Eyes of Fire

Freyja

  "Ivar, there you are." I watched as Garmr went to greet the man walking out of a building. The moon was but a sliver short of being full, and the sky was cloudy, so the only light came from torches and fires placed outside. Falling into step beside him, I sighed. "It's already almost time to sail to Kattegat."

  "It is." He nodded while glancing around the mostly empty street. "Are you scared, little Hel?" The blue-eyed man looked at me while smirking.

  "Of course not. But it relieves me that we'll be leaving this smelly place soon." Crossing my arms, I raised my shoulders. "King Harald has been hospitable, but this place reeks of rotting fish."

  "Shouldn't that smell like home to you? Stinky, little heathen." Ivar laughed as I smacked his arm with the back of my hand. I couldn't help but smile for a bit before my expression fell. "What?"

  "You realize this is the first time we've been able to have a conversation by ourselves?" I asked.

  "What are you talking about? We've had many talks with just the two of us. We were locked in the same room in England for days if you're forgetting."

  "No, I mean since-" I cut myself off, and my eyes went wide when I realized how long it had been. "Not since you saw me naked. Ivar, why is that?"

  "Coincidence." He quickly replied while shaking his head, and I stopped his walking by placing my arm in his way as my hand rested on a post holding a torch to completely block him.

  "No, that's not a coincidence. Ivar, have you been afraid to talk to me on your own?" I laughed as he looked down at me. "It was an accident, I'm not going to kill you for it when no one is watching."

  "That's not it." He nervously shifted and averted his gaze, making my smile falter. "Just move, Hel."

  "No. Now I want to know. You've been avoiding it, and I won't let you run away any longer. What is it, Ivar? Why do you not want to be alone with me?" With the fire right above us, I managed to see how his face tinted pink, and I was in shock. "Ivar, are you blushing?"

  "I'm not. Just leave me alone." He moved my arm out of the way and went back to walking.

  "Hold on- Ivar, talk to me." I caught him by his arm and made him turn around. "What is going on with you?"

  "Nothing! Just leave me be, Hel."

  "It's okay to tell me, I'm your friend. You can trust me." There was confusion on my face as I looked into his eyes, and he tried to back away but couldn't simply because his legs didn't work right even in the braces. "What are you so afraid of, Ivar?" There was a pause, and he hesitantly put his hand on my shoulder.

  He opened his mouth as if to speak, but the words didn't come, and he swallowed. I simply waited for him to find his voice as his hand moved to the side of my neck, and he put his forehead to mine. It was a familiar gesture, but it didn't give me an answer as the only noise I could hear was crackling fire and Ivar's breathing. I raised my brows as if to ask the question again but said nothing.

  And then he kissed me.

  It was quick and chaste before he turned away, and it felt like I had been struck. I stopped him from walking away before grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him down to my level. It took me a second to regain my composure as I just looked at him.

"Ivar Ragnarsson, you think that is a kiss?" Asking, I didn't even give him time to answer before I pressed my lips against his. This time, however, I had the chance to feel how soft his lips were and could taste the mead on his tongue. It also dawned on me that the look I had seen on Heahmund's face was familiar because I had seen it on Ivar's.