Forsaken ✔

3

It has been two days since he saw the Queen of Trondheim, and he knew why it took her so long to ask the questions. Both nights it was freezing, and he had no blanket. His body was growing weaker because he had food on the first day of being here since then nothing. Even his saliva was slowly going to waste to chap his lips. So when the door finally opened on the third night, he thanked the Gods.

In floated the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She walked with grace and her long fair brown hair fluttering behind her. Irvina did not seem dressed warmly, which surprised him, but she carried a blanket.

When her eyes fell on his trembling frame, she smiled. Again a smile that did not reach her eyes, "Oh, I forgot to tell you that up here every night is cold." Her voice was sweet but carried a clear threat. If he wasn't going to talk, he was going to freeze.

She leaned onto the wall opposite of him, her dress circumfusing her legs. Her hands outstretched, showing him the blanket. She was tempting him. His soft brown eyes molded with her light blue, and he found his breathing picking up. Even in the dark, her eyes were easy to spot with the bright green flecks.

"What is the fondest memory with your brother?" The question seemed harmless. He mulled over her words. Was there any happy memory with his brother that didn't contain killing.

Then Halfdan smiled, "It may seem little but when we were sailing to Kattegat, together on a boat, 20 ships behind us and me and my brother closer than never before. The excitement we both had from searching for new places and making a name." Irvina smiled and made slow steps towards him.

"A blanket that should warm you as those memories." As she handed it to him, he threw it over himself. A sigh left his lips at the warm, and he watched the puff of air evaporate around him. "Aren't you cold." She had no furs nor a cloak, and he almost found himself asking if she wanted to share the blanket.

"I'm used to it. In fact, I find the cold comforting. Children here jump into the waters even when they freeze and get covered by ice." She put her hands under her bum and leaned onto them on the wall. "We could be marching in winter, and all of my people would survive."

He could hear it, how proud she was of her people. And as she was standing before him, he realized why his brother didn't win. Irvina was too determined, too stubborn, and cunning. He understood why his brother fled from this town. She was the type to smile while sharpening her knife behind your back.

Focusing on her soft lips, he spoke, "It has been two days, and you came after such time to ask one question?" She closed her eyes, throwing her head back and sighing. If he didn't know better, he would say she was annoyed.

"Do you ever just close your eyes and imagine that whatever happened is just a nightmare? Do you cling for the past? Because I do whenever I wake up, whenever I breathe, all I can think about is wanting to go back." Small puffs of air came every time she breathed, and he found himself spellbound. He wanted to touch her pale skin, and he didn't understand where this was coming from. He watched as her chest rose before she gave him a look and bolted out of the cell.

Irvina breathed as she felt her heart pounding. It felt as if her lungs collapsed as she felt herself being trapped inside her memories. The whole room was closing in on her, and his eyes were too much. And finally, once she was outside, she could breathe. What was the fondest memory of her mother? There were so many. The time she picked her up when she fell during her practice and given her a knife instead of a hefty sword. "You fight with what you can carry, not with what you wish you can." That was what she told her a life lesson for the rest of her life. Choose your battles.

Or the time when her father told her she was old enough for marriage. Her mother stood before her like a wall, not even shouting from her father could make her flinch. She yelled back that if his sons didn't have to, she did neither. That one sentence rang inside her mind, "My daughter will marry out of love, for a man worthy of her by Fate!" Her mother probably knew more than she let on. So many memories since she first laid her eyes on her mother. Her mother carried so many burdens, but not once did she ever bend her head.

Her eyesight blurred, and she rested her head onto the wooden house. That vile creature ruined it all for her. He didn't deserve to be called human for what he did to her family. She straightened, her head held high. She was not going to cry, she had enough of being broken over things that were in the past.

"Irvina?" A sigh left her lips. She turned almost hoping that it was once again just wishful thinking. But it was not. Before her stood her older brother. His long light brown hair as hers was cut short into a scruff. Her chest tightened as she met his green eyes those eyes that he had from their mother. He looked regal, but those dark circles under his eyes made her heartache.

"I didn't know you were coming back." Gunnar nodded his head, eyes looking over the place. Of crouse he arrived at night, he didn't want to give people hope. After four years of trying to convince him to come back, she understood that there was no hope for her brother.

"I came to restock, and then I'm going to be on my way." Her lips pursed in annoyance. She felt more like a tradesman when talking to him than a sister. After so many years, his heart was still heavy. She understood he could never forget his mother, and his heart died with her and Alfhild. Reaching into the pockets on her dress, she pulled out a drawstring pouch. There was not much coin inside, but it would be enough for his last visit.

"Be careful wherever your journey takes you, brother." Patting the hand she put the coins in, she left him standing alone. As she said, they all had their demons.