Role Reversal AU Story Part 2
Mar. 25th, 2020 12:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sigridharemSasha proved surprisingly heavy to lug through the forest, but Sigrid was doing an adequate job. At least, she thought so until she heard laughter.
“Fuck off, Baldur!” she spat.
He towered over her as he stepped into the light, his close-trimmed white hair almost glowing with that deceptively merry smile.
“Need a hand? Or should I say, a cart?”
There was no sign of any cart. “You’re full of shit.”
“It’s outside the forest.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I didn’t want to ruin its wheels.”
“Like hell you didn’t!” She continued to drag Sasha, even though her arms were burning.
Baldur stepped back, blocking her way again. “You don’t even know for certain that he’s the prince. Imagine you had gone to all this trouble only to kidnap a minor lordling.”
Sigrid’s blood ran cold. “Is he?”
Baldur grinned. “Oh yes. That’s the prince all right.”
“Then why are you-“ She cut off her question, because she knew the answer. Not that it stopped him from providing it.
“Because it amuses me.”
If she’d had her choice, Sigrid would never have chosen to work with Baldur to get back the kingdom that was rightfully hers. He’d saved her life, but only for a price, and one more painful than the gold she did not have.
But she didn’t have a choice. She had nothing, and Baldur was a tool she could use, however double-edged.
For the time being, she was stuck with him.
“Give him to me, my lady.”
Sigrid’s grip tightened on the prince’s torso. “He’s twisted his ankle.”
“Then it’s far more likely to heal if I carry him.”
Reluctantly, she relinquished her prize.
They walked a while in silence, sleeping Sasha cradled gently in Baldur’s arms.
“He’s a fool,” Sigrid said abruptly, when they were almost out of the woods. “He came to me of his own accord.”
“All the better for you.”
“It doesn’t make sense. Why keep him ignorant when he is the sole heir?”
Baldur laughed. “To control him.”
Sigrid shook her head. “He’s nineteen. If he had any sense, he’d ask questions.”
“You don’t know that he hasn’t.”
At that, Sigrid fell silent. She wondered why he’d climbed over the wall, what he’d expected to find in the woods… or beyond them.
Why he hadn’t turned back when he twisted his ankle.
She continued to wonder as Baldur deposited Sasha in the cart and covered him with his cloak.
They mounted their horses and made for Baldur’s hideout.
Sigrid had never seen a cave before Baldur brought her to this strange habitation, and she’d never imagined one like this that had clearly been dug out by men, with a hole above where they’d lit the fire so the smoke could escape, three rough steps into a lower room and other details to make it more hospitable. She wouldn’t want to spend the rest of her days here, but it was not an unpleasant place to take shelter.
Sometime later, when dinner was almost finished cooking, the prince began to stir.
“Where… what…?”
Sigrid watched as his eyes grew sharper, then widened. “Oh God!”
“Calm down,” she said flatly. “You’re safe enough.”
Sasha pushed himself up into a sitting position, then clutched his head. “My head hurts… my ankle hurts… what did you do?”
“No lasting harm. A simple concoction to make you fall asleep… and you hurt your own ankle, if you recall.”
He scowled at her with all the ferocity of a kitten. “You knocked me unconscious and kidnapped me!”
“Obviously.” Sigrid stirred the pot. “You’re the prince. It was necessary.”
He didn’t deny it. “For what? A ransom?”
She smiled, turning back to him. “God, you really have no idea who I am, do you? How insulting.”
“You…” Sasha frowned, obviously trying to think. “You said your name was Sigrid…”
“Let’s try this another way. Before your father ruled this land, who did?”
Sasha’s frown deepened. “Queen Gudrun the Cruel. She tried to kill my mother.”
“And Queen Gudrun’s issue?”
“Her children? Well, there’s Charlotte.” Sasha smiled faintly, then paused. “I think Charlotte’s younger sister died with her mother.”
“Wrong.” Sigrid reached out and pulled Sasha to her by his collar, till their faces were barely apart. “Say her name.”
“I…” His eyes were wide and terrified. “I don’t know, I really…”
She released him, and he fell back to the ground. “You truly are an idiot.”
“Sigrid.”
Sigrid had turned back to the pot, just beginning to consider tasting it, but she turned back at the sound of her name. “Yes?”
“It’s you.” Sasha looked up at her with those beautiful green eyes, his blond hair tousled around his face, coming loose from his plait and yet somehow more fetching than it had been before. “You’re Queen Gudrun’s lost daughter.”
“Correct.” Maybe he wasn’t entirely stupid.
He bit his lip. “Where have you been all this time?”
“In hell.”
Sigrid took the stew off the fire, tasted it and found it satisfactory.
For his part, Sasha eyed the stew nervously. “So… you kidnapped me to get revenge?”
“I’m not going to kill you if that is what you’re wondering.” She dumped a ladleful of stew into two bowls, leaving the other two empty and picked up two spoons. “It’s dinner time. Eat.”
He waited until she took the first gulp, then obediently dipped his spoon into the stew and tentatively sipped it.
As they were eating, Sigrid heard footsteps from the cave’s entrance and spun around.
She hated that smirk on Baldur’s face, as though he didn’t know why she had every reason to be easily startled.
“Fuck off, Baldur!” she spat.
He towered over her as he stepped into the light, his close-trimmed white hair almost glowing with that deceptively merry smile.
“Need a hand? Or should I say, a cart?”
There was no sign of any cart. “You’re full of shit.”
“It’s outside the forest.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I didn’t want to ruin its wheels.”
“Like hell you didn’t!” She continued to drag Sasha, even though her arms were burning.
Baldur stepped back, blocking her way again. “You don’t even know for certain that he’s the prince. Imagine you had gone to all this trouble only to kidnap a minor lordling.”
Sigrid’s blood ran cold. “Is he?”
Baldur grinned. “Oh yes. That’s the prince all right.”
“Then why are you-“ She cut off her question, because she knew the answer. Not that it stopped him from providing it.
“Because it amuses me.”
If she’d had her choice, Sigrid would never have chosen to work with Baldur to get back the kingdom that was rightfully hers. He’d saved her life, but only for a price, and one more painful than the gold she did not have.
But she didn’t have a choice. She had nothing, and Baldur was a tool she could use, however double-edged.
For the time being, she was stuck with him.
“Give him to me, my lady.”
Sigrid’s grip tightened on the prince’s torso. “He’s twisted his ankle.”
“Then it’s far more likely to heal if I carry him.”
Reluctantly, she relinquished her prize.
They walked a while in silence, sleeping Sasha cradled gently in Baldur’s arms.
“He’s a fool,” Sigrid said abruptly, when they were almost out of the woods. “He came to me of his own accord.”
“All the better for you.”
“It doesn’t make sense. Why keep him ignorant when he is the sole heir?”
Baldur laughed. “To control him.”
Sigrid shook her head. “He’s nineteen. If he had any sense, he’d ask questions.”
“You don’t know that he hasn’t.”
At that, Sigrid fell silent. She wondered why he’d climbed over the wall, what he’d expected to find in the woods… or beyond them.
Why he hadn’t turned back when he twisted his ankle.
She continued to wonder as Baldur deposited Sasha in the cart and covered him with his cloak.
They mounted their horses and made for Baldur’s hideout.
Sigrid had never seen a cave before Baldur brought her to this strange habitation, and she’d never imagined one like this that had clearly been dug out by men, with a hole above where they’d lit the fire so the smoke could escape, three rough steps into a lower room and other details to make it more hospitable. She wouldn’t want to spend the rest of her days here, but it was not an unpleasant place to take shelter.
Sometime later, when dinner was almost finished cooking, the prince began to stir.
“Where… what…?”
Sigrid watched as his eyes grew sharper, then widened. “Oh God!”
“Calm down,” she said flatly. “You’re safe enough.”
Sasha pushed himself up into a sitting position, then clutched his head. “My head hurts… my ankle hurts… what did you do?”
“No lasting harm. A simple concoction to make you fall asleep… and you hurt your own ankle, if you recall.”
He scowled at her with all the ferocity of a kitten. “You knocked me unconscious and kidnapped me!”
“Obviously.” Sigrid stirred the pot. “You’re the prince. It was necessary.”
He didn’t deny it. “For what? A ransom?”
She smiled, turning back to him. “God, you really have no idea who I am, do you? How insulting.”
“You…” Sasha frowned, obviously trying to think. “You said your name was Sigrid…”
“Let’s try this another way. Before your father ruled this land, who did?”
Sasha’s frown deepened. “Queen Gudrun the Cruel. She tried to kill my mother.”
“And Queen Gudrun’s issue?”
“Her children? Well, there’s Charlotte.” Sasha smiled faintly, then paused. “I think Charlotte’s younger sister died with her mother.”
“Wrong.” Sigrid reached out and pulled Sasha to her by his collar, till their faces were barely apart. “Say her name.”
“I…” His eyes were wide and terrified. “I don’t know, I really…”
She released him, and he fell back to the ground. “You truly are an idiot.”
“Sigrid.”
Sigrid had turned back to the pot, just beginning to consider tasting it, but she turned back at the sound of her name. “Yes?”
“It’s you.” Sasha looked up at her with those beautiful green eyes, his blond hair tousled around his face, coming loose from his plait and yet somehow more fetching than it had been before. “You’re Queen Gudrun’s lost daughter.”
“Correct.” Maybe he wasn’t entirely stupid.
He bit his lip. “Where have you been all this time?”
“In hell.”
Sigrid took the stew off the fire, tasted it and found it satisfactory.
For his part, Sasha eyed the stew nervously. “So… you kidnapped me to get revenge?”
“I’m not going to kill you if that is what you’re wondering.” She dumped a ladleful of stew into two bowls, leaving the other two empty and picked up two spoons. “It’s dinner time. Eat.”
He waited until she took the first gulp, then obediently dipped his spoon into the stew and tentatively sipped it.
As they were eating, Sigrid heard footsteps from the cave’s entrance and spun around.
She hated that smirk on Baldur’s face, as though he didn’t know why she had every reason to be easily startled.
