The Cripple and The Shieldmaiden II

// 21 //

Torhild didn't say much on the travel back to Lord Edward his kingdom, it lay closer than the settlement and she and Raynor needed the rest. She wasn't recovered from her night in the forest, she wasn't recovered from anything. Raynor traveled with Ivar, because he had the space their to move a little on the chariot. Her eyes tralled of way to often to the two of them. Ivar learned him to hold the reins and he smiled more to Raynor. The boy relaxed around his father and was always way to enthousiastic if he was talking about the things Ivar learned him. It broke her heart, seeing how much effort Hvitserk putted in it to be happy for her son. So she was glad they finally arrived at Edward his kingdom, a kingdom she wasn't been before.
'I will ride back to the settlement.' Hvitserk announched. Torhild turned around and walked over to his horse, looking up concerned. 'I'm fine Torhild.' He reassured her. But his eyes didn't follow those words. Despite it, she forced a smile on her face.
'Keep an eye out for my brother.' She petted his horse on the neck.
'Do you want me to take Raynor?'
'No, he can stay. I trust Lord Edward, we will be safe here.'
'See you soon then.' He reacted, taking of without saying another word to her or Raynor. He still treated Raynor as his own, otherwise he wouldn't suggested it to take Raynor back with him. She kept staring until Ivar blocked her vieuw with his chariot.
'What?' She asked, looking up.
'Get some sleep, I will take care of Raynor in the meantime. You don't look like a futher queen of England.'
'I'm not sure if I still want that.' She murmured, leaving Ivar defensless behind in his chariot while she walked over to Raynor who was listening to something Edward said. 'What are the two of you talking about?' She asked with a soft smile. Lord Edward looked over his shoulder and smiled to her.
'How I can be a lord some day.' Raynor jumped. Torhild sighned, a loving smile spreading over her face.
'If he has something from his mother it will be her power in leadership.'
'He has a lot from his father to.'
'Oh, don't know if that would be wise.' Lord Edward winked, leading the both of them further into his kingdom. 'You are safe here Torhild, I have an army looking out for you.' He bowed, nodding to one of his servants. 'You can ask her everything you want. I will overvieuw the situation and we can talk about it in the morning?' Edward suggested. Torhild looked up from Raynor and nodded thankfully. Lord Edward walked away and Torhild crouched before Raynor.
'You stay with Ivar and Ase, understand. I need some more sleep.'
'Can't I stay?' Raynor asked little.
'If you want to.' And as an answer on that he wrapped his arms around her neck. She took him in her arms and gave Ivar a short look, he only nodded before she walked after the servant, Ase joining her in the middle.
'We need to dig up that queen in you again.' Ase smiled softly.
'I have some need of council and advise.'
'And rest.' Marion filled in, walking fastly after them. Torhild slowled a little down so the old lady could follow them more easily.
'Yes.' Torhild replied. Rest, a lot of it. She needed to stand strong in her shoes for when Björn arrived, a weak becoming queen was nothing.

She had her advisors, Ivar as her right hand, Ubbe represented the vikings, Lord Edward the kingdoms and Marion spoke for the common people. Ase was her protector and Raynor kept her head focust for all the threats that laid around. All she wanted was to keep him safe, more than anything was Raynor the cause of her drift to succeed in this. 'What news do you bring?' Torhild asked Lord Edward. They all sat assambled around breakfast, nobody felt tensed, nobody looked worried in the situation. Ivar was skeptical like usual but it wasn't that he was coocking up his own plans.
'Not good.' Lord Edward began. 'More of half the Lords rallied after Lord Cameron and Ballard. Than means we have currently only Aethelwulf on our side, I don't know for how long, I need to speak with him. We have only him and my men.'
'That isn't enough.' Ubbe noticed. Lord Edward shook his head.
'Lords need to accept to that throne Torhild wants, if they don't do that they wel likely use force to remove you from it.' He explained to everybody.
'So she can become a queen?'
'Yes. If Aethelwulf approves of it. But nobody wants a viking on the throne, that's why I suggested her to marry a lord.'
'I'm not gonna marry again.' Torhild shook her head. Everybody looked at her. 'If I marry or not, that war still will come, they still want to remove me from it even it I have a lord beside me.' She tried to make sence of her own thoughts. After what Marion had told her, after what happened in the forest, with Ivar, with Hvitserk, she didn't want to get throught with such a thing again.
'People are already spreading word over what you did to the prisoners. You don't may have the support of the lords, the people are already greatfull.' Marion smiled softly.
'What didn't helped is what Ivar did in the past years.' Edward reacted. Torhild looked aside to Ivar who looked straight in front of him.
'If I become queen, I restore the balance, can I get the people behind me?'
'Yes, but you still have that war, soldiers want to fight for their lords, they will come.'
'Lucky the heathen Army is on his way.' Ivar reacted on the words Edward said. He frowned and looked towards Torhild, she nodded.
'We will need a battleplan, tactics of some sort. Even with the heathen army after us they will be with more.'
'It isn't number that count.' Torhild reacted. 'It's just needs a briljant mind and people willing to listen to it.' She saw Ivar smile a little in the corner of her eye, knowing it was him she was speaking about. Lord Edward looked at Ivar and nodded slowly. Their was a little silence. Torhild looked at Raynor who was sitting on that throne again. She tried to picture herself two years from now. Would she be here? Would she and Ivar have their happy ending? Would Raynor have a brother or sister some day?
'So princess, do you want me to make the arragements to crown you?' Edward asked. Torhild looked to him before her gaze went aside to Ivar, uncertain about what she had to say. Her head was a mess, everything that happened here still had an impact on her.
'She will waith for her brother to arrive.' Ivar answered for her. Torhild forced a smile on her lips and nodded on the words that Ivar had spoken. It gave her at least some time, time to overthink everything.

Raynor was obsessed with Ivar, the boy couldn't stop taling about his new father for the moment. Torhild sat in the garden, listening to what Raynor was telling her. 'He gave me the reins so I was in control of the horse.' He smiled up to her. Torhild stroke her fingers through his dark hair and smiled.
'You like Ivar, don't you?'
'Yes, he learns be how to fight, to be strong, to make battleplans.'
'Battleplans?' Torhild asked confused. What was Ivar doing with this boy other than making him a protege to his own image.
'Yes, how to take over kingdoms. He said you both did it in the sand when you were little.' Raynor explained. Torhild smiled and looked away, thinking back on the time that she and Ivar layed in the sand, picturing battles and how to take over castles. Maybe soon enough Ivar could use some of his ideas on this land.
'Yes we did.' She whispered for her own.
'Mother, are you and father fighting?' Raynor asked a little uncertain. Torhild looked down to him and sighned. Raynor was so observant, saw everything, felt everything. How hard she tried to hide her feelings, he always saw it.
'Yes.' She answered honestly.
'Why?'
'I did something that maked him sad and he did something that maked me angry. So we are trying to find a way in between.' That was the most easiest way to say it. Raynor didn't had to know she was pregnant and lost the baby and that Hvitserk slept with another. His blue eyes looked up to her and she had a hard time looking bac.
'You are so sad all the time mother.' He noticed the tears getting in her eyes again. He climbed on to her lap and wrapped his arms around her neck. She holded him tight, not letting any of those tears out.
'What do you want to do Raynor? Go back home or stay?' She asked him softly. Torhild had to bring him to the first place, despite what the others thought of it. Marion was right, she needed to be happy and in order to do that she had to let her little star shine. Raynor was her happiness, he always would be. He turned his head and looked up to her.
'Home, you smiled more back home. When we are going home again?' He asked a little tired himself. Torhild nodded and rested her head on his face.
'Soon.' She promised him. If he wanted to go home again she would give him that. But first she had to get those Lords on their knees, she wouldn't leave England without knowing there was peace for her people in the settlement and the common people here. Raynor brought a little steadyness, he maked her a little clear headed. If she could get that from Ivar tomorrow she was already halfway through her battle ...

Sorry it took soooooo long!
Not my best one, next will involve a lot of Ivar, I promise! Pinky swear. ;-)