Virago - Ivar The Boneless

When They Are Gone

The morning came around too soon, Little Bear took the decision to stay at Kattegat with Aslaug. She was not a liar, here with the Queen she was loyal to the throne. Iona knew that Sigurd and Ubbe had to go Hedeby and as much as she wanted to go, she knew her place was here. 

Something didn't seem right to Iona, still, she said her goodbyes to the brothers before she returned to her bed. She laid there, she didn't sleep any more instead her mind was on other things. She missed her mother, yet right now, she was not happy with her. She missed Hvitserk, she missed the way he just knew, he just knew what to say. 

Being mostly alone in Kattegat would give Little Bear time to do some things she needed to do. The more she thought about it, the less she knew what she was going to do. 

 The Gods wanted her here, she could feel it. This was where she was meant to be. Kattegat and Aslaug needed her here, everything happened for a reason. The reasoning wasn't clear yet but she knew it would all become clear in time. 

XOXOX

The longer all the brothers were gone, the darker it got for Little Bear. She listened to Aslaug who told her that she needed to be prepared for something bad to happen. Iona never questioned what it was, she did notice Aslaug getting her men prepared and put them on watch duty. 

For the young woman, it would give her some time to disappear. She found herself searching for animals to practice on, this only lead to her moving on to random people she found. 

She found herself returning to her old ways, the habits that she had hidden for so long returned to her quickly. The swiftness in which she moved, the grip in which she held her small blade and kept her axe close to her, the speed in which she moved, everything had come back to her or improved greatly. 

Her mind had changed though, no longer was she calm and collected in her approach. She was irritable and on edge. Even when Little Bear was in the presence of Aslaug and her guards, she was still waiting, watching for something to happen. Being alone made her bitter and even Floki's attempts to help her had failed. 

Today, things were tense. Aslaug had warned her to stay close by but she disobeyed. She might have been loyal to the Queen but she didn't want to just wait around for something to happen, Little Bear needed to make things happen for herself. 

Sitting on the edge of the river, where she had first met Sigurd, she dipped her bare feet into the rushing water. She missed the times she had shared with him, things were not quite the same any more. 

Little Bear let out a cheery laugh as she let the wild rat run up across her right arm and over her left before it jumped down and scattered off. Her eyes looked at Sigurd who watched her as he leaned against a tree. 

Iona was sitting on the stump Ivar always sat on to train. Sigurd watched her with a smile on his face. "You have a special way with the animals," he told her. He noted the way she had a twinkle in her eyes as she jumped down from the stump. 

"Let me show you," she crouched down and put her arm on the floor and waited. A few seconds passed by before a rat came up onto her palm, she stood back up before grabbing Sigurd's left hand. "Just let it," holding her hand flat against his, the rat left her before crawling over his skin.

He looked down at it before it jumped off him. "How do you do it?"

Little Bear sighed before returning to the tree stump, she hopped up on it before crossing her legs and pulling her furs around her more. "It's something I've always had," she smiled. "My mother has always told me I have something special about me. I think this is one of my many abilities."

"What other abilities do you have?"

"Well," she crossed her arms. "I can sing," she had a little smile on her lips as she spoke. "I can even cook," she was reeling off a list of things she could do. She put her hand out before grabbing Sigurd's and grinning widely. Her voice turned to a whisper as she spoke her next words, pulling him closer to her. "I'm especially good at dancing." 

He was confused but didn't question her when she took his hand and placed it on her side before she danced with him. There was no music, but neither felt silly as they shared a moment together, doing stupid things that friends do. 

"You aren't too bad at this," Iona laughed as she put her forehead on Sigurd's chest as they stopped dancing. The sound that left her lips was a beautiful lullaby to some, "Can we please go and get some food now?" She stepped back and looked up at her friend, "Maybe next time, I could be the one doing the cooking."

Things were simpler before Kattegat, Little Bear didn't have to think about what she was doing, she just did it. She used to be so reckless, nothing mattered to her but now, now she had her word to honour. Aslaug and Iona might not see eye to eye but a promise was something that shouldn't be broken. 

When she returned to the main village, Aslaug was waiting for her. "Come, child, we have much to talk about."

Iona followed the Queen, her hands behind her back as she walked two steps behind the ruler. They entered the hall, Aslaug taking Little Bear to her main table. They sat opposite each other, a smile on the Queen's face as she looked at the young blonde. 

"I see something in you," Aslaug was speaking as Iona put her hands flat on the table in front of her. "One day you will be a Queen, one day you will rule."

Little Bear raised her eyebrows, "I do not wish to know of my future."

"Your future is something of great importance," the auburn-haired Queen spoke as she waved away the slaves. "Do you not wish to know what will become of you?"

"I want free will," the blonde answered honestly. "Knowing what the God's have written for me will only make me live that life more. I want to be free to do what I want."

Aslaug had spoken to a great number of people and usually, they liked to know their fate. Little Bear was different. "Do you know what your future holds already? Have you been to see The Seer?"

Shaking her head, the young woman let out a small chuckle. "I do not wish to know. I want to live my life my way. Please, I mean no disrespect."

A smile crept across Aslaug's face, she was still unsure of the blonde. "You did not have to stay here with me, I have my people here with me." 

Iona breathed in heavily before speaking, "You have taken me in as one of your own. You have done nothing but treat me well. From time to time there might be unhappy moments but for the most part I enjoy my time here. I want nothing more than protect you."

"Even if that means not seeing your mother?" 

This meant that Ubbe and Sigurd had shared with Aslaug where they were going. 

"I have not seen her in so long," Little Bear confided in the Queen. "Being here with you brings me comfort. I can wait to see her, you need me more now."

Aslaug reached across the table and held the hand of the girl in front of her. "I am grateful for your presence here, you are not a prisoner here though. You can leave whenever you please."

Squeezing her hand back, Little Bear gave a genuine smile to the leader. "I do not feel trapped," she explained. "I feel at home, I feel safe here." Her words were half true, when Ivar was away she felt at her safest but she knew he would not be gone forever.