𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐃 | Ragnar Lothbrok ¹

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄

HEARTBEAT

RAGNAR EITHER dozed off or was feigning sleep as Sophie sat there, wide-eyed, watching him. Realizing there was no point in figuring out whether he was asleep or not, she stood up slowly, put on her boots, and turned to walk out.

"Where are you going?" he suddenly spoke before she had a chance to reach the door.

"Out of here," she replied, ignoring him as she walked out.

Ragnar groaned as he forced himself to stand up before following her. "Out where?" he called after her.

"I thought you said I can come and go as I please," she said as she continued to walk away from him.

"You can," he confirmed.

"Okay then," she said.

Ragnar eventually stopped following her when he made sure she was back in Kattegat safely. He did not want to scare her away, as he was interested in knowing more about her. He had to admit, she had piqued his interest from the beginning—something about her made him want to know more. The fact that she kept holding back made him even more curious. So instead, he sent Athelstan to keep an eye on her.

The priest stayed hidden, watching Torvi train her in the field away from the crowd, until eventually, the two tired out and Torvi called it off.

All this time, Sophie wasn't oblivious to the eyes that were watching. She knew those same eyes would report to King Ragnar about her whereabouts.

She wasn't sure if she should be angry with him or thank him for having someone to watch over her, as she knew the potential danger from the Rangarsson brothers. Perhaps she ought to show a little gratitude after all.

Nothing eventful happened for the rest of the day, at least not until the evening when someone knocked on her door.

Sophie was shocked to see Queen Aslaug outside her place, as it was already starting to get dark. Inviting her in, she closed the door behind them before leading her further in, and the two sat by the fire.

"How have you been?" Queen Aslaug asked, much to Sophie's surprise. She had expected her to be mad that her husband had freed her slave without her say, but instead, she sat there watching the tall, blonde woman smile warmly at her.

"I've been doing well," Sophie replied in the Northern tongue, smiling.

"You don't have to stay here. You can always come back and live with us," Queen Aslaug said, scanning the place, which made Sophie stammer for a moment.

"No, no," Sophie started but cut herself short. "I'm okay here, the place is... alright." In fact, no matter how bad and lonely the place was, it was better than being bullied by Ivar and his brothers.

Queen Aslaug didn't seem convinced, but she smiled anyway. "Anyone troubling you?" she asked.

"No, not here," Sophie replied.

"I'm sorry about my sons," Aslaug began as if reading her mind. "I know they can be a little tough to handle."

"You don't have to apologize, Queen Aslaug," Sophie smiled.

A wall of silence started building between the two as they sat awkwardly, not sure how to keep the conversation going. Sophie decided to speak her mind.

She had been debating whether to ask the Queen about her relationship with her husband and now that she found a way, she finally had the courage to.

"Did you know about King Ragnar's plan regarding me?" She started.

"No, my husband and I don't really speak much anymore," the Queen admitted.

"What happened?" Sophie dared to ask.

"I guess we grew distant," Aslaug spoke. "I'm nothing more than the mother of his children."

This piece of information made Sophie wary of the fact that King Ragnar could not be trusted after all. She had tried to convince herself before that he was a married man and was only constantly trying to interact with her to figure out where she came from, searching for something he could use against her people. But she was wrong.

She could be very wrong, and King Ragnar could be searching for something more, now that she was assured that he had no love for his wife. But what about his ex-wife, Lagertha, whom Helen had told her about multiple times? They still had love for each other, Helen once said.

"I brought you some clothes," the Queen said, bringing Sophie back to the present, who had been lost in her thoughts.

"You didn't have to," Sophie said, taking the pile that the Queen had been holding. "Thank you."

Queen Aslaug smiled before she stood up, ready to walk out. "You don't have to fear my sons," she suddenly said, but Sophie knew that she had all the reasons to fear them.

"I'm not sure about that," Sophie admitted, causing Aslaug to smile at her again.

"Please do come visit," the Queen finally said before she left.

Something was off with those heathens, Sophie had to admit. They were all strange in their own ways, but the strangest thing was how kind some of them tended to be.

It didn't sit well with Sophie, who had constantly thought of the Pagans as cruel and monstrous people. Only for the King, the Queen, and Torvi to prove her wrong, or perhaps just the Queen and Torvi. But what if it was one of their schemes?

Sophie woke up the next day, excited for the day's training with Torvi. She was going to teach her how to use a bow, something Sophie had begged her brother to do years ago, but he constantly refused, saying that a lady didn't need to burden herself with men's duties. She always hated him for it, and now the thought made her want to cry. She missed him. In fact, she missed them all.

Sophie was too deeply stuck in her thoughts when she jumped in fear as something glided past her only to land on the trunk of the tree, mere inches away from her head.

With no choice but to flee, she found herself running through the unfamiliar woods with nothing but the raging beat in her chest.