Her mouth was dry and there was a stale taste. She licked her lips searching for any bit of moisture from keeping the skin from splitting apart and there was a dull ache in the back of her throat. Millie was sure she was dehydrated. It hurt too much to swallow and her stomach rumbled with a pain like no other. The sound was loud and clear before her stomach made yet another sound, one like appeasement, at the sight of the buckets that held what would be breakfast.

She and Aethelwulf were the only ones awake among their companions. The sun had been making its way to rise and the other Christians were sound asleep. Their snores were loud with heads lolling to the side. It was when they were kicked and at the sounds of laughing Pagans did they wake with fear prominent in their eyes.

It was a troubling sight.

"Eat." One of the men said as he dug out a piece of bread.

Just like the night before, the Christian men indulged in the taste of the little that had been provided for them. Sounds of desperate pleasure erupted from them and the Vikings could only snicker in their direction.

The rest of the Pagans were up preparing for a new day. The sounds of stone against metal soon seared the air as some prepped their old and newly obtained weapons from the fight. Along those sounds were those preparing their meals and for something else in particular Millie knew well about. The baptism. A notice of a nightmare.

After having woken from a terrible sleep, she was overcome with grief. A nasty dream, she told herself before the reminder of the events came to play in her head. She wished it were a dream especially with the way her body ached from new pain and old. She looked at her father whose weary eyes were the only indication of where he stood. It was obvious to her he had not slept but he did not make to fall and held his head high as bread was presented for he and his daughter.

There was a moment of repeat that played before them. The Lord made no move to take the food and a small feeling of resentment coursed through Millie. It was not the same men as before but she held them accountable all the same. She did not wish to see the treatment from yesterday happen again but Aethelwulf made no show otherwise as he refused the bread with just a look of his eyes. It was when Millie's stomach gurgled again though that he jumped to attention.

Slowly, he moved his arm within its binding and opened his hand. Reminding them where they stood in the Pagans eyes, the piece of bread was slapped onto his hand with it flattening from the force. Millie made no move at first to reach for her own as she watched her father. If he made to eat then so would she and she made to grab the bread before another reminder hit her. Ragnar bound her so tight, there was no way for her to move her arms enough and take what she could.

Aethelwulf took note and a fire he tempered rushed within him.

"I'll take hers."

Without question, another piece was given to him before they stalked off to have a proper meal of their own. It was like torture after a while when the smell of cooking meat wafted through the air and Millie wanted to punch in her stomach when it rumbled low.

"I know this isn't ideal for you," Aethelwulf started. He knew his daughter well enough to know this would only spike the fury she had yet to awaken for the day. "But I'll feed you. At least until we can convince the Pagan leader to loosen the rope."

Millie sighed. There was no other way. She had to take the bite from her father's hand or starve.

"Would you like me to feed you?"

Ragnar words rang loud in her head to which she ground her teeth.

This was on purpose, she thought. He made to make her feel weak. To make her feel helpless and it was working. But her father meant no harm. He was simply looking out for her as a parent would do for their child.

She nodded softly.

Aethelwulf broke a piece in half and gave it to her as she leaned in to eat. The bread was soft much to her surprise. She expected it to be stale but it was everything but. She chewed slowly working it well between her teeth before swallowing it. Her stomach cramped at first but welcomed the feel of being partially filled. Millie ate the other half in silent gusto before her father made to give her a piece from his own.

"No." She simply stated. She would not have him starve on her behalf.

"You need it more than I do."

"You need your strength as much as any of us do. I won't take it."

Aethelwulf sighed. "Stubborn girl."

"Any wonder who I got it from," she mumbled.

It was the only moment they found where they could find peace of mind. Father and daughter. The smiles barely reached their eyes and the chuckles low and breathy. It was a short-lived moment for their current state brought them back to the present. It was what could only be imagined to be the last of laughs for a while.

Millie would not eat what was his for her father's sake. Aethelwulf knew his daughter was one to stand firm. That stubbornness he called her on in which she called him on as well-she was right to say. But she would not sway and so he ate.

There was a satisfaction in watching him eat. Though it was not much, something was better than nothing. She wondered then when and if they ever would have something to drink. Nothing was brought to them and Millie could feel a twinge when she cleared her throat. They would have to wait and see, much to the Christians' dismay.

The rope tied around Millie strained against her as she stretched back. She had the impending need to stretch fully and take in a deep breath. A proper breath without the binds. Her ribs made to fight against the rope but it did little to budge. It was painful and the bruises that surely had to be there screamed in silent agony. It was torment and Millie prayed that her uncle would make haste in bringing his family and his men back home.

No longer were the Pagans silent for they talked boisterously. It was evident they were enjoying themselves and Millie wondered briefly of what garnered their attention to make them so. It was when she heard his voice did she know and her anger having settled deep down inside of her roiled and flowed through like fire in a forest. She grew tense as he bade goodbye. He would be on his way then with his brother and friends in tow for the baptism. Thinking of it, she had a feeling things would not end well. Surely a Pagan converting to Christianity for the sake of money would force the hand of God. He would exact punishment and rightfully so.

The approaching footsteps brought her to full attention. Unbeknownst to her, her shoulders were slumped but her back arched at the oncoming commotion and she sat as tall and proud as she were prior to all of this. It was no surprise to see that it was Ragnar who had come to grace them with his presence. Two others accompanied him who Millie remembered them to be Leif and Torstein. The latter, she took note, was rather cheeky like his leader. He smiled at her but it was not genuine. He mocked her like everyone else and she bristled at the truth.

Ragnar smiled briefly before kneeling before Millie and Aethelwulf. He knelt between the two and his eyes shifted from one person to the other. The Lord's look was unreadable. He looked at Ragnar with nothing that could hint to what he was thinking but the latter had many ideas on what may be coursing through his mind. Millie was easy for him to read. Clearly, she was mad at him. The way her brows pinched with the corner of her lips turned downward was indication enough.

There was a tug at the corner of his own lips as he could feel the oncoming threat of a smile. A smile he knew would rile her even further but he held strong. There was much to do and he preferred in saving enough energy for later. For her.

"We will be leaving to meet with your brother." He turned his attention over to Aethelwulf. The Christian man made of stone. "How long does a baptism run for?" He asked in pure curiosity.

Aethelwulf was silent at first. Simply observing the other man. He was confused for a moment but he refused in letting that show. Ragnar's look of interest seemed genuine enough when he asked the question. It left him feeling something he could not put a word to but he would not allow it to stump him.

"Not long," he started. "The ceremonies are rather short."

"Hmm." Ragnar hummed. "Were you baptised?"

There was that look again. That look of interest. This time, Aethewulf could not help but to arch his brow in small skepticism.

"Yes. All Christians have."

Ragnar looked at Millie and imagined what would have been her baptism. He wondered if she was as angry as she was now back then. Lashing out at those who tried to touch her. Or was she the opposite? A delight but only to the Christian people? He stood then, all traces of his fascination disappearing before everyone's eyes. It was time for him to witness this baptism himself and make his personal judgement.

"We will be leaving then. Don't try and escape." Those words were a cross between a taunt and a dare that left both father and daughter bitter.

Torstein and Leif turned to walk away with Ragnar following close behind. They stopped short then when Aethelwulf's voice bore into them like a weight as he called to them. To Ragnar who looked back in small interest.

"I have a request," he said to which Ragnar smirked. "My daughter's bindings, they are too tight. Tie her again if you must but at least relieve her of her current strain."

Millie did not look at any of the men who watched her. Her attention was to the ground but she could feel the eyes of every single one of the men in her presence bore into her very being. It was disconcerting and she fought the urge to sigh.

There was a part of her that forced her to want to look at her father. With a look of frustration that would make him understand she did not wish for him to speak on her behalf. When he spoke of this before when he fed her, she did not think he would actually ask Ragnar to do such a thing. Now she felt like a child and knew full well what the response to this would be.

Ragnar looked her over and could see the way Millie's arm pressed awkwardly against her torso. For a brief moment he thought of providing the relief her father asked for but thought otherwise.

"She's my prisoner. Unless she has something to offer me she will stay as she is." The smile could be heard clear in his voice. "Do you have something to offer me, Millie?"

The name sounded odd as it rolled off his tongue and it was then when the woman looked at him. The suggestiveness behind those words were all too clear with the look of amusement he displayed.

Torstein snickered and the Christian men felt what could have been nothing more than pure embarrassment on Lady Millie's behalf. Aethelwulf imagined his request would not go over well but hearing the jibe made him angry nonetheless.

"Yes." Millie's voice rang clear. It hurt to speak but she would be heard. "I do have something to offer."

He could feel his feet carrying him back over to her. Ragnar did not kneel but he gave her his undivided attention.

With a tilt of his head he asked, "And what is that?"

She purposely stayed silent to add on to the tension she exuded. It filled the air between them leaving it thick enough to slice an imaginary knife through it.

"Death."

His eyes grew into slits as he took her in. There was no excessive rage but the over-confidence alone brought that feeling of excitement from yesterday back. His chest swelled with a deep breath and he released it with a small laugh. Though the want to stay grew stronger each passing second he knew he was needed elsewhere. The result of the upcoming event, Ragnar knew would not leave him disappointed and so with one last smile he took his leave.

Millie did not feel victorious in watching him go. That show of intimidation she made wore her over and she knew he did not find her threatening.

Back at the kingdom and home she was regarded as a warrioress. Strong in both the physical aspect and in mind. Much like her father. She was feared and there was a sense of awe that engulfed her by the very people she fought to protect. Here now though she felt like a failure. A shell of who she was once known to be. Treated like she were in the wrong. As if she were fighting on the wrong side and now a prisoner to be ridiculed for every word spoken and every action made. It was most unbecoming and the need to take her back her dignity along with her father was a powerful one.

There was no need for Aethelwulf to play the angry father. He would often reprimand his daughter when she talked so foolishly but the usual need to reel her in was lost upon him as he too felt the same. An offer of death to Ragnar and the rest of the heathens whose savagery would not go unpunished. Soon Aelle would set his brother, niece and men free and once they were nursed to better health they would strike and make all those who challenged them pay. And they would take no prisoners. The first mistake the Pagans made, Aethelwulf believed.

The Christians sat quiet as those who remained made do with their daily chores. It was not without clamor as they joked and made mention of their lives back at home. About families and kills they made. About everything one would hear in any home just as it was in Millie's. If it were not for their current position they would seem very human in her eyes but she refused to see them as anything but monsters. The interest she had before the battle in the Vikings was still prominent within her but she would not indulge herself with what she was able to hear. She could not see them from where she sat and she preferred it that way lest she be tempted to try and understand them. Curiosity had often times gotten someone killed and it was still unknown if she and the others would survive.

She thought then and came to a realization that she had not drank nor eaten for an entire day yesterday. Since the night of the attack. And she and her father were dragged back and forth from the early morning to late at night with nothing in their stomachs. Even after eating the bread this morning, Millie knew if they were to continue on this way chances of survival would be slim.

She needed to focus on something to pass the time, however long it would be. So long as she could take her mind off of her needs.

The amount of time it would take for the baptism would not be long, just as her father said. She remembered her sister's baptism when the girl was but a babe and she a child. It was done in a matter of minutes and afterwards her family and the church sat down for a meal in a way of celebration. But she doubted that latter would actually occur with Ragnar and his people.

Millie could not recall her own baptism for she was a baby as well when it occurred. Many of the people within the Christian community were baptised when they were infants. Then there were those like Rollo but there was a difference between him and the Christians. While one accepted God as their Lord and Saviour the other saw it as an antic. How angry would King Aelle be when the heathens took to joking about God in the midst of a holy rite? The answer was obvious.

Millie's fingers tapped between a rhythmic pattern to a lazy one on the sides of her thighs. She was feeling impatient. She wanted out and she wanted to bathe. To have a proper meal with some water. She wanted her bed and other things she knew she could not have and it left her feeling exasperated.

"This will be over soon." Aethelwulf tried in easing her nerves. He could feel her fidgeting by his side and it was starting to make him anxious.

"Will it ever be?" One of the Christians asked.

Than man looked down to the dirt as he dug his heel into it. He pushed his foot forward, dragging, and watched the grime cave in from the pressure. Pulling his foot back, he repeated the process until there was a sizable dent.

"Have you lost your faith in God?" Aethelwulf's tone was one Millie was familiar with. It were as if he were scolding a child.

The guardsman looked up with a shake of his. "No, my Lord."He sounded sheepish. "I just lack faith in their being a positive outcome."

"If you lack faith in this then you lack faith in God. He will do what is right and we will be free. Do not doubt him now."

He very much sounded like a priest, Millie thought. But she did not deny the truth in his words. The other man looked down once more and sat in terrible silence. It was obvious the men were losing a bit of faith and Millie wondered if she ever would as well.

It was quiet from then on. No one dared to say a word lest Lord Aethelwulf's temper be tested again and Millie for reasons she feared. Her eyes were heavy and she could feel herself wanting to gasp for air. Her heart beat abnormally leaving her chest to ache uncomfortably. Once or twice she would close her eyes to keep the world from spinning and a headache began to form. She leaned against her father's side looking for something to hold her up while her knees shook.

"Are you alright?" he asked in concern.

"Mm." She swallowed what bit of saliva she had. "Just tired," she slurred.

The pain in her stomach subsided but her body felt weak. The sounds from the Pagans grew louder over time and all she wanted to do was lie down. She opened her eyes and looked down to the ground. It was just as best as any to rest on but she could not bring herself to move for she felt like she would faint. Closing her eyes again, she released a shudder of a breath.

She sat like this for what felt like hours. Against her father and surrounded by people who were looking at her. She could feel their gazes and she wanted them to stop. She began to feel unnerved by it and trembled slightly.

With a change of thought, she focused on something that would bring her some form of ease. Millie sought old memories to kill what was slowly eating her up but it only did so much. Her mind was lit with warnings. The control she had over herself was beginning to wane and Millie knew she was about to faint.

"What is wrong with her?"

She stilled at the sound of his voice. When had he come back? Deep down she wanted to force herself up but there felt like a weight that was keeping her down.

Aethelwulf shifted to stare down at his daughter. She'd been silent for a while and he left it to believing she'd fallen asleep. She breathed evenly and thought nothing of it even when Ragnar and his companions came back. The horses galloping on with sounds of greetings filling the air. By then she would have been up but he thought nothing of it. But he had not seen her face.

He moved his arm to shake her. "Millie?" he asked as he moved her again but she did not respond.

Ragnar knelt before her and pulled her up by the front of her bindings. Her eyes opened to regard him but she looked dazed. He placed his hands on either side of her head and dragged his thumbs down beneath the skin of her eyes. Her pupils were large covering almost entirely her irides and her skin paler than normal. He'd seen this before. A comrade of his from back then had grown weak overtime after having contracted an illness from the forest. He fainted and Ragnar remembered how he and Arne carried the man over to Floki who knew what needed to be done. With Millie looking all out of sorts he was quick to stand with her and take her to the very man he knew would not be keen on helping.

The movement was quick and Millie could feel the last bit of strength she had disappear before all went black before her. Ragnar saw the way her eyes rolled back with her body going limp. He caught her before she could fall and lifted her into his arms.

"Millie!" Aethelwulf called in panic. He fought to stand and his arms strained against the rope around him in panic.

One of the Vikings came over and pulled him back seeing him as a potential threat then. Aethelwulf raged as he was held down and fought even harder as Ragnar cradled his daughter against him.

He walked away with her leaving a father whose throat grew raw from the screams and hurried off to seek the help Millie would need. Ragnar's feet were swift as he bounded over to the campground in search of Floki. He was no longer with their friends having gone off to avoid the newly appointed "Rolf." Rollo's Christian name. He heard himself call to his friend in hopes he would find him quickly.

Something ignited within Ragnar along the lines of panic. It was what he guessed it to be but he did not know whether he panicked for the girl's health or because he panicked for worrying about her at all. But he would stop his worrying for Floki came running to him.

There were no words exchanged between the two but looks said all when the wild Viking stopped and eyed his friend skeptically. The sight of the Christian girl in his arms was nothing but confusing to him. He stood stock still until Ragnar reached him where the man said quickly, "She fainted." Floki looked down at her and back at Ragnar. He turned his head and spat and not without a shake of his head, lead him over to his tent.

AN: Aaand to be continued. I don't know why but for some reason I had a lot of trouble in convincing myself to upload this chapter. For stupid reasons really but I owe you guys so I sucked it up and here it is. Hopefully it was good enough.

I've been thinking for a while about how long I want to stretch out the time from now until Aelle upholds his part of the bargain and at first I was going to go with 2 weeks but then I was like "nah." For me it's unnecessarily long so this prisoner stuff will probably last for a week the most. That way we can get to the part when he takes her home and so on.

Now to the important stuff. The reason why it's been so long is because, of course you guys know I hadn't been doing good health wise and I finally had that surgery I was talking about. So on top of that were my recovery days and after that my power went out. Obviously it's back on which is great. And lastly, what I mentioned earlier about feeling conflicted on uploading the chapter or not. Lack of confidence maybe. I don't know.

Anywho..

Your love for this story is what's really pushing me forward. The amount of attention it's received is mind boggling and I can't thank you guys enough for all the favs, follows, and reviews.
Reviews:
Silently Tearful: Thank you so so much and I'm really sorry for the late update.
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wabi-sabi1090: Thank you so much. I'm doing a lot better now which is great. Again, thank you. That was a perfect example! That's pretty much how it is with her and just as you said she will be seeing him in a whole new light but that's not without headaches first. I can't wait to get to the part where everyone will start going their separate ways. I can't wait to get to a lot of parts. I'm excited about it and I'm glad you are too. It's great.
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Victoria: I'm happy to know you're enjoying it so far and hopefully you enjoyed this one as well. I can't wait to delve deeper into their relationship. It's going to be so much fun and I have a feeling you all will enjoy it too.
ckiely: Oh gosh, thank you! I'm sorry for the late update and I hope this chapter makes up for it.
DorkySoul: Yes! So long as I live there will be more and more chapters to come!
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I am just floored. I don't even-I'm almost speechless. You guys are truly an amazing bunch. My face hurts from all the smiling! Keep all the reviews coming. It really puts me in a good mood and helps to get me writing again. You guys are wonderful. Thank you for being so kind to me.

I'm already typing up the next chapter and I'm just so excited for the many things to come and I hope you all are too because things are going to get crazy soon. Until next time, everyone!