Even this late at night Mary couldn’t lay her thoughts to sleep. After countless hours and many talks she didn’t had a clean answer to her question; should she accept the offer of that cripple bastard down in her cells. Her nails dug into her own lips, gazing over the papers laid out on her desk when a knock on the door woke her up out of her thinking.
‘James.’ She smiled, seeing her brother standing in the door way. He bow and walked in, gazing his eyes over the papers that laid in front of her. Maps, military information.
‘You are considering it?’ He guessed. Mary took a deep breath and rested her head lightly on her fingertips, gazing into the fire for a moment.
‘I’m considering an attack on England every day. This is no different.’ She stated, looking up to him. James was a bad lair, an open book, she knew his angle on this from the moment those pagans walked through her front door. ‘But you have a different opinion.’ She guessed the firm expression on his face.
‘I don’t think it is a good idea to let that pagan run free in the castle.’ James worried. Mary removed her head from her hand and stood up. She gave Hvitserk the change, not to escape, but to find a level of trustworthy.
‘He can’t do much.’
‘He can signal outposts.’ James pointed out.
‘Then I have one more reason to kill them. They have proven to be on our side, you saw the village,’
‘They killed our people without our permission. Yes they were traitors but it isn’t their call to make.’ He interrupted her desperately. ‘Why are you willing on making demands with those pagans?’ He asked. Mary walked around her desk towards her brother and took his hands between hers.
‘If they are willing on fighting alongside of us we are a little stronger. I’m not thinking about myself, I’m thinking about the people of Scotland.’ She explained with a kind reassuring voice. James smiled, looking down to their hands while rubbing his thumb along her skin.
‘This will not go without sacrifices.’
‘Ruling never does.’ She smiled weak. James laid his hand against her cheek, looking in the strength radiating from her eyes.
‘Then let me support you in this.’ He smiled. She grabbed his elbow, smiling thankfully.
‘Thank you brother.’ The relief of those words made her weak inside. She felt like a burden heavies from her body as he pressed a kiss on her forehead and leaved her room again. Despite she acted like a strong queen, Mary was as much a young woman as the others around her, for that she had doubts, wishes, for that she could make wrong decisions or fall for the wrong people. But James backing her up was one step closer to the queen she had to be.
Just as she wanted to step into bed her eye got caught by the dark figure standing in the yard, looking over a field of wild flowers. Mary walked closer to the window, trying to see what he was doing other than just standing there. She wanted to be right about them, she wanted to trust them but nothing really did actually. She didn’t knew them or they way or living, their believes, they were just a legend, stories told by the old, by the enemy. Mary stood there for quite a time, studying his features in the dark before she dress in a little less revealing and walked out of her room.
‘Follow me.’ She commanded her guards. Outside her loose hair stroke on the soft wind while she walked around the castle towards the gardens. She nodded shortly to her guards who kept standing wait while she walked over the grass. Hvitserk must have heard her, he turned around.
‘Queen Mary.’ He bowed with that slight smile again. His voice was rather soft here outside, his expressions relaxed while studying her as she walked over. ‘Can’t sleep?’ He asked almost polite. Ivar was ruthless in every way, with Hvitserk she didn’t knew. He was charming, way to charming, like he could slick his way in on everything.
‘Have a lot on my mind these days.’ She answered him with a soft smile. Hvitserk nodded and Mary held still alongside of him, studying his face as he looked over that little field again. ‘Are your men not waiting for you?’ She asked after a little silence. Hvitserk looked aside, pulling up that grin.
‘They will know what has to be done when the time is right.’
‘What does that mean?’ Mary asked him right away. He chuckled, turning his body to face her, bowing so very slowly again.
‘That you have nothing to fear.’ He answered without looking away from her. She nodded, looking back over the wild flowers coloring the darkness of this night. ‘Aren’t you often lonely queen Mary?’ He asked after a little silence. She lifted her chin a little, still gazing to the flowers.
‘I try not to be.’ She answered honestly. Since she left France she was indeed often lonely, without a husband, without her close friends, the people she trusted. Scotland challenged her on many levels. ‘You?’
‘No, never lonely.’ He answered right away. Mary looked aside to him, trying to figure out what drove him to be like this.
‘I’m not sure what I need to think about you Hvitserk. Are you supposed to be as dangerous as your brother is?’ She asked her, confronting him with her own thoughts. Hvitserk laughed, throwing his head back while doing it. Mary studied the long difficult braid in his hair, the soft handsome features in his expressions, denying the urge to join him in that laugh.
‘Nobody can be as bad as Ivar is. You have nothing to fear about me Mary, the real treat is safely locked up.’ He pointed down. How could he say that about his own brother. Her expressions got more puzzled as she looked back to the flowers. ‘He defied a lord on English soil, that is why he turns to you, because Queen Elisabeth is hunting him down.’ He explained. He crouched down and Mary followed him with her eyes. The way his fingers stroke over a little flower before he plucked it.
‘And why would I trust him any more than she did?’ Mary asked him neutral voiced.
‘England killed our father, we took revenge on that, she didn’t liked it and now he is determent on raging war. The best way to do that is with the alliance of a land that can rule both countries.’ He stood up, offering her the flower. She looked down to it, when she slowly looked back up he had that charming smile again. Mary took the wild flower, fingers touching.
‘And what does he want for it?’ She asked. He held on to the flower and Mary looked down to their touching fingertips.
‘Ask him yourself queen Mary.’ He answered, releasing the flower for her. Mary looked up to him and the way he looked down to her. ‘Ivar is willing on killing, more then you are planning on doing. Take that Viking ruthless to your advance.’
‘You do not seem like a ruthless man Hvitserk.’ She noticed.
‘That is because you never saw me fight before.’ He whispered, stroking that one lost strand of hair out of the wind before bowing and walking away. Mary signed softly, looking to his leaving features in the dark. She looked down to the flower, twirling it between her fingers, guessing the many ways this could go.
Her mind drifted often away during breakfast, gazing out of the window while she remembered her conversation with Hvitserk. He showed up that morning, representing him to be at her service if she needed him, but Mary let him go under a long look and a smile from his side. When she was done eating she and her guards left for the cells, walking the cold stones stairs leading down. When she arrived before his cell her eyes immediately caught the blue of his eyes. He was lying on his back, throwing a stone he just caught between his fist. He smiled, looking to the stone in his still raised hand before he got up, dragging his two feet in front of him while the guards opened the cell.
‘Queen Mary.’ He said, cocking his head to the side while looking at her.
‘You sleep well?’ She asked him polite.
‘Better then you I imagine.’ He chuckled. Mary looked away for a moment, folding her hands before her stomach.
‘I heard stories about Vikings, when I was a child, the famous Ragnar sailing across the seas. He was your father, am I right?’
‘You talked to Hvitserk.’ He reacted. Mary slowly nodded, looking how he shifted his legs better before him. How could a man not being able to walk getting so much power, so much enemies? ‘What did he told you?’ Ivar asked curious, leaning back, ignoring her look to his legs.
‘How cruel you are, how much you desire to kill, the need to overpower England.’ She began, walking two steps closer. He squeezed his eyes a little together, smiling on the words she said. ‘You don’t have the desire to overpower me?’ She asked him slowly. Ivar rolled his jaw, resting his elbows on his knees to lean a little closer.
‘There is no overpowering a queen like you Mary. England is weak, I’m planning on making it weaker, the question is if you want to benefit out of a relationship.’ He pointed with the rock in his hands towards her, rolling it between his fingers as he sat straight again.
‘And what do you want in return?’ She asked him sharply. He looked down to the stone in his hand, grinning.
‘Didn’t you already figure that one out?’
‘You will not get my throne.’ She warned him calm, turning around to walk back out.
‘I will save your life Mary, believe it or not.’
‘I will take my life in my own hands,’ she hissed, turning around to him. ‘and I do not want to be bullied by you.’ She followed, walking out. She turned around and looked how the guards closed the gates.
‘I have an army, five hundred people and more, people you can use to your dispense in conquering England. You will rule over two countries, you will have all your heart’s desires.’ He sounded so smoothing and Mary stopped from walking away, looking through the gate back in the cell.
‘You don’t have a clue about my heart’s desires.’ She whispered. She remembered what James said to her the other night, that this wouldn’t come without sacrifices. Was this her sacrifice? Giving him her throne … or her hand?
‘Maybe not, but aren’t you gonna feel guilty, if all your men die with you knowing it could go differently?’ He asked her softly. Mary looked to the gate itself, repeating those words. She wasn’t a ruthless ruler like he was, she was a queen, a caring and good queen.
‘What did the world ever do to you to make you so cruel Ivar?’ She asked him, not demanding an answer really. It was just an observation.
‘People tend to misjudge me, see me as weak, as alone.’
‘You seem like a lonely person.’ She just stated, walking before his words stopped her again.
‘You seem like a lonely queen.’ She signed, turning back to him.
‘Give me one reason why I should trust you.’
‘You don’t have to trust me, just trust my rage.’ He smiled dark. Mary looked him in the eyes, somewhere seeing some truth between all the words.
‘Fine, show me your way of living and I will show you my hearts desires.’ She nodded, walking away without giving him a change to reply back on those words. The only thing she heard was his laugh dying away with every step she took further away from his cell. What was she doing?