The Norseman

Chapter 7

I huffed as I looked down slightly. "We have more important things to worry about... I am the Princess and we never officially made Ivar king... We will go forth with your plan."

"No!" Oluf said quickly. "Ivar had a point Lir, we would need more warriors than this..."

"What do you suggest? Sit around and do nothing while they keep coming back..."

"Do you want your warriors to die? Do you want to die because you didn't heed my warning?" Oluf asked sternly.

I glared. "I will decide what to do..." I walked out of the throne room. I was determined to prevent my enemy from attacking my kingdom from here on out.

I walked out of the castle and to one of my warriors. I told him to begin preparations for a long journey and a big battle. I started to get things prepared for myself.

I lied my sword on my bed along with my bow as the door flew open. "Have you lost your damn mind?" Ivar glared.

"No, but obviously you have." I shook my head at his outburst.

"You can't take the warriors to Rome Lir... The army isn't big enough to handle raiding Rome and the nearby places! You'll die with them..." Ivar grabbed my arm.

I looked up at him sternly. I pulled my arm from his grip. "We are doing this Ivar..."

"No! I'm not sending my warriors into a battle they will lose! You do not control my warriors!" Ivar raised his voice. I glared as I looked down slightly. "Lir... Just hold off on this..."

"No! If you don't want to come then don't! I'm doing this." I protested.

Ivar shook his head. "Lir, listen to me please..."

"Ivar, I can't wait... I will not just sit here while they keep coming back."

"You will be putting your warriors and yourself at risk..." Ivar placed his hands on my shoulders. "I will not let you go... I will not lose you... Understand?" Ivar clenched his jaw.

"What will we do then? The army isn't bog enough you say then let's make it big enough." I said softly.

"If you would give time to think then I could get a plan together..." Ivar sat on the bed.

I looked at him for a moment before pushing my stuff aside and sitting next to him. "What happened Ivar?" I asked quietly. Ivar looked at me as he remained silent. "What happened between you and your brothers?"

Ivar took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Sigurd and I never got along... He didn't like me... He told me my mother pitied me and and perhaps mother and father should left me to the wolves..."

I looked down as I frowned. "That is awful..."

"When Bjorn's mother killed my mother I wanted revenge... She killed my mother out of ambition... Sigurd didn't want to kill Lagertha... He said mother was cold and distant and he barley knew her." Ivar explained.

"But that was still his mother... Did he not feel anything?" I asked.

"I don't know... I almost killed him after he assumed I was sad that my mother didn't breast feed me anymore..." Ivar glared at the floor.

"D-Did you kill him?" I looked at him.

Ivar's eyes shifted to mine. "Yes, after Ecbert died. We argued again... He brought up a private matter I was dealing with... He said I had the mind of a child and mentioned how hard it must be for me now that my mother is dead knowing she is the only who ever really loved me..." He clenched his jaw.

I stared at him in silence for a moment before looking down at his hand squeezing the blade of a knife he held in his hand. "I-Ivar..." I softly placed my hand on his.

"I threw my ax at him out of anger... I lost my temper and control..." Ivar said quietly as I took the knife from him and placed a cloth around his hand. "That is why I cannot go to my brothers... They won't want to join me..."

I looked into his eyes for a moment. I softly placed my hand on the back of his head and pulled his head down to my shoulder. "I am sorry." I whispered as I wrapped my free arm around his shoulders.

"If you hold off, I assure you Lir, we will set out to take down the Romans and leave them too weak to build up another army. We need to build up ours first. There must be other kingdoms around here that would offer their aid to help you..." Ivar said as he kept his forehead on my shoulder.

"You mean help us..." I said quietly. "You rule here too remember?"

Ivar slowly lifted his head to meet my eyes. "It was never made official yet."

"It will be tonight." I said softly. "But, I want you to know this, I know exactly what it's like to lose a parent."

"I know, you just lost your father." Ivar said.

"Not because of him... I lost my mother when I was a child... I didn't have a chance to really know her. I just know I am a Lt like her... That's what my father told me anyway..."

Ivar looked down slightly. "How did she die?"

"Illness..." I placed my hand on the Celtic cross pendant I wore around my neck.

Ivar looked at me then at my hand. He gently moved my hand to see the pendant. "Was this hers?" He asked as he held it in his hand.

"Yes..." I nodded. "The only thing I have that was hers."

"I'm sorry Lir..." Ivar said quietly as he let the pendant go. "What I don't understand is why your father wanted this kingdom and it's people destroyed... Ambition may be part of it... But, not all of it."

"You mean there could be more as to why he was planning?" I asked.

"Yes... I mean there has to be more than just co ruling... He wanted this entire placed destroyed to hide something..." His blue eyes met mine.