Virago - Ivar The Boneless

King and Queen

Ivar decided that the best thing to do now was to return to Kattegat. He obviously had a plan. 

Blindly, Iona followed. She boarded the boat with the brothers; she watched as Headmund was brought on too. Her eyes moved quickly as she saw him being dragged to the back of the wooden ship where he was bound to a post, unable to move. 

"What is it about him?" Hvitserk asked her as he stood beside her with his arms crossed over his chest. 

Turning her head, she looked at her friend. "What do you mean?"

Hvitserk raised his eyebrows as he looked down on her. "You cannot keep your eyes off the Christian," he pointed out. He'd been keeping an eye on her; he knew her well. "What are you thinking about?"

The blonde looked over at Ivar, who was standing at the back of the boat alongside the Bishop. She knew she would do anything Ivar asked her to do. Returning to Kattegat and seeing her mother would throw up some new scenarios, she didn't know what Ivar would want her to do, but she knew he wanted Lagertha dead. 

"What does Ivar want with the Christian?" 

The middle Ragnarsson looked over at Ivar, who was now talking with Headmund. Hvitserk was not always told everything that Ivar had planned; he hoped that Ivar would trust him fully, but Ivar continued to test his brother. "Ivar wants him to fight for him," he told the young woman. Then, turning his head, he looked up at the blonde again. 

She raised her eyebrows; her hands gripped the pole where she stood as the boat began to move. "Do you trust him?"

Hvitserk sighed as he looked at his brother. "It doesn't matter what I think," his voice sounded a little sad as he said it. "Ivar has seen him fight. He is a good warrior. Unfortunately, things have changed; our family has split. Ivar wants all the help he can get. Lagertha has a large army; Ivar only wants to the best."

"I don't trust him," Little Bear's eyes narrowed as she looked at the prisoner on the floor of the boat. "There is something about him, something that makes me wary." She noticed the way he stared up at Ivar like he was thinking of a plan, like he was thinking of a way to overpower the cripple. 

Little Bear moved around the boat, sitting at the side looking over at the moving water. So much had changed for her in recent times. She wished she knew what she was meant to do; she wished she knew what the Gods wanted from her. She had a feeling that something was going to change for her, that something was coming. 

XOXOX

Ivar changed the plans; the boat didn't go straight to Kattegat. He wanted Harald alongside him, and somehow Ivar convinced him. There was going to be a wait, though, surprise if you would. Two months. 

The blonde wasn't happy. Two months was a long time. Two months before she could prove herself to the man she loved. She knew if she was honest with herself whilst her mother was alive, he would never truly love her. Little Bear knew she had her mother's looks; no matter how much she tried to deny it to herself, she couldn't change it without injuring herself drastically. 

She stayed with Ivar in his own hut. They shared a bed most nights. Some nights he didn't return, choosing to spend time with Harald and Hvitserk. Iona never complained; some nights, she would drink with them, others she would retire to bed early. It had only been a week after arriving. She had listened to the conversations like she wasn't there; sometimes, it was easier to not speak. 

The evening had come around quickly; dinner had been served and finished now that left the evening chatter. Harald's Queen, Astrid, looked at Little Bear before giving her a small nod. "Shall we...?" 

Iona decided to go with the Queen, wondering what she could possibly want from her. Walking alongside the woman she had once known as her mother's friend, the silence was almost crippling before Astrid broke it. "Why are you here?"

The young blonde looked at the woman before looking ahead of herself. "I could ask you the same question. How did you end up being the wife of King Harald?" The daughter of Lagertha was quick to ask the right questions if it meant deflecting the attention from herself. 

"Your mother, I know she misses you," Astrid told Little Bear. "She loves you very much. If you return to Kattegat now, it's not too late." The Queen wanted to let the blonde know she had options. "You do not need to stay with the Ragnarsson's; you owe them nothing."

Shaking her head, Iona took a deep breath. "I do though," Iona stopped walking and crossed her arms over her chest as Astrid stood in front of her. "And I don't. I am with them because I want to be. I am with them because I love Ivar."

"Your mother loves you more!" Astrid snapped at the young woman hoping to bring the mother and daughter back together. "You belong with her."

Little Bear pressed her lips in a thin line as she thought for a second. "Where was she when I needed her?" The blonde shook her head a little with a smirk on her lips. "Aslaug was there for me; she took care of me." She uncrossed her arms before staring at the dark-haired woman in front of her. "My mother means nothing to me now."

The sound of skin on skin contact echoed through the silent streets before Iona moved her face back up and looked at the woman who had slapped her across the face. "One day, Iona, you will know what she did for you. Right now, though, you are a disrespectful, ungrateful bitch; you will never understand."

Keeping her cool, Iona knew she needed to remain calm. If she lashed out at Astrid, things would be bad for Ivar. Everything she did was for Ivar; she didn't need to be the cause of problems. "Thank you," Little Bear bowed to the woman before her, then straightened herself. "I'll see you tomorrow, my Queen."