Virago - Ivar The Boneless

Feeling The Itch

The night came around too quickly, Iona laid on Hvitserk's bed as she listened to Sigurd's light snoring. Turning in the bed, she looked at Ubbe who was laying on his back, looking at the ceiling, his hands were under his head as he breathed lightly. Little Bear could see him blinking now and again in the small light that was by his bed. "Ubbe?" Her voice was almost a whisper as she tried to get his attention.

Ubbe turned his head in the direction of the woman; he could see her outline as she laid on her side, looking over at him. Her long blonde longs were a mess; he could see some strands that hung over her face. She was in her long-sleeved black tunic with a pair of loose-fitting trousers which covered her legs, on her little fit was a small pair of booties which kept her toes warm. He couldn't see her expression, but Ubbe knew that she had much on her mind.

"Should I come along tomorrow?" Ubbe listened to much more than the words she spoke. The young woman was confused as to what she was meant to do; if she travelled to Hedeby with the two brothers, then she would see her mother again. She was afraid that much had changed though, would things be the same between her and Lagertha? Would the relationship she had missed she much be the same? Would her mother's life have changed that much that she was no longer a part of that world? She didn't want to travel to Hedeby and stay there, leaving this new part of her life behind. Little Bear had made friends here in Kattegat; she had settled here fine recently.

He sat up before sitting on the bed next to the laying blonde; she looked up at him before she sat up and put her head on his chest, allowing herself to get comfortable against the eldest Ragnarsson. She could feel his hard chest against her face; she didn't say anything as Ubbe put an arm around her. "Only you can make that decision." His words didn't help her, she wanted to do the right thing, but she didn't know what that was.

She closed her eyes as she relaxed, his heartbeat was loud in her right ear as she listened to the rhymic beat of it. "What would you do?" She needed some kind of guidance if this had of been before Ragnar returned, she would have jumped at the chance, but now things were different.

Ubbe let out a small sigh; he didn't know what she wanted to hear. He was not worried about leaving his mother; she had the rest of the Kattegat here with her; he was concerned about leaving Iona with his mother, though. It wasn't Iona he was concerned about, it was his mother. Aslaug had seen something in Little Bear, and Ubbe knew his mother wasn't going to leave it be. He couldn't tell Iona what to do; she had to pick her own destiny, to follow the way of The God's.

"Can you stay here with me?" Iona's voice was small as she realised she wasn't going to get the answers she wanted. Ubbe's grip around her tightened as she felt the darkness creeping over her, the loneliness seeping into her veins.

XOXOX

Outside was fresh, the chilling breeze hitting Iona like a slap in the face. She didn't let it affect her though; the cold was something she'd come to live with. The places she felt the chill wasn't familiar though, today she was wearing a pastel purple dress, and it was not her own. Iona knew the clothing belonged to the Queen, she panicked as she looked down at the outfit, her hands lifting the dress but as it fell from her loose grip, she saw her hands. Both were covered in a thick red liquid, the metallic smell hitting Little Bear like a ton of bricks.

Looking up, she found herself in the throne room. Both seats were empty but standing in front of them was Floki, who looked out of place in his best clothes. "You're making a mistake," he told her before he looked up and smiled at whoever was approaching.

The footsteps were loud in Little Bear's ears, yet she couldn't move or speak. All she could do was wait for the person to approach. She watched Floki as his eyes moved with the person who was coming closer. When hands were placed on Iona's shoulders, she shivered before Floki chuckled. The person who touched her didn't come into view; they didn't speak; only Floki could be seen and heard.

"This is the beginning for you, Iona." She hated her name being used, even hearing it felt strange to her. "Your mother would be so proud of you," he reached for the bloody hands of the blonde before he swiped his own fingers over them and wiped the blood over Iona's cheeks. "Take your place," he motioned to the chairs. "With your King."

When Little Bear opened her eyes, she was surprised to see she was still in Ubbe's arms. Slowly, she untangled herself from his grip; she was careful not to wake him as she did. Looking at his sleeping form, she pressed a kiss to his forehead before doing the same to Sigurd; then she left their hut. Outside was black, there was an eerily silence and a sea of black clouds that covered the stars and moon. She took small steps; she took extreme care not to make any noise as she headed back to her quarters.

Once she arrived, she retrieved her bow and arrows, slinging the box over her shoulder along with the bag of arrows. Feeling under her pillow, she pulled out her smaller knife before she left her hut. Heading towards the forest, her mind was focused on one thing and one thing only, blood. She needed to feel like herself; she hated the indecisiveness she had shown today. The only way she thought she could be half normal was to somewhat go with the dream. She needed to feel blood on her hands; she needed to have someone's heart in her hands.

There was no light in the forest, that suited Little Bear just fine. Walking along, her right hand held her small blade tightly; her eyes darted around as they adjusted to the darkness. The further she travelled, the more she feared she would not find people.

After a while, she felt a feeling she hadn't for a while. The first day she arrived in Kattegat, she had felt that someone had been watching her. Right now, she felt the very same feeling. Shifting her weight from foot to foot nervously, she breathed out slowly.

Pulling out an arrow, she grabbed her bow, pulling it forward before readying her weapon as she turned around. There was no one there, yet she called them out. "I know you are there," she was calm and collected as she pulled the arrow back, continuing to look around for whoever was with her.

The rustling in the trees averted her attention; she let out of the arrow in the direction. A small yell came from the foliage before the stalker appeared. "Sigurd!" She shouted his name as she stared at him. His left ear was bleeding where her arrow had grazed it. "What are you doing here?"

He put his hand over his ear, stemming the bleeding. "You left suddenly," his voice was quiet as he looked at the blonde. He had seen the way she laid in her brother's arms earlier, how he wished it had of been him to hold her. Sigurd had noted one thing though, as calm and relaxed as she looked with Ubbe, he knew she felt nothing in a loving way for him.