CROWNED

The Proud and The Fickle

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The sun had reached the walls of York, as the busy people crowded the streets of the conquered city. The blonde princess had been awake for a while, prepping herself for the day's challenges.

No matter how much she'd try to distract herself, her mind would wander back to the sleeping prince. One would expect her memory to be faulty after the mead she had consumed the night before, but she remembered every single detail of the prince's godly touch on her skin and how his breath made the hairs on the back of her neck stand.

Asdis shook her head. It wasn't the time nor the place for her to be thinking like that. She fastened one of the belts on the upper part of her armor as she redirected her gaze to the open window. York was surely a prize to be proud of earning, but her quest for glory looked past a single christian city. The army would soon get bloodthirsty again and she was not planning to disappoint.

The princess slid her trusty sword into its holster with a swift movement and turned around to give the sleeping prince a last glance before she walked towards the door. "Leaving without saying goodbye?" Ivar's voice echoed between the walls of the room, making her stop dead in her tracks. "Or at least a good morning to your husband"

The blonde let a silent sigh escape her lips as she slowly turned around to face him, morphing a stoic expression "There are things to be done" she stated, her tone was stern as she bore him a matching look "Wasting time is not my intention" she added, her eyes running through the prince's smug face.

Ivar's smirk remained as he stretched his arms across the headboard of the bed, the muscles on his bare chest flexing with each movement. "Who said I am to waste your time?" he asked, the usual tone of his voice rested within his throat as he spoke "I need someone to assist me and who else would be more preferable than my own wife, hm?" he asked, giving his wife an intoxicating look he hoped she couldn't resist.

Under different circumstances perhaps Asdis would've succumbed to the man's request, but the grudge she held was too big to overlook "I am no servant of yours" she said, her eyebrows knitting together in a light scowl as she fixed her stance "I'll send a thrall to help you" she said and started to walk again, hoping that would be the end of their conversation.

"Asdis from last night would've argued about that" his voice cut through the girl's ears like glass as it made her pause for a second time.

The urge to bury her sword's blade deep within the man's chest was increasingly growing every second that passed. She bit her tongue for a second, preventing herself from speaking something too venomous, before she regained her serenity. "Have a nice morning, Ivar" she said, spiting the man's name like an insult. The blonde princess then left, closing the wooden door behind her without giving the prince any chance to retort.

*

The gods had blessed the day's weather as a much needed warm breeze glided through the open windows of the main hall and grazed the princess's cheeks. They had called upon a meeting to discuss their next plans. A long wooden table was placed in the middle of the room and around it sat the newly wed couple along with Freder and the older ragnarsson.

The brunette man would normally take his usual place next to his princess, but Kattegat's youngest prince had beat him to it. To say the least, Freder hadn't expected him to act as if the two were in love. He could even say they despised each other, but surely Ivar wasn't keen on showing that he supposedly hated his newly found wife.

His gaze fell on his princess, the woman he admired so much- the woman who had accomplished so many things away from her father's shadow, only to be placed next to a man who'd probably overshadow her as well.