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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"Signy wait." Hvitserk held my arm as I moved to get off the boat. I looked back at him, a little confused.
"What?" I asked, taking a step back towards him. My eyes were laced in concern as he loosened his grip on my arm and held my hand.
"I just want you to know that he's not the same person as the one you remember. Don't expect any warm welcome." He sighed.
I laughed, "Warm? From Ivar? I wouldn't dream of it."
"I'm serious, Signy. No matter what happens, stay by me. I don't want you to get hurt." He explained.
At this point I was utterly confused. It seemed like he'd gone a little mad in all honesty. "Hurt? Why would anyone hurt me?" I smiled. It felt as though Hvitserk was speaking in riddles, he made little to no sense to me.
"Just trust me, okay?" He answered.
I nodded and got off the boat just after him. It felt as though I was having a moment of deja vu as I walked hiding behind Hvitserk. I was tense, a little afraid, just like the day I'd returned back to Kattegat from my exile. Still, I continued forward, eyes barely peaking over Hvitserk's shoulder. We kept moving until coming to a sharp and sudden halt that nearly made me collide into my friend in front. I gulped a little, the air thickening as we entered one of the larger tents.
"Look who returned after all!" I recognized the jolly rejoicing voice of King Harald Finehair. It seemed as though he was about to speak again but was quickly cut off by someone beside him.
"And you brought someone with you?" Again, a voice I recognized. I should've recognized it far more than I did but now this voice seemed as much of a stranger as the man beside him. It was Ivar, though it didn't seem like my Ivar, it didn't seem like the man I knew and loved.
I stepped out slightly, still hiding just behind Hvitserk, but enough for Harald and Ivar to see me.
"I heard you needed allies." I spoke gently, a frail shyness in my voice as I coyly looked up at him.
Ivar seemed to freeze in shock for a moment before his eyes turned cold and harsh. I'd never truly been on the receiving end of such a look before. Whenever Ivar had looked at me previously, it was with an ocean of warmth. Now it felt as though I was an enemy, a stranger, someone to be tossed into the category of Lagertha and his eldest brothers.
"Not from you we don't. Go back to your kingdom." He answered finally, venom laced in his voice.
To me, this was worse than feeling any knife or sword in my chest. In the silence I could hear my heart shatter, tears rushing to my gentle eyes. I'd always felt everything so deeply, my emotions running through me like a tidal wave, perhaps I gained that from Helga or my mother. But I'd always kept them in check, remained in control of my feelings, stayed patient and loyal to a fault. I'd learned this through years of nurturing everyone around me. Helga had taught me to be kind and respectful. So, whenever anyone needed me, that's exactly what I was. When Ivar was in a rage, I would calm him down. When he wept, I made sure he was alright. When my sister was afraid of her drunken mother, I held her in my arms and made sure she was okay. I took the abuse thrown at me because I knew they never meant it. But here, now, in this painful moment, I wasn't sure I could take such words. I felt as patient as ever and yet these words stung like no other. Not because they were any less malicious, not because I was any more sensitive, but because I could hear in his voice that he meant what he said. That I wasn't wanted anymore.
Before I could say a word, before a single tear could spill down my cheek, I heard Hvitserk begin, "Ivar, would you for once in your life just accept someone's help?"
"I have accepted help. We have Harald and our uncle. Them I can trust far more than I trust her. Will they run when things become too much? No. Will she?" He asked, glaring deep into my soul.
I could sense Hvitserk was ready to defend me once more. However, this time I moved my hand out to stop him. Ivar wasn't the only one who'd changed. I refused to be timid and afraid ever again. This time, I would speak my mind. "Believe what you must, that I abandoned you after everything that happened, that I couldn't take the heat anymore. We both know that isn't the case. In the last year, my kingdom has spread further than that of your father's and your ally's combined. If you don't need my help, that's fine. But, I'm not here to offer you my troops. I cannot afford to spare them. Right now, I'm offering to fight with you as an ally and as a friend. Should you decline my offer, you will find a vast and powerful enemy in my people. Should you accept, you will find a strong ally. If you win, you'll need us. If you lose, you'll be under my protection. You're the strategist. You know that your best bet is with me rather than against me."
"And what makes you think I'll lose?" He smirked back at me.
I gave a bittersweet smile in return, "Everybody loses. I hear you've already lost once. Why would you not lose again?"
Both of us stared at eachother with stubborn icy glares for what felt like an eternity. Hvitserk and Harald seemed to shift uncomfortably in the background as we went silently to war with one and other in just a simple look.
"Fine." He said eventually. "Stay."
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