Snow - Ivar / Hvitserk (Vikings)

VIII

"Of course I want him," she leaned into your ear and whispered 'and I will have him' while shoving a piece of paper into your fist before stepping into her quarters and slamming the door in your face.

Meet me at docks before dawn, make sure you're not followed. Burn this before your husband sees it.

The scrap of paper was interesting, considering it seemed like Brenna's intentions with Hvitserk were pretty clear. Using the word husband to address Ivar was came off as callous and the fact that he absolutely was not meant to see it meant their conversation was more than likely going to be about him, rather than Hvitserk.

You threw a few logs on the fire after you'd returned to the chamber you shared with Ivar. The flames licked the sides of the fireplace as you tossed the paper into them.

"What was that?"

"Hm?" You didn't bother to turn his way, the flames keeping your face warm enough to hide the heat radiating from the fear you had that he would find you out.

"You threw something into the fire? What was it?"

"It was a note from one of the slaves, my king."

"Why are the slaves giving you notes?"

His crutches slid across the floor as he made his way over to you. Rough fingertips touched the side of your face gently, coaxing you to meet his eyes.

"Why are the slaves giving you notes?"

"It's silly, Ivar, it's really nothing."

"Please, I am very curious."

"It's so silly, one of the stable boys that tends to our horses has been giving me little notes the past few weeks. Nothing in them is vulgar, he just has a little crush."

"Which one? Erik?"

"No, Erik is almost a grown man and it would be incredibly inappropriate for him to do that. It's his younger brother, Sten."

"Sten is barely ten years old, who is teaching him to write? Maybe I'll have a talk with Erik."

Slight panic, it wasn't your intention to get anyone in trouble and Ivar finding out about you lying will only raise his suspicions.

"Ivar, love, don't bother. He's a child and soon he will start to take interest in women his own age and will think me an old woman. You surely remember your first crush as a young boy, don't you?"

"You will never be an old woman," he tenderly kissed your cheek, "and of course I remember. It was you."

Tonight had to be the night. You needed to tire him out so that he wouldn't wake when you left to meet Brenna, and you needed to keep up the charade as best as you could.

Ivar pulled himself on top of you and pressed a kiss just beneath your ear, trailing them down your neck. He pulled your slip down, revealing a nipple, and wrapped his lips around it, sucking gently. You arched your back up into him.

"Should I stop," he pulled his lips away with a gentle pop and looked into your eyes with hope and a bit of bashfulness written on his face.

"No, please don't stop."

*

Ivar didn't wake when you slipped out of bed and quickly dressed. Your steps were quick and light as you headed toward the docks to speak with Brenna. After a few minutes of searching, you found her sitting in one of her village's boats, hidden from anyone that might be out before first light.

"You really don't want to be found, do you?"

"No. If my plans are found out, I will be killed by your husband."

There it was again, that word, and she spat it out with the same malice you thought she felt when she'd written it.

"What is going on? I thought you were here to take Hvitserk away."

"I am, I need him as my king but I don't want him the way you think I do. I have no doubt we were being listened to in the hall earlier and I needed to make sure everything thinks I'm here to take him from you. We are here right now because I trust no one in this kingdom apart from you, and I need your help."

King Frode and his queen Estrid of Manafell had a deep respect for Ragnar Lothbrok. They loved him so much that they looked the other way when he took a second wife, though they did not agree with it.

When he passed, they did not care for Aslaug as queen and had no desire to make her ally. Lagertha's death, allegedly, at the hands of Ivar did not sit well with them either.

"She then decided to make her terror of a son the king and that is when we moved forward with these plans. She has two older sons that would've been fine rulers. They might be her sons, but we have nothing against Hvitserk and Ubbe, they will not be harmed. She wasn't a good queen and Ivar will not make a good king."

The plan was always to kill Ivar and take Kattegat as their own. Manafell was a larger village, nearly a city, but not quite the size of Kattegat and it had nowhere near the quality ports. When it was discovered that you were forced to marry Ivar, despite the fact that you were in a serious relationship with his older brother, things began to fall into place.

Brenna would be married to Hvitserk and bring him home to Manafell where he would rule alongside her. An alliance would be formed between the kingdoms of the two brothers. Hvitserk, or someone else should he not want to, would kill Ivar. Brenna would release him from their marriage so that he was free to be with me, the widowed queen, and she would marry someone of her choice.

"We can figure out the logistics of the rule later, but what are your thoughts? You're an integral part of this plan. Please help us."

It was a lot to take in. It was also insane, and brilliant.

"Why do you trust me? How do you know I haven't fallen in love with Ivar?"

"I know you haven't because of how you have acted the entire time I've been here. You've played the part well enough for a man to believe it. I am not a man, and you are not in love with him. The one you love is on a ship headed toward these very docks. Help us, and take back from your life from that wretched cripple."