In which Ragnar Lothbrok raids England for the first time and in the process, he not only spares a monk named Athelstan, but a slave girl he ends up naming Tova. However, he soon learns that things involving the girl are not what they seem and she i...
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The following day, Tova sat in a tub filled with hot water that had been placed in her shared room with Bjorn in the Great Hall.
Hearing footsteps, she turned, sighing when she saw it was Bjorn entering. He froze, immediately looking away when he found her bathing. "I'm sorry. I will leave—"
"It's fine," She assured him in a soft tone, looking down at the water, "Sit. I've been meaning to talk to you."
Bjorn nodded and walked over to the bed. He took a seat, turning to face her. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" He asked, a part of him hoping it to be about what Floki had spoken to him about. Perhaps she would finally confess how she felt about him?
"How is Porunn?" She suddenly stated, causing Bjorn's face to fall, "I see the way you look at that slave girl. It is so obvious that care for her."
"I don't—" Bjorn began to complain, but Tova was quick to cut him off.
"You do," Tova replied, smiling at him without a care in the world, "I don't blame you. She is beautiful. If you wanted, I could convince Aslaug to release her from her duties as a servant. I could make her a free woman."
Bjorn turned to Tova, frowning at her words. Floki must have been wrong. If Tova cared about him in the way he hoped her to, there was no way she would be talking to him about another woman.
Just then, Bjorn was snapped out of her thoughts when Tova stood up, fully naked. She wrung out her hair, making sure it wasn't still drenched with water.
She turned to Bjorn, noticing his gaze remained on her for a brief moment before he looked away. She smiled in amusement and casually stepped out of the metal tub. "Hand me my robe," She told him and Bjorn awkwardly nodded her head.
He grabbed hold of her robe and tossed it to her. It nearly went past her, but Tova was quick to grab it. She laughed in amusement, immediately wrapping it around her naked frame.
Finally, Bjorn looked back at her, only to frown when Tova moved her hair to one side to revealed bruises on her neck. "What happened to your neck?" He asked her worriedly, rushing over to her.
He cupped her face in his hands, beginning to examine the bruises.
Tova groaned and roughly pushed Bjorn back. "Nothing!" She snapped at him coldly, "Don't touch me like that."
Bjorn frowned, staring at Tova in concern. "What happened to your neck?" He asked her again, knowing she was lying.
"You want to know what happened?" Tova asked and Bjorn nodded, "Finnr and I got rough in bed last night. You should see his back," She told him, causing Bjorn's face to fall while she smiled, "Is that what you wanted to hear?"
