The Viking Queen

one ➳ unloved

Alone in the middle of the night, queen Vendela sat on her bed. The wind was blowing through her long blond hair. A deep sigh escaped from her mouth. Lately things haven't been going as she wanted them to go. Her sister kept whining about her finding a husband because she wanted to get married. Little did her sister knew that Vendela didn't want a husband. She could rule the country on her own, at least that is what she thought. There was no way Vendela was going to give her heart to a man she did not love nor desire. Making a heir for the throne would be on Runna her shoulders. It did not matter to her if her sister got a daughter or a son, as long as the child was healthy.

  Minutes passed by and Vendela was still awake. Thinking about her miserable life. Loveless and emotionless, those were the two words to describe her life. Everyone knew her as the ice queen, unbreakable but she was breakable. Only no one knew it. They all thought that the queen had no heart. It was just a black pit to some of them. Her soul was as black as the night and her heart was as cold as ice. Just as cold as the fjords, maybe colder..

"Go to sleep," she mumbled to herself.

  Nights like this weren't rare to Vendela. The older she got, the more it happened. It was a sign of loneliness but she refused to accept it. Deep inside, even she wanted to be loved and desired by a man. Her head told her to forget that idea but her heart refused to believe it. There was no man who could love her the way she wanted to be loved. It wasn't as if she didn't want to be loved. The right Viking was nowhere to be found for her.

"Oh Freyja, am I such a horrible woman?"

  The room was silent. Night after night it was the same. Vendela got out of bed and walked out of her room. If this was how she was going to spend her life, then her grandmother would not be happy. Everyone in the castle was sleeping. No soul to talk to, no one to laugh with. Sighing Vendela sat on her throne in the big hall. This was going to be her life, until she would die a lonely death.

 
  The queen was a lonely woman who was waiting for the perfect Viking to come along but who said there was a perfect Viking? Desperate she looked at the empty throne next to hers. A lot of winters ago her mother sat on that throne. The old Queen, a loving mother and wife. The eldest child of Astrid and Koll of Norway. Her mother died too early, it didn't take long for her father to die too. At the age of eighteen she was the youngest queen of Norway.

"You are not a horrible woman, my child. Maybe a little hard to understand but not horrible," her grandmother said. Vendela looked at Astrid.

"Are not you supposed to be asleep?" Vendela replied. Astrid rolled her eyes.

"Just like your mother, always avoiding the important things in life."

   Vendela looked at her grandmother as she sat in the empty throne. With sympathy Astrid looked at her granddaughter. It was as if her eldest child was sitting in front of her. There were so much good memories about her beautiful Ingeborg. Astrid closed her eyes for a moment. In her head she saw how Ingeborg gave birth to Vendela. It was the most beautiful day of her life, her first grandchild.

"What is wrong grandmother?" Vendela asked.

"I just keep thinking about your mother, that's all." Vendela nodded.

"I think a lot about her too." Astrid looked at the table in the big hall.

   Once she shared this castle with her husband. Koll loved Vendela, all of the grandchildren he knew actually. Not only was he an amazing father and King, but also an amazing grandfather. At the moment Astrid wished that he was here. Both Vendela and Astrid missed someone who they loved dearly. Vendela had a lot of good memories of her grandfather. There was no man, besides her father, that she loved more.

"Just be patient my child, everything will be alright," Astrid said.

   As much as Vendela tried to believe her grandmother, there was no hope anymore. For five winters she was the queen but there was no man who took interest in her. The sun rose up when Vendela and her grandmother went back to bed. Everyone was awake when she wanted to fall asleep. Groaning Vendela rolled on her bed.

"My lady?" Vendela opened her eyes.

"Yes, Kathryn." Nervously the maid smiled.

"There is someone who wants to see you." Vendela rolled her eyes.

"Tell that person I am not in the mood to talk." Kathryn cleared her throat.

"But my lady, it is Lord Magnus."

  Immediately Vendela jumped up. Lord Magnus was the man she was supposed to marry but instead she turned him down. The poor idiot was going to try it again. Kathryn looked at the queen as she quickly wore her dress. Knowing her queen, Kathryn knew that by now queen Vendela was going to make a fool out of the poor idiot. While she tied the laces of her dress, Vendela walked to the big hall where Lord Magnus was.

"Your Majesty, please do not be hard on him. The poor man loves you my queen," Kathryn pleaded. Vendela looked at her.

"Have you gone mad Kathryn?" she asked. In reply Kathryn shook her head.

"Neither have I, so I won't marry him." Kathryn nodded.

Neither was she but the last thing she wanted was that lord Magnus his heart would get broken, for the millionth time. Kathryn stood still and watch as lord Magnus walked to queen Vendela. Oh Odin, please save the man from the terrible humiliation he was going to get.. Irritated Vendela looked at him.

"My beautiful queen, I am h.."

"I do not care what you are here for Magnus, I do not want you and I thought I made that clear. Leave my ford immediately," Vendela interrupted him.

Relieved Kathryn sighed. It wasn't as harsh as she thought it would be. Maybe it was because the lack of sleep that queen Vendela wasn't that mean to him. Oh well, the bastard should understood it by now. May I hope. Finally everyone left Vendela alone. And finally she could go to bed.