A/N - I'm a bit paranoid this chapter may anger some of you. Just please, don't stop midway through. Read it all, and if you're still upset, tell me.
Agi unwound the soiled cloth from her hand. The tickling warmth intensified as the material lagged from her palm. Infection was settling in. Floki poked at the inflamed flesh, then swatted his knuckles against the injury causing Agi to audibly wince. Floki coupled his hand around Agi's jaw, turning her head to one side, while maneuvering the entirety of her hair away from her neck. Agi's rapidly growing locks had concealed the bruises Rollo's fingers had inflicted upon her throat. Floki studied them intently, his hand slowly gliding from her jaw to the ruptured blood-vessels on her neck. "Why did you think to hide this from me Agi?" Floki asked solemnly.
"...Would it matter if I hadn't?" Agi retorted, earning a steely gaze from Floki. Taking a step back, Agi recoiled from Floki's touch. "You've known always known what matter of man Rollo is, and that he...lusts for me." Agi's eyes fluttered closed in disgust, and she kept them shut for a brief instance, before she continued speaking. "Yet neither you nor Ragnar has done anything to placate him."
Floki tilted his head, then a sneering giggle exhumed from his mouth. The snicker drew on for half a minute, during which he glanced at Helga. However Helga did not look amused, in fact she looked sterner than Agi had ever seen her. When Floki's gaze revolved back onto Agi, his laughter died far faster, than when it had begun. "We are viking, Agi. We are only content, as long as the Gods will us to be." he informed.
"Rollo threatened me with your Gods. He swore to Odin he would make me bleed...and if he succeeds, will you do nothing?!" Agi demanded.
"He has already succeeded." Floki replied cooly. "Rollo swore an oath he had fulfilled thrice over...now that blood must be repaid..."
Agi's heartbeat echoed in her ears. She flexed her infected palm, to assure herself she wasn't dreaming. "How?" she asked, the word heavy with forbidden excitement.
Helga spoke at last, though her gaze was confined to Floki. "I do not like this way. I fear something foul will come of it." Helga fretted.
Floki kissed Helga fully on the mouth, his hands stroking her golden mane. "All will be fine Helga." he said soothingly, still clasping her face in his hands.
Helga's deep blue eyes looked imploringly upon Floki, and then she glanced at Agi. Helga's smile was sincere, but strangely feeble. She stepped free of Floki to embrace Agi. "I hope that he is right, that I worry needlessly." Helga murmured into Agi's shoulder. "Take naught for granted Agi." Helga pulled away, but held her hands upon Agi's arms a moment longer. "Do not lower your guard, even when it is over." Helga whispered.
Agi's furrowed brow, straightened, her gaze flying onto Floki. "I am to duel Rollo?" she blurted aloud.
"No," came the sound of Ragnar's voice from behind her. Agi glanced over her shoulder at the entryway, where Ragnar stood resting his weight against the doorframe. "You are to raise your blade against him nine times..and he is to endure it." he answered nonchalantly, though there was a liveliness to his ocean eyes that his face did not display.
"Nine?" Agi repeated blankly.
Ragnar's mouth upturned into a smirk. "Do you truly not remember?" Ragnar paused long enough for Agi to respond, but she remained silent. Ragnar's gaze darted past her onto Floki. "Fortunate that we do." he added joyously.
Ragnar gestured with his head, for them to follow him, but as he turned to walk away, Agi noticed Ragnar clenched his side, as if it pained him. Agi also observed, there was a slight wobble to his gait. Agi walked ahead of Floki and Helga, to keep pace with Ragnar. "You fought with Rollo didn't you?" Agi guessed.
The smirk returned to Ragnar's features. "Did you think my brother would agree to this willingly?" Ragnar retorted, though his tone remained light.
"You are Earl." Agi replied.
Ragnar did not immediately respond. Instead he stared at her, as he had not done for quite some time. "...Some may claim, an Earl with a weakness for slaves, is no Earl at all." he said.
"Then they are unworthy of any Earl." Agi told him flatly.
The cave slopped deeply inward, lit by torches held by several of King Horik's men. It did not fully surprise Agi that her uncle and his son Erlendur stood inside, awaiting her. Seeing Lagertha standing beside Lon and Bjorn, was a different matter. There was also a woman, standing not far from King Horik, who Agi perceived to be Rollo's woman Siggy, since she grimaced at the sight of her. Rollo himself stood bare-chested in the midst of the cave, his face partially bloated, dried blood stemming from the corner of his mouth. Ragnar joined Lagertha on one side of the cave, while Floki and Helga loomed opposite them, nearest Siggy.
"Agi, I am pleased I could be here to witness this.." Horik greeted with a small nod of his head. Agi did not know how to reply, thankfully Horik was not expecting a response. He glanced at his son accordingly. "Erlendur, give her the blade." he ordered.
"This is madness." Lon huffed, as Erlendur presented Agi with a sheathed sword.
"Hush, you've already voiced your thoughts." Siggy murmured to him.
"Dianthra this serves no purpose, it will not bring back Den-yn." Lon trailed off in an exhale as Bjorn elbowed him in the ribs.
"Shut up. Agi is your sister, you should care about this, not your dead friend." Bjorn grumbled.
Agi unsheathed the sword. It was lighter than it looked, with several markings etched into the hilt. "Your father once reforged that sword for my family, Agi. I hope that by using it, Marcus Waylandr's spirit will know at last, his daughter is being cared for." Horik announced.
Rollo spat on the ground at that remark, his leer embedded upon Agi. "What are you waiting for, wisp?" he baited.
"Agi," Lagertha spoke, drawing her attention instantly. Ragnar's arms were looped around her waist, his chin resting against her shoulder, his gaze expectant on his wife. "Nine times Rollo shed your blood. Odin could've perceived any of these times as an oath fulfilled, or he could've perceived all of them. It is up to you, whether you stray your blade once, or not at all." Lagertha announced. "But you must deliver the cuts, precisely as you received them." The second she stopped speaking, Ragnar's gaze flicked onto Agi.
Nine times. Agi vividly recalled the several times Rollo's sword had sliced her during training, and of course, her blistering palm could not be easily overlooked. But what other time was she forgetting? Shifting through her memories, Agi glanced at Floki. He looked so very eager for her to begin, a wide mischievous grin was spread across his mouth. Slowly, but surely Agi remembered what Floki had once said. 'Now the trickster God Loki may see and be humbled.' Yes, that cut would be the first one.
Agi raised the blade beneath Rollo's bearded chin, carefully skimming it down the left-side of his throat without drawing blood. Rollo was breathing evenly, but not once did he blink. Agi rested the side of the blade against the fold of his neck, and gingerly pressed inward. It didn't take much pressure to make the skin break, and Agi swiftly withdrew the blade, for fear of severing his jugular. One.
As if by reflex, Agi redirected the blade, up to his cheek, slicing the side of his face that hadn't been impacted by Ragnar's fists. Two.
The blade soared downward into Rollo's right shoulder. Three.
The tip of the blade hovered past Rollo's toned stomach to bite into his left forearm. Four.
Agi jabbed the sword against either side of Rollo's waist. Five. Six.
The sword nicked both of Rollo's calves at a quickened rate. Seven. Eight.
Eight. Already?
Agi paused, both saddened and alarmed that her revenge was nearing its end. Rollo, who had never once winced, silently sneered and slowly raised his hand level with his bleeding shoulder. His palm was straight as a tree, a perfect target. Repressing a sigh, Agi slowly raised the sword skyward. In a blink of an eye, Rollo's open palm had grabbed the tip of the blade and plunged it forward and downward, causing Agi to stumble towards him. While stumbling, time itself seemed to draw into a standstill. First, she saw the blade tear open his hand, secondly, Agi had the misfortunate realization that Rollo had sidestepped her while maintaining his grip on the sword - the end result was Agi pressed against him with the sword resting beneath her chin, his hand overlapping hers as if she were about to slice her own throat. Rollo breathed haughtily against Agi's ear, drowning the outcries of those surrounding them.
"What do you imagine happens now little wisp?" Rollo breathed, his gaze straying onto Horik's bodyguards who hesitantly approached. Only two of them continued to hold torches, basking the cave in semi-darkness.
"..No matter how you loathe me, you will not sacrifice yourself to be rid of me.." Agi mumbled.
Rollo laughed darkly. "Oh to be rid of you...to not be haunted by your fiery visage in my dreams..surely my brother's dreams too. Ragnar wants so badly for you to become one of us...perhaps I am a fool for hoping to prevent it."
"You are a fool." Agi cursed.
Rollo raised the blade closer to Agi's throat, which in turn beckoned her closer against his body. "Do you remember what I once told you Agi? How a time will come, when nothing will save you, not even your pride? It is now." Rollo's overlapping fingers wound against Agi's, bending them backwards almost to a breaking point. Agi felt the gash on her palm tear anew, wider than its original wound. The sword had clambered to the ground, producing a reverberating clatter within the cave. Rollo grabbed Agi in a backwards chokehold, confining her tightly against him while his bleeding hand schemed against the open wound on her palm. Agi's gaze grew rigid with fear, as she saw Rollo clamp his palm firmly around hers. She heard the sickly slapping sound of liquid-on-liquid, blood touching blood. Their blood, joined. "You always wanted a sister brother, at last we've one!" Rollo jeered loudly.
"No." Agi groaned. Rollo released her with a content snarl, shoving her forward. Agi careened on her frozen feet, then stumbled onto her knees, cradling her palm.
"We're done here." Rollo announced brazenly.
Agi was vaguely aware of Helga and Lagertha closing in around her, consoling her with empty words. Horik and Lon each said something also, but their words seemed miles away. Agi was far too preoccupied with the numbed feeling coursing through her, as she stared at her wound. It was as if Rollo's blood was a coercive poison, clogging her veins with her every frantic heartbeat.
The froth of the ocean, collected in the crevices of her toes. Agi stared out into the horizon, without truly seeing anything. She sensed Athelstan's presence, but she did not turn her head to address him. "Yes Priest? I do not feel capable of talking much.." she greeted in a monotone.
"Agi, your arm has grown pale..." Athelstan responded, his worry evident.
Agi blankly glanced down at her leech-covered arm, comparing it briefly to her other arm. "So it has.." Agi murmured, slowly peeling off the leech nestled against the back of her wrist. There had been six other leeches, some smaller than others, strung along her arm, but three of them had already fallen off. Athelstan perched beside her, prying off the remaining leeches while Agi half-heartedly continued to wrestle with the first one she had began to pluck free. "Thank you." Agi mumbled, still not making eye-contact, even as Athelstan began to rub circulation back into her arm. His touch was soft, but surprisingly dense.
"..Agi.." Athelstan started, but Agi interrupted him with a humorless laugh.
"Deep in my heart..when I first saw Rollo, I knew that he would violate me...I did not know it would happen like this.." Agi confessed. "He is a bold man, vile and treacherous, but bold..I always wanted a bold brother. I saw what I wanted to see in Lon, I glorified him when he had no true glory to speak of."
Athelstan cleared his throat, massaging the crevice of her palm. "They're leaving tomorrow - your brother and your uncle. You could ask to go with them."
Agi looked at Athelstan with a frown blossoming on her lips. "You think because I am now Lothbrok by extension, that it forgoes my slavery?"
"Why wouldn't it?" Ahtelstan countered, with a helpful shrug.
Glaring at her wrapped palm, Agi retracted her arm from Athelstan's grasp, clenching it against her stomach. "Why should I care either way?" she wondered aloud, reverting her gaze to the horizon.
"Agi.." Athelstan stammered.
"Leave me be Athelstan.." Agi dismissed with a roll of her eyes.
Athelstan hesitated a moment longer, and then he noticed Ragnar lurking several feet away. Athelstan rested his hand against her shoulder. "I am always nearby, if you wish to speak.." he swore to her, straightening up.
Agi waited until Athelstan was out of her line of sight, before casting a backward glance at him. It was then that she saw Ragnar slowly approaching. "Go away." Agi wearily greeted, dropping her gaze from him to the sand surrounding her.
Ragnar jabbed a finger into the base of her skull. "I don't take orders from you." he reminded her, sinking onto the ground behind her. Ragnar rested a hand upon Agi's back, and felt a series of bumps. Lifting the back of her shirt, revealed that Agi had planted a small number of leeches upon herself. Ragnar exhaled, shaking his head. "How long have you let them feed on you?" he asked.
"...I don't know, I've lost track of the day." Agi admitted.
Ragnar gritted his teeth a bit, dropped the fabric against her back then proceeded to blindly remove the leeches, from her waist to her shoulders. Naturally he was not as delicate as Athelstan had been, forcing Agi to grimace and bare her own teeth in quiet protest. The last leech Ragnar pulled free, was situated near her neck, and its removal left a particularly large blotch-like bite. Staring at her glistening blood, Ragnar tossed the leech into the bucket. Ragnar leaned forward, and pressed his tongue against the bite, briefly suctioning with his lips.
"Don't!" Agi snapped, recoiling instantly.
"Why? The leeches have done their job." Ragnar said defensively, pulling Agi closer to him.
"You cannot know that." Agi said stubbornly, her body stiff in resolve.
"No, but it is what I believe." Ragnar replied, lounging his bent arm against her shoulder, one finger tracing over the leeches bitemark.
"Belief does not make something real." Agi stated.
"No? What does make something real then Agi?" Ragnar challenged. Agi glanced over her shoulder at him for the first time. "You claim the woman you used to be is dead, but you are still her - it is only your belief that makes it so."
Agi returned her attention to the ocean, and what she saw, made her heart stand still. It was the little girl, the child from Agi's nightmare, Rollo's daughter. The little girl bore Rollo's sneer, rushing toward Agi as fast the current. Blinking, Agi jumped to her feet. The vision remained steadfast, the girl's sneer intensifying into a laugh.
"Begone!" Agi snarled, her heart ricocheting amongst her ribs.
The child stopped advancing, but did not fade. The little girl's voice transformed from her own, to Rollo's, as the visage also transformed from the little girl to Rollo. "I won't be stopped. The Gods know what I intend to do with you.."
Ragnar's touch dissipated the vision, and Agi breathlessly turned her gaze upon him. "What was it?" Ragnar inquired.
Agi swallowed the massive lump in her throat. "That you are right perhaps...the leeches may have done their job...I...should speak to the Seer..." she stammered.
"Why have you come?" greeted the Seer.
"Am I free of Rollo's blood?" Agi said shortly.
The Seer's laugh resembled a sneer. "You will never be free of him. You will carry him always, whether through your blood, or through your mind."
"That isn't what I asked."
"No, but that is the answer you've received."
Agi glowered, cracking her knuckles of her compromised palm. "...Will I carry his seed?" she begrudgingly asked. "I saw a daughter, his daughter. i dreamt it, and then I saw it, clear as day."
"If a child is born first from a nightmare, it is not a true vision." The Seer replied. Agi breathed a sigh of relief. "That is not to say, that a nightmare could not become real..." the Seer added, much to Agi's chagrin.
"I would never allow it." Agi told him bluntly.
The Seer wheezed a laugh. "That may not be your decision. The Gods know what is best."
Agi's heartrace increased. "You have told me that before. And I myself said it, during that nightmare. If that is my future, the Gods are wrong and I will defy Them to my last breath."
Amid the sound of him sneering, The Seer raised his head slightly. "Who are you to say the Gods are wrong? You have not given the possibility any merit. You presume the child would be made by force, yet you and Rollo share many traits, more than either would freely admit."
Agi rose to her feet. "I am nothing like him! "
"Yet this vision lingered, didn't it?" the Seer challenged.
"That means nothing."
"Then why did you come?"
Agi's nerves felt alive with fury, she wished to lash out, she imagined throttling the Seer, but it did little to ease her mounting anxiety. "I will not seek you out again Seer." she hollowly proclaimed.
A/N - Despite that vision, the rape factor has now officially been forfeit. Rapists want power over their victims. Contaminating Agi's blood with his own, is a way for Rollo to feel sanctified in that regard. It also allows me a small avenue for spiteful sexual-tension between them.
Truthfully, I'm a bit conflicted on when precisely this story should end. I could easily conclude it the same time as King Horik's storyline. But there were..events, during this recent season that I also am dying to interweave Agi in. (I can't quite get her meeting King Ecbert out of my head either.) I think, the real deciding factor, is whether or not I want to write about Agi's offspring grown up. (It'd be similar to how Bjorn was handled on the show, although I could muster a little motherhood!Agi, I hope.) Anyway, I'd very much like to know YOUR opinion, on how far you'd like this story to go. There's nothing worse than a series that outlives its prime, and I'm ashamed to admit, I'm guilty of such an offense, though it was years ago. I don't want it to happen again.