The Cripple and The Shieldmaiden II

// 9 //

'Who is she?' Torhild asked almost halfway through their journey. She missed Raynor already but trying to figure out the new persons in this company was a good distraction. He brought his princess along, something Torhild noticed when she counted the men who were there for her protection.
'Didn't get a change to speak her.' Ase shook her head. The both of them drove at the end, far away from Ivar and the girl who rode her horse aside his chariot. She almost jumped in it. That girl was ridiculous beautifull, no wonder Ivar fell for her. Her long brown her had pearls waved in it, she wore another dress than when Torhild saw her the first time, a new fancy one.
'Halfdan, who is she?' Torhild asked the man who rode before her. Halfdan turned in the saddle after inspecting the princess.
'She is the sister of lord Gregor, lady Elisabeth.'
'Fancy name.' Ase said while pulling her nose up. Torhild chuckled and looked back to the princess, lady Elisabeth. She was to neat, to christian?
'You can't stand her?' Ase guessed.
'She is to princess alike?'
'You are to when you dress up. By the way, are you jealous because she is so gorgeous or because she talks to Ivar and he acttualy smiled back to her and not to you?' Ase asked her with frowned eyesbrows. Torhild looked aside, flattening her with those words. She had to do her best to keep her attention on Ase and not to Ivar and his new flame. How long would they be together? Should it be real love?
'I'm married.' Torhild helped her friend remember. She didn't had a reason to be jealous of Ivar and this new person in his life. She remembered the gaze he gave Raynor while comforting him and that was satisfying enough. She wasn't here for him, she was here for her claim, she was here to become a queen.

Ivar and his girl were the only one that didn't helped on making up camp that night. The kingdom of lord Gregor was a two days ride from the settlement. Torhild walked over to a creek, crouching down and splashing up some water in her face, looking down to her own reflexion. She grew a little older in her face but she still had that certain youth, softness. 'We didn't met?' Torhild rolled her eyes and stood up, forced a smile on her face and turned to the girl.
'No, we didn't.' She said with a friendly voice while walking back to the camp. Where she was stepping without even looking, Elisabeth looked down with every step she maked so her shoes wouldn't get dirty, lifting up her dress so she could see it even better.
'I'm lady Elisabeth, daughter of the great Lord Henry.' She said it with so much suppleness that Torhild was almost sure that this was her favorit line to say.
'Torhild, daughter of Queen Lagertha, sister of Björn Ironside who commands the great heathen army and daughter of King Ecbert. Not that I'm proud of that last part.' The last few words more for herself. Torhild wasn't the kind to brag about who she was but this girl needed to know, for future missunderstandings.
'So you are really the daughter of Ecbert?' She asked stunned. Torhild nodded, a little uninterested and gave the girl a little push aside so she wouldn't step into a pool of mud. When she looked up she saw Ivar looking at the both of them, Torhild ingored him and turned back to the lady.
'So, how did you get from a fancy castle to laying aside Ivar?' She asked, straight to the point.
'He saved my life on a raid.' Her eyes traveled with so much love back to Ivar that Torhild frowned a little. How could you possible love somebody like Ivar? She did it years ago, because she knew his darkness better than anybody else. But this girl, Torhild had no idea what she did and didn't knew. Ivar always was bad news, what kind of meant she fell for the dark types. But was Ivar not a little to dark for someone so ... girlie, like her? Didn't she dreamt about the prince on the white horse? Ivar had a white horse but he wasn't the charming prince. The only place he had in a storybook was that as a good villain.
'I heared the both of you have history?' She asked back.
'History. Nothing special.' Torhild shrugged. So she didn't knew about Raynor, intresting. Torhild maked a short bow before she walked over to Ase who sat on a fallen three, sarpening her knife.
'And?' She asked a little amused.
'Ivar saved her on a raid and now she is madly in love.'
'Romantic, really Ivar his style.' Ase murmured sarcastic. The both of them looked up to the girl who sat down aside Ivar, wrapping an arm around his, looking all flirty.
'And that calls herself a lady.' Torhild said to herself.
'Lucky for you, you become the queen.' Ase supported her claim to the throne. Torhild got a devilish smile on her lips, looking towards her best friend. 'Queen Torhild. It has a nice ring to it.' Ase whispered and the both of them started laughing.