After leaving Halfdan I stormed back to the long house to make sure Esther was being well looked after and then I would find my own bed. Tomorrow would be a new day and I hoped it would be better than today. I also feared what tomorrow would bring with Halfdan, he was angry tonight so I can only imagine how he will be when he is well again, or perhaps he will leave me and Esther alone after tonight. I truly hoped so for I did not what to do if he kept harassing me.
If it wasn't for me I don't think he would have ever hurt Esther, and that pained me. So I would do anything to protect her and keep her safe as she has done for me.
I made my way into the crowded long house, remembering that tonight Ellisif would give her response to Harald's marriage proposal. She looked comfortable and even a little happy sitting next to Harald, talking to him and laughing at the things he said. I shifted my gaze over to Harald and I saw a look in his eyes that I hadn't seen before. It was a look of love, or at least that's what I thought it was. I hadn't experienced the feeling myself, so I could only assume. He looked happy, and for a moment I felt happy too. Harald has been good to me, and I should have some trust in him that he will do right by me in everything he has said so far.
I listened along with everyone else to hear what the princess had to say. She spoke in Norse and I managed to catch a bit of it, but it was hard to hear due to being at the back of the room. From what I could hear, it sounded like she was talking about Harald being king of the whole of Norway and she would return upon a his success. What? I wondered, trying to grasp what exactly she was saying. I thought maybe I misunderstood her when the long house erupted in cheers and applause. I sighed, it would appear there would be a marriage soon. But looking up to Harald was interesting, he did not look happy about whatever his princess just said. His face held a small smile, but it was mostly unreadable.
I walked out of the long house again to make my way around the back where I would find Esther. I had enough of the festivities for the night and for the rest of winter. Why, oh why, was it so darn cold here and the snow so thick?
The next morning I woke to find that my bath had been returned to its normal resting spot in my room and was being filled with steamy hot water. My eyes widened and I jumped out of bed, scaring the slave as I ran over to the tub and dipped my hand in, feeling that it was indeed hot and being scented with my favourite lavender oil. "The water is too hot. I wasn't expecting you to be up so soon otherwise I would have adjusted the temperature," the slave said, seeming scared and worried.
I looked at her and smiled, "no, it is perfect. Thank you so much," I replied with a gleeful smile in her direction. "When is the wedding to be?" I asked, suddenly realizing that Princess Ellisif had been borrowing my tub during her stay, which meant she has likely already left to bring the rest of her belongings to Vestfold, or Harald has gifted her a tub or sharing his.
"Wedding? Do you mean the King and Princess Ellisif?" The slave asked. I gave a small curt nod and waited for her reply. "Oh no, there won't be a wedding for some time. She said last evening at the feast that she cannot marry him and rule over such a small kingdom. She said that if she truly was to be a queen of Norway, she wanted to be the queen of the whole of Norway alongside King Harald."
I turned and stared at the slave in shock at what she was telling me. I thought it was a joke, but the girl looked serious so I had no choice at that point but to believe her. I needed to find Harald, and get confirmation from him in the hope that I would be safe here for a little longer, because it hit me like a thousand waves crashing against rocks that the only reason why I was unharmed and untouched was because of Harald's word. But when he married, all Harald's promises to me would likely change, and Halfdan's threats would come to pass. I feared the worst was yet to come. And without further thought, I ran out of my room, the door slamming against the wall as I went without any shoes or cloak over my sleeping gown.
I crashed into a strong solid figure and fell backwards, hitting the floor hard with a thud. I groaned before sitting up and looking at whom I ran into. My eyes widened in fear, it was the Princess Ellisif's father and Harald. It looked as though I had interrupted a private conversation.
"And who might this be?" The older man asked as he looked down at me.
Harald glared at me, he looked angry. "This is Beauty, she has no name for she will not speak it. A prized slave in my home." Harald said slowly, choosing his words very carefully.
"Prized slave. Is she a virgin? Where is she from? She is very beautiful," the older man replied with a sly smile as he looked me up and down. "I'll pay a good price if you'll sell her," he said turning back to Harald with a wide smile.
My eyes widened at his words. I felt like I had just been punched in the stomach and I felt sick just thinking about the possibility of being sold to this man who was older than my father. "She is not yet 18 years of age, a virgin, beautiful, kind and polite. How much are you willing to pay?" Harald asked, after giving a very brief description of me.
I looked at him quickly before turning away, finding that if I stared at Harald any longer I would vomit on his boots. "I will give you 20 gold pieces, I think that is a fair price for a bed slave."
"She is not a bed slave." Harald said quickly. "She has never been touched and worth more than 20 gold pieces. You can have her today for 100 gold pieces. Or, if you can convince your daughter to accept my proposal, you can have her for 75 gold pieces." Harald bargained quite confidently with the greying man.
I stood frozen, unable to speak or even breathe. Please say 'no', please say 'no', please say 'no', I thought miserably and annoyed as I stared at the wall. Taking note of where the wood splintered in places and not in others. He wouldn't say yes, that was a high price to ask for a slave of any kind.
He laughed and shook Harald's hand before saying something in a language I didn't understand. As he walked past me he ran a finger along my chin and gave my bottom lip a small pinch and tug before walking away with Harald in tow. What just happened? And what did that man say? I wondered. It was definitely not Norse, maybe it was Danish? I wasn't sure, but I knew I wasn't being sold today.
I found who I was looking for though and turned back in the direction of my room. I walked in, closing the door behind me and came face-to-face with none other than the beautiful Princess Ellisif. She sat on my unmade bed and looked at the comb Harald had presented me with. She looked at me and gave a small smile before standing and placing the comb back in the chest where I kept it.
"You must be King Harald's silent beauty," she spoke softly, but her voice still managed to come across as strong and from someone in a position of power. I didn't answer her though, what was I supposed to say when she already knew who I was. A thought crossed my mind that Halfdan had something to do with her knowing who I was, and this alone terrified me – Viking women tended to be just as fearsome as the men.
She laughed suddenly, "don't be afraid, I am not going to hurt you, I just wanted to meet you and see what all the fuss was all about. They say you didn't speak a word for months after arriving, not out of fear but because you did not want to speak at all. Is this true?" She asked as she walked towards me.
I nodded, still not knowing what I should say or why she was in my room in the first place. "You look scared, are you?" She asked, almost sounding proud and snobbish.
I shook my head, "no, you do not scare me." I replied curtly.
She nodded and gave me a small smile before sitting back on the bed. "I just wanted to talk to you, ask you a few questions, if that is acceptable?" She asked. Now I was surprised, what could she possibly want to ask me? Surely she did not know who I was, Halfdan would tell Harald before he told anyone else. But I nodded at her to continue anyway.
She inhaled a deep breath before continuing, "it is rumoured you have spent much personal time with the king until recently. How does he treat you? What kind of man is he?" She asked quietly and somewhat nervously.
"He has been kind to me. I am nothing more than a slave, but he has protected me and I have remained untouched unlike most of the other slaves. He has provided me with my own space to live, he feeds me well and has even given me gifts. He has never treated me with cruelty. He has been generous and attentive. The person who wins his heart will be very lucky indeed. That I can confidently confirm." I answered honestly, hopefully satisfying whatever she was looking for. I knew I likely provided the comfort she needed in knowing she would be very well looked after and cared for if she married Harald, but I couldn't lie and say he wouldn't make a good husband. That would not be right, and I felt sad.
"And what will happen to you? I know you are not a bed slave, but you are high ranked and well-guarded for a slave who does nothing at all." She replied, seemingly nervous.
I shrugged, "I honestly do not know. The King has spoken of selling me on, so I suppose he will go through with those plans."
She nodded, "yes, my father is quite taken with you." She spoke as if she was thinking aloud.
"When will you marry the King?" I asked purely out of curiosity.
She shook her head, "I am not sure. I have laid out terms for him before I will consider his marriage proposal, and I will not marry him if they are not fulfilled."
I creased my brows in confusion, "Terms?"
"Yes, terms. He must become king of all of Norway before I will even consider him." She spoke proudly.
"But your father is also a king of Norway. That would mean overthrowing him, would it not?" I asked puzzled.
She nodded and smiled, "you are very smart, and well spoken. But yes, those are the terms I set out."
I shook my head in confusion, "But why? Do you not want your family to rule? Is it because someone else will take your fathers place if he dies? Or do you simply not want to marry the King?"
"I do not want to marry and rule over such a small Kingdom. It is a waste of my position."
I nodded, not knowing what to say. I could only guess that Harald did not know this information and I was not going to be the one to tell him. She didn't seem so nice after all and I was looking forward to her departure. "Anyway, I must leave now. Enjoy your bath and your time here because if I do marry the king you will not be staying." And with that she left, leaving the door wide open.
I closed the door and slid down it until I hit the floor. I was in shock over what was revealed to me. I knew she didn't love Harald and didn't want to marry him. I wondered if she would grow to love him in time, but it was hard to say. What if Harald did manage to become King over the whole of Norway? That would mean killing her father, how would she feel about that? It seemed as if she had given Harald an impossible task.
I could understand why Halfdan, if he did so, would dangle me in front of her for he obviously did not like her. Halfdan seemed to know more than he should, so just how much of this did he know? Will he share this information with Harald?
Three weeks later…
Life in Vestfold remained quiet. Ever since Esther fully healed we had been spending less time with each other during the day and only meeting when we knew for certain that we were alone and free to talk in private. What happened with Halfdan could never happen again, and I knew I should be afraid because of how much Esther changed after the incident. She was scared, not for herself but for me. Even after I told her that if he wanted me dead there was nothing we could do to stop him.
He hadn't mentioned anything to Harald about who I was, and I wasn't sure if this was a good thing or bad thing as Halfdan always had an ulterior motive, so I found it impossible to believe that he was staying quiet at my request. The few times I had seen the person in question, I ignored him completely, looking through him as if he wasn't there. Esther said it was my way of coping because I was terrified the first few days after I had words with Halfdan. But he kept away from both Esther and I, just like I told him too.
"Beauty!" I cringed at the name. I didn't have to turn to know who was yelling to get my attention. "Please, tell me what I have done for you to be so cold to me." Harald asked when he was standing in front of me, blocking my path.
I stared at him blankly, surprised at what he was asking me. What was I supposed to say anyway? It's your own fault, I was happy and content with you until you invited Princess Ellisif here. Or, your brother is a madman who thrashed my only true friend and has threatened me on numerous accounts. Either one of those replies would likely get me into a lot of trouble, so I went with the safer answer and replied, "you are a king who is to be married soon, and I am a slave who shouldn't be in the position I am in." I bit the inside of my cheek to stop the tears that threatened to fall because it hurt saying those words.
"Why don't you think you deserve to be looked after with a private room and decent food?" Harald asked offended.
"I am a slave. You, I and everyone else knows that. You shouldn't be hold me such high regard when you are to be married soon because I know your bride will not tolerate it." I replied, trying to make him see my reasoning. I didn't want to be rude, but I would rather go back to sleeping in the barn, wearing rough woollen clothes and going hungry most days than sent away to a place that could be worse.
"I will not be sending you away at anyone's request unless I know you will be treated better than you are treated here in Vestfold." Harald replied, despite the cold his face was turning red – not due to embarrassment but due to anger. He turned so his back was to me before turning back around quickly. "I care for you deeply and if I could marry you I would! You should do well to remember how kind I have been and appreciate that because I have gone to great lengths to ensure your safety." He shouted at me before stalking away.
I stood there feeling completely numb and stupid. What had I just done? I watched as he stalked back through the town, shouting demands to his warriors left and right. What was he doing and how would it affect me? I wondered as I watched him until he finally disappeared. I stood in the cold wind and snow wondering what I should do now. Should I go after him and apologize? I had a strange feeling that I had thoroughly angered Harald and I would soon regret it.
It was still very early in the morning and I had only come outside for a quick walk before breakfast, but now I wasn't sure if I was welcome to go back just yet. I wanted to tell him that I was grateful for everything he had done to ensure my safety. I was very appreciative of all the gifts and privileges he had given me. Maybe if I thanked him more often he wouldn't be so angry. I looked down at the beautiful green gown I wore. It was soft and warm, spun from fine materials and decorated with fine gold and silver thread. Harald presented this as a gift at the start of winter and all I said was thank you, maybe he expected something more from me.
They came mid-afternoon as I made my way back to the village. I was hungry and tired, and I knew that avoiding Harald would do no good at all. I was better off finding him and trying to talk to him. That was if he would let me see him. I feared he would turn me away; ask me to leave until he was ready to see me. Slave or not, I was still a woman and under his rule, so in his eyes and in the eyes of his people he had every right to turn me away.
I walked through the town quietly. Everything seemed as normal and no one paid me any attention which meant I was not being talked about even though I felt embarrassed, like everyone knew something I didn't. I continued walking to the long house, I would have to face Harald sooner or later so I might as well get it over with while I still had some confidence. My uncle told me once that although it is frowned upon, a lot of men respected a woman who spoke up.
Harald was nowhere to be found in the longhouse, and I wondered where he was. He rarely went out this time of day. I found Esther sweeping out the hearth in the main room, "have you seen Harald?" I asked her.
She stood up, brushing her hands on her dress, "no, he left some time ago. There was mention of people on the road that could be trouble." She replied. "How are you?"
"I am well, but I fear I may have angered the king this morning. I did not mean too, it was certainly not my intention." I replied, about to continue my tale on what occurred when screams and shouting erupted throughout the town. "What's going on?" I asked as I started towards the main doors.
"No Abril!" Esther shouted. "Go to your room and lock the doors. Don't open it for anyone but the King or myself." Esther said as she grabbed my arm to pull me away from the main doors and pushed me in the direction of my room.
"But what is going on?" I asked scared.
"Go! There is no time for questions." Esther said before making her way towards the kitchen.
I did as she said and ran to my private room. I slammed the door closed and slid the wood in place that barricaded the door and walked backwards until my legs hit the edge of my bed and I sat down on the plush bedding listening to anything coming.
The sounds of men shouting, women screaming and weapons clanging rang through my ears. I cringed when I heard the bone-chilling scream of a child. Where was Harald? Was he alright? Who are the attackers and why are they attacking? I jumped when someone tried to open the door. "There is someone in here," I heard someone say in a very thick voice. It was no one I recognized.
"Open it!" Someone else shouted and I jumped from my bed and ran to the window to pry the shutters open. They were kicking on the door, making it shake and vibrate on its hinges. When I finally managed to open the window I tried to pull myself up on the ledge so I could climb out. But it was useless, and the wood of the door was already splintering. It was sure to be kicked open at any moment and who ever these people were would likely kill me.
I looked around for somewhere to hide and found no suitable place other than under the bed. I crawled under and hid on my stomach right at the back against the wall and waited. I covered my mouth to stop from squealing when the door was broken in two. "The window, they're gone." One said, and I felt a wave of relief thinking they would leave.
"Idiot, unless the woman is a giant she is still here." He paused, "stupid fool, look how high the window is and there is nothing near it that could be used as a step. Search the place!" He demanded and tears started to well in my eyes and fall freely and silently.
"NO!" I screamed as one of them looked under the bed and smiled before grabbing my arm and pulling me out. "No, please." I begged as I started to crawl away from them, the far wall stopping me from moving any farther away.
They laughed, "Who is she?" The younger of the two enquired.
"I am no one, just a slave and of no use to anyone." I tried to tell them.
"Very well dressed for a slave I'd say. Grab her, we'll bring her with us. She could be of very good use." The older of the two said before walking out of the room. I was grabbed roughly by the wrist and yanked to my feet. He dragged me out of the room, down the hall and out the front of the long house. It seemed that no amount of fighting or struggling did any good because the more I fought him, the tighter he held me.
"Stop your squirming girl!" He yelled at me before striking me across the face. It stung and I held my cheek as I was pulled through the town. I heard a familiar roar then and looked up to see Harald wielding a sword and shield. He fought with an angry blood covered face, and roared when he struck his enemies.
"HARALD!" I screamed. He looked in my direction and the colour drained from his face instantly. He looked afraid now, different from the person who was just fighting moments ago.
"BROTHER!" I heard him shout as he tried to charge towards me, knocking those down that got in his way. "Fight Beauty, you must fight!" I heard him shout.
It was enough to wake me up. I started to fight and kick at the one holding me, all the while watching as Harald got lost amongst the fighting and chaos. I kept up my fight though, his grip didn't slacken until I leaned forward and bit into his arm and he released me with a yell before hitting me in the stomach with the blunt end of his axe. I keeled over onto the cold street and looked up in time to see the blunt end coming down on my head.
I awoke sometime later to complete darkness with sore ribs in the freezing cold before realizing that something was covering my eyes. After fighting to remove a sack I saw that it was dark and I was outside, lying on the side of what I assumed to be a road, and all alone. My hands and feet were bound, so I couldn't go anywhere. There were five horses tied to a tree on the other side of the road. Where am I? Where are they taking me? Where was Harald?
I jumped when I heard a voice, "princess? Princess?" I looked around, trying to find where it was coming from. And sure enough, hidden amongst the trees was Halfdan and another one of Harald's warriors. I felt relief knowing that Harald would be nearby and that he had come for me.
Halfdan put a finger to his lips, in a hushing sign. Why was he not coming to cut me loose? Then I heard twigs snapping behind me, I tried to look to see what was going on and was met with an unfortunate surprise. It was the two men from before along with two others I did not recognise.
"Where are they? We tracked them back and can't find them anywhere." The younger one said. "They already killed most of our men. The attack was reckless, we were too unprepared and now our men have fallen." He appeared to be distressed as it sounded as though they lost the attack on Vestfold.
"Where is Herrick?" The third man asked. He must have been talking about his friend. I only saw four men, and there were five horses, so it meant that the fifth man who was supposed to guard me was now gone. "And look who's awake, isn't she a pretty thing." He said as he stared at me. He started to approach and knelt down in front of me.
"Do not touch her! She isn't for us." The older one said as he pushed his friend away from me.
"The girl is still here, so Herrick probably went to go take a piss. If they came she wouldn't be here. All is well father. I am sure of it." The younger man said, I remembered him as the one who knocked me out after I bit him.
"We need to keep moving," the older man said.
"We can't leave Herrick behind." The son of the older man protested.
"We are leaving, get her up!" He yelled before shoving the cover back over my head despite my protests and poor attempts to push him away.
As soon as I was lifted off the ground I was dropped back down with a thud. I groaned trying to roll over and pull the sack from my head. When I could see again everything unfolded quickly and I was afraid to watch, but found I couldn't look away. The warrior who was hiding next to Halfdan took on the son and another, while Halfdan took on the father and a warrior who looked like a wild animal with his face cut and scarred in some places. The fight was difficult to watch as each man drew blood from their opponent.
I flinched when Halfdan struck the beast like man, his axe slicing through his neck, knocking his head clean from his shoulders. I covered my mouth with my bound hands to stop from screaming as the head rolled and stopped at my feet. A knife was thrown my way and landed next to the head, "make yourself of use," Halfdan said as he continued fighting the other warrior.
I grabbed at the knife with my feet until I got a good grasp on it. I used my feet to hold it in place while I slid the rope binding my hands together along the blade very carefully so I wouldn't cut myself. It took a moment for it to be cut free, but when my hands were loose and I had full use of them I grabbed the knife and started to cut the bindings around my legs and feet. It was harder though, there were four different pieces of rope in total, and they were slightly tougher to cut as well.
Ahhhh, I looked up when I heard a scream, it was the warrior that came with Halfdan. The son had managed to stab him in the back with a dagger of sorts. He fell to his knees and looked at me. "Run," he gurgled as blood started coming out his mouth. The need to run kicked in and I started cutting the rope harder and faster until it snapped and I was free. I scrambled to my feet so fast that I slipped on a sheet of ice and I had to grab hold of the tree to stop me from falling flat on my back.
The son grabbed me then and turned me over to face him, "kill her son!" The father yelled right as I glanced up to see a small blood-covered axe being raised. My eyes widened in fear, as I pushed him to get him away. I spotted the knife next to my face and nicked myself as I reached over to grab it.
I plunged the knife into his stomach, blood ran from his body, coating the knife, my hands and clothes. I felt myself going pale and felt faint as I watched the axe drop from his hands, his skin go sickly pale, and the life drain from his eyes. He collapsed to the side, the knife was still gripped firmly in my hands and it slid out of his body. I felt myself starting to panic as I struggled to get my leg out from under him.
When I finally found my footing I looked around at the chaotic mass of bodies before looking down at the one I killed as I started to breakdown. "PRINCESS!" I jumped and looked back in Halfdan's direction to see another warrior I had not seen at all coming towards me. His face was angry as he trudged in my direction. My instincts took over and without thinking I reached out. But instead of pushing him away, I stabbed him in the chest.
His eyes widened in surprise as he tried to get the knife out of his chest before falling dead at my feet. My own eyes widened before hearing a loud groan and the sound of something snapping. I looked up to see Halfdan standing over the father, the man's skull crushed and blood covering Halfdan's boots. The gruesome scene was enough to send me over the edge as I fell forward, emptying the contents of my stomach onto the icy road.
"We need to leave. Others could be coming," Halfdan said as he collected his weapons and came over to me to help me stand. "You need to get up, we can't stay here, it's too dangerous and I am-" Halfdan fell to the ground before he could finish what he was saying.