A Ballot of the Wolf and Merc | Ubbe Ragnarsson FanFic

Odin's Messenger

Drumming long spider like sallow fingers along the edge of her table, Queen Aslaug darted her blue eyes over to the door way. Impatience getting the best of her.

"Where are they?" Snapping at a handmaiden skirting past her sitting area, the Queen called into question for the third time about her sons.

"W-We haven't seen them come in from the forrest yet my Queen," mousey and lowing her head as she spoke the timid woman fidgeted in her position. The hungry eyes of her Queen piercing through her even though there was nothing to hide.

Aslaug's angular jaw set firm while her lips dipped down a little in the corners, "Go check the gates again I-"

"Move! Get out of the-" bit of a crash as Ivar, from the perch he held on Hvitserk's, pushed with one arm a guard out of the way.

"My baby boy-!" Aslaug rose elated from her seat as Ivar was brought to the only chair besides his mother that had been brought in. As routine Hvitserk helped his youngest sibling to sit down and stepped back next to Ubbe in front of their mother.

"Mother we had-" Ubbe began with his report to tell his own mother about the boys successful sparring practice, including Ivar. But was met with nothing more than Aslaug omittence of her oldest words and all her attention spread over Ivar.

Running her hands over her disabled son's face, the boney woman cupped Ivar's face and ran delicate fingertips over his cold skin as she fretted like a distraught hen, "Did you get hurt? Did your brother's make sure you didn't have to-"

"Mother," Disgusted scoff Ivar pushed his mother's affection off with nothing more than a slothish dottle as he knew she'd just continue anyways.

"Mother we-" Ubbe spoke up again, this time louder with a stern voice as he hoped to catch his mother's attention for a mere second.

"You shouldn't raise your voice to your own mother now~"

Each boy craned their heads over to the uninvited voice trickle into their regular interaction. Ubbe's eyes widening when he saw cocked back in a chair was the same brutish woman he'd encountered in the forrest breaking his arrows. Those same slate eyes connected with his and she winked before thrusting herself up and to her feet.

"Boys, greet our wondrous guest," the boy's mother didn't miss a beat or notice Ubbe's estranged look as Aslaug stood gesturing over to the woman, "Eleri, a varagian who graciously came up north to our Kattegat at your mother's request."

Hvitserk and Sigurd hunched only in a shabby bow towards the curiously exotic newcomer. Frozen a bit in response Ubbe only jerked to a curt bow when Hvitserk elbowed his older brother in the arm at the threat of his mother's glaring eyes.

"G'day boys," Eleri, eyes unshifting as they remained abidingly glued to Ubbe, "And Prince," That tell tale smirk he'd seen in the forrest crept onto her pouty lips.

"A varagian?" Ivar piped in as the woman came closer to him on the other side of his mother. Leaning forward Ivar's blue eyes set on her from head to toe taking in the strange woman.

"Yes a varagian," Aslaug nodded to her son but then turned and smiled at Eleri, "We don't have many here in the north so I asked for only the best of the best."

"What even is a Varagian?" Hvitserk cocked a bushy brow at the women who only spared the man a sweet smile.

Eleri's white teeth shone past her pink lips as they peeled back in a cocky smile, "Mercenary, kill for hire, assassins."

"Thieves and robbers," Ubbe refuted her self proclamation unfazed holding her intensive gaze.

"Only when work is slow dear prince," Waggling a finger at Ubbe directly, Eleri only baring a bigger grin to the grown man.

"We need her," Aslaug broke in, hands clasped before her thin waste like a porcelain doll, "With some word about your dear father's paths, I just needed to know where the great Ragnar was."

"She's going to bring Father back?" Ivar's face lit up with the tantalizing idea and soon Sigurd and Hvitserk's shared his expression. Ubbe's stone cold facade sticking while he starred scrutinizingly at Eleri swaying back and forth near his mother.

"Well- No not exactly," Aslaug hated her own answer as much as her son's did hearing it. Even a bit of a groan from the boys as Ivar sat back with a huff and Sigurd and Hvitserk slouched. Noticing the morale draining Aslaug turned to Eleri beaming a huge smile, "But she can find your father and hopefully give him the letter I need him to see before the end of the month."

"A letter? Mother really?" Ivar rolling his eyes far back in his skull in disgust, "He's not coming back over a letter."

"Ivar shut up," Hvitserk criticized his youngest sibling over his sour response.

"Why couldn't you have just sent out a messenger?" Ubbe butted in his two cents. Eleri shifted her weight from one cocked hip to the other, arms crossed over her broad chest and the muscles in her neck twitched as she looked down her nose at the man.

"A messenger doesn't assure your father will get the message," Aslaug insisted, something in her tone rubbing three of the four boys the wrong way about her intentions being so simple. Though still there mother it was easy for the curious boys to hold their tongues at her explanation. Jolly about no further questions about the subject, Aslaug clasped her hands together smiling, "Perfect, good. I need you Ubbe to show our dear guest around Kattegat." Switching her eyes from the woman beside her to her son standing before her, Aslaug then nodded to Hvitserk and Sigurd, "Take your brothers with you Ubbe."

"What about Ivar?" Hvitserk interposed to his mother.

"What about Ivar?" Aslaug looked peculiarly at Hvitserk.

"I'm going with," Lugging himself off the chair Ivar positioned himself parallel to the ground and used his upper body strength to heave himself back towards his brothers.


"Oh Ivar dear you don't want to-" Aslaug began to protest, hating to see her son drudge his body along the wooden floors.

"Mother," Ivar rolled his light eyes. Gesturing to his brothers, Hvitserk groaned but once again resumed the job of taking his crippled brother onto his back.

"Very well, please. Be back to the dining hall by dark, we've got a wonderful meal planned in honor of our dear guest," Aslaug spoke sweetly baring a king smile to the younger woman beside her.

Ridged about it Eleri still returned the Queen's gesture with a pleased look. Playing the lonely woman becoming easier and easier to Eleri as she observed more of Aslaug's weak points when her sons came in. Stepping forward to meet the band of young men Eleri smirked with a look passing on each of them.

"Your mother is such a gracious host and beautiful woman," the simper expression dwelling on Eleri's slippery lips, "It's unbelievable any man would leave her warmth for the bitter coldness of the landscape."

A short snort from Ubbe as he turned away from the canny woman. Hvitserk, Sigurd and Ivar loitering a longer look at the well built woman before them. Like dogs slobbering over a bone Ubbe cleared his throat and the boys followed in suit returning their attention to Ubbe.

"Let's go," continue to hold onto his placid sternness Ubbe nodded to his mother acknowledging her request for time keeping. Ubbe had Sigurd come up beside him in their lead out the door. Hvitserk being whispered discreetly by Ivar in his ear like a nattering conscious. What ever the younger brother said kept the second oldest hanging back behind Eleri and the rest as they filed out of the room. Hvitserk and Ivar giggling to themselves behind the woman. Eleri either unaware or coy about it, she moved on plastered with a smirk. Ubbe found his teeth grinding into themselves even when the woman didn't speak. Only quiet darting looks as he adverted looking at her each time he craned his neck back to see if they were all following. Every time he found those slate eyes locked into him like fish hooks.