A year after choosing peace, Freya wakes beside Bjorn in the home they built together, and their teasing intimacy shows how deeply happy and in love they are. Their life as farmers is difficult in ordinary ways, but Freya has cherished the safety of sleeping in Bjorn’s arms and living without war. Even so, the leaking roof, noisy animals, and the untouched weapons chest in their home quietly suggest that this peaceful life is not entirely settled.

When Ingrid arrives with Erik, Bjorn slips outside, joking as usual, while Ingrid notices the signs Freya and Bjorn have left of their former lives. Ingrid questions whether Freya is truly content, pointing to Freya’s shield and the packed weapons chest as proof that Freya has not fully let go of who she was. Freya insists that she and Bjorn fought for peace and should be satisfied with it, but Freya struggles to say the word "content," and both Freya and Bjorn seem restless.

That tension becomes action when a young rider arrives with news that southern raiders are attacking villages along the coast and that Leif has called all warriors to arms. Bjorn immediately says he is done with fighting unless war comes to his land, but Freya feels the old pull toward battle and urges that they at least go to Grindill, learn what has happened, and bring supplies. Because the attack is serious and Leif is asking for help, Bjorn agrees to go briefly, and Ingrid promises that she and Taric will watch the animals and repair the roof while they are away.

Inside the house, Freya and Bjorn open the weapons chest together, and the act of putting on their fighting gear reveals what neither had fully admitted. Freya takes up her father’s sword, Gyda’s seax, and her shield, feeling as if she is reclaiming old friends rather than returning to a burden. Once they ride out, Bjorn notices they did not pack supplies, which forces the truth into the open: Freya admits she does not want a quiet life after all and wants the harder, larger fate that comes with battle. Bjorn answers that he will follow her anywhere, summons his axe, and together they accept that defending Skaland is the life they truly choose, racing toward war side by side.