The Cripple and The Shieldmaiden II

// 10 //

This small kingdom wasn't any different from the rest. It had the same strong walls and the same soft beds. It were the people in it that maked it different. Here under the rule of Lord Gregor and his sister the people were more at eas. You saw they didn't had those stern rules or punishment for misbehavior. They lived at peace, respected their rulers and it was a example of how Torhild wanted it to be for all of England. 'Princess Torhild.' A voice greeted her. Torhild turned away from the balcony she was watching the kingdom from.
'Lord Gregor.' She greeted him with a slow bow and a polite voice. He walked the balcony on and looked over the people, the houses. 'This is quite the place, the people look so peacefull.' She began. He leaned his elbows on the egde and nodded.
'My father always believed in honesty and justice.'
'Your father was a wise man then.' Torhild replied, putting her admiration on the center of the town again. It didn't looked like Kattegat, people were more desent here. A group of childeren ran over the courtyard and Torhild smiled in a reaction on it.
'You have childeren?' He asked, noticing the love she showed while she watched the childeren.
'Yes, a son. He is in the settlement.'
'You brought him oversea?' He asked confused. Torhild her smile fadded a little and she nodded slowly.
'Personal reasons, wish I hadn't.' She explained him softly. The less information she would give that involved Ivar, the better.
'What kind of ruler do you want to be for England? Supposing you get the throne.' Lord Gregor asked her. Torhild took a deap breath and looked back over the people.
'This kind of a leader.' She stroke her hand through the air, showing him his own kingdom.
'Thats a leader I will support.' He smiled. Torhild looked aside and studied his face. It wasn't the kind of lord that sat on a throne and did nothing.
'I need to convince eight other kingdoms of that first.' Torhild signed.
'Some of them will be as willing as me, others,' he felt silent and the both of them turned around when the others came in the room. 'Let's talk further with the others around.' He leaded her to the room. Torhild nodded and walked in. Aside her there was Ase, Ivar and Halfdan. For the other team was that the lord, his sister and an older man. 'This is my adviser.' Lord Gregor introduced her to the men who bowed deeply. Everybody sat down on the large wooden table.
'I organized a dance for tonight.' Lady Elisabeth began. Torhild forced a friendly smile on her face and looked aside to Ase.
'I hope you know how to dance.' Torhild softly said, not going to dance alone. The lady was looking at the both of them, like she was trying to get Torhild scared of something to. Sadly for her Torhild knew how to dance, even in her time imprisoned with King Aethelwulf she attented a dance or two. 'We would be honored.' She nodded to the girl. Elisabeth gave Ivar a fast look before she sat aside her brother. 'Back in Kattegat we kill to become a ruler, it is that simple, her I guess I need to do a little more than that?' Torhild started the conversation. Lord Gregor laughed softly, nodding to his servants who came in with wine and disces food. They all puted it down on the table and everybody attacked the food. With the start of a new pregancy Torhild avoided food, to avoid nauseousness afterwards.
'You need the support of the kingdoms to get the throne. Nobody wants to see a viking on the throne but if you are a daughter of Ecbert you are the hihgest in stand. So I think you need to visit these kingdoms, give them a reason to root for you and travel on to the next. Half of them are arrogant, take the best deal in gold of supplies, so it won't be that hard half of the time.' He explained to her. Torhild nodded and looked for a moment to Ivar, but he was eating and still angry by the looks of it. She to ... it only wasn't visable.
'Can we get in trouble with one of these other lords.' She pointed towards a map.
'Yes, lord Ballard, he is an very old man, a loyal friend of the former king Ecbert and his son. He has three kingdoms behind him and is already negotiating with the young Athelred and lord Edward.' Lord Gregor said. That was five kingdoms.
'You controle Aethelred, right?' She asked Ivar.
'I control his kingdom, not his footsteps. We can take that man down, show him our strenght.' Ivar said, looking aside her to the lord. He softly nodded, not entirely sure of what he had to think of those plans. 'We can't always negotionate or way out of this. We need to show a force of strenght to. If we show them we still control the heathen army and Kattegat they will know what the consequentes are of their acts.' Ivar got further, impatient. Torhild looked to him, he grow more mature over the years. The old Ivar would kill every single soul on his path that wasn't loyal, now he actually had a reason for it.
'If he don't want to surrender he has to kneel on force.' Torhild agreed with what Ivar said. Last time she was here she didn't wanted to use violence, what caused a lot of trouble. Now she was willing, if Raynor was safe first. Ivar nodded approvingly on her words.
'Good, you have my men. Tomorrow we can travel to the kingdom of Lord Cameron, he is an old friend, I have already send word that we are coming.' Lord Gregor smiled. Torhild nodded and forced a smile on her lips. This was a good start, but it would be an exhausting one, she was sure of that.

She knew for sure she was pregnant now, the sickness, the nausea kept her the whole evening in bed. Elisabeth insisted on getting her ready for the ball, a dress in white, her hair loose, jewelry on her fingers and ears. But she needed to lay down for a moment or two ... what strechted to hours. The short nap did it, she was a little pale but other than that she looked fine enough for a courtesy to the ball. Ase dressed herself up to, what was a very weird sight because she never wore a dress before in public. 'Ivar is asking for you.' She said when walking throught the halls to the ball.
'Because he wants to keep an eye on me. What did you answer?'
'That it wasn't his business.'
'Good.' Torhild smiled. Not only the high men and woman in rank were invited, there were also lower people, even childeren running around. The feast didn't stopped when she walked in but the people turned around to greet and face her.
'Princess Torhild, glad you could make it.' Lord Gregor said from a table in front. She walked over and maked a deep bow for him.
'Sorry that I couldn't be here earlier.'
'I hope you are alright?' He asked a little concerned. Torhild nodded, not really giving him the details of her absence. Her eyes went to Ivar, who had Elisabeth on his lap, she hated that sight. But when he saw her he pushed her away and gestured Torhild to come. She lifted her chin and turned back to Lord Gregor.
'Care for a dance? I'm not that familiar with your kind of dances here but I picked a thing or two up when I was here the last time.' She said with a smile. His eyes widened a little before he hold up his flat hand.
'I would be honored.' He bowed as a reply. Torhild took his hand and he leaded her to the dancefloor. Everybody maked room and Torhild got a little uncertain of what she asked ... what was meanly to taunt Ivar. But it was one of those soft dances, placing hands on each other and twirling around on the sounds of the music. Lord Gregor didn't lost sight of her that whole dance. The intensity in wich he looked at her gave another set of eyes a little more jealousy in her back. When the dance was over she bowed for him and everyone applaused. 'You did that quite well.' Gregor approved of her. Torhild smiled and walked back to Ase who offered her a seat.
'You look pale again.' She noticed. Torhild looked to her friend and singhed shortly. 'You are pregnant.'
'Yes.'
'Congratulations?' Ase asked. Torhild looked aside, a smile spreading over her face while nodding.
'After four years, yes, thank you.' She whispered, more for herself than for anybody else. She wanted this for Hvitserk, he deserved this more than anything else on the world. But she had to be carefull, especially with Ivar around.
'You need to rest often.'
'There is not much resting for a future queen of England.' Torhild guessed. Elisabeth stood on the dancefloor, twirling her red dress under the dim candles. Why was she so gorgeous? Ivar was looking at her like he would tear her to pieces, she hoped that there would be enough bricks of wall between her and that room tonight.
'No, not really.' Ase pulled her out of thoughts. Maybe the pregancy wasn't that ideal, over a couple of months she would have a belly and subjects who would gossip about it. The other lords would want to know everything about her and Torhild came a little afraid what that could mean for her and Raynor, especially with the great Ivar The Boneless in the picture.