Faint Of Heart [Ivar x Reader]

Chapter 12

Now that you thought of it, your mother had made many mistakes while raising you. While it was expected of every queen not to dote on her children and instead give them to nurses and such for education while she was busy with her responsibilities, you had missed her so much that you swore when you had children, you would make sure they knew how much you loved them.

Even if she wasn't around all that much while you were growing up, your mother still taught you many important things. Never crying in public was one of them, you could still remember the scolding you got when you were seven years old. How to look elegant while taunting the people you hated was another.

Another lesson you had learned from your mother was to never let the public see you ill, and you were beginning to think it would be the hardest one among them.

You still felt very faint, every time you stood up from the bed you still had some difficulties, your chest and all your bones hurt terribly and you still couldn't raise your voice all that much due to your throat being very sore, but this was so boring that you thought you would actually lose your mind.

You were by the window in a very comfortable chair in Ivar's bedchambers, with two furs thrown over your shoulder –Ivar seemed to believe cold was as much of a threat for you as poison was, for some reason- with your knees pulled up to your chest, staring out of the window. There was a figure that seemed to be busy with building some sort of a monument while Gala walked around the room and the guards that seemed to watch your every move did not even move as they waited by the door.

Before a knock reached your ears, making you turn.

"Y/N, are you decent?" Hvitserk's voice reached inside, making you smile.

"Yes, come in please!"

Hvitserk stepped inside, taking a look at the guards. "You may leave."

One of the guards stole a look at you, "King's orders, my prince. There is to be two guards here at all times."

You rolled your eyes, "They only leave when I take a bath." You told Hvitserk, "In a completely irrelevant note, I started taking three baths a day. I'm afraid Gala will try to poison me if I keep that much longer."

"Oh please don't say that my queen," Gala still looked visibly shaken by what had happened to you and you pulled your brows together, but was distracted by Hvitserk.

"I take it you're already tired of staying here?"

"When Ivar left I was taking a bath, he was just here now, and I was on my second bath. I tried to convince him my fever keeps the same water warm for hours but he didn't believe me, it's the small entertainments I have nowadays."

A shadow of a smile crossed his lips before he pulled a chair beside you, "How suspicious of him to be this protective."

"Hvitserk, please," You mumbled, "It wasn't him."

"I'm just saying, he has done it before."

You arched a brow, "He poisoned somebody before? Ivar? Ivar poisoned somebody?"

Hvitserk shifted his weight, "Well not poison, but he hurt somebody very dear to us. Someone he claimed to have cared about."

You frowned, "Wait, what? Who?"

"Why don't you ask him? You surely seem like you trust him completely."

"And you seem like you don't trust him at all."

"With good reason."

You heaved a sigh, making a face at the pain and Hvitserk looked almost guilty.