Dinner preparations (Ubbe)

The sharp metal voice of that sword getting against his. Ubbe pressed his body and strength through that sword in good faith he could get his brother back, but Hvitserk got better to and he felt how much strength he had to use. But like his father told him once, you don’t need to have a lot of strength in order to win, you needed to be smart. In this kind of situations Ragnar was still enough present in Ubbe his mind for the young man to not forget his own father. He pulled the sword away all of the sudden and Hvitserk felt a little bit forward. Ubbe tackled his brother and pointed the sword at his throat, chuckling. Hvitserk surrendered and Ubbe crouched down. ‘Be smart.’ He slapped his brother against the head before helping him up. This was how it went with the four brothers, fooling around when it was possible. Ubbe grew bigger, he needed to put more effort into the well fair of Kattegat, keeping an eye on his mother. Luckily he had Björn to help him with that so in that way he had some spare time left to be around his brothers.

Hvitserk needed to get to one of other girl again so Ubbe walked the last part back to the great hall, throwing his sword on the first best table he found before walking further. Aslaug wasn’t on the throne, or Ivar for that matter. The youngest one loved to push some power through that throne, not that anyone really buy it. And where Sigurd was, god knew where. He walked into the dining room, only to find a slave sitting on a seat. ‘Waiting for the storm to come?’ He smiled towards her before pouring himself a cup of ale so she wouldn’t need to get up. I was typical Ubbe, not getting in the way of anything. Soon this table would be filled with less kinder figures than him. He placed the cup against his lips and drank, looking at her. ‘You look nervous?’ He asked without any shame. He knew almost every girl walking around in the household and beyond and they were all a little scared, not from him, more from the queen, or Ivar. He was way to charming to get girls afraid for him. ‘Don’t be.’ She seemed anxious, but relieved, like she fought against time. His eyes went to the table, pulling a seat back and placing his body in it, shoes resting on the seat beside him, enjoying his ale for once in peace before someone would burst in and ruin the whole dinner experience … like usual.

He was alone in this part of the house, lucky him. That meant a little peace before all hell may break loose. Dinners weren’t always so enjoyable around here. If it wasn’t Sigurd having an argument with his mother than it was Ivar who just had to ruin everything by saying something stupid. Every day it was something with this family, no wonder that he was so calm all the time, he had mastered that one over the years. Being the eldest brother here in Kattegat, aside of Björn, gave him the responsibility to look out for his brothers, that included he didn’t had to take side. What was harder thinking about all possible subjects that could cross this dinner table in any minute now. The one who suffered the most under it were the slaves. Getting commanded around all of the time in the heat of the fight, by not only his youngest brother but also his mother. He and Hvitserk … watched and laughed on a occasion or two.

For this dinner there was a blond slave he didn’t saw around very often. What probably meant she was new here in the building of worked for more than one master. But she was here now, what meant she needed to face the fact … that she would be here a whole dinner moment. He grew already compassioned about it, she looked so fragile, all blond did in his eyes. She answered his rhetorical question with the truth. He just nodded on the words and poured himself a cup, sitting down on one of the seats, making himself comfortable my stretching his feet on another seat. She tried to come out strong, he frowned his eyebrows waiting for more and when that came he softly chuckled. ‘You don’t need to worry about that, the question is if you are fast enough through dinner.’ He reacted on those words, stating the obvious, one slave girl against a queen and her four sons. He should wish her luck. But he didn’t say it to get her worried, he just said it … because it popped up. After that weak smile of her it followed with the question. But before he could answer there was an explanation. ‘Be glad.’ He reacted, pushing the seat away where he rested his feet on. ‘Sit, let’s do nothing together.’ He winked while bringing his cup back to his lips, drinking some ale before looking back to her, nodding towards the other seat.

She was that kind of girl, the girl there were plenty of. He didn’t often see a slave girl speaking up and that was the best thing to do in their position. Against Ubbe you could almost speak freely, if he had the time and the mood for it. He wasn’t that kind of a type like his youngest brother was, making about every small detail a scene. So that she was shy and obey wasn’t something he used in his advantage, she should only know that when his brothers came probably all her fun would be over. Maybe it was a good thing, that she could take a little moment for herself. He didn’t say it with so many words but there was a reason slave girls came and left in this manor.

When she said she wasn’t quite used to relaxing he only nodded, honestly, he believed her in a minute. He wasn’t a total sympatric for the slaves but he knew what they pulled off. There wasn’t much room for a little rest and other activities other than sleeping during the night … and even that was a luxury sometimes. ‘Enjoy it while it last.’ He smile shortly, letting her sit down for a moment in the seat before him. If Aslaug would walk through that door she would be angry. His youngest brother, Ivar, surly would have a snappy comment about it, Hvitserk probably would join them. It all depends from who would walk through that door as first. The girl didn’t fully trust it which meant she didn’t know his reputation to be the honest one, if you had to pick one. ‘Is this new for you? I didn’t seen you around earlier?’ He titled his head, looking at her in curiosity. Was she new into Kattegat maybe? Hvitserk surly would love her. Ubbe looked shortly up to the door, he would here footsteps of crawling coming from a distant, he recognized the sound of his brothers quite good.

She was a quick learned, he gave her that. She didn’t know this family, obviously but they hints he dropped where enough for her to know that this wouldn’t be an ordinary dinner. He chuckled by her words, bringing the cup back to his lips. ‘Maybe you are lucky some of my brothers just behave enough and we don’t need to go into slaughter.’ He grinned, drinking from his ale before he putted the cup on the table, looking at it while he turned it around between his fingers. ‘Don’t want to scared you.’ If she would thought it was something like that. ‘I’m just preparing you.’ He followed with a smile. From him there wouldn’t be any problems, it was Sigurd and Ivar who always had to make a discussion out of nothing.

The fact that he didn’t saw her before pointed out she was maybe new, and if that was the case she would curse the day after one day working for Aslaug and her sons in this new village. Kattegat was a busy one, the biggest trading station around here. A lot of people came here, for new lives, trading and exploring. In that way Aslaug asked a lot of her slaves, wanting to get in front of everything that happened around here. When she smiled on his question and answered he nodded slowly. ‘That’s quite something.’ He reacted. ‘Giving that I should introduce myself properly, Ubbe, Ragnarsson.’ Not that he needed to do that for a slave but it was Ubbe, he like to mild the levels between his status and others one. ‘Things you want to know? It’s the time to ask;’ He suggested. If she had questions he would try to answer them. In that time he was killing some time to.