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'I would change the world if I had a chance'
Standing behind the netting, I watched as my young daughter sat at the table with Igor. The two were mystified by the man in front of them, by the man who showed them a magic trick. My breath caught in my throat as I watched how took in the children were, how the man seemed to be very interested too.
"Seri, your mother, where did she say she was going?" I heard someone ask her.
Ducking down, I kept myself hidden as I listened.
"She is at the market," Seri spoke. Her accent was a ringer for mine, not like the people we lived with now.
The man opposite the two children tilted his head as he looked at the young girl. "You are not from here?"
I looked at my daughter, she looked like her father, the man opposite her at the table. "We moved here when I was a baby. My mother said this is home now. She likes it here." Seri's bright blue eyes were shining as she looked at the man in front of her. I wondered if she knew that was her father, I wonder if she could sense it.
"And who is your mother?"
Oleg laughed, "Her mother is Yulia. She travelled here from Kattegat, like you, Ivar."
Closing my eyes, I shook my head as I realised Oleg had given me away. There was not much chance that there would be two Yulia's who disappeared from Kattegat. Standing back up, I pulled back the netting and looked towards my daughter, ignoring all the stares from everyone else. "Are you ready, love?" I tried to act casual but I was feeling quite sick on the inside.
"Yulia," Oleg got my attention, I looked at him with a smile. "Join us, meet our guest." He waved towards the chair free at the end of the table. I took a seat and looked up when Oleg spoke again. "This is Ivar, maybe you know him, he is from Kattegat also."
My eyes met Ivar's, I gave him a small nod with a forced grin. "Prince Ivar," I addressed him by the name I last knew him by.
"Ivar was a King," Igor corrected me with a chipper voice.
"King Ivar," I repeated as I stared at him. "Yes, we did meet in Kattegat." I looked away from him and to Oleg. "I really must be going, Seri-"
"Seri and Igor may go to Igor's room. Wouldn't it be nice to catch up with your friend?" Oleg looked at the young children. "You may go now."
I watched as Igor and Seri left the room, not before they both said their goodbyes to Ivar. I noticed him watching Seri, I wondered if he had an idea. She shared his dark hair, his blue eyes and his temper when provoked.
Oleg poured me a drink as he rounded the table and sat opposite Ivar as he looked between the two of us. "I believe you two have more to talk about than you want me to believe. Maybe," he grinned as he pushed the bottle of alcohol towards myself and Ivar. "I should leave you two to catch up."
He left us alone at the table. I waited until the door was shut and we were truly alone before I turned my head to look at Ivar. He looked different from the man I left behind in Kattegat. His hair was longer, his skin looked softer and his clothes seemed different to what he used to wear.
"Why are you here, Yulia?" He spoke first catching me off guard.
My hands wrapped around the cup I had been offered as I looked at the man I once loved. "I could ask you the same question."
"Seri," he brought her to the forefront of the conversation. "She is your daughter."
Nodding my head, I decided to just tell him rather than dance around the subject. "Seri is your daughter, too."
Ivar leaned back in his chair. "I have a daughter?"
"Yes," I looked down at the cup I held. "She is bright, intelligent, cunning." I raised my eyebrows as I looked back at the blue-eyed man. "She's exactly like you."
He sighed, "Not exactly like me."
I knew what he meant, I smiled at him. "She has no problems. She is perfect, Ivar." I looked down again as I thought about her. "The day she was born was the happiest day of my life. I remember being alone but it didn't matter. When she came out, I held her afraid of how I might be able to care for her, everything worked out though."
"Why did you not tell me?"
Ivar looked hurt as he asked me that question. I knew I needed to tell him the truth about everything. "Do you remember Margrethe?" I asked him before I laughed to myself. "Of course you do." I looked him dead in the eye. "I know what you did, Ivar."
He shook his head, "It never happened."
"Of course not," I rolled my eyes. "A few days later and she was at dinner by your side, Ivar. I am not stupid."
Ivar reached for my hand, I pulled away from him as I stared up at him. "So, you just left, with my baby?"
"Our baby," I corrected him as I crossed my arms over my chest. "You're here now."
He groaned, "And if I never came?" He was just full of questions. "What then?"
I shrugged my shoulders, "Does it matter now? Seri is here, you are here." I got up from my chair as I looked down at him. "You're free to get to know her. You might find you like her."
