As Snorri seizes control of Freya across the water, Freya collapses under the force of his command. When Bjorn orders Tora to sink the approaching ships, Freya throws herself into Tora to stop the strike and begs Bjorn’s side not to hurt Snorri. At the same time, Skaland’s ships close in to board, turning the failed ambush into open naval battle.

Snorri calls for Nordeland’s fleet to be destroyed and for Harald to be taken alive, and his order spreads through the attacking force. Bjorn sees the battle tipping toward the disaster his mother foresaw, while his mother urges him to use his bond with Freya to stop Snorri. Bjorn refuses, still unwilling to control Freya, even as Snorri tries to summon her back and declares that she has been liberated.

The fighting intensifies once the Skalanders board. Tora discovers that Ylva has warded the enemy ships against magic, limiting the damage she and Bjorn can do. Snorri repeatedly commands Freya to fight for Skaland and kill Tora, and Bjorn has to physically restrain Freya as she struggles against Snorri’s will, bleeding and weeping from the effort. Around them, Nordeland’s fleet burns and sinks, and Guthrum is knocked overboard and disappears beneath Snorri’s ship.

When Freya finally breaks from Bjorn’s grip and moves against Tora, Bjorn’s mother insists that the prophecy is coming true unless he acts. Realizing that killing Snorri will not stop the slaughter and that Nordeland is collapsing, Bjorn makes the choice he has resisted all along. Despite Freya’s terrified pleas, he invokes his power over her and commands Freya to fight for Nordeland and send its attackers to Hel.