SOPHIE COULDN'T believe her ears at what came out of King Ragnar's lips. "This is to be your place," he spoke. "You can come and go as you please." "That's impossible," she said, her eyes reflecting her confusion as she searched his face for the truth, but his eyes betrayed nothing but the crafty thoughts Sophie had yet to uncover. "It is," he confirmed. "Remember? I am King." "But what about my duties?" she asked, taken off guard. "No longer needed," he said, catching her off guard. "You are an awful slave," he continued. "And I am dismissing your services." "And I can come and go as I please?" she asked again. "Only if you desire to," he told her. "You can walk away right now if you want." She could, but where would she go? "Does that mean I am a free woman?" she dared to ask. "No," he smirked. What did that mean? "No?" Sophie tested the waters. "Not until you tell me who you are," he insisted, causing her to sigh in defeat. "And if I do tell you, you'll set me free?" s

WITH A RAPID HEARTBEAT, Sophie sprinted desperately away from the individual who had thrown the axe at her. She plunged deeper into the woods, eventually reaching the river, which blocked her path. Terrified, she spun around, her eyes scanning for an escape route, only to find no one pursuing her. There was absolutely no one in sight, waiting to harm her. Was she losing her mind? Was it all a product of her imagination? Judging by her surroundings, Sophie knew she was lost. As she prepared to move again, she heard nearby rustling, triggering her defensive instincts. In her mind, she formulated an escape plan while anxiously waiting with widened eyes for her pursuer. To her astonishment, the predator was none other than Ubbe, one of the brothers she had been avoiding for the past few days. However, there he stood, panting, hands outstretched to show Sophie he meant no harm—only for the axe in his hand to derail his intentions as she bolted once more. "Sophie!" Ubbe shouted as he s

SOPHIE WAS SUPPOSED to meet Ubbe at their training field, which was quite a long walk from her place, let alone from Ubbe's, as she preferred to stay away from the public eye. However, Ubbe was nowhere to be found when she reached her destination. She waited impatiently to start the day's session. For unknown reasons, Ubbe hadn't allowed her to have her own sword or bow, leaving her with only her knife—Torvi's knife—to defend herself. She heard a rustling noise not far away, presuming it was Ubbe. But a bolting figure told her otherwise as she ducked away just in time to avoid the blade of steel swinging at her. Surprised to see King Ragnar standing there with a sword in hand and a smirk on his face, she found herself glaring at him as her quivering hand found the hilt of her knife. It was no wonder where Ivar got his sneakiness from. "Where's Ubbe?" she asked, growing more and more irritated as he studied her with those glinting eyes of his before he almost caught her off-guard b

AWAKENING TO THE gentle patter of rain, Sophie slowly opened her eyes, finding a sense of calm in the melodious symphony of raindrops harmonizing with the song of the birds. Happiness was a rare visitor to her waking moments in Kattegat. Little there brought her simple joys, save for her training sessions and conversations with her two close friends. Everything else seemed insignificant. Each day followed the same pattern—training, visiting Helen and Yelda, and concluding with long, solitary nights during which Sophie yearned for her homeland. She often wondered if she would ever step foot on her native soil again. On this particular morning, Ubbe was conspicuously absent. Curiosity piqued, Sophie decided to venture into the city. To her surprise, the townsfolk of Kattegat were fixated on her, their intense stares causing her heart to race. "Christian!" A person nearby hissed, setting off a chain of insults from others. If their looks were piercing, their verbal barbs were even sh

SOPHIE FOUND HERSELF abandoned in the darkness, tethered to the post that cruelly denied her any respite. Her legs throbbed, longing for rest, yet every time her eyes began to close in hope of a brief reprieve, her bouncing head jolted her awake. It was a torment she had never experienced before, making her almost wish that Ragnar had chosen to end her life. The cold gnawed at her skin, the thin dress she wore offering no protection from the biting chill. The cloak, once deemed useless, now seemed like a desperate necessity. In her solitude, she couldn't help but wonder why Helen hadn't come to visit her. Had she been abandoned in her time of greatest need? Sophie felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness and fear in the darkness, while everyone else was comfortably inside, basking in the warmth of a crackling fire or slumbering peacefully. Unknown to her, Ragnar observed from a short distance away, perched in the shadows, unable to sleep. The image of the vulnerable girl alone out