Early in the morning, the boys take you to the woods to train with them. Over time you have enjoyed the training sessions as, considering your age gap, you are a lot stronger than most children.
Kattegat has given up fighting the sons of Ragnar even for fun as they always win, but not you. You enjoy their fights, as you have learned from them and with them, and more often than not, you have got the upper hand. Be it sword fighting or archery. Of course they have let you win, but they would never tell you.
One task you still struggle with, axe throwing, is Ivar's speciality and he does not hesitate to show off when you miss. And since the one lucky strike in the woods, you have missed more often than not, with Ivar making fun of it every chance he gets.
Visiting the training grounds in the woods, the boys carry Ivar to the stomp he always sits on and start challenging each other.
Ubbe goes first, shooting an arrow into a dead goats head, and Ivar follows, hitting the eye only inches away.
You grin, standing beside Hvitserk several yards behind them.
Ivar ducks as the arrow splits the air beside his face and both he and Ubbe flinch as the arrow in the goat's head cracks and splits, leaving your arrow in the middle.
Hvitserk chuckles and pats you on the shoulder while Sigurd hands you another arrow and you split Ivar's as well. Pleased with your work, you take another arrow and aim for a leaf beyond the dead animals, pinning it to the bark of the tree several yards behind the built fence. A smile hushes on your face at the sight of Ubbe's impressed look.
In the meantime, Hvitserk and Sigurd choose axes and swords, and fight one another while you join Ivar, who pouts at your hit. "Oh, come on. I've learned from the best" you say, tickling his neck.
Holding on to your hand, Ivar turns on the stomp to watch as his brothers fight and just as they pass a target, he releases an arrow that shoots past Sigurd and hits spot on.
Hvitserk takes that shot as a challenge and attacks Ivar, indulging in a fight that gets him a sword pressed to his throat. And when Ivar releases him from his grasp, Hvitserk swings his body around, the sword before him. Both stand still, their blades at each other's throats, laughing.
Amused by the fight, you challenge Ubbe and dodge his sword by a mere inch as it cuts off a strand of hair that lands in the mud. You spin around, glaring at the golden lock of hair sailing to the mossy ground. "How dare you" You puff your chest, swing the sword around and hit Ubbe with the handle of the axe you hold in the other hand.
"Hey, fair fight" he mutters as he defends himself and you two battle each other across the field until you stumble over a root and fall, the axe slicing into your arm. Ignoring the sting and the blood, you jump back up and turn to Ubbe, the sword before you, the axe in your other hand. "Stop" he demands, but you keep fighting on until he drops his sword.
"Ubbe!"
"You're hurt"
You shrug your shoulders and pull the arm from Sigurd who inspects it at once. "And on the battlefield I might die if I hesitate. You cannot stop because of a small nick"
Ivar giggles at your reaction and glares at Sigurd. "She will be a better warrior than all of you"
"If she can best me" Sigurd picks up the sword and challenges you, ignoring the injured arm.
You scoff as you hold up your sword and attack him. His head only millimetres from your blade, Sigurd manages to dodge your attack and spins around his sword cutting through your sleeve, but not the skin. In return, you run around a tree, cut your path and attack him from behind when he chases after you. With now the upper hand, you throw him to the ground and hold the sword to his neck, your foot on his back. "I win" you laugh as you let him go and walk over to Ivar to drink some ale he hands you.
"That is not fair, anyone can beat Sigurd" Ivar jokes, his hand on your waist as you lean closer.
When he takes a cup for himself from Ubbe, Sigurd jumps up and throws his axe at Ivar, causing the cup to fall to the ground.
The eyes growing dark, Ivar glares at Sigurd, grabs his axe and flings it at his brother. The tip grazing over Sigurd's head as it hits the tree behind him.
"Ivar, no" You scold him, running over to Sigurd to check his head. Luckily it is just a graze. Still, you walk away with Sigurd, but soon after return as he wants to be left alone.
You follow Hvitserk to the shore where he, Ubbe and Ivar are fishing. The salty wind blows through your hair and sand patters against your bare feet as you walk over the dunes towards Ivar. You sit down beside him and watch for a while, but when he refuses to talk to you as well, you leave the brothers behind and instead take your horse to ride into the woods. There you practise axe throwing by yourself, over and over until your hands hurt and blisters colour your skin red.
Hungry, tired and frustrated from your terrible aim, you ride another route back to Kattegat. One you have never taken before and only your guts guide you along the way.
In the distance, you see a man riding a horse close to a tree. He climbs on the back of the horse, and kicks it to make it walk.
Intrigued, you ride closer and recognise the torn clothes and the man dangling from a tree. With bow and arrow in hand, you aim for the man, then higher and cut the rope he hung himself with. The bow in hand, you ride over to him, and not getting off the horse, you look down on the old man. "The great Ragnar Lothbrok" you say as you ride off, back to Kattegat.
You see a young slave girl walk out of the woods, followed by Sigurd, who then turns towards the Fjord where you left Ivar and the others behind. You have long known Sigurd has taken interest in the slave, amongst other girls, but never has he taken them to the woods.
Inside the homestead, you gather some gauze and paste to cover your wounds when your glance falls onto the girl. "You, " the eyes on her, you wait until she opens the ajar door, "what is your name?"
"Margrethe" the girl stares at the ground.
You tuck the last bit of gauze in and secure it with a knot. "What did you do with Sigurd?" You ask innocent, your eyes big and curious as you want to know if she tells you the truth.
"We...nothing. I just-"
Your hair tied back, you step over to her and lift the face to look at her eyes. "If you were doing nothing, why did you spy on me, or is it because I am in Sigurd's room?"
"No, I just wanted to-" Tears roll over her face as her voice cracks.
With a sigh, you gesture at the door. "Just leave, and stop staring at me"
Margrethe nods and hurries outside.
Another girl walks trough the hall, her eyes following Margrethe as she leaves the homestead. The girl's face turns towards you, but she does not say anything until you step into the hallway and smile at her. "What do you know about her?"
"Margrethe? Nothing" The girl evades your glance, but when you pull her into the room and shut the door behind her, she leans closer. "It was not your fault she cried. That girl is no use"
Smirking, you have a seat on the bed and gesture her to do the same. "And what is your name?"
"Ylvie. My name is Ylvie"
"Well, Ylvie, where are you from?"
Your eyes resting on hers, Ylvie brushes her hair behind the ear and sighs. "Does it matter? I am just a slave"
"I suppose not, but if you want me to trust you, answer truthfully"
"I am from Hedeby. My mother and father were enslaved by Ragnar Lothbrok when he killed King Horik" Her eyes grow wide as you listen to her words. "I do not mean to-"
Chucking, you take off your shoes and sit back on the bed, a strand of hair between your fingers as you begin to braid. "I asked, so tell"
Ylvie shifts in her spot, twitching at the sound of someone walking past the door. "Margrethe's parents were slain when Ragnar took over Kattegat, and we became slaves. She does not talk much, but when she does-" Ylvie leans closer to you in fear someone might hear. "-her tongue is poison. I don't know how else to say it"
"You don't have to, Sylvi. That is enough" You tie the braid and tuck it into another behind your head. "Will you?" Your hands gesture at the braids and Ylvie finishes the braid, tying it at the end then braids another alongside the first and ties it off as well. "That is all, thank you"
With a bow, Ylvie jumps off the bed and heads out, through the hallway past Margrethe as she walks back into the homestead.
Through the ajar door, you watch as Margrethe's stare tears through Ylvie when passing one another and a smirk hushes onto her face as she steps into the hallway until her glance falls to the door of your room. A scoff escapes your lungs as you open the door and prance along the hallway, seeing her flinch in the corner of your eyes when you pass her.
Outside, you chuckle and run off through the streets of Kattegat and over the small stream. The feet slipping on the wet wood, you land on your side, cough, and freeze at the sight of a small creature that finds its place in your hand, and careful not to squish it, you hurry to the small bay where the sons of Ragnar have spent the afternoon.
Proud, Hvitserk holds up the wiggling fish he has caught and hits it on a rock. "Caught us dinner" He points the fish's head at your face and grins. "Give him a kiss"
"Funny, I was about to say the same thing" You hold out the frog you have caught in the stream and smile as Hvitserk leans closer, pursing his lips. Instead, you pull the frog away and place a kiss on his lips, laughing as his eyes widen. "I guess the frog turned into a princess. What does your fish turn into?"
"Dinner" Ubbe states as he takes the fish from Hvitserk's hands and throws it in a basket with the others they have caught over the afternoon. "Unless you want to turn this one into a girl. I'd be happy to take her"
You both laugh and walk over to where Ivar lays on the ground, the eyes closed. The frog still in hand, you sit down and place it on Ivar's forehead, watching as the tiny webbed feet tap over Ivar's skin.
One large jump and the frog lands on Ivar's stomach, from there on his leg and at last, he dives into the cold water and vanishes.
"Oh, no princess for Ivar" Hvit laughs as he sits down next to you and pours sand onto the fabric of your dress that stretches over your legs.
Joining him, Sigurd adds some stones at the side and brings a horn filled with water, but before he can pour it into your lap to create a fjord, you jump up, the sand pattering down on Ivar, who jacks up, spits and snorts, the sand stuck to his lips.
"What is this?" He grabs Sigurd, pulls him to the ground and pours the horn over his face while you laugh and fall onto Hvitserk when Ivar pulls your legs from underneath you.
Left out, still standing, Ubbe chuckles, walks over to the four of you and sits down as well. "Now that you're awake, you're just in time for a bed time kiss" He slaps Ivar in the face with a small fish and laughs.
Wiping the stinky scales off his cheek and forehead, Ivar rolls over to you, grabs you and throws you at Ubbe, all the while you laugh and hold onto him as he lifts you off the ground and hands you to Hvitserk, who wraps his arms around you to keep Ivar from taking you again.
"She is not a toy, Ivar" Ubbe scolds him as he lays onto the warm sand and stares into the late afternoon sky.
You drop your head onto Ivar's shoulder and place your legs over Hvitserk's stomach as they all watch the clouds above. "Not like that slave girl"
The brothers silence, all heads facing you.
"You all had her" Ivar agrees with you and when you tilt your head to look at him, his eyes rest on you as well.
"Really? I don't even know her name"
"Margrethe" Sigurd states confident.
You tilt your head towards the sky and close your eyes, feeling Ivar's arm place across your chest. You hold onto it, tracing your fingers over the small scar that many months ago you left during one of your sword fights.
"What is so special about that? Then we've all had her"
"I haven't" Ivar's voice sounds disappointed, and his grip on you tightens as he speaks.
Ubbe scoffs. "Let's not talk about that. Siggy is still a child"
With a snort, you roll over and glare at Ubbe. "Ivar is only a bit older than I am, then he is a child too"
"He is" Hvitserk laughs, wincing as your knee hits his stomach.
You intended to move, the kick was not on purpose, but considering the facial expression of Ivar that hits you, you do not apologise. "We both are not children, and I get to talk about this as much as you do, or are you scared to talk about sex because I am a girl?"
"No" Ivar lifts up his head to look at you. "Have you ever been with a man?"
You feel Sigurd's glance on your head. Pressing your lips together, you lean closer to Ivar. "No, but I have been with a woman"
Laughing, Hvit sits up and glimpses at Sigurd. "Did you know that?"
"No, when?" Sigurd inquires, sand drizzling off his back and hair as he leans forward.
"Well, not in the woods" You grin as Sigurd's face turns red. A quick glance towards Ivar, you reach to Sigurd and place a kiss on his cheek. "But once while you slept beside me"
Just in time to keep Sigurd from jumping at you, Hvitserk grabs you and shields you with his body as Sigurd tries to attack.
You laugh underneath Hvit, who places a kiss on your nose. "Impressive" he presses out, holding back his brother as you watch his face grow red. "So, you want to stay in my room... with your friend?"
"Stop this" Sigurd yells out, pushing Hvitserk off of you. "Do not do this again-" he pauses for a moment, "-while I'm asleep"
"So you want me to wake you next time" You chuckle at Sigurd's shocked face, then crawl over to Ivar and lean your head on his shoulder, the eyes on his face as he observes the sky and the moving clouds. "Have you ever been with a girl?"
"No"
"We can bring the slave girl to you"
"Or he can just ask her, or any girl" You hiss at Ubbe, who scrunches his face and glares at you.
Disgruntled, Ivar brushes you off his chest and turns to his side, so you leave him be and sit on top of Sigurd, tickling his nose with blades of grass until he growls and throws you into the sand.
Together with Hvitserk, he covers you in a pile of sand and places a stone on top. Pleased with their work, they lay down next to you and together you watch the stars, the sand growing cold against your skin. Something crawls along your leg and you jump up, the sand rushing onto Sigurd and Hvitserk as you jump around.
Both laugh, but silence when you pull a small snake from underneath your garment and fling it into the water. "Why?" You shiver and hurry back to the homestead where you undress and check again for animals inside your clothes.
Hvitserk comes into your room after you. "Are you okay?" he laughs, his face turning red when he sees you without clothes. "Sorry" At once he turns and walks out the door back into the great hall where the others have gathered.
Once again at dinner, Ivar harasses the slave, Margrethe. You don't mind how he acts around other girls, but they way he treats them, and especially her, bothers you. After dinner, you confront Ivar about it, and he laughs as he always does.
"Mother would understand. I am a cripple. What do you want me to do?"
"No legs does not mean no manners, Ivar" You sit on his bed as he turns his face to the wall. "I like you, cripple or not. Let someone get to know you, but this is ridiculous"
His cold stare digs into your eyes as he jacks up and holds your shoulder. "Don't tell me what to do. You are just an orphan, and if my brother did not like you so much, you would be dead already"
Your bottom lip twitches as you look at him. Not a word comes over your lips as you rise from the bed and hurry outside, angry and indignant, hurt. You fight the tears and run past Ragnar, who tries to convince more people to follow his cause.
At the sight of you, he stops and follows you to the docks where he sits beside you. "Did someone hurt you?"
Instead of answering, you inspect him, his face, the clothes, his whole demeanour. "Why gather all these people to follow you to England, when all you want is to die?"
"We always need people for a good cause. And I have a plan" He rises from the ground and taps you on your shoulder. "You remind me of someone, an old friend, close friend. Who thought just like you"
"Is that why you abandoned her?" you ask as Ragnar toggles off the peer.
At the question he stops and spins around, his hands moving through the air with so much flare you have to hold back a laughter. "Who? Lagertha? She left me"
"Not before you cheated" You approach him, walk past and halt. "Like father like son, I suppose"
Continue with Chapter 29