The Devil and The Snake

11. Hard to Hate

The group responsible for taking away Caroline was, according to the dead killer, working for a man called Earl Waller. The stranger had admitted to Ivar that the earl had asked him to kill Caroline and come back, he hadn't been told anything else. Not that either really believed that.

The days following the incident you preferred to plot the attack instead of taking care of Caroline. Ren wouldn't leave her side and Hvitserk would regularly pay her a visit.

One night you were fast asleep next to your husband when someone knocked on your door in a frantic way. You jumped out the bed and opened it, not caring to cover yourself with more than the nightgown you were already wearing. The handmaid looked panicked.

"What is it?" you could hear your heart in your chest. Pumping so hard he would have come out if she took longer to speak.

"She's awake!" She took your hands in hers. "She's completely lucid my queen."

You smiled and turned to Ivar who was already putting on his braces.

"I'll meet you there." You nodded at him and took your coat before frantically following Ren to the room.

"Hvitserk was already there, He woke me up to tell you."

At the sight of Caroline, sitting instead of laying in the bed, your breath stopped. It had been almost three weeks since you had seen her awake for more than a few seconds. You ran to hold her in your arm. You were afraid to break her but couldn't undo your grip. You needed to feel her hugging you back, it needed to be real.

"Don't leave me again." You whispered in her ear.

When you pulled back you realized that she was crying.

"Do you need something? Does it hurt?" you approached your finger to her neck, looking at the bandage around it.

She shook her head and bit her lip. "Is he dead?" she started crying. You turned to Hvitserk and then Ren, they both shrugged. Was she aware of what had happened?

"Yes, Ivar killed him three days ago." She looked horrified.

"WHY?" she took her face in her hands. "He helped me escaped and you killed him?"

"Who are you talking about Caroline?" Hvitserk got closer.

"Ser Thomas." Both Ren and Hvitserk looked confused but you understood. You closed your eyes and sighed. You had realized that the guard that stayed was gone but since Caroline had returned, it hadn't come to mind that if she had been kidnapped, he would have been too.

"He hasn't come back my dear. I'm sorry" She was absolutely devastated, clinging on to you like the day she came back.

You took her face in your hand. "You need to tell us what happened."

At that she stopped crying, her jaw clenched, and her nails dug into your skin. Petrified.

"Monsters took us. They had long claws and they cursed us. They sung in a language I couldn't understand." She stopped. Hvitserk shot you a look. "Ser Thomas helped me escape but they found him. I hid in the forest at night and I heard him scream. I could have helped him, but I... I was so afraid. And they already hurt me" the poor girl was hardly making sense.

"It's not your fault." Ren took her hand, stroking her arm gently.

"Monsters?"

You were so concentrated on her tale that you didn't hear Ivar come in. Her eyes were blood shot, you weren't sure she was as lucid as Ren told you earlier.