"WHO WANTS TO BE KING?!"
Ragnar angrily started towards you and his sons, moving to stand in front of Sigurd who stared at him in disgust. "What about you, Sigurd? Do you want to be king?"
Everyone looked to the prince, Ivar crawling forward to get a better view.
Sigurd said nothing, staring into his fathers eyes. Ragnar turned to Ubbe, standing in front of your best friend.
"Do you want to be King, Ubbe?" Ragnar asked. "Kill me, and you are King. King Ubbe!" Ragnar laughed before he suddenly hit Ubbe.
"What are you waiting for?!"
Hit!
"Are you afraid?! Be a man!"
Ragnar and Ubbe stared at each other, both angry with extreme self control. Ragnar chuckled as he moved down the line again.
This time, he placed a hand on Ivar's head, stroking his son's hair before he looked to you.
"Would you like to lead, Astrid? Be like Lagertha and kill to be a leader? WOULD YOU?!"
Unlike your friends, you didn't jump at Ragnar's loud and booming voice. You didn't move, only staring up at your uncle with a smirk.
Ragnar stared down at you, seeming angry but on the inside, he was proud. From what he could tell, you were a strong and fierce shield maiden.
Turning and walking toward the middle, Ragnar didn't notice the grip on Ubbe's sword tightening.
Ubbe walked after his father, sword in hand.
Ragnar knew. He fucking knew. Turning, he stared at his second son.
Glancing down at Ivar, you saw him already looking to you. He reached up, grasping your right hand in his own before you both looked back to Ragnar and Ubbe.
Ragnar spread his arms wide as he stared at Ubbe, you and the rest of the people staring with fear, anger or concern.
Slowly, Ragnar started toward his son until he stood face to face with Ubbe.
Out of nowhere, he pulled Ubbe into a hug. You smiled at the sight as Ubbe dropped his sword and hugged his father like he had been longing for all this time.
Ivar was confused along with his brothers and the people as murmurs erupted from the crowd.
But then, Bjorn walked into the circle, moving past the crowd and crossing his arms as he stared at his father while Ragnar stared at his firstborn, still hugging Ubbe.
Ubbe pulled away, tears in his eyes which he refused to shed.
You smiled, reaching out for your friend who quickly took your hand and soon stood beside you.
While the boys saw you as a sister, they also saw you as home. They would go to you for anything. If they were sad or angry or tired or just needed to talk, they would go to you. Sometimes, rarely, they would come for sex which you would happily give them. But Ivar didn't know that... yet.
"Why did you come back?" Bjorn asked
-
"It would appear that you have another son!" Bjorn said.
Now, you stood with Ragnar and his sons in the woods.
"His name is Magnus. His mother is Queen Kwentherith and he lives in King Ecbert's Villa in Wessex." Bjorn said as Ragnar laughed, playing with a stick
"Ah, who told you that?" The laughing King asked
"A warrior who was fighting in Wessex." You answered, glaring at the man as Bjorn nodded in confirmation
"And this was the same warrior who told you about the settlement?" Ragnar asked
Bjorn nodded.
"I came back..." Ragnar said as he stood. "I came back because of wanted to see what has become of my children, Astrid as well."
You scoffed as you and the brothers all glanced at each other.
"And?" Bjorn asked.
"And I'm going to England." Ragnar said. "And I thought that you all might want to join me."
"What do you say, Hvitserk?" Ragnar asked
Hvitserk shook his head.
"Ubbe?"
"No." Ubbe answered
"Sigurd?"
Sigurd looked away as Ragnar sighed.
"I can see in your eyes that your answer is also no, Bjorn." Ragnar said. "But you're unpredictable, Astrid. What about you? Would you like to come with your Uncle to England?"
The brothers all looked to you, hoping you would say no but Ubbe and Bjorn knew your loyalty to Ragnar.
You walked toward Ragnar, standing in front of him.
The brothers all jumped as they watched you punch their father, the man falling back to sit against the tree again.
"I'd love to go with you." You smiled before walking off, leaving the men staring after you.
-
At dinner, you sat with Helga, Aslaug and the sons of Ragnar. Floki wanted to finish building the boats.
So when Aslaug invited your family to attend dinner in their home, you gladly agreed. Now, you sat between Helga and Ivar.
"So!" Ivar started, throwing his knife on the table. "Father wants to go to England. Astrid is going, against my wishes, might I add. Why do you not want to go with him, brothers?" Ivar asked
Aslaug glanced at her other sons at this question while you and Helga remained silent.
"You know why." Ubbe said. "Now shut up."
"Is it the same for you, Sigurd? Or a-are you a afraid of being seasick?" Ivar asked as he leaned forward, scrunching his nose
"I'm not afraid of anything, brother." Sigurd answered
"Not even me?" Ivar asked
Sigurd didn't answer. He continued to eat while you rolled your eyes.
Margrethe, a slave, came walking towards the table with a pitcher of ale.
"Would you like some more ale, Ivar?" The girl questioned
"Sure." Ivar smiled up at her. You knew that he wanted to bed her. As you watched the girl pour his ale, you watched him reach behind her and grabbed at her ass.
Your nose twitched in anger as you slammed your own cup of ale down on the table.
Hvitserk and the other brothers chuckled, knowing that you would be going to one of their beds later to get your anger out.
"It is wrong to treat her that way." Ubbe spoke up
"Why are you so polite?" Ivar asked in annoyance as Margrethe moved back and moved to fill your cup. "She's just a slave. You all just want to have her. You too, Ubbe." Ivar chuckled
"Ivar." Aslaug said in a warning tone. "Be polite in front of our guests."
"Mother." Ivar sighed. He saw her small smile at his words.
Aslaug had always favoured Ivar over her other sons due to his deformity. She paid more attention to him and forced everyone around him to be kind and spoil him.
"We don't mind." Helga smiled as she brushed hair away from your eyes
Ivar chuckled, drinking from his now full cup.
"Not that it matters, but I already have a woman to warm my bed." Hvitserk chuckled as he glanced at you while you rolled your eyes. Thankfully, Ivar didn't notice and asked questions. Hvitserk then went on in great detail to explain how beautiful the woman was when she would allow him to fill her with his seed. How it was a miracle she had not gotten pregnant yet by him or a few others he knows.
"Enough, Hvitty. I'm trying to eat." You said
The rest of dinner, Hvitserk was smirking at you.
-
You danced on the beach with Helga when you felt a hand on your shoulder, making you jump.
"Hello, Astrid!" Ragnar laughed
You smiled at the sight of his bruised cheek and hugged him.
Helga, on the other hand, was shocked at the sight of Ragnar. It had been 10 years since she's last seen him and the same for Floki.
"You look like you've seen a ghost, Helga." Ragnar noted after you pulled away.
"Are you a ghost?" Helga asked
"Perhaps I am." Ragnar said as he grabbed the hand of both you and your mother, leading you down the beach. "So where is he then?" Ragnar asked
-
Now, you sat on the side of the boat, beside your father. Ragnar stood in the centre with a smile as Floki giggled.
"You've done it again, my friend." Ragnar laughed. "This is the sleekest and fastest boat you've ever built!"
"I think it is. Astrid and I, we've learned so much over the years. She's been helping me build the boats. We've seen what works and what doesn't work. And I've forced my mind to contemplate the ideal boat." Floki said
"And now, you're giving your ideal boat to my son, Bjorn." Ragnar sighed as he sat down
"Mhm." Floki hummed.
"It's fitting... in an annoying way." Ragnar said.
"Astrid!" You heard Hvitserk call. Looking to the trees, you saw him standing there, waving you over. "Let's go!"
"Yes, Astrid. Go warm his bed again." Floki bitterly said
"Father." You sighed as you stood.
"Hang on, warm Hvitserk's bed?" Ragnar asked with a chuckle
"I may or may not have a different type of relationship with each of your sons." You said as you got off the boat
"We'll be talking when you get back!" Ragnar called after you
He watched as you and Hvitserk grasped each other's hand, rushing into the woods together, smiling and laughing and chuckled.
"Ah, children. To be that age again."
-
Later that night, moans filled Hvitserk's chambers. You were naked in his bed while he was still clothed and had his head stuck between your thighs.
Unable to handle his teasing tongue any longer, you grabbed his hand, and pulled him up. Panting, you moaned again as he kissed you. Hvitserk was excellent with his tongue and he knew what he was doing by teasing you with it.
"Quiet down, darling. We wouldn't want Ivar to hear, would we?" Hvitserk asked, pulling away from the kiss
He smirked as you were unable to answer, standing and pulling down his trousers. He smirked as you whined at the sight of him getting undressed.
You rolled onto your stomach as Hvitserk crawled over you, wrapping one hand around your neck while resting his forearm by your hand as he found your entrance and slammed into you, smirking as you let out a loud moan.
Moving his hand away from your neck, he covered your mouth as he moved faster and faster, grunting each time his hips connected with yours.
Sigurd groaned as he covered his head with his pillow, listening to Astrid's loud moans and Hvitserk's grunts. These two were animals, addicted to sex. Whenever Astrid would visit Hvitserk's room, Sigurd was stuck listening to her screams all night.
-
The next day, you waited at the training grounds for your friends who liked to take their sweet time.
When you finally spotted them, you smirked, seeing them carrying Ivar.
"Astrid! Come help carry him!" Ubbe called
You sighed, rolling onto your back.
"No." You chuckled
You heard Ivar laugh while Ubbe, Hvitserk and Sigurd groaned. When Ivar was finally put down beside you, the 3 older brothers glared at you while Ivar reached down and stroked your hair.
"Sometimes, we hate you." Sigurd groaned as he stretched
"No you don't." You chuckled
"No, we don't." Hvitserk agreed with a sharp sigh
"Come, little dove." Ivar said. You stood, with his help before gently sitting on his lap. While the boys prepared for training, Ivar focused on you as he rested his forehead against yours.
Ubbe now stood beside you two and grabbed an arrow. Looking to your best friend, you saw him holding his bow up. He looked back at you and Ivar before releasing his arrow.
The arrow hid the head of the deer that your people used as targets. They were dead, of course.
You stood so Ivar could shoot his own arrow, watching as the arrow landed in the deer's eye. Ivar looked miserable but you didn't know why.
Ubbe was shocked as he patted Ivar on the back, proud of his brother but Ivar didn't care. He pulled you to sit down on his lap once more, only to see you staring behind him.
Looking to where his brothers stood, he realized that you wanted to train with them for they were using swords. You also hated arrows and preferred swords and axes and spears.
So, Ivar handed you his sword. It happens to be the sword you showed him. The one from Paris, all those years ago.
He grabbed a sword from Ubbe and you quickly put two and two together as you stood in excitement.
Ivar smirked at you while you chuckled. You strike first.
Every hit you tried, he blocked. You stabbed and jabbed and swung. He managed to block one, grabbed your hand and pulled you into his chest.
"Fighting with anger can only get you so far, little dove." Ivar whispered to you, smirking as you shivered. He took it a step further, placing a kiss on your neck before you managed to get out of his grip and get the sword to his throat.
You kicked his sword out of his grip and smirked as he raised his hands. "I win." You said.
You heard Hvitserk laugh and glanced at him, seeing that he and Sigurd stopped fighting to watch you and Ivar but Sigurd looked angry.
Ivar chuckled, taking the sword from your hand and placing it on the ground. Grabbing your hips, he picked you up and placed you on his lap once more. With him only being able to use his arms to move around, he was much stronger then the average man.
Ubbe handed you a drink and gave one to Ivar only for Sigurd to throw his axe and knock it out of Ivar's hand, the drink splashing on the both of you.
You wiped the spilt liquid off you and Ivar, glaring at Sigurd. Ivar let you clean off his face before he grabbed an axe and threw it at Sigurd. Sigurd just barely ducked in time, the axe grazing his forehead before it stuck to a tree.
The field was silent for a second before Ivar helped clean the ale off you, occasionally turning to glare at Sigurd for making a mess.
-
The next morning, you stood with Floki, making the boat. You could hear Ragnar and Helga speaking at the table while Floki hammered the wood together only to hit his hand. As he cried out in pain, you began laughing so hard, you fell off your seat, hearing Ragnar and Helga laughing nearby.
Floki and you then began to play around.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing." You giggled as you stood but your father smirked.
He suddenly began to chase you around causing you to scream as you ran from him.
Ragnar smiled as he watched Floki tackle you, both of you laughing.
"So, she is happy." Ragnar said
"Very happy. With Aslaug's help, she's gotten everything she needed in the past." Helga smiled, also watching her family
"She and Ivar are in love." Helga laughed as Ragnar snapped his head to her. "They won't admit it to themselves, much less each other."
-
"Hello, boys!" You said, sitting down beside Ubbe and Hvitserk, Sigurd sitting across the fire.
"Hello, Astrid." Ubbe chuckled
"Where's Ivar?" You asked
At this, your friends went silent as they glanced at each other. "Well?" You asked. "Where is he?"
"At the cabin. With Margrethe." Hvitserk said
"But you can't go there." Sigurd said as Ubbe smacked Hvitserk upside the head
"Why not?" You asked, clearly angry at the thought of Ivar and Margrethe alone together.
The boys didn't dare answer you.
Angered, you stood up, managing to get past the 3 boys and started toward the cabin.
-
After an hour, you arrived, hearing crying from inside the cabin. Listening closely, you heard voices.
"It is not my fault." A crying Margrethe said, her voice strained
"IT IS NOT MY FAULT!" Ivar roared in return, his voice so loud that it made you jump
Quickly, you opened the door and saw them, naked in bed, with him choking her.
"IVAR RAGNARSSON!" You shrieked
The man jumped off Margrethe, covering his legs with a blanket as he panted, eyes wide in fear.
Margrethe stood, holding her throat and gasping for air.
You quickly grabbed her dress and handed it to her.
"Get your clothes on and leave, slave." You snarled
The woman did as told, still quietly coughing.
"No! She cannot leave! She'll tell my brothers!" Ivar exclaimed
"Listen to me." You hissed, glaring at the blonde woman. "Tell anyone what happened here tonight and I'll let him kill you. I know that he loves to kill as much as me and I know that he will make it painful." You threatened, the crying girl nodding before she ran off.
You slammed the door and faced Ivar who looked angrier then ever.
"Why did you stop me?! No one would care if she died! She's just a slave!" Ivar shouted
"No one would care except the gods." You chuckled
"The gods...?" Ivar asked quietly as he watched you walk toward him
"Mhm. And they will laugh at you for being such a coward." You said
Ivar let out a small whimper as you pulled him to you, his head resting on your stomach while yours rested on his shoulder and neck.
"What happened, Ivar? Tell me." You gently said
"I cannot satisfy a woman." Ivar hesitantly answered.
"So your prick doesn't work." You said. "Does that make you less of a man?" You asked
Ivar pulled away, laying on his back. You frowned, crawling over him and straddling his waist. "No it doesn't, Ivar. Many men cannot have sex. But many men can have sex and can have children. Those things are easy. But to be a son of Ragnar Lothbrok and to find greatness? That is hard!"
Ivar was near tears now as he gripped onto you.
"I know. Let it out, Ivar. I'm here." You said
Ivar finally began to cry, gripping your hand as he sobbed. You leaned down, resting your forehead on his as you held him.
Ivar sobbed and sobbed until he was out of tears. You continued holding him and stroking his hair until he calmed down.
Sitting back up, you saw his red eyes and frowned as you wiped away the leftover tears.
Ivar grabbed your hands and sighed as he leaned into them, unable to speak. Why would he want Margrethe when he could have you?
You were surprised when he sat up and brought you closer... closer then you'd ever been.
"I love you, Astrid." He whispered
You froze at his words. He'd never said it so... serious before.
"I love you to, Ivar." You replied
Slowly, Ivar gently leaned forward until his lips grazed yours.
"Are you sure?" He asked
Instead of answering, you pulled him forward and placed a kiss on his lips.
This was something that you had never felt before. It felt like home as candles surrounded you all, lighting the room.
Ivar was as gentle as he could possibly be with you. He was always so gentle but never this gentle with you. You could barely feel his touches.
"Ivar..." you gasped
Ivar gently shushed you as he laid you down.
"Let me take care of you, little dove." Ivar whispered as he ground into you. You gasped again and realized that his prick did indeed work.
"So you were just nervous." You whispered as he kissed down your body, removing your clothing along the way
"I did not want her, Astrid." Ivar said. "I thought I did but I now realize that I wanted to be ready for you. For this."
You whimpered as he continued kissing down your body and undressing you.
By the time both of you were naked, it was nearly dawn.
"We have a few hours, Ivar." You whispered
"Perfect." Ivar replied quietly as he gently pushed into you.
None of the men you had slept with felt as good as this. You were on fire and he wasn't even fully in yet.
Soon, you were both moaning loud enough that you thought the Christians might be able to hear from their country.
-
"So, our father will soon be returning from Hedeby." Ubbe said. "What will we say to him?"
You sat with Ivar and his brothers in the King's hall. Ever since the previous night, you and Ivar had been stuck together. Wherever either of you went, the other followed.
Sitting on Ivar's lap, he gently rubbed your arm while he drank his ale.
"As I told you, I'm committed to going with Bjorn." Hvitserk said. "You can go with Father."
"Sigurd?" Ubbe asked
""Don't know how you can ask me that with a straight face, Ubbe." Sigurd smirked
You and Ivar chuckled quietly as he ate. You were still sore from last night. Hell, Ubbe swore he saw a slight limp when you returned that morning.
"You know that I won't go with father." Sigurd said while you rolled your eyes. "We've discussed this many times. Our father was defeated. He lost. All the magic of his raids and successes also lost. Nobody loves him anymore, nobody believes in him, especially not the gods." Sigurd said, sitting down
"I believe in him. I love him. Just because he lost once, doesn't mean that he'll lose again." You sneered
"Hm." Hvitserk hummed. "You think it's true that the gods do not believe in him? That nobody loves him?"
"Of course, it's true." Ubbe sighed before looking to Hvitserk. "What about you?"
"Me?" Hvitserk asked
"Yes. You act like you are committed to going with Bjorn, when in fact, you can change your mind and go raiding with father. So, why don't you, hmm?" Ubbe asked
"You are all bastards." Ivar spoke up as you nuzzled against him.
With that, the brothers went silent as they watch Ivar curl closer to you. They wondered what had happened after you went to the cabin but ever since you and Ivar came back, you refused to leave each other.
-
That night, you and Ivar sat on the thrones when he saw Ragnar at the far table, eating bread. You were asleep in Ivar's arms as Ragnar started toward you both.
"So you're back." Ivar said.
"May I?" Ragnar asked, gesturing to the empty throne beside you and Ivar.
Ivar nodded and watched as Ragnar sat in the throne before he glanced at you and his son.
"You know that... mother never let anyone sit on your throne since you left." Ivar said. "She always hoped that one day, you would return. Why do you not talk to Mother?"
"I will." Ragnar sighed
"I would wait for everyone to go to sleep and then like a crab in the moonlight, I would crawl out here and sit on your throne and just... think."
"About what?" Ragnar asked
"About how heartbroken we all were when you abandoned us. Then my heart would fill with anger when I thought about how much Astrid cried." Ivar said. "I would try to will my stupid legs to work so I could go and find you and tell you how much we needed you. How much I hated you." The man finished as he glanced down at you.
"Well, perhaps I'll explain my actions when we get to England." Ragnar said
"When we get to England?" Ivar asked
"That is what I said."
"What use is a cripple on such a journey?" Ivar asked, gesturing to his legs.
"Oh, then don't come." Ragnar groaned
"Don't tell me what to do." Ivar said.
"Then come." Ragnar replied
"No." Ivar hissed. "Not unless you ask me like you ask Astrid and my brothers."
Ragnar looked to his son, eyebrows raised.
"Ivar-"
"Of course, I'll come. You really think I would let Astrid go alone?" Ivar asked
"Do you love her?" Ragnar asked
"I've loved her since I first met her." Ivar answered as he glanced down at the girl in his arms.