Book two of Blind Love
After being saved from the Saxons and brought back to the man she loves, Ailbe has grown far less naive. Still a gentle soul with a heart of gold, Ailbe begins to find the balance between compassion and subservience. She becom...
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The boats made Ailbe sick.
She simply could not get used to the endless rocking back and forth. She felt dizzy and exhausted and wanted nothing more than to step foot back on land.
This, of course, was rather amusing to the sea faring warriors.
In her hand, she clutched the emerald necklace that had been gifted to her the previous night in an attempt to keep her mind off of the sickness coursing through her body.
"A lots changed since we left." Hvitserk observed from beside her, complying with her request to not leave her alone.
She nodded, a thankful smile that he was still there, "I wonder what my mother will think..."
"You mean seeing you come home just to watch you leave with us again?" He chuckled. "I'm sure that will go great."
Ailbe couldn't help but smile. Somehow, Hvitserk always managed to make her smile. It was as though she'd known him for years. As he'd said before, it felt like he was her brother. Though she supposed that, once she married Ivar, he would be.
"Does it rain in Kattegat?" She asked, resting her head on the side of the boat, waves gently splashing her every so often.
"What?" Hvitserk laughed. "Of course it rains. Why?"
"My mother told me it doesn't rain, it just snows." She shrugged. "She said it was cold all year long and that's why Vikings aren't afraid of anything."
"It's not cold all year long, just in the winter." He assured her.
But Ailbe just gave a little sigh and lulled her head back further. "I hate winter."
The journey was long and arduous. Ailbe spent most of it with her head over the side of the boat, praying for land with all her might. She'd decided that she wasn't a water person, much like she wasn't a winter person. She enjoyed summer and she enjoyed it on the reliable ground. One could not sink into the depths of the black abyss if they were on ground. One was not rocked back and forth in a dizzy disorientating haze when they were on ground. Rather, one just sat or walked and did as they pleased. For, they were on ground. Not the confines of a small boat. Not overlooking the dreadful inescapable depths below that threatened to swallow you whole.
Supposedly, it was an emerald necklace that Ailbe was clutching for dear life. She would've let Ivar keep it, since it reminded him so much of his mother, but he insisted that Queen Aslaug clearly wanted her to have it so she had to keep it.
When it became dark again, and Ailbe began to drift into sleep after a long day of feeling ill, she couldn't help but notice the arms that wrapped around her in a loving embrace. Ivar had often waited for her to fall asleep before he held her, especially in the beginning - before she was taken. Since being her held captive, however, he held her just to let her know that he'd never let go of her again. But now it seemed he'd returned to his old habits. The scary Viking couldn't be seen as affectionate in the light of day, of course.
But everyone knew he was. How could he not be with so gentle a bride?
With a warm smile, she moved into him. In the coldness of night, it was nice to have someone beside her. And despite what many thought, Ivar was much warmer than he was rumored to be.
"Ivar?" She whispered gently, her head resting on his chest to listen to the calmness of his heartbeat. A small hum was all she gained in response. "I love you."
He pulled her closer with those words, and she didn't need to see him to know he was smiling.
