Signy was an orphan raised by the renowned boat builder Floki and his wife Helga. Growing up, she was best friends with the sons of the great Ragnar Lothbrok. However, when her half sister is to be sent to get married and Signy steps in to swap plac...
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I wandered silently up to the small hut that held the closest people I had to parents. I noticed Floki in the distance building something but it certainly was not a boat. I suppose we'd find out what it was soon enough. I skipped through the sands quietly before stopping beside Floki who was so deep in his work that he didn't notice me.
"What are you building?" I inquired.
"I'm bul-" Floki cut himself off before finishing his sentence and looked up to where my voice had come from in confusion. When he saw me, I could see tears brimming in his eyes. "Signy?"
I smiled and pulled him into a hug. I'd missed Floki's hugs. "Come on, don't cry, you'll make me cry." I chuckled.
I could feel tears at the top of my head from Floki. I was so small that it wasn't as though his head could rest on my shoulder. "I'm not crying." The old man lied making me laugh even more. We stood there giggling for a short while before he spoke again. "I will find Helga, we missed you greatly, wait here." I nodded and Floki ran off with a skip in his step to go and find his wife. As Floki and Helga were returning i heard a slight commotion. I wondered what it was so I listened in. "Helga, you can't bring that girl with you to see Signy."
"Why not? We're her home now, I adopted her. I have to look after her, Floki." came Helga's response.
"You only took her from the Mediterranean because you missed Signy. What will she think? That you've replaced her with some Christian?"
"She's not a christian, Floki. Their God is different. She's coming with me."
I couldn't stand the arguing anymore so I walked past the hut and over to where their voices were coming from. My eyes widened when I saw Helga holding the hand of a young girl with jet black hair and satin skin. Her huge brown eyes looked miserable and everytime she looked at Helga, she looked afraid. I couldn't even fathom being afraid of such a gentle woman. It was beyond comprehension.
I looked up from the girl to Helga and Floki. Floki looked frustrated and exasperated by the situation, clearly not wanting the girl to be here. Helga held onto the girls arm protectively, refusing to let go.
"Helga." I smiled and gave a short wave.
"Signy, you're back! We missed you." Helga hugged me before returning her free hand to the girl beside her.
"Who's this?" I queried.
"This is Helga's pet Muslim. We do not know her name because we can't actually communicate with her but we do know that she hates us." Floki answered flatly.
"She doesn't hate us!" Helga smacked his arm. "I hope you'll stay a while longer." She smiled at me.
"Where else would I go? This is my home, here with you two." I smiled. Both of them smiled back at me before Helga and the girl made their way inside to put lunch on.
Before I could follow, Floki pulled me to one side. "Helga gave your bed to the Muslim. I told her not to, I told her you'd be back. She said you were married now and wouldn't come home."
"I'm not married anymore. I killed him." I answered.
This made Floki giggle ecstatically. "Good."
"I will stay in Kattegat if there's no room, I don't mind Floki." I smiled at him.
"I mind. She should be a slave, you should be welcomed back home." Floki answered with annoyance.
I smiled and hugged him gently, "Floki, just seeing you and Helga is all the welcome I need. I missed you both so much."
"We missed you too." He smiled, hugging me back.
Soon enough, we were pulled out of our reunion by someone clearing their throat behind us. I turned sharply on my heel to face the intruder but my face softened when I met Ivar's piercing blue eyes.
"Can I speak with Signy?" He asked.
Floki nodded. He giggled as he was walking away and I noticed him turn back and wink at Ivar before disappearing inside. I made my way over to my old companion and we walked (well, he crawled) over into the edge of the forest. We sat in the soil among the trees and I lay back looking up at the bright blue skies. Ivar soon followed my action and lay down beside me.
"How have you been?" I questioned.
Ivar didn't answer but quickly interrupted my question with his own instead, "Why did you not tell me?"
I looked at him confused before I remembered telling Hvitserk that I did not wish to tell Ivar everything myself. He must've told him for me. How many people had heard? Was I now the laughing stock of the town? I sighed, answering as calmly as I could, "You weren't there Ivar. I couldn't leave to go and tell you."
"You could've sent word." He spoke again.
"I was not allowed to speak to anyone. The one girl that I befriended was found dead the next day. You have no idea what it was like." I spoke far less calmly. I was getting annoyed. I assumed he would come back with an equally obnoxious statement but he didn't. He remained silent for a while before finally speaking again.
"I'm sorry." He almost whispered. "I just hate that I wasn't there to protect you. I hate that you had to suffer through all that alone. I wish I'd known. I wish I'd done something. I wish I'd never let you leave with that man."
I rolled onto my side, gently cupping Ivar's chin in my hand and turning him to look me in the eyes. "None of this is your fault Ivar. None of it. I'd have gone whether you allowed me to or not. You didn't know where I was or what was happening to me. You had no idea. But you're here now. And even if you weren't there then, just the thought of seeing you again is what got me through every second of it." Tears brimmed my eyes as I spoke. I recounted every gruesome memory, everytime I thought of Ivar to comfort me in such dire circumstances.
"I heard you nailed his balls to the door of the Great Hall." Ivar spoke again after a long moments silence. He seemed almost proud as he spoke with a small smile gracing his lips.
"I did." I answered.
Ivar gently pulled me closer to him, his arm wrapping around me and I lay my head on his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat as his chest calmly moved up and down. "Good." He spoke again.
Ivar and I lay there for hours, not a word being exchanged between us as the sun slowly drifted from sight and began setting behind the mountains.
"Where are you staying tonight?" He questioned curiously, sitting up to look down at me. I looked up at him and shrugged.
"Lagertha will probably have somewhere for me to stay." I answered.
"Those huts are no good. You will stay with me." He replied casually. It wasn't forceful or demanding, it was spoken like a suggestion.
I chuckled as heat rose to my cheeks and I knew that I must've been bright red by now. "Ivar I can't do that."
"Why not?" He shrugged.
"Because... People will talk." I chuckled.
He answered, not at all bothered by the issue that I'd presented him, "Let them talk."
"I missed you." I whispered more to myself than to anyone else. Though, Ivar seemed to here this as he pulled me closer and sighed the same thing in response.
I can't do solid drama and sadness in my books. Always gotta be some happiness. Next few chapters will be that.
