Chapter 6 - The Lost Fox
This story contains content that is inappropriate for minors. Only those 18 years old and older should read this.
Trigger warning: vulgar language, graphic depictions of violence, sexual references.
Ivarr stirred from his mead induced slumber, his head pounding as his bad habits took revenge on his body. He stood up and tried to remember where he was, but was soon thankful to see he was still in Sidsel's nest. But Sidsel was nowhere in sight. Fragments of Cenric's corpse were scattered about the stone floor, making Ivarr smile. But his cheerful disposition quickly left when a key memory resurfaced: the view of Sidsel's ass.
Wait...fuck! DID WE FUCK?!
Ivarr quickly checked his cock and inner thighs for any sign of plowing. The bruises that usually formed overnight weren't there. He couldn't decide if he was relieved or disappointed. That might've been a good plow. If not to dispel the damn rumors of my "performance issues."
"You're finally awake." Ivarr saw Hedda sitting in a chair looking at him. Her furrowed brow further wrinkled her corrugated, tan face. Her tattoos splayed across her forehead, jaw, and cheeks, and though they had faded with time they undoubtedly showed her proud Norse identity.
"I don't think you rammed her last night. I checked her thighs for bruises and tears, as I suspect you were doing just now." She said, motioning to his crotch.
"Mead must've gotten to us...made us do things we didn't mean." Ivarr said, chuckling nervously. He rummaged around the nest for his missing shirt only to find it draped over Wretch's unconscious body. The broken man was passed out cold, undoubtedly exhausted from last night's festivities.
Maybe he can confirm how far we got...for precautionary measures.
"I'm told you trekked to the peak yesterday." Hedda said, stretching in her chair.
"Aye. She conquered it with my help!" Ivarr said proudly.
"What was she like? Her mood I mean. Peaceful? Calm?" Hedda asked.
As he pulled his shirt over his neck, he thought about that.
"The opposite, I suppose?"
"Rambunctious, mischievous?" Hedda probed.
"Like…" Ivarr said, unsure what she was trying to get at.
"Like a fox!" Hedda said, happily.
Ivarr scratched his chin. "I would've gone with a lynx."
"She has red hair!" Hedda said.
"Ok…"
"In her youth she was anything but what she is today. She was quick, sly, and could trick hunters into thinking she was a fox when hiding in the bushes with her distinctive laugh. But upon learning of her curse, she became cruel, sadistic, blood thirsty." Hedda said, reminiscing about Sidsel's youth.
"You said bloodthirsty like it's a bad thing."
Hedda glared at him. "I'm surprised to find you here. Sidsel usually forbids anyone from entering her nest."
"She offered me the opportunity to play with her test subjects in exchange for my assistance." Ivarr explained.
"But your attention turned to Cenric upon his capture." Hedda said, poking at what might've been a part of Cenric's shin with her cane.
"He was a ripe, plump piggy read for slaughter!" Ivarr said, gleefully.
"So, you helped Sidsel to satisfy your own needs, not out of the goodness of your own heart." Hedda surmised.
Ivarr clicked his tongue. "I had my fun, she had hers." He said, simply.
"And you would've had more had the mead not put you both to sleep." Hedda retorted.
"What have I done to offend you so?" Ivarr asked. He was starting to get annoyed.
"I care for Sidsel. She is like a daughter to me. Naturally I am curious about those interested in plowing her - mead induced or not." She said, sternly.
"Did you give Baard this same treatment?" Ivarr asked, sarcastically. While he wanted to include something along the lines of taunting her over how pathetic her attempt at intimidating him was. But Ivarr knew very well it was not only disrespectful to talk down to a Seer, but also extremely dangerous. Who knows what messages she'd convey to the Gods if he overstepped his mark, which he suspected he was close to doing.
Keep your head Ivarr! Just this once!
"Baard was a man who apparently had a decent plow sword and was good to her. He treated her well, and when she severed their bond, he was respectful of her needs." Hedda said.
"I have been kind to her after we made amends!" Ivarr protested.
"But Baard did not indulge in cruelty as you do! You care not for the integrity of her spirit." She yelled.
"It is our way to seek blood! Spill rivers of it! Were it not for her condition -"
"CURSE! SHE. IS. CURSED!" Hedda yelled, banging down her cane so loudly it sounded like a small explosion in the small space.
"Cursed or not, she clearly has the spirit of a drengr!" Ivarr said.
"Drengr are not needlessly cruel." Hedda stood up, wobbling as she positioned her cane.
"I grow tired of speaking to a man with the mental capacity of a brick wall, Ragnarsson or not." She whispered harshly before wobbling away.
Ivarr charged past her and made his way out of the nest, brushing his hair back as a breeze coursed by. He wasn't about to let some old woman - Seer or not - tell him whether or not he was doing good or bad by someone. Besides, he had more pressing matters to attend to: finding Eadberg. From his hazy recollection they had successfully extracted her location from Cenric. It didn't take him long to see Hallvard, Leofgifu, Sunngifu, Eivor, and Ceolbert huddled around a table undoubtedly planning Eadbergs demise.
Ivarr was somewhat surprised to see Sidsel at the table as well. She nodded at him as he approached, a bashful smirk on her face. He felt himself smile back as a reflex and tried to control his cheeks from going red. It wasn't like he was attracted to her, and wanted to treat her more as a plowing plaything. Or maybe he did feel something, but he couldn't fully rationalize it.
He tried to picture her with Baard, a mental image he instantly regretted. He remembered Baard explaining his role in that bond was "another one of her experiments." Ivarr wondered if she intended to experiment on him as well, and what that would entail. He almost wanted to plow her just to make up for last night...or maybe something more.
"The mighty Ragnarsson finally joins us!" Leofgifu scoffed but Ivarr ignored her. She had enough of bothersome speech and the sun hadn't even peaked in the sky yet.
"Thanks to you we've discovered Eadbergs location." Hallvard said, pointing at a point south from them close to a river.
"Seems like a rather quaint place to hide. Does Eadberg not have a fortress she could retreat to?" Eivor asked.
"Perhaps she thought this setting would be the last place we'd look. I suspect word of her husband's demise has not reached her ears yet. I'd like to keep it that way, she may flee if she does." Leofgifu said.
"Is the goal to bring her back alive or should we kill her?" Ceolbert asked.
"I do not mind the prospect of Eadberg meeting her fate in the same way as her bacraut husband." Leofgifu purred.
"For once you entertain my experiments? Must be a special exception!" Sidsel jeered.
"If you don't mind me asking, why are you here Sidsel? I thought you weren't allowed to deal with affairs like this." Ceolbert asked nervously. Ivarr could tell the little twig didn't want to irritate someone who terrified him as much as Sidsel.
"Because I have a proposal to kill two birds with one stone, for I have a task that requires my immediate attention outside these walls." Sidsel explained. She ran a hand through her oily hair tiredly.
"Hedda is aging fast, and she suspects she does not have much time left in this world. She wants to ensure her daughter Sonja is here for her final days and to complete her training to replace her as our Seer." Sidsel said, sadly.
"What does that have to do with Eadberg?" Ivarr asked.
Sidsel looked at him. "Guess where she so happens to be right now?" She asked him.
"The same area as Eadberg?" Ivarr asked.
"Exactly."
"Wow. You got there more quickly than I anticipated." Leofgifu said, sarcastically. Ivarr glared at her.
"I apologize for not being able to read fucking minds." He shot back.
"Enough!" Sidsel said, pounding her fist on the table. Ivarr was taken aback, having not expected such anger.
"Sonja is in danger as long as that bitch Eadberg roams free. Hedda has tasked me with retrieving her personally." Sidsel urged them.
"Are you sure that's wise? With your condition you could have an episode, and we won't know what to do." Eivor said, concerned.
"Hedda shared a vision she had with me. A great peril awaits Sonja unless I personally bring her back. To thank the Gods for letting me live this long, albeit not unscathed. Hedda has prepared liquid tinctures for transport. I should be fine, but if I'm not I trust you'll bring Sonja back safely." Sidsel said.
"A direct message from the Gods. That cannot be ignored." Hallvard affirmed. Ivarr noticed Sidsel eyeing her twin brother. Her blue eyes were filled with venom. But unlike a snake preparing to take down prey, her posture, and possibly aura gave off a sense of self-protection. Like she didn't want Hallvard to get too close, else she would defend herself.
What is going on between those two?
"I propose you retrieve Sonja and bring her to a location our men can safely retrieve her. After that, the search for Eadberg can continue." Leofgifu said. Eivor nodded.
"A good plan. Let's hope we find Sonja before
"Ivarr, a word?" Sidsel said. Ivarr rolled his eyes. I should've expected this.
"Hello." She said.
He scratched the back of his head nervously. "Morning...uh...last night did we…?"
"No. I'm sure we did not lay together." She reassured him.
"Phew!" He said, wiping the sweat off his brow.
"Would that have been so bad?" She said, cocking an eyebrow at him.
"I'm not sure I would be able to focus with that." He motioned to her mutilated stomach.
"Is that why you attempted to ram me from the back?" She teased.
"Can you blame me? I suspect Baard did the same!" Ivarr protested.
"Thankfully for him my stomach hadn't been injured when we shared a bond. So, we plowed from the front, back." She said, grinning.
"Aaaaaugh! I didn't need that image in my head once more!" Ivarr groaned.
"So, you admit similar images have been in your head recently?" She teased.
"Shut up!"
Sidsel laughed. "I'll drop the matter for now, but know this," She licked her lips, her forked tongue traced around them perfectly. "I wouldn't mind revisiting it again." She hummed and walked away. "I shall meet you at the ship!" She called over her shoulder. Ivarr shook his head.
My cock has never been more confused!
Unfortunately for her the group opted to take Eivor's longship for the journeys. Which meant no riding with Ivarr. She had been looking forward to holding him again but at least the weather was ideal for coursing the English rivers. The wind in her hair and sprinkles of water splashing from the wooden hull reminded her of her younger days.
Before her curse fully manifested her father had taken her and Hallvard for a ride in their homeland seas - far before she even knew this island existed. She remembered how she let her fingers skid the icy waters until her father ordered her to pull them out in case they turned blue. But when she told him she didn't feel pain, he was proud. Saying she was strong like the winter's icy cold, or something poetic.
You said I'd be a fine drengr one day...oh Father...if only you could see me now.
"How much longer until we get there?" She asked.
"Another hour at least. Seems this Sonja traveled far." Eivor noted.
"Apparently it was part of her training. To explore the land her clan has made their home. It's her duty as our future Seer." Sidsel explained.
"Based on your attitude she seems rather important to you." Ceolbert mentioned.
It doesn't take a genius to figure that out.
"Aye. We've been close since Hedda first started to care for me." Sidsel said, smiling at the fond memories.
"And ultimately she will be responsible for your care after Hedda...uh...passes?" Ceolbert asked, awkwardly.
"A thought I try not to dwell on, little pup." Sidsel growled.
"Sorry, that came out wrong!" He said, bashfully.
You think?!
"You're awfully quiet today, Ivarr." Eivor said, poking the legendary drengr on his shoulder.
"Would you rather I fill the air with battle songs?" Ivarr joked.
"Absolutely not. Though I doubt I could stop you." Eivor said.
Sidsel chuckled. She felt like a little smitten girl anytime she looked at Ivarr. What she felt now was a different sensation than she had with Baard. For he was a means to an end - an experiment to determine whether or not she could experience physical pleasure as her ability to feel pain was absent.
An experiment that wielded very desirable findings.
But Ivarr...he was different...and not just because of his mannerisms. Frankly she was surprised he even wanted to talk to her, let alone plow her with her association with snakes. His father's death was a tale she knew all too well. She was hopeful but not overly optimistic at the thought of him seeing past her peculiar mannerisms. Saw who she was. Then again, could she see who he was? Only time would tell.
"Look there!" Eivor pointed across the way. Sidsel followed her gaze and heart instantly sank. A thick, definite plume of smoke trailed up in the air.
"You said we were nearly there…" Ceolbert said slowly.
"Please tell me that isn't the village!" Sidsel said worriedly. She tried to stand up but Ivarr pushed her down. She struggled against his firm hand as he kept her sitting on the ship.
"Prepare for the worst, and Sidsel?" He looked down at her, his pupils were almost completely dilated.
"Don't. Get. In. My. Way." He growled.
Not going to lie, I struggled with this chapter. I know what I wanted to write and feel I conveyed what I could to the best of my ability. Timing, writers block, life events, and future projects also impacted my writing this week. End rant, hope those who read this enjoy. Any feedback is very much appreciated 3.