Virago - Ivar The Boneless

King

Following Ivar, Iona knew this is something she would do forever. 

She rode on horseback behind Ivar on his chariot. The blonde might have been his but she was still her own person. Riding alongside Hvitserk, Little Bear felt a pang of nervousness as Kattegat came into her view. It felt like it had been so long since she was last here but at the same time, it felt like only yesterday. Blowing out a long breath, Iona felt like she didn't belong here. 

Her insides twisted as she felt all her emotions rush to her at once. 

The young woman didn't realise how much she had been affected by the things that had taken place here. 

Ivar announced his arrival, he announced himself as the new King of Kattegat, but Little Bear had to admit she didn't listen much. Her eyes were on the home that she'd stayed in many moons ago. Sigurd had damaged her in ways that she didn't quite comprehend, she thought she had issues before him but he had amplified those problems. 

The town seemed to gather in the main hall. Ivar and Harold celebrated, everyone else watched on as they cheered and drank. It was loud, much was happening as people from the town mixed with the army Ivar had brought along. Little Bear had started alongside Ivar but slowly moved closer to the exit of the room. 

"There is no escape from this," Hvitserk sighed as he put his arm out stopping her from leaving.

She rolled her eyes as she looked up at him, her hand came out and grabbed his wrist making sure she had his attention. "Why do you stay, Hvitserk? You are not happy here," the tone of the blonde's voice was a little sharp. She knew him better than he thought she did, although the two of them would remain friends, she wondered why he was still here. The relationship between the two brothers had become strained over time and she'd noticed as had Hvitserk. 

He yanked his arm from her grip, "Why do you stay, child?"

Her eyes narrowed as she started up at him, her back to the crowd in the room. "You know why," she avoided saying it out loud. She half-turned and looked over at Ivar who sat alongside Harold. If Iona didn't know better, she would say they were friends but she knew they were only allies for as long as they need each other. She watched as Ivar turned his head slightly, his attention pulled away from everyone else in the room, only the attention wasn't on Little Bear. She wondered who or what could command his presence like that. Following her gaze, she found herself looking at the blonde slave Ivar had set free long ago.

Hvitserk chuckled as he leaned close to his free before him. "Oh dear," he was close to her ear, she could feel his breath on her skin, it was hot and made the hairs stand up. "Look at me," he said with a smirk on his lips. She glanced at him for a second before returning her attention to the woman captivating Ivar. "You should be more like Ubbe and myself. Jealousy gets you no where."

"I am not jealous." The words felt dirty even as she said them. Her eyes landed back on Hvitserk, he noticed they were her normal calm colour indicating that she'll allowed herself to calm down. "There is no need for me to be jealous," she smiled sweetly as she stood alongside Hvitserk and watched as Ivar looked for something in the crowd. "I also see no need for Ivar to have any distractions. That slave, she is a distraction."

"You're a distraction," Hvitserk said as he looked down at his friend. "Do you not agree?"

Her arms crossed over her chest as she watched a goat being placed on the chair Ivar had pissed on only moments before hand. "A distraction that is useful," she raised her eyebrows. "All the other women in any of your lives have not been much else than someone to warm your beds, maybe someone to bear your children should any of you decide to have them. I am more than that, I am worthy of a place alongside Ivar, alongside all of you."

Hvitserk chuckled at her words. He looked at her serious face and shook his head. Although he thought quite a lot of her,she was misguided. "It is only a matter of time," he was quiet as he spoke to her. "Life changes, soon he will start to think about other things, marriage, children, neither of which you want, surely?"

Little Bear looked over at Ivar as she thought about her response. "Ivar is not interested in any of that stuff," the young blonde wanted to convince herself that she was right but she worried, did Hvitserk know something she didn't?

As Iona stared at Ivar, he looked in her direction, their eyes meeting. She watched as he gave her his trademark smirk before lifting his horn of mead high for her to see and nodding his head a little. She tilted her head as she looked at him, her mind still in two places after Hvitserk's words. Leaving her spot, she walked towards him, she ignored all others in the room before pressing a hard kiss to his lips, surprising herself and him. 

"Of course, you have nothing to worry about," Harold slapped Ivar on the back, ending the kiss prematurely. Ivar looked at his ally, waiting to hear his reasoning, "You have this one." Harold spoke about the blonde as he looked at her, his eyes greedy with lust. 

The young woman looked at Harold, she looked at the blood that was still on his face, dried like some on her own. She smiled at him, her mind was not filled with the same thoughts as him, she was not thinking of any thing sexual, nor was she thinking of being with Ivar, she was only thinking of the blonde slave and Ivar's thoughts. She was intrigued now, she wondered if he was really hungry for more than just being King and leading an army. Little Bear also knew by asking him, she might greatly offend him, something which could result in more than her losing her sanity.