Heathens (Ivar the Boneless)

Chapter One

Contains adult and sexual content

Italics- Viking Language

The child shivered as she sat in the rain. Her cloak was barely keeping her warm and she could feel the sickness creeping in. She was around six years of age and had no parents around her.

Hearing someone in front of her, the child looked up with her piercing blue eyes and red hair hidden from under the hood. It was Queen Aslaug.

"Where are your mother and father?" Aslaug asked gently as she leaned down. The child shivered again.

"Father is gone. Mother got sick." The child answered in a hush tone.

"What is your name, child?"

"Kai."

"Come with me." Aslaug held out her hands and Kai put her hands in Aslaug's. She picked up the child and carried her back to her home where her four songs, Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd, and Ivar, were being cared for by a slave. They looked at her mother and saw her with another child.

"Boys, this is Kai." Aslaug said as Kai looked at them. "You treat her as one of us and be kind to her."

Aslaug found some suitable clothes for Kai, and she joined the four boys who played on the floor. Kai was still nervous as she looked at the boys. Ivar, who was the youngest, crawled over to Kai, dragging his legs. He sat by Kai and handed her one of his toys.

(10ish years later)

The wind blew through the trees on the hillside. Kai, now a grown woman, stood with her dark grey wolfdog companions, Fenrir, and Revan.

Kai looked down at the wolfdogs.

"Let's go." The two of them jumped to their feet and followed Kai to her jet-black horse. She climbed into the saddle and rode back to meet up with the guys at the hunting lodge.

As she arrived, she saw Bjorn sitting with them. The boys looked up as Kai's horse came to stop.

"Did you bring anything back?" Ubbe asked.

"Fenrir, Revan." Kai tossed several dead rabbits to the wolfdogs. They picked them up and carried them over to Ubbe and dropped them at their feet. Kai then slid from her horse and pulled the large deer from the back of the horse.

Kai threw the stag down and they began to cook it.

Kai sat down beside Ivar and began to eat her portion, sharing pieces with her companions.

Kai continued eating as she listened to the boys' conversation about Ragnar. Kai was not fond of hearing how Hvitserk and Sigurd talked of their father. She sighed and stood up, grabbing her sword.

"Where are you going?" Ivar asked as Kai walked over to her horse. She climbed into the saddle and looked back at the boys.

"For years, I have listened to your talk about Ragnar." Kai replied. "For years I have had to listen to negative talk about him. You may not have a father, but you have a mother, and Bjorn, you have a mother. You have mothers that care about you. Why spend days on end talking about a man who left you when you have two people who care about you?"

Kai looked at Ivar once more and then rode off on her horse with Fenrir and Revan following behind her.

Ivar looked over at Bjorn who had a small smirk on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kai decided she had been gone long enough and returned home. Her horse walked through the gates of Kattegat when she heard a see voice yell.