FLAMES OF DREAMS SERIES: GODS & MONSTERS [READER x IVAR]

CHAPTER 4: THE PRISON I BUILT MYSELF

You had lost count of the days you had been in the dungeon. At first, you had diligently counted the passing nights, but after six days you stopped. In your mind, you were to be killed anyway; it didn't matter to you how long you'd have to wait for it.

You were damned to replay the whole fight in your mind, day and night. As much as you tried to, you couldn't understand why your God had chosen for you to die under the hands of a Heathen. After taking your father and your mother, it was evident to you that He was content of having your whole family. Were your souls really that important to him?

Someone occasionally visited you, even though you could care less. Ivar was sending some food to you, just enough for you to barely survive. You however, in your whole stubbornness, refused to touch anything those pagans were giving you. You would rather very much starve to death.

It was early in the morning when two of the Northerners barged into your cell, grabbing you out of it without saying anything. You, the former queen of Essex, didn't resist, not one bit - you knew it was the day you'd die, but instead of going to the courtyard for your execution you were instead led to the throne room.

When you were thrown into the room the first thing you saw was Ivar sitting on your throne, wearing your crown. You could only scowl at the image before you were pushed forward, closer to the new king of Essex. You weren't surprised to see Hvitserk there, but you were definitely surprised to see your sister standing next to him. The princess had a guilty look on her face, avoiding your eyes and focusing on Ivar instead. You didn't have time to wonder the reason before Ivar spoke out, forcing you to focus on him instead.

"Ah, queen of Essex!" He yelled sarcastically. For a second he seemed to forget that he was the new king of the kingdom, yet quickly recovered from his mistake. "Well, former queen of Essex."

He seemed to take much pride in seeing you so defeated - stories would forever travel around of the great Ivar the Boneless, the one who defeated the magnificent queen of Essex.

"We have a problem to solve. Your sister graciously agreed to come back to Kattegat with us." He explained, glancing at Darelle and Hvitserk before turning his attention back to you. "I am willing to offer the same thing to you."

"The people of Essex will never accept you as their king. No matter how many of them you kill, they will never bow down to you or any other Heathen." You snarled back to which he let out a quiet chuckle.

"That is why you are still alive, queen of Essex." With a wave of his hand he commanded everyone in the room to leave; with Hvitserk grasping her arm Darelle was dragged away, taking a look back to send you a terrified look. You wanted to reach out to her, to assure that no matter what, everything would be alright. The truth was, you didn't know that; the odds were not in your favor.

"It is true that your people would not accept me as their king, but with you by my side they would." He stated as if the notion of marrying his enemy did not bother him at all. You were surprised to say the least; it was even a surprise to you that you were still alive. Now you understood why - he needed you to enforce his reign on your people.

"Or your sister will die. Your people will die. You will see them all die before I kill you." He warned with a low voice, rising from now his throne and walking closer to you with the help of his crutch.

"The choice is yours, queen."

***

You prayed for guidance; you prayed for God to give you a sign that someday Essex would be yours again. You prayed for hours, but he did not answer. It wasn't a surprise no more - he never responded. You wondered whether he really cared for your well-being - as much as you tried to assure yourself that whatever he did was for a reason, you couldn't see the reason behind a future you were about to have.

There was no choice, not really.

You could see the confused looks on your people when Ivar addressed them with news that he - with your blessing - was now the king of Essex. Their confusion grew even more when he announced that he would marry you, meaning that you would still remain as their queen. It was evident people wanted to voice their discontent, but were too afraid to do so. They had now seen what the famous Northmen were capable of; a lot of high-ranking army generals of yours had already been executed.

Luckily, you managed to bargain the release of your soldiers with the demand that they would bow down to Ivar and recognize him as their new leader. Your people were given a chance to peacefully leave your kingdom if they desired to do so; not a lot of people did. Essex was all they had ever known, and even the fear of the new invaders would not drive them away.

You begged Ivar to let your sister go, but to no avail. He dismissed your plea and to your shock announced that his brother Hvitserk was interested of her. The one good thing was that at least you could see her, even though she refused to look at you. Her anger had not yet waivered; knowing her it would not any time soon.

It didn't take long for the Northmen to start making preparations for their return to Kattegat, the place in Norway most of them were from. You learnt that Ubbe had already returned. To make matters worse, Ivar told you of his plan to meet a king named Harald with whom he could attack Kattegat. He told you of his ambitions to become king, emphasizing that it would be in your best interests not to object him.

You agreed, even though it was the last thing you wanted to do. It was the opposite of what your mother had taught you to do.

But it did not matter anymore. You had your survival - as well as your sister's - to think about.