Summary: When a crew of vikings washes up on an African beach and receives help returning home Ragnar wishes to form an alliance with this country by any means.
A/N: So this was requested and I had originally intended to have it all done in one post but I realized it was too long and I had put a lot of love and research into the story and didn’t want to rush things to wrap it up. The bold dialog represents the foreign language in that location, so in Africa bold is Norse and in Kattegat bold is Derja.
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You covered your mouth to keep from giggling as you hid behind a hut as the servant searched for you.
After a second or so you heard the servant run off the wrong way, you peaked around and saw that your servant was in fact not gone.
She was standing right in front of you and looked very upset with you right now.
‘Princess (Y/N) why do you insist on running from me so often? I know you don’t like to but you have responsibilities and one of those is walking through the village and making sure that your people are happy and safe.’ she said.
‘The people are always happy Bintu, and the walk is so long.’ you pout.
‘What if one day they are not? How will your mother know?’ Bintu questioned.
‘They could request conference with her.’ you said.
‘Conferences are not free, we must make our rounds to check on those who cannot afford conference.’
With a defeated sigh you went along and walked through your village, begrudgingly taking note of the fact that everyone was indeed happy. LIke they always were when you did this stupid daily walk.
The merchants were selling, the children playing or helping their mothers and fathers; no one was begging and no one stealing anything as far as you could tell.
‘See everyone is well, can we please go back to the palace now.’ you whined as you reached the beach and saw that there was still no issues in sight.
‘If you would actually look your highness would see something was very wrong.’ Bintu said as she pointed to the left.
You leaned to look over and you saw that a few miles out there was small cave and inside there was a small fire.
‘Bintu! There are people in that cave!’ you gasped in panic.
‘I can see that princess, what should we do?’ she asked.
‘We have to go and see who they are.’
‘Are you sure that is wise?’
‘Those people could be hurt, we must make sure they are alright.’ you answered as you began to walk toward the cave.
‘They could also be dangerous.’ Bintu warned as she followed behind you.
‘You know the law Bintu, we protect our land and people, it is my duty as princess. Those people are on our land so they are now our people.’ you said as you continued on your way.
‘And if your new people want to harm you and your land?’
‘That is why you are here, to protect me.’ you said.
At that Bintu had to concede, she was the servant tasked with keeping you safe at all times and she would do so until one of you passed.
In a mildly comfortable silence you both continued your journey to the cave, the closer you got the more Bintu’s words had unsettled you, but you had to keep your word.
You were Princess (Y/N) of Tunisia, you could show no fear in the eyes of anyone. It was a lesson your mother had hammered into you.
Finally you and Bintu were close enough to the cave to see inside of it.
There were about twenty men sitting in the cave, they all appeared old and a few seemed a bit injured.
After a moment of observing them the man closest to the mouth of the cave saw you.
He spoke in a language you had vaguely recognized from your teachings, it was Norse. You were by no means fluent but you could hold a conversation in this tongue.
‘We mean you no harm.’ you said in Norse.
Bintu pulled you to stand behind her, holding her spear defensively and keeping trained eyes on each of the men that came pouring out of the cave.
‘You speak our language child?’ the man asked.
‘Just a little, my name is Princess (Y/N) of Tunisia. Who are you and what is your business in this kingdom?’ you asked.
The man gave you a smile then turned his eyes to Bintu, making your protector tighten her grip on her grip on her weapon.
‘My name Sven, this is my crew, we sailed from Kattegat, hoping to travel to England but a powerful storm sent us astray and we lost our navigator to the seas. For days we drifted until we were once again by a storm, this one took our ship and using driftwood we swam for two more days and washed up here.’ the man explained.
‘What is he saying?’ Bintu asked.
‘They are Norsemen, they were sailing for England when they were hit by two storms and washed up here.’ you summarized.
‘Are any of your men injured, we have healers to assist you.’ you offered.
‘Yes, but I do not think they can walk to your healers, and I do not think you guard can carry all of them.’
It took you a minute to translate a few of the words in that sentence, but once you had you had to agree with this pale man.
Even now you could see some of the men were leaning against the walls of the cave while others seemed unable to stand at all.
‘Bintu, go and fetch the healers, as many as you can.’ you ordered.
‘I cannot leave you alone in the presence of strangers.’ she argued.
'I may do whatever I must to keep you safe.’
With a sigh you took out the dagger you were bound to carry until your eighteenth summer.
'Princess!’ Bintu gasped, turning away from the men to look at you in shock.
You stepped forward ahead of your servant and stood a few feet away from Sven.
'Before I send my guard to bring the healers she must know that I am safe here.’ you said.
'Tell her we would never hurt such a generous host.’
'She will not believe you, and she will not leave until she has seen you bleed for the kingdom.’
'Blood.’ Bintu said, turning her head to show the scar on her right cheek.
Sven looked back at his men and the all seemed to be telling him to agree, if you weren't mistaken you think there were a few vulgar threats being made as well.
'If it pleases your Highness.’
You stepped forward and instructed the man to bend down so you could reach his face.
'By the blade of my father and the fathers before him I bleed you for this country.’ you said before you made the cut.
You did not like cutting the man, but being a princess meant doing things you don't always like to protect your people and traditions.
'Are we trusted now?’ Sven asked as he stood.
'You are, the others must be bled, an unmarked face is the face of an enemy.’ you answered as you went to the next man.
‘By the blade of my father and the fathers before him I bleed you for this country.’
One by one you bled each man, binding their loyalty to your country.
Bintu relaxed her stance once the last man was cut.
'Please go and get help.’
She nodded dutifully before leaving you one more message.
'Tell these me if any harm comes to you I will cut off their manhoods and feed what is left of them to the dogs.’ she said before she ran towards the village.
'What did she say?’ Sven asked.
'She says she will return as soon as possible.’ you lied.
The man made an amused face that showed he didn't believe you for second.
'Tell me Princess, how old are you?’
'I’ve seen twelve summers.’ you answered
‘So young and already a natural leader, you must make your people proud. Come and sit with us while we wait on your friend.’
You followed the man to the mouth of the cave and sat in the sand.
'Where do you all come from?’ you asked as Sven sat next to you.
'A country called Scandinavia, in the north. Can you tell us where we are?’ Sven asked back.
'Tunisia, in north Africa.’
While you all waited for Bintu to return with the healers you all spoke of your respective countries, learning as much as you could.
At last Bintu returned with a hoard of healers running behind her.
The healers went to work, carrying the men too weak to walk and rapidly checking over those who could.
You and Bintu helped as best you could until at last the healers declared the men were all ready to be moved into town.
As you walked through the village all the people had crowded around to see the strange men who had washed up and appeared as if the ocean water had washed away their color.
The people whispered and looked on in wonder as the men were taken into the healing tents.
At last all the Northmen were in being looked over, but with them gone from the public view there were a lot of questions to be asked.
'Where do they come from?!’
'Why are they so pale, are they ill?’
'Is their disease spreading?!’
‘Silence!’ Bintu yelled, slamming the flat end of her spear on the ground, silencing the crowd.
‘These men are foreign, from the north side of the world, they are not ill nor are they contagious. They have washed up here and they will have council with my mother, your queen. She will decide their fate, until then they will be here with the healers.’ you announced.
It felt so odd having to talk to people like this, and even stranger to have all these people who were so much older than you listening to you.
You were still just a child in your mind sometimes, but you would have to get used to this kind of thing sooner or later.
With your royal announcement done Bintu lead you back to the palace, where the royal guards greeted you.
‘Princess, your mother is waiting for you.’ one of them said.
‘Thank you.’ you replied as you headed for the throne room.
‘(Y/N).’ your mother said from her throne.
The throne was a grand chair that was made out of the first tree that grew when your people settled here, the chair was believed to be the oldest and most sacred object in the whole kingdom.
One day you would be the one sat in the seat, baring the responsibilities that came with it.
‘I have heard you had a exciting day.’ she smiled.
‘Not really exciting, but more eventful than yesterday.’ you said as you walked up the steps to the throne and kissed your mother’s forehead.
You told her all you had learned from of these strangers from your short time with them in the cave and she listened.
‘A great deal of misfortune plagues these men my child, you did good to offer them help. I’m sure it was a hard decision to make.’
‘No it wasn’t, they needed help so I gave them help.’ you said.
‘You have a kind heart, like your father.’ she sighed as she place a fond hand on your cheek.
That made you lower your head and kneel before your mother.
‘May his spirit carry on.’ you said respectfully.
‘May his spirit carry on.’ the queen said back.
You stood back up and looked back up at your mother.
‘My husband, your father...he was kind; the kindest king the country had ever seen. So kind that it killed him.’ she reminded.
‘I will never ask you to be cruel (Y/N), I will never tell you how to rule, but I will advise you to be wise. Not everyone is an ally, think carefully before you offer your hand to a stray, sometimes they will bite the hand the hand that feeds them.’ she said.
You nodded, not knowing that in that moment that what she had just told you would be the words you would live by for the rest of your life.
Weeks passed and the Northmen were well enough to speak with your mother, Queen Aza of Tunisia. They spoke a long while before your mother gave them her permission to build a new ship and travel back to their home.
Of course being that your people believed that you only got what you work for, these men would have to build the ship themselves.
In the meantime they were allowed to stay in the castle, where in exchange for shelter and food they taught you about their land and Sven was now teaching you Norse while you taught him Derja.
Sven also told you and your mother about their Gods and how they sacrificed animals and even people to insure that their travels would be safe and their crops would grow full and strong.
He told you of his king Ragnar Lothbrok, who had been a farmer who was first of their people to sail west and found England where he had hoped that his people could settle and farm.
That was why they had sat sail, to go to the settlement that Ragnar had secured.
It took them all a little more than seven months to build a ship that was large enough for them and their provisions.
You and your mother went down to the beach to see them off and say your goodbyes.
‘We are...glad?’ Sven began to say in your language, taking a second to find the word he was looking for.
You nodded and let him know he had said the right thing.
‘We are glad you could come a see us off, Queen Aza and Princess (Y/N).’ Sven said.
‘How could we not? You were all such great company it will be quite dull without you here to tell us your tales.’ you said.
‘Aye, I will miss having someone listen to my tales, Gods know none of these men do anymore.’ Sven laughed.
‘Maybe you can come back one day?’ you suggest.
‘Who knows, if the Gods will it.’
‘And if the spirits are kind.’ your mother added.
At last one of the men called for Sven to get on the boat before they missed the tide.
You walked up to Sven and reached into the bag you were carrying and pulled out a necklace.
It had crudely carved wooden beads and in the middle there was a lion tooth on a leather string.
‘I made the beads but…’ you looked over your shoulder at your mother then motioned Sven to bend down so you could whisper in his ear.
‘I took the tooth from one of the lion rugs.’ you whispered.
The large man laughed as he took the necklace and put it on.
‘I thank you, princess.’ he said before kissed your forehead and stood up.
He and the others board the ship and bid you and your mother farewell as they sailed off.
Years and years passed and so much changed since that ship had sailed off when you were a girl.
For starters you no longer required a guard to escort you anywhere, you were a fully trained warrior now. Your mother’s advice had lead you to the conclusion that you would need to know how to defend yourself should you ever be in danger.
In larger news your mother had remarried, to a chief from a neighboring country. A man named Akashi, their marriage brought a great alliance, one that brought great trades to your kingdom and more money to his. It also brought a new prince to your kingdom and a little brother for you.
His name was Ayo and he was just a precious little thing that had only seen seven summers and you loved him...even when he was annoying and hiding your things from you.
Bintu was still you guard and you two did go almost everywhere, but it was now more out of duty than actual necessity. She and you both knew that you needed no protection, she had trained you herself.
Today was like every other day, you and Bintu walking through the village, checking on the people.
You and Bintu were speaking of having a sparring match when you returned to the palace.
‘This time I’m going to pin you.’ you said.
‘You said that last time princess.’ Bintu smiled.
‘That was the past this is now, I am better now than yesterday.’ you laughed.
You looked up and saw a man running toward you urgently.
‘Calm yourself, what is wrong.’ you asked.
‘A ship, not one of ours, its hours away!’ the man panicked.
You looked toward the beach in worry before you ran toward the beach, Bintu right behind you.
Once you were there sure enough there was a ship off in the distance, and no it did not bare one of your flags.
But you did know that flag and who it belonged to.
‘Sven?’ you said questioningly.
‘I’d recognize that sail anywhere, I lost a bet with that damn pale man and had to sew it for them.’ Bintu said rolling her eyes in annoyance.
‘Quickly go and fetch my mother and a few more warriors.’ you ordered.
‘Why the warriors?’ Bintu asked.
‘Last time Sven was here he was licking his wounds. Time heals wounds...and it can change people; bring the guards, in case time has changed my old friend.’ you explained.
You watched your guard run off and turned back to look at the ship.
There was a big part of you that was excited and eager that Sven was coming back, but a bigger part of you that knew it was always best to be ready for things to go bad
With a sigh you sat in the sand and waited for either the ship to reach shore or for Bintu to return with the others, whichever happened first.
Your mother, step father and brother came up to the beach followed by about thirty of your soldiers.
‘The spirits really did bring him back to us again.’ your mother hummed.
‘At last I get to meet the famous Sven.’ Akashi said.
‘I read that the Northmen are savages who eat their enemies.’ Ayo said excitedly.
‘That’s all Christian propaganda, they write lies to make their enemies appear worse than they are.’ you assured.
‘Where is the fun in that, making yourself more afraid of enemies? Seems dumb.’ Ayo pouted.
You shook your head at your baby brother before stepping back to stand beside your mother.
‘Why did you bring him?’ you whispered.
‘He wanted to see the Vikings.’ she answered.
‘And if the Vikings want to see our family killed then they will have everyone of us right here. He should be returned to the palace at once, before the ship docks.’ you advise.
Your mother turned her head to whisper into your ear.
‘I will never tell you how to rule when your time comes...nor will you tell me how to rule in mine.’ she reminded.
You looked and saw Sven leaning over the side of the boat waving at you, his hair was grayer and his beard longer but you knew in an instant it was him.
The way he moved, the energy he gave off, and the childish expressions he made when he saw you gave him away.
You watched as he jumped over the side of the ship and walked over to you.
‘Oh look at you little one, if may I even call you that now!’ he said excitedly as he picked you up and spun you around.
‘I am not little anymore Sven.’ you smiled.
‘I can see that, let me look at you...ah you have grown so much.’ he smiled as he sat you down.
‘Not as tall as you yet.’ you replied.
‘You’d be a bear of a woman if you were my size.’ he laughed.
‘What is wrong with being a bear of a woman?’ Bintu asked as she stepped up to Sven, only an inch or so shorter than him.
You rolled your eyes, Bintu and Sven were always at odds.
‘Nothing wrong with it, honestly it is...quite attractive in my eyes.’ Sven smiled.
‘Swine.’ Bintu scoffed before she backed away.
Sven had won that battle.
‘It is good to see you again Sven.’ your mother greeted.
‘Same for you Queen Aza and...who might this be?’
‘This is my husband, Akashi, and our son Ayo. They were both eager to meet you.’ she introduced.
‘Do you eat your enemies like the Christian books say you do?’ your baby brother asked looking up at Sven.
‘Tell me Sven, why have you and your men returned?’ your mother asked.
Sven let out a sigh and straightened his stance, something you remembered him only doing when he had to be serious.
‘I am here on business...for my king Ragnar.’
'Really?’ the queen asked, all informality leaving her voice.
‘Yes, I have told my king of your land and its resources. He would like to have an alliance with you.’
‘Come let us discuss this in a proper conference as we should.’ Akashi suggests.
You all agree and after giving the warriors instructions to help unload the ship you left the beach.
Walking through the village was not as hectic as it had been the first time, but by no means was it quiet.
The people were all surprised to see that the pale men had returned.
It only took about an hour to reach the palace and the walk there was spent in comfortable silence.
At last you were all in the throne room, you and your family climbed the steps and stood by the throne that your mother sat in while Sven stayed at the base of the steps.
'Queen Aza, on behalf of my king, Ragnar Lothbrok I deliver the formal request of an alliance.’ Sven said.
'What would be the conditions of this alliance and how will my kingdom benefit?’ your mother asked.
'Ragnar is willing to send you a good portion of our resources, including furs, fish and minerals in exchange for your financial support in his next war should one come.’
'We have furs and fish here.’ your mother argued.
‘He is also offering seasons and spices that you do not grow here, and by forming an alliance you will also have access to our ships.’
‘Ships?’ your mother asked.
‘Yes, our long ships or unlike anything you had ever seen here. They can travel further and faster, and they can travel narrow rivers as well as the open sea.’ Sven praised.
‘And your king Ragnar will give us access to one of these ships?’ the queen asked.
‘To as many ships as he can spare, you may use these ships for whatever you like, simple travel, trade, even war all he asks is that you fly your own flag.’
You watched your mother think over this offer and you did as well; the spices and furs were not things your kingdom truly needed but ships?
A few good ships would be greatly beneficial, it would make trading much more efficient and traveling would be an amazing opportunity.
‘I don’t believe this offer, access to such ships for financial support in a war that has not even started, what else does your king want from us?’
‘You are correct Queen Aza, Ragnar was only offering the spices, minerals and furs for the financial support. He instructed me to offer the ships...in exchange for your daughter’s hand in marriage.’
‘What?!’ you shouted in surprise.
Your mother put a hand on your back, a motion that reminded your to keep face in council and also brought you comfort.
‘Sven...I do hope you did not come here thinking I would let some strange king take my first born for a few ships.’ your mother said.
‘The king does not want to marry your daughter, your highness. He does not feel comfortable giving access to his ships to someone out of his family, and he would also like to continue his legacy. He has five sons, four of which are unmarried.’ Sven clarified.
‘It doesn’t matter who it is; my daughter is not for sale.’ your mother said sternly.
You were happy to know your mother would never think of trading you off for ships, but at the same time you knew those ships would be amazing for your people.
Your family and Sven both looked at you.
‘It is my hand this king is asking for and this should be my decision mother.’ you said.
Your mother was a queen, unlike you she enjoyed having people do as she commanded, she was a very commanding woman and she did not relinquish control.
She stared you down and you could see she wanted to protest, but at last she sighed.
‘I will not agree to marry anyone I have not at least met. I wish to travel with you to meet with this King Ragnar and his sons.’ you said.
‘You will go nowhere alone, nor will you marry a man I haven’t met, we will all be traveling with you to this...Kattegat.’ your mother said.
‘Mother, you cannot leave the kingdom and you know that; it would be chaos in a matter of days.’ you reminded.
‘Please mother, let me make this decision on my own.’ you pleaded.
Your mother turned and looked at you and you could see that only just now did she realize you really were not a child anymore.
‘If you decide to marry...you will have to live with your husband, you will be a world away from us...away from me.’ your mother said with her eyes filling with tears.
‘My sweet Queen Mother, no matter where I am or far away it feels I will be with you forever as you will be with me forever. The spirits bind us.’
‘The spirits bind us.’ Akashi and Ayo spoke.
You looked to your mother who swallowed around a lump in her throat.
‘The spirits bind us.’ she said.
With your mother’s support and agreement you had made your decision.
‘We will leave in two moons time, and Bintu will also accompany me as well as ten other guards of my choosing. I will stay in Kattegat for one week to meet these princes, if I decide to marry you will return with the news for my mother as well as ten ships that she may use for trading with the island kingdoms.’ you said to Sven.
‘As you command, your highness.’ Sven agreed.
The time passed much faster than you had hoped.
After you had agreed to go to Kattegat things became completely hectic, for starters your training had intensified. Your mother was spending as much time with you as she could, even watching you train with Bintu and the other warriors.
Unfortunately you didn’t really get too much time with Sven, he had much business to attend to. He had to figure out how much resources King Ragnar would need to send and also negotiate with the treasurer how much gold he would receive in exchange.
At last you would be sailing off tomorrow and you were ashamed to say you were nervous.
You had never been outside of your village nor had you been on anything bigger than a fishing boat your whole life.
‘I knew I’d find you here.’
You threw your dagger in the direction the voice came from.
‘Woah there princess.’ Sven said as he entered the cave holding the dagger that he easily caught.
How did you know?’ you asked.
‘Well...you did try hiding in here often when you didn’t want to do your princess duties as a child.’
‘You always told Bintu I was in the woods and then you’d tell me stories about your gods.’ you reminisced.
Sven walked over to you and handed you the dagger before he sat beside you.
‘I missed you old friend.’ you said.
‘And I you.’ he replied as he tugged down the neckline of his shirt, revealing the necklace you had made him.
‘You kept it.’ you smiled.
‘It was a gift from a princess, only an idiot would throw it out.’ Sven smiled.
‘Tomorrow we set sail and I will probably never come home again, it is stupid to stay in this dark cave. Even still I have walked through this village everyday since I could walk.’ you said.
‘I can not say for sure but I am almost sure if you request to return home to visit occasionally there is no reason why your husband won’t allow it.’
Those words gave you a great amount of relief, and the two of you spoke all night until you had eventually fallen asleep.
Sven woke you up the next morning and told you that the ship was ready and your family was waiting for you on the beach.
You and Sven walked to the beach and indeed your family was there as well as the warriors you had chosen and two servants your mother demanded you take with you.
‘There you are my child.’ your mother sighed in relief before she ran toward you, pulling you into a hug.
‘Mother.’ you sighed, hugging her as tight as you could.
‘Don’t forget me!’ Ayo complained as he ran up and wrapped his arms around your waist.
“How could I forget you baby brother?’ you smiled as you put your hand on his head.
‘Are you really going to leave forever?’ the young prince asked.
‘Not if I have anything to say about it, so don’t you go messing up my things.’ you teased, thumping his head.
‘We will miss you around here.’ Akashi said.
Your relationship with Akashi was not...strong; you didn’t really like nor dislike him. You respected him of course he was your mother’s husband and the father of your brother.
‘I will miss you all.’ you smiled.
You looked over and saw that Bintu and the others were simply standing and waiting for you.
‘Did you all say your farewells?’ you asked.
‘We all have said our goodbyes to our families last night.’ Bintu answered.
You nodded and gave them the order to board the ship and wait for you there.
‘Remember to stay ready for anything, and know that I will rain fire on the world if anything happens to you.’ your mother said.
‘I will mother...I love you.’ you said as you kissed her forehead and then you did the same to Ayo and even Akashi.
Kissing your family goodbye before you boarded the ship.
Once you were on the Northmen began to row, you and your servants and warriors clung to the side of the ship.
‘The spirits bind us!’ you shouted.
‘The spirits bind us!’ your family yelled back.
You stayed there and looked at them until you were too far away to see them, only then did you turn and look around the boat. The men had raised the sail and the strong wind carried the boat along the sea.
On the journey you taught all your warriors and the servants the language of the Northmen so that they could communicate with the shipmates and the people in this land you were going to.
Finally after what felt like a lifetime of sea sickness you all saw land.
‘There she is, Kattegat.’ Sven said.
‘How long before we are there?’ you asked.
‘A few hours...four at the most.’
You looked over and gave your servants the order to gather your things and get ready to reach the shore.
While they did that you went below deck and changed into a ceremonial dress and jewelry. Once you were dressed you stayed below, taking the time to mentally prepare yourself.
At last you felt the ship jolt as it came to a stop.
‘Come on up princess, there is a surprise for you up here.’ Sven called.
Above you found that there was indeed a surprise you on the beach.
‘PRINCESS!’ a crowd cheered.
It seemed as if the whole kingdom was on the beach waiting for you to arrive.
‘Why are they all here?’ you asked.
‘To see you, the princess from yet another far away land they didn’t know existed. A strange woman who looks like nothing they have ever seen before.’ Sven answered.
‘Makes me feel like an animal.’ you said before Bintu gave order to the soldiers to surround you and your servants.
‘Forward.’ you said before you began to get off the ship.
The crowd cleared a bit and you saw a large pale man, with a shaved tattooed head; to his right was a woman with charcoal lined eyes, and to the left there was five men.
‘Welcome Princess (Y/N), we have been waiting for your arrival, I am King Ragnar.’ the man said.
‘Hello King Ragnar, it is an honor to finally meet you; Sven has spoken highly of you.’ you said politely.
‘He also gave you many praises, please let me introduce you to my family. This is my wife Aslaug, my first son Bjorn Ironside, Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd Snake in the Eye, and my youngest Ivar the Boneless.’ King Ragnar introduces.
‘Hello to you all, my name is Princess (Y/N) of Tunisia.’ you replied, being sure to meet all of their eyes.
‘You must be hungry, come we’ve prepared a feast in your honor, and also have chambers ready for you and your warriors.’ Aslaug spoke.
‘Thank you, please lead the way.’ you said.
The royal family turned and began walking, all except one.
Ivar, the youngest one, did not walk like the rest, instead he crawled; his legs dragging behind him as if they were not at all attached to him.
You and your people followed behind him and you barely noticed that you were being almost studied by these strange pale people; you were too focused on the man crawling in front of you.
Before you knew it you were entering a long cabin, this must be the Great Hall you had heard about. It seemed this was where all the feast were held, as well as important public announcements, celebrations and events.
‘Please take a seat, and also feel free to let your servants sit and eat as well.’ Ragnar said as he took his seat along with his family.
You sat and gave the others permission to sit as well.
The food here was so strange and tasted so odd, all you wanted was to as a bit more seasoning to all of it, but nonetheless you ate.
‘Tell me princess, what do you think of our piece of the world.’ Ragnar said.
‘Well it is much colder than my home, I will say that much.’
‘Yes Sven told us it was like a never ending summer when he had came back, he said the shines brighter where you come from.’ Ragnar commented.
‘I cannot say if that is true but I do know we are not used to sun hiding behind the clouds for too long.’
‘May I say princess, the way you are dressed tells us you are used to warmer weather.’ Aslaug said.
‘Mother.’ Ubbe said sending his mother a look, clearly he was worried the queen had insulted you.
‘There is no need to reprimand, I know my dressings must seem odd to you all. This is sacred wear in my kingdom, clothing for impressing other royals and for celebration.’ you informed.
‘May I ask you a question princess?’ Ivar asked.
‘What is your religion in your kingdom?’
‘I don’t believe there is one religion in my country, some places praise this while other praise that. In my kingdom however we have no gods, only the spirits.’ you answered.
‘Spirits? What are those?’ Hvitserk questioned.
‘Yes spirits, my people believe you never die only the body falls and when your body falls you are more than a person. You are powerful and strong without the restraint of your body’s weakness.’ you said.
The vikings seemed to hang on to your words as if you were telling them some whimsical story.
‘If I may I would like to ask you a question Ivar.’ you said.
He let out a sigh and already he knew what your question was, he had been complaining about having to answer the question since Sven set sail.
‘Would you like to train with me?’ you asked.
The entire hall went completely silent, it felt as if even the wind that had slamming against the hall had stilled.
‘Your legs do not work, but you are able to pull your body around with ease. You are strong and from what Sven told me of your people fighting is a big part of your culture. With legs that do not work your fighting style must be unique...I want to see it.’ you explained before you continued eating.
'Has my request offended you in someway?’ you asked.
'No, my son was expecting you to ask about his legs.’ Ragnar spoke when Ivar did not.
'Why would I ask about his legs? They don't work I can see that as clear as I see you, and if I asked about every strange thing I saw here I wouldn’t get in a good breath.’ you said.
‘You find all of us strange?’ Sigurd asked.
‘Your name is Snake in the Eye and your face shows why.’ you answered.
‘All of you you are strange to me; your skin is pale, your eyes are all blue and your hair is far too thin.’ you continued.
Ragnar let out a deep and loud laugh, the kind only an old man can manage.
His laugh was also contagious it seemed, soon the whole hall, yourself included was laughing.
‘You really are a unique woman Princess, I cannot wait to see which of my sons will be lucky enough to call you their wife soon.’ he said once the laughter had died down.
You sent a look to all of his sons and grinned.
The night went on, you spoke a great deal with Ragnar and his family, answering their questions about your home, while still latching onto whatever information they let slip.
Like how Bjorn was the married one, you found that out when a child ran up to him and laughed while a woman chased after him. You couldn’t hear what he said to her but it was clearly sweet and loving. You also found out that Bjorn was Ragnar’s son from a different marriage, the unpleasant looks Aslaug kept giving him said as much.
‘Princess (Y/N), Sven tells us your people have a very interesting music and an even better way of dancing.’ Sigurd said.
‘Well I do not mean to insult, but the music Sven and his men would play was always so dull.’ you teased, throwing a bit of bread at the old man.
‘Please, play us something.’ the snake eyed man asked.
‘A princess should not be entertainment.’ Bintu whispered.
‘I agree but I have been on a stuffy boat for weeks and I would like to thank the spirits for carrying the boat safely.’ you said.
‘We have a few drums from home, I believe they were brought to our chambers. If you may send someone to go and fetch them.’
‘Allow me, I will need a bit of help.’ Sven said, looking right at Bintu.
She rolled her eyes and stood to go and help carry the drums.
While they were gone you asked the others if they would like to dance with you or if they would like to play the drums instead. You always asked people if they wanted to do one thing or the other as opposed to simply ordering them to do things.
Two warriors eagerly agreed to beat the drums while a few of the others chose to dance.
Soon Bintu and Sven returned to the hall and you noticed she was seeming to look anywhere but at him, meanwhile Sven looked more smug than usual.
‘What happened?’ you teased.
‘Nothing.’ she dismissed quickly before calling the others to gather for the dance.’
The Vikings pushed back a few tables and the two warriors got in position at the drums.
‘For the Spirits my sisters.’ Bintu said.
The second you heard the drumming begin you were filled with by spirits, they pulled at your arms and made your legs move. They moved your body with so much vigor and heart that you forgot all about your surroundings.
You were no longer in a strange country surrounded by strange people, you were home dancing with your mother and the rest of the village.
When the music stopped you were out of breath, sweating and exhausted.
The room was filled with cheer.
‘Amazing!’ Ubbe praised as he clapped.
‘Thank you, but if I may be excused, I think the dance took the last of my energy.’ you panted.
‘By all means, you must be tired. I know I certainly would be if I had danced like that for even a minute.’ Ragnar assured.
You smiled and dismissed yourself from the feast, two guards lead your way to your room while your two servants followed behind you. The guards took their place by your door and the servants followed you in.
‘At last...finally alone.’ you sighed as one of the servants began to undress while the other began to prepare a bath.
‘The other...servants helped me fetch and heat the water and they gave us a few oils that are sweetly scented. Would you like to add it into your water?’ Leena asked as she poured the water into the tub you had brought from home.
‘Do you both wish to add it?’ you asked.
‘I did like the smell when they offered it to us.’ Kya said as she removed the last of your jewelry and put it away.
‘Well If you both wish put it in, it is your bath as well as mine.’ you smiled.
They both smiled excitedly, Leena added in the oil before they both eagerly took off their clothes.
You got in first and then they came in after you and you all began to clean yourselves.
‘Did the others also have baths ready for them?’ you asked.
‘Yes, and they even have their own...servants.’ Leena sighed.
When Sven had told you that his people had traded people like cattle and used them for labor you had been appalled. You were downright disgusted when he told you how poorly these...thralls were treated.
You wished that if you decided to marry one of the princes and eventually became queen you could change that, but you knew that wouldn’t be likely. Slave trade was a large part of their economy and as horrible as it was a better option than being killed when your kingdom was raided.
There was a knock on your door.
‘Prince Ubbe wishes to see you.’ Siti said from outside.
‘Let him in.’ you called.
The door opened and the prince entered, he seemed very surprised to see you, not that you understood why.
‘I did not know you were in the bath, I can speak with you tomorrow.’ he said keeping his eyes on the ceiling.
‘I have already made plans for tomorrow Prince Ubbe, if there is anything you wish to speak with me about by all means go ahead.’ you said.
‘Well I wanted to talk to you about the conditions of the alliance.’
‘I understand my father wants you to marry one of us, and I would like to ask you which one of us you prefer.’ Ubbe said, at last looking at you.
‘To be honest, I don’t favor any of you. You all look so...strange to me, and I came here to see who you all were so I could see whose spirit I liked most if I decided to marry at all.’ you said as you stood from the water and got out of the tub.
‘By the Gods.’ Ubbe breathed as he couldn’t take his eyes off of you now.
‘Is something wrong?’ you asked.
‘N-no, I just...I don’t mean to offend you by staring, but you are very beautiful.’ Ubbe said.
‘Ah! I remember now, Sven did say your people were a bit more conservative than us.’ you said.
‘I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable.’ you apologized before telling the others to cover themselves.
‘I never thought my people could be called conservative.’ Ubbe laughed.
‘Tell me Ubbe, as one of my potential husbands, who do you think I should marry.’ you asked as you put on a gown.
‘Well if I may be honest.’
‘That is all I ask.’ you assured.
‘Before Sven told us about your country and presented the idea of an alliance my mother was pestering us to find wives. Me and Hvitserk did not even entertain the thought, neither did Sigurd but he at least pretended to.’
‘Ivar is...well he is Ivar. I know we are all strange to you, but Ivar is strange for us. There are many people who believe he shouldn’t even be alive.’ Ubbe said sadly.
‘My people we need to be strong, our world is too harsh to those with weakness. When a baby is born deformed we leave it in the woods where it can either prove itself and survive or the animals will take him.’ he said.
‘That is horrible.’ you gasped.
How could anyone leave a baby out in the wild to die, yet alone the baby’s own parents?
‘I know it can seem that way, but it is how we’ve done things for generations. It is what my father did with Ivar when he was born with broken legs, but my mother followed him and brought him back. Their relationship was never ideal, but after that all love between them had died.’ Ubbe started.
‘My mother believed Ivar would grow to be beastly, and the way he acts sometimes shows that it could happen.’
‘So he is cruel?’ you questioned.
‘I do not believe he means to be, he just...he cannot control his anger and he is easy to anger.’
‘He didn’t seem that way during the feast.’ you said as you sat on your bed.
‘When he is calm he can be almost charming, and as his brother I love him and see him as more than vicious.’ Ubbe said.
‘One of his redeeming qualities is his love for mother, when she presented the idea of marriage he was the only one with an open mind. And I believe he has taken a bit of interest in you.’
‘What makes you think so?’ you asked.
‘You didn’t question his legs, everyone asks about his legs. Its what they ask before they’ve even asked his name.’
You thought over his words and took a moment to reflect on them, it was seeming Ivar was your best option but controlling would be a constant battle if you chose him.
‘I don’t mean to push you but I will say Ivar is the only one open to the idea of marriage and he seems to like something about you.’ Ubbe said before he dismissed himself.
Alone again you finally laid down.
‘Come you two, it is time we rest.’ you called to Leena and Kya.
They got in the bed and laid on either side of you and you all settled in.
‘We have much to do tomorrow...and even more to do in the week we will be here.’ you said before you finally drifted to sleep.
