♤groovyzombiellama♤

Your Place Is With Me

Title: Your Place Is With Me
Requested? Yes.
Plot: You are king Ecbert's bastard daughter, and looked down apon from others, especially your father. When Ragnar and Ivar are captured, you two take a liking in each other. He promises to come back for you.
Warnings: None.
Word count: 1477

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Once again, you were forced to sweep the floors as you watched king Ecbert talk strategy to his son Aethelwulf. And you were forced to be on the side, to clean the house and take care of children. And oh the dirt and betrayal you have seen in that kingdom, most of it coming from the king himself, sleeping with every woman he lays his eyes on, including his sons own wife. It made you sick to watch just how many things he was getting away with. But there was one thing you would rather say out in the open, more than everything else. That would be the fact that you have the right to be at that table talking strategy as much as your brother. Yes, Aethelwulf is your brother, but only by father. You are better known to the king and his family as the bastard daughter. Bastard, it just rolled off their tongues like it was nothing, probably not even leaving the bitter taste in their mouth as it leaves in yours.

Your mother passed away at childbirth, but one of her friends made sure you knew who you were. So that one day you will be able to fight for it and take what's rightfully yours. Needless to say, no member of the royal family thought you would do that, and in this moment, you were a little down on your luck, the highlight of your day being telling off Judith when she thinks she can boss you around. She would tell you that you didn't clean a miniscule spot on the floor and that it was as if you had crucified the Son of God.
"It would seem to me that you would know a lot more about cleaning you father-in-law's bed than the floor princess."
You would say, jokingly bowing to her, and she would always get that look of rage, mixed with embarrassment and storm off to where she was going to in the first place. And it was the most fun ever for you. And when you were not doing housework, you were reading books about God you would steal from Ecbert's library, but also about Gods, the pagan ones, as you were interested into knowing who these people were, what they believed in and why people were so afraid of them.

You had never seen them in person, often being locked away by your mother's friend when they came to visit, so you wouldn't get any ideas, but one time she failed to restrain you. it was when they captured king Ragnar and his son Ivar the Boneless after they came back to check on their settlement. Ragnar knew it was his time to die and Ecbert and him spent some time together, sharing thoughts and ideas about death. But your mind was somewhere else, your mind was on Ivar. You followed the guards and found out in what cell they were keeping him. The first time you just stared at him and once he looked up at you, you ran away to your room. But for some reason all your dreams were filled with his face. And you went back, hiding in the shadows, just to observe what he was doing.
"You don't have to be afraid of me, you know? I can't hurt you, locked in here, and to me true, I don't want to."
You were startled at how he knew you were there, but you decided to show yourself.

His eyes trailed up and down your body, noticing every dirty spot, and of course, he presumed you were a slave of some sort.
"I am not a slave, if you must know... I am king Ecberts daughter."
You couldn't take it anymore, you had to tell someone the truth or you were going to burst. And he was not going to tell anyone important, your 'father' is going to have him killed for sure. He tilted his head in amusement, but frowned in confusion. Than you said that word, that same bitter taste lingering in your mouth. He raised his eyebrows, and nodded his head, as you did have quite the predicament here, being a princess by blood, but being stripped of all of your rights. You didn't think he understood, as he was known as prince Ivar, so it was not his battle to fight, however you two began talking about your lives and soon you were down in the dungeons with him more than anywhere else in the house.

One time you decided to try something. He looked confused at first, seeing all the black and white squares, but you knew he was smart enough to learn how to play chess. You used to play it a lot with your mother's friend and she taught you all thricks there were, so you knew there was no chance he would beat you. You began playing and you were explaining the rules on the way.
"Hah, I win again! It is an interesting game, but it gets a little boring after a while."
How was this possible? You knew all the angles and tactics and he still amanged to beat you three times in a row. You told him he was just lucky, and that it had nothing to do with his actual ability to play chess. He laughed and looked at you with a look that had 'are you sure about that' plastered all over it. But you still enjoyed his company and you would bring him food and water, keeping him alive and healthy. And he only accepted it from you, no one else. The guards thought he was being stubborn, but he knew you were the only person he could ever trust in this place. As Ragnar was murdered by king Ælle, Ecbert let Ivar go back to Kattegat. You had told Ivar every trick about the castle and how it would be the best way to conquer it, but to your shock, he stopped you mid sentance.

"You can tell me the rest later, but before that I want to do something."
He said and leaned in, so did you, and your lips connected. You both felt butterflies in your stomach, but you brushed it off, saying you knew you wouldn't be able to be together all along. He promises he will come back for you and that you will see that what you two have is a true love story.
"I know where my place is Ivar."
You said before he was taken to the boat that was going to take him back home, leaving him confused, with something else to think about, other than the revenge plot for his father. And after gathering his great heathen army, he came back, with his brothers to avenge their father. But he didn't forget about you. Once you saw him crawl into your bedroom, you just stood there, staring at him, a mix of joy and shock written all over your face. Was he going to kill you as well, considering you share blood with the man who handed his father to be killed? But your shock turned into another ounce of pure joy as he smiled at you, saying how he told you he was coming back for you. You rushed over to him and kissed him, with more passon than ever before.

"I thought about it for so long, but now I think I get it."
He said, confusing you in the process, so you asked him what he was talking about. His brothers and his army were getting ready to leave, and he grabbed a few things from your wardrobe and threw them into a sac, flinging it out to one of his fellow vikings, gesturing to you with his finger. The viking nodded and continued walking. You called his name and asked him what was going on.
"You told me you know where your place is. Well now I know too. Your place is with me."
His words cut through you and were hot enough to unfreeze your heart, scared of finding love, and you once again planted a kiss on his lips. You were ready to go with him, to the end of the world if you had to.
"There is my girl, no longer a bastard princess, but my viking queen."
Ivar stated as he saw you smirk. He knew you were never meant to be in a castle, people tending to your every need,and all you needed to worry about was if you were going to be seen in the same dress twice. He knew you craved the fight, the rush it gives you, knowing you are actually doing something to help, and not sitting helplessly, hoping the enemy doesn't come to kill you.
And that's exactly what he loved the most about you.