IT HAS BEEN a week since the Vikings went on the raid that King Ragnar had told Sophie about and nothing much happened ever since.
She heard that they were planning on raiding Paris whom a priest from Wessex had told King Ragnar about. She had never got the chance to meet that famous priest she had been hearing about yet, and she hoped she would once they were back if they ever made it back as she knew how strong the Franks were from the few months she had spent there with them.
The days were getting boring following a slow routine as winter had begun and Sophie spent most of her days helping Helen out when she had no tasks herself. She would remember King Ragnar's request every time she saw Aslaug who seemed rather bored with her life too with nothing interesting to do that would catch Sophie's attention until one day a man appeared out of nowhere and as Helen had told Sophie he was known by the name of Harbard and it wasn't the first time he came to Kattegat.
That Harbard was the reason behind the disrupted relationship between the Queen and her husband as Helen had told Sophie. He was rumored to be a God, some even say he is Loki as he tricked Queen Aslaug into laying with him more than once about sixteen years ago which King Ragnar had eventually known of, and got angry with her, and ever since they had a really rough relationship. It all made sense to Sophie now as she always had wondered why the King and the Queen seemed so distant.
Sophie found herself on multiple occasions spying on the Queen and her mysterious lover as they sneaked away. She told herself she wasn't doing it for King Ragnar but deep down it felt like she was.
"What do you think you're doing?" an unfamiliar voice startled her as she tried to move away from where she was spying on the Queen only to find Ivar the Boneless behind her. She wasn't sure how she did not hear him approach but perhaps it was because he was crawling.
"Oh yeah, right you don't speak our language," Ivar said sarcastically as he raised himself to sit beside her. "Or perhaps pretend like you don't, but I know that you do."
Sophie was indeed pretending she didn't understand almost every time someone spoke to her, it made everything easier but Ivar wasn't someone you could trick. Just like his father, he sees through people.
"I think my father still keeps you because he's interested in you, but I'm not sure how long that would last," he said with a sly smile but Sophie refused to reply.
She just listened as she maintained a poker face. She had been warned by Helen not to get near any of the Lothbrok brothers especially Ivar who had quite a temper but now that he had caught her spying on his mother she wasn't sure what was going to happen.
"You can remain silent as long as you listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you," he hissed. "I know what my father had asked of you and I know that you are doing exactly what he wanted you to do."
Sophie felt the air get sucked as her heart started racing. There was no way he would've heard what King Ragnar had told her, they spoke her language, not theirs. "So hear me carefully, you don't say a word about Harbard, cause if you do," he paused and before she could register it, he had a knife pressed to her throat. "I'll kill you."
The last sentence was in English which made Sophie's heart skip a beat. She told herself repeatedly that it wasn't possible but if Ragnar spoke her language she thought maybe so did his sons. And when Ivar seemed satisfied with the fear he had instilled in her he pulled the knife away before using his crutch this time to walk rather than crawl.
Sophie barely slept that night as the words of Ivar haunted her. She wasn't really spying on his mother for Ragnar at least that's what she kept telling herself. She even thought of asking Torvi to teach her how to fight, as she was friendly to her, but she knew she wouldn't do that, or maybe she should give it a try.
The next day Sophie made sure to sneak away in her free time to find Torvi who surprisingly agreed to help her.
So every day she would practice for an hour after she had finished all her chores and duties so that no one would complain and after practice, she would sleep straight till the morning as exhaustion would take a toll on her.
Torvi was a good teacher and Sophie was a fast learner, and she was satisfied with the new skills she was acquiring.
Helen at the same time was still teaching her the Northern language every morning which she was considerably good at now as she could formulate complete sentences.
This didn't go unnoticed by Aslaug who one day approached Sophie. "I've heard you've been learning how to fight," she told her causing Sophie to nod her head in agreement. "I see that you've started to understand our language."
"Yes," Sophie said. She wasn't playing the 'I don't understand you' game anymore.
"That's great," Queen Aslaug said. "I'm glad that you're learning how to fight."
Sophie was expecting her to be angry at the fact that she had asked Torvi to teach her without permission and was shocked when she figured that she was not. "Really?" Sophie asked with confusion.
"Yes, every woman should learn how to fight," Aslaug told her.
That's what Sophie had been thinking all the time along. She constantly had felt the need for protection whether it was from the men who stole some dirty glances towards her, the Lothbrok brothers who wanted to bed her so badly, Ivar who kept threatening her with his glares, or King Ragnar himself as she could never read what's going in his mind.
But perhaps the Queen didn't need to know of whom Sophie considers as a threat knowing that her sons came before anyone, especially her beloved Ivar.
Nothing threatening had ever come from the Queen as she seemed so friendly towards Sophie to an extent that Sophie wondered if she was her favourite servant. She always found a smile for her whenever she saw her. So thinking of it, she really didn't care whether she slept with that man or not, she didn't want to be on her bad side or worse on Ivar's for the sake of King Ragnar. He'll have to do his dirty work on his own.
KING RAGNAR LOTHBROK and his crew were away for nearly six months when they returned, bearing news of their triumphant raid. The people of Kattegat sang their praises, welcoming their beloved warriors back to town with jubilant cheers. Sophie stood beside Helen and the other slaves, a little away from the boisterous crowd, observing the Lothbrok family's reunion. Rollo's absence was notable, considering he was renowned as one of the best warriors. She watched the famous priest, Athelstan, whom she had yet to meet, warmly greet Queen Aslaug and Ivar, a display of affection that made Sophie wonder if she would ever hold them in such high regard. Her attention was so consumed by Athelstan that she failed to notice King Ragnar's eyes on her, although Queen Aslaug didn't miss the silent exchange. It wasn't until he passed by her that she finally became aware, refusing to bow her head like her fellow servants. It was a practice she had never adhered to and never would. The day flew by sw
SOPHIE GAZED UP at Ragnar as he approached with brisk strides. Strong hands pulled her to her feet, escorting her outside with force, causing her to stumble along with his rapid pace. This was it, she feared; he had grown tired of her blunders and was ready to exact punishment. She didn't resist; there was little point in doing so. She knew he would overpower her easily. She silently hoped that Helen could find her before he did any harm, but realistically, what could that woman do? Once they were outside, Ragnar finally loosened his painful grip but still held onto her, pulling her farther away from the crowd and the noise. The night was dark and cold, and Sophie shivered, unsure if it was from the cold or the fear of what might transpire. Suddenly, Ragnar stopped, and Sophie violently wrenched her arm out of his grasp, almost tripping over her own feet and nearly meeting the muddy ground. Ragnar, however, grabbed her cloak by the neck, steadying her. She averted her gaze from hi
IVAR HAD A HABIT of appearing from the shadows unnoticed despite the scraping of the metal buckles around his legs, making Sophie jump slightly as she almost dropped the bucket she was carrying. "There you are," he said with a smirk. "Our little angry slave." He waited for a reply as she fought to remain silent, knowing that she wanted to respond with something harsh. "But Sigurd had it coming," he continued. This wasn't the first time she had heard that. "Now you decide to remain silent?" he asked with an annoying smile as he tried to balance himself on his crutch. Disregarding Ivar, she strode past him, prepared to resume her duties. However, he had different intentions, halting her by seizing her arm. "I'm addressing you," he snapped, his teeth clenched. "Slave." "What is it, Ivar?" she demanded, glaring at the hand that imprisoned her before lifting her gaze to meet his malevolent eyes. There was a fierce intensity in her eyes he hadn't witnessed before. A spark, as if Thor,
CONTRARY TO HER original intentions for the evening, Sophie found herself in the hall early, preparing it for Ivar and his brothers, just as he had instructed. She detested the fact that he had coerced her into being here, but perhaps if she completed the preparations quickly, she might have a chance to get some rest. Her plans didn't align with reality as the brothers entered the hall, surprised to see her, although Ivar wore a smug expression of pride. Disregarding her, they proceeded to sit at the large table. Sophie noticed Sigurd glaring at her with eyes that held nothing short of murderous intent, propping his legs up on the freshly tidied table. She hurriedly completed her tasks, hoping to leave, but her attempt was thwarted when Ivar called after her. "Slave. Where do you think you're going?" he asked. "Are we supposed to serve ourselves?" Facing away from them, she took a deep breath, grappling with the decision to either walk out, ignoring him, or stay and follow his orde
ATHELSTAN ESCORTED Sophie back to the barn last night, just as Ragnar had requested. She was immensely thankful, as he had spared her from whatever torment Ivar had planned. However, the knowledge that King Ragnar had specifically instructed him to watch over her unsettled her deeply. Of course, she was grateful for the fact that it was Athelstan rather than some Pagan, as not only did she feel safe knowing he was appointed to be her guardian angel but also closer to home. He refrained from initiating any conversation, observing how utterly exhausted she seemed. So, he simply bid her goodnight before leaving her to grapple with a restless sleep, her thoughts swiftly morphing into haunting nightmares. Her mind seemed to replay the darkest events from her past, intermingling and reshuffling them in a way that left her breathless upon waking in terror. The knight who once tried to violate her but failed materialized in her dreams, succeeding this time, inflicting harm repeatedly. Iva
SOPHIE COULDN'T believe her ears at what came out of King Ragnar's lips. "This is to be your place," he spoke. "You can come and go as you please." "That's impossible," she said, her eyes reflecting her confusion as she searched his face for the truth, but his eyes betrayed nothing but the crafty thoughts Sophie had yet to uncover. "It is," he confirmed. "Remember? I am King." "But what about my duties?" she asked, taken off guard. "No longer needed," he said, catching her off guard. "You are an awful slave," he continued. "And I am dismissing your services." "And I can come and go as I please?" she asked again. "Only if you desire to," he told her. "You can walk away right now if you want." She could, but where would she go? "Does that mean I am a free woman?" she dared to ask. "No," he smirked. What did that mean? "No?" Sophie tested the waters. "Not until you tell me who you are," he insisted, causing her to sigh in defeat. "And if I do tell you, you'll set me free?" s
RAGNAR EITHER dozed off or was feigning sleep as Sophie sat there, wide-eyed, watching him. Realizing there was no point in figuring out whether he was asleep or not, she stood up slowly, put on her boots, and turned to walk out. "Where are you going?" he suddenly spoke before she had a chance to reach the door. "Out of here," she replied, ignoring him as she walked out. Ragnar groaned as he forced himself to stand up before following her. "Out where?" he called after her. "I thought you said I can come and go as I please," she said as she continued to walk away from him. "You can," he confirmed. "Okay then," she said. Ragnar eventually stopped following her when he made sure she was back in Kattegat safely. He did not want to scare her away, as he was interested in knowing more about her. He had to admit, she had piqued his interest from the beginning—something about her made him want to know more. The fact that she kept holding back made him even more curious. So instead, he
WITH A RAPID HEARTBEAT, Sophie sprinted desperately away from the individual who had thrown the axe at her. She plunged deeper into the woods, eventually reaching the river, which blocked her path. Terrified, she spun around, her eyes scanning for an escape route, only to find no one pursuing her. There was absolutely no one in sight, waiting to harm her. Was she losing her mind? Was it all a product of her imagination? Judging by her surroundings, Sophie knew she was lost. As she prepared to move again, she heard nearby rustling, triggering her defensive instincts. In her mind, she formulated an escape plan while anxiously waiting with widened eyes for her pursuer. To her astonishment, the predator was none other than Ubbe, one of the brothers she had been avoiding for the past few days. However, there he stood, panting, hands outstretched to show Sophie he meant no harm—only for the axe in his hand to derail his intentions as she bolted once more. "Sophie!" Ubbe shouted as he s