The Nephilim & The Maiden

V i d a r

The early morning sun had woken me from my slumber as it shone across my face. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes before opening them and groggily searched for Ivar in the bed. I found the space next to me to be cold and empty. I sat up and pulled the covers around my bare chest, scanning the room for Ivar. To my horror, I saw Ubbe and Ivar sitting across from each other at the table while Sigurd was leaning against the door frame whittling away at a piece of wood.

Ubbe looked up at me and smiled slyly. He knew very well what happened between me and his youngest brother and he couldn't help but look across to Ivar and smile. I could feel my cheeks redden as I sat in the bed mortified.

I scrambled to find my dress but as soon as I laid my eyes on the dark green fabric I saw the large tear across the front. Embarrassment and sadness swirled around in me while the tearing sound of the fabric replayed in my mind. Though I was happy beyond belief that Ivar believed me and that he professed his love for me, I still couldn't shake the fact that what he did last night wasn't right. I begged him to stop. I told him I didn't want it yet he continued his assault. My mind kept telling me to shut up, that I enjoyed it but the silent corner of my mind called it for what it was; rape.

Tears prickled the corners of my eyes but they had no time to fall when I felt gentle fingers brush my arm. I looked up to see Ivar sitting next to me. He immediately reached out and cupped my face with his massive, calloused hands and brought me into a possessive kiss. Sigurd scoffed from his spot in the door way and I knew that this was no more than a show, a way for Ivar to taunt his brother and silently show him that I belonged to Ivar.

Ivar let go of me and bent down to grab a bundle wrapped in twine that was resting on the floor at his bound feet. He handed me the package before he lowered himself to the floor and moved away from the bed to one of the timbers used for support for the roof. He brought his legs around to his front and rested his back against the beam. Even from behind him I could see that he was glaring at Sigurd who was not so discretely, stealing glances of me.

I unwrapped the gift to find a beautiful red dress with an elegant black vine pattern around the neckline. This must be Ivar's apology, I thought as I pulled the dress over my head and pushed my arms through the sleeves. When I knew my chest was covered, I pulled the covers out from under the garment and pulled the dress down my torso and over my legs before I stood up and let the fabric fall to the floor. I spread my hands across the fabric to smooth it out as I admired the beautiful color.

"That is my knife." Ivar's growl made me freeze, my attention being brought to the brothers.

"No it isn't." Sigurd snapped, not even looking at Ivar as he kept working at the wood.

Ivar tensed in his spot. "Give it to me."

"You're crazy! Father gave me this knife." Sigurd's voice went up an octave making him sound like a little boy throwing a tantrum. He pushed himself off of the door frame and sat on one of the stools at the table Ubbe was sitting at.

"I am going to kill Lagertha with it." Ivar's words hit me like an axe. He couldn't kill Lagertha. Though I wasn't happy with what se had done to Aslaug, she was still a dear friend to me and a big part of my life, especially after my father had died.

Sigurd Scoffed at his brother's bold statement, clearly brushing it off as one of Ivar's grand delusions and kept running the blade down the wood.

Ivar hit his palms against the ground in frustration. Before Ubbe could even catch him, Ivar was already at Sigurd's feet. He lunged forward and gripped the legs of the stool and ripped it out from under his brother. Sigurd crashed to the ground and Ivar waisted no time. He pounced on his brother, ripping the knife out of his hand. Sigurd's left arm drew back and he clenched his fist. As he brought his arm around to strike his brother, Ivar caught his wrist mid strike. Ivar quickly glanced at Sigurd's clenched fist before he brought his head back and crashed it into Sigurd's forehead. Sigurd's head jerked back, blood instantly streaming from his nose.