brave in the heart. vikings

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Chapter eleven

"The archer princess!" Ragnar exclaimed happily, his arms up in the air in greeting as he saw her following behind his son.

As Bjorn continued on passed him, leaving Merida to stand in front of him alone, Ragnar shot him a raised look, his eyes wide, silently questioning him. Merida smiled at his exaggerated glances, laughing as Bjorn shrugged them off and sighed.

"She wants to come with us home." He said and Ragnar's smile widened further as he raised his brows.

"Is that true?" He asked her, and Merida nodded, lifting her chin into the air.

"Yes, if you will allow me to." She said, holding his eye contact confidently.

"Your father knows you are here?" Ragnar asked, and Merida's confidence faltered.

"No. But it will not take long for him to figure out where I have gone."

"Would he approve?" His eyes were raised as he asked her.

"I believe he would. Though my mother would not."

"What will you do in Kattegat?"

Merida felt like he was interrogating her. She frowned. "Whatever I have to do."

Ragnar paused for a moment. She was frowning still as he raised a brow. He was looking straight into her and she raised her chin, not allowing him to see through her weakness. But Ragnar stepped to the side, holding his arm out.

"Welcome aboard, princess." He said, and Merida's head shot to the side.

"Really?" She asked. Ragnar nodded.

"Why not?" He said, and Merida beamed. "You all were hospitable to me and my people. It is my turn."

"Fate doesn't lie, my son." Ragnar said, directing his worlds as a warning to Bjorn, who straightened at the acknowledgment.

"I want to learn your language." Merida said.

"And you will." Ragnar insisted. "Bjorn, show her to my boat."

Within seconds, Bjorn was walking away in front. Merida frowned as she hurried after him, turning to walk backwards slightly in front of him, so she could see his face clearly as they talked. Bjorn didn't look at her, his face full with obvious conflict.

"There is no need to act so cold." Merida scolded. "I would have called us friends."

Bjorn didn't answer for a moment as he decided what he would say. "I am not your friend. I am not losing my life just to be married to some foreign princess."

"You think I wanted to marry you or any of the others?" Merida exclaimed, stopping in her tracks directly in front of him, forcing him to stop dead too.

"I'm coming with you, to stop that?" She said, and Bjorn physically relaxed as he sighed, his brows still burrowed.
"You know who my mother was going to marry me off to?"

Bjorn shook his head. Merida's hand shot to her head, her fingers pulling at her curly hair in frustration, at the mere thought of it. She shouted, "Wee Dingwall of all people!"

Bjorn began to laugh. It was quiet at first, but he grew louder, laughing obnoxiously at her misfortune.

"Stop laughing!" She screeched, her face burning bright. But he shook his head, chuckling still.

"Come on." He said, nudging his head forward, showing her the rest of the way.

As the boats left the shore, Merida's heart sank. She was finally leaving her life of restraints behind. But what was she really heading into?

"You are the princess." A voice startled her as a man came from behind to stand next to her at the front of the boat.

"And you are Floki. Genius boatbuilder, I hear." She replied, nodding toward the man in greeting.

He raised his brow, nodding back, before asking, "I am curious as to why you are on our boat."

Merida chuckled awkwardly. "I am coming to Norway with you."

"Ah. You are running away."

Merida frowned. When put as if she was running away from something, she felt cowardly. But was running away from fate so bad? She chose to see it as if she was running toward something. Toward something that she would want. Merida was not running away from her date. No, she was choosing it.

"So what if I am?" She said, her nose in the air slightly.

"You do not know what you are running into." Floki said, as he stared into her.

"It can't be worse that what I am running from." Merida said lowly, and Floki chuckled, shaking his head.

"I wouldn't bet on that."