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"My Queen." Erik's voice echoed through the woman's ears. She turned, her face now clean. Somehow she looked like a kind young girl without the fierce warpaint. To a passer by, she wouldn't have been recognized as Alfild The Merciless. She seemed gentle and compassionate. Perhaps, beneath this world that she had built, she still was. "I'd like to apologize." Erik began. "What I said was wrong, and I do believe in you."
In the distance, neither of the pair heard the crippled Prince making his way towards them. In fact, he didn't hear them either. He had seen Alfild enter that area hours before, but other than that was unaware of the situation that began to unfold.
"Thank you, Erik." She smiled. Before this all began, Alfild had liked Erik. They were close friends and allies. He had been there in her mother's rein and had stood by her as she succeeded the throne.
"I think, perhaps I have been out of turn with you of late." The man continued. "It's just that..." He stopped.
"It's what?" Alfild asked doe eyed, slowly stepping towards the man.
"I care for you, my queen." He answered.
Alfild wasn't sure what to say. The man wasn't unattractive, and at this point in time she didn't really care anyway. Suddenly, he moved closer and gently put his hand to her cheek. The girl didn't move, she remained still like a statue and watched for his next move. She was uncertain as to what exactly was happening in that moment. Like she'd previously thought, it had been a while. And, the Queen was known for affairs that held no romantic attachment. She'd never really felt much for anyone except Sigrid. And yet, she wanted to pull away. She wanted to shake the man off as merely being in his presence made her feel like a cheat. But how could she cheat when she wasn't even betrothed. She shook away the thoughts. She needed this, needed to show that she still didn't care. Slowly, she leant in to his touch and he moved forward again pressing their lips were together. The girl kissed back, her arms wrapping around his neck. She had to admit, it had been a while.
Ivar had not meant to discover the pair. In a small town such as this, one was always stumbling upon others. But when he watched the scene before him, it sent a feeling through him that he was all too used to by now. A feeling that he hated, that never went away, and yet he had never felt it in this context before. It was like a knife in the chest with no way of healing it. After all, you cannot bandage an invisible wound.
Slowly, Erik began to push up the bottom of his Queen's shirt. She bit her lip in anticipation. Thoughts raced through her mind. Thoughts about the situation before her. Perhaps this was her chance to get the youngest son of Ragnar out of her mind for good. But perhaps she didn't want to. This feeling was new to her too, only once had she felt it before. As she began to question the situation, she backed away. Erik drew closer with a passionate look in his eyes and then...
An agony shot through the girl's stomach. Not an invisible agony like the pain Ivar felt. No, this was all too real. Slowly, she stumbled back. Her fingers fumbled up to the source of her pain, eyes darting down. In her abdomen lay a knife.
Her unsteady fingers grasped the hilt of the blade, ripping it out with a spurt of blood. She wanted to attack, to stab him, but her grip was not strong enough. The blade fell loosely to the floor and Alfild dropped to her knees.
"Why?" She managed to push out.
The man walked over to the girl, blood dripping from her as she knelt. It was a pitiful sight to see, such a great queen in a position like this. "Arvid has offered me more." The man answered with a shrug before pushing her so she lay on her back. She listened as he left, her heart pounding in her chest. She'd seen brave men die of injuries such as these. Was this her time? Did the Gods wish for her to meet them?
It was only then that Ivar managed to bring his eyes back up to the scene. He hadn't wanted to look, silently questioning whether he should stay or go. But when he saw Alfild on the ground, a knife lay beside her, he was glad that he remained. His heart raced. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be real. Not again. Not her.
She felt blood begin to drip from the corner of her lips, her lids felt heavy and her body weak. She couldn't move and her breathing was becoming shallow. For the first time in many years, she was afraid. Not so much of dying, but of those she'd leave behind. For the first time in a long time, she had something to live for. Her people would be at the mercy of Arvid, her kingdom gone. Her enemies would live without consequence. And then her thoughts wandered to Ivar. Their deal. Would her people follow him if she was gone? She hoped so. She hoped that he would become King. That Lagertha and Arvid would kneel before him. She just wished she could see it. She wished she could see him.
Why would she want the last person she saw to be Erik? She wanted to look into those ocean eyes one last time, to gently press her hand against his and tell him she was sorry. That she-
Before she could finish her thought, his voice ran through her ears. He sounded even more afraid than she had been. "Alfild!" He called out, crawling over to her side.
"Ivar." She answered with a delirious smile, her eyes glazing over slightly as she tried to keep them open. "Took you long enough."
He gave a broken smile. Through her blurry vision, she thought she saw tears in his eyes but she wasn't sure. "You're going to be okay. Tell me what happened."
"Erik. Traitor." She coughed, more blood entering her throat.
"I won't let you die, alright?" He said. "You're not dying."
"Don't be afraid. If the Gods will me to die, then it is my time. But Ivar if I die, you have to take my kingdom." She answered.
"Me? Why me?" The Prince seemed shocked and a little unprepared for such a statement.
She whispered, her voice weak. "You're the only one I trust." And with those words, her eyes began to close.
Ivar could feel her heartbeat, she wasn't dead, but she needed help. And he wasn't going to let Erik leave with his life. No. Not after this. Never after this. His hand moved to hers, gripping it gently.
"Don't leave me." Was all he said before finding help.
Oof. Guess y'all are gonna have to wait for the next chapter huh? That sucks. You know what doesn't suck? Vikings is coming back soon.
