The roles we play
By the time evening comes, Mary is starving and lightheaded from the lack of water and food. Ivar seems to be faring much better than her, fiddling with the strange clasps on his hands, while they let time pass in silence.
When steps draw closer, both of them look up alarmed, and when the door is heaved open and several soldiers enter the cell, Mary instinctively presses herself against the wall, only to be grabbed and dragged to her feet, while Ivar is pulled forward until he falls off the cot and lands on the stone floor, where one of the soldiers pins him down with a foot on his neck. He curses at them in what she can only imagine to be old Norse and his nostrils flare in anger as he struggles under the soldier's heavy boots, only to still when he presses harder against his neck and makes him gasp for air.
"Don't touch me," Mary shouts ready to kick on of the soldiers in the chest when another person enters, that the soldiers stop.
The man is older, with grey hairs and a crown on his head and behind him are a beautiful woman with dark hair and kind eyes, and a man in elegant robes.
"That is enough." The king commands and Mary watches the soldier's step back. Free to move about again, Ivar lifts himself up on his forearms and glares at the man with a ferociousness that scares even Mary. But she can understand his anger, she feels it herself not only at being manhandled but also at seeing these soldiers be unnecessarily violent against two people who are no threat to them. Bastards, hiding behind their metal plates and chainmail.
"I apologize. I am King Ecbert and I heard you have come to see me. I am sorry it took me so long to speak to you, my child." The King speaks but Mary just glares at him. "I am also sorry for you being put here. My advisors are careful men, but they can be blind to the divine."
He speaks slowly, and with kindness but Mary is suspicious and stays silent.
"I have heard that you have a sign of God on you. The bishop who brought you here claimed that he had a vision of a child sent with purpose and he is convinced that it was you. A missionary he calls you."
Mary nods but still doesn't speak.
"Would you be so kind to show us the mark?"
His face turns scandalous when Mary starts gathering her skirts and Ivar scoffs at the kings prudishness. High and mighty coming from a man who had looked like he had swallowed a bird when she had shown him the cross.
"Judith, would you be so kind?" The king asks and the woman behind him nods and takes Mary's hand, gently turning her towards the wall so that she can lift her skirts without the men seeing.
Mary watches Judith's eyes grow large when she sees the cross and with a questioning look, she reaches out to touch it. Then she falls to her knees and mumbles a prayer, holding onto the heavy cross across her neck, before leaning forwards and kissing Mary's dirty feet.
Mary is stunned at the gesture. "Please, don't do that." She asks and leans down to help Judith stand up again. The woman has tears in her eyes as she turns back towards the king.
"It's just like he described it. A cross in bright colours embedded in her skin, right where Pontius Pilatus broke the skin of our Lord and Saviour during the crucifixion."
Mary eyes King Ecbert who seems in deep thoughts and Mary knows right then and there, that the only way for her to get out of this place is if they truly believe that she is a holy woman.
"Do you have any gifts?" he asks her and before she can answer no, Ivar speaks up.
"She is a Seer." He says and Mary turns to look at him, his look defiant and intimidating, even in his position. Apparently, he understands at least some of the English language.
"You understand the heathen?" Judith asks carefully and Mary takes a careful breath, ready to play the charade that will save her life.
"I speak all languages," Mary says calmly, hoping that it is true.
King Ecbert looks at her, trying to gauge if she is saying the truth and when he speaks there is something different about the way his llips move, something that doesn't quite line up with the words he is saying.
"Even French?"
Mary nods "Even French."
"What did he say?" Judith asks curiously, eyes on Ivar. Mary repeats his words.
"A Seer?" she asks in soft astonishment "What a gift you have."
The king turns to the man behind him.
"Why was she put in the same cell as the Viking?" he asks and the man looks momentarily put out by the question, but then he stammers to answer.
"The bishop claimed that the girl he had envisioned was a missionary for the truth, someone who could calm the roughest seas and the most barbaric of minds."
Mary rolls her eyes at the man, she just can't help it, this whole thing was so pretentious. She had met the bishop, and truth be told, the man was so full of himself that Mary suspected he made the whole thing up to make himself more important.
"We, your advisors had the idea of testing her alleged holiness. Ivar the Boneless is the mad son of Ragnar Lothbrok and we wanted to see if she would be able to escape his-" at this point, he pauses awkwardly "-his hunger. We knew that, should she convert and calm and barbarian, the bishops word could be trusted."
Mary bristles at the words.
"That was your plan? Throw me in here and see if he assaults me? Or maybe you were hoping to watch him strangle me to death with the blanket." She accuses him angrily and the man looks ready to defend himself of her indolence.
Behind her Ivar laughs humourlessly, apparently understanding the general gist of the conversation as he says "You shouldn't have thrown her in with a cripple. Give her to my father to test your theories, but there is no such threat from me."
Mary pulls a face at his words, as they are both crass and rude and she hopes the others did not understand what he said. King Ecbert looks at Ivar for a second before turning back to his advisor.
"Your deeds, no matter how well-meaning, were unkind and you threatened the innocence of a girl send from the heavens themselves. Would she have been violated; it would have been your fault." He states harshly and the advisor shrinks into the background.
"But she didn't convert the heathen. See how crass and crude he still is. If she was the girl expected, he would be a changed man." He tries to defend himself and the king sighs in disappointment.
"My dear child, would you be so kind as to translate my words." King Ecbert asks kindly "Ask the heathen if his heart is open to the spirit of Christ and the one true God."
She doesn't even have to say a word when Ivars face breaks out into a condescending smile, his eyes taunting and Mary holds her breath when he lifts the middle finger of his right hand and draws the Christian cross into the air, tapping his forehead, his chest, and both shoulders. The gesture is, in Mary's eyes, clearly a provocation, insulting the king with his middle finger through the whole process. But they don't know that and Mary has to hide a smile.
Judith breaks out into another fit of prayer, and even the King's lackey seems taken aback.
The King himself however is simply standing there, looking at her ,with a respect that kings usually did not show anyone, and then he nods.
"The decision has been made. You will be going with the Norseman, and you will do what the Lord has sent you to do. Be a missionary for Christ, and teach the barbarians about our ways, about the teachings of the bible, and about the holy spirit of God." The words are final and they fall into stunned silence as Mary looks at Ivar over her shoulder.
She doesn't know if he understood what was said, but he meets her gaze with silent determination.
"Judith, bring her to be washed and clothed. She will arrive in the lands up north as a Christian, and she will look like one. Ask the servants to prepare a bag for her and get her clothes for the passage." Judith nods eagerly and Mary's heart is racing when the King takes her hands and clasps them in his own.
"You will have whatever you desire tonight because tomorrow your journey will start. Until then, please relax and prepare. The castles priest can be called, should you need spiritual guidance." Yeah, right. Fat chance.
But then he leaves and Mary is pulled from the cell by Judith and she can only catch a glimpse of Ivar, confused at her sudden departure before the door falls close.
Even though she is still afraid, maybe even more afraid now that she is faced with an uncertain future and a long journey, Mary cannot help but enjoy the bath of warm water, the clean clothes and the soft bed where she cuddles into the warm covers. She thinks back to Ivar, sitting in the cold cell, and when she is given her travel bag she sneaks in a bottle of wine. Anything to keep them warm in what she is sure will be a horrendous journey across the open sea.
She wakes refreshed and smiling, only to be poked, dressed, squeezed, and pulled once the servants try to dress her. The result is Mary, scowling as the servants hurry her out of the door and towards the small group gathering to bid the travelling party farewell.
She can see the exact moment that Ivar sees her because his lips quirk up in an amused smile and she cannot even fault him, but she glares at him nonetheless. Her dress is ugly and grey, a truly horrible piece of fabric that is tight where she doesn't want it to be, and too wide where it should be snug. But the worst is the cap that the servants had forced onto her head, after braiding her long hair and pinning it painfully against her scalp, and which covers her hair and makes her look like, frankly, an egg.
None of the others seems to care about her ridiculous outfit and simply help her onto the wagon where she sits down with a huff. Ivar is already sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him and close enough to the edge that Mary already knows she will have to drag him to the middle of the cart or he will fall off should they hit a rock in the road.
Judith comes to the wagon and Mary tries to hide her scowl. The woman has been nothing but kind to her, and it's not her fault that she was born into these ridiculous times.
They are about to leave when King Ecbert himself steps forward. Ivar glares at him and Mary hopes he doesn't try to fling himself at the man, be he just scowls silently.
"You said you are a Seer." He begins, leaning closer to Mary and keeping his voice low. "Do you see what will happen after the death of Ragnar Lothbrok? What will be the consequences of my actions?"
Ivars glare turns murderous and Mary's face hardens.
"The Sons of Ragnar come to England with so many fighters that history will remember it as the Great Heathen Army, and they will kill the man who killed their father." Mary says, her voice cold, but King Ecbert only nods and she thinks she can hear him mumble "Good" before sending them on their way.