This is the last chapter.

After the raiders returned, it didn't take long for things to return to normal. Even the sight of Rollo wondering around the village drunk, soon became common place. No one laughed at him. No one made any jokes at his expense. They only felt pity. They all knew that one day Siggy would have left him for someone who could offer her more or she would have driven him to kill his brother so he could become earl. But even knowing this, no one was willing to reach a hand out to help him. The few, brave souls who did try got a pounding for their troubles. The only one who could approach him without risking his life was Ragnar. But even he didn't know how to bring his brother back into the light.

"I worry for him," Ragnar often tells Lagertha. "I fear that when the snows arrive, we will one day find him dead on the streets or dead in his bed."

"I worry too," Lagertha would admit. She was glad that Ragnar was not angry with her for her schemes. He had agreed with her that Siggy was not the best woman for Rollo and the current situation was proof enough. Lagertha had told him about how Siggy had never left the earl's side from the moment he had arrived. She had told him that Siggy had not once mentioned Rollo. And when the earl had purposed, Siggy didn't hesitate and she didn't even have the decency to apologize for what she was about to do.

Ragnar and Lagertha weren't the only ones who were worrying over Rollo. It tore at Bryna's heart to see him struggling. She wanted to help him. She tried to help him, but the sight of her seemed to make him worse. She grudgingly kept her distance, promising herself that she would step in if she needed to. However, she did help him anonymously. She cleaned his house and left food for him. She also made sure that he had wood and tried to keep a fire going so he would have something warm to come back too. Every day she cursed Siggy's name for what she had done to him. But a small part of her was grateful. She tried to squash that feeling whenever it came up. Rollo was suffering, now was not right to feel happy.

The skies were becoming gray and the air was so cold that it stung the face, sure signs that the snows were not far off. Bryna made her way towards the main hall. She hoped to speak to Ragnar and Lagertha and see if they couldn't somehow convince Rollo to live with them for the winter. It was the only way that she could be sure that he wouldn't die.

When Bryna entered, she saw Ragnar and Lagertha seated near the fire, deep in conversation. She timidly walked up to them, not wanting to interrupt something important. Lagertha had seen Bryna approaching and halted her husband with a touch of her hand. The two of them turned towards her with smiles on their faces.

"Just the person I wanted to see," Ragnar said, making space for Bryna. He motioned for her to sit, which she did slightly confused.

"You wanted to see me?" Bryna asked, tilting her head. "Is everything alright. You don't have any concerns about your pregnancy Lagertha?"

Lagertha shook her head. "No," she said smiling. "Other than wanting it over already." Bryna nodded, understanding her meaning. "We wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"My fool of a brother," Ragnar said bitterly.

Bryna let out a bitter laugh of her own. "I came here to talk to the two of you about him." Lagertha smiled, slightly relieved, and then motioned for a servant to bring them something to warm to drink.

"What did you want to talk to us about?" Lagertha asked.

"You first," Bryna suggested.

Ragnar sighed heavily, accepting the drink from the servant. "On the way back from England, Rollo went back and forth between you and Siggy. He was planning on making one of you his wife."

"And he chose Siggy," Bryna said bitterly.

"In the end," Ragnar stated. "We all thought that he would choose you." Bryna drank heavily from her cup.

"What my husband is supposed to say is that we think we know why," Lagertha said quickly. Bryna tilted her head, interested. "This is not the first time Rollo has taken to being a drunk. Siggy was the one who pulled him out of that. We think," she said motioning to Ragnar, "that Rollo only chose Siggy because she had been there for him at his lowest. He felt like he owed it to her to take her as his wife."

Bryna drank again from her cup. It made sense. He felt obligated to marry her because of everything she had done for him. She understood exactly how he felt. She felt the same way. She wanted to help Rollo because he had helped her, but she also had fallen for him. She was sure that Siggy never had.

"We know that you have been secretly caring for my brother," Ragnar said, bringing her out of her thoughts. She placed her hands in her lap, blushing. "We are glad about that," he reassured her. "We want you to continue and if you need anything, let us know."

"But you mustn't forget yourself," Lagertha warned. "It would do us no good for you to suffer this winter because you were too busy trying to save Rollo from himself."

"We're fine," Bryna reassured them. "Honest. We spent most of the raiding season preparing for winter. We have plenty of food, warm clothes, blankets, and wood." Ragnar and his wife gave her a stern look till she relented and promised to let them know if she needed help.

"Now what did you want to ask us about Rollo," Lagertha asked.

"If he could stay with you over the winter."

"I'm afraid we can't promise that", Ragnar said. "My brother is very stubborn. But we will try our best." Unfortunately, even united there was nothing that they could do. Unless Rollo pulled himself together, they were just delaying his death. He was the only one would could stop it.

Bryna was on her way to visit a patient when the first snow of the year fell. She stopped in the middle of the street, turned her face upward and let the flakes kiss her skin. In the past, she always loved the first snow. It completely changed the landscape, turning the dead world around her into something beautiful. This year, it only filled her with sadness. With a heavy sigh, she continued on, her mind and heart heavy.

On the way back home, Bryna decided to take a small detour and make sure that Rollo had a fire in his house. When she got there, she noticed that the door was ajar. Cautiously, she made her way inside, covering her nose against the stench of stale ale, spoiled food, and unwashed man. From the bedroom, she could hear someone snoring, loudly. When she peeked in, she saw Rollo sprawled out across his bed half-dressed. She gasped.

Bryna could see Rollo's spin and ribs. He had lost a great amount of weight. It had been hard to due to the bulky clothes he wore to protect himself from the cold. Bottles littered the floor around his bed. Their liquid already icing over because of the cold. Her shock soon gave way to righteous anger. How could one man be so selfish?

Bryna stormed out of the house, grabbing an axe along the way. She was angry to see that the blade was nicked and rusty. A warrior should take care of his weapons. She scanned the neighboring houses quickly, smiling when she found what she was looking for. She strode across the street towards a bucket of water that had been left out. Using the axe, she smashed the top layer of ice, pleased to see the water splashing about below. She then carried the bucket back to Rollo's house, leaving it outside.

Using the little bit of wood left in the house, Bryna started a small fire. She then went outside and grabbed the bucket of ice cold water. With a quick and purposeful strike, she made her way back to the bed room and then tossed the contents of the bucket onto the sleeping man.

Rollo awoke with a roar, flinging his arms wildly. His eyes were wild and unfocused until they rested on Bryna. "Curse you, woman!" he bellowed, lunging for her, but she was ready. Quickly, she grabbed his arms and used his momentum to throw him into the main room of his house. His breath came out in a great whoop when he hit the floor, but Bryna didn't give him a chance to recover. In a flash she had him pinned beneath her and held a knife to his throat.

The feeling of cold steel under his chin caused Rollo to still. He looked about still dazed until he met Bryna's eyes, quailing under their fire. "You stupid, selfish ma!" she shouted into his face. "Do you honestly think that Siggy was the only person who cared about your sorry hide? Do you even care about the other people who love you who are worrying themselves sick? No! You don't care about anything but your own sorrow and drink! Why do I even bother?" Her voice broke as she said the last part. Blinking against her tears, she pushed herself off of him, and then walked out into the snow without another word.

Rollo remained on the floor for several moments after Bryna's departure. Her words fought to make their way through all the darkness and ale in this head. When they finally make through, rolled over and stumbled towards the door. He flung the door open, looking up and down the street, but she was already gone. Dimly, he became aware of the people who were staring at him and of his own disheveled appearance. Ashamed, he turned and ran back inside. He was surprised to find a fire. He had no memory of starting one. In fact, he was very few memories since the day Siggy left. That meant that Bryna had set it before she had doused him in ice water. He sat at his table and mulled over her words. It was difficult to remember them because his head was still swimming but he did remember her saying something about other people loving him and he remembered the tears in her eyes just before he left. His stomach felt sick and it had nothing to do with the lack of food and over abundance of ale. He had caused her to cry. He had made her suffer.

With a groan, Rollo placed his head in his hands and pulled back against his hair. He was worthless. He ruined everything. "If you don't mind me saying so brother, you look like shit," Ragnar said.

Rollo's head shot up, causing him to grasp the table until the room stopped spinning. When he could see straight again, he turned to see his brother leaning against the doorframe. "I feel like shit," Rollo admitted. He was surprised to see his brother smile.

"Good," Ragnar said, pushing himself off the doorframe. "That means we can help you now."

"We?"

"Me and Lagertha," Ragnar explained. "Come stay with us. She's due to give birth any day now and the whole family should be there." Ragnar waited calmly for his brother's response.

"Alright," Rollo said, rising unsteadily to his feet. Ragnar entered the room and gave his brother a crushing hug that lasted longer than it normally would have, but Rollo didn't mind. Neither man was good expressing his feelings. They would not cry, but they would hold onto each other like a drowning man holds onto a log.

"First things first, brother," Ragnar said when they finally let go. "You desperately need a bath." Rollo laughed for the first time in months. He whole heartedly agreed with his brother. After Rollo grabbed the cleanest of his clothes, he and his brother left his filthy house, arms over the other's shoulder like nothing had ever happened.

Over the next few days, Rollo slowly began to heal the wounds left by Siggy's betrayal. He ate his meals with Ragnar, Lagertha, and their children. He cleaned up his home, stocked it with wood, and took care of his weapons. He was grateful that none of his family commented on his past behavior. The only thing that they did was offer their love and support. He only saw Bryna once, and it was a brief encounter. He had seen her as she left after she had checked on Lagertha to see how she was feeling.

"Bryna," Rollo called out.

"Hello Rollo," Bryna replied coolly. He wondered if she was still angry with him. "Glad to see you up and about."

"Yes."

Bryna paused for a moment, as if she was deciding something. "I can come by later to take a look at you," she said finally. "I could also give you some herbs that might be able to help you get your strength back quicker."

Rollo smiled. She was giving him a way to see her again. "I'd like that," he said. He was rewarded with a smile from her.

"Once you get a little more meat on your bones, I'll take you out to our practice grounds and see if you still have what it takes."

Rollo stared at her confused until he saw the teasing smile on her lips. "If you think you could take me," he retorted.

"Oh I'll take you," Bryna laughed before she turned and left with a wave, leaving Rollo to sort out the true meaning of her words.

oOo

This river will soon be frozen over, Bryna thought to herself as she carefully made her way along the riverbed. She was searching for the herbs that would ease Lagertha's birthing pains. From what she had seen during her visit, Lagertha would be giving birth in a few days time. The forest seemed even more beautiful this afternoon. The sun made the snow and ice glitter like precious stones, but she knew that it wasn't nature that was making everything beautiful. Rollo had finally come to his senses. He was trying to get better. And he was still interested in her.

Bryna wanted to sing to the gods above, thanking them for this blessing. Who knows, maybe one day in the future they will be married with a child of their own on the way. All her life, she wanted a family of her own. Since the death of her parents she had always been an outsider. She always wanted something that was completely her own. A place where she fit in.

Bryna was so happy about the future that she wasn't paying any attention to the present. If she had, then maybe she would have remembered that slavers worked just as much in the winter as they do during raiding season. She would have remembered to have taken her axes or her bow with her into the woods; she might have noticed the shadows that were following her. But she didn't. She was so wrapped up in her own happy little world that when she was struck from behind, the only thought in her head before she went under was oh, here's the herb I was looking for.

oOo

Rollo was busy building up the fire when he heard a knock at his door. Smiling, he reached for a sliver necklace he acquired so many months ago to tuck it to his pocket. However, when he opened the door, it wasn't the person he had expected.

"Is she here?" Kava demanded as she pushed her way passed Rollo, looking at every corner of his small home.

"Who?"

"Bryna!" Kava cried, spinning around.

Once again, Rollo had the uncomfortable feeling of ice settling into his stomach. "She was supposed to come by," he said, lamely, "but she hasn't yet."

Kava collapsed into one of his chairs and much to Rollo's discomfort, began to cry. "She left late this afternoon," she sobbed, "she wanted to get a particular type of plant for Lagertha before she went into labor. But she hasn't returned."

Now it was Rollo's turn to sit down. Night had fallen for some time now. "Did she know where the herb was," he asked.

"I believe so," sobbed Kava. "She mentioned something about heading to the river."

Rollo flew into action. He tore through his home grabbing his weapons, traveling gear, and food supplies. "Can you make a healing bag for me?" he asked Kava when he came to a stop by his door. Kava nodded. He gave her a small, reassuring smile before he took off running towards the main hall. The sooner a search party was made, the sooner they would find her.

oOo

The first thing Bryna became aware of when she regained consciousness was a great pain in her head. She tried to reach up to feel for a wound but found her hands to be tied behind her back. Her eyes shot open and her body was hyper aware. She was a prisoner! The ground beneath her was hard and rocky and as far as she could tell, she was still in the woods. She silently thanked the gods. If her captors had put her in a boat it would have made it impossible for her to find her way back, should she break free.

Slowly, she turned her head to study her surroundings better. Night was quickly falling and her captors had set up a crude camp. Their tents were nothing more than bits of tarp tied in between the trees. Their fire was small but provided enough heat to cook the rabbit they had caught. The smell of the roasting meat caused her stomach to growl. It had been hours since she had last eaten. She pushed her hunger aside. She would worry about that later. She turned her attention to the two men by the fire who had taken her.

Their clothes were torn and just as dirty as their bodies. Bryna could smell their stench when the wind shifted her way. Bandits, she sneered silently. As silently as she could, she tried to shift herself up. As soon as she was on her feet, she would take off into the woods and hopefully loose them. Then she would break her bonds and hurry back to the village. But just as she had sat up, she was struck from behind.

"Fools!" shouted a third bandit, bigger than the others. "I told you to watch her while I hid our trail!"

"She's still here ain't she," whined one of the bandits. "Besides, we got a rabbit to cook."

The big bandit grabbed Bryna by her hair and dragged her towards the fire. She bit her lip to keep from screaming out. She would not show fear or pain in front of these men. The big bandit threw her roughly to the ground and then struck the bandit who had spoken. With a yelp, he landed into the fire. He quickly rolled way, then leapt up, swatting at his clothes.

"You see her!" shouted the big bandit, pointing at Bryna. "You see her hair? You see her eyes? Have you ever seen the like before?" The other bandits mumbled no. "Exactly. Just think of the gold we'll get for her." He then recovered the rabbit from the ashes to eat it under his tarp. The other two bandits glared at their leader for a moment before they turned their attention to Bryna. She kept her face neutral and didn't give them any resistance when they picked her up and lead her to the edge of their camp. They untied her wrists before shoving her to the ground once again. They twisted her arms around the tree at her back and then retied her wrists.

The bandits ignore Bryna the rest of the night. She watched them silently as they ate without offering her anything. She watched as they drunk themselves to sleep. Once she was sure that they were out, she closed her eyes and reached for her power. When her eyes opened, they glowed brighter than the fire. She took a deep breath and then exhaled. Her breath came out as a golden mist. The mist gathered to become a small ball of golden light.

"Find help," Bryna commanded. The ball of light flew off into the night. She prayed that it would find help before they got too far and before she ended up as the play thing for a wealthy lord. With a heavy sigh, she shifted to ease the ache in her arms before she went to sleep herself. There was nothing more she could do tonight.

oOo

Rollo had searched through the night. He was tired but he had vowed to not stop until Bryna was safe. Ragnar walked silently beside him and he was grateful for his brother. When he had come to his brother to tell him that Bryna was missing, his brother sprung into action. In no time several search parties had been formed and sent out.

Rollo knew that his brother had a big ego, hell he did too, but Ragnar would always be there for him when he needed him to be. He felt bad for all the things he had done and thought to do. He swore that things would be different from now on.

The sky had begun to lighten when Ragnar called for a stop. "The trail is gone," he whispered. Rollo nodded. They had found the kidnapper's trail fairly quickly, but now they could find nothing. "We will not stop looking for her," Ragnar promised. "And when we find her, those who took her will pay dearly."

But Rollo wasn't paying any attention to his brother. He was too busy trying to see a small ball of light that was flying wildly through the woods. Ragnar noticed his brother's stare and the two stood as still as the trees around them, watching the light.

As it got nearer, the light slowed and began to circle around them. The brothers gripped their weapons, unsure of the light's intent. "Help," the light said in a familiar voice, a voice that Rollo knew well. He took one step towards the light. The light stopped circling the brothers and shot off back in the direction it came. The brothers followed the light without a second guess. They knew who had sent the light.

"Get up!" growled a voice, causing Bryna to shoot up. Or at least she tried too. With her arms still bound, the only thing she managed was to hurt her shoulders. She let out an involuntary yelp which earned a laugh from the bandits. One of them cut her ties and let her massage her shoulder and wrists before tying them in front of her.

"Try anything funny," snarled the big bandit, "and you'll find yourself dead in a ditch."

Bryna glared at the bandit but complied. Hopefully by now, her sending had found someone who could help her. It would lead them right to her, no matter how far the bandits took her. Then she would get her revenge. Her thoughts must have shown on her face because the next thing she knew, the big bandit swung his meaty hand and struck her across the face. The force of the blow caused her to fall to the ground with a roaring in her ears. But when the roaring continued, she looked up and saw Rollo and Ragnar bursting forth from the trees, weapons drawn.

One of the bandits went down quickly, the victim of Rollo's axes. The big bandit drew his sword with a roar of his own. He charged at the two brothers followed shortly by the remaining bandit. Bryna pushed herself up into a sitting position and watched the battle raging before her. Ragnar was locked in battle with the smaller bandit while Rollo took on the leader. Heart in her throat, she watched as they traded blows, each one drawing blood. Time seemed to slow down as the fight raged on. Her eyes followed ever swing of a sword or axe. She watched as the men grew tired and bloody. Suddenly, Ragnar's opponent fell; his throat slashed.

Breathing heavily, Ragnar walked over to Bryna and cut her ropes. She rubbed her wrists, her eyes tearing up. Ragnar offered her a smile before he pulled her in for a hug. Their attention was drawn back the battle when they heard a loud cry. Rollo swung his axe in a wide arch and imbedded it into the skull of the big bandit. He smiled cruelly as the light left the bandit's eyes and pulled his axe free with a wet noise.

Rollo gasped heavily as he scanned the camp site for any other opponents. Seeing none, he turned his eyes towards Bryna, who was still sitting on the ground. He was suddenly self conscious of the gore on his body, the wild violence in his eyes. He turned his back on her.

Bryna saw sorrow take over Rollo's eyes just before he turned. She flung herself from the ground and ran towards him. She cried his name, causing him to turn around. She flung herself into his arms and wept. She cried his name over and over, clinging to him. She felt his strong arms circle around her and for the first time since the bandits had taken her, for the first time in her life, safe.

oOo

Once again, Kava helped Bryna get dressed. Only this time, Bryna was wearing a white dress with ribbons in her hair. Around her neck she had switched her gold necklace for a silver one. When Kava finished, she stepped back to admire her work with tears in her eyes.

"You are beautiful," she said taking Bryna's face into her hands. She placed a kiss on her forehead. "Your parents would be proud."

"Thank you," Bryna whispered, tears in her own eyes.

There was a knock at the door. Kava quickly kissed Bryna one last time before stepping out into the bright, wintery morning. Bryna followed behind her. The women made their way through the village, smiling back at all who had come to watch the ceremony. They made their way towards the main hall where a small group of people stood, waiting for them.

Lagertha stood next to Ragnar, holding a small bundle in her arms – a baby boy. Their other children stood beside them beaming. The priestess stood in the middle of the group, smiling, and to her right stood Rollo.

Bryna's breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. He looked good enough to be a god and soon he would be hers. He grinned when she took his hand and then their marriage ceremony began. Bryna wasn't aware of any of it. She didn't hear the priestess speak about the duties of a husband and a wife. The only thing she was aware of was Rollo's eyes on her and the warmth that spread from him to her. When it was time to seal their union with a kiss the crowd let out a huge cheer. Smiling and laughing, everyone made their way inside for a wedding feast that would be talked about for years to come.

Bryna was busy undoing the ribbons in her hair, when Rollo walked up behind her. He snaked his arms around her and began to nuzzle into her neck. His hands traveled up her body to rest on her shoulders. He gently turned her around, tilting her face towards his. Slowly he lowered his head to kiss her. When their lips met, a fire exploded at her center. The fire spread till she thought that she would burst from it. Rollo broke this kiss, smiling as she protested. He then lifted her up and carried her to the bedroom where their dreams and desires finally came true.

Word spread throughout the land about how Rollo, the brother of the great Ragnar, had married a chosen one of the gods. The tale spread from person to person until it reached a village deep within the mountains. When one woman heard the tale, she felt her soul crumble to pieces. There was no one left to help her.

Siggy cried late into the night. Her marriage had not turned out the way she planned. Instead of being the respected wife of a great earl, she was pitied. Earl Soren was a cruel husband who didn't bother to hide his numerous mistresses. When Siggy had threatened to leave, he had beaten her nearly to the point of death. He then warned her that if she did try to escape then he would kill her like his last wife. For weeks she had tried to find a way to send word to Rollo, telling him of her suffering and begging him to save her. But now, she knew that he would never come. The gods had gotten their revenge on the person who had dared to thwart their will. Siggy would pay for every one of her crimes. She would feel the pain she had caused so many others. It was the way of the world. They way they had made it. For every hurt you caused another so would it be reaped on you in return and Siggy had only just begun to pay for her crimes.

Well there it is the end of the story. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. If you liked this story then please feel free to check out my other one's which you can find on my profile. Thanks again!