#almost dies

Pairing: Ubbe x reader

Summary: Reader is a slave who has a hard time behaving. An incident at dinner has her scared and running away from Ivar. Ubbe decides to help her.

Warnings: Mentions of slavery, abuse, death, freezing, mild cursing.

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Hey guys! I couldn't sleep so I wrote this instead lol, hope you like it😚

"You should watch what you say y/n, especially in front of Ivar, he can be very cruel" Calise warned as you rolled your eyes for the millionth time.

"How many times do I have to say it Calise?! Just because some foreign bastards stole me from my home and made me a slave doesn't mean I can just accept it. I'm a human being, not property. If one of those bastard brothers tries to hurt me they will be the ones who are sorry" you huffed setting down a large bucket of dish water.

Calise tsked nodding her head, "You won't last long with that attitude... believe me you weren't the first slave to think she wouldn't bend, but these men can be savages and they will not hesitate to beat you into submission.." she sighed when you didnt reply and continued washing silently.

In your mind you were seething. You understood that you couldn't just go around picking fights but you weren't going to be treated like dirt either. Ugh why were the gods punishing you like this?

You decided to try your best at keeping a low profile until a chance of escaping arose. After all if no one noticed you it wouldn't be that difficult to sneak away one night.

Alright brain, are you listening? No more smart mouthed comments. No more under the breath insults. And for the love of gods, no more dirty glares! Let's try to stay alive long enough to escape shall we?

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That night you stood behind the chairs of the royal family as they ate and conversed happily. A rare occasion honestly, it was not often that all the brothers got along this well.

Ubbe was more sensible and to be honest you did not mind him much. Hviserk was for the most part ok, his comments about women sometimes made you clench your teeth. Sigurd wasnt that interesting to be honest, and then there was the devilish one known as Ivar, that one you had to be wary of, you had seen him almost choke to death a servant for spilling soup over him.

Your eyes roamed around the hall. Gods standing around was so boring... the first thing you were gonna do when you escaped was relax in a hot bath and feast on the fattiest foods. None of that leftover meat slop you slaves were fed.

Sometimes when you guys were cleaning up you would sneak some food in your mouth quickly. Calise scolded you everytime but hey, the gods taught not to be wasteful. In your eyes you were doing a good thing.

"Are you deaf slave?" A sudden sharp voice cut into your thoughts.

Shit...

"Sorry, how may I serve you prince Ivar.." you quickly stepped forward.

"My cup is empty" he motioned holding it up mockingly.

This asshole is lucky I don't have my knife anymore...

You quickly filled his cup with ale, a simple task really. No one could've imagined what would happen next.

When you felt a wandering hand over your ass you acted on instinct. No you didnt even stop to think that slapping the craziest man in kattegat was a bad idea.

You stood there eyes wider than saucers. Frozen like a deer as you watched Ivars stunned face turn from the side slowly, a red welt already appearing on his pale skin. Fuck.

You took one giant step back suddenly afraid that he would stab you with a dinner knife right then and there.

"M-my prince, I'm so sorry I did-" you were abruptly cut off when he shot out of his chair, a wild look of murder in his eyes.

Fuck you were done for. Great job you managed to keep yourself in check for like what 7 minutes?!

"Ivar stop!" Aslaug tried to calm him down but he was already out of his chair and limping towards you dangerously. Afraid of him and what he could do you whipped around and darted past a shocked Calise out into the brisk winters air.

You could hear shouting behind you but you were too frightened to stop. Although you probably made it ten times worse by running away. Should you have just stayed and taken the beating?

Surely the brothers or the queen would've intervened before things got too out of hand. You shook your head. Well none of that mattered now, you had to hide before he found you. Gods for a cripple, he sure was fast.

You cursed as another ruthless wind made you shiver. Only a thin dress protected you from the harsh weather. Great instead of being beaten to death you were gonna freeze to death.

Maybe it was better that way.. even if you left kattegat, it's not like you had anywhere else to go. And being captured by bandits on the road didnt seem appealing either. For all your past bravery you were feeling pretty terrified right now.

You hid behind a house taking a deep breath. Ok so you couldn't ask anyone for help for surely they would turn you in. After all no one would risk protecting you for Ivars wrath.

A barn near the house caught your eye, and you immediately snuck through the crack in the door and pulled it shut.

There were some piles of hay, a table for crafting tools of some sort, and above it all was a semi sealed attic.

Seeing no ladder you quickly piled some hay until it was tall enough to climb on. You also pulled as much as you could up with you to cover yourself.

By this point your hands were starting to burn. But you feared going back more than freezing. So you scooched back as far as you could, almost hidden completely and pulled the hay onto your shaking body. It wasn't the furs you slept with but it would have to do.

Wrapping your arms tight you prayed to the gods that you would somehow survive this or at least die a quick death.

At some point the cold turned into burning and then you felt nothing. You couldn't even feel your eyelids as they drooped shut.

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"Ivar calm down, she's new she doesn't know how to be a proper slave yet" Ubbe stood blocking the door. The only thing standing between him and your certain death.

"I agree, she doesn't know, so she must be taught a lesson" Ivar growled and tried to push past his brother once more.

Aslaug gently placed a hand on his back, "Ivar please, she is just a slave, she is not worth it"

Ubbe could tell he was starting to calm down, especially when his mother spoke he always listened.

"Ivar you're right, she does need to learn but please, let me go and deal with her" Ubbe pleaded.

Ivar glared at his brother a few moments before sighing and shoving his arm off.

"Fine, just promise me you wont be too easy on her brother" he grumbled making his way back to the chair.

Ubbe sighed in relief and made his way outside. He started to worry because it was heavily snowing and from what he saw you were only dressed in a thin dress.

He actually had no intention of "dealing with you" as Ivar had demanded. In all honesty he thought you reacted as any insulted girl would. It just so happened because you were a slave it wasnt permitted.

Later on after he found you he would probably have a good laugh about this with his brothers. After all it wasnt everyday someone stood up to Ivar the boneless.

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Ubbe had been searching far into the night now, no one he asked had any clue where the girl was and he was starting to lose hope.

Part of him wanted to give up and warm up by the fire in his house but part of him knew you would die if he did. He was far too kind to let that happen. So with a sigh he rubbed his hands together trying to generate some heat before he set off again.

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Ubbe lightly shook your numb body as he tried his best to bring you to conciousness.

"Wake up, c'mon woman this is not a good place to die" he lightly slapped your cheek.

He clicked his tongue when you didnt even flinch.

He pulled off his outer fur and gently wrapped you in it. Carefully he lifted a hand behind your back and under your knees. Adjusting you until you lay safely in his arms.

He decided to take care of you himself seeing as it was the middle of the night and his house was much closer than the hall. Plus it wasnt a good idea to be around Ivar right now.

He kicked open the door and gently layed you down by the firepit. He got to work lighting it and gathered all the warmest furs he could find.

Once he had you wrapped up in several layers he grabbed a pillow and made himself comfortable beside you. For a moment he just stared at your face, wondering what your name was, where you came from, what you were thinking when you slapped Ivar. The last one made him smile. You were an interesting one indeed.

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Death felt cozy...? It was warm and comforting, like the first day of spring after a long winter.

You felt softness everywhere, like a bunch of tiny kittens were cuddling into you. If this was death, this must of been heaven. The smell of wood was soothing, reminding you of your home and the sounds were peaceful. The crackling, singing of birds, snoring....wait a minute...snoring???

Your eyes flew open as the realization that were in fact very much alive sunk in. You could see a wooden ceiling and tried to sit up but someone had piled what had to have been 1000 furs on you, making you feel like a swaddled baby. A very hot and sweaty baby. You tried to lift them off but your arms felt like jelly.

Ubbe heard the commotion and was awake in an instant.

He almost laughed as he watched you wiggle around like a trapped worm.

"Easy now, you're still recovering" Ubbes unmistakable voice echoed through the room.

You twisted around until your eyes landed on his amused ones.

"Prince Ubbe?" Ok now you were officially confused.

"Here" he scooted closer and started removing a few of the layers. When you moved to sit up he placed a hand on your back supporting you. You nodded a thank you and cleared your throat. It felt dry like you hadn't drank water in days.

As if he read your mind the prince reached over to a table where he poured water from a pitcher into a small cup then handed it to you.

After gulping the whole thing down you suddenly felt very awkward as he was just staring at you.

" Um Prince Ubbe?" You looked up.

"Yes?"

"What am I doing here.." he let out a tiny laugh which only confused you more.

"You mean you don't remember?" He asked smirking.

"Remember? I don't know what you are talk-.......Oh my god I slapped Ivar!!" you shrieked in disbelief as the memories started to piece back together again.

You suddenly felt very unsafe and began scrambling to get up. What if he was waiting for you to get up just so he could torture you.

As soon as you stood up you felt a wave of dizziness pass and found yourself pitching to the side.

"Woah slow down" Ubbe effortlessly caught you and guided you back onto the ground. "You need to rest, your body has been through a lot." Ubbe said with his hands still supporting you.

You were about to protest when he held a finger to your lips, "Shh listen to me, my brother is not going to hurt you I give you my word." He promised pulling away slightly but still staying close.

You visibly relaxed at his words. Out of all the brothers Ubbe did seem the most trustworthy and kind.

"Although he did say that I should teach you a lesson" he meant it as a joke but you tended up immediately, ready to run again. He quickly noticed and shook his head smiling, "Don't worry, I think you almost freezing to death was punishment enough...how do you feel by the way?" He asked with genuine concern in his eyes.

"I'm fine I think...but I still don't understand how I came to be here with you.." all you remembered was crawling into that barn and feeling so tired.

"After you ran out we calmed down my brother and I convinced him to let me handle you. I searched for you a long time before I got lucky and happened to spot you curled up in the corner. You were nearly dead, I didn't waste time and brought you here to my home. I have to say I am quite surprised you are up already considering how unresponsive you were last night."

As he finished speaking you felt suddenly very vulnerable. All your life you had been on your own. You took care of yourself because that was all you knew. And in one night he had cared for you more than your own parents did your childhood. Suddenly you felt bad for every bad thought of him that ever ran through your mind.

"Thank you...you saved my life and somehow saved me from Ivars wrath as well. You must be a magic prince or something, definitely my new favorite" you let out a tired laugh.

His eyes lit up in amusement. You certainly were an interesting one indeed.

"As long as you don't make a habit of slapping princes I promise nothing will happen to you"

You wanted to believe that but you were a slave, anyone on the street could beat you and no one would bat an eye.

"You can't promise that....I mean no offense but I'm a slave, anyone has the right to punish me with the littlest excuse and no one would care.." you were getting angry at the thought of how many slaves you saw get brutally punished for simple mistakes.

Ubbe was quiet for a moment then shrugged his shoulders, "Then I guess I have no choice"

You tilted your head at his non chalant attitude.

"What do you mean?" You questioned.

"I'll just have to make you mine" he said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Make me his? What is he talking about??

"If I convince my mother to give me you as a personal slave I would be able to watch over you. Down the road I would be able to free you and you could still serve and work for me if you wish."

You sat wide eyed at his words, was he being serious right now??

"You want me to be your slave...? And then you would free me..?"

He nodded his head confirming it.

"I've been in need of someone around the house anyway however I'm not looking for someone to force. If you agree, you would work and I would pay you. But you would be free to do as you please. What do you say"

You were stunned, this man had not only saved your life, he protected you, nursed you and now he was giving you your freedom!?

Again your instincts took over and before you knew what you were doing you launched yourself onto his body gripping him in the tightest hug possible.

"I say yes! Thank you my prince!!" You squeezed him still in disbelief.

He was not expecting that and let out a surprised laugh. When you realized what you had just done you shuffled back embarrassed.

"Ubbe, call me Ubbe from now on" he smiled before opening his mouth again, "Now I think I should know the name of the woman I'm going to be spending alot of time with yeah?"

You looked into his eyes and for the first time you felt so hopeful for the future, "Y/n..my name is Y/n".

He smirked and for the first time in your life you felt those tiny fluttering butterflies that all the girls had talked about.

Oh dear so this was what having a crush on someone felt like..

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that one au i made before the finale