Being in the wrong place at the wrong time was all it took for Adelasia's whole life to turn upside down. After being captured by the heathens raiding her city and taken all the way to the cold North, the youngest Ragnarsson takes an interest in her...
Though the journey to Tamdrup was shorter than the one to Kattegat, it was still far from pleasant. Alasia sat shackled to the edge almost the entire duration of the trip, throwing up everything she attempted to eat and bile after that. She was pleased to find that both Imeldina and Antonio did have the stomach for overseas travel, the two of them enjoying the wild waves and watching the stars at night. All through it, Hvitserk pretended to be her overcaring nurse, making such a fuss about everything that it was hard to contain her laughter and keep up the act. The fact that Ivar kept on staring at them like he wanted nothing more than to throw them both overboard only made the whole thing funnier, especially since it was his idea.
"I do not think it is the sea that has turned him green this time," Hvitserk whispered in her ear as they neared the small harbour of Tamdrup.
Alasia let out a snort that she attempted to muffle by placing her hand against her mouth, but as soon as the first giggle left her mouth, Ivar's head turned to look at the two of them so fast that she couldn't help but wonder if he had already suffered many whiplashes in his neck. That only caused her to laugh harder, and she pressed her mouth against Hvitserk's shoulder desperately. "I hated this plan at first," she confessed quietly. "But now I think it's the best one he's had so far. Yet, I don't see why it bothers him so much."
Hvitserk turned to look down at her, obviously entertained. "I told you many months ago," he replied in the same hushed tone. "He cares more about you than he lets on. He's fond of you."
"Usually when you're fond of someone you don't ask that person to be coupled up with someone else," she deadpanned.
Hvitserk rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "Ivar's different."
Nodding in agreement, Alasia suddenly felt overcome with a wave of nausea and she was just in time to clinch the edge of the boat, before a steady stream of breakfast ended up in the salty water. Letting out a shaky sigh, she wiped her mouth with the wet cloth Hvitserk offered her, giving him a small nod to say that everything was fine. Looking over her shoulder, her blue eyes fell onto the frame of the second green-looking person on this longboat. Imeldina was seated next to her younger brother, the two of them wrapped in heavy cloaks against the spray of seawater, and staring pointedly ahead. Though Alasia had explained to her younger sister that all of it was only an act, the latter was still stinking with jealously. Alasia could understand it, but couldn't help but find it funny as well. What Imeldina didn't know, however, was that whenever Alasia and Hvitserk weren't joking about Ivar, they were talking about her.
