DIVINE [HVITSERK RAGNARSSON]

3: A FEAST

CHAPTER THREE - 'A FEAST'

As the sun set over Scotland it left the camp of Bjorn Ironside in darkness. Fires ensured the camp stay alive as a feast ensued, a celebration of the successful raid earlier that day. It was a smoky atmosphere, with drinks stumbling around and women dancing, with men cheering and musicians playing.
"To Ragnar!" Ivar the Boneless roared as he lifted his drinking horn and grinned.
"We should not toast our father. He abandoned us, we did this ourselves." Hvitserk remarked, referring to the raid they carried out that morning.
"Fine." Ivar rolled his eyes at his brother. "To the Son's of Ragnar!"
In the largest tent of the camp, a long table was laid out, full of food and meat and wine for the celebrations. Everyone along the table raised their drinks in answer to Ivar's toast, grinning and cheering as they did so.
"Skäl!"

Asta entered the tent as its occupants cheered and  feasted, drunk men stumbling past her and burly men fighting in the corners. Her eyes scanned the tent for her brothers, hoping to join them in a drink.
"Asta!" She heard from towards the front of the tent. She turned to see Erik raising his drinking horn at her.
"Brothers." She smiled as she sat down next to them, grabbing herself a drink and taking a sip. "So, how drunk are you?" She laughed at them.

"But he still could not understand!" Asta slurred her words as she spoke to the girl next to her, both of them roaring with drunk laughter as they exchanged stories. A feast was one of the rare times when Asta could drink as much as she liked, without harsh words from her Father afterwards. He too, was drunk somewhere, and therefore was too merry to be telling his daughter off.

Asta attempted to stand up and wander to find more mead, but her body wobbled as she tried to put one foot in front of the other.
"Asta." A sigh came from behind her, one she could only just hear over the music and laughter of the feast. "Do you not think you have had enough?"
The voice belonged to her eldest brother, Arvid, always a do-gooder in Asta's eyes.
She groaned, rolling her eyes as she looked up at Arvid. "You sound like Father."
"And I must act like him, while he is absent. Maybe you should go to bed."
Asta looked around the feast as she contemplated obeying her brother's words, until her eyes settled on her one way of being rebellious.
"Ah," she smirked, "there is Ubbe."
Defeatedly, Arvid sighed as he watched his sister glide away through the crowd of people towards Ubbe Ragnarsson.

Ubbe smirked as he saw Asta Signessdottir emerge through the crowd in front of him. He could see the drunkness in her eyes, and he knew exactly what she was after. It was the only reason they seeked each other out.
"Asta," Ubbe smiled at the girl as she approached him, a new drink in her hand, "well done for today." He nodded his head at her. Asta shrugged her shoulders, but accepted the compliment nonetheless.
"Anybody else would have done the same."
Ubbe stepped closer to her causing Hvitserk, who was stood with the pair, to roll his eyes slyly.
"You look good tonight, Asta." He whispered quietly to her. "There's something I must discuss with Bjorn, but you must meet me in my bed later." He spoke before disappearing into the crowd in the direction of his elder brother.

The drunk girl was left standing next to Hvitserk, her least favourite of the Ragnarssons. She looked at him, noticing the foul look on his grumpy face, his furrowed eyebrows and his crossed arms.
"What's wrong now?" Asta mocked him slightly. She wouldn't usually, but the alcohol in her system was influencing her more than usual. "You don't drink." She said, noticing the empty drinking horn in his hand.
Hvitserk shuffled as he looked the girl up and down, wondering if she was mocking him or being genuine.
"I don't feel like it tonight. We raid again tomorrow, I want to be ready."
Asta grinned at him, deciding that she liked his response. "Ah, you are dedicated, I see." She chuckled, only to receive the same displeased look from Hvitserk in return.
"Why do you play with my brother?" Hvitserk narrowed his eyes as he asked the girl, changing his stance so he was closer to her. Asta's smile dropped, a look of confusion clouding her face instead.
"Play with him?" She laughed awkwardly.
"Yes, play with him." Hvitserk huffed. "You mess him around, you only use him to rebel against your father."
"What would you know about my father?" Asta face's morphed into an angry look, as she replied viciously. At first, she was beginning to think the pair of them would get along and enjoy a conversation, but her happiness turned to anger as she listened to his hurtful accusations.
"Do you not think he does the same? Only uses me for his own satisfaction? That is the whole point of it." Asta wanted to shout at him, but the crowds of people at the feast stopped her, not wanting to draw attention. "Margarethe does it with all of you."
"Margarethe is different." Hvitserk hissed back at the girl.
"No, she isn't. Why do you even care anyway? Leave us to get on with it ourselves." She lowered her voice before she disappeared into the crowd once again, ending their argument. Hvitserk sighed to himself, throwing his empty cup on the ground and disappearing to his own tent.

Ubbe Ragnarsson had a tent on the outskirts of the camp. It sat next to his brother's tents, fairly large and full of furs and cloths for warmth. As Asta approached the tent, she saw Ubbe sat outside of it, taking a sip from his drink. He looked up at the girl, smirking flirtily as she walked towards him. Asta could see his eyes, and straight away she knew he was as drunk as she was herself.

Ubbe wiped his mouth, standing up as Asta stopped walking in front of his tent.
"You should have bought more mead with you!" He drunkenly slurred.
"I don't think you need any more." Asta giggled as she moved closer to Ubbe. "Quite frankly, neither do I."
"Come on." Ubbe stumbled over his words as he grabbed Asta's hand and pulled her into the tent. As she stumbled into the tent, her eyes fell upon Hvitserk's own tent upon the grass.
"What is it, with your brother?" Asta questioned Ubbe, distracting him as he attempted to kiss her neck.
"What? Which one?"
"Hvitserk, why does he dislike my family so much?"
Ubbe sighed, stepping away from the girl for a moment as he realised she wouldn't engage with him until he answered her questions.
"Why does it matter? Hvitserk can be bitter, he thinks the only thing to matter in life is battle."
"I just don't unde-"
"Don't take it personally, Asta. Now come on." Ubbe pushed the topic aside, continuing to line her skin with kisses as he fumbled with the back of her dress and lead her to his bed.