Honor and Blood - Part I.

Blessed are the meek

A woman has to serve the men in her life. First, her father, and then her husband. A sad reality. To be seen as nothing more than a womb. You are born and raised to obey. What they say is the law and must be followed. Your father chooses who you marry and whose children you will bear.

Her mother called it God's will. Her brother called it a political sacrifice. Vanya herself would call it torture. She was being married off to the highest bidder, like cattle.

After her father died three years ago, her brother Silas became King. Their kingdom was small, and Silas had no idea how to rule a country. So the council ruled instead. And they choose to make peace with the Vikings who threatened to attack them.

And so she is to be married to a Viking prince as a promise. The Vikings will get her and gold and silver in exchange for peace. It was the right thing to do. To accept her fate and do as said to protect her people. But still, it hurt her. To marry because Silas or the council commands her to do so. Not out of love, but out of duty.

She hated him for making her marry some stranger on the other side of the world—a heathen. She heard the stories they told about Vikings and how they murder and rape for their gods. She feared the day they would ship her off towards Scandinavia and make her marry some prince with no name to himself yet.

Silas said he chose her, a husband he knew would fit her. He did not mention his name. Or how her future husband looked. Vanya hated her brother for that. And he hated her. That's why he offered her a price. To get rid of her. Their father loved her. She was his sweet, cheerful child, while Silas was the bitter attention seeker.

She prayed to God; her husband would be kind and loved her with all his heart that their children would be born out of love. She hoped God heard her desperate prayer.

"Princess? The ships are ready." A voice called from behind her. She has been staring out of the window the whole day. Willing the sea to be too wild to sail on, but it did not work.

Vanya turned around, clutching the cross around her neck tighter. The servant in front of her looked at her with pity. And Vanya hated that look so much. Everybody looked at her with pity like it would change anything.

"My lady, you should change before you leave. I heard it is very cold there." The servant girl tried once again. Vanya only nodded and pulled a weak smile before letting the girl redress her.

"Are the Vikings here too?" She asked softly, looking out of the window to catch a glimpse of the fearless warriors from the cold lands.

The smaller girl shook her head in agreement and tightened her dress. "A few ships. I heard Bjorn is on one of them. He is to ensure you make it to their land."

Bjorn. Bjorn Ironside, who made the pact with her brother. Her husband's brother. She saw the man himself twice. He always stood tall and intimidated her. He was huge. And scary. She saw the man only twice. Once when he and his warriors attacked their kingdom and the second time when Silas announced that she would marry Bjorn's brother.

As soon as the servant dressed, Vanya did Silas barge in, smirking like he won a game; she had no idea they are playing. "Dear sister, you finally look like a proper lady. It's time to go, come."

Vanya looked at him with pleading eyes, her lower lip trembling. "Please, Silas, don't send me away. I promise I will listen. I won't disobey you anymore. Please, they will hurt me, rape me, kill me. Please don't make me go." He always wanted her to beg. Maybe he would show mercy if she did it now.

Her only answer was an angry snarl as her older brother charged towards her like a mad bull. His large hand wrapped around her thin neck and squeezed, making her gasp for breath. "I forgave you every snide remark, every scowl, every time you didn't behave like you were supposed to. Mother doesn't care what would happen to you, but I let you live in my castle in my kingdom instead of throwing you to the pigs in the barn. I have shown you nothing but mercy and forgiveness. And now, all I ask of you is to do as I command, to marry a savage for the good of this kingdom of these people. And yet you disobey me again. You will renounce your faith, marry the man I chose for you and birth his children. I chose a man I knew would fit you perfectly. So be thankful."

He dropped her to the ground and wiped his hand on his clothes. As if his hand got filthy by touching her. Meanwhile, Vanya kneeled on the ground, holding her tender neck while gasping for breath and crying. She felt like an animal beat by her master for misbehaving. "You will do as I say. Or I will let the heathen army have their way with you in the middle of the streets." Silas spat at her, making her flinch in fear.

A knock interrupted his anger and her sobs as a woman walked into the room, looking bored. Her waist-long ginger hair is up in a complicated braid as a crown rests on top of her head. Her golden dress drags behind her on the ground as she nears her children. She freezes in her steps when her eye meets her daughter's tear-filled ones. "Mother. How lovely for you to see us. What's the occasion?"

The Queen Mother only held up a blue pearl necklace raising one perfect eyebrow at her son. "I wanted Vanya to catch the prince's eye. I found my engagement necklace and thought it would look breathtaking with her dress. I should also do her hair differently." Silas nodded and left the two women to their jewelry and hair. When the door behind him closed, the Queen walked to the mirror and picked up a brush, mentioning that Vanya should sit on the chair. The Princess picked herself up and slowly walked towards the chair, looking at her red eyes and bruised neck in the mirror.

The Queen brushed her hair and caught her daughter's eyes in the mirror. "Why do you always talk back, Vanya. It always ends badly for you."

Vanya drew in a shaky breath, on the verge of breaking down once again. "Mother. Please make him reconsider-"

"Don't Mother me! Silas made his choice. And you should listen to that choice. He is your brother, your King. Be smart, Vanya. How many times how I told you, love? Blessed are the meek." Vanya hiccuped and looked back at her mother, begging with her eyes.

"They will hurt me." She tried again, hoping to get some sympathy from her mother—anything to make her try to change her brother's mind. "They are savages. I don't want to marry a man I don't know. I want to love my husband. I want his children born out of love, not out of duty. I will never love that man."

The ginger queen scoffed and rolled her eyes at that. "Stop dreaming, child. You are of royal blood. Love was never an opinion. You don't have to love that man. All you have to do is stand by his side, smiling and carry and raise his children. You never have to love him. Only love your children. It that you will have no choice."

Vanya looked back at the mirror, not being able to look at her mother any longer. "Did you never love father? He was always so nice." The older woman shook her head and braided her daughter's ginger hair.

"He was a good King. But a terrible husband. He was kind to you two, but not me. I once believed that I loved him. And he took my love and bedded another woman. I can't fancy a man like that. I just have to look the part, as do you. Use your looks to charm the man, and he won't hurt you. Give him sons, and he will protect you. Become important, irreplaceable. And you will survive." She whispered, fixing her necklace around her daughter's neck.

Vanya nodded her head, knowing the fight was lost. Her last hope was that her ship would sink, and she would drown before her wedding. But the Princess doubted the ships would fail now if they survived this long. The Queen stepped away from Vanya and put her hands on her shoulders when she stood up. "Blessed are the meek, Vanya. Remember that. A silent wife is a good one. Just look at the ceiling and think about something pretty. It will be over before you know it."

She took Vanya's hand and led her to the door and down the halls. The young redhead watched her step, thinking of the pretty places her mother mentioned—the bottom of the sea, the graveyard, Hell. When they reached the shore, Vanya was sure she entered Hell. The savages looked at her with hungry eyes while Bjorn stood tall next to Silas, who grinned happily to see her. "May God look after you even in the cold lands." He told her, gripping her face in his hands. It may have looked innocent to the soldiers and heathens. But the royal family knew better. It was a warning. Behave!

Vanya nodded before Bjorn helped her on the boat and ordered the warriors to set sail. She watched her home get farther and farther away. The smaller Silas and her mother got, the weirder she felt. She hated her family, but she feared what awaited her on the other end of the journey.

"We will arrive in Kattegat in five days. Aslaug is planning the wedding a week after that." Bjorn informed Vanya standing next to her, looking at the small kingdom they are leaving.

"What is he like? My husband, to be?"

"Ivar's... complicated." Well, that's helpful. At least now she knows his name. Ivar.