A Ballot of the Wolf and Merc | Ubbe Ragnarsson FanFic

Discontent Amongst Brothers

Dished up on pristine silver plates was some of the most succulent meat Eleri had seen in quiet sometime. Saddled between the middle boys, Hvitserk on the right and Sigurd on the left, Eleri said nothing about the seating arrangements as Ubbe took up residence directly in front of her. Queen Aslaug sat at the head of the oaken table with the vacant seat next to her that Eleri only assumed the Queen left for her infamous husband.

Tearing into dinner wasn't wasted on any of the boys. Fingers glistening with grease from the fatty pig belly, Eleri watch them slurp and snort and gobble up with no concern. Aslaug obviously not the one who taught them manners as the meager portions she brought to her mouth were dwarfed by each cheek full of food her son's stuffed in their gullets.

"Eleri," Aslaug attempted to break up the banausic tone of the meal, "Why not tell the boys what you did me about south, the Roman grounds if I recall?" Lips curled up in an over zealous smile Aslaug's sharp eyes hovered on the woman.

"All the way down there?" Ivar uttered mid bite of his hunk of meat, "Mother where did you even find this woman? Yet alone trust she isn't scamming us?"

"The Western Roman Empire is actually fallen my dear Queen," Eleri articulated kindly to both of their misunderstandings of her home land, "It is only to reference the area for those more in touch with history. I believe nothing resides of the name, I simply come from a small village east of Paris."

The word sent a silencing chill through the family at the table. Each son chewing more slowly and Aslaug looked down at her plate soberly. At that moment Eleri cut into her chunk of pig, feeling Ubbe's eyes on her. Looking up across the table she sunk her fork into the scrap of meat as she held his gaze.

"My Queen, more mead?" appearing beside the Queen's large wooden chair came a hand maiden with a timid expression only made shier by the wavy blonde hair covering part of her face.

"Not now Margrethe," shooing away her offer Aslaug seemed dour as she set her utensil down and padded her mouth with the cotton napkin, "Eleri I hope your arrangements are to your liking?"

"Beyond wonderful Queen Aslaug," Eleri graciously padded the woman's ego, easier then the woman could have imagined of a ruler.

Aslaug smiled and rose from the table, "I have somethings to attend to. Ivar, dear, do you need anything?"

The question only received an eye roll in answer. That nonverbal action obviously satisfying the Queen as she escorted herself out of the dining hall. All in time to avoid the disgusting trade off between the woman slave as she poured more mead for Hvitserk and got yanked down into his lap.

It earned a giggle from the blonde but Eleri felt her lip twitch in loathing as the slimy twenty year olds hand slid up past her dresses hem. Seemingly unaware of the older woman sitting not two feet to his left. Leaning back Eleri only unpleasantly found Sigurd leaned in too close looking over at his brother's affection towards the slave.

Sickened by the exchange Eleri abruptly arose from the table. The slave girl and brother not stopping their grab ass but Ivar and Ubbe's eyes shifting onto the woman leaving.

"What, you a flikker huh?" Ivar harangued Eleri.

The varagain spun around to his voice, "Excuse me?"

"Ivar don't-" putting an arm out Ubbe as always tried to steady his brother's need to cause wave.

"F-l-ikk-er-" sounding the insult out and emphasizing each syllable, Ivar leaned into the table glaring up to his mother's guest.

"Ivar!" Ubbe flared at his youngest sibling.

Grinning ear to ear Ivar sat back smug in his chair while Eleri stood in her spot without moving, "What, not my fault she's a queer who doesn't appreciate-"

"Appreciate spoiled boys and their abwyd carchar that mommy provided?" snorting Eleri cast a disgusted look over to Hvitserk, who at least quit his fiddling for the moment being, "Mommy's pick for grab ass, disgusting." Hacking up a lump of snot Eleri spat it on the floor at her feet as she spun around.

Storming off was her intent but cruel thoughts stopped the varagain. Spreading over her face like a disease the smirk wasn't to be hidden when Eleri calmly remarked, "But a flikker huh? Bet its hard, wait, no it's not. A crippled below the waste, bet mommy's toy doesn't work on you now does it?"

Livid about the audacity that came from the woman's mouth, Ivar's gut reaction was to heave his stein at Eleri. Cackling she ducked only to have the half full wooden mug splatter onto the ground. Hush fell over the room and Margrethe skittered off of Hvitserk's lap only to grab her pitcher as she was before. Looking over each man before individually, Eleri's grey eyes came to sit on Ubbe. Lingering it didn't take much before she spat at her feet again and turned away, "Disgusting brats, no wonder your father left."

The tap of her boots as Eleri disappeared out of the room echoed in everyone's head except Ivar's. Who only angry torrent grew and he slammed his fist into the table, "Get me another already Margrethe!"

"Y-Yes of course-" head shy the woman fumbled with a new stein as she tried to fill it.

A sigh and after a few moments Ubbe rose from the table quietly and slowly.

"Brother?" Sigurd questioned him as Ubbe moved from the table and made for the direction.

"Prince Ubbe wouldn't you like to join your brother's and myself later?" Margrethe pipped in, looking to Hvitserk who took another bite without words.

"No," curt Ubbe looked back at the table and made the decision to snag a couple of rolls. Prior to turning back around he glanced over at Ivar and his stern face set on his brother with disdain.

"What?! She's the wrench that started it!" Ivar scoffed in absolute abhorrence that Ubbe would blame him for it.

"Enough, just, enough," Ubbe shook his head with a heavy sigh, "She's here to do a job for mother, let her do it and let mother get whatever reprieve she needs from this woman. Enough of your poking and you're going to regret it one day Ivar."

Mocking his brother's testimony to be the better man Ivar only classically rolled his eyes and turned away from his oldest brother. Groaning Ubbe saw it meant little as Margrethe now found herself in Sigurd's lap, repeating the same unseemly exchange as she'd done before with Hvitserk.

Taking in a deep breath Ubbe left without another word that he knew wouldn't be listened to. The slave girl's giggle and brothers laughing coming from the dinning hall while Ubbe wandered further away. Dawning on him more frequently why he was even trying to keep peace with this call in whatever his mother had found. Seeing the rolls in his hand Ubbe had half the mind to toss them away and return to the rowdy room he knew he'd find with his brothers.

Some deeper disdain for either his brother's crude words or the fact what Eleri said was right, Ubbe resented hearing the woman's voice echo in his head how Margrethe was their toy gifted them by their own mother. Hearing it like that felt, it felt a repulsive coming from an outsider. The thought crawling on his skin while Ubbe tried to shake it off. Words Eleri spared him sinking into him more than he appreciated.

All resistance for nothing Ubbe caved as he kept the rolls in hand and continued in pursuit of the sharp tongue woman that he should be reprimanding for her remarks to his impotent brother. Instead Ubbe found himself wondering if he should have grabbed something more substantial to offer her instead of airy dinner rolls.