Chapter Text
Gazing up into the eyes of the man that is looming over you, you feel a shudder go through your body. You’ve never felt as helpless as you do right this second. You have been rounded up like cattle for slaughter and what is worse, you can’t even understand what is being said. This Heathen Army has taken everything from you, your home and your way of life and you pray they don’t take your innocence or freedom as well.
The man shouts something in this native tongue before another man comes up and smacks him upside the head. His voice was low and dangerous as he glared at the man in front of you.
You suddenly are all lined up and a tall man with the brightest blue eyes you’ve ever seen come limping towards you all. You know who that is. Tales of Ivar the Boneless have reached your tiny village. Many say that he is the Devil in the form of a man, and if not the Devil surely a demon sent from the bowels of Hell to make you all pay for your sins.
You feel your body calm suddenly and you stand up straight with your head back. You know that your fate is sealed either way, most likely you are to be sold to slavery or killed. You are not the most beautiful or most desired in the village. And you aren’t a noble or royal with land or resources for the Heathens to desire. So you steel yourself against your future, because if nothing else you are smart and adaptable. Somehow, if you survive, you know you will be okay.
So when the Demon comes walking up to you, instead of cowering away like all of the others, you merely hold his gaze. This makes him pause as he gazes back at you in interest. You know you should be scared, and yet for a moment you get lost in the deep blue that are his eyes.
“You have something to say woman? Speak!” he growls out at you.
You didn’t really have anything to say, what is there to say to the Demon in front of you? So you just simply say the one thing on your mind at the moment.
“You have beautiful eyes…” you murmur softly.
He regards you for a moment in surprise, “That is what you wish to say to the man who destroyed your village? Murdered your men?”
“What good are words of vengeance when I have no way of attaining it, I am no warrior,” you reply matter of factly.
“No… you are not… Perhaps you could be a queen though…” he says more to himself as if he is thinking aloud.
You can’t help yourself and let out an incredulous laugh, “I am not a queen, I am barely considered a person here. My family and I are mere farmers, slaves to this land. Even before you destroyed my future, the best life I would have had was marrying the blacksmith’s son, and he was far too handsome for me.”
“Too handsome? You do not think yourself beautiful?” he asks in curosity.
“I don’t think myself ugly, but even I know there are those far more desirable than me… Besides… I have been told I’m too feisty to marry…”
You glance away from him recalling the shame your family felt when suitors would refuse your dowry. It was well known to the men of the village that you had a temper and a mouth and neither were good qualities in a wife.
“There is no such thing too feisty to a viking… merely men who are not man enough to handle fiery women. Clearly, you were not born for this land, the gods have another path for you in mind.”
“Do they? That seems an odd sentiment to make to a woman you don’t know.”
“Well, when you become my wife and queen you will understand more clearly.”
“Your wife and queen?!” you ask in confusion.
“Yes, now let’s go, it has been a long day and we have much to talk about,” he says it so calmly, as if he is asking you to have dinner to speak of the weather, not spend your entire lives together.
“Now just wait a minute-”
“Or perhaps you would like me to leave you here and allow my men to have their way with you?” he asks off handedly.
“If I go with you… will let them go?” you ask after a pause.
He glances over his shoulder at you, “And who are you to ask me to do such a thing?”
“Your future wife?”
You watch as a smirk grows over his face before he yells something in his native tongue. The women who had been lined up are set free. You watch as they rush to their husbands and their children. They all turn and regard you with something between respect, gratitude and fear. You can see your family off to the side, you see that they are safe and you rush to catch up with Ivar.
“Thank you…” you mutter as you fall into step just behind him.
“As my queen you will walk beside me, we do not adhere to the silly rules of you Christians where I come from.”
You glance up at him in confusion, but notice that the men that were surrounding him had left a space open for you. The blonde from before, the one who had pulled the other heathen away, was on Ivar’s otherside. He sends you a friendly smile and a wink when you catch his eye. You nod back in greeting, but are still too bewildered to say or do anything.
“Well woman?!” he growls at you.
You jump, startled by his harsh tone and before you can stop yourself you snap back at him, “Will you just give me a minute?! You literally just asked me to marry you and become your queen five minutes ago! This is after the battle that threatened and then changed my entire life! I need a moment to adjust!”
Everyone goes silent around you both before Ivar turns to look back at you with a dangerous glare. You just hold his eyes in defiance, “You test my patience rather quickly…”
“And you test mine, I didn’t ask for you to come and uproot my life. The very least you can do is be civil to me if you intend to spend the rest of your life with me.”
“Ah…So this is what they meant by feisty…” he says after an exaggerated pause, you can see a twinkle of amusement in his eyes and you know he is testing you.
You just scowl back at him, “You’re one of those exhausting men aren’t you?”
“I am the leader of the Great Heathen Army and King of Kattegat, of course I am.”
You let out a huff of air and take two steps forward until you are standing next to him. He just smirked down at you before he keeps going towards his tent. The two of you walk next to each other, and you only hesitate for a moment, as you glance back at your half destroyed town, before you enter behind him.
Once inside you watch as he sat himself down at a table and pats the seat next to him. He yells something in his native tongue and a moment later, slaves arrive with food and drinks for you both.
“You should eat, I am sure you are quite hungry,” he says when you don’t touch your food.
“Not quite yet… I’m afraid I don’t feel very well at the moment.”
“Why? Because you fear your life with a Heathen?” he spits out.
“More like because I saw more death and violence today than I have ever seen in my entire life.”
“Hmm,” he says as if he is just now realizing such a thing.
You eventually pick up the bread and take a bite out of it with some of the cheese.
“The meat will give you strength, you will need it for the journey.”
“Journey?”
“Back home. They will prepare you for our wedding and once I return to Kattegat after the raids we will be wed.”
“You aren’t going with me?”
“I have more lands to conquer and you have much to learn about your new people.”
You look down at your food and suddenly the ramifications of what you have done crash down onto you.
“What about my family?!”
“They will remain here, and I will assure they are made lords of this land. They will be protected from all harm, you have my word.”
“I’m so confused… what made you choose me to be your queen? There is nothing special or interesting about me…”
“Just because that is what those Christian men have made you believe about yourself doesn’t make it true. No woman in any other town or providence, regardless of her birth, has ever looked me in the eye when I approached. It is a sign from the gods, you will be the perfect match for me.”
“Because I looked you in the eye?”
“Yes, then you told me I had beautiful eyes… how can you not believe this is fated?”
You regard his words for a moment and think back on that moment. You recall the calm that had come over you, the way your nerves were steeled. And despite the fear of your future, suddenly you knew you were to be okay. The man that you should believe to be the Devil or a demon is beautiful and you were comforted by him.
“Well that makes more sense than some of the reasoning I’ve heard for other marriages…”
“Oh? Such as?” he looks at you in curiosity, which you are very surprised about.
“Beauty. Being the most beautiful woman in town does not guarantee that you are interesting or tolerable.”
He chuckles at your answer, “So if I had told you the reason I wanted to marry you is because I thought you were the most beautiful woman you would have disliked that answer?”
“Yes.”
“I thought all women wished to be the most beautiful woman to their husbands?” he asks leaning forward his hand resting lazily on his fist. His eyes were bright though, as if he wanted to know your every thought. You aren’t used to men caring more for what is in your head than your body.
“I mean we do… but there is more than just looks to a person…”
“So you wish to be valued for more than beauty alone?”
“Well of course! Don’t you wish to be valued as more than just a warrior or a king?”
“Not really… I am quite content to be a great King and a great Viking.”
“What about a great husband?” you challenge.
He regards you for a moment in slight shock, “I do wish to be considered a great husband, I suppose you will have to tell me how I’m doing from time to time.”
You send him a smile at his response.
“Hopefully though… you will not be upset with me for thinking my wife to be the most beautiful woman when she smiles at me like that…”
“And you’re charming… you will very much be an exhausting husband…” you say with a giggle.
His only answer is to pick your hand up from the table and kiss the back of it with a wink.