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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
When Tova woke up, it was nighttime. Siggy and Rollo weren't in the cabin, despite living there. The girl groaned, on the verge of getting up when she found herself unable to.
"It will be months before you're able to be on your feet again," A voice spoke up, causing Tova to turn to see Bjorn walking over to her. He sighed, sitting down in a chair next to her. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it in comfort, "How are you doing?"
"How are you doing?" Tova mimicked Bjorn before turning to glare at him, "How do you think I'm doing? I can't walk! And I'm stuck in the stupid cabin. Why couldn't they have placed me in the Great Hall?"
"Siggy wanted to take care of you," Bjorn answered, beginning to frown at her, "She is your mother, after all."
"She's not my mother," Tova replied in a soft tone as she shook her head. She turned, seeing that Bjorn was about to speak up, "I don't want to be lectured about it, Bjorn. She's not my mother and that is all. I don't want to talk about it anymore."
"Then let's talk about how King Horik's wife and the rest of his children are here," Bjorn informed Tova, who smiled slightly at the thought, "And Floki has a daughter now."
"What about you and Porunn?" She asked him curiously and Bjorn sighed as he looked down at the ground.
"She is not happy with me right now," He confessed and Tova laughed in amusement.
"What did you do?" She questioned and Bjorn scoffed loudly.
"What makes you think I'm the one who did something?" He asked her with an attitude and Tova smiled in response.
"You are the son of Ragnar Lothbrok. Just like him, you have bad luck when it comes to women," She commented, causing Bjorn to playfully roll his eyes at her.
"Tell me, why is it every time we're with each other of late, you ask me about Porunn?" Bjorn suddenly found himself asking Tova, whose smiled faded.
"Lately, you spend most of your time with Porunn. Why wouldn't I ask you about her? The two of you are together, are you not?" She responded and Bjorn nodded, "Why else would I ask about her?"
Bjorn was silent for a long moment as he stared down at Tova. He studied her features closely, a part of him hoping to see the slightest hint of jealousy but there wasn't one. "No reason," He lied, shaking his head at her.
_____
The following day, Floki traveled to Siggy's cabin. She found the woman sitting at Tova's bedside, tending to her daughter. However, the moment Floki walked in, she stood up and walked over to the man.
"How is she?" Floki asked, glancing over the wounded girl that laid in bed.
"She is alive, but she grows restless now that she is confined to this bed," Siggy replied in a whisper, not wanting Tova to hear.
