Chapter 17.
Llucia woke up alone in the cabin. There was Ivar scent around her still and she felt the warmth of the fire behind her. They had fallen asleep on the floor, talking about the days spent apart. His days in England and the plans he had, the ways she learned about his home and his ways.
It was a weird feeling, knowing she slept beside him. As an equal.
Smiling to herself, Llucia got up and stretched her sore limbs. The furs fell of her body and she snickered. They had fallen asleep naked. Chuckling she clothed herself and moved to put more logs into the fire. As her hand adjusted them an image of Vesta frowning appeared in the flames. The Goddess looked displeased and her bouncy fire hair was lying flat, lifeless.
˝What have I done to anger you?˝- Llucia whispered. The goddess shook her head and disappeared. Llucia closed her eyes and breathed in slowly. She convinced herself that it wasn't that important, the day had begun on such a joyful note and her heart felt warmer and lighter than ever before. All she wanted to do was finish cleaning up and meeting Ivar in Kattekat, have something to eat and spend the day with him, finally in peace.
Smiling to herself she finished the chores easily, picking up weeds and stacking them together on wooden rods, preparing them for the drying process, gathering already dried roots and petals and carefully placing them in jars and wooden boxes where they would stay put until ready to be used. She ground up some small rocks that were the texture of air dried clay and put aside those pigments, maybe she could start making some of the decorative balms the women back in Rome used. Ivar might like her with bright red lips. She giggled at the thought and sighed contently.
She fastened her belt with a satchel of herbs she loved having at hand and a small silver container of balm infused with healing herbs along with a small axe. She practically jumped out of the cabin, bounced from heel to heel as she walked down the path, through the forest by the river.
Llucia was smiling when she came to Kattekat. She opened her eyes slowly and stood frozen. There were men and women fighting on every corner, the streets were already bloody and covered in bodies. She saw animals running in panic, hissing and screaming as archers released their bows kindled with fire. A line of shields made its way through Kattekat and she was right in front of it.
This was the moment she was preparing herself for. Trained by one of the greatest shield maidens. Countless hours spent with a sword an axe in hand, fighting for her skin.
But she stood there frozen. The line marched on. Each step brought her closer to them, she saw swords peaking through the shields, the sharp heads of arrows ready to fly through her.
Her breath quickened and her vision became blurry, she had to pick up her axe, no matter how small it was and defend herself, defend Kattekat. Now she had a home with Ivar. Why did she hesitate?
Why did she fear?
Llucia cursed her old gods silently and prayed to the Norse for help. Surely the Gods of the North, the gods of such brave warriors would come to her aid. Even the Valkyrie that came to her, she'd guide her, she said so herself! Call unto me when you will need me.
Llucia prayed silently over and over again.
The line of shields was a step from her. She prepared for the worse but the line passed her. No one gave her a single glance. It was if she had been a marble statue, a mere inanimate object, not a person living.
Llucia crumbled to he dirt and almost passed out. Her lungs hurt and her vision darkened. Her heart was beating erratically. In the end the overwhelming panic and fear took over her consciousness closing her eyes.
Llucia heard yells and curses, people grunting and opened her eyes slowly. She was in the same spot when the line of shields approached her. Why didn't they hurt her?
Ivar.
She started running to the great hall. Breathing heavily she came in. Warriors injured and bleeding sat around the fire. They didn't even lift their heads as she walked in. Ubbe was sitting at the table in front of the thrones. His head was wrapped in layers of fabric with blood staining it. His left arm had been slashed and bound tightly to his chest. Sigurd next to him suffered a similar state although his injuries were mostly on his torso and legs. Cuts and bruises formed along their faces like a gruesome mosaic.
˝And where were you exactly?˝- A dark voice said. She recognized it immediately. Ivar was sitting on the throne. His face hidden under a hood. She saw injuries all over his arms and took a step forward. ˝I SAID WHERE WERE YOU?!˝- He snarled. Llucia stood frozen.
˝I was coming when the battle already had begun..˝- She said silently. Apparently Ivar had heard her because he hauled an axe towards her. It missed her head by a hair, hitting the support pillar of the halls. Her eyes widened in fear. He could have killed her.
˝You were the only one not harmed by the usurpers. There are words you spoke to them.˝- Ivar said slowly, he waited for her reaction. She shook her head.
˝I NEVER SAID A WORD TO THEM I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO THEY ARE!˝- She pleaded with him. She was embarrassed of fainting on the battle field but she hadn't done anything to harm Kattekat nor him.
˝Your lips moved˝- A warrior closest to her said. ˝I saw you, I lied next to the black smiths' barn. Your mouth moved and made sounds˝
˝I-I prayed˝- Llucia said defensively. ˝I was afraid and I prayed for the gods to help me ˝
˝Why would the gods help you? You couldn't even stand the sight of the battle! You fainted out of fear because we slaughtered your little army!˝- Ubbe growled at her.˝ You were here when our Mother was killed and didn't even move a single finger to help her. You even got her killer to fucking train you˝
˝Maybe you invited them here, showed them the roads˝- Sigurd added. Llucia watched them with her eyes wide open. Her mouth felt dry as sand. She couldn't believe their words.
˝I have never done such a thing. You may call me a coward but I didn't not betray you! Ivar you must believe me! I WAS WITH YOU LAST NIGHT AND THIS MORNING!˝- She yelped as another axe flew by, the sharp metal cutting her cheek.
Ivar had lifted his head. His face was contorted in hate and anger. ˝Yes, you were with me when they attacked, how perfect. I never understood why Lagertha took you in and why my mother despised you. Now I know. You want Kattekat and the throne. Revenge for the months in slavery, is that it? THe act of learning our way, our gods, us!?˝- His voice grew louder and louder. ˝An act to fool us and mostly fool me into thinking you actually cared for me˝- He finished bitterly.
Llucia felt her heart break. She felt the shards as they poked themselves through her flesh and falling out her body. She imagined the gaping wound, bloody and empty of her heart. She stared at Ivar's eyes. They had changed, the warm light had turned to an icy cold.
She lost him.
She chocked back a sob and waited.
˝You are banned from Kattekat and from us˝- Ivar said finally. A few tears escaped her eyes, wetting the flood under her. She turned and left the hall. What could she do now?
HE didn't believe her.
Maybe he never did.
a/N : Thanks to a reader I was told my story was published on another site, translated in brazilian ( portugese, please correct me if I'm wrong) and that is so NOT okay. You can translate my story IF YOU CREDIT ME. That's it. It's my work and original ( as much as they can be given the state of the things written till today in the world) story idea and frankly it's fucking aggravating to have all your work just copied. No I do not write this with another person. It's just me and my spelling and grammar mistakes. Yes they happen I try to avoid them and correct them but given the fact that I have more than one language in my head it's hard. I've tried the beta approach but I update on a weird schedule and people dont want to bother with it. So spelling check and my logic is the few tools I use.
a/n 1: Call me petty or self absorbed for the snippet but I just wanted it out of my system. Also it gets QUITE GORY AND BLOODY. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. DO NOT READ IF YOU GET QUEASY EASILY OR CAN'T HANDLE SUCH SCENES.
** Sticky fingers**
Ivar was furious. He was sitting on the throne in the great hall, yelling at cursing at anyone who dared come closer. Last night he was hunting with his brothers, a feeble attempt at keeping the brotherhood close an alive feeling. It was an attempt on pleasing their dead parents. Being siblings who spent time together.
They were too old and too angry for that now.
Unfortunately someone decided to ransack his home and steal jewelry and gold, and not any gold, the precise items he brought back from England to give to Llucia. Golden medallions, crowns bracelets with intricate designs and heavy with gemstone. Gone.
He ordered the men to look through every nook and cranny of Kattekat, move each stone and lift anything movable.
He was going to grab those sticky paws and make a nice necklace for the bastard.
The whole day he waited for his men to return, waiting in the hall with a sharpened axe in his lap. Finally the men returned. Ubbe came in and threw a woman in front of Ivar. She cursed and yelled at them.
˝Silence.˝- Ivar snarled. The woman spat at his feet. ˝Have you found it?˝
˝Everything she took was put in a cave near the end of the forest. She didn't even cover it. It shone under the sun˝- Ubbe said rolling his eyes.
˝Who is she?˝
˝We don't know and she doesn't answer our questions˝
˝Pity I'd like to know her name before I cut her hands off˝- That got her attention right away. Ivar held the axe tightly in his left hand and motioned her to come over. She shook her head and looked around, pleading for help. The men stood firmly. ˝No one will help you and don't think I hate women in particularly...I just fucking hate thieves˝
The woman was brought to him and pushed onto her knees ˝This is for everyone to know, you do not steal from IVAR THE BONELLES!˝- Snarling he cut her left hand first. Blood spewed everywhere hitting Ivar's face and chest. The woman hollered in pain and tried to move away, run from the angry man. Moving his arm he cut her other hand. She was yelling and screaming as the blood flew. The bones were showing, starkly white midst the flesh. Ivar held the hands and clapped. ˝I will make a necklace for you since you want one so baldy˝
He took a string of leather and wrapped each hand carefully, they were attached to another one. The woman watched in horror as two burning knifes approached her arm stubs. ˝I can't have you dying for such a little thing, can I ?˝- They cauterized the wounds and wrapped the stubs.
The woman lied in front of him on the blood soaked furs, her dirty matted head staring at the flood in front of her and the two stubby arms she now had. Around her neck her hands hung.