#thyra halvarsdottir

[pagan-raider]

Conquer You - Chapter 12

(gif credit @stormwxthskin)

This chapter is for @stormwxthskin who said they deserved more cuddles and kisses. And of course for everyone else who’s still reading and commenting. You lovely ladies never fail to inspire me!

@tomboy-till-death @ladyvampirelove @neverlands-little-lost-girl @itharley @samantha24015 @peculiarleah @skeletoresinthebasement @thenorns-themoirai @kirah31 @onjacks-blog @djisfantastic @kawennote09 @wantingdreamsnotreality @shondlenoodle @ducklyz @lovelynerdytraveler @stormwxthskin @readsalot73 @vixsyncynco @dina-m16 @tenps @red608 @kenzieam @the-ruler-of-helheim @nothingbuthappydays

First Chapter - Previous Chapter

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Two days later Thyra felt a lot better, at least on the physical side. It was still painful to move, but the pain wasn’t bad enough anymore to make her stomach turn and tears shoot into her eyes. Lagertha had visited her every now and then and Björn had been there as well, lightening her mood with stories about foreign lands and his adventures. Once a day the healers came to change her bandages and check on her wounds.

But all the healers in the world couldn’t ease her worst pain. It were the wounds that weren’t physical hadn’t even started to heal and were still tormenting her every second she was awake and sometimes even in her sleep as she dreamt of finding Lagertha in a puddle of blood and of Ivar laughing about her stupidity.

She still hadn’t talked to Ivar. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it. The pain he had caused her was still too fresh. She didn’t feel ready to face the possibility that he had just used her and even worse, that she had allowed him to do it. Even if that was not the case and he had really just tried to protect her, she wasn’t sure if she could forgive him for tricking her like that, for not being honest with her.

For hours now she could hear a storm raging outside, the howling of the wind and the rumble of Thor’s hammer. She remembered the first night she had given herself to Ivar. It had been a stormy night as well. Thor had been hitting his anvil just like he did today. Ivar had said that it was a sign that the goods approved of them being together, but now she wasn’t so sure of that anymore. Maybe the gods had wanted to warn her. She shook her head. Or maybe she just wasn’t important enough for the gods to care at all.

A soft knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts and before she could react the door was opened. To her surprise it was Ubbe standing in the door frame, looking terribly uncomfortable.

“What do you want?” Thyra asked, finding her voice sounding even more hostile than she had intended.

Ubbe tried to give her a smile but it looked more like a pained grimace. “I know I’m probably the last person you want to see…”

“You’re damned right about that.” Thyra interrupted him with a snort.

He nodded sadly. “I wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t important. I need to talk to you.”

Thyra shrugged. “Talk.”

Ubbe shifted uncomfortably on account of her un-welcoming behavior. “I’m worried about Ivar. He disappeared into the forest a couple of hours ago and hasn’t come back.”

And as if to underline his words a gust of wind rattled on the wooden roof of the hall. Thyra could see the honest worry in Ubbe’s eyes and suddenly felt bad for acting so hostile. Despite the fact that she wasn’t sure anymore how she felt about Ivar, worry began to rise inside of her as well.

“Have you not asked him where he was going in a weather like this?” She asked.

“I tried to, but he was in one his not so pleasant moods. He just mumbled something about someone being a coward and him being the only one who truly cared for you. You know him when he’s like this. There’s no point in trying to talk to him.” He wearily rubbed his face. “I really need to find him. He hasn’t slept in days and I doubt that he has eaten properly. He’s not in a condition to be out there in this kind of storm.”

Thyra felt a wave of guilt mix with her worry. The shape Ivar was in was caused by his refusal to leave her side, even after she had thrown him out of this room. Maybe Lagertha was right and he really cared for her. If she had just brought herself to talk to him earlier…

“Do you have any idea where he might have gone?” She asked.

Ubbe shook his head. “I was hoping you knew. Do you two have something like private spot you go to regularly?”

She felt a blush on her cheeks. “Nothing I can think of.”

He sighed. “Well, it was worth a try.” He tried another weak smile. “Maybe the goods will guide me to him.”

“Wait.” Thyra said as he turned to leave. “I’m coming with you.”

Ubbe raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re still weak. You should stay where you are.”

She clenched her teeth. “That is not your decision to make.” With that she swung her legs over the side of the bed, suppressing a groan at the pain in her side and her thigh.

The doubt was still evident on Ubbe’s features. “I really don’t think that’s good idea.”

“Stop wasting time. We have to find him before it gets dark.” She said, ending the conversation and grabbing her cloak on the way out.

As soon as the doors of the great hall closed behind them Thyra started to shiver. It was freezing cold and the rain poured down mercilessly, while the storm pulled on her cloak, making it appear even colder than it actually was. The worry felt like a stone in her chest. If Ivar was out in this weather for hours, he must have been half frozen to death by now. The fact that he had had to drag himself over the wet and cold ground didn’t make it any better.

“In which direction did he go?” She yelled over the howling of the storm.

Ubbe gestured for her to follow him. Thyra was relieved to find that she could keep up with him. She was limping and it hurt like hell, but she could walk.

“This is where I last saw him.” Ubbe said as they reached the tree line. “From here on the gods will have to guide us.”

The sunlight was blocked by thick black clouds and between the trees it got even darker. It was as if they were walking into the night. The howling of the wind and the occasional sounds of braking branches combined with the all-consuming darkness, only lit by lighting every now and then, made the usually so peaceful forest appear like a place of nightmares.

“How bad is it?” Ubbe asked after a while, pointing at her limping leg.

“I’m fine.” Thyra just said, trying to ignore the burning sensation the spread from the wound on her thigh. If she was completely honest she was beginning to doubt her decision, but she would have rather bitten off her tongue than to admit that. And her worry for Ivar kept pushing her forward.

Ubbe didn’t seem convinced in the slightest but he dropped the topic. “Be careful. Some of these trees might fall.” He said instead and shifted his concentration back to his surroundings.

They had walked for almost an hour, yelling Ivar’s name every few steps, when Thyra noticed the blood soaking through her breeches. She hissed a quiet curse and wrapped her cloak tighter around her to hide it. Ivar where in Odin’s name are you? You can’t die out here. She remembered how she had yelled at him to leave and her heart became heavy with guilt, but with it came also new determination. No, this can’t have been our last conversation.

And then she heard it. It was barely audible over the raging storm but it was clearly Ivar’s voice.

Ubbe had heard it too. “Ivar?” He yelled.

“Over here!”

Thyra had to blink away tears of relief as they started to make their way in the direction Ivar’s voice had come from. When she finally saw him all the pain in her leg was forgotten. She rushed to his side and unceremoniously dropped into the mud next to him, wrapping her arms around him.

He seemed surprised for a moment but then pulled her to his chest and held her close before pushing her away at arm’s length to look at her. “What are you doing here?”

She studied his face. He still looked as weary as he had two days ago, maybe worse even. His hair was a mess of wet strands and his clothes were soaked and muddy, but other than that he seemed to be fine. “We were worried about you.”

He placed his hand on her cheek, giving her a smile. “There’s no need to.” Then he turned to look at Ubbe and his eyes narrowed. “How can you drag her out of bed and bring her along in this kind of weather. She still needs to rest.”

“I did not drag her out of bed…” Ubbe tried to defend himself, but Ivar cut him off. “It doesn’t matter. You should not have allowed it.”

“It is not his fault.” Thyra tried to calm him. “I’m here because I was worried about you. It is stupid to go out in a storm like this. Why did you do that?”

“For you.” He said, softly stroking her cheek. “The healers were out of the herbs they put on your wounds and these cowards didn’t want to go out and get new ones because of the storm. If you wouldn’t still need them, I would cut their stupid heads off.” He patted a small leather bag that was strapped to his belt. “It took me a while to find them all, but I have everything they need now.”

Thyra felt her heart warm and a tingly feeling spread in her stomach. So he did truly care for her. That realization was pure balm for her hurt soul and for the first time she was convinced that it would heal, that Ivar could help her heal it. In this moment she knew she could never hate him, not even if she wanted to.

Ubbe cleared his throat to draw their attention. “I’m really happy to see you reunited, but maybe it’s for best if we get out the rain and wind now.”

Ivar locked his gaze with Thyra’s again and gave her a smile. The look in his eyes made the tingles in her stomach seem to double. “Ubbe’s right.” He said softly. “You need to go back to bed.”

All Thyra wanted right now was to kiss him, feel his arms around her and be as close to him as possible, but she knew he was right. She rose to her feet. And immediately regretted it as dizziness made her vision blur. She caught a last glimpse at Ivar’s face and saw alarm written all over it. Then she sunk into darkness.

 Waking up felt like a déjà vu. She was in the same room as last time and Ivar was sitting in the same spot next to her bed.

“What happened?” She felt stupid, constantly having to ask him that question.

“Well, once again you took more than you could handle.” He sounded as if he was scolding a child, but then his voice turned softer. “We all know that you’re strong. There’s no need to try to prove it all the time.”

Thyra pulled a face. “That was not the reason I went with Ubbe.”

“The reason doesn’t matter. It was stupid. I don’t want you to risk your life.” A small grin appeared on his face. “Not even for me.”

She snorted. “You’re insufferable sometimes, you know that? Tell me what happened.”

Ivar shrugged. “There’s not much to tell. You were still too weak and the wound on your leg has started to bleed again, that’s why you went out.”

“How did I get back here?” She asked.

Thyra didn’t fail to notice the shadow that crossed Ivar’s face before he answered.

“Ubbe carried you.” He clenched his jaw and fell quiet.

She could sense that there was something weighting down on him and reached out to take his hand and give it a light tug. Ivar hesitated for a moment but then took the hint and pulled himself into the bed to sit next to her. She wished he would wrap her into his arms so that she could feel his reassuring warmth, but he didn’t.

She let her fingers trail along his jawline. “What is wrong? Tell me.”

His eyes were cast down as he started to speak. “It should have been me. You are my woman, I should be the one to carry you home.”

“Ivar…” She started, but he shook his head.

“There are so many things I can’t give you.” He continued. “I can’t carry you on my hands like I should. I can’t even give you a dance. I can’t press you against a wall to take you like other men do with their women.” He sighed. “And on top of all that I failed so badly to protect you. You deserve better than that. Better than me.”

It took Thyra a moment to take in what he had just said. Sometimes Ivar was still a riddle to her. Normally he could lie to people’s faces without a second thought, he could hide his thoughts and feelings better than anyone she had ever seen. And then there were moments like this when he surprised her with complete honesty, showing her his vulnerable side without warning.

She placed her hand under his chin, forcing him to look at her. “I don’t want someone who carries me on his hands. I want someone who respects me and treats me as an equal. I don’t want someone perfect. I want someone strong, like you.” She smiled. “I want you. I tried to hate you, believe me I really tried, but I couldn’t. You are my destiny. I know that now. And I’m happy about it.”

She slowly bridged the gap between them and placed her lips on his. He responded softly at first, as if he was expecting her to pull away at any second. But soon his hand traveled to the back of her neck as he took more control. The kiss became more hungry as they both had to admit how much they had missed to feel the other.

As they parted Ivar leaned his forehead against hers, letting out a content breath.

“This does not mean that I have forgiven you.” Thyra warned him. “I have just learned that for some reason I can’t go without you.”

He nodded slowly. “I will make it up to you. I promise.”

“Just promise you will never lie to me again.”

He pulled away from her to look into her eyes. “I promise you.” A smirk appeared on his face. “I’ve got something for you.”

He reached into his cloak that he had left on the chair and produced a small bloody bundle.

“What is that?” Thyra asked.

He handed it to her. “Open it.”

She looked at him questioningly as he placed it in her hand, but he just nodded for her to go on. Slowly she began to untangle the bloody cloth and wasn’t too surprised to find a cut off finger.

She raised an eyebrow at Ivar. “What am I supposed to do with a bloody finger? Whose is it anyways?”

He smirked darkly at her. “It belonged to the man who wounded you.”

“But he was one of your warriors.”

He looked at her as if she had just said something completely stupid. “What use do I have for a man who does not follow my orders?”

“Is he dead?” Thyra wanted to know.

For some reason he seemed amused by that. “Not yet. I have other plans for him.”

“What plans?” She asked, but he just shook his head. “You will see when the time is right.”

She knew there was no point in prying, if he did want to tell her yet she would not be able to make him. Instead she reached for one of the rune platelets he had made and gave it to him. “Then at least tell me about those.”

He smiled. “I asked the gods to give you the strength to survive.” He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. “I’m happy they granted me my wish.”

She rested her head against his shoulder. “Where was the blood coming from?”

Ivar pulled up his sleeve and showed her a healing cut on his forearm. “If you ask for something you also have to give.”

Thyra felt a smile form on her face. She was still mad that he had tricked her but everything he had since then he had done for her. He wasn’t just selfish. He truly cared for her. She believed that now. “Thank you.” She whispered.

He placed a kiss on the top of her head. “You should rest now.”

She looked up at his tired eyes. “So should you.”

He shook his head. “I’m not leaving you.”

“I didn’t say that you should leave.” She said lifting up the blanket invitingly.

Ivar grinned at her and pulled his shirt over his head before joining her under the blanket. He pulled her close so that her back was pressed against his chest and Thyra sighed, enjoying his warm and reassuring embrace she had missed to much these past days.

[pagan-raider]

Conquer You - Chapter 11

I’m sorry about the cliffhanger last chapter. To make it up to you I hurried to write this one. I hope the outcome is okay.

Special thanks to @stormwxthskin for making the gif.

@tomboy-till-death @ladyvampirelove @neverlands-little-lost-girl @itharley @samantha24015 @peculiarleah @skeletoresinthebasement @thenorns-themoirai @kirah31 @ruler-of-hel @onjacks-blog @djisfantastic @kawennote09 @wantingdreamsnotreality @shondlenoodle @ducklyz @lovelynerdytraveler @stormwxthskin @readsalot73 @vixsyncynco @dina-m16 @tenps @red608 @nothingbuthappydays

First Chapter - Previous Chapter

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The first thing Thyra noticed waking up was the pain. Her whole body was aching. She kept her eyes closed, hoping she would just drift back to sleep or unconsciousness or death, whatever would come first would be fine with her. It didn’t work.

She slowly opened her eyes, blinking against the light after being surrounded by darkness for so long. She saw a wooden ceiling with beautiful carvings. Letting her eyes wander, she found that the room she was in was small but luxurious. She was in the great hall, this was the private room reserved for important guests.

“You are awake.” She heard a hoarse voice beside her.

She turned her head and let out a groan as even the small movement sent a wave of pain through her entire body. It took a while until she was able to concentrate on her surroundings again.

It was Ivar who had spoken, sitting in a chair right next to her bed. Thyra was taken aback by how weary he looked. His usually tanned skin looked so pale she thought she could see through it and the dark circles under his eyes made his face look like a skull while his blue irises seemed to glow more than ever.

“Wha… what happened?” Her mouth was dry as the desert and it was hard to even form words.

Ivar’s tired eyes visibly lightened up at the sound of her voice, even if it was such a pathetic attempt to speak.

“You got wounded. Badly.” Ivar said, slightly shaking his head.

Thyra groaned. Yes, it definitely felt like that.

“Water?” She croaked.

Ivar reached for a goblet on her nightstand and gently put it on her lips. Never in her entire life had anything felt as good as the cool liquid running down her throat. She coughed a little as Ivar took the goblet away.

“You have to take it slow. You’ve been out for more than three days.” He informed her. “The healers were worried you wouldn’t make it, but I knew you would.”

“How did this happen?” She had searched her memory but came up with nothing.

Ivar’s face twisted into an amused grin. “You were stupid enough to fight half a dozen warriors at once. I now you’re a true Valkyrie, but that stunt almost got you killed.”

“How comes I’m still alive then?” She questioned.

“I stopped them.” Ivar simply said, his face turning serious again.

“You…” She trailed off as the memories began to come back. It was all a little blurry at first but then it all lashed down on her with a force that left her panting. The recollection of the events that had made her end up in this bed brought her more pain than those swords had. And then it hit her. “Lagertha!”

Ivar’s face darkened immediately. “She’s still alive.” It sounded as if it was his biggest regret.

Thyra felt as if she’d have to throw up as relief mixed with pain and anger. “You betrayed me.” She accused, feeling her heart become heavy at the realization.

She could see Ivar’s eyes narrow but he stayed surprisingly calm. “I did not. You knew that I still wanted to kill that bitch. I never told you otherwise.”

Thyra sat up against the headboard, ignoring the pain that was so sharp it made her vision blur. “You told me to come to the cabin that day to have me out of the way.” She fought desperately to keep her voice from trembling. “Was it ever real, Ivar? All that happened between us. Or was it just a way to distract me? One of your games?” She felt the tears burn in her eyes and blinked furiously. If he had just used her, she at least wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

Ivar raised his chin, looking angry now. “I did that to protect you.” He hissed.

Thyra barely heard it. Her head was spinning and there was a sough in her ears. How could she have been so stupid? She felt that hurt and shame were about to overwhelm her and she would have rather died on the spot than let Ivar witness that.

“Leave.” She said, not daring to look at him. “I don’t want to see you anymore.”

Ivar did not move. Why was he even here? To mock her even further? She couldn’t stand the thought.

“Leave.” She yelled, tears now welling up in her eyes.

Ivar clenched his jaw and for a moment it looked as if he would just stubbornly stay where he was, but then without another word, he let himself down to the ground and crawled out of the room.

As soon as the door had closed behind him Thyra couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. They clouded her vision and streamed down her cheeks while her aching body was shaking from violent sobs. She hated herself for crying over her own stupidity but the sadness she felt was overwhelming and she needed a way to let it out. If she had not been wounded she probably would have raged and thrown stuff around, before going to the training grounds to kill straw filled enemies until all her hurt was replaced by exhaustion, but in her current state all she could do was to sob into her pillow.

She cried until there were no more tears left and then just lied there looking up at the ceiling, feeling incredibly lonely and hollow.

There was no way of telling how much time had passed as she heard a knock on the door.

“Who’s it?” She asked, not really wanting to see anyone.

“It’s me, Lagertha.”

Thyra rubbed her eyes in a fruitless attempt to hide that she had been crying. “Come in.”

The door was opened and the queen entered the room. She had a warm smile on her face but the worry in her eyes was more than evident. “It is good to see you awake. We’ve all been worried.” She took a seat in the chair Ivar had been sitting in, just looking at the younger shieldmaiden, before softly shaking her head. “I admire your loyalty, but promise me to think first next time. Don’t get yourself killed fighting a battle you can’t win. That is not our way.”

Thyra cast her eyes down, not knowing how to reply to that.

“How did it all end? What happened after I went down?” She finally asked.

“Ivar and Ubbe had me surrounded and I was sure they would attack at any moment. Then you yelled at the warriors you were fighting.” She smiled at that. “Ivar was distracted for a few seconds. I think before that he hadn’t even realized that you were in the hall. He told his men to stop. Only seconds after you went to the ground Björn entered and convinced Ivar and Ubbe to let me live.”

“Björn is back?” Despite all her sadness Thyra felt a smile spread across her face. She had missed Björn, who had become a big brother to her over the years. “Please tell him to come see me when he can find the time. I’d love to hear his stories about the Mediterranean.”

Lagertha nodded, but her gaze seemed to be caught on Thyra. “What happened to your face?”

“One of the warriors hit me with the handle of his sword.”

The queen shook her head. “That’s not what I’m talking about. There’s some kind of symbol…” She reached out her hand and slightly rubbed her fingertips over Thyra’s forehead. “It’s blood.”

Now Thyra touched the spot as well and her fingers came back with some small brownish crumbs. Lagertha was right, it looked like dried blood. Before the queen leaned back in her chair she picked up something from beside Thyra’s pillow and eyed it curiously. It was a small bone platelet with runes carved into it.

“What is that?” Thyra asked.

“Rune magic.” Lagertha whispered, quickly putting the thing back down as if she had just found out that it was poisonous. “It is a special way to ask the gods for favors. It’s very powerful but also dangerous if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing. The only person I know who knows how to do it is Floki. He must have taught Ivar.” She looked as if that thought was truly worrying her.

“You think Ivar did that?” Thyra asked. Looking around her, she had found more of those platelets, neatly arranged around her body on the bed, they all had the brownish coloring of dried blood.

“It has to be him. He has not left this room until today and he didn’t allow anyone else in here except for the healers.”

“What do you think it means?” Thyra questioned, twisting one of the platelets between her fingers.

“I can’t tell. You will have to ask Ivar.”

Thyra pressed her lips together. “I don’t think I want to.”

Lagertha gave her a sad smile. “I know. But you would be doing me a favor. Since you threw him out of here he is sitting in front of the door, giving everyone who passes a death glare and threatening to kill whoever tries to make him leave.” She took Thyra’s hand between hers. “He truly cares for you, you know.”

Thyra snorted. “If he really did, he would not have betrayed me like that, he would not have used me like that.”

“He did that because he cares for you. He can’t let go of his hate and his wish for revenge, but he didn’t want you to get hurt, he wanted to protect you.”

Thyra looked at the queen in sheer disbelieve. “Why are you siding with him? He has just tried to kill you.”

“I am not siding with him. I would love to punish him for what he is making you go through, but I know that it would do more harm than good, to all of us. I just want you to know all the fact so that you can make the right decision.” Lagertha explained.

“What decision?”

“I will forgive both Ivar and Ubbe for conspiring against me. And you will have to decide whether or not you are willing to do the same. You’ve been happy in the past few weeks, I can tell. I don’t want to be the reason you give that up.” After that her expression lightened as an almost mischievous grin spread on her face. “And I’m still hoping that you can persuade Ivar not to kill me.” She said with a wink.

Thyra sighed. “I think the most recent events have proven that I can’t.”

“Take your time. And when you’re ready, talk to him.”

Thyra sighed again. “I will. Just give me a day or two. Can you endure him a little longer?”

The queen nodded, giving Thyra a motherly smile. “As long as you need me to.”

[pagan-raider]

Conquer You - Chapter 9

I had planned to write some fluff for this chapter to give them a break before drama catches up with them again, but reading through it I realized that it turned out quite angsty.

Everytime I sit down to write a new chapter, I have a certain plan in my head and every single time the outcome is something completely different. I swear I have no control over that story!

So thank you all so much for sticking with me anyways!!

@tomboy-till-death @ladyvampirelove @neverlands-little-lost-girl @itharley @samantha24015 @peculiarleah @skeletoresinthebasement @thenorns-themoirai @kirah31 @ruler-of-hel @onjacks-blog @nothingbuthappydays  @vixsyncynco @djisfantastic @kawennote09 @wantingdreamsnotreality @shondlenoodle @ducklyz @lovelynerdytraveler

First Chapter - Previous Chapter

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As Thyra woke up there was a weight on her chest that wasn’t supposed to be there. Her eyes flew open and she was about to panic when she realized that it was Ivar’s arm, tightly wrapped around her, cradling her to his chest. She slowly relaxed as the events of the past night came back to her mind, making a smile spread over her face. She wiggled a little to loosen Ivar’s grip and turned to face him. To her surprise he was awake and watching her, a small smile playing around the corners of his mouth.

“Good morning, my little shieldmaiden.”

She yawned. “For how long have you been awake?”

“A while.” He said absentmindedly, his fingertips drawing little circles on her upper arm.

“Why didn’t you wake me? It must be late already.” She asked, squinting her eyes against the sunlight that fell through the windows.

“It’s been a long night and there was no need to wake you.” Then his face turned into a crocked smile. “And besides, I couldn’t move. You were sleeping on my arm.”

“I’m sorry.” Thyra muttered, lifting her head.

“Nah, it’s fine. Since you’ve shifted your weight to turn around I can feel it again.”

Thyra laughed and playfully slapped his chest before snuggling against his shoulder. She couldn’t help but smile to herself. This was a completely new side of Ivar, one she hadn’t seen before and probably one that very few people would ever get to see.

Ivar pulled the furs up to shield them from the cool morning air since neither of them seemed to be willing to get up and light a fire. He drew her even closer to him and rested his head on top of hers. Thyra was surprised by how content and peaceful she felt. She wasn’t used to waking up in a man’s arms but she had to admit that it felt good. Ivar’s warmth and his strong arms around her made her feel safe and protected.

She had to slightly shake her head. This was so absurd! She had always taken pride in the fact that she could take care of herself and that she didn’t need anyone to protect her. But here she was, feeling so small against Ivar’s broad chest, coming to like the idea of him by her side, that he would always keep her safe. She shook her head again to chase those stupid and girlish thoughts away. Nothing was worked out between them, their future together more than uncertain. She wouldn’t allow herself to become weakened by him so easily.

For a long moment neither of them spoke or moved. They were just lying there cradled together enjoying the other’s warmth. The events of the past night replayed in Thyra’s mind and made a wide grin grow on her face, but with the content happiness came also curiosity.

“Ivar, can I ask you something?”

“Hmm.” It sounded as if he was half asleep.

“Last night before we fell asleep you said that it was different with me or something like that. What did you mean by it?”

She could feel him tense against her before he started to speak. “I can’t remember. I was probably just babbling in my sleep.”

Thyra thought about letting it go, it was obviously something he didn’t want to talk about. But she was also curious and felt like after she had confessed her feelings for him so openly and in front of everyone it was his turn to give a little, to take a small step towards her.

“No you were not.” She struggled out of his embrace to look at him. “Listen, Ivar. I came here last night because I really want to be with you. Hell, maybe you’re right, maybe this is what the gods want for me. But there are still so many things that are working against us. If we want to have any chance to make this work, then we have to trust each other. So please don’t shut me out.”

For a moment Ivar just glared at her, lips pressed together, reminding her so much of a stubborn child. But then - to much of her surprise - he sighed and his features softened visibly, although by the set of his jaw Thyra could tell how tense he still was.

It still took a while before he finally started to speak. “A few months ago my brothers brought me to that slave girl, Margrethe.” He paused and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as if he was readying for something unpleasant. “With her… I don’t know… I…” He paused again, looking frustrated. “I just couldn’t do it the way I should. I don’t know why.”

In that moment he looked so vulnerable, blue eyes wide and seemingly afraid how she would react. All the confidence he usually displayed so boldly was gone and Thyra realized that it was all an act. His witty jokes and his mockery, all that he used to hide how deeply hurt he actually was. She felt the urge to wrap him into her arms, to hold him close and tell him that everything was fine. Who would have thought that she would have those feelings for Ivar one day? She definitely wouldn’t have.

But before she had the chance to do anything Ivar continued to speak. “I thought I would never be able to please a woman and I never again wanted to share the bed with one. But then you showed up.” He had spoken fast, as if he wanted to get it all out in a hurry and just be over with it, but now he slowed, looking deep into her eyes. “Whenever I looked at you I couldn’t help but picture how it would be with you, whether it would be different. That day on the marketplace when you killed that man right in front of me, his blood splattering across your face, oh my fierce little shieldmaiden, never in my life have I been this hard. And I knew the gods were giving me a second chance.”

Thyra was almost surprised by his openness, even though she had demanded it, but then she realized that she shouldn’t be. Ivar was brave in every possible way. Wasn’t that part of why he fascinated her so much?

She slowly leaned in to place a soft kiss on his lips. “Last night was perfect to me.” She whispered.

Ivar smiled at her. It wasn’t his usual cocky grin, nor the intimidating evil smirk he so often wore on his face. It was a sincere smile of happiness and Thyra wondered if she had ever seen that on him before.

He raised his hand to caress her cheek, then slid it around to the back of her neck to pull her to him again. The kiss was soft at first but soon turned more hungry and heated. As they parted for air, Ivar kept her locked close to him and leaned his forehead against hers.

“How did you become Lagertha’s little pet?” He asked after a while. “Tell me something about you.”

Thyra grimaced at his choice of words but decided to let it go because he seemed to be sincerely interested. “My father died in Paris, fighting alongside yours. When he didn’t come back my mother said that she couldn’t stand the sight of our house any longer, not even that of Kattegat. It all reminded her too much of him, so we moved to Hedeby. I was five by that time. Lagertha offered my mother to work in her household and they became close friends. When I was twelve my mother was assaulted by thieves. She wasn’t a shiedmaiden, she never carried a weapon. They did not kill her but she was wounded, soon the wound got infected and she died anyways. It took days, I could watch her become weaker and weaker, a terrible way to die.” 

She had to pause as her feelings were threatening to overwhelm her. She usually did not talk about her mother and now that she did, it all came back to her. She fought the tears that were forming in her eyes but lost the battle. As the first tear ran down her cheek Ivar wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest.

“I know how you feel.” He whispered. “You don’t have to tell me more if you don’t want to.”

For the second time this morning Thyra was surprised by how safe and protected Ivar could make her feel. This time she didn’t fight it, she was too troubled at the moment.

She sniffled and waited until she felt ready to speak again. “On my mother’s death bed Lagertha promised her to take of me. And I promised myself not to die the way she did, to become a shieldmaiden and to make it as hard as possible for anyone to send me to Helheim. In Lagertha I had the perfect teacher and over the years she became a second mother to me.”

She half expected Ivar to say something nasty about Lagertha as he usually did, but he just kept stroking her back, seemingly lost in thoughts.

“What happened to those thieves?” He asked instead.

“Lagertha sent men after them, had them put in chains and brought them to me. Then she left, telling me to with them as I please.”

“And what did you do with them?” He wanted to know, eyes bright and expecting.

“I killed them. Slowly. One by one.” Even after all these years the memory eased her pain. She had done her duty, she had avenged her mother’s death. It hit her like lightning as she realized it was exactly that balm that had soothed her so many times - the knowledge that there had been justice - that she wanted to take away from Ivar. Her insides cringed at that realization but she couldn’t let him kill Lagertha, she just couldn’t.

To her relieve Ivar’s thoughts seemed to have gone in a complete opposite direction. He had his eyes closed and a pleased smile on his face.

“What are you thinking about?” She asked.

“About you.” He said, eyes still closed. “You are a Valkyrie, descended from Valhalla. All men should fear you.”

She grinned at that. “And do you fear me, Ivar the Boneless?”

“Sometimes.”  

Thyra didn’t get the chance to respond to that as the cabin door was opened. She pulled up the furs to cover herself as Ubbe stepped inside. Ivar pulled her closer to him, smugly grinning at his brother. Thyra didn’t like the thought of being showed off like a trophy, but after what Ivar had told her earlier she granted him that little triumph.

Ubbe gave an almost shy nod to greet her, then turned his attention to his younger brother. “Have you forgotten what we had planned for today? It is well past noon. Everyone is waiting for you.”

Ivar groaned. “Can we not do that tomorrow?”

“You are the one who keeps pressing about this. You are the one who doesn’t want to wait.” He spared Thyra a short side glance she couldn’t quite make sense of. “It all has to be well planned if we want to have a chance at success. You know that.”

Ivar rolled his eyes but nodded. “I’ll be there soon.”

“I’m counting on it, brother.” With that he left.

“What was that all about?” Thyra asked as soon as Ubbe had closed the door behind him.

“My brothers and I are assembling an army. It will be the largest army that has ever sail, from all over Scandinavia. And with that army we will go to England and avenge our father’s death.”

He had sounded completely calm and truthful, but the way his body had tensed against her’s left her thinking that this was only part of the truth.

She was still thinking about what he could be hiding from her as he suddenly rolled on top of her.

She let out a surprised squeal. “Ivar, what are you doing?”

He gave her a wolfish grin. “I have to practice my newly developed skills some more. I think that would be to both of our benefit.”

“But your brothers are waiting.” She objected half-heartedly, already feeling her body react to his weight on top of her.

“Let them wait.”

[pagan-raider]

Conquer You - Chapter 8

Here it is. Thanks everyone for being so patient with me. I hope this is worth the wait.

Warnings: I really think it is time for them to get to it. At least if Astrid doesn’t get in the way again. ;o)

@tomboy-till-death @ladyvampirelove @neverlands-little-lost-girl@itharley@samantha24015 @peculiarleah @skeletoresinthebasement@thenorns-themoirai @kirah31 @ruler-of-hel @onjacks-blog @nothingbuthappydays

If I forgot anyone or there’s anyone else who wants to be tagged just let me know.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 -    Chapter 7

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Thyra’s steps were surprisingly light as she made her way back to the great hall. There were no more secrets, no more sneaking around. She felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Still she was a little nervous about having to explain herself to Lagertha. The queen hadn’t seemed angry or disappointed when she had found out about her and Ivar but maybe she just hadn’t wanted to make a scene in front of everyone. And Thyra didn’t feel ready to discuss her feelings for Ivar with anyone yet, she still couldn’t fully understand herself why she was pulled to him with such irresistible force.

She wrapped Ivar’s cloak tighter around her body and inhaled deeply. His scent was giving her confidence, as if a part of him was here with her, helping her to get through this. She kept telling herself that once this was over she could go back to him and for the first time be with him without the nagging feeling of guilt that she had always felt before.

To her relief Thyra found the main room of the great hall deserted. She didn’t want to meet any of the shieldmaids as she was sure that after the events of this night the gossip about her and Ivar was already spreading.  

She knocked the door to the queen’s quarters.

“Come in.”

As Thyra entered the chamber Lagertha gestured towards one of the chairs.

“Have a seat.”

Thyra sat down and shifted uncomfortably, waiting for the queen to say something. But Lagertha took her time, lighting a few more candles before she sat down opposite of Thyra. For a torturous long moment the queen just looked at her, while Thyra couldn’t bring herself to meet her gaze. Instead she looked down on her hands, trying to hide her nervousness.

“So, you and Ivar?” Lagertha finally started.

Thyra didn’t know what to say and just nodded.

“I’ve been wondering for a while now who the lucky man might be.”

“You knew?” Thyra looked at the queen in surprise.

Lagertha smiled. “It was quite obvious. I know you, Thyra. You’ve been unconcentrated lately, daydreaming even. It is so unlike you that I knew there must be a reason. I just didn’t know who that reason might be.” She paused for a moment. “I’m happy for you two.”

Again Thyra was taken by surprise. “You’re not angry? He has threatened to kill you. And Astrid…”

“Astrid is still very young.” Lagertha interrupted her. “She doesn’t always understand my motives and she surely doesn’t speak for me. You are right, Ivar wants to kill me, but he has every reason to hate me. I killed his mother after all. It had to be done, but I don’t expect him to understand that. Just remember what you did to the men who were responsible for your mother’s death. It is normal that he feels this way. I hold no grudge against him.”

“So you don’t see it as a betrayal?” Thyra asked, still not quite believing that the queen would approve of her choice so easily.

Lagertha reached over and placed her hand on Thyra’s. “I see you as a daughter, you know that, right?”

Thyra nodded, feeling a lump built in her throat. She had felt as if she was failing Lagertha terribly and hadn’t expected to be forgiven immediately.

“All I want is to see you happy.” The queen continued. “If Ivar can make you happy, I’ll be the last person to take that away from you. You have to hold on to every bit of happiness you can get, for you never know how long it will last.” She said, her eyes turning distant.

Thyra wondered if she was thinking about her time with Ragnar. Lagertha never said it out loud, but by the way she talked about him, Thyra could tell that she still missed him.

She seemed to have been right, for the queen continued with a smile. “And what better match could I wish for you than a son of Ragnar Lothbrok.” She said with a wink, before turning serious again. “Ivar reminds me of his father in many ways, maybe most of all his brothers. He has Ragnar’s cunning mind and his strong will. Despite of his limitations I’m sure he will become a great man. I can understand why you are attracted to him.”

Thyra couldn’t help but smile. Lagertha not only accepting her choice, but approving of it gave her hope she had never thought was there. Maybe there was a small chance things would turn out well for all of them.

“He will not kill you. I won’t allow it.  I will make him listen. I will find a way.” Thyra said, even though she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to keep that promise.

“The gods decide our fate. If mine is to die by Ivar’s hands, there is nothing you can do against it. It’s not your fault, not even his. It’s just the way it is.” She smiled warmly at Thyra. “Now you should go. I’m sure he is waiting for you.”

 The way back to the cabin almost felt unreal. She would finally be with Ivar, the man she had thought would be her enemy – maybe he still was – but he was also the man she desired more than anyone else. She still couldn’t explain her feelings. Sure, he was ridiculously handsome, but there was more to it, something she couldn’t name. Maybe Ivar was right, maybe this was what the gods wanted for her.

The silvery moonlight illuminated her path through the sleeping town, making her feel even more as if she was in a dream. Thyra reached the cabin and thought about knocking the door, but Ivar knew that she was coming so she quietly opened it. To her surprise she almost ran into Ubbe and a very sleepy looking Sigurd. The older brother smiled as he recognized her but Sigurd looked at her as if a second head had just grown out of her shoulders.

After an awkward moment of silence Ubbe cleared his throat. “We’ll be in town for a couple of hours.” With that he disappeared into the dark, pulling a very displeased Sigurd behind him.

Thyra knew that he was just making excuses. It was still well before sunrise and everyone in town would be fast asleep. She wondered how Ivar had made them leave at this hour. But it didn’t matter much now anyways, all that mattered was that they were alone and would finally have the chance to actually talk things through and maybe get to something close to a conclusion.

She stepped into the cabin and closed the door behind her. It was almost dark inside and her eyes searched for Ivar. He was sitting in front of the fire place, watching her with eyes so blue that they almost seemed to glow in the dark. The fire had died down and the red glow of the coals danced across his skin, making him look even more alluring than usual.

Thyra felt her heart beat faster and her blood rush through her. Her brain seemed to have stopped working and all her logic was replaced by want. The longer she looked at him the more she abandoned her plans to talk to him. Here she was, alone with Ivar in the dark and all she could think about was how much she wanted to feel him. Tonight she would get what she wanted, everything else would have to wait. He had been denied her for too long.

She almost felt feverish as she slowly crossed the room.

“You came.” It sounded as if he had expected her not to.

Thyra just nodded and let herself sink to the floor next to him. Without hesitation she placed her hands on both sides of his face and softly pressed her lips to his. For a moment he seemed taken by surprise but then she could feel him smirk before he started to kiss her back eagerly.

Ivar surely didn’t need any second invitations as his hands slipped under her cloak and his tongue travelled along her bottom lip to demand access into her mouth. He started kneading her breasts through the thin fabric of her nightgown while he travelled kisses along her jawline and her neck.

Thyra arched into his touch, letting out soft moans. She started to tug on the hem of his shirt, desperate to reveal more of him. He raised his arms to allow her to pull it over his head. His tanned skin had a reddish shine in the glow of the coals and the play of light and shadow made his chest and arms look even more toned than usual. While Thyra still cherished the newly revealed view, Ivar started to fumble with the strings of her cloak and quickly abandoned it to the floor. He resumed kissing her and his hands sneaked under her nightgown, lightly caressing her thighs. He slid his hands higher and higher, over her hips and up her sides, never stopping to stroke and knead her flesh and lifting the thin fabric that was covering her in the process. Soon he slid it over her head and in the same motion gently bedded her on the floor.

Thyra felt a short moment of self-consciousness as she lay completely bare before him for the first time, while he towered over her, an admiring grin playing across his beautiful features. But before she had the time to blush, he bent down and covered her with his body. He caught her wrists and pinned them over her head as he began to kiss her mouth and neck before slowly moving down to her breasts. He alternated between sucking her nipple and letting his tongue swirl around it, causing her to moan and arch her back. She felt as if her skin was on fire and tried to squirm, but Ivar kept her down by resting more of his weight on top of her and refusing to release her hands. All she could do was sigh and moan, her breath coming fast and heavy.

Finally Ivar moved back up to kiss her lips again. He rolled his hips to make her open her legs so that he could comfortably settle between them. As soon as she obeyed he started to move his hips against hers and she could feel his erection rub against her exposed core, only covered by the soft leather of his pants. She sighed and arched her back to press herself against him as they moved against each other, feeling their bodies heat up even further.

Soon Ivar slipped one hand between them, but still managed to keep hers pinned down with the other. He rolled to his side and rested his weight on the arm that held her hands down to allow his other hand to sneak between her spread legs. He took his time caressing her inner thighs, every now and then letting his fingertips brush over her center, closely watching her reactions all the while. The sharp intake of breath as his index finger slipped between her wet folds made a smirk spread over his face. He started to move it up and down and every time he hit her clit Thyra let out pleasured mewls. Soon he had made it out as the right spot and started to draw little circles around it, giving it a light pinch every now and then.

Thyra could feel his eyes on her as she squirmed in pleasure. He watched her closely, studying her reaction and adjusting the movement of his hand immediately. He wasn’t clumsy at all, but he seemed so curious, so testing. Could it be that Ivar was inexperienced? He had always acted so cocky and self-assured that the thought had never occurred to her. And then there was his status and his good looks. She had assumed that the young women of Kattegat would stand in line to warm his bed.  

The next second all those thoughts disappeared as Ivar slowly dipped one finger inside of her. He pulled back quickly, but as Thyra lifted her hips to press into his hand he pushed it back inside and started pumping in and out.

“Ivar.” She moaned. “That feels so good. Don’t stop.”

He smirked and moved faster, soon inserting a second finger. His fingers were thick and calloused and Thyra could feel the heat starting to form a glowing ball inside of her that was readying to explode. Her moans turned into pleasured little screams as Ivar started to circle her clit with his thumb, while still pumping his fingers inside of her. She desperately pressed her hips into his hand as she felt her orgasm built up fast.

Ivar watched in awe as her whole body started to shake and tremble uncontrollably under his hands. Her moans grew louder and louder as she clenched around his fingers. He kept up his movements until she was coming down from her high and her body slowly stilled.

As Thyra opened her eyes, Ivar pulled his fingers out of her and brought them to his mouth to lick off her juices.

“You taste so sweet, my little shieldmaiden.” He whispered and as he bent down to kiss her she could taste herself on his lips.

Ivar finally released her hands and Thyra used the chance to let them travel over his stone hard chest, before pushing him over and rolling on top him. Her appetite for him was far from being sated.

She broke the kiss and sat up, moving down his body a little bit so that she could reach the strings of his pants. But as she started to untie them Ivar’s hand shot forward and closed around her wrist.

“Wait.”

She looked up in surprise and found him staring at her with almost panicked eyes.

“Ivar, what’s wrong?” She asked softly.

For a moment he seemed at a complete loss of words, then he bit his lip, looking as if he was considering something. Thyra could see him take a deep breath as he slowly released her wrist.

“Not like this.” He finally said, gesturing towards the bed.

Of course Thyra knew that there must be more behind his reaction, but she decided that it wasn’t the right time to ask about it. Instead she smiled at him. “If you wish.”

She stood up and watched as he pulled himself up on the bed, one more time admiring the grace he moved with and how easily he lifted up his body by only using the strength of his arms.

Ivar settled comfortably against the headboard and reached out his hand for her, pulling her into his lap. He captured her lips into another deep and hungry kiss, letting his hands roam her body. As he seemed to have relaxed again and started to trail kisses along her jawline, Thyra decided to give it another try. She reached down and began to untie his pants. Ivar leaned back and watched her, he still looked a bit skeptical but this time he didn’t stop her. Thyra could see his jaw clench as she slowly pulled his pants down. A hot shiver ran down her spine as his thick and perfect cock sprang free, hard and ready for her. She licked her lips and dragged his pants further down his legs.

Ivar just sat there, cautiously watching her, seemingly waiting for her reaction. She discarded the leather material to the floor and slowly crawled back up his body. She placed a soft kiss on his lips before whispering into his ear. “You’re perfect. I can’t wait to feel you.”

He gave her a smile that seemed a little forced. “I want you.” He said so quietly it was barely audible.

Thyra grinned at him before bending down to give the tip of his cock a long kitten lick. “I can see that.”

Ivar gave a long sigh as she started to lick him base to top. She looked up to him with a smirk before fully taking him into her mouth and slowly bobbing her head. She took him in as deep as possible, sucking and licking him all the while. Ivar’s eyes rolled back and an incomprehensible babble of shits and fucks fell from his lips. Soon he tangled one hand into her hair, trying to control her movements and make her take him even deeper. Thyra slapped his hand away and released his cock, knowing that if he indeed was lacking experience, he probably wouldn’t last very long. Instead she moved back up to position her entrance over his tip.

Her heated body told her to rush, to just sink down and let him fill her. But she forced herself to take her time. So many nights she had dreamed about being with Ivar that way and now she was determined to enjoy every single second of it.

She lowered herself just a tiny bit until her center ever so softly touched his tip and then moved back and forth, having him rub along her folds. Ivar sighed and bit his lip, looking as if she was torturing him. “Please.” He muttered, squeezing his eyes shut.

Thyra smirked at the sight of him so desperate and at her mercy. And as if he had read her thoughts Ivar’s eyes flew open and his hands grabbed her by the waist. Something in his face had changed, he looked determined now as he began to pull her down on him.

She gasped as his tip slid into her. “Ivar, gently. Please.”

He slowed a little but kept holding her tight, giving her no room to work against him. Now it was Thyra biting her lip as he slowly squeezed his way into her. She hadn’t slept with a lot of men before and he was thick. It was almost painful, but finally feeling him that way was everything she wanted and made even the pain appear pleasurable. They let out a simultaneous breath as their hips finally met, him filling her completely. Thyra experimentally rolled her hips against him and was rewarded with a low growl, while she gasped at the feeling of him slowly sliding in and out of her. She began to move more rhythmically and soon the pain fully turned into a feeling of heat and pleasure.  Ivar’s hands stayed locked around her waist, steadying her movements as he watched her move on top of him.

Soon Thyra’s movements got faster, her moans echoing through the cabin. She should have taken the smirk on Ivar’s face as a warning, for the next moment he pushed her over and rolled on top of her. He didn’t waste any time forcefully pushing back into her, making her let out a pleasured whimper. He quickly picked up his pace, his trusts becoming faster and harder. It felt heavenly and Thyra could feel the hated knot in her stomach starting to build the second time that night. She raised her hips to meet his trusts and it didn’t take long for them to find a rhythm together. Their bodies moved in perfect sync, a heated mess of sweaty skin and tangled limbs.

As Ivar’s trusts became more sloppy and his groans grew louder Thyra could tell that he was close. She took his hand and guided it down between them. He took the hint started to rub her clit while still slamming into her. The suddenly doubled sensation made her scream and tears cloud her vision. And as Ivar finally buried himself deep into her with one last forceful thrust, the feeling of his seed filling her was enough to drive her over the edge.

Both of their bodies were sweaty and shaking as Ivar collapsed on top of her. For a moment they just lay still, panting and unable to move. As their breathing began to slow, Ivar rolled off of her and pulled her to his chest.

“Oh my little shieldmaiden, I knew that you were made for me.” He whispered into her ear.

All she could manage was to hum in agreement, she was too relaxed and exhausted to speak. She found it odd how save she felt in Ivar’s arms, willing to forget all their troubles for one night. But her tired mind wasn’t able to follow the thought any further.

Her eyelids soon turned heavy and the last thing she heard before she drifted off to sleep was Ivar mumbling. “I knew it would be different with you.”

[pagan-raider]

Conflict of Interests

I got this anonymous prompt for my 1500 follower prompt party and it simply said “Ivar and Thyra in a modern AU”, so here’s what I came up with.

This is obviously based on my fic Conquer You but it’s not necessary to have read it to understand this one.

@tomboy-till-death @ladyvampirelove @neverlands-little-lost-girl @itharley @samantha24015 @peculiarleah @skeletoresinthebasement @thenorns-themoirai @kirah31 @ruler-of-hel @onjacks-blog @djisfantastic @kawennote09 @wantingdreamsnotreality @shondlenoodle @ducklyz @lovelynerdytraveler @stormwxthskin @readsalot73 @vixsyncynco @dina-m16 @tenps @red608 @somethinginthewayiam 

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Thyra wasn’t big on dates. The whole concept seemed weird to her. In fact she considered trying to get to know random strangers and hoping to find either love or even just some fun that way a waste of time. Maybe one day she would meet the right person and if not, that was also fine with her. She had a job that she loved and that kept her too busy to be lonely. There simply was no time or need for dates.

But then somehow she had ended up here, in this fancy restaurant, clad in one of the two dresses she owned. She didn’t know much about the man in front of her except that he seemed to be quite wealthy for inviting her into the most expensive restaurant in town and that he had the bluest and most fascinating eyes she had ever seen.

They had met at some kind of political event, Thyra didn’t even know how to name it correctly. She had only been there because her best friend, who was running for a seat in the city council, had begged her to come. The whole thing had turned out to be as lame as she had assumed it to be, so she had quietly escaped to the bar to drown a few drinks. That was when he seemed to appear out of thin air. He had dropped into the seat next to her and ordered a whiskey, looking as bored as she felt.

“Not interested in politics?” She was startled by him suddenly addressing her.

And that was when she had first gazed into those mesmerizing blue eyes. She had been thankful for some distraction and soon a casual conversation had evolved. She had learned that the man who had simply introduced himself as Ivar owned some kind of company and had to at least pretend that he was interested in this kind of social event to meet people and make business deals. It had been pleasant to talk to him and he had been charming but Thyra was still surprised when he asked her to go out for dinner with him.

“Let’s say Friday, eight o’clock. I’ll pick you up.” He had said, not really giving her the chance to say no.

Many times she had half a mind to call him say that she couldn’t go and just come up with some excuse, but for some reason she couldn’t bring herself to pick up the phone and dial his number. She had to admit that he had made her curious, not only because he was ridiculously handsome. His effortless confidence had impressed her and there was some air of mystery around him that drew her interest.

So now here she was, sitting across from him and trying not to drown in the blue oceans that were his eyes. Not wanting to stare, she managed to tear her gaze off him looked out of the window instead. The restaurant was on the penthouse floor of one of the highest buildings in town and the windows went from floor to ceiling. They were overlooking a beautiful skyline as the sun was setting in the background. Ivar sure knew how to impress.

“You saved me that evening, you know?” He said, drawing her attention back to him. “If I hadn’t met you I would have gotten terribly drunk to even somewhat entertain myself and who knows what would have happened then.”

Thyra laughed at that. “Completely wasted in front all the important people of the whole city. What a way to bring your company forward! You’re not really a tactician, are you?”

He groaned. “Usually I would send brother to events like this. He’s much better at meaningless sweet talk than I am. I only intervene when he’s not successful.”

“Because the boss is more intimidating?” She asked with a smile.

A dark smirk appeared on Ivar’s face. “Something like that.” After a pause he added. “Let’s not talk about me so much. What do you do for a living?”

“I work in law enforcement.” Thyra said, taking a sip of her wine.

“Interesting. Is that more of an office job or do you actually go out and hunt the bad guys?”

Thyra tensed a little but decided to be honest. “I’m in a SWAT team.” Usually men reacted to that in one of two ways. They either found it funny or didn’t believe her at first.

The corners of Ivar’s mouth twitched up a little, but to her surprise he looked more curious than amused. “That sounds like fun. I’d love to hear more about it.”

Before Thyra could reply to that, Ivar’s phone started to buzz. He rolled his eyes as he looked at the display, then he gave her an apologetic look. “I’m really sorry but I have to take this one.”

She smiled and nodded, presuming it was a business call.

“Lothbrok” He said, holding the phone to his ear.

Thyra felt her mouth fall open. Had she just heard right? During her training there had been a full lecture on the Lothbrok family, who ran one of the biggest companies in the country but was also known to have direct connections to organized crime. Back then the business had been run by the infamous Ragnar Lothbrok. About a year ago it had been in all news when Ragnar had been found murdered and in police circles it was widely known that his son Ivar had taken over the company as well as his criminal activities. More than that even, as the brutality with that those crimes were executed had clearly risen during the past year. Thyra couldn’t believe she had not recognized him, for she was sure she had seen his picture on either TV or case files more than just once.

“Alright, I’ll call you back in a minute.” She heard him say before he put the phone down and shifted his attention back to her. “That was my brother. I’m really sorry but I have to call him back. I hope you’ll excuse me for a few minutes.”

She nodded, trying to hide her inner turmoil. “Of course. It seems to be important.”

He flashed her a crocked grin. “A matter of life and death you could say.”

Thyra smiled politely, even though after what she had just found out she didn’t find that funny at all.

Ivar grabbed his crutches and left the table, leaving Thyra alone with her twirling thoughts.

So she was on a date with Ivar Lothbrok, who was on the very top spot of the list of people her boss wanted convicted and imprisoned. She knew of many crimes ranging from threatening officials to murder that his family was associated with, but there was never enough evidence. Ivar was smart. And dangerous.

She knew she should have left as long as he was gone but for some reason she couldn’t. He had fascinated her too much and she was curious how he would react to her confronting him.

She didn’t have to wait long until he came back. “Sorry again.” He muttered dropping back into his chair.

Thyra raised her chin, giving him a challenging look. “So, you’re Ivar Lothbrok.” She accused.

He cocked his head to the side, a small grin playing around his mouth. “Yes. Is that a problem?”

“What do you think?” She said, trying not to be affected by the almost mischievous look on his face.

“Well, a member of a SWAT team dating a man that several police departments all over the country are trying to convict of various crimes, I think that’s what people would call a conflict of interests.” His smirk turned into a devilish grin. “But you’re still here. You had the chance to run but you didn’t, so I guess I charmed you enough to make you take the risk.” He gave her a wink. “Maybe you even want to come home with me. You could be the first cop to ever put handcuffs on me.”

[pagan-raider]

Conquer You - Chapter 10

Huge thanks to everyone still reading and commenting after ten chapters. You are all the best and always keep me motivated to fight to finish this thing one day.

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@ivartheboneme @dina-m16 

First Chapter - Previous Chapter

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The past few weeks had been surprisingly peaceful. Thyra had spent most of her time training her shieldmaidens or working on the growing defenses around the town. It was also her responsibility to ensure the queen’s safety and that task got more complex every day as more and jarls and kings arrived with their men to join the Great Army.

Ivar hadn’t promised too much, people from all over Scandinavia were gathering in Kattegat and the town was literally about to burst. It was exciting to meet all those foreign people and there were feasts and gatherings almost every other night.

Every precious minute when she wasn’t on duty she spent with Ivar. Being in his presence had become the most natural thing in the world to her, even though there were still things that stood between them, things they did not talk about. She knew that one day they would have to face those problems, but for now she was okay with pushing them away and enjoying what little time they had together. It had taken Thyra quite a while and some heated arguments to become accustomed to Ivar’s dark moments and sudden mood swings, but in between yelling and throwing things at each other, there were many happy moments, when they lay in each other’s arms and dreamt about future battles and victories. Ivar had even talked Ubbe into putting up a curtain that separated a corner of their cabin from the main area to give them some more privacy.

But times when they were really alone with each other were still rare and precious as Ivar too was busy most of the day. He had to make plans and arrangements for the growing army. Not battle plans, they were still far from that, but an army of this size required an incredible huge amount of logistic. And since it was him and his brothers who were assembling the army, he also had to be there to greet the new arrivals. Even though he left most of the talking to Ubbe, he was present every single time, watching all these kings and jarls and sizing them up without them even noticing.

There weren’t many opportunities to sneak away together and that the town was so crowded didn’t make it any better, people were basically everywhere.

Today was one of those rare opportunities. Lagertha was holding a feast and about everyone would be there tonight. Ivar had made clear that he had no intention in seeing that “usurping old whore” and had convinced Thyra to meet him at the cabin instead.  

Thyra tapped her foot on the floor. Where in Odin’s name was Ivar?

She had found the cabin deserted, no sign of Ivar or one of his brothers. At first she had been sure he would be there soon, but after waiting for what felt like hours she was beginning to doubt it. Had he forgotten? That would have been very much unlike Ivar. Maybe he was still busy. But everyone was at the feast already, the town and the many camps around it had been almost empty. She shook her head deciding that it didn’t make much sense to wait any longer. After all Ivar knew where to find her.

As soon as the great hall came into sight she knew that something was wrong. The main doors were locked and guarded by men she did not know. Thyra rounded the hall, only to find that it was the same at both back doors. Worry began to rise. Something was happening in there, and it probably wasn’t anything good. She had to find a way to get inside.

Instinctively she reached over her shoulder to pull one of her sword from its sheath, but her hand closed around nothing but thin air. She hissed a curse as she realized that all her weapons were inside the great hall, neatly hanging next to her bed. She hadn’t bothered to take her swords with her as she went to meet with Ivar. All she had on her was a hunting knife. She sighed and rubbed her face with her hand. She would have to improvise and she would have to do it fast, her mind was already running wild with various scenarios of one of the foreign kings trying to kill Lagertha to take the throne.

The back door at the eastern side of the hall led straight into the main room, so it was the one it had to be since Thyra didn’t want to be bothered with more locked doors. She walked towards the guards in a way she hoped would look casual, praying to all the gods that they would not recognize her.

“Is the feast already over? I’m dying for a horn of mead.”

That seemed to amuse them. “No, it is not over. But it will be very soon, believe me.” One of them said with an evil grin.

She gulped, feeling her worries only worsen. “Then let me in before I come too late.” She suggested, trying to sound as calm as possible.

Before the man in front of her could reply to that, the other guard nudged him with his elbow. “Don’t you see who that is? It’s her. Remember what Ivar said!”

Thyra felt her stomach turn at his words. No, that can’t be true! Ivar would never betray me like that. She tried to fight the dark premonition that was forming in her head. Desperation was threatening to overwhelm her but she couldn’t allow that now, she had to do something, they had recognized her.

She slammed her fist into the closest guard’s face and was behind him before he had fully comprehended what was happening. He held his bleeding nose, but other than that did not dare to move as he felt the cold iron of her knife against his throat.

“Drop your weapons! Both of you!” She commanded.

The two men looked at each for a moment but then their swords clattered to the ground.

Thyra used the butt of her knife to knock out her captive and hurried to pick up his sword. The second guard didn’t waste any time either and made a jump towards his sword. Thyra was faster than him and when he came back up her sword descended to the back of his neck, cleanly separating his head from the rest of his body.

Knowing that there wasn’t a second to waste, Thyra threw herself against the doors, but all she managed was to hurt her shoulder. The doors were locked from inside with a heavy wooden bar. She knew she had lost the chance of surprise but she had no other choice, she had to get inside. To her relief her sword fit into the small slit between the doors, she pressed it upwards with all her strength. For a moment nothing seemed to move, but right when she thought she had to give up, she managed to lift the bar. Her arms were trembling when she heard it slide out of it’s hold and hit the floor on the other side.

She didn’t dare to take the time to catch her breath and pushed the doors open. After having made so much noise she wasn’t really surprised to see half a dozen swords pointed at her. It occurred to her that maybe it would have been better to take the time to make a proper plan instead of running blindly into her own ruin and in the end being no help at all. But it was too late now.

She risked a quick glance at the throne and let out a relieved breath when she saw Lagertha sitting there. The queen looked unequivocally tense but seemed to be unharmed so far. She had no time to feel relieved as she had to shift her attention back to the warriors in front of her as the first started to attack. There were many of them, more than Thyra could count while fighting them. All of her shieldmaidens were held back by hostile men. Ivar’s men, she realized with a strange feeling of loss that hurt more than a sword right into her guts. She shook her head and determinedly pushed those thoughts away, they were of no help right now. All of her concentration was needed right here and now, as she had to rapidly whirl her sword around to block the blows of her many opponents. She knew that she wouldn’t last very long, she had sent three of them to the ground but for each man she killed or wounded another joined in. All she could think of was to get to Lagertha’s side, so she slowly moved sideways, step by step getting closer to the throne.

As the crowd parted a little she was able to catch a short glimpse at Ivar. Even though he must have noticed the turmoil, his eyes were locked on Lagertha. The hate and determination she saw in them made Thyra’s blood run cold. He looked like a predator that had cornered his prey and was ready to attack. Thyra wondered if he had seen her, if he knew that it was her fighting his men, either way she couldn’t tell. Her lack of concentration was quickly punished as the handle of a sword collided with her face and a split second later she felt a sharp pain in her right thigh. She stumbled but managed not to fall. Biting her teeth, she shifted her sword into her left hand, grateful that she was used to fight with both hands, and pressed the right one onto the bleeding wound.

Thyra knew that it didn’t look good for her. The wound was deep and she could feel the blood running down her leg, soaking her pants. Her arms became heavier with every passing second and it felt as if her strength was leaking out of her just like the blood.

She felt a short moment of sadness because she hadn’t gotten to achieve the fame she had always dreamed of. Had Odin even noticed her yet?

This is my last chance. I have to try harder! She thought stubbornly and with the will not to give up yet came a last flash of energy.

She spat blood at the warriors narrowing in on her. “Common you bastards!” She growled through her teeth.

What little strength she had left she put into her last attack, her blade once more whirling around mercilessly. She grinned as two more men went to the ground, only seconds after one another. Odin! Father, can you see me? Then the world began to narrow down on her. There was another sharp pain just below her ribs but she felt it only for seconds before she was drifted to far off to even notice. The last thing that entered her consciousness was someone yelling “Stop!”.

Then her surroundings turned into a black nothingness.

[pagan-raider]

Conquer You - Chapter 7

I finally managed to finish the next chapter. I’m really grateful for anyone who is still reading this. Your likes and comments are the air I breath. Thank you all so much!!

And a special thanks to my talented sister @underthenorthstar who made this awesome moodboard.

@tomboy-till-death @ladyvampirelove @neverlands-little-lost-girl @itharley@samantha24015 @peculiarleah @skeletoresinthebasement @thenorns-themoirai @kirah31 @ruler-of-hel

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

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Thyra woke up to angry voices in front of her door. The room around her was quiet and dark, it must have been still in the middle of the night. She listened closely and let out a groan as she recognized Astrid’s voice. Can’t she tell off the servants during daytime? Thyra hadn’t slept much the past two nights since Ivar had told her to leave. She was altogether exhausted from tossing around in her bed, waiting for the sleep that refused to come, the image of Ivar’s icy eyes glaring at her never going away. With a sigh she pulled the blanket over her head and closed her eyes, only to jump up straight when she heard another voice – Ivar. She couldn’t understand what he was saying but it was undoubtedly him.

Her exhaustion left immediately and was replaced by curiosity and worry as Astrid spoke again, her voice urgent and angry. Within a second Thyra was out of her bed and at the door. The scene that met her when she opened it made her mouth fall open. Ivar was sitting on the steps that led up to the throne and Astrid was right in front of him staring daggers at him, while three shieldmaidens had their bows ready, sharp arrowheads pointing straight at Ivar.

“What is going on? Astrid, what are you doing?” Thyra asked, unable to comprehend what was happening.

Ivar turned to look at her as she approached and Thyra thought his features had softened for a moment before he resumed glaring at Astrid with nothing but hate and disgust on his face, but maybe she had just imagined it.

Astrid on the other hand gave her a triumphant and self-pleased grin. “Your lover here” - she literally spat out the word -  “sneaked in here in the middle of the night, intending to kill our queen. Luckily we could stop him before it was too late.”

Thyra stared from Astrid to Ivar and to the arrows still pointed right at him. Her heart felt as if an icy fist had closed around it. Could Astrid be right? Ivar had sworn to kill Lagertha and Thyra had no doubt that he intended to keep his promise. She herself had found him here in the great hall at night just a few weeks ago and never told anyone. Had her feelings for him made her turn a blind eye to the threat he was representing? Guilt and worry mixed and almost made her stomach turn. She searched for Ivar’s gaze but he refused to look at her.

“Go back to bed, Thyra.” Astrid said. “We can deal with him without you. You don’t have to watch.” She added with an evil grin.

Cold fear took hold of Thyra. Would Astrid really go this far? She tried her best to keep her voice from trembling. “We should wake Lagertha. She’ll decide what to do with him.”

“We should end this, now and for all. And you should finally decide which side you are on.” With that Astrid raised her hand, ready to give the shieldmaidens the signal to release their arrows.

Ivar just stared at them with defiant eyes, chin held high, no emotion showing on his face, while Thyra watched with growing terror. Right as she thought the tension would break her, the door in the very back of the hall flew open and Lagertha marched in.

“What in the name of Odin is going on in here?” She demanded to know.

Astrid gave the same explanation she had given Thyra, her hand still in the air ready to give the signal if her captive tried to move.

“Why wasn’t I informed?” Lagertha asked.

“I did not want to disturb you.” Astrid said. “And there’s only one way to deal with an assassin anyways.”

“It was my order that no one was to harm the sons of Ragnar.” Lagertha reminded her.

“Lagertha, he has sworn to kill you and now he comes here in the middle of the night, armed. I think his intentions are clear. You can’t ignore this threat any longer.” Astrid looked at the queen in an almost conspiratorially way. “Let me deal with him.”

Thyra was shocked to see Lagertha actually consider what Astrid had suggested. The queen’s face was mostly unmoved as the seconds passed. To Thyra it felt like hours, she didn’t even realize she was biting her lip until she tasted blood. The quiet in the great hall felt almost unbearable. Thyra knew that Lagertha wouldn’t take that decision lightly, but once she had made up her mind it was carved in stone. Just a single nod of her head would be enough for Astrid to give the signal. Thyra felt as if her light nightgown was tightening around her chest as fear and tension made it hard for her breath.

Maybe she should just let this happen. Everything would be back to normal. It was her duty to protect the queen, no matter the cost. Under any other circumstances she would be in Astrid’s place, not hesitating to kill whoever was threatening Lagertha. But things had changed, her life wasn’t as easy as it used to be. And deep inside of her she knew that she couldn’t let this happen, that she would never be able to forgive herself if she did. Astrid was right, she had to make a decision.

“No.” She said firmly, stepping between Ivar and the shieldmaidens, the seer’s words echoing in her head: There’s only one path for you know.

Suddenly all the eyes were on her, surprise written in all of them. Ivar was no exception. He looked at her in pure shock, but his expression soon turned into one of awe as she stepped closer to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

Astrid was the first to come out of her baffled state. “I knew it.”

“What does that mean, Thyra?” Lagertha raised an eyebrow at her, looking confused.

“It means that I have made my decision.” She announced with a glare at Astrid before turning back to Lagertha. “And that I won’t allow anyone to harm this man.”

To her surprise the queen’s features slowly turned into a knowing smile.

“Bows down.” Lagertha ordered the shieldmaidens. Then her gaze fixated on Ivar. “Why have you come here, Ivar Ragnarson?”

Ivar just raised his chin and glared darkly at her, clearly not intending to answer her questions. Thyra shot him a pleading look, worried that his stubbornness and barely hidden aggression would make the queen rethink her decision.

Instead of answering Lagertha’s question, he turned to look at Thyra and his features softened a little. “I came to see you.” He paused, his eyes darting around the room, clearly he was considering whether or not to continue. “I came to tell you that I was sorry.” He said, much more quiet now.

Thyra felt her mouth fall open. That was the last thing she had expected. She was speechless. He had almost gotten himself killed, only to apologize to her? It was so unlike his usual demeanor that she felt her heart melt. All she could do was smile at him, hoping that her eyes would tell him what she wasn’t able to put in words at moment.

“Thyra, you will escort Ivar out. Make sure that he goes home.” Lagertha’s voice pulled her back into reality. “And come straight back.” She added with a small grin. “I want to talk to you.”

Thyra nodded and Lagertha strode back to her chambers, making clear that the issue was settled.

The relief Thyra felt was almost physical, as if a deep ache was leaving her and seeing Astrid’s grumpy face only made it better.

Ivar shot Astrid one last hateful glare before he let himself down to the ground and started crawling towards the door. From now on Lagertha wouldn’t be the only one to sleep with one eye open, Thyra was sure of that.

She followed Ivar out into the chilly night. They both stayed quiet as they made their way through the sleeping town. Every now and then Thyra felt Ivar’s eyes on her and it was only then that she became aware that she was only clad in a thin nightgown that was barely hiding anything. After the troubling events of the night she hadn’t thought of putting on a cloak.

They had almost reached the cabin as Ivar broke the silence. “Don’t worry, Lagertha still trusts you.”

Thyra looked at him in surprise. “How do you know?”

He gave her a look as if the question was entirely stupid. “Do you really think that she would have sent you away with me if she thought you were conspiring with me against her?”

“Probably not.” Thyra had to agree.

They soon reached the cabin and Thyra was desperately thinking about something to say. There was so much that needed to be said, but still she couldn’t find any words to express how she felt. Tonight Ivar had proved that he genuinely cared for her – even if it was in a stupid way. She still couldn’t believe it, Ivar the Boneless, who she had thought cared for no one except himself and his own wants, had risked his life only to apologize to her. And now she had stated her feelings for him in front of everyone. How would that change their relationship? Was there even the slightest chance that they could be together? They were still on different sides. If one day Ivar really tried to kill Lagertha, it would still be her duty to do anything to stop him. The seer’s words came back to her mind. She had to stop him. And preferably without having to kill him.

“Wait here.” Ivar interrupted her thoughts and before she could say anything he had slipped into the cabin.

Only seconds later he came back out and handed her a dark cloak. “It is cold. And even more important I don’t want any other man to see you like this.” He said with a smirk.

As she took the cloak from him he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her down to him. His hand travelled up her arm and around her neck as he pulled her closer. Soon his lips melted into hers and Thyra let out a small sigh, only now fully realizing how much she had missed him. His hands traveling down her body made her skin heat up, the thin fabric of her nightgown barely being a barrier between his curious hands and the curves of her body. She softly moaned into his mouth and tangled her hands into his growing hair. All she wanted was to stay like this forever and forget about everything else, but she knew that if she really wanted a future with Ivar, she couldn’t lose her grip on reality. There was still so much that they needed to work out.

She granted herself another moment to take in the taste of his mouth and the feeling of his body against hers, then she steeled herself and broke the kiss. “Ivar, we really need to talk.”

He frowned for a moment but then nodded. “I know.” He searched for her gaze. “Once your interrogation is over, will you come back to me?” He almost seemed fearful that she could say no.

“I will. I promise.”

[pagan-raider]

Sneak Peak for Chapter 12 of Conquer You

“How bad is it?” Ubbe asked after a while, pointing at her limping leg.

“I’m fine.” Thyra just said, trying to ignore the burning sensation the spread from the wound on her thigh. If she was completely honest she was beginning to doubt her decision, but she would have rather bitten off her tongue than to admit that. And her worry for Ivar kept pushing her forward.

Ubbe didn’t seem convinced in the slightest but he dropped the topic. “Be careful. Some of these trees might fall.” He said instead and shifted his concentration back to his surroundings.

[pagan-raider]

Sneak peak for the next chapter of Conquer You

Now Thyra touched the spot as well and her fingers came back with some small brownish crumbs. Lagertha was right, it looked like dried blood. Before the older woman leaned back in her chair she picked up something from besides Thyra’s pillow and eyed it curiously. It was a small bone platelet with runes carved into it.

“What is that?” Thyra asked.

“Rune magic.” Lagertha said, quickly putting the thing back down as if she had just found out that it was poisonous. “It is a special way to ask the gods for favors. It’s very powerful but also dangerous if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing. The only person I know who knows how to do it is Floki. He must have taught Ivar.” She looked as if that thought was truly worrying her.

[pagan-raider]

Conquer You - Chapter 6

@tomboy-till-death @ladyvampirelove @neverlands-little-lost-girl @itharley @samantha24015 @peculiarleah @skeletoresinthebasement @thenorns-themoirai @kirah31 @ruler-of-hel

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5

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Thyra slowly opened the door to the small hut at the outskirts of Kattegat. Had it been a good idea to come here? She wasn’t sure. She wanted answers but she was also afraid of them. She took a deep breath to fight her nervousness and stepped into the hut. It was almost dark inside. Thick curtains kept the sunlight out and the only light was coming from two small candles in the back corners. She blinked and waited for her eyes to adjust to the twilight.

“What do you want?” A dark voice asked.

“I have a question for you, oh wise one.” She said into the darkness.

“Everyone comes here with questions.”

Thyra could make out a hooded figure, sitting on an old wooden table. She had seen the seer in town before but being alone with him in the dark hut felt a bit creepy. She had heard so many stories about him since she had arrived in Kattegat. People said he was supposed to have died many lifetimes ago, but still he was alive. In a strange way he was connected to the gods, who shared their wisdom with him and he shared some of it with the people who came to seek his council, but usually in riddles she had been told. Thyra had never talked to a seer before and she had hesitated to come here for a long time, but she had to get some answers. She knew her fate was already written. The norns had spun the strings a long time ago. But she needed to know if the path, she had not yet dared to go down, was the one she was destined for. It was a tempting path for sure but she needed no seer to know that it would also hold hurt, loss and terror.

“Allow me one question and I will no longer bother you.” She said to the old man.

He made an annoyed grunt but gestured for her to come closer. “What is it you desire to know so badly, Thyra Halvarsdottir?”

Thyra took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. “Am I destined to tie a bond with the son of Ragnar Lothbrok?”

The old man gave a croaky laugh. “If that is your only question, you have wasted your time coming here because you already know the answer.”

Thyra gritted her teeth. “No I don’t.” She insisted.

“You know very well that you have already passed the point where you have a choice. There is only one path for you now, Thyra blóðug rós.”

So her fate was fixed. Thyra blood rose he had called her. What could that mean? But before she could ask about it, the old man continued.

“Even though there’s only one path to go, it can lead you to two different places. The first is filled with happiness. You will be a queen and have sons and daughters. But you only get there if can prevent him from keeping his promise to another woman. If you can’t, you will end up in the other place which is dark and miserable because you won’t be able to forgive him but you also won’t be able to walk away from him.”

Thyra closed her eyes to let what she had just heard sink in. Ivar was promised to another woman? The thought broke her heart more than she would ever admit, even to herself. She knew she had no claim over him, but she also knew that there was something between them. Something she couldn’t name. Some dark and primeval sort of attraction. Or had he just played his games with her?

The seer started to laugh as if he had read her thoughts. “It is a different kind of promise than the one he has made to you, Thyra blóðug rós.”

That name again. But she had more important things to figure out now. Ivar had never promised anything to her, at least not with his words. Why did this old man have to be so damn confusing? She wearily rubbed her face to get all her conflicting feelings under control. What promise could Ivar have made to another woman?

Then all of a sudden it hit her. Lagertha! Ivar had promised to kill Lagertha. It had been the first time Thyra had laid eyes on him. He had boldly challenged the queen to single combat and as she refused he had promised her that one day he would kill her. A shiver ran down her spine at the memory of that day. She hadn’t known back then but from that moment on she had been under his spell with no chance to escape. And now she had learned that he was her destiny. They even had a chance of being happy together. She couldn’t help but smile at the thought, for it was so absurd and alluring at the same time. But the seer was right, she could never forgive him if he killed Lagertha. She was not only her queen, she was like a mother to her. She had to stop him.

“How?” She looked at the old man. “How do I stop him?”

The seer shook his head. “You all want me to solve all your problems, but I have already said more than I should and I will say no more.”

With that he expectantly held his palm out to her.

 Thyra was glad to leave the ghoulish atmosphere of the seer's hut behind. What she had learned left her deep in thoughts. So Ivar had been right. The gods had decided to tie her fate to his and who was she to question their judgement. In a way she was relieved that she no longer had to fight her feelings, for there was no point in arguing with the gods, even Lagertha and Astrid must understand that. But she still felt guilty for sneaking around behind Lagertha's back.

To Thyra's entire surprise Astrid had kept her word and hadn't told the queen about what she had seen in the cabin. Instead she had said that she hadn't found Ivar that night. They had brought him to the great hall to be questioned the next morning and Thyra had made sure that she was busy at the training grounds during that time. She had tried to avoid Ivar for the past few days, afraid that Astrid would find out and act on her threat to tell the queen. But things were different now, she had to go and see him.

Her steps felt surprisingly light as she guided them towards the cabin Ivar shared with his brothers. She found him just outside of it, seemingly trying to bring in some firewood which looked like a great struggle because he had one arm full of wood and had to pull himself forward with the other.

He looked up as he noticed her approach and to her surprise his features hardened. “What do you want?”

“I want to talk to you.” She said and crouched down next to him. “Let me help you with that.”

He shot her an icy look. “I don't need your help.” His voice was cold and repellent.

Thyra froze, perplexed by how much his behavior towards her and changed in just a few days. It took her a few moments to find her voice. “There's something I have to tell you.”

Ivar turned away from her and looked to the ground. “Whatever it might be, I don't want to hear it.”

“What is going on? Why are you like that?” She asked, fully confused by the way he was acting.

He slowly turned to face her again and his eyes were blazing with anger, even hate maybe. Thyra instinctively moved away from him. He pulled himself up on a bench to be more on eye level with her and looked around to see if anyone was within hearing range before he turned his cold eyes back to her.

“You ran away from me.” He snapped. “And not for the first time. Now you come and want to talk to me? Obviously only as long as nobody is around. Of course you don't want to be seen with the cripple! What did you tell your friend Astrid? Hmm? That I forced you?”

His voice was full of anger and disdain but there was also hurt. He hid it well but it was still there and Thyra felt a wave of guilt roll over her. The way she had acted it must have really seemed like she had abandoned him after Astrid had found them together.

“It's not like that. I didn't mean to....” She started, but Ivar interrupted her. “You don't have to explain. I don't want to hear it. Now leave.”

She was desperate to make him listen to her. That he thought that she had turned away from him because of the fact that he was crippled broke her heart. “Ivar, please.”

She could see him clench his jaw. “I said leave!” He was almost yelling now.

For a few moments Thyra was unable to move, while he stared at her with an icy glare. As she felt tears forming in her eyes she quickly turned around so that he wouldn't see. She felt like her heart had been ripped from her chest but she would not cry in front of him or anyone else. She bit on her teeth so hard she was afraid her jaw would break and started to walk down the path on weak knees.

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These two stubborn ass kids. I swear I’ll get grey hair from writing this story.

I hope y’all like it anyways.

[pagan-raider]

Conquer You - Chapter 5

Instead of writing this I should have done stuff for the uni, but the dark prince demanded my attention and we all know that he always gets what he wants.

Warnings: Well, nothing you’re not used to if have read some Ivar fics before

@tomboy-till-death @ladyvampirelove @neverlands-little-lost-girl @itharley @samantha24015 @peculiarleah @skeletoresinthebasement @thenorns-themoirai @kirah31 @ruler-of-hel

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4

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Light raindrops fell from the darkening sky as Thyra walked through the town. Far off she could hear the low rumble of the approaching thunderstorm but tonight her thoughts seemed more stormy than any bad weather she had ever seen. Every step took her closer to the cabin although she knew she was about to make another mistake. She kept telling herself that she was only going there to get answers about the attempted murder this morning, but the truth was that she wanted to see Ivar. She wanted to be close to him even though she knew she shouldn’t. He was like a magnet and she was pulled towards him by the laws of nature, almost against her own will. Almost.

Thyra took a deep calming breath before she knocked the door.

“Come in.” It was clearly Ivar’s voice.

She opened the door and stepped inside, curiously looking around the cabin. It was simple but clean, and more tidy than she had expected from three young men living together. Ivar was sitting on a wooden bench in front of the fireplace. He seemed to have been oiling the leather straps he used to tie his legs together.

Thyra was still standing by the door, unsure what to do, while Ivar just looked at her, seemingly waiting for her to do or say something. She cursed herself for the lack of confidence she was displaying. She was here for answers and he would give them. She took a few more steps towards him, leaning her hip against the table and crossing her arms in front of her.

“Where are your brothers?”

“They’ve gone hunting.” He said, a small smile playing around the corners of his mouth. “They won’t be back before tomorrow afternoon.” He smirked and raised one eyebrow in a suggestive way.

Thyra shot him a warning look, although she had to swallow hard.

“So what do you know about what happened this morning?” She said, quickly changing the topic.

Ivar said nothing and patted the bench next to him, his face completely neutral now.

Thyra tensed. She knew she could not trust herself if she got that close to him.

“Do you want me to tell you what I know or not?” Ivar asked, obviously sensing her hesitation.

She sighed. She knew she would have to play his little game if she wanted to get any answers from him. A little thrill went through her as she decided to take the risk and moved over to sit down next to him.

“So?” She asked, trying to sound as calm and collected as she could.

“I found out a thing or two. I’ll tell you but I have one condition. I will ask you one question and you will truthfully answer it.” He searched for her gaze and Thyra had to look away or she would have drowned in the blue oceans of his eyes.

“I agree.” She said, watching the flames.

Ivar nodded, seemingly pleased with himself. “The man you killed, he was not from Kattegat. He…”

“How do you know?” Thyra interrupted.

“I was born here.” He said, rolling his eyes. “I asked around if anyone knew him and found out that he is from Knarvik.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“It belongs to Harald Finehair’s kingdom. Now one could wonder why he was still here and not on the raid with Björn and his king.” Ivar said, cocking his head to the side and looking at Thyra.

“But why would King Harald send someone to kill Lagertha?” She asked, still not fully convinced.

Ivar shrugged. “He wants to become king of all Norway.”

Thyra rubbed her face with her hands. They had more enemies than she had thought.

“I’ve told you everything I know. Now it’s my turn.” Ivar decided.

Thyra nodded slowly, wondering what he would want to know.

“Yesterday morning on the cliff, why did you leave?” He asked, watching her reaction.

It took her all the strength she possessed to keep eye contact with him and stay calm. “What we were doing was wrong. I got carried away.” She said as matter-of-factly as possible.

Ivar shook his head and looked at her with narrowed eyes. “You promised to answer truthfully.”

“It is the truth.”

“Stop lying to me. And even more important, stop lying to yourself. Do you really want to tell me you did not enjoy my hands on you? My lips on yours? I could feel your body beg for more. Why do you refuse to admit it?” An annoyed tone was sneaking into his voice now.

Thyra felt a wave of desperation rolling over her. Why did he have to make it so hard for her?

“It doesn’t matter what I want or what I feel, can’t you understand that? We can’t be together as long as you are threatening my queen. I would betray Lagertha and I can’t do that.” She wailed, desperate to make him understand.

His blue eyes bore into her and she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. “So you rather betray yourself.” He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “There’s no point in that, little shieldmaiden. You were made for me. It’s what the gods want. And you already know it as well as I do, stop denying that.”

“I won’t believe that.” To her own surprise she sounded much more confident than she felt.

Ivar’s hands clenched into fists and he hit on the bench next to him, startling her. “Why do you have to be so damn stubborn, woman?”

Looking into his eyes was like looking into the storm that was raging high above them. Thyra was torn between the instinct to move away from this madman and the magnetic pull that was drawing her to him. She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts.

“I will go now.” She said quickly before she could get the chance to second guess her decision.

But before she was on her feet, Ivar’s hand shot forward and closed around her throat. “No you won’t.” He growled. “You won’t go anywhere before you stop lying to me.”

Thyra tried to move away from him, but there was no escape from his iron grip. Ivar brought is face closer to hers and the feel of this hot breath on her face and his hand closed around her throat released a wave of wetness between her thighs. Her body was clearly deceiving her.

“I will see for myself if you are telling the truth.” Ivar hissed angrily and the next thing Thyra knew was his lips attacking hers.

The kiss was hard and demanding as he forced her mouth open with his tongue. She felt boiling anger at him for treating her that way but she couldn’t stop herself from kissing him back, he was too delicious, too tempting. It was as if by denying her feelings for so long she had used up all her strength to withstand him and now she had to admit defeat and give in to her need for him. As her arms wrapped around his neck to pull him closer, he slowly released his hand from her throat. Thyra broke the kiss and sucked in a rambling breath, only to crash her lips back on his half a second later. All her held back feelings were released at once and hit her like an avalanche. The world around her disappeared and all she could feel, see, smell and taste was Ivar. His hands were roaming her body and she desperately leaned into his touch, softly moaning into his mouth.

Then Thyra was abruptly torn from her trance-like state as Ivar pulled away from her. He looked at her with a self-pleased smirk on his face.

“So eager, little shieldmaiden. Do you still want to tell me you don’t want this? You’re so desperate for me.” He said in his mocking tone that could make her blood boil with anger within a heartbeat.

Thyra badly wanted him to kiss her again, she wanted him to wrap his arms around her and pull her close to him, but she also wanted to let him know that she wasn’t to be treated like this, she wanted to wipe that cocky smirk off his face. And before she knows what’s happening she feels her palm connect with his cheek with a loud smack. His head flies to the side and for a few moments he doesn’t move at all. When he slowly turns his head back to her, his eyes have darkened. The blue is almost completely gone, swallowed by the black. But Thyra doesn’t see the blazing anger she was expecting, instead his eyes are dark with lust. A low growl escapes this throat.

“Come here.” He commands and grabs her by the waist to pull her into his lap.

His hands slide down to her ass and he gives it a firm squeeze before he pulls her even closer to him.  Thyra lets out a gasp as her center meets the growing bulge in his pants. She rolls her hips against him and moans at the exquisite feeling, while Ivar watches her in pure awe. She grabs the hem of his shirt, eager to reveal what’s beneath it and he lifts his arms to help her pull it over his head. For a moment she just cherishes the view of his toned chest before she lets her fingertips trace the outlines of his muscles with a small giggle. Ivar tugs at her shirt to get it off of her as well, but she is too busy letting her hands travel over his stone hard chest to react. Very soon he loses his patience and just tears the thing apart. He licks his lips at the sight of her bare breasts and his hands travel up her sides to cup them. As he starts circling her nipples with his thumbs and Thyra throws her head back and moans out loudly. He smirks at reaction and replaces one thumb with his tongue.

Thyra feels a new wave of wetness erupt between her legs, the contrast between Ivar choking her just minutes ago and now being all loving and tender is turning her on to no end. She starts grinding her hips against him again and earns a throaty growl. She moves again him frantically, while he keeps his arms wrapped tightly around her to press her naked chest to his.

All of a sudden the cabin is lit by lightning only to leave them in the dim light of the dying fire a heartbeat later as mighty thunder rumbles above them.

Ivar smirked at her. “See, the gods approve of me taking what’s mine.”

“I really don’t think we are important enough for the gods to care.” Thyra said, shaking her head.

“You still don’t get it. They have sent you to me. It is all their will.”

“Ivar.” Thyra said, placing her hands on both sides of his face. “Shut up and touch me.”

She placed her lips on his to stop him from talking and he didn’t seem to mind at all, smirking into the kiss and tangling his hands into her hair. Thyra reached down to open the strings on his pants as the cabin door flew open unexpectedly.

“Ivar Ragnarsson. I have orders to bring you to the great hall to be questioned about the attempted murder on our queen.”

Thyra recognized the voice at once and turned around in shock to see Astrid and two other shieldmaiden enter the cabin. Astrid’s eyes widened as she realized that it was Thyra, half naked in Ivar’s lap. Thyra wanted to jump up but Ivar’s strong arms closed around her, pulling her closer to his chest as he bared his teeth and growled at the intruders. It such a possessive gesture but also an incredibly protective one and despite everything Thyra felt her heart warm.

Astrid seemed totally taken aback and for a moment just stood there staring at Ivar and Thyra, then she turned around and left the cabin without another word. Thyra struggled out of Ivar’s grip and picked up her torn shirt to cover herself as good as possible, then she stormed out to follow Astrid. The storm hit her as soon as she was out of the cabin door, while the cold rain poured down on her and sent little needles into her skin. She kept running and managed to catch up with Astrid before she had made it back to the great hall.

“Astrid, wait! Let me explain!”

Astrid turned around, her face furious. “Explain what, Thyra? Why you share a bed with the man that has sworn to kill our queen? You better have a good explanation for that.”

“It was… I don’t know how… I…” Thyra shook her head, unable to find any words. “Please don’t tell Lagertha.”

Astrid looked her up and down as if she was considering her options and all Thyra could do was look at her with pleading eyes.

“I never meant to betray her, I…” She tried again.

Astrid cut her off. “But you did.” She sighed. “I will not tell her. For now. But certainly not for your sake. I won’t tell her because it will kill her to hear that you of all people have chosen the side of our enemy. And you will keep away from him. If I ever see you with him again I swear I will tell her everything.”

With that she turned around and left Thyra in the pouring rain.

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Please don’t hate me, hate Astrid.

[pagan-raider]

Conquer You - Chapter 4

@tomboy-till-death @ladyvampirelove @neverlands-little-lost-girl @itharley @samantha24015 @peculiarleah @skeletoresinthebasement @thenorns-themoirai @kirah31 (I hope I didn’t forget anyone)

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

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It was completely dark. Only a small ray of silvery moonlight fell through the window, illuminating a square on the wall. Around her, Thyra could hear the quiet snores of the three women she shared the room with. She almost envied them. Her body was begging for some rest but the sleep just wouldn’t come. It couldn’t be long until sunrise now, she had been rolling around in the furs for hours. These damned furs! She couldn’t stop imagining Ivar sleeping in them. Was it even true or had he just made it up to confuse her feelings even further? It would suit him. But on the other hand there weren’t too many private rooms in the great hall and since this one contained four beds, it was quite possible that it was the room he had shared with his brothers. She buried her face into the furs and inhaled deeply. Maybe there was the slightest hint of his scent she thought, or maybe she was just imagining things.

Thyra let out a frustrated sigh. There was another question that was tormenting her mind. How did Ivar know which bed she slept in? Was it possible that he had come in here at night without anyone noticing? She herself had found him in the throne room in the middle of the night just a couple of days ago. The thought of him sneaking in here at night sent chills down her spine. The warrior inside of her was filled with consternation at the thought of someone entering the room without her even noticing, but the woman inside of her felt an excited thrill imagining Ivar secretly watching her at night. She couldn’t stop her thoughts from wandering even further. What if he had come to her bed? She wondered how it would be to share the furs with him, to have his perfect, strong body pressed to hers. Almost subconsciously her hand slipped under her sleeping gown and between her legs. Silent moans escaped her lips as she remembered the feeling of Ivar’s weight on top her or the taste of his lips.

 As soon as the first rays of sunlight crept over the horizon Thyra was up and on her feet, exhausted from two nights without sleep but relieved that she could finally busy herself to distract her wandering thoughts. She felt guilty for the way she was feeling about Ivar, even more since she had allowed him to kiss her. She had always taken pride in her loyalty and now she was betraying her queen and her closest friends. In order to ease her guilt she decided that she should at least try and do something about the thread Ivar was representing. She knew that there was no point in talking to him again. He was too determined in his plan and too hungry for revenge, but maybe his brother would listen to her. Ubbe made the impression of being much more reasonable than his younger brother, so it was worth a try.

She made her way towards the cabin the brothers now lived in, hoping that Ubbe was up already and that she would get the chance to talk to him alone. The gods seemed to approve of her plan, for she found him sitting under the small canopy in front of the cabin. He was putting a new string in his bow but looked up from his work as he saw her approach. His face showed surprise as he noticed her, but then quickly turned into a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.

“What does she want?”

Thyra narrowed her eyes. “What does who want?”

“Lagertha. Did she not send you here?”

“No. I came on my own.”

Ubbe just raised an eyebrow and looked at her expectantly so she continued. “I came here to talk to you.”

He leaned back against the cabin wall. “And what is it you want to talk about?”

Thyra’s gaze drifted towards the half open front door. “Are your brothers here too?”

He shook his head. “They are in town.”

She let out a relieved breath and shifted uncomfortably as she felt Ubbe’s curious gaze on her, not really knowing how to bring up the topic she wanted to talk about.

“That was quite an impressive fight between you and my brother that day.” Ubbe said, breaking the silence.

She looked at him in surprise, feeling her cheeks blush. “Yeah, but that’s not what I came here to talk about.” She hurried to say. “I’m here to ask you if there’s any way you would consider letting go of your plans for revenge.”

His face hardened at her words, in way quite similar to how Ivar’s had when she had brought up the topic, just without the blazing anger in his eyes. Thyra wanted to hit her head against the wall for blurting things out like that and probably ruining her chance to achieve anything, but he had made her nervous by mentioning Ivar and subtleness and eloquence had never been her strong sides.

“And why would I do that?” He asked and Thyra was almost surprised that his voice sounded calm and controlled. It gave her a new spark of hope, maybe he would still listen to what she had to say.

“Because if you kill Lagertha, you through Kattegat into chaos. Her people won’t let you get away with that. There will be massive fights, many people will die, ours and yours.”

He slowly nodded. “You’re probably right about that, but she killed my mother. It is my duty to avenge her.”

“I know. But now is really not the time, don’t you see that.”

“I understand what you mean, but that doesn’t matter much. Even if you convince me, there’s still Ivar and he won’t listen to you, believe me on that one.”

Thyra let out a sigh. “Probably not. But maybe he’ll listen to you.”

Ubbe chuckled. “No he won’t.”

“So you two kill Lagertha. What then? Hmm?” She said, narrowing her eyes. “Do you become king or Ivar?”

Ubbe chewed on his lip and by the expression on his face Thyra could tell that he had never thought that far. Ivar on the other hand surely had, she was certain of that.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Just promise me to think about what’s best for your people, okay?” She gave him a small smile and turned to leave.

She couldn’t help but grin as soon as he couldn’t see her anymore. She knew she hadn’t fully convinced him but she had surely gotten him to think. It was more than she had expected to achieve.

As she reached the great hall she met Lagertha and Astrid who were just about to leave.

Lagertha greeted her with a warm motherly smile. “You’re up early.”

“I couldn’t sleep.” Thyra said, smiling back. “Where are you going?”

“Just to the market. I need to get out of these walls for a while.”

“Do you want me to accompany you? There are still many people in Kattegat who see you as an usurper. Another sword and another set of eyes doesn’t hurt.”

“There’s no need to. I’ll be with her.” Astrid stated.

But Lagertha nodded. “Join us.”

Astrid looked as if she wanted to protest again, but one look from Lagertha silenced her. The queen knew as well as Thyra did that Ivar wasn’t the only one still loyal to Aslaug. So Thyra stayed close to Lagertha’s side watching the crowd when the queen was looking at the market stands.

They were already on their way back home when her gaze fell upon a familiar face. Ivar was sitting on a barrel not far from her. He played with his knife but was clearly watching them all the while. His ocean blue eyes bored into her and she was unable to look away. She cursed the gods for making him so handsome.

That moment she heard running steps behind her but before she could turn around she was roughly shoved to the side. She stumbled against one of the market stands and saw the man that had shoved her approaching Astrid, his sword raised high above his head. Lagertha was already fighting a second man and Thyra hurried to get back on her feet. The queen seemed to be fine, easily parrying her opponent’s blows but Astrid was clearly in trouble. The man attacking her was huge and she had to retreat step by step because she simply couldn’t match his strength. Thyra felt rage boil deep inside of her as she drew her twin blades and hurried to Astrid’s side. Just as she reached them, the man grabbed Astrid’s free arm and brutally pulled her to the side. The woman lost her balance and hit her head against a pole that held up the roof of one of the stands. She immediately lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

The man raised his sword but before he could end it Thyra was by the others woman’s side, blocking the blow. One second later a wild and brutal fight evolved. This giant of a man was surpassing her strength by far and her arms ached with every blow she had to block, but once again her two blades gave her an advantage. After struggling for what seemed like hours, she managed to hit the man’s sword from an unexpected angle with her second blade and sent it flying a few meters away from him. She smiled an evil smile, pointing both her blades to his chest. She heard a cry behind her and briefly looked over her shoulder to see Lagertha kill her attacker, before she returned her attention to the man in front of her. He gave her a small nod as if he was acknowledging his defeat and went to his knees, chin held up high. If Thyra hadn’t been so full of adrenaline and so angry with herself for reacting too late, she might have admired this man’s courage. She crossed her swords in front of his throat, the tips of the blades resting on his shoulders. This man had tried to kill her queen. This man had shoved her out of the way, thinking she was just a little girl and no real thread. Oh, how she had proven him wrong. If she had only been more alert in the first place. She had been distracted looking at Ivar. Again burning anger shot though her veins, clouding her vision.

“Let him live. I want to question him.” It were Lagertha’s words but it was if they were coming from far away. Red fog clouded Thyra’s mind. No, she wouldn’t let this man live. He had underestimated her badly and now he was paying the price. It was as if her hands moved on their own, slowing pulling the swords to the sides, slicing the man’s throat. Blood sprayed across her face and the dead body fell to the ground. Very slowly the fog lifted and Thyra blinked, felling the blood run down her face.

She saw Lagertha crouching by Astrid’s side. “I told you to let him live.” The queen was looking at her with raised eyebrows.

Thyra couldn’t answer her. She was still panting, trying to control her raging anger. She slowly shook her head and her gaze fell upon Ivar. He was still sitting in the same spot, watching them with a fascinated grin on his face. She felt her anger rise again and clenched her teeth as she rushed over to him.

“Was this your doing?” She hissed angrily.

Ivar seemed completely unmoved by her furious words. “You know I want to see Lagertha dead, but do you really think I would send someone else to do it? I will take my revenge with my own hands.”

She knew that he was right and her anger slowly faded. “Do you know who is behind this?”

Ivar looked her up and down as if he was considering whether or not to give an answer, but there was also something else in his gaze, something she hadn’t seen there before. He looked at her almost admiringly, as if he saw something fascinating and precious in front of him.

After a few moments he nodded. “I will see what I can find out. Come to the cabin tonight and will tell you everything I know.”

Thyra hesitated for a moment but then nodded before turning to head back to Lagertha and Astrid.

[pagan-raider]

I totally wanted to give this chapter a happy ending but it didn’t fit. I’m sorry! Next time, I promise...

[pagan-raider]

Conquer You - Chapter 3

Here’s the new chapter. I want to thank everyone who had kind words for the previous chapters or just hit the like button. I really appreciate the support!

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2

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Thyra was sitting on top of the cliff, watching the first rays of sunlight creep over the horizon. From up here she had a beautiful view at Kattegat and the surrounding mountains. After she had rolled around in her bed for most of the night, unable to find any sleep, she had decided to come up here, hoping that the peaceful quiet would soothe her turbulent thoughts. It had only partly worked, her mind was still tormented with many twisted and conflicting thoughts and feelings.

Why had she hesitated when she had had the chance to kill Ivar? After all he was the man who had sworn to kill her queen, the woman who had been a mother to her in the past years. Just a slight movement of her blade would have been enough to get rid of the biggest thread to the queen’s safety. And still she had hesitated. She was a shieldmaiden, a warrior, she knew that hesitation could cost her her life. It almost had. Ivar could have easily killed her. She kept telling herself that it had been Lagertha’s order not to harm Ragnar’s sons that had made her hesitate, but deep inside she knew that it was only part of the truth. There was something about Ivar that had made it impossible for her to kill him. With his strength and boldness he fascinated her in a way no other man ever had. She remembered that moment he had been on top of her, looking down with an almost playful smirk and her heart began to beat faster. She shook her head, trying to chase those thoughts away. He was her enemy. One day he would try to kill Lagertha, Thyra didn’t doubt that. That day she could not hesitate, she would not hesitate. She swore that to herself and prayed to the gods that she would be ready.

“I thought I was the only one who comes up here.” The voice startled her. She turned to look into the mesmerizing blue eyes that wouldn’t leave her thoughts for days now. “What are you doing here all by yourself?” For once Ivar’s tone wasn’t mocking or sarcastic, it sounded like a simple question.

The answer on the other hand wasn’t simple at all. Thyra would rather throw herself off the cliff than to admit to him that she had not been able to sleep because she kept thinking about him or that she needed some quiet to figure out why she was so attracted to a man she should hate.

“I needed some time to think.” It was the truth, at least a part of it.

To her surprise Ivar sat down next to her. She couldn’t help but notice the way the muscles on his broad shoulders flexed as he lifted his body to move up closer to her. Even through his shirt it was an impressive sight. Still it must have been a struggle for him to crawl all the way up here and Thyra wondered why he had come.

“Time to think about my offer?” He asked with a smirk.

“What offer?” Thyra tried to sound as cold as possible.

He didn’t seem bothered by her tone. “Don’t act as if you don’t know. I asked you to pledge your loyalty to me.”

“If I do so, will you let go of your plans to kill Lagertha?”

His smirk faded at her words and his face became hard. “I will never forgive her for killing my mother. I will have my revenge.” His eyes seemed to turn darker as they were flooded with anger and hate.

His sudden change in mood scared Thyra a bit. From one second to the next his whole body had tensed and he radiated such threat that she felt the urge to move away from him. But she would not allow herself to give him the satisfaction of knowing that she was afraid of him.

She forced herself to lift up her chin and look him into the eyes. “Then I don’t see why I should agree to that. And don’t think I owe you anything for sparing my life.”

A new spark of anger glowed in his eyes at her resistance. “Oh, you do owe me, little shieldmaiden. And one day you will pay me back in one way or another.” His face had relaxed a bit and turned into an expression that reminded her of a wolf looking at his prey.

“Why did you not kill me? I did not ask you to spare me.” Thyra hissed.

“Why did you not kill me when you had the chance to?” Ivar asked, his voice calm and almost curious. All his anger seemed to have vanished as fast as it had come.

Thyra didn’t believe for one second that Ivar had felt obliged to spare her because she also had hesitated to kill him. But still she could not answer his question. She had asked it herself many times, unable to come up with a satisfying answer.

“Lagertha ordered everyone not to harm you.” She said, but even to her own ears it sounded lame.

“Hmm.” Ivar made and nodded his head, although he did not look convinced at all. “And I thought you might have had the same reason I had.”

Thyra raised an eyebrow at him. “And what reason would that be?”

“Did you not feel it?” Again something in his face changed, all the tension left, it was as if his constant mask of anger and sarcasm had been lifted. As he caught her gaze, she saw that even his eyes had lost their usual hardness and she knew that for once he was completely truthful and honest. “The way we fought, the way we moved together, it was… perfect. I can’t believe you have not noticed it.” He paused and shook his head as if he couldn’t quite believe it himself.

Thyra felt a blush on her cheeks. Of course she had noticed. It was the reason she seemed to have lost all control about her feelings.

“Just imagine what we could do if we were on the same side.” He continued. “Me and you, we could conquer the whole world.”

“But we are not on the same side.” It came out barely more than a whisper.

A cocky smile grew on his face. “Then it looks like before we conquer the world I will have to conquer you.”

Thyra wanted to protest but for some reason the words wouldn’t come. She felt Ivar move closer to her as he lifted one hand and cupped her cheek. His hand was calloused and rough but his touch was gentle. Very slowly he brought his face closer to hers. Would he really be so bold and try to kiss her? She should push his hand away! But she didn’t. She should slap him across the face! But she couldn’t. She should stand up and leave! But she did not want to. She badly wanted to know what he tasted like. She imagined his lips to taste like danger. Maybe that was why she was still here, not even daring to breath, she was craving a taste of danger.

His hand left her cheek and slipped around the back of her neck while the other wrapped firmly around her waist. He pulled her closer to him and his lips found hers. He kissed her deep and hungrily and before she knew it she found herself kissing him back almost against her will. His lips were soft and demanding at the same time and as she felt his tongue trying to get access into her mouth, all of her reluctance went out of the window. She opened her mouth for him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

Until now she had no idea how much she actually wanted him. And still there was a small voice inside of her telling her that this was wrong in every possible way. How could she want him, knowing that he was still plotting revenge against Lagertha? She was betraying her queen and her people. How could she be so weak and selfish? It took her all her inner strength to pull away from him. He looked at her expectantly, as if he was just waiting what she would do next. Thyra rose to her feet hastily, avoiding his gaze. She was sure that if she looked at him again, she would drop to her knees and resume kissing his sweet and perfect lips. She turned and strode towards the town without looking back.

“Thyra.” Ivar called. It was the first time he had called her by her name. She stopped but did not dare to turn to face him. “The bed you sleep in used to be mine.”

By the way he spoke she could tell that he was grinning and couldn’t help but imagine his devilish smile. She swallowed hard and forced her wobbly legs to keep walking.

[pagan-raider]

Poor Thyra, she’s so messed up right now....

[pagan-raider]

For the flash fiction game, can we get 100 words or less of Ivar and Thyra sparring? Im so intrigued by them! And thank you for your amazing prompt!

Of course! I’m so happy you like them together. Here you go:

They werein perfect sync, mirroring each other’s movements like a still water surface.It was a deadly dance, perfectly choreographed and executed with greatprecision. To see two opponents that were such a perfect match was a rarething, so rare that everyone around stopped and watched their fluid and gracefulyet brutal movements. Each blow she blocked sent an almost painful vibration upThyra’s arm. Ivar wasn’t holding back. The first times they had sparredtogether he had taken her much lighter built into account, never using his fullstrength, but he had quickly learned to regret that. Thyra remembered the firsttime they had crossed blades. It had been a battle for life and death and stillthey were both here now, feeling more alive than ever before.