Chapter 246: The Blessed One and The Living God

Helga looked at the towering Palace in the centre of Brookhaven. Her heart nearly burst seeing its grandeur. Who built it? Did giants exist in the new world? Was this Uppsala? Questions she didn’t have the answers to kept assaulting her, yet she couldn’t look away.

It was what she wanted—the home that she deserved. Everything about it was worthy. "Wait here." William lifted his hand, stopping them, and walked into the palace.

"Halfdan. What is this place? Is this the lands of the Gods?" It made her question everything she believed. Far Mile had been an amazing sight—the towering walls, bustling city—everything about it was new. But Brookhaven was a completely different beast. The city alone was immense, but the palace looked straight out of legend.

Halfdan chuckled and shook his head. "It’s where Alfred lives. The centre of his empire."

"He lives here?" Helga couldn’t help but be amazed. But the more she thought, the more right it was. It was the home of a ruler. The home of someone claimed to be blessed by their God.

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"Alfred." William looked at Alfred. He could see he was itching to jump out of his chair and run out but was containing himself with the help of Isra at his side. "She has arrived. But there is a problem."

"Did that snake do something?" Alfred didn’t even look at him, keeping his eyes locked on the grounds his leg bounced. William gulped his lip, stuttering, trying to find how to say it. "Just say it, William. Please." Alfred nearly shouted the words but took a deep breath, calming himself.

"Alfred." Williams’s eyes landed on Isra, and he closed his eyes, collecting himself. "She has children. Babies." Time seemed to freeze with an uncomfortable silence. Neither dared to breathe or move as Isra and William looked at Alfred.

"Yo-your joking." Alfred stood up, his body shaking. Looking at William, he tried to find out if it was a sick joke made by his friend, but seeing him avoid his eyes, he nearly collapsed into his chair. "No. Please."

"I wish it were a joke, Alfred," William said softly. Like a puppet whose strings were cut, Alfred collapsed into the chair. His head fell onto Isra’s shoulder. "What shall we do?"

Alfred’s breathing became heavy, his blinking rapid. "Give me a minute. Take her to the throne room." William nodded, giving a small bow before leaving. Isra looked at he husband and grabbed his face, looking into his eyes.

"Alfred." Her voice was soft, full of love as she whispered his name. "I told you before. I can do it."

His mouth opened and closed. He tried to force himself to say the words. It was simple. ’Do it.’ Only two words. But he couldn’t, his voice getting trapped in his throat. The day he had been dreading, Isra had been dreading. The nightmare they had only hoped would be a fantasy had come true.

Isra looked at him and rested her forehead against his. "Alfred." Hearing her voice, he felt his body and heart crumble.

"I’m sorry, Isra. I’m so sorry."

"Don’t." Isra looked into his eyes, a powerful look in them. "This wasn’t your fault, Alfred. It’s hers. Don’t apologise. Don’t destroy yourself over her." Isra looked deep into his eyes. Despite everything she said, everything she didn’t want him to be, she could see that there was only one way he would feel better. Bringing her mouth to his ear, she smiled cruelly. "Punish her. Don’t let her control your life, Alfred. Don’t let this control you. I know what I said before, but I will always support you."

Alfred pulled himself away. Her words felt like the devil’s whisperers, but he didn’t care. She was right. It was the only way forward. It was what he promised. Her smile was infectious, and he nodded. "You’re right. Why must I be the only one to suffer?"

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"We have to take her dagger," William said to Halfdan with cold eyes. With a wry smile, he looked at Helga and sighed.

"She won’t do it, you know." Looking back at William, the man’s cold eyes were enough of an answer, and Halfdan rubbed his forehead in annoyance. "Helga. You can’t take the knife in."

Halfdan saw the confusion on her face, followed by a snort. "I don’t care. It mine. I’m not giving it."

"You will get it back." Halfdan tried to put on a flattering smile, but it only disgusted Helga.

"Don’t do that, it’s weird." Reaching behind her back, her fingers danced on the knife’s hilt. She tried to pull it but shook her head. "I can’t give it up. It’s a part of me, Halfdan."

"She won’t give it." Halfdan looked at William and shrugged at the old general. His annoyance was clear as he looked between the two.

"Why?"

"Says it’s a part of her or some stupid shit." William didn’t care and held his hand out. The woman’s head snapped onto Halfdan, and in a quick motion, she reached out, slamming his head into the door. As quick as she did that, William pulled his sword and placed it on her neck.

"I told you, Halfdan. It’s mine." Her eyes landed on the blade on her neck. With a small chuckle let go of Halfdan’s face and pushed it away.

"She not giving it without a fight. Besides, what does it matter? She will be killed before she could even use it." William looked at her once more and sighed, giving up. If she was this volatile without even taking it out, he couldn’t imagine how she would react if it were done by force.

He knew that she had to die at Alfred’s hands. He couldn’t risk taking that away from him. "Fine." William gave up and pushed open the door to the throne room. Helga looked down the long path of soldiers that created a path. At the end, she saw the throne guarded by five soldiers in black armour.

Her breath quickened, and holding her head high, she boldly followed behind William. Frida and Halfdan followed quickly behind but felt less optimistic about the whole thing. Halfdan knew what it was: an execution. Alfred was taking no risks, and the number of soldiers all over the room was proof.

Frida felt scared and held the two children closer to herself. Each pair of eyes looked at them coldly, almost as if they weren’t human. The stories she heard about Alfred and Helga falling in love quickly vanished, and an overwhelming feeling of dread took over.

It stunned the two how casually Helga acted as if everything about the situation was natural. William pushed past the five royal guards, and Halfdan had to stop Helga from walking past them as well. She shot a stern glare at him, but with a shake of the head, she understood it wasn’t time yet to sit on the throne.

"Now Entering His Majesty the Emperor and Empress consort." After five minutes of unbearable silence, the announcer called as the door by the side of the throne opened. All the soldiers other than the five royal guards fell to their knees and bowed toward the throne.

Halfdan quickly followed, understanding quickly, whilst Frida struggled. Only Helga, William, and the five Royal Guards stayed standing. Alfred didn’t look at her, while Isra stared with cold, murderous eyes.

’Who is she?’It was intriguing, but when she saw Isra sit next to Alfred, a cold feeling overtook her. Alfred finally opened his eyes and looked at Helga. His hand gripped tightly around the throne’s armrest, and Isra gently placed his hand on his, calming him.

With a couple of deep breaths, Alfred swallowed the saliva that had built up in his mouth. He tried his best to look at her with anything but contempt but failed. "Why have you returned?" His voice was cold talking, and Helga felt confused by it.

"What do you mean? I came back for you. Those vermin at home didn’t appreciate me, but I know you will." Alfred felt as if he was about to destroy the armrests with how tight he clenched them, but Helga didn’t notice, flashing a beautiful smile.

It was strange. Alfred could tell she was serious. In her own delusion, she truly felt that way. But her face was empty. Her remaining eye was hollow, devoid of light, and her smile lacked real emotion. "Did you really think that I would accept you?" He needed to know. She was the devil to him, but it was clear that she thought differently.

Alfred’s light chuckling echoed in the room as he leaned forward, a murderous look filling his eyes. It stunned her. Taking a step back, she squinted dangerously. "What do you mean? Why wouldn’t you? Look at the proof of our love—a beautiful daughter."

Alfred nearly stood up at the words, his teeth gashing. Despite seeing the children, he couldn’t help but notice she missed out on the boy. "You." His voice shook with rage as he pointed in her direction. "You violated me. Forced upon me this. And you think it was love."

He was genuinely baffled by it. Helga tilted her head to the side in confusion. "You accepted me. Accepted my divinity, my very being. I saw it when we first met. Destined to conquer the world. Enlighten those beneath me."

"Oh my God. You really don’t understand." The rage seemed to vanish for a second only to return as quickly. She was insane. Trapped in her own world, only to think of herself. It baffled him. How could someone like that exist? "I don’t love you. I don’t accept you. I hate you. Your very existence is disgusting."

"What?" Helga’s shift in mood was sudden as her face went ice cold. Staring into Alfred’s eyes, she could see he wasn’t lying. "You want to kill me?"

His silence was enough of an answer for her, and Helga smiled, quietly chuckling to herself. Looking at Halfdan, the man avoided her eyes, not wishing to be in the line of sight. "Why? If you hate me. Why did you let me have your children?"

"LET YOU!" Alfred screamed, standing up. The entire room shifted, reacting to the Emporer’s scream. "You assaulted me. Made me feel less than human. I have been thinking for so long what to do when you return. How to make you suffer." Alfred took a step forward down the steps of the throne. "Make you pay for what you did." His steps were heavy as he walked forward. Helga looked at him, her smile growing wider.

"I want nothing more than for you to feel what I did. And you came to my door willingly." He returned an equally cruel smile, staring at her. Helga’s laughs echoed in the hall as she looked at Alfred, shaking her head.

"You wish to kill me? Me?" She calmed herself down and looked around. Every soldier looked at her, ready for the order to cut her down, and finally, she realised the trap. Hundreds of ideas to get out ran through her mind, but all ended in failure.

"No." With a voice full of arrogance, she refused. "No human can kill me." There was only one way to leave the room.

In a quick motion, she pulled the dagger from behind her back. Everyone drew their weapons as a Royal Guard pushed Alfred behind his back, covering him. "I would never let you do that. You don’t deserve it. I want you to spend every pathetic waking moment knowing that you failed. You will look at your children and know that you failed. You can cut their throats, and it won’t change a thing. I won."

"STOP HER!" Alfred cried out to his guards, and they charged forward, trying to grab Helga. Despite that, she smiled and plunged the knife into her own heart, coughing out blood as she did.

Refusing to fall, she looked at Alfred and laughed in contempt. "Uppsala waits for me, and I will laugh drinking with my brothers and sisters, knowing I won. Knowing you will never be happy." Through sheer willpower, Helga said the words, looking as Alfred charged at her in rage.

Tackling her to the ground, her manic laughs slowly died as Alfred pulled the blade out and repeatedly stabbed into her. Everyone took a step back, terrified of Alfred. His body slowly was covered in blood as the screams of the two babies echoed. Long into her death, he looked at the smiling face that had died and continued to stab, unable to stop.