𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐃 | Ragnar Lothbrok ¹

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍

USELESS SLAVE

SOPHIE COULDN'T believe her ears at what came out of King Ragnar's lips. "This is to be your place," he spoke. "You can come and go as you please."

"That's impossible," she said, her eyes reflecting her confusion as she searched his face for the truth, but his eyes betrayed nothing but the crafty thoughts Sophie had yet to uncover.

"It is," he confirmed. "Remember? I am King."

"But what about my duties?" she asked, taken off guard.

"No longer needed," he said, catching her off guard. "You are an awful slave," he continued. "And I am dismissing your services."

"And I can come and go as I please?" she asked again.

"Only if you desire to," he told her. "You can walk away right now if you want."

She could, but where would she go?

"Does that mean I am a free woman?" she dared to ask.

"No," he smirked.

What did that mean?

"No?" Sophie tested the waters.

"Not until you tell me who you are," he insisted, causing her to sigh in defeat.

"And if I do tell you, you'll set me free?" she challenged him.

"Depends," he whispered as he looked around in an eerie manner before taking two long steps towards her. Sophie refused to back away this time, maintaining her ground.

Noticing that Ragnar advanced further with the serpent still in his hand until he was towering above her, judging her with those chilling blue eyes of his. "So tell me," he whispered again before raising the serpent to face him.

Sophie swallowed hard as her eyes were fixed on the serpent between his hands while he moved it closer and closer to his face until he eventually opened his mouth, intending to swallow it, only to pull it out before he did.

Was he insane? What kind of King was he?

As if reading her mind, Ragnar looked down at Sophie with a smirk, slightly amused by the look on her face. He enjoyed tormenting her.

What he did next made her jump back as he brought the serpent towards her, as if offering it to her, which made her curse him under her breath. He smiled widely before walking away to place the serpent back in one of the small hanging cages.

"Get settled," he said as he brushed past her before walking out, leaving her alone.

The place that was supposedly hers was dark, rusty, and dirty to the extent that even the barn she and the slaves were in was far better off than this place. So getting settled was not an option for her. She turned on her heels and followed him out, but by that time, he had already crossed a long distance.

"Hey!" She shouted, making him stop and turn around in a bored manner. "I can't stay in that place," she spoke loudly again, hoping he would hear her, but he ignored her and turned to continue his path.

Sophie decided to wait for some time before heading back to the city. She wanted to avoid running into any of Ragnar's sons as much as possible. She waited impatiently for almost an hour, tidying whatever she could bear to handle, and she was beyond happy to see Helen and Yelda walk into the dark cottage as they carried some furniture and sheepskins along with brooms.

They both helped her clean the place up for good this time before the three settled down to rest.

"We should get back," Helen told Yelda as she smiled softly at Sophie.

"Can't you stay a little longer?" Sophie asked the two, her eyes reflecting sorrow. It was already dark, and the thought of being out here on her own unsettled her.

"We're still slaves with duties," Yelda told her before Helen had a chance to speak.

"Don't worry, we'll come to visit you first thing in the morning," Helen assured her.

The place was rather cosier than Sophie had thought it would be. For the first time in months, she had enough sleep.

She woke up the next morning to Helen and Yelda bringing breakfast. The three of them ate and chatted for a while before the two went off to finish their duties.

Not long after Helen and Yelda left, someone walked in, only for her to find out that it was the King with his mug of ale.

She knew he wouldn't leave her alone until he got what he wanted, and in her case, it was uncovering her secrets.

So there he was, pulling the coverings off the windows. Sophie and Helen hadn't removed them yet, and the sudden light seeped in.

When the light engulfed her as she sat at the edge of the bed, squinting her eyes in defence, he turned to look at her with the same scrutinizing eyes he had always used on her.

"You've been to Frankia," he said out of the blue, and it clearly wasn't a question, but more like a statement.

"What?" Sophie asked as she stood up, intending to move away from the bed.

"I said you've been to Frankia before," he repeated, slower this time.

"Yes, I was sold into slavery," Sophie said.

"What happened after that?"

"I was brought here."

"Why?" Ragnar asked again.

"I was deemed useless to the masters I served, so they sold me," she admitted.

"And you're useless to me too," he paused, a sly smile playing on his face as he approached Sophie. "But I'm not selling you."

"Does Queen Aslaug know that I'm here?" 

"No, she does not care," he admitted.

"And does she not care about the fact that her husband is here?"

"No," he said with a smirk before reclining on the bed. He sat there for almost a minute while Sophie watched him sip presumably ale from his mug before he looked up at her and offered her his cup.

Sophie chuckled. "No, thank you." He was a rather funny person to watch she thought. He behaved strangely.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"All this..." Sophie lied as she regained her solemn expression. "My life."

"Tell me more about your life," he pressed again.

"I think you should go," she replied growing annoyed at him and his consistent questions about her life, but all he did was cock his head in an eerie manner as he studied her.

"Can you please just leave me alone?" She asked again.

"No," he said as he rolled his eyes before slumping down to the bed.