A Stranger in Strange lands [IVAR]

It had taken weeks to convince her father to bring her with him to the feast in Kattegat, and even longer for him to let her bring hálogi with her as well. Ylva’s father was nervous of how the two of them would do on the boat. Hálogi was getting older and he worried he wouldn’t make it there and back. He was also worried Ylva would be sick the entire time because she was unable to see and look around at the water. However she was able to finally wear him down until he told her yes and took both of them. He had her best dresses backed and brought her favorite slave with them to make sure Ylva would be as comfortable as she could be. Ylva didn’t know that he had other plans brewing in his mind. That he planed to use the fact that she was so desperate to come to his advantage. He planed to try and marry her to someone with higher rank. Someone who wouldn’t mind a blind wife, but he wasn’t going to share that information with his daughter just yet. He would allow her to think he brought her because she had begged so much.

Her father had been half right in his worrying however.  Hálogi had been just fine, sleeping and staying at Ylva’s side the entire time. While Ylva had been very sick for the first two days,  throwing all food up and becoming very sickly. He almost had the boat turn around when her body finally adjusted to the move of the boat. She was able to hold food down and things were looking up for her. Ylva spent most of the rest of the trip by the side of the boat, her hand in the water feeling for fish or anything else she could. When she wasn’t there her father was instructing her on things about Kattegat, things he thought were important so she wouldn’t feel even more out of place. He told her that she was to never say anything negative about the way she was, and that if anyone was nasty to her that she was to tell him right away. He told her that there was a boy who was different like her, but he didn’t say who, Ylva didn’t have to ask to know he was talking about Ivar the boneless, king Ragnar’s son. He also explained that many people would be drinking, and that people who had problems with each other would all be together. Meaning there could be fights that would break out.

They finally arrived the day before the feast was meant to be held. They stayed in a tent, and it was much different to stay in instead of her comfortable bed at home. Ylva was just happy to be on land again for the time being. To not have to feel the rock of the boat and have a stomach that didn’t feel like it was going to get ill at any second. Even though her body had gotten use to it near the end, nothing best the feel of solid ground under her feel. Solid ground was more predictable, and it never made her sick.

The morning of the feast had been spent getting ready. Her father had told her told Runa, the slave they brought with them to make her look her best. The way he was acting was starting to make her wonder if he had other means of bringing her. He had spent the night before telling her to be polite to every man that talk to her, even if they got a little to close. That she wanted to get married someday, and he wanted her to find love. She had asked who would want a blind girl and he had smacked her across the face. Runa had said he was luck that no mark had been left, and he just told her to do her work and not to talk. Ylva made sure she stayed quite until it was time to go.

Once they were ready Ylva took Hálogi’s rope and the two of them fallowed her father through the crowd and to the manor. They had been in the back when the sacrifices had taken place so she hadn’t heard much of what was said other than cheering. The only reason she knew it was time to go inside was her fathers gentle hand on her arm. He was going to be the perfect father now. Making sure to take care of her and guild we inside. Even if she already had her dog for that. When they were inside her father showed her over to a seat before he went to go somewhere else. Most Likely to go talk to people he knew from his raiding days. Ylva just sat and pet Hálogi while she waited to see if anyone would talk to her. At least not everyone here knew of her condition yet, but when they spoke to her they would know right away. Her light blue, almost white eyes always gave it away.

Ylva was still absentmindedly rubbing the fur of her dog as she listened to the people moving and talking around her. From the sounds of it there were so many happy reunions going on, people who were seeing friends and comrades that they haven’t seen in a long time rejoicing to see one another. Some of the conversations made Ylva smile, others made her blush. It was nice to be able to listen, but also sad to be left out. That no one was trying to talk to her yet, maybe everyone already knew what was wrong with her.  Or maybe it was because she was so young, and they didn’t want to converse with a teenager. Ylva wonder when her father was going to come back, if he was going to come back. She knew he was still angry with her for her comments about herself, but would he really leave her alone at this feast to feel awkward and out of place? It certainly was something she wouldn’t put past him. It would be a way for him to punish her without hitting. For it seemed it didn’t want to leave any marks on her while they were in Kattegat. Whatever plot he was brewing, she hoped she would be let in on it soon.

Ylva was just about to see if she could get up with her dog and move around when she heard something move on the ground in front of her. Maybe it was another dog coming over to see hers? Or a child who was getting on the dogs level? To say she was a little shocked when she heard a mans voice would have been an understatement. “What is this sticky beast doing in this hall of honor.” Was what the voice had said to her first. Ylva was taken aback, not sure what to say when she heard the voice speak again. "Or are you afraid to sacrifice it to the gods."  Taking a deep breath Ylva made sure she was clam when she spoke. This person, who ever they were didn’t know she was blind yet  so they didn’t know she needed the dog to move around without her father. She wanted to make sure she spoke politely and kindly, even if this weird man was on the floor, she shouldn’t be rude. “His name is hálogi, and he helps me get around. I would be lost without him.” she said at first before removing her hand from her dogs fur. “He is not a sacrifice animal, and he doesn’t stink. He was given a bath before the feast for that very reason” she said with a small smile.

She didn’t tell the man why she needed the dog. Because she wanted to see if she could have a conversation without that being the only topic right away,  but she had no idea who she was talking to. If she asked him name and he was important was it going to bite her later? She would just have to see. “ My name is Ylva Halvorsdóttir, I'm here from Skagen with my father" she said with a pause before asking " What about you, what is your name?" She asked the man beneath her. Gently offering her hand out hopefully in the right direction to shake his own, and help him up onto the seat next her. How embarrassing would she be if he wasn’t where she reached, but that was the life of a blind girl. Things like this were out of her control and happened all the time. She wondered again why he was on the floor, and part of her worried that she was forgetting something very important.

Ylva was a little taken back by the mans harsh words. “Then get lost with hàlogi all together”  he had said to her. She felt herself getting offended by such rudeness. She was sure her dog wasn’t bothering anyone, he was sitting at her feet like a good boy. He never begged for food. Her father had trained her to make sure of just that.  So Ylva would be able to take him places without any trouble. But here was this man seemingly so disgusted that the dog was there. “If you look closer you would see he isn’t all that clean anymore.” Was what the man said next. Well maybe he had gotten into something and was making a mess on the floor? That would make more sense as to why this man was so very upset with her dog. Maybe she should start apologizing now, and just tell the man she is blind and hadn’t known that hálogi was making a mess. Maybe then he would be less upset with her. He clearly hadn’t figured out she was blind yet.

But she hadn’t been given a chance to say such a thing as she heard him give off a soft laugh, before he moved to sit next to her on the bench. It sounded as if he had drug himself up, and why had he laughed at her? She must have reached her hand out into the wrong area. Pulling she hand back she placed it in her lap and bit her lip. The man spoke, telling her his name, and she turned towards Ivar in shock. A prince of Kattegat sitting next to her, a simple blind girl.”Prince Ivar!” was all she said at first. Still in shock that he was sitting next to her. He had to know she was blind for sure now. He was sitting next to her, and could see her face more closely. There would be no hiding it now. How could she have forgotten about him, it made so much more sense now. Why he had been on the ground, he had to have been crawling. The dog would have been in his level as well, so she also understood why he might have been annoyed by it being there.

She cared not that he was the crippled prince.  If anything it made things better. He would be someone who could understand her,  maybe. Ylva felt excited and nervous now. She didn’t want to say or do anything wrong and upset him. She had heard that he could be easily upset, and sure rumors aren’t nice to listen to. But they also had some truth to them too. Ylva heard him move next to her, not quite sure what he was doing until she heard him talk again “drink up” he said first before adding “or don’t you want your father to see you aside me and with this.” She smiled as she figured that he must have a glass of something, which he soon after shoved into her hand. “ Thank you Ivar, and my father left me here alone, so clearly he doesn’t care what I do” she said before she took a deep long of her drink. Moving it from her mouth.

Moving her head toward him, she spoke again.”By now I’m sure you realize I’m blind..” Ylva paused. “So if Hàlogi really is dirty then I’m sorry. The slave was supposed to clean him. She could have said just said she did for all I know.” She said with a small laugh. As she reached a hand slowly down to pet the dog before removing her hand again. Taking another drink of her mead she smiled. This was a nice turn of events, she was at least no longer alone. Plus she was with someone viewed somewhat similarly as her. Minus the fact he was still a prince. "How are you enjoying the feast? From the sounds of it, everyone is having fun.." she said after a moment. She wanted to make conversation, wanted to keep him next to her so she wasn't so alone.

Ylva gave Prince Ivar a sad smile when she heard him say 'That is what fathers do, leaving you without caring about their daughters and sons. she knew just as well as everyone else that his father, the king, had left and hand't come back yet. Her father, in the private setting of their home had said many times that he believed King Ragnar to be dead. That the king had to be dead to just up and leave his family and his village the way he did. However Ylva didn't think so, for some reason she thought her father was wrong, because if King Ragnar was truly dead, his wife, a known seer, would have seen that happen. She just hoped the king would come back soon. Before someone who wanted to take his title and land from him came. She also thought of her own father on that comment. She was well aware that he wanted her to get married and be someone else's problem. As soon as she got her blood, and became a women he started taking to her about wanting to find her a husband. Not caring that she is only sixteen. Ylva was sure that if he found someone today, she would be shoved into a marriage bed before she could blink. "Yes Prince Ivar, this is true." was all she decided to say about the matter. For she didn't want to upset him or make him leave her all alone again.

She was finally starting to feel more relaxed in this new place. Feeling a little bit more at eases. Maybe it was the mead in her cup that she was quickly emptying, but it more then likely the company. A person who was viewed in a similar light being at her side. A cripple and a blind person. She could already hear a few people whispering behind her about them, and she wondered if Ivar could as well? He wasn't showing any signs of hearing, and she knew her hearing was a bit better then most. Trained to listen to others around her, to try and feel included somehow. She wondered if she would have been alone all night if it wasn't for the prince sitting next to her. Ylva knew that it was most likely so, and if anyone came over it would have been her father or a drunk Viking trying to get an easy lay, something they would not get from her. She could tell that she messed up in apologizing for her dirty dog when she felt the shift in Ivar, followed by his words 'Why are you apologizing?' he had snapped at her. She could hear in his voice that he was also annoyed with her as well. she bit her lip when he spoke again. 'It's not that this is your fault, it's not that you can see.' he said to her.

He was right, it wasn't her fault, she had to just believe people when they told her something, and besides that. She was use to apologizing for her sight. Apologizing to her father, to the villagers, to everyone. Ylva very much viewed herself as a burden. From years of being treated like dirt by most of the people around her. Sure her father loved her, ands he knew that. However he would get angry over the littlest things. Punish her over the smallest mistakes. Like knocking something over on the ground, something she couldn't see. He would yell, scream, hit, or whatever else he felt like doing in the heat of the moment. So any time Ylva was do to something she would be quick to apologize. In the hopes to defuse the situation, and make the punishment less extreme. A small laugh came out of her mouth at his anger. She wondered if he felt the same as her about himself, or because of him being a Prince he didn't let people get to him."No, I guess you are right. It's not my fault.." she said to him before taking another drink, almost finishing the mead all together. She was starting to feel the effects of it. Her father didn't let her drink very much. So she didn't have as high as a tolerance as most people did. She would try her best to not say anything to upset him again.

Ylva smiled when he answered her second question, but also took notice that he didn't answer her first. Maybe he wasn't enjoying her company, she surely hoped that were not the case. 'By the looks of it to,'They are all drinking, having fun, spilling secrets,'' he said first. She smiled, oh how true that was. She couldn't see them drinking. However she could hear the laughing the spilling of mead, the heavy breathing, and most of the whispers. Most people treat her as if she is deaf as well, and talk about things they shouldn't all the time. So she knows a fair deal of peoples secrets in her village, and was learning a few here and there just at this feast. 'I bet you can hear a lot more without your sight, isn't it Ylva?' was what Ivar said to her next. She finished her mead before setting it down, and smiling at him again." Yes Prince Ivar, I certainly can." she said with a small laugh. slowly moving a bit closer to him, so she could whisper, but not get to much into his space that she would upset him Ylva spoke again. " The man and women down the table from us are whispering about leaving together to sleep together, but the women is married and they must be discrete" she said first. Two men a table behind us are talking about wanting to take one of your Thralls to bed, sharing her, but they don't plan to ask for permission" she licked her lips before continuing. "And the table ahead of us a couple made a joke about us. I however don't know if it would be wise to repeat." she said before pulling away again.

Sure Ylva knew that she had just shown off a little bit, but he was right. She could hear a lot more then he could. Her father and the Thralls that took care of her would get annoyed with how good her hearing was quite often. " Most people treat me as if I am blind and deaf, or simply stupid. So they say a lot more around me then they would with others I think" she gave a small laugh before she leaned back against the table a bit. Her father still hadn't come back once to check on her. She could feel eyes on her, intense eyes, but those could very well just be Ivars. She did wonder if her father could see her however. Ylva would do well to just not think about him right now. She was sure if he knew what was going on right now, he would talk to her about it tonight.

Ylva smiled when she heard Ivar say ‘Let them try to steal a thrall.’ with such confidence. Like they wouldn't dare do something like that to him and his family, and that there Thralls wouldn't do something like that against them. It was interesting to hear someone that was similar to her, a cripple, being confident. She herself wasn't very confident when it came to a lot of things. Sure she knew she could get around with her dog and most of the village on her own, but in a place like this. A new strange village she had never been to, scared her, it worried her. Halo didn't know this land, he wouldn't be able to help her get everywhere here. She also worried about what everyone in the room thought about her, what Ivar thought about her. And here he was, radiating such confidence off his person. It made Ylva want to be more like him. To be able to radiate confidence in such a way that people could feel it being around them. ‘Instead of joking, the man should ask himself if her youngest child,’’ Ivar had spoken bringing her out of her thoughts and back to him. He was addressing the people she told him were joking about them.‘yes the ugly one, is his.’ he kept talking after a pause.

This made her face bright red. She didn't think he was going to act upon it, and speak to them. She was even more glad she hadn't told him that they had made a crude joke about wanting to see how the two cripples would fuck. The Gods only know what he would have done then.Ylva had heard rumors of his angry, but so far she hadn't thought they were true. Rumors can be just that, made up stories people say to start trouble.But here he had made sure to upset the couple and get back at them without even knowing what they said. She heard the couple stand up and start fighting. The man Yelling at the women as they got up and headed toward the exit. For some reason this made her laugh. That Ivar had upset them enough to get them to get up and leave, she was also glad they had left and hadn't tried to start anything with the two of them.She wouldn't have been much help at all if a fight had broken out. ‘See, it is not that hard, if they fear you enough all goes well.’ he said next, but from the way Ivar said it she wondered if it was more for himself than her benefit."That would be great if I knew how to get people to fear the blind girl..." she said quietly to him.

It did get Ylva thinking though. If people were to fear her would they give her the respect that she so much wanted from people. How was she going to get people to fear her? She was blind, she couldn't see if someone was coming. However she could hear them,but that didn't mean she could fight a person and defeat them. So if she couldn't fight and win how could she have anyone fear her? Maybe her time here she could spend time with Ivar and he could help her figure that out. Her father had said they would be staying for two weeks. That he had some things he had to handle while he was there,he didn't say what those things were. Ylva was happy to be staying all the same. It would give her time to maybe make friends in other places, and maybe now that she met Ivar it would give them time to get to know one an other. ‘Use it, be a cripple, use that in your advantage.’ Ivar said next. Ylva had realized she had been somewhat silent for some time now, and hoped she hadn't upset him with her quietness . Ivar just made her think a lot more than most people did. "By listening to peoples conversations?"  Ylva said looking toward him, yes she could see him, but she liked to try and act like she thought a normal seeing person who. She figured that people looked at one an other when speaking.

Smiling she decided to share more information with him. She enjoyed his company and out look on life a lot more than she did other people. He was encouraging her to do more, and not discouraging her by saying all the many things she couldn't and wouldn't do. " I could tell you all kinds of secrets that would destroy so many peoples lives back home, I suppose I understand your meaning. Use the fact that they over look me to my advantage." she said at first before thinking a moment. " I've never thought about using my hearing against someone. I like the way you think." she said with a small smirk on her face. She wondered if she could have the guts to do such a thing. To blackmail someone and it against them. She was pretty sure she could, with how people had treated her all her life."Is that what you do? You use your better skills against everyone else Ivar?" she said as she leaned into him to whisper. She most likely shouldn't be so bold around him. He was a prince, but she felt so comfortable with Ivar. Something she didn’t feel with many people.