Chapter 26
Freydis
It's not going to hurt, I chide myself. But it wasn't the fear of pain that made me feel revulsed, it was the thought of sleeping with Brok. A man I held no affection for. No desire. All while Tove watched us.
Brok laid his sword on the table, and the dagger beside it.
"Undress."
"I can't do this," I murmured. "I... I can't."
"Do you intend to not consummate this marriage?" Tove asked from where she sat, perched on a stool near the hearth.
I shook my head.
"My brother will be gentle. That's if you stop acting like a frightened rat."
I shook my head again. "I can't do it."
She smiled and stood. "It's normal to be afraid. If you feel this much fear, take your clothes off and have a bath first."
I wanted to strike Tove across the face. Why couldn't she understand that I didn't want to do this?
I stepped back. "I didn't even agree to marry Brok," I said. "This marriage was against my will."
"Princess," Brok growled, "do you remember what happened the last time you tested me?"
"Are you going to beat me for speaking the truth?"
His expression darkened. "I would do worse."
"I think you're very capable of hurting a woman. I shouldn't be surprised."
I turned toward the door. Without warning, Brok closed the distance between us and grabbed my braids, shoving me to the bed. I groaned in pain as my forehead struck the edge of the wooden frame, reopening an old wound. I felt blood.
Brok lifted me and threw me onto the bed. I tried to crawl away, but he grabbed my neck and dragged me back to him. Dizziness swept over me. I struggled, but he pressed his knees against my thighs, forcing me still. I gritted my teeth.
"Resist me more," he growled. "It turns me on."
My eyes widened as Tove joined him, pressing me down so he could strip me.
"I've always hated you, girl," she said.
"Good, because I hate you too."
"Brok and I will find a way to deal with your sharp mouth when we reach Eastland."
Pain burned my forehead as Brok yanked the belt from my waist.
"You didn't fight when Ragnar fucked you, did you?" he asked.
My eyes widened.
"What? Shocked that i know you spread your legs for him?"
"We didn't do anything," I snapped.
"Liar. You are nothing but a filthy whore. A fool. An embarrassment to your family."
"And you're a bastard."
"Watch your tongue girl. My brother is no bastard," Tove snarled.
"Your brother, or your lover?"
She grinned, leaning in and kissing him. "Both."
My brows furrowed.
"Brok and I have been in love with each other since we were children," she said.
I frowned. "Why not marry him then?"
She only smiled and continued holding me down.
"You know, you've sinned a lot. Not only are you a whore, but you also caused a rift between your parents, all because of Ragnar," Brok said. "You need God's mercy. Start praying."
"What?"
He tugged my clothes.
I struggled to breathe. My gown was nearly torn, the air cold against my skin.
"Start praying," he ordered. "Maybe God will forgive your sins before I ruin you."
My head and neck ached, and a sob tore from my lips. Brok dragged down my gown, leaving me in a thin linen shift. Even with that, I felt naked.
"Pray, Freydis," Brok said. "Pray to God."
I felt helpless. I didn't want to give them what they wanted. I was desperate for something, anything, to keep Brok's hands off my body.
When I closed my eyes to escape from the horror of it, I remembered Ragnar's words: You are the daughter of Freyja.
I gritted my teeth. As Brok moved his hands across my body, my courage failed me.
"Protect me, oh Freyja!" The words slipped from my mouth.
Suddenly, the fire in the hearth hissed. Wind whipped through the room. Energy poured through my body, hurling Brok and Tove across the room. They slammed against the wall. I gasped.
Brok collapsed to the floor beside Tove.
Slowly, he stood up, smiling. "You're the child of a goddess."
A shiver ran through me. I rose quickly. It was too late. They'd seen me. They knew what I had been hiding for years.
"You see, brother," Tove said, "it's just as the vision showed me: Freydis is the child of Freyja. She bears the mark on her lower back."
I frowned. She knew?
Tove chuckled at the look on my face. "I am a seer."
"This is good news," Brok smiled. "We have the child of a goddess."
"I take it you didn't marry me to stop the war."
"Not at all."
"What do you plan to do with me then?"
"Having you as my wife will make my name known across the West, East, South, and North. My power will spread far."
"You fucking bastard!"
"I'm setting you on the path the gods chose for me. You should be thankful," he said. "As your husband, I will be the one to control your fate."
"No!"
"You have no say in this," he said. "You can't tell your father either, because he'll want to burn you, just like he did to the other god-born. Or do you think he'd treat you any differently?"
He turned, back facing me.
My anger surged. I eyed the dagger on the table and quickly snatched it, hiding it behind my back. When Brok turned toward me, he was fully naked.
"Now, let's finish what we began," he said, walking toward me.
Just before he could touch me, I drove the dagger into his stomach. He groaned and fell to his knees. I stepped back, panting, realizing what I'd done.
Without thinking, I opened the door and ran out of the room.