When the door shut behind Rollo, Edithe jumped up from her chair and ran to the window, pulling away the heavy coverings to watch him leave.

She hadn't known he was Ragnar's brother until the man in question had told her on the docks and knowing the truth only made her more afraid of him. Rollo might not have violated her yet but it was only a matter of time. She wasn't naive, she knew what men like him did to women like her. But he was gone for now and that would have to be enough.

She turned to look at the room, inspecting it with fresh eyes. Removing the curtain had allowed natural light inside and though the air was still stale, everything looked slightly less dreary than before. The furnishings were simple. Benches along one wall, two large chairs around the fire and a small table.

Searching the baskets stacked around the room she found nothing but rancid grain and mouse droppings. She shuddered, glancing at the floor before reminding herself that mice were not the worst things she shared this home with.

Next, her attention turned to the wall where two battered old shields hung on display. One of them was painted blue and the other a faded red with a white cross. She pulled the blue one down, testing the weight of it and finding it surprisingly heavy. Until this moment she hadn't been sure she was looking for a weapon. But as she placed it back onto the wall she decided the shield was too cumbersome for her.

Warily she moved into the bedroom, wishing she could disregard the bed which sprawled across the floor. But it was like Rollo, imposing and difficult to ignore. And it was also one of only two things in the room. The other being a simple wooden chest.

Edithe threw open the lid. Inside there were clothes and many trinkets which Rollo had no doubt collected over time but these things were meaningless to her. She cast them all aside, throwing everything onto the floor until there was something which did catch her eye. A hammer.

She reached for it but the sound of the front door opening interrupted her, sending her heart into a frantic rhythm as she hastily refilled the trunk to conceal her discovery.

"My Lady," the intruder called and it was a woman's voice but more than that, it was a Saxon voice. Edithe forgot her worry about being caught and rushed to greet the old woman who was standing by the door.

"You're Saxon," she said, smiling.

"My name's Haedde, Lady."

She did not know this woman, had never seen her before but at once she felt like she could see home in the lines of her face and the gentleness of her eyes. Her heart lifted as she took her hands and clasped them fondly. "I am Edithe. I thought perhaps I would never see another one of our people again."

"Rollo sent for me. He wishes me to serve you, Lady."

"Please Haedde, call me Edithe. We shall be allies, you and I, and I swear to you we will escape this place."

Haedde smiled but there was pity in her eyes. "Oh, sweet child. I was like you once but you must not waste your time trying to escape. You are here now, this is your life and Rollo will be a fine husband to you."

"Husband?" Edithe reeled as the word shot like fire from her lips.

"Yes, everyone is saying he brought home a Saxon woman to be his wife…" Haedde's voice trailed off, her eyes noticing the mess Edithe had made of Rollo's belongings. "You have beauty, Lady Edithe but you must still be careful if you want to secure your place here. You must obey him, you do not want him to cast you aside."

"Obey him?" Edithe could not believe what she was being told. "How am I supposed to obey a man who has not only stolen me here but murdered by own brother? I will defy him in every way that I can and if he casts me aside then so be it. I do not wish to be desired by such a man or by any of these heathens."

Haedde's pity filled smile returned and when she finished tidying the mess Edithe had created she cooed over her softly. "Sit child, let me tend to you. You've had a long journey to get here. You do not mean these things."

Edithe did as she was asked, her fight was not with the old woman and she did not want to create an enemy out of a potential friend. She needed to save her strength for Rollo and in truth, she was exhausted. The swim from longboat to shore had left her muscles burning and besides, Haedde's hands felt soothing as they combed through her hair, gently untangling the knots.

It reminded her first of her mother then of Nessie. Sweet Nessie. Where was she now? It pained Edithe that she did not know what happened to her sister and may never be able to find out. So she tried to tell herself that Nessie hid in the woods until rescue came but deep down she could only fear the worst.

Haedde finished combing her hair and Edithe sat quietly, watching her heat a large pot of water over the fire. When it was ready she helped Edithe wash and dress into a rich blue gown and despite the circumstances, it still felt good to feel fresh after so long spent at sea.

"I have prepared you a plate of food and I will return again in the morning," Haedde promised, gathering her shawl about her shoulders.

"Please don't leave," Edithe urged, grasping Haedde's arm desperately.

"I cannot stay, child." She smiled, cupping Edithe's cheek lovingly. "I had a daughter once and you remind me of her so it brings me great joy to care for you. But tonight there will be feasting and I must help serve."

"I could come with you," Edithe said with even more desperation and Haedde laughed as you would laugh at a child who was trying to stay up past its bedtime.

"Rollo will send for you if he wants you. But for now you must eat and try to sleep. You will need your rest for what is to come."

That was what she was afraid of. With Haedde gone an acute sense of danger washed over Edithe. The next person who walked through the door would be Rollo and after a night of drinking, he would surely be even more of a barbarian.

Bile rose in her throat and she threw the plate of food Haedde had prepared into the fire. She couldn't bear the thought of eating now. Instead, she paced around the room and spied through the different windows, all the time wondering if she could be so bold as to try to run away again. It would be her third attempt and another quick capture would be a mockery to her.

No, she decided, biding her time would be best. Although biding her time only opened up greater opportunity for her to spend in the company of Rollo and with that thought she again began to pace the room and wonder which route she would take if she did begin to run.

She dragged one of the chairs to the window at the back of the house and tested its size. As she suspected it was too narrow for her to squeeze through which left the front door as her only possible exit. She knew the door led onto a busy square but it was dark and everyone was feasting. If she could just sneak away it would be hours before anyone knew she was gone...

Of course, her plans were for nothing.

Rollo had posted a guard outside his house and when she opened the door she found him there, his stern expression telling her what she already knew. Today would not be the day when she would escape. Perhaps if she had not so foolishly jumped from the longboat then she might have had a chance but what was done was done.

She knelt by the fire, feeling defeated and so lonely in this new place. She'd spent her entire life living in her family home and this was not the way in which she expected to leave it.

Clasping her hands together she began to pray though she wondered if God could hear her in these strange lands. "Please God, I want to believe that you are guiding me and that there is a plan for me in this madness. But I cannot see it, I cannot understand it. If you give me a sign I will follow."

But there was no sign, no sense of his presence, only the crackle of the fire.


Authors note: Welcome to all the new people who have joined this story and thank you to those of you who are returning. After recently watching the latest Vikings episodes and The Last Kingdom its so much fun to be writing in this world. I just have Vikings on the brain :D