The Viking’s Captive Princess Read online

  ‘You lie, Viken. My king would never do that to me.’

  ‘If you will not believe Ivar, Ragnfast, you may believe me,’ Thyre said, holding out her hands. ‘Ivar left warriors, good warriors there to hold the land and to rebuild the hall. But everything is gone—the new barn, your bed with its furs and my mother’s loom.’

  Ragnfast staggered back, ageing before her eyes. ‘I don’t believe it. King Mysing would never have dared. I am his brother-in-law.’

  ‘I speak the truth. My mother’s burial mound was wrecked. It has been put right and Sven’s ashes lie in a fresh mound.’

  ‘Sven is dead?’ Dagmar asked. Her shoulders shook and great sobs filled the air.

  Thyre rushed forwards and gathered Dagmar in her arms. ‘I am so sorry, Dagmar. Sven died a hero, according to Hilde.’ She touched Dagmar’s cheek, wiping away the tears. ‘I think he wanted to prove to you that he was worthy.’

  ‘He was too good for me.’ Dagmar buried her face into Thyre’s shoulders. ‘What was worse is that when I saw him again, I could only think about the sacrifice you had made for us and how you lost your freedom. And I knew that I could not rest until I had rescued you. Sven could not understand why I felt that way. We quarrelled before I departed. I shall never love again.’

  ‘I am free now, Dagmar.’ Thyre lifted Dagmar’s face and looked her directly in the eyes. ‘I have no regrets. And you should not wish away your future. Sven would want you to live.’

  ‘What has happened to my land?’ Ragnfast asked. ‘Does it remain in danger?’

  ‘Ivar has left a Viken jaarl to protect it, in case anyone else tries to take the bay, but the hall is gone. The men are dead.’ Thyre kept her tone measured. ‘My father, King Thorkell, will offer you sanctuary, if you desire it.’

  ‘I want my land back. I want justice. King Mysing will pay if what you say is true.’

  ‘For far too long our countries have warred,’ Ivar said. ‘I want peace. King Thorkell wants peace, but we want it on our terms. You gave us hospitality and now we shall return the favour. We will defeat the men who did this to you. You and your family are under my protection.’

  ‘Do you think I will seriously answer that?’ Ragnfast went red in the face and started to make a choking sound.

  ‘Please, Ragnfast, listen to him,’ Thyre said, grabbing both his hands and holding them between hers. ‘For my sake, listen to my husband.’

  ‘Husband?’ Dagmar squeaked. ‘You married your Viken?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Ragnfast bowed his head. ‘I respect your counsel, Thyre. I will listen to your husband, but I reserve the right to make up my own mind. What are your plans, Viken?’

  ‘Shall we speak a little away from the others?’ Ivar motioned to Thyre to stay and to speak with Dagmar. Thyre’s face was mutinous, but she obeyed him. He did not doubt her strength, but he wanted to keep her free from danger. ‘Things need to be said between us. We need to plan our approach.’

  They walked a little distance from the group. Ivar’s gut tightened. He was about to make the hardest bargain of his life. The felag was far more important than his feelings and his desire to keep Thyre with him. He had given a promise to protect her. Thyre wanted to be with Ragnfast and her sister. It was why she had joined the felag. It had nothing to do with him. He might need her as much as he needed air to breathe, but she wanted to be with her family.

  He clung to her use of the word ‘husband’ as a dying man might cling to a spar. Somehow, he would find a way to win her heart.

  ‘King Thorkell insisted I marry Thyre once he discovered her parentage. He disliked the thought of his daughter being my concubine.’

  ‘I begin to like him all over again. We raised our swords together once and I saved his life. He allowed Thyre’s mother to go partly because of the life-debt he owed me.’ Ragnfast gave a hoarse chuckle. ‘I would have loved to have seen his face when he realised one of his jaarls had made his daughter into a concubine.’

  ‘Thyre has no wish to remain in Kaupang. She stowed away on my boat and made the journey despite my displeasure. I fear Thorkell’s queen aided and abetted Thyre. She does not want her at court and I did not see this until too late. Above all things I wish to keep Thyre safe.’

  ‘She does have royal Ranriken blood.’

  ‘I refuse to have my wife used by men to achieve their own ends. Thorkell knows my opinion. I would never have led this felag if I thought Thyre would join it.’

  ‘But she did.’

  ‘I underestimated her strength of purpose and her determination. But this felag is not about enlarging Viken’s borders.’

  Ragnfast stared. Ivar willed him to believe. ‘Thorkell agreed. He cares about his daughter.’

  ‘Thorkell has an unusual way of expressing his concern,’ Ragnfast said. ‘Sainsfrida wanted the best for her daughter. She had a long discussion with Thorkell’s chamberlain and decided to keep Thyre with her. Thorkell had a new wife and she deserved to have some measure of happiness. What do you want me to do now?’

  ‘Take Thyre back to the steading. Keep her safe. When it is over, I will come and claim her.’

  ‘Wouldn’t it be better if you allowed her to make a choice before? Have you ever given her a choice?’

  ‘Thyre is my wife. That is the end of the matter.’

  Thyre kept her arm about Dagmar as Dagmar’s sobbing slowly ceased.

  ‘I should have loved Sven more.’ Dagmar wiped the tears from her eyes. ‘I should have kissed him goodbye, instead of being excited about getting to meet our uncle. I was finally having my chance to be brave like you. I am even trying to learn my runes.’

  ‘I suspect we all wronged Sven. He would have made an admirable husband.’ Thyre looked out at the darkened bay. The water slapped against the boats and her heart ached. Too soon, Ivar would be gone. In his own way, Ivar had attempted to keep her safe.

  ‘I wish I had told him one last time that I loved him. I even refused to renew my vow to Sven until you were back with us. I had to fight for you as you had sacrificed your future for me.’

  Thyre went cold. Had she ever said anything to Ivar? Did he even guess how much she wanted to stay with him? About how much she loved him? She might have had the courage to go on the felag, but did she have the courage to fight for Ivar? Somehow, she needed to find a way for them to begin again, before it was too late. There was a difference between her and her mother. Her mother had insisted on having her way without compromise, and in the end had run away from her strong-willed Viken lover. Ivar needed to know that her love for him was unquenchable and that she respected him.

  ‘Thyre!’ Ivar called out. ‘Plans have changed. You need to leave. Now!’

  ‘Is there a problem?’ Thyre hurried to where Ivar stood. A frown creased his forehead. ‘Have the Ranriken discovered us?’

  ‘Ragnfast and I have agreed that you are to be part of his party and will return overland to the steading.’ His eyes held a determined look as if he expected a fight. ‘This is where we must part company.’

  ‘But why?’ She stared blankly at him. After all that had passed between them, he was simply going to walk away. He was not even going to give her the opportunity to change his mind.

  ‘It is the best way to keep you safe. Keep to the hills and none will notice you.’

  ‘But what will happen to you? You will return and let me know what passes between you and King Mysing.’

  He laced his fingers through hers. ‘I do not know what the future will bring, Thyre. You will know one way or another.’

  ‘But you said…I was part of the felag. I should stay until the end.’

  ‘The agreement was until we encountered your stepfather. You will go with him now. He will keep you free from harm.’

  ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘Lead my felag. Fulfil my duty. Go to war if King Mysing will not renew the frithe that existed between the two countries.’ His fingers flipped a tendril of hair back from her face.
‘It is a dangerous occupation and not one for a lady.’

  ‘I was once your concubine.’ She forced a laugh when all she wanted to do was cling to him and kiss his lips.

  Ivar’s face did not soften, but his hand held her hard against his body for a long heartbeat before he put her away from him.

  ‘You are now my wife and deserve a wife’s respect.’ He glared down at her. ‘And you would drive most men to distraction. Is it any wonder that I want rid of you before I meet King Mysing? Argumentative. Unwilling to take no for an answer. Always wanting your own way. Putting everyone in danger with your headstrong ways.’

  ‘We are better off parted. Thank you for seeing sense.’ Thyre blinked back tears. She was grateful that she had not confessed her love. Ivar would simply crush it into the dust. She kept her back as straight as a newly forged sword. ‘I have no wish to cause any more danger to the men or to you.’

  ‘I will fight better knowing you are safe, Thyre. But you must believe that I will come back to you.’

  ‘Ivar,’ Thyre called out as he started to turn away, ‘may all your journeys be easy ones.’

  He lifted his hand.

  ‘I will wait,’ she whispered, but he did not turn back. An empty place appeared where her heart had been.

  Dagmar put an arm around her shoulders and attempted to lead her back towards Ragnfast and his men. Thyre resisted, but then gave in. ‘It is better this way. Didn’t I tell you that Far would get everything sorted? You will be with us now. For ever. Life will be just as it used to be.’

  For ever. The words resounded within her, making that hollow place grow larger. She thought she could let him walk out of her life, but she saw that she had done nothing to hold on to him, nothing to tell him the way she felt. If he knew, he might return.

  ‘Ivar,’ she called out and rushed back to his side, hating her need to try, but knowing that she could not live with the thought that it might have been.

  ‘What is it?’ His voice was far from welcoming, but she forced her hand to reach out and touch his shoulder.

  ‘I forgot to say that I love you. It changes everything.’ She waited for him to sweep her into his arms and lower his mouth. He had to understand. ‘I made a mistake. I should never have bargained with you. I should have done as you asked and gone back to Kaupang. But I wanted to be with you. Come back to me and we will begin again.’

  ‘That is for the future, Thyre.’ His hands put her away from him. ‘Love needs to be something more. Love is shown through deeds.’

  ‘Will I see you again?’

  A smile tugged at his features. ‘If the gods will it. Offer your prayers if you wish.’

  If the gods will it. Her stomach knotted. He did not believe in the gods’ power. They were merely words to ease her mind. This was truly the end. She could feel it in her heart.

  ‘Everyone thinks you are brave, Ivar. They all look up to you and believe in you. Are you brave enough to accept my love? Deeds, not words.’ She took her mother’s amulet from around her neck. ‘You have this. It will keep you safe until we meet again.’

  He raked his hand through his hair, but he made no move towards the amulet. She thrust it out again and their fingers touched briefly. He held the small figure in the palm of his hand. ‘I will treasure it.’

  ‘You are not giving me a choice. You have never given me a choice. It has always been about you. What about me? When are you going to stop running away and start living? There is more to life than cheating death.’

  ‘What about you?’ His face hardened and he plucked her restraining hand from his arm. ‘Did you ever give me a choice? Have you ever thought about me as a man? Or am I only a warrior?’

  ‘Yes,’ Thyre whispered. ‘I know you are a man as well as a warrior.’

  ‘Then allow me to do a man’s job.’

  Chapter Sixteen

  Thyre stood on the moonlit path. One way led towards the steading and safety and the other towards Ranhiem. Suddenly, in the distance she saw flickering beacons. Someone knew of the Viken, she realised, her heart plummeting. Ivar was about to sail into a trap. He would be killed along with everyone else in the felag. ‘We turn down here.’

  ‘You are going the wrong way,’ Ragnfast protested. ‘You want to go this way.’

  ‘Ivar is sailing into a trap, Ragnfast. We have to do something to help him.’

  ‘Why do you want to go to Ranhiem? To fight the king and regain your mother’s honour?’ Ragnfast asked. ‘That is a pathway to destruction.’

  ‘To make sure the people know the truth—the Viken have no quarrel with the Ranriken people. My uncle needs to hear the words from my throat. I know what Kaupang is like. I have seen that we can work together.’ Thyre held up her hand as her heart whispered the true reason—she had to go to Ivar. She wanted to be beside him, no matter what happened. ‘It may be that I am wrong and the king has nothing to do with the destruction that has happened over the past few years, but if he does, he must pay. I will not have my husband trapped.’

  ‘Stop deceiving yourself. You are doing this because you want to save your Viken. Both of you are seeking to keep the other safe, but you never listen to each other. Your mother had to learn to listen to her heart.’

  Thyre put her hand to her head, hating that she had been that transparent. ‘Does it show that much? I fear King Mysing will welcome Ivar with open arms before putting a knife in his back. And I refuse to let that happen. Generation after generation will hate each other and all because my uncle was too weak to fight his battles openly. I know now that I must challenge my uncle to keep the peace.’

  Dagmar came and stood beside Thyre. ‘You are right, sister. We must go to Ranhiem and confront the king about what happened at the steading.’

  ‘I have never sought a battle, but I have never run from one either,’ Ragnfast said, sitting straighter on his horse. ‘Your mother asked me to keep the peace. I failed you once. I will not now.’

  ‘Will we arrive before the Viken?’ Thyre asked.

  ‘Our horses are strong. And this part of the journey goes far more quickly by land then by sea.’

  Thyre breathed easier. She would find a way to settle this with her uncle, once and for all. Ivar needed to know the treachery her uncle had planned. ‘Then our family goes into battle together.’

  The grey light did little to enhance the ramshackle collection of huts and houses as Thyre turned her horse into the main street. There was no reason why it should not be every bit as prosperous as Kaupang, except that the king had chosen piracy rather than trade and hard work.

  A seagull cried and she glanced down the muddy track towards the harbour. None of the ships in the harbour were Viken. Thyre gritted her teeth. Ragnfast spoke the truth. They had arrived before the Viken.

  How would Ivar arrive? Did he suspect a trap?

  King Mysing and his court had to understand the sequence of events. Once the Ranriken Storting realised about Sigmund’s cowardice, she had little doubt that they would vote for Ragnfast’s protection and to continue the frithe with the Viken. Ivar would meet with peace instead of war.

  ‘There is the king!’ Dagmar’s voice rose with high-pitched excitement as she clutched Thyre’s arm. ‘King Mysing comes to greet us. Maybe he has decided that he was wrong and does want his nieces.’

  ‘That remains to be seen. We must be cautious. Our uncle is the only man who could have ordered the attack.’ Thyre looped her hair behind her ear with a trembling hand. This was far worse than when she had confronted King Thorkell. Then it had only been her future. Now it was Ivar’s and indeed two nations’ future that she bargained for. ‘You have not seen the destruction he caused.’

  She had not really noticed the people lining the route as they rode into Ranhiem and up to the king’s hall. But they were there, waving banners, welcoming them. Had she been wrong? Had Sigmund’s men acted on their own? Did King Mysing remain a friend to Ragnfast?

  Ragnfast appeared quiet and subdued. His pall
or was slightly green and he complained once or twice of pain in his left arm, but he refused to stop or to allow Thyre to do anything for him. Thyre gave him a nervous glance before she concentrated on the scene in front of the king’s hall.

  ‘Ah, Ragnfast, you have arrived before the Viken.’ A tall man came out of the king’s hall. His features resembled Dagmar’s. Thyre froze. Her uncle. He stopped to brush a speck of dust from his cloak and his gaze, cold like a snake’s, touched hers. His thin lips smiled. ‘How convenient. The jaarl Sigmund is dead and you sent my niece to Viken to sue for peace, Ragnfast the not-so-Steadfast. Is this how you repay my generosity in allowing my sister Sainsfrida to live—by becoming an ally to the Viken king?’

  ‘You lie,’ Thyre cried out. ‘You are the one who has ordered cowardly attacks while you sit here in your hall. No one else would have dared!’

  ‘Who is this woman?’

  ‘Thyre, Sainsfrida’s daughter.’ Ragnfast bowed low. ‘Your niece. As you can see, she is not at the Viken court.’

  ‘She is the elder? The Viken king’s spawn? Has she returned because he would not have such an abomination in his court?’

  ‘My father welcomed me. He has a great affection for all his children. He would have me live as a princess in his court,’ Thyre said.

  ‘Did he send you here? Maybe he thinks all will rise up when they see you. A new queen. The Ranriken need a strong king, not a weak woman.’

  ‘There we agree, uncle. The Ranriken people deserve a strong and honourable man to lead them.’

  ‘What are you saying?’ Her uncle paused, and his eyes grew crafty. ‘Are you saying that I am a coward?’

  ‘I was on board ship when Sigmundson attacked a trading vessel. He hid until all danger had passed.’ Thyre put a hand on her hip. ‘A trick I believe he learnt from you, Uncle. He would never have dared to attack Viken ships without your expressed order. You and you alone broke the treaty.’