Ivar the Boneless Imagines

Shiny

Sirens were blowing in King Alfred's palace, billowing smoke from molten hot signal fires for miles. The townsmen gathered to no avail outside where the soldiers pounded in and out of the cobblestone entrance to the palace in a frantic search. Everyone had been accounted for from the lowest of servants to the highest, the King. All those but one.

"The Princess is missing." A bishop waved his torch, a plume of smoke diffused into the winter night's air. The prince and king beside him were in awe, eyes equally popping in grief. Though the prince was more disillusioned than the king.

"(Y/N)!" He shouts, running on frost. "(Y/N)! (Y/N)!"

It was pointless, King Alfred knew. He simply didn't know how to break it down to his brother. He had an idea of what might have taken his maiden sister. He simply didn't know what manner of beast had slipped in the cracks.

Shiny things caught his attention. Some things for different reasons than others, but inevitably, he always got the shiny thing he wanted. When it came to the Christian castle on warmer fields, there were plenty of shining things to be had. A crown made of rich gold imbued with bloody garnets and sapphires that rivaled the brightness of his own eyes. No gem so beautiful as Alfred's precious little princess. A twin. The most blaring difference being in place of his dull, boring eyes hers were as gold as the piles of treasure stacked through his cave.

He had to have her.

So he easily procured her with a potion brewed by his sweet, late mother. There were few left over bottles that his inky claws could get his hands on. But such an occasion? It was necessary that he take the potion subdue her. (Y/N) the Golden, they called her... and she was his.

His inky claws wove through your hair that shone like rich thread against his fingers. You shifted against his caramel deep chest whining until you woke with a startle. In the dark of night, your golden eyes lit up the room and drowned out the brightest of stars.

"Around now, I'm sure they're fussing about where I took you... simple princes."

It quickly registered that it wasn't your beloved Aethelred or sweet Alfred speaking. It was a strange, low voice with an undertone so buttery smooth. You could have easily fallen into his sweet words against the shell of your ear if not for his lithe prodding fingers tucking away your hair. Take you? Where– and who at that? Besides that, who was he?

"Who are you?" You rolled on his firm, bare chest. His eyes were sharply blue, but you could see nothing else in the darkness of his cool cavern.

"Ivar the Boneless." Came his cool reply.

"Why Boneless?" You ask.

"Boneless because..." He slides a hand around your waist. His other hand reaches out towards something– flicking his wrist. First one fire flickered on, a hot blue flame nearest his head. The lamp rippled its hot light across his startlingly human face. The pepper of hair at the sides of his face almost remind you of Aethelred– but his features were different. Between his rolls of braids on his head sprouted inhuman horns, black keratin curling back around the shell of his human ears.

"Christ!"' You shrieked, wrestling in his grip. "You're a demon!"

"I thought you wanted to know why I'm so Boneless." He mused as you rolled off of him into a silken pillow of itching feathers. There was good reason why you rolled off of him with so much fear– his legs were as inhuman as his head. They were neither human nor animal, coal dark with an inhuman bend up along to the haunches. Almost like the paintings your grandfather Ecbert had stashed away; the ones of those heathens that followed woodland gods with satyr like legs. His were different: inky with the curl of his claws but so soft to the touch, you wondered how he kept up.

Well, lightly wondered anyway, the rest of you was horrified at the beast that god was punishing you with. You looked side to side, top to bottom with no result in how to escape this strange cavern. Ivar shed a dark, fang tipped smile and flickered a few more hovering lanterns as you paced, side to side.

"How do I leave?" You looked back to Ivar. "What is it you want?"

You gathered the ends of your skirts and rushed back to him. Ivar dully glanced you over, shaking his head. "You don't." He says. "I want company." Ivar clicks his inky paws together, the lashing of his inhuman tail whipping side to side.

"Company." You repeat.

He nods, not daring to repeat what he just said. "Are there not tons of other maidens around that could keep you company? Why me?" You ask.

Ivar looks around to his high arches of golden coins, spilling down the top to the floor. The coins roll to a stop along your feet as Ivar hums gladly.

"You're their treasure, of course I had to have you." Ivar rolls onto his stomach, dragging himself closer by his inky claws like the beast he was. Shiny, he said. This demon made little sense to you. You lowered onto your knees as he came close, his slender tail whipping impatiently. In some way, this beast didn't seem at all as scary as you made him out to be. Yes, of course, he stole you from home. He took you from Aethelred and Alfred, even your mother.

But in another way, those hues of sapphire accompanied by exhausted puffs under his eyes reminded you of something. This beast– was still a man. Somehow. You sat down, your legs to the side as the beast collapsed again atop of your lap. Lightly, your hand shifted over his rows of braids, flicking your fingers around the loose strands of brown at the back of his head.

"...and you are one lonely beast."