The Way of Trade

sually, when something seemed to good to be true, it was. But no one had ever taught her that, so she just kept on living this naive fantasy of hers. He was the kind of man that would get you into trouble, that much she knew, but honestly, she had no idea what she was in for. A prince and a farmer's daughter, it was something that wasn't made to last. It was something that could be fun while it lasted, or potentially could ruin her life if she let herself think it was anything more than what was happening right now. This was an earthly comfort, something that would slip through your fingers if you did not take hold of it quickly enough. Soon enough, they would part ways and go on what they were meant to do, separately. He teased her for a bit and she smiled her sickly sweet smile. When he told her he would show her a hundred places, she lifted her eyebrow for a bit. "I hope you keep that promise," she softly said. It was easy for him, saying such things. She could only hope he would keep his word. He could just as easily leave her longing for that break from her mundane life.

When he said he had never taken her for an adventurous girl, she looked at him in a challenging way. "Well, you don't know me very well, do you?" she then said. It was completely true, which was kind of a sad thing. They ran into the water together, bathing in the cold waves in silence for a bit. Ubbe noted that they would have to stay dry if Signý were to believe their excuse, which was entirely true. "Good that you mention it," she said, while lifting her dress up a little bit more. She would've taken it off if she had been alone, but she wasn't. He moved towards her again, placing his hands on the side of her face, asking if she was cold already. His hand were cold to the touch and another shiver went down her spine. "Well now I am," she said, softly laughing. She went to place one of her hands on top of his and she swore she could have melted right there.  

or some reason, she believed him when he reassured her that he would keep his promise. It might have been naive, but in that moment, it seemed the right thing to do. Simply put, he was so incredibly nice to her. Nicer than anybody else had been in a long, long time. So she fell for it. All of a sudden, she wondered what her father would do if he was here right now. He would be yelling at her and at him. He would try to pick a fight with Ubbe, probably, and then get his ass handed to him. She appreciated him wanting to protect her, but at the same time, she needed him to let go a little more. She was barely living her own life as it was, so she pushed him out of her thoughts again. She raised an eyebrow when he mentioned he always kept his promises, softly this time. It seemed even more genuine than before.

His 'no' on her question, brought her down to earth a little bit more. They didn't know anything about each other, apart from the most artificial things. On the top of that list, they were both attractive. Which was really the start of all things, wasn't it? He didn't get her off from work because of her radiant personality or her skills in sewing. And she just went along with him because he was handsome. Handsome, and also the prince of Kattegat. She looked at him a little suprised when he said he was planning to get to know her. "Very well. Ask me anything," she then said with a curious look on her face. She wondered what he'd ask first. Where she came from? Who her parents were? Heritage was important, wasn't it? The cold water made her shiver slightly, but it was alright. It added to the thrill in some way. When they were standing there, looking at each other, he asked her why he never noticed her before. "Maybe you didn't blend in with the commoners as much as you'd like," she suggested, teasingly. "Or maybe you don't need to have a new dress made every month." She was no stranger to seeing Aslaug, requesting a new dress every now and then. But her sons, she hardly ever saw. Apparently, clothing was a woman's job. At that point, she released her dress and let it fall to the water. She stood up on her toes to reach his face with hers and softly whispered in his ear. "How about we go for a swim?" she suggested, retreating with a smile on her face. Her dress was wet now, anyway, wasn't it? 

f course she wondered what he would ask her. What would someone like him even want to know about her? What was there to even know about her? She worked as a seamstress, she tended to her family's farm and took care of her siblings. With that, most of her day had been spent. There was not much time left for her to do things she had always wanted to do. Such things were reserved for royalty only. She gave him a sly smile when he asked her if she thought this was it. Somewhere in her mind, she felt like she had to agree. She was fairly certain this would be everything they'd ever share. Nothing else would come of this. "We'll see," was her answer. As much as she liked him, she demanded it of herself to stay grounded. Maybe her answer left something to be desired, but she was not in any position to make any promises. When it came to the question he would ask, the first thing he asked was rather ironic. What she liked to do in the spare time she barely had. He elaborated, though, asking her what she loved to do and even complimenting her work. "I do love my work," she agreed with him. "So much that I barely have time for anything else. Retract the time I spend looking after my family's farm and watching my brother and sisters, there's not much left," she said, shrugging. Suddenly, her eyes lit up again. "However, my mentor has these books. From the monasteries in Wessex. I like looking at the pictures, although I have no idea how to read them," she explained. She was incredibly interested in the culture of other countries, maybe a little too much. She would give a lot for someone to teach her their tongue and their script. When she was done ranting about that, Ubbe openend himself up to her questions. She thoughtfully bit her lip and looked up at the sky for a second. "What is your fondest memory?" she then asked. A prince's life must be filled with plenty of beautiful moments, choosing one would be difficult, right?

She playfully grinned at his responses. Every second, she started feeling more comfortable with him. Something wonderful, but also something dangerous. He was getting a certain hold of her, with or without him knowing. She smiled again when he suggested doing more chores for his mother. "I fully support you," she laughed, hoping he would. When she brought up the idea of swimming, he asked if she was sure, to which she nodded. It might be cold, but she was halfway in already, wasn't she? And after all, she was still a woman of the north. The cold shouldn't be able to bother her, even if it did, greatly so. She softly shrieked when he put his palms together to splash her with water. "Maybe you're right, that is pretty cold," she then agreed, grinning. She then looked at him with a small grin on her face. "But I thought real Vikings were immune to such things."  

er eyes were drawn towards the boats drifting on the blue waters. They seemed so peaceful, so far away from everything that was happening on the shore. She wondered if time stood still on the waters. She wondered how it would be to sit in a boat, floating, with the sun on her face. Sewing inside for days on end had made her pretty pale. She wondered how she'd look with a tan, with a sunburn. How she'd look as a warrior, with war paint on her face and axes in her belt. She wondered about all the lives she would never live. She grinned and nodded when Ubbe asked her if she was the eldest sibling of their househould. Yes, she was, and it was a fucking curse. Everything fell to her. "It's a lot of responsibility. I'm sure you would know," she then said. Ubbe was the eldest as well, if you didn't count Björn, of course. Keeping three other boys in check certainly wouldn't be easy. She was already having trouble with one boy and all her sisters. She leaned in towards Ubbe when he told about a certain monk from Wessex. Athelstan, such a curious name. "Athelstan," she repeated softly. "Could you tell me more about him?" She hadn't known him, but he seemed like an interesting person. When it was her turn to ask a question, she had asked for his fondest memory. It was going to Paris, of course. She could only dream of doing such things. And his father. The legendary Ragnar Lothbrok, gone without notice. "It must be difficult for you," she replied, when he said he felt that he needed to be a replacement for his father. "I'm sorry," she then said, feeling slightly guilty for asking the question. She had made him upset.

Her dress was floating on the surface of the water. It was already ruined, she might as well make it worse, right? He reassured her that he was indeed a real Viking. She had provoked him and he was taking up the challenge. He took of his shirt and walked right into the water. She wasn't all that sure of herself, but now that she had provoked him, she could hardly back out now. He challenged her once more before diving into the water fully. The thought alone made her shiver slightly. When he came up again, he taunted her anew. She bit her lip in contemplation and then in a swift motion pulled up her dress and worked it over her head. She walked further into the lake and dove in. The water was cold and woke her up even more. It made her feel alive. When she came up, she gasped and smiled at Ubbe. "Damn, that's cold."

ow, they had something in common. Who would’ve ever guessed? They were both the eldest ones of the family, which – as they both knew very well – was an enormous burden. Basically, all responsibility fell to them and everything that went wrong was their fault. And the more siblings you had, the more things went wrong. Her siblings were quite a handful, especially her only brother. They fought because of stupid reasons, refused to do their chores because of even dumber reasons and always tried to find ways to bother her. Still, she loved them and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Ubbe seemed to agree that it was too much trouble at times. Typical. “I can’t even imagine how it must be to keep three men in check,” she mumbled. Her brother was still a boy, and even then, she had difficulty with having him behave himself. She could only picture how it would be to try and manage three of them, fully grown. The very thought made her sigh in exhaustion. She was sure it was easier when you were a man yourself.

Her eyes darted to him out of curiosity when he mentioned this monk named Athelstan. It was a name she’d never heard before, but it struck a chord within her. She wanted to know more about him. About his life and his culture. About what kind of person he was. Ubbe went to tell her that he looked after him and his brothers sometimes. That they only had one god. “Only one?” she questioned, furrowing her brows. That had to be one powerful god, then. Ubbe told her about sinners and she listened, captivated by his story. Ragnar had put all his faith into a Christian, a heathen, and nobody seemed to know why. If their very king had turned his back to his own gods for the Christion one, there had to be something special about him, right? She looked down when Ubbe said that Floki had hated Athelstan. Athelstan wasn’t around anymore, but Floki was. She could put one and one together and find out what happened afterwards. “Floki has always been set in his ways,” she said softly. She didn’t know the shipbuilder all that well, but she was well acquainted with his wife, Helga. Ubbe seemed to be carried away by his memories and for a second, Eydís just let him be.

Their conversation got darker and darker when they ventured into Ubbe’s childhood memories, and into the sudden disappearance of his father. Everybody knew that King Ragnar had been rather… erratic in his last days in Kattegat. Nobody really knew what he was up to anymore. Nobody knew where he’d gone. The prince told her that their father’s disappearance had been harder on his younger brothers. She nodded, wishing she could help somehow. He managed to lighten the mood when he assured her this might become one of his best memories. She grinned. “Look at you, being all positive,” she said. Not much later, the dark mood had completely disappeared and they were both swimming in the cold, cold water. Her pale skin had covered itself in goose bumps, but she didn’t mind too much. She had all the time in the world to warm up later. She swam towards Ubbe, who then assured her that she had not been dreaming. She laughed. "Am I a real Viking yet?" She surely felt like one.