Being in the wrong place at the wrong time was all it took for Adelasia's whole life to turn upside down. After being captured by the heathens raiding her city and taken all the way to the cold North, the youngest Ragnarsson takes an interest in her...
That night, she was sitting in one of the chairs in her and Hvitserk's shared room, in front of the fireplace. She had draped the chair with wolf pelts so that it might be more comfortable and had drawn one over her curled-up legs as well, providing enough warmth. A book was on her lap and her eyes glided over the lines of the fables written in it, though her mind was somewhere else. It was the only book she had taken from York and she knew it by heart now, but it still provided some distraction if she wished.
"Why would you read the same book for the hundredth time?" Hvitserk asked casually. He was sitting lazily on their bed, his daggers in a neat line next to them while he cleaned and sharpened one after the other.
The scene was oddly domestic and though she loved Hvitserk like a brother and best friend, she still wished it was a different Ragnarsson who occupied the bed. It seemed like a million years ago, the last time she had looked in those striking blue eyes without any pretence of being angry or polite. Quickly pushing the thoughts away, her eyes flickered from the book to Hvitserk, a small smile coming to her face. "It makes me look interesting."
"Huh," Hvitserk replied, nodding to himself. A cheeky grin was coming to his lips and he turned to look at her with those childish eyes. "So, it's to cover up for the fact that you have zero physical abilities?"
"Hvitserk," she said threateningly. Making up her mind, she closed the book without bothering to mark the page and kicked the wolf pelt from her legs. Hvitserk's eyes followed her with a spark of amusement in them as she went to sit on the bed and before any accidents could happen, he made sure his collection of daggers was gone. Alasia grabbed one of the fluffy pillows and without a second of doubt, hit her best friend square in the face. For a moment, Hvitserk was too stunned to move, allowing her the space and time to hit him again. "That's what you get for being a jerk!"
"Oh now I'm the jerk for stating the truth?" he asked, raising his eyebrows high. Grabbing one of the pillows as well, he hit her so hard that the impact caused her to fall back on the mattress and a whirlwind of feathers moved through the room.
"Ouch, that actually hurt," Alasia grunted. She placed her hand on her head and rubbed the skin softly, peaking through her lashes to see if Hvitserk would come closer.
He did indeed, scooting over to her side very uncharming. "Truly, Adelasia?" he asked, sounding somewhat worried. "Are you okay?"
As soon as he was close enough, she raised her leg and kicked him in the stomach, gently. "Fooled you!" she yelled, her fingers already forming a fist around one of the pillows. Effortlessly, she hit Hvitserk in the face again, erupting a cloud of feathers herself. She was laughing out loud, tears already forming in her eyes at the priceless sight of Hvitserk's face.
