Forging A Heart (Ivar the Boneless)

* Signs *

Heracles was the first to notice a change.

Though the mastiff was a natural guardian and had always followed his mistress like a shadow, he had gotten far more aggressive towards strangers, even to those he knew.

No matter where Artemis went, he'd follow loyally, remaining by her side at all times, night and day, outdoors and indoors.

The dog was nicknamed Jötnar to those that frequented the hall, a devourer of those who'd come near his mistress.

Hvitserk was next in noticing a change.

As her instructor, he chose to reserve mornings for their training in archery and basic swordsmanship. She proved herself agile with both sword and bow, slowly becoming proficient in both areas, though she could not yet be given the title of a skilled fighter.

The days went by and suddenly her skill steadily declined, each attempted blow weaker and weaker to the point where she barely had the energy to lift a sword in the first place. The amount of times Hvitserk almost knocked her to the ground were too many to count, and eventually, lessons were always cut short.

Her aim with a bow hadn't changed, in fact, she was extremely precise with her arrows though now it exhausted her to even think of lifting her bow.

Hvitserk thought she'd make for a terrible warrior.

Heahmund was third to take notice.

The Queen was always tired.

Usually, she'd take a portion of her day to study Ivar's rune sticks, practicing to read and write each symbol in the hopes of becoming more proficient in the duties that usually fell to her husband. Since she couldn't read or write in her own language, she wanted to learn how to in her adoptive language.

Asa, though very young, had previously been learning her runes with her mother, and now offered the little knowledge she had with Artemis. It was a nice pass time for them, sitting in the middle of the hall atop furs and pillows in a fort like fashion, though it usually ended with telling the young girl stories of her homeland.

Heahmund caught them asleep many times during their little study sessions.

He almost thought it was cute.

Geirdis was forth to notice.

Her mistress never asked for help in getting dressed, that was something she could do herself. That changed when the dresses began to fit just a bit more snug. The fabrics felt tight on her skin and if Geirdis pulled at the laces too tight, a string of complaints would spill from Artemis's lips.

Perhaps she just needed a new wardrobe.

And then, Ivar finally took notice.

Artemis had a strange attraction towards lingonberries. Not particularly a fan of the fruit in the past for their sourness, she ate them almost all the time now, much to Ivar's confusion. But it didn't stop there.

He noticed at first how much she suddenly detested food, the smell, and just the sight of any cooked meat had her feeling quite sick. Later on she would have a ravenous hunger where it seemed she could eat anything in sight, especially those damn lingonberries that she had no taste for.

His concerns began when she constantly took ill most mornings. Nothing she ate from the night before lasted long in her stomach before she'd retch it up by the time the sun was out.

She slept so very little and yet somehow slept so much. She never wanted to leave the warmth of their bed most mornings, opting to fight for Ivar to remain with her for as long as he could spare before his duties couldn't wait longer.