Being in the wrong place at the wrong time was all it took for Adelasia's whole life to turn upside down. After being captured by the heathens raiding her city and taken all the way to the cold North, the youngest Ragnarsson takes an interest in her...
Lagertha's men had really outdone themselves, going to all lengths to make sure she was in the most painful and discomforting position. She was chained to a pole with her hands and legs bound behind her back, leaving her in an awkward kneeling position that had left her knees raw after the first day and her shoulders sore after a mere couple of hours. All sense of time had left her, mostly because they kept her in a small room that smelled of excreta and animals and was completely dark. It felt like she'd been in the room for a lifetime, but it might have been only a night. Either way, her current circumstances left her plenty of time to ponder.
After she had insulted Björn, he had made short work of her, hitting her hard on the head with the blunt side of his sword and knocking her out. By the time she woke up, she had found herself in this awkward place with a throbbing and undoubtedly bruised temple. So far, nobody had come to visit her, but she knew they were only trying to drive her into desperation.
She was praying her twenty-third Our Father, she had made an effort to keep her mind occupied by keeping track of the count, when the door to the cell room was opened, flooding it with light. Squinting her eyes shut and turning her head away, she waited until the door was closed again before redirecting her gaze.
Queen Lagertha was standing in the middle of the room, flanked by two women Alasia did not recognize and she was holding a flaming torch. She looked as sharp as an owl, especially since she was still wearing her battle clothes and her hair had been plaited in an intricate pattern, but Alasia could not appreciate the fierce expression on the woman's face, for it foretold nothing good was about to happen.
"I have always admired your strength, Adelasia," Lagertha said, drawling out the words. She looked at the tied-up girl in front of her, but when the latter kept her mouth firmly closed and a blank glint in her eyes, Lagertha began to speak again. "There are not many people gifted to endure the cruelty of Ivar. To go as far as love him, that must take a great strength. I admire it."
Alasia wondered exactly how the Queen came upon these assumptions, for she and Ivar had hidden their relationship fairly well. Still, she did her best to keep her mouth shut. If Björn had taken her with the intention of making her spill all the secrets of their troops and strategies, of making her a turn cloak, they would be disappointed. Right there and then, she made a vow of silence to the Lord, until she would lie her eyes upon Ivar again.
