." I say softly as I continue to cry into his fur and cautiously pet him the phantom sensations of killing him over and over again racing through my body and mind.

"What the bloody hell happened here?" I hear someone shout questioningly, the voice sounds familiar and then I hear Jack muttering to himself…"The compass is never wrong...he's here."