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batbabydamian · 4 months

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Hey, I started reading Robin son of Batman because of your recommendation (I literally have a print of your post on my phone to not forget lol). Honestly? One of the best things I ever read!!!

Thank you for opening my eyes! Damian has been one of my favorite characters for over a year, but I didn't read/watch much of him because of school, life (and probably an executive dysfunction in the mix).

Maya is incredible. I loved her.

I haven't finished all the issues yet, but do you have any other recommendations?

WAH this makes me so happy, i'm glad you still gave it a shot even with how busy life is!! ;v;

i’d love to give reccs, and i’ll try to go a beginner friendly route! tbh you can pick up whatever here, but since you've read R:SOB i’d immediately follow up with Batman and Robin (2011) #1-8! this first arc is what’s referred to in Maya’s introduction, and it's just. so good.

Main Books

Batman and Robin (2009)

Dick as Batman with Damian as his Robin!

#20-22 Tree of Blood: Dark Knight vs White Knight arc is done by Tomasi and Gleason, the team for the next Batman and Robin series

*Batman and Robin (2011)

Bruce and Damian figuring out their relationship as both Batman & Robin and father & son

imo you can enjoy the ride and read straight through this but i’ll add context to avoid as much confusion as possible since there’s the occasional tie-in or offscreen events, like Damian’s death nbd

Batman Incorporated (2012) #1-10

events leading to Damian's death - affects Batman and Robin (2011) from issue #18

kind of a tough read especially with how Talia's written, but a lot of iconic bits like Batcow, Damian's vegetarian declaration, Alfred the cat, "We Were the Best, Richard."

Robin (2021)

another self-discovery adventure, particularly after Alfred’s death and a fallout with Bruce (and questionable writing choices from his last Teen Titans run)

Batman and Robin (2023)

currently ongoing! after a number of events, Bruce and Damian are back as a duo

Damian Dynamics!

Batman: Streets of Gotham (2009) #7, 10-12

arc where Damian meets one of his first Gotham friends, Colin Wilkes

Batgirl (2009) #5-7, #17

Steph and Damian dynamic! "the bad cop, worse cop" dysfunctional duo

Red Robin (2009) #13-14

early Tim and Damian dynamic that of course includes fighting haha. funny enough, accidentally my first intro to Damian LOL

Teen Titans (2003) #89-92

Dick!Batman has Damian join the Teen Titans. Start of Damian and Rose Wilson dynamic that’s extended in Robin (2021)

Batman: Gates of Gotham (2011)

Damian meets Cass and has a brief team up

Gotham Academy (2015) #7

Damian meets Maps Mizoguchi! they have a few other meetings, but outside of that the series itself is a great read!

Robin War Event (2015)

Robin War (2015) #1, Grayson (2014) #15, Detective Comics (2011) #47, We Are Robin (2015) #7, Robin: Son of Batman (2015) #7, Robin War (2015) #2

Duke and Damian dynamic! not exactly beginner friendly but these are the main issues in order for the event! you can also read the TPB version for everything including Tie-Ins

Nightwing (2016) #16-20, #42, #43

#16-20 Nightwing and Robin arc!

#42 Dick on a mission to save Damian! the one appearance of "Wiggles" the dragon

#43 Dick, Roy, and Damian team-up

New Talent Showcase 2018 "Catwoman: Pedigree"

Selina, Damian, and Alfred the cat

Batman: Prelude to the Wedding - Robin vs. Ra's Al Ghul (2018)

Selina, Damian, and Cheese Viking - Damian's fav game shown in Nightwing: Rebirth (2016)

Monkey Prince (2022) #1-4

Marcus Sun Shugel-Shen's main comic, but Damian features as a fun dynamic here before they're in more serious circumstances in Batman VS Robin (2022)/Lazarus Planet event

Superman (2016) #10 - 11

the beginning of the Super Sons! featuring Maya!

Super Sons (2017)

solitary arcs but there’s a few event tie-in issues later

Adventures of the Super Sons (2018)

literally more Super Sons adventures lol galactic shenanigans yeehaw

Challenge of the Super Sons (2020)

Super Sons time shenanigans feat. the Justice League

Robin 80th Anniversary (2020)

"Boy Wonders" - brief Damian feature as Tim considers his next step in life

"My Best Friend" - Jon's thoughts on Damian and their dynamic

"Bat and Mouse" - refers to Damian's unfortunate Teen Titans (2016) run at the time of release which follows up with Teen Titans Annual #2 where Damian briefly gives up Robin

Extra Comics!

Superman/Batman (2003) #77

Kara and Damian in a Halloween team-up! also the appearance of "Li'l Matches" lol

DCU Halloween Special '09 "Cavity Search"

Damian out on a solo mission for Halloween night. Immediately after is Tim's Red Robin story "Then and Now: Our Father's Sins" which is more somber in contrast but also a good read!

DCU Halloween Special 2010 "Robin the Vampire Slayer"

a Dick!Batman and Robin story featuring the vampire Andrew Bennett

Cursed Comics Cavalcade (2018) "The Devil You Know"

Halloween themed comic with a sweet short story of Damian alongside Solomon Grundy

DC's Terrors Through Time (2022)

"Trick or Treat" a Super Sons Halloween story

"The Haunting of Wayne Manor" Damian and Deadman story - in the end, Boston kinda refers to Nezha's possession of Damian in Batman VS Robin (2022) which was happening at the time of this release

Batman: Li'l Gotham (2013)

lighthearted series that instantly makes me smile with the silliness and Dustin Nguyen’s art i love this dearly

Secret Origins (2014) #4 "A Boy's Life"

a retelling of Damian's origin story

Detective Comics (2016) #1001-1005

Batman and Robin vs the Arkham Knight (unrelated to the game)

Truth & Justice (2021) #6/#16 - 18 Digital First version

cute story of Damian’s birthday! Juni Ba’s art is so fun!!

DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration (2021) “Special Delivery”

short story about Damian! and poisoned pizzas. completely forgot the artist Sami Basri drew Rebirth Damian here before catboy Damian lol Cass’s story “Sounds” is also cute! Marcus makes his first appearance in "The Monkey Prince Hates Superheroes"

DC VS Vampires (2021)

Damian makes appearances throughout this elseworlds book, but the one-shot DC VS Vampires: Hunters (2022) is vampire Damian-centric!

Batman: Black and White (2021) #5

“Father & Son Outing” short story written and drawn by Jorge Jimenez!

Batman: Urban Legends (2021) #20-23

#20 “My Son” Talia and Bruce focus

#20 - 23 “The Murder Club” 4 Parts

Tiny Titans (2008) #33, #39, #45, #47

a few appearances but SO CUTE, LOOK AT HIM

*Batman and Robin (2011) reading guide

i'm mostly trying to avoid the "what did i just walk in on?" kinda feeling when i first started reading comics LOL i'll list the comics where events take place, but you don't necessarily have to read them to go through this book since things are usually explained as quickly as possible in the first page or so

#0 Someday Never Comes

Talia and baby Damian before he grows up to meet Bruce

#1-8 Born to Kill

just an incredibly solid arc for Bruce and Damian!

#9 Court of Owls Tie-In Issue

Damian VS a Court of Owls Talon. While Bruce is occupied with a home invasion of Talons, Alfred makes a call for allies to protect targeted Gotham public figures from Talons. During Batman (2011) #1-11

#10-12 Terminus

Damian challenges the previous Robins sans Steph

Batman Incorporated (2012) is occurring at this time where Talia has placed a bounty on Damian and there's small mentions of that

#13-14 Eclipsed/Devoured

mostly solitary arc! end of it leads into the Death of the Family event

#15-16 Death of the Family Tie-In Issues

Damian and Joker face-off... Alfred's been kidnapped by the Joker, and Damian goes looking for him. During Batman (2011) #13-17

#17 Life is but a Dream - Death of the Family Epilogue

a sort of subconscious check-in through the dreams of Damian, Alfred, and Bruce. Nightwing (2011) #17 features Damian encouraging Dick after Death of the Family events

#18 Undone "Requiem"

Bruce dealing with Damian's death from Batman Incorporated #8

other reactions to Damian's death: Dick in Nightwing (2011) #18, Tim in Teen Titans (2011) #18

#19-23 Denial, Rage, The Bargain, Despair, Acceptance

Bruce through the stages of grief with some batfam appearances in each. also introduces Carrie Kelley into continuity as Damian's acting tutor.

Batman (2011) #19-20 also addresses Bruce's loss

#23.1-23.4

these could be skipped - villain stories, also related to Forever Evil event.

#24-28 The Big Burn

optional Batman and Two-Face/Harvey Dent arc, #23.1 is part of this story!

Damian's resurrection and return

#29-32 The Hunt for Robin

Ras took Talia and Damian's bodies from their graves, and Bruce goes after him.

-> Robin Rises: Omega

continues events from #32. if you don't want to jump to this, basically, Glorious Godfrey and a bunch of parademons from Apokolips are here for a chaos shard which Ra's put in Damian's sarcophagus. at some point, Bruce gets a hold of the shard where he sees a vision that leads him to believe Damian can be resurrected. Godfrey ends up taking the shard, along with Damian's body since it was emitting the same energy.

#33-37 Robin Rises

Bruce hellbent on retrieving Damian from Apokolips and reviving him

-> Robin Rises: Alpha

necessary to read and continues events from #37! Damian's back with a bang lol

#38-40 Superpower

Damian adjusting to having superpowers and being alive again

Annual #1 2013 Batman Impossible

sweet (and funny) one-shot of Damian sending Bruce on a meaningful scavenger hunt around the world while Damian gets to be the cutest Batman for a bit

Annual #2 2014 Batman and Robin: Week One

one-shot takes place during Damian's absence. after Bruce and Alfred find a mystery gift left for Dick, Dick recounts a story he had told Damian from his Robin days.

Annual #3 2015 Moonshot

one-shot Batman and Robin adventure on the moon!

...and of course after Batman and Robin (2011), Damian's story continues in his first solo Robin: Son of Batman (2015)!

#damian wayne #ask #sorry for R:SOB promo again but i need this title attached to Damian's name as much as B&R 2009/2011😭#thank you for the ask anon!! really am so happy you were able to find the time to read RSOB and enjoy it!! i genuinely cheered 😭#i hope some of these comics give you many emotions and/or a smile!! <3 #if anyone would like to correct something or include some Damian comics please feel free to comment or add to the post!!#sorry if the reading guide is an intimidating wall of text hhh after i finished it i was like...this does not look beginner friendly LOL 😭#Damian's Teen Titans run is beginner friendly but it's so frustrating to read his character being regressed especially after RSOB #ig i would only recc the first 5 issues just for Mara asdsfg #super/bat 77 comic rlly made me wonder how Williamson could've made Damian sound so stiff now compared to his first time writing him?? rip.#also i love how there's so many Halloween stories here lol #maybe?? i'll do a guide for Damian's intro since those were the most confusing for me when i really got into his comics #i think his most recent appearances are a bit easier to figure out on your own but i don't mind doing a guide for that too if needed!#OOF tags got long lol i may be a bit nervous posting this bc i'd like ppl to read more Damian but worried i may have goofed somewhere #but hopefully this is helpful to anyone curious about peeking at his comics!!

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thatsmzbitchtoyou · 16 days

Text

Norsemen & Anglo-Saxons Chapter 1

Here's the new story! I hope y'all like it.

Summary: Princess Y/N has a secret that her parents are ashamed of. A conquering Viking chief recognizes the gift she has. Will they be able to bring peace between warring people, and maybe find love along the way? Viking!Bucky Warnings: eventual smut, abuse, violence, animal attack, blood

The New Year was upon them. The castle was bustling with maids and squires decorating and scrambling to get everything ready in time. The halls were filled up with garlands, pinecones, dried oranges, berries, and candles lit every ten feet. A large tree had been hauled into the great hall during Christmas Time and decorated with the same oranges, berries and pinecones, as well as ornamental pieces that shone through the branches in the candlelight. The last seasonal ball was to be held in a few days time, and the noble families from all over the Isles had traveled in to be part of the festivities.

Princess Y/N watched the chaos in boredom as her little brother Prince Alfred, or Alfie, ran around the room with a stream of ribbon in hand, singing holiday songs at the top of his lungs. As much as she loved and adored him their age difference was definitely apparent during these moments. “I watched three ships come sailing in on Christmas day on Christmas day…”

“Alfie if you sing that wretched song one more time I will–”

“You will do nothing,” her mother, Queen Eugenia interrupted as she walked into the great hall to inspect the decorations. “After all these years of training, you still resort to violence, you ridiculous child.”

“And you still call me a child when I near my thirtieth year, Mother,” Y/N spat back. “Perhaps my penchant for violence comes from my frustration with said training and the constant degradation of my age and ability.”

“Your petulance and independence has made you unmarriable and therefore a thorn in my side,” Eugenia sighed.

“There have been no, as you and Father called them, “suitable” suitors to marry me off to, Mother. And this,” she held out her hand, opening her palm, wherein a green orb of light appeared, “scares you both to death.”

“Put your hand away!” Eugenia ran over and slapped Y/N’s hand down before anyone could see. “Stop being so careless!”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mother.”

Eugenia sat next to her. “You will attend tonight’s ball, dressed appropriately, with a smile on your ungrateful face and nothing but patient, polite mannerisms escaping that mouth of yours. And you will not play tricks,” she looked pointedly at Y/N’s hands.

Y/N glared at her. “Yes, Mother.”

Eugenia sighed again. “Go get ready.”

Y/N left the great hall as Alfie continued singing away. Her lady’s maid followed her as she roamed the halls towards her room. The only ones who knew about her ability were her family, the royal advisory court and her lady’s maid. No one had been able to figure out what to do with it. She didn’t have a handle on it, either. She could manipulate objects and people’s bodies to move how she wanted, heal minor injuries, and when touching someone she was able to see their thoughts and feel their feelings. She could feel that there was something more to it, that her power had the potential to grow, and yet she and her ability had been tamped down so heavily from the moment she first started exhibiting it that she was unable to truly hone it and see what she was capable of. The advisors had researched their history and fairy tale books extensively and could not find a rhyme or reason as to why she had this power. The only reason she had not been burned at the stake as a witch was because her father thought it could be useful to him and his never ending battle against the Norsemen.

Y/N had only seen one Norseman in her entire life. Her father had captured one after a horrible battle and brought him back from the battlefield. He was what they called a Berserker, a Norseman warrior that would lose all sense of self-preservation and run into battle like a feral animal, like they were out of their minds and drunk with bloodlust. Her father had put them in a room together, separated by a line of thin prison bars. The Norseman didn’t try to attack her, just watched her intently. Her father told her to try her powers on him, see what she could make him do. Y/N had refused, so her father flogged her to try and make her submit. The Norseman had become so incensed by her father’s mistreatment that he had broken through the bars, bending them like they were butter, and just as he was about to lay his hands on her father she threw her hands up. The Norseman was encircled in the green light, stopping him midair. Her father gave the first genuine smile towards her she had seen in years.

The guards had shackled him and took him away shortly after that. The look in his eyes as they dragged him away was one of shock and betrayal. Y/N couldn’t stand it, and that night snuck through the castle to the dungeon. She had found secret passages as a child that she used regularly, and slipped through undetected. She stole the keys and found his cell. He was awake, and when he heard the jingle of the keys he looked up at her. His eyes widened and he scurried towards the farthest wall from her.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” Y/N had whispered, holding her hands up. He watched her carefully as she unlocked the door and swung it open. She had stepped away, giving him room to leave. He had slowly walked out of the cell, watching her constantly. He stepped away towards the nearest exiting door. “Run,” she whispered as she backed away from him, keeping her hands up.

He stopped for a moment. He cleared his throat and asked in perfect English, “Are you a witch?”

Y/N had blinked at him in surprise. “I…I don’t know,” she answered honestly. This man could kill her in a second without making a sound, and yet he merely nodded. “Thank you, Drottning,” he bowed his head to her then ran off towards the door.

Y/N had never seen or heard from him again. The castle had been abuzz with confusion and fear upon finding him missing the next morning, but they ultimately decided that the barbarian had his ways and wasn’t worth pursuing.

Y/N had never trusted her father again after that day, and had steered clear of him whenever and however she could. He only wanted her for her power and what it could do for him. He didn’t love her, he didn’t love Alfie. He was a true English King, hoarding power and wealth wherever he could.

Y/N dressed in her holiday best for the ball and begrudgingly entered the great hall later that night. The party was in full swing, nobles dancing together as the music played, the King and Queen laughing madly at the jester performing in front of them. The wine was flowing, making the crowd more rowdy by the second. As Y/N ascended the stage where the King and Queen sat she saw two short legs poking out and found Alfie hiding behind the Queen’s wide throne chair. She quickly walked over and pulled him into her arms. “What are you doing here, Alfie? It’s late, and this is no place for a young boy,” she scolded him.

“Papa said I had to be here, because I’m to be king, and this is what kings do,” he mumbled. Y/N glared over at her father, who was drinking himself into a stupor. Alfie was a mere 11 years old, and already her father was trying to sink his dirty claws into the little boy’s mind and heart.

“No, Alfie, this is not how kings should act,” Y/N reassured him as she ran her fingers through his hair. “Let’s get you to bed.”

Suddenly there was a loud bang and a whistling as wind whipped through the hall from where the front doors burst open. A thunderous roar from what seemed like hundreds of men swarming the hall filled the room, echoing through the high ceilings and making Alfie cover his ears. Y/N held him close as she huddled behind the throne, concealing him and herself as best as possible. There were shouts and screams from the nobles as the men started to cut many of them down, pushing and beating others as they made their way to the stage.

The King and Queen sat in shocked silence as they watched their guards and nobles die or be captured around them. Y/N glanced around looking for an escape and saw men standing in the higher windows, pointing arrows at the royals. She knew they were seen and so any attempt to run would be met with death.

Heavy footsteps walked up the stage steps, and before she could even move large hands were hefting her and Alfie from behind the chair. They ripped Alfie from her arms and she screamed, trying to get ahold of him again as he cried and tried to grab for her. Y/N’s body was wrenched around and she came face to face with a familiar looking man.

“Hello, Drottning, remember me?” the Norseman from years earlier smiled at her.

“You!” Y/N breathed as her eyes widened.

The Norseman chuckled as he led her to the front of the stage to stand next to her Mother and Father who sat dumbfounded on their thrones, Alfie on the other side of them being held back by another man. Y/N looked around and even through her fear was struck by the attractive nature of these men. Most of them were spattered in blood and sweat from fighting, and yet she had never seen so many handsome men. The yelling started to die down as one Norseman walked forward, assumedly the leader, the rest of them parting to let him through. The one approaching her and her family was easily one of the most beautiful men she had ever seen in her life. His long, dark brown hair was half tied back with braids that had ornaments of beads and metal cuffs attached to them. His full beard was cut neatly and framed his pink lips, which were stretched into a menacing smirk. His blue eyes shone bright like the ocean just after a storm, and she could see the mischievous glint in them as he scanned the family. He was covered in Norse battle gear from just under his jaw to his feet, a large sheathed sword on his right side and a war hammer at his left. His left arm was bare, and upon further inspection Y/N realized it wasn’t flesh, but some kind of metal, yet it looked and functioned like a normal arm. He was huge, like all the other men, tall and broad. His eyes settled on her and he appraised her, giving her a long look up and down. Y/N straightened herself under his stare, refusing to bow or show weakness to him. His smirk deepened at her as he looked back at her parents.

“King Henry, Queen Eugenia,” he greeted them in a deep, booming voice. “I am James Barnes, Jarl of the Danes, or Norsemen as you like to call us.” He nonchalantly took a half eaten pastry off the table closest to him and popped it in his mouth, chewing it slowly. “What a lovely party. We missed our invitation,” he said with a sly smile, making his men laugh heartily around him.

Henry just couldn’t help himself as he stood up. “You aren’t wanted, heathens! Leave immediately!”

“Now now, Henry, is that any way to speak to the ones who have conquered you?” James admonished him. “I’ve come to make peace, and you want to scream insults?”

Y/N silently gasped. Peace? With the Norsemen?

“Make peace? While you murder my nobles and threaten my family? That’s preposterous,” Henry scoffed. Y/N glared at her father, silently wishing for him to shut up.

“Well you could either choose peace, or watch the rest of your nobles and your family die, starting with your heir,” James threatened, glancing at Alfie. Y/N squirmed against the Norseman behind her at the threat. “And we’ll make some stops along the way to some of your most prosperous cities and take what we need. The choice is yours.”

“That’s no choice!” Henry yelled and then started to move towards James. “You wretched, barbaric–”

A whistle sounded through the hall as an arrow was loosed. It flew straight towards Alfie’s chest. Y/N’s hand yanked out of the Norseman’s hand that was holding her and stretched toward her brother as she screamed, “NO!”

The arrow stopped, hovering right in front of Alfie’s heart, surrounded by the green light. The men gasped, James staring at Y/N with an awestruck smile on his face. “So it’s true,” he whispered. Y/N flicked her wrist and the arrow went flying towards the wall and shattered. Before she could even drop her hand James was in front of her. He looked at the Norseman holding her back and nodded to him. “Thor, is this the English witch of royal blood who freed you?”

The man behind her nodded and lightly shoved her into his arms. James held her by her arms and looked down at her. “What’s your name, Princess?”

Y/N could only stare at his bright blue eyes, her heart hammering in her chest at exposing herself and her ability. “Y/N,” she whispered.

“Y/N,” he repeated it like it was a prayer. “I’ve been talking to the wrong person.” He pulled her forward to face her family. “Henry, you’ve been hiding something,” he chuckled as he plopped his chin on her shoulder so they were cheek to cheek and ran his fingers up and down her arms, the metal ones sending chills up her spine. “She’s the one with power, not you.” Henry glared at her, a hateful look on his face. “Oh, I see,” James’ voice became sharper. “You feel threatened by her, so you’ve hid her away, stomped on her potential to grow,” Y/N was nearly shaking as she felt the adrenaline rush through her. “She’s a goddess among you pathetic royals,” he kissed the side of her head, “and you wanted to reduce her to a torture device. You let the magic go to waste.” He turned her towards him again and dipped his face to be at eye level with her. “We have magic at home. We can help you learn and grow,” Y/N’s eyes widened at him. “So I ask you, Princess Y/N. What do you choose, death or peace?”

Y/N exhaled a shaky breath as she stared at him. As he touched her she let her ability slip into his mind. She could find no lie in his words. He and his people were tired, the constant war depleting their resources and wiping out families. They won the battles more often than lost, but it had put a strain on their lives. His mention of magic seemed real, too, with glimpses and flashes of things that were unexplainable popping up in his mind. Y/N thought about her people and how the English had been begging for peace for years as well, all of it falling on her father’s greedy, prideful ears. She could tell James was good, and only wanted good for his men and his people.

“I propose an allyship,” she said. James blinked and his eyebrows furrowed at her. “A peace treaty with a tradition as old as time,” she clarified, gulping quickly. “We join our families in marriage.” His eyes flicked between hers, like he was studying her. His men around him mumbled as they considered the idea. “If you are unmarried,” she amended, since she wasn’t sure, “or if someone in your nobility is unmarried, I will come with you as a peace offering, a marriage tribute. You will have me, and my power, and leave my family and my people be,” she said, trying to look and sound every bit the princess her mother had always wanted her to be. “And we will end this war and finally bring peace to our people.”

James stood straight, towering over her. He watched her for another moment, then stepped back and looked to his men behind him. Two of them walked up and spoke to him quietly. Y/N waited on baited breath as they consulted with each other. They stood back and he turned toward her again. “Done,” he said simply, the smirk returning to his lips. Y/N nodded and quietly sighed. “My Drottning,” he spoke lowly, holding out his metal hand. She put her right hand into his metal hand, admiring it.

“What does that mean?” she asked him.

“My Queen,” he winked at her. Y/N blushed deeply. He turned to his men and held her hand up high in his. “We have peace!” he yelled triumphantly. The thunderous roar returned as they cheered, their hands and swords and axes held high as they hugged each other and drank some of the wine left on the tables around them. James dropped their joined hands and kissed the hand he held, making her blush again. “Say goodbye to your family, Drottning, we leave immediately.”

He let her go and she ran up the stairs towards her family. She ignored her parents altogether, grabbing Alfie and holding him tight against her.

“Don’t go,” Alfie cried as his fingers clutched her dress.

“I have to,” Y/N cried as she carded her fingers through his hair. “You listen to me,” she knelt in front of him and held his face in her hands, “you remember what I’ve taught you.” He nodded frantically. “Do not listen to Father,” he nodded again, making her father sneer at them next to her. “I’ve seen it in you,” she whispered, laying a hand against his heart then tapping her finger to her head. “You will become one of the greatest kings England has ever known, as long as you don’t do as Father has done. You will bring continued peace and prosperity, you hear me?” She wiped his tears away. “Because you are a good boy, and will become a great man. My little king,” she kissed his forehead firmly before pulling away.

Alfie cried harder as she stepped away from him. She turned to her father. “Stay away from him,” she warned him, glancing at Alfie. “I have procured a peace that you, and your father, and your father’s father could never have dreamed of,” she sneered back at him. “Do good by our people, for once in your miserable life.” She glared at him before turning back towards James who stood patiently waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

His men were slowly retreating out of the great hall as he held his hand out for her again. She took it as he flashed one last glance and triumphant smile at her father before leading her out the front doors. As they walked through the courtyard and towards the horses waiting for them he glanced at her attire.

“Hm, this won’t do while riding,” he said as he twirled her around. Y/N furrowed her eyebrows at him. “Where’s your lady’s maid?”

Y/N looked around and saw the telltale eyes peeking from behind the stables. “May,” she pointed.

James summoned her forward out of hiding. She quickly ran across the courtyard and into Y/N’s arms, sobbing as Y/N pet her hair. “Miss May, go fetch your princess’ riding clothes and some simple dresses for travel,” James instructed her. May stared at him with wide eyes, looking at Y/N who nodded to her. She was escorted back inside with Thor to get Y/N’s things packed.

As they stood there waiting, the snow started to fall. Y/N looked up and sighed as the cold kissed her face, a welcome reprieve to her inflamed cheeks from the night’s tension. She looked towards James who was already looking at her.

“What do I call you?” she asked him.

“You can call me Bucky,” he said.

“Bucky?” she asked, a small smirk pulling her lips.

“A nickname,” he laughed at her perplexed look. “Saved for those closest to me. And since you’ll be my queen–”

“So it is you I’ll be marrying then?” Y/N asked.

“Yes,” Bucky laughed harder. “I guess I didn’t make that very clear.”

“Hm,” Y/N hummed. “You have a very English name...James.”

“Yes,” he agreed, sighing as he looked at the falling snowflakes. “We Norsemen and you Anglo-Saxons are not that different from each other,” he said with a twinkle in his eye as he winked at her again.

Y/N pondered that as May came out holding Y/N’s riding clothes and boots with Thor holding a small trunk that he loaded onto one of the wagons they had waiting. May ran back to Y/N.

“Go change, and then we’ll be off,” Bucky excused Y/N, who led May over to the stables. They went into an empty bay and May quickly stripped Y/N out of her gown and into her riding clothes.

“My lady,” May said as she held Y/N’s crown in her hands. Y/N looked at it and gingerly took it from her. She stared at it for a moment before giving it back to her. She gave May another hug.

“Take it, my love,” she said as May sobbed in her arms again. “Run away and marry that stable boy, Ben, and use it to live long happy lives together,” she said as she pulled away.

May nodded as she cried, gathering up the gown as she said goodbye.

Y/N came back out in her riding clothes. She approached Bucky who was preparing his horse. He mounted it and held his hand out to her. She took it and he helped hoist her behind him on the saddle. He wrapped her hands around his waist then she felt him tying her wrists together.

“What–” she started, trying to look over his shoulder.

“So you don’t run off,” Bucky cocked an eyebrow at her in warning as he looked back at her.

“I won’t,” Y/N promised.

“That’s what they all say,” Bucky chuckled before he turned to his men who were all waiting. “To Danmark!!”

“To Danmark!” they all yelled, and the pounding of hooves rang through the night as they all rode out of the courtyard and into the English countryside.

Y/N’s arms tightened around Bucky, her head tucking in between his shoulder blades as the winter wind stung her face. She was not going to run and wanted to prove it to him. She wanted peace, even if it meant giving up herself to get it. After about an hour they all started to slow as they reached the water’s edge where multiple ships were docked, secured by other Norsemen who waited anxiously for them.

Bucky untied the rope around her wrists then dismounted. He held his hands up to her hips and helped her down as well. He inspected her wrists, giving them a short rub. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as he pressed a kiss to each wrist. Y/N was surprised at his affection, but welcomed it in the moment. He pulled her towards one of the boats. He helped her step onto it and settled her into a corner of the stern that was covered in furs and quilts. He pulled one of the furs up and covered her with it, securing it around her shoulders. There was plenty of room around her as she got herself comfortable.

“It’s going to be a four day journey, Drottning,” Bucky kneeled in front of her. “This area is for all of us to sleep, so you’ll have at least a few men next to you, but don’t fear,” he reassured her at the look on her face, “they’re harmless. Just tired.”

Y/N looked around at the men loading themselves into the boat, many of them taking seats at the benches where the oars were sitting. She felt worried but nodded at him. He gave her a smile and stepped away to help load more things into the boats. They all worked methodically together until in just a few minutes they were ready to pull off. Bucky was stationed at one of the oars as well, giving the signal and they shoved off the shore.

Y/N watched the men in her boat and the others row in perfect unison. She admired their strength and the way they all seemed to be of one mind as they worked together to get into a good rhythm, making the boat fly through the water. The rhythmic rowing lulled her to sleep as she snuggled down into the furs below her.

She woke a few hours later. It was still dark out, the rowing still going strong. As she shifted to get more comfortable she felt a heavy weight around her waist. She panicked until she turned and saw Bucky’s peaceful face sleeping next to her, his metal arm resting on her side. Y/N looked down at the arm. She admired its craftsmanship, unsure of how he was able to find or create such a thing. Her fingers traced along the metal, the plates and divots carved like the muscles of a real arm would be. When she reached his hand she lightly traced each finger with the tip of her pointer finger. His hand suddenly moved to grasp her wrist. She gasped as he gently maneuvered her to face him. His eyes were still closed as he let go of her wrist then wound his metal arm around her back this time, holding her to his chest. “Sleep, wife,” he mumbled, his voice coming out hoarsely as he kissed her forehead and rested his chin on top of her head.

Y/N was stiff for a moment until the warmth enveloped her and she melted into his embrace. She pressed her nose into his sternum and breathed deeply as her hands gripped the fur coat he was wearing. He hummed as his breathing evened out and a soft snore rumbled in his chest. It lulled her to sleep again, a small smile on her face.

**picture is A.I. from Pinterest, unknown original "artist" or "creator"**

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes x reader #marvel #smut #viking!bucky barnes #viking!bucky barnes x reader #medieval #viking #chapter 1 #princess!reader #powers!reader #magic

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abeautifulblog · 4 months

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HISTORY TIME: A FUN* STORY ABOUT VIKINGS

*It's fun if you're a viking, less fun if you're a Saxon.

So at the time of the viking invasion of England (865 AD), there were four Anglo-Saxon kingdoms: Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia, and Wessex. Northumbria went down first, like so --

The Danish army lands with no warning whatsoever at the city of York; they swoop in and take it without a fight, and start fortifying it.

Northumbria was at the time in the middle of a civil war (which presumably the Danes knew about, and were taking deliberate advantage of), but at that, the two rival kings go "aw nuts 😐" and stop fighting each so they can team up to go fight the Danes. They take their armies to York to try to get the vikings out of their city.

The vikings wreck their shit. The Northumbrian army gets absolutely curb-stomped, both kings are killed, and that is the end of independent Northumbria. 💀

Then the Danish army goes to Mercia. They land with no warning whatsoever at the city of Nottingham, swoop in and take it without a fight, and start fortifying it.

The king of Mercia is Burgred; he requests aid from Wessex, and King Aethelred and his brother Alfred oblige. They all take their armies to Nottingham to try to get the vikings out of their city.

…And then Burgred bribes the vikings to go away.

¿🤨?

For lack of any other information about the circumstances surrounding that decision (seriously, we have none -- "no major battles were fought" and then Burgred paid a danegeld, that's all we know), historians kind of unanimously seem to treat this as proof that Burgred was just a massive pussy who was afraid to fight even when he had the joint armies of Mercia and Wessex backing him up.

Table that -- we'll come back to it.

Then the Danish army goes to East Anglia. There was a little bit of warning this time, since they marched overland instead of arriving by boat, but nonetheless, they arrived at the city of Thetford, swooped in and took it without a fight, fortified it, etc. The king of East Anglia was Edmund, he took his army to Thetford to try to get the vikings out of his city, the vikings wrecked his shit, army was curb-stomped, King Edmund was killed, and that was the end of independent East Anglia. 💀

Then the Danish army goes to Wessex. They land with no warning whatsoever at the city of Reading, swoop in and you know the drill by now.

(rofl I swear to god, the history of this period sounds like a broken record 🤣)

King Aethelred and Prince Alfred take their army to Reading to try to get the vikings out of their city -- the vikings wreck their shit, the West Saxon army gets curb-stomped, and if Aethelred and Alfred hadn't managed to escape, that would probably have been the end of independent Wessex. Five months later, Alfred bribes the vikings to go away.

But here's what I find interesting:

When the Northumbrian kings were trying to retake York, the Danish army had emerged from the city and arrayed themselves in front of it, so that the two armies could square up on flat ground. Midway through the battle, the Danish line fell apart, and the vikings broke and ran back toward York, trying to get back behind the safety of the city walls. The Northumbrians managed to push through the gate after them, into the city--

And then the other half of the viking army jumped on them. RIP, Northumbria. 💀

Fast-forward to Reading:

The Danish army emerges from their fortified city to meet Athelred & Alfred's army outside of it.

The West Saxons are like, Gosh, I could have sworn their army was bigger. 🤔 OH WELL, GUESS THAT MEANS WE HAVE THE ADVANTAGE!

……

…………………..

GUYS.

THE VIKINGS HAVE ONE PLAY, BUT YOU NEED TO STOP FALLING FOR IT.

(And then like, four months later they did it again at the Battle of Wilton, and Alfred fell for it again. Seriously.)

We don't know what happened when King Edmund got curb-stomped in East Anglia -- we've got zero information about how exactly that battle went down, whether it was a fake-out retreat that got him too, or whether it was something else. This is because all of our best sources from this period are from Wessex, and they are very invested in making Alfred look good, and comprehensively give no fucks about anyone else.

Meanwhile, my blorbo is Mercian, so I've been having fun playing fanfic with history, and coming up with a story that fits the canon facts but has an unrepentently pro-Mercia bias. And this whole sequence of events really begs the question--

Why is everyone so certain that Burgred made the wrong call at Nottingham?

I mean, to start with, there are no good options when you're besieging your own gd city -- you're either destroying your own infrastructure with a fast siege, or starving your own citizens to death with a slow siege. What, exactly, do these historians think Burgred should have done? There's no winning at that point; just take the L and do what you can to minimize your losses.

As for "no major battles" being fought at the siege of Nottingham………. what part, in any of this story, suggests that engaging with a viking army outside of the city they're occupying is a good idea? Especially when you just saw how they took York?

HO DON'T DO IT. 🤣

#Viking Facts tm #“fighting vikings outside the city” is the “invading Russia in winter” of this period #ETA stand by for a followup post about danegelds

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emblematicemblazer · 7 months

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World building and theories of Engage

Alfred and Alfred the Great

Alfred, The Crowned Prince of Firene, has a real life inspiration, the Anglo-Saxon king Alfred the Great (849-899). Alfred the Great is probably best known for successfully defending his kingdom, Wessex, from Viking attacks. The surrounding kingdoms of Northumbria, East Anglia and Mercia had fallen and the odds were stacked against him, Alfred the Great and his father King Aethelred, were driven back into the heart of their kingdom and had to employ guerrilla tactics.

Alfred has similar claims to fame, with the help of the Divine Dragon he successfully defends his kingdom from attacks by the corrupted and Elusian forces.

There are other similarities between the two kings. When Alfred the Great was a young boy, he went on a pilgrimage with his father to Rome. This visit inspired a view of kingship based on religious morals and values. Alfred visited the Divine Dragon as a boy as well. These visits helped Alfred form a close friendship with the Divine Dragon.

Alfred the Great was a champion of education and taught himself Latin so he could translate important texts into English. He also set up schools to educate all young men. He also made military reforms which included: a rota systems fields were not neglected, fortified towns which formed the basis of the English system of boroughs and shires and strengthened the navy with the aid of foreign skilled craftspeople. To restore faith in the economy he increased the silver content in coins and created a new design, he introduced a fairer tax system, and introduced written laws. Alfred the Great was a reformer who improved his people's quality of life.

Alfred the Great had a condition with symptoms similar to Crohn's disease. He often went through periods of great pain and sickness, especially after grand feasts. He died early, (early 50s), but still managed to marry and raise an heir. Alfred has a similar condition and dies early because of it. His dislike of spicy food and strong tasting food could be because they make him unwell. There is no mention of Celine becoming Queen so I imagine that Alfred also married and had an heir.

#fire emblem engage #fe engage #firene #fe alfred #prince alfred

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mintjamsblog · 2 years

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Hi ! 👋🏾 Been binge reading through all your works on ao3 (livening them all by the way, it’s something new I’ve never read before so thanks for the introduction into it 😅🤩) anyways I was wondering if you still do prompts or asks ?? If so I’ve added one below but if not then no worries !!

I’ve read fics of Alfie saying “Thomas Michael Shelby” but what about Tommy finding out (if he does) Alfie’s middle name, or knowing it and finally leaving Alfie silent (but turned on 😉) by using it ?!

Ahhh, thank you for binge reading!! I'm honoured. (And very very late to this ask)

Inspired by your ask at least ...

Alfie's nicely relaxed. Satisfied for once. It happens, occasionally, with a certain someone in his bed.

“If you’re so bloody Jewish, why were you named after a Saxon king?”

Alfie sighs deeply as he ponders the interruption. Peace never lasts long does it? He shifts heavily onto his side, propping his head on one hand to peer down at Tommy who's flat out on his back. A serious question deserves a serious answer.

“Kings, Thomas. Plural. I'm named after not one king, but three.”

“That so?” Tommy says, reaching over to the bedside table for his cigarettes and a light. Never can wait more than three minutes after a fuck, can he?

“Alfred the Great was a learned man. A merciful man. A polyglot, like my very good self, and a man of letters and laws—"

"—unlike yourself," Tommy says, clouding his smirk with an exhaled plume of smoke.

"If it weren't for him, my friend, we would right now be speaking Danish.”

Tommy quirks an eyebrow. “As opposed to bullshit?"

"It was Alfred what defended this cesspit island against the Vikings. He translated tomes, mate, and he fortified towns and he built the first English navy—"

"And yet all anyone remembers is that he burnt some poor woman's cakes."

"Hmmm," Alfie grumbles, flopping back onto the pillows, one hand behind his head. No need to grant Tommy's impertinence the dignity of his gaze. "Let that be a lesson to us all, mate. No one said history was fair. Time has a habit of twisting the truth: weeding out the relevant and replacing it with the ridiculous."

He can hear the cogs in Tommy's head preparing the next snide remark, so he carries on before he has to suffer it.

“Truth is, my poor late mother went through a period of delusion after I was born. Named me for my father, in the misguided belief he’d stick around for a snot-nosed bastard namesake.”

“And he fucked off anyway," Tommy says. It ain't judgement or question, just a statement of fact and a reminder that he knows everything there is to know about Alfred Solomons. Just as Alfie knows everything in return.

"My middle name is David. King of all Israel and Judah.”

“And the third king?”

“Solomon. David’s son. Who was, like me, fabulously wise and wealthy.”

“And the bastard son of an adulterer. Also like you.”

“Do not mock me, Thomas. You who was born on a boat."

“Within the sacred bonds of marriage.”

“I'll have to take your word for that, won't I?" Alfie swings himself onto his knees, slinging a leg over Tommy's middle with, frankly, impressive speed. They're both still damp with sweat from their earlier endeavours. "'Cause a hundred to one, there's no bloody paper to prove it."

Alfie plucks the cigarette from the corner of Tommy's mouth and stabs it out in the ashtray. Tommy watches through heavily hooded eyes, making no attempt to stop him. "My grandfather was a king," he says.

"Is that right?" Alfie says, lacing his fingers through Tommy's, pulling their entwined hands up to rest either side of the pillow. "So what does that make you?"

"A gypsy prince," Tommy says, voice low and lazy.

Alfie wants to kiss him and, from the way Tommy's gazing back at him, he'd guess that goes both ways. But it never pays to give Tommy what he wants so easily. He brings the tip of his nose down to meet the tip of Tommy's, circling slowly before tracing a curve from cheekbone to ear. "I heard you were a didicoy whore," he whispers.

Tommy's fingers clench in Alfie's hands and his hips snap sharply upwards.

Alfie chuckles. "Oh yeah. You want more? S'that it?"

"More than you've got to give, old man."

Alfie tuts. Shakes his head. "Now that sounds like a challenge. Thomas. Michael. Shelby. How very fitting, hmm? The world's most famous doubter and the brother of Lucifer."

"Arthur's not so bad these days," Tommy says, and Alfie can't help but laugh, any attempt at gravitas undone by Tommy's tongue. And lips. And the slow crest of his pelvis.

"And you're no bloody Archangel."

[For which Alfie is eternally grateful. He does manage to go again. Eventually. There's nothing quite like a verbal battle to stir his loins into action, middle-age be damned.]

#this is ridiculous #sorry #and answered so late that the askee may well have moved on with their life #grown old #forgotten they'd ever asked #tommy x alfie

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jens-holland · 1 year

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People I think should appear in Vikings Valhalla based on where the show is going:

Leofric of Mercia: Mercia seems to be an important part of the plot, and with Eadric dead, they'll be needing a new earl anyway. Plus his wife Godiva is pretty famous

Harthacnut!!: Knut and Emma have a kid bls :)

Einar Thambarskelfir: this one's for my friend @johnofworcester. Einar was pretty prominent in Norway around this time; he opposed Olaf II but was involved in Magnus the Good's rise to the throne, held the real power in Norway during Magnus' reign, and later he and his son were slain by Harald Hardrada. His wife Bergljot was a fucking badass too, raising an army to avenge her husband's death

The REAL Thorketill the Tall™️: so, like Erik the Red and some other dudes, Thorketill weirdly showed up in the last season of the og Vikings show, but he should be showing up in England around this point in time. In fact, he was a Jomsviking!! So maybe MAYBE he'll be in Pomerania with Harekr and Freydis....

Empress Zoe and the Paphlagonians: if the emperor of Constantinople is going to be Romanos III (and even if it were Basil II or someone else), Zoe Porphyrogenita BETTER FUCKING SHOW UP. That's his flippin WIFE and his marriage to her is the only reason he has any power!! SHE'S the one with the dynastic ties!! And since they've chosen Romanos, they better intend to cover all the drama that Zoe stirs up with the Paphlagonian brothers and Romanos' bathtub murder,,

Malcolm II, Macbeth, and Duncan: I know, I'm getting a little far fetched here, but I can dream!! Hear me out though; Malcolm II comes to power in Scotland in 1005 and immediately decides to start raiding in Northumbria. So he's putting pressure on England, and he continues to do this for a while until Knut becomes king of all England and travels north to put a end to it. Malcolm II, his grandsons Duncan and Macbeth, and the king of the Isles Echmarcach mac Ragnall meet with Knut and there submit to him. It would be a super cool thing for them to cover, and it would set the stage for when Malcolm II's great-grandson Malcolm Canmore flees to the English court after Macbeth defeats Duncan in battle!

Knut’s siblings: primarily because I am curious as to who the fuck Gytha’s parents are, but also if Ulf is still Gytha’s brother, who the fuck is he going to marry?? Clearly not an Estrid who is Forkbeard’s daughter because that would be his flipping aunt. Alternatively, Gytha is not going to have a brother named Ulf, and Estrid Sveinsdottir is going to marry a different random dude named Ulf, who would be a more accurate Ulf with no prior relation to the Danish royal family. Additionally…

Svein Estridsson!: he probably won’t show up for a while though

OH YEAH, FUCKING SIWARD OF NORTHUMBRIA: Siward is super cool and also shows up in relation to the Scots; his sister/daughter/cousin (no one really knows) was married to King Duncan, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SIWARD BE THERE

Andrew of Hungary: this is just because I think it’s neat that everyone who was exiled in the 11th century went to Yaroslav’s court lol. I’ve given up hope on Edward the Exile though cause they uhh killed off his dad so….

Prince Vladimir/Volodymyr: I just think he’s neat! Also he led a raid against Constantinople, so badass

Godgifu: WHERE IS EDWARD AND ALFRED’S SISTER, HUH??? WHERE IS EMMA’S LITTLE GIRL??

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn: I figure this one is unlikely, but he was connected to the ruling family of Mercia and the House of Godwin, so you never know!

Ingegerd-Irene: I am going to be pissed if Yaroslav is married to a relative of Olaf and Harald’s. He was NOT their uncle, he was Harald’s father in law!! Also just PLEASE, I have been desperate for the Swedish ever since they baited me into thinking that Olof Skötkonung was going to be in the show

#vikings valhalla #netflix valhalla

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ladynightshade30 · 2 years

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Voyerurism (King Takes Queen)

Author’s Notes: You can thank SaintLere from Archive of Our Own for this one because she was the one who suggested I do cuckoldry or exhibitionism instead of a threesome. I wound up going with Voyerurism. I kept going back and forth on whether or not to have it be Alfred or some random minor noble/knight who was writing Eadwulf poetry. So I went with one and figured I could do the other one for a later prompt.

Eadwulf was getting ready to break fast with her husband and his brothers when a messenger approached her, handing her a folded piece of parchment.

“What’s that?” Ivar asked, looking over her shoulder at the writing.

“Nothing for you to worry about,” Eadwulf answered as she turned around and gave him a quick kiss before tossing the letter to the side. “It’s simply a poem, nothing more.”

“What sort of poem?”

“If you must know,” Eadwulf said slowly, trying to think of the best way to explain it to her volatile husband. “It’s about my hair.”

“Why is someone writing you a poem about your hair?”

Eadwulf shrugged her shoulders before wrapping her arms around his neck. “Sometimes men will write poems of praise to women, married or not. They know nothing can happen between them, so don’t worry about it.”

“Who wrote it?”

She sighed. “A minor noble named Æthelnoð.”

“I want to meet him,” Ivar said as he slipped from her arms.

“Ivar no,” Eadwulf said. “He’s no threat to you.”

“Then you shouldn’t mind me talking to him.”

“Ivar.”

“I promise not to kill him,” the brunette said with a smile. “Just talk.”

“There is no just talking when it comes to you most of the time.”

“Trust me. I’m just going to talk to him.”

“Uh huh,” Eadwulf said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I promise,” Ivar said, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. “Now, let’s go eat.”

Eadwulf sighed before following her husband out of the room.

.”Ivar,” Ubbe said as he approached his younger brother, an arm looped around the shoulders of another young man who looked uncomfortable. “This is Lord Æthelnoð.”

“Greetings, Lord Æthelnoð,” Ivar said, a smile spread across his face. “What can I do for you?”

“Nothing, Prince Ivar,” the young man said. “I’m sure you have enough to deal with than me.”

“Oh, come now,” Ubbe said. “You were just saying how beautiful our lovely little Princess Eadwulf is.”

Ivar’s smile turned vicious as he took Ubbe’s place at the other man’s side. “Oh really? Come, Æthelnoð tell me more about your thoughts on my wife. Get this man a drink!”

Later that night Eadwulf and Ivar were in their room getting ready for bed when he started to press kisses along her neck.

“Ivar,” Eadwulf breathed as she tilted her head, allowing her husband more access to her skin. “What did you talk to Æthelnoð about this evening?”

“Nothing. He wants to sleep with you, you know.”

“And you know this how?”

Ivar chuckled. “He admitted it while drunk. Do you want to sleep with him?”

“No, of course not.”

“Good. Because I want him to know that you belong to me and no one else.”

“Ivar? What did you do?”

“I may have offered him the chance to sleep with you if you wanted to, but I am planning on making him watch as I take you.”

“Ivar-.”

“What?”

“That’s cruel.”

“So? Don’t you enjoy it when I take you?” he asked against the flesh of her neck.

“Yes.”

“Didn’t you enjoy being taken in front of Alfred?” Ivar asked, his tone devilish as he stared into her eyes. “Based on how your body responded to mine that night, I’d say you did. You certainly orgasmed like you did.”

Eadwulf flushed. “Ivar!”

The Viking just laughed as he went back to trailing kisses down her neck with one hand holding her against him while the other groped at one of her breasts. “I want this so badly.”

“No more poems from him, just the knowledge and humiliation of knowing you are mine.”

“I am yours,” agreed Eadwulf. “But there is no need to do this.”

“There is always a need,” Ivar said. “Do this for me?”

The fact that it’s asked as more of a question than a command sways Eadwulf to almost say yes.

“Why is this so important to you?” She asked.

Ivar is silent as he looks away, collapsing into a chair with a near pout on his lips.

“Tell me,” Eadwulf coaxed, sitting between his legs and stroking his thighs. “And I might consider it.”

“I don’t like the idea of someone else being with you.”

“Well, I don’t like it either, Ivar. But there’s more, isn't there?”

Ivar looked away before muttering, “he doesn’t think I can please you.”

“Aahhh,” Eadwulf said softly before resting her head on his thigh. “I see.”

“Very well,” she said, pressing a kiss to his lips. “You can arrange it and we can show him just how much you are capable of pleasing me. With and without your cock.”

“Good,” Ivar said as he stood up and began pulling off her dress, leaving her in her underdress before kissing her fiercely. “Because he will be here shortly. Now get on the bed.”

Eadwulf nodded before climbing onto the bed, reaching for the bottom hem of the white shift intending to remove it.

“No,” Ivar said. “I don’t want him to see your naked form. Just your bliss.”

“Very well. Now come, join me, my beloved Viking.”

By the time Ubbe arrived with Æthelnoð, Eadwulf and Ivar were both in bed, kissing each other deeply under the covers. The young noble moved forward, reaching for his shirt only to be yanked back and secured to a nearby chair.

“Be a good boy and stay here,” Ubbe said as he tied up the man.

Then without even looking at the couple and their moaning forms, Ubbe left the room, closing the door firmly behind him.

Æthelnoð stared at the couple in the bed. Eadwulf’s flaming red hair stood out in the candlelight as her husband sucked at her breasts through the white nightdress. The noble could just make out the outline of her form thorough the damp cloth. Her pink nipple stood out and his tongue snaked out wanting to lick it like her husband was doing now. Æthelnoð could just make out the bottom edges of her night dress beneath the covers of the bedding. He watched as the dark-haired Viking moved his lips up to her neck. The soft sound of Eadwulf moaning could be heard as the Viking’s hips started to move. The Viking prince pressed a rough kiss to the princess’s mouth, capturing a deep moan.

“Oh Ivar,” the princess moaned as the man pulled away and buried his face into her neck.

Æthelnoð swallowed against a dry throat as he felt his blood heat up. He was trying to look anywhere but at the couple in the bed as they made passionate love but everytime she gave a particular deep moan his eyes would snap back to them. Finally the man’s hips bestarted thrusting erratically signaling that he was close. The princess’s moans started coming closer and closer together as she dug her nails into the back of the Viking. There was a movement beneath the sheets as the Viking moved what appeared to be her leg, pressing the knee agaisnt her chest.

“Do you love me?” he breathed.

“Yes.”

“Do you want me?”

“Always.”

“Then cum for me.”

Almost as if the heathen’s words had triggered something the princess’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and she trembled as her orgasm appeared to rush through her. Not long after the Viking followed after shuddering against her. When he finished he captured her lips in his own and kissed her deeply. He pulled away and pushed red tenderails of hair from her face before turning his attention to look at Æthelnoð a smirk on his face.

“Take him away,” the Viking shouted.

The door to the bedroom stormed open and the Viking’s older brother entered the room with a couple other men before working to untie Æthelnoð from the chair, dragging the younger man from the room.

“Take this has a warning,” the Viking’s brother said almost companionably to Æthelnoð. “Next time you write a poem to my sister Ivar won’t be so nice. Now go home and try to stick your maggot in someone else’s face.”

@youbloodymadgenius

#Vikings #vikings tv show #vikings tv series #Kinktober 2022 #voyerurism #Ivar #Ivar the boneless #Ivar/Eadwulf

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justanoasisimagines · 15 days

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List of Fandoms/Characters I write for...

justanoasisrandomFollow

6m ago

List of Fandom's and characters I'm willing to write for...

House of the Dragon ❀Criston Cole ❀Aemond Targaryen ❀Aegon II Targaryen ❀Harwin Strong

Game of Thrones ❀Sandor Clegane ❀ Tormund Giantsbane ❀Podrick Payne ❀Jon Snow ❀Robb Stark ❀Theon Grejoy ❀Jorah Mormont ❀Samwell Tarly ❀Gendry Waters ❀Tyrion Lannister ❀Jaime Lannister ❀Oberyn Martell ❀Ramsay Bolton ❀Viserys Targaryen ❀Khal Drago ❀Daario Naharis ❀Dickon Tarly ❀Koner

The Walking Dead ❀Rick Grimes ❀Shane Walsh ❀Merle Dixon ❀Daryl Dixon ❀Glenn Rhee ❀Jerry ❀Negan ❀Milton Mamet ❀Ceasar Martinez ❀Siddiq ❀Abraham Ford ❀Eugene Porter ❀Noah ❀Theodore "T-Dog" Douglas ❀Beta ❀Alden ❀Simon ❀Benjamin ❀Phillip "The Governor' Blake ❀Dante

Fear the Walking Dead ❀Troy Otto ❀Jake Otto ❀John Dorie ❀Nick Clark

Mayans MC ❀Ezekiel Reyes ❀Angel Reyes ❀Neron "Creeper" Vargas ❀Johnny "Coco" Cruz ❀Nestor Oceteva ❀Hank Loza ❀Gilberto "Gilly" Lopez ❀Bishop Losa ❀Che "Taza" Romero

Sons of Anarchy ❀Jax Teller ❀Harry "Opie" Winston ❀Juan "Juice" Ortiz ❀Alexander "Tig" Tragger ❀David Hale ❀Chibs Telford ❀Bobby Muson ❀Happy Lowman ❀Herman Kozik

Marvel ❀Steve Rogers ❀Bucky Barnes ❀Sam Wilson ❀Joaquin Torres ❀Baron Helmut Zemo ❀Tony Stark ❀Bruce Banner ❀Clint Barton ❀Thor ❀Loki ❀Pietro Maximoff ❀James "Rhodey" Rhodes ❀John Walker ❀Eddie Brock ❀Erik Killmonger ❀Charlies Xavier ❀Druig ❀Ikaris ❀Hank Mccoy ❀Frank Castle ❀Billy Russo ❀Danny Rand ❀Matthew Murdock ❀Kraven the Hunter ❀Dane Whitman ❀Wade Wilson ❀Pior "Colussus" Rasputin

DC ❀Adrian Chase ❀Clark Kent ❀Arthur Curry ❀Hank Hall ❀Leonard Snart ❀The Joker (Heath Ledgeer) ❀Victor Zsasz (Gotham) ❀Oswald Cobblepot (Gotham) ❀Edward Nygma (Gotham) ❀Harvey Bullock ❀Christopher "Peacemaker" Smith ❀Jerome Valeska ❀Mick Rory ❀George "Digger"Harkness ❀Ciso Ramon ❀Ray Palmer ❀Bruce Wayne ❀Chato Santanna ❀Rick Flag ❀Alfred Pennyworth

Stranger things ❀Eddie Munson ❀Steve Harrington ❀Jim Hopper ❀Dr Alexie

Vikings ❀Ivar the boneless ❀Rollo ❀Ragnar Lothbrok ❀Ubbe ❀Sigurd ❀Bjorn Ironside ❀Halfdan the black ❀Harald Finehair ❀Aethelred ❀Aethelstan ❀Alfred

Bridgerton ❀Prince Fredrich ❀Anthony Bridgerton ❀Benedict Bridgerton ❀Colin Bridgerton

The Witcher ❀Jaskier ❀Eskel ❀Geralt of Rivia ❀Lambert

Top Gun ❀Robert "Bob" Floyd ❀Jake "Hangman" Seresin ❀Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

Shadow Hunters ❀Raphael Santiago ❀Simon Lewis

Fast and Furious ❀Deckard Shaw ❀Han Lue ❀Jakob Toretto ❀Dante Reyes ❀Aimes ❀Owen Shaw

Zoo ❀Mitch Morgan ❀Jackon Oz

Twilight ❀Carlise Cullen ❀Charlie Swan ❀Sam Uley ❀Garrett

Ewan Mitchell Characters ❀Tom Bennett ❀Micheal Gavey ❀Billy Washington

Joseph Quinn Characters ❀Tom Grant ❀Billy Knight

Henry Cavil Characters ❀Napleon Solo ❀Captain Syverson ❀Charles Brandon ❀Walter Marshall ❀Gus March Phillips ❀Sherlock Holmes

Chris Evans Characters ❀Ari Levinson ❀Hugh Ransom Drysdale ❀Loyd Hansen ❀Andy Barber

Primeval ❀Connor Temple

Law and Order - SVU ❀Rafael Barba

Criminal Minds ❀Spencer Reid ❀Derek Morgan ❀Luke Alverez

9-1-1 ❀Evan "Buck" Buckley ❀Eddie Diaz ❀Albert Han ❀Howard "Chimney" Han

Station 19 ❀Dean Miller ❀Jack Gibson

Chicago PD ❀Kevin Atwater

Call of Duty ❀Simon "Ghost" Riley ❀Captain John Price ❀Alex Keller ❀John "Soap" McTavish ❀Koing ❀Phillip Graves ❀Nikolai ❀Kyle "Gaz Garrick ❀Alejandro Vargas ❀Rudolfo "Rudy" Parra ❀Vladimir Makarov

Grimm ❀Nick Burkhadt ❀Monroe ❀Captain Sean Renard

Beauty and the Beast ❀The Beast ❀Gaston

Shameless ❀Lip Gallagher ❀Kevin Ball

Black Sails ❀Long John Silver ❀Charles Vane ❀Jack Rackham ❀Captain James flint

The Night Agent ❀Peter Sutherland

Harry Potter; ❀Remus Lupin ❀Sirius Black ❀James Potter ❀Oliver Wood ❀Percy Weasley ❀Charlie Weasley ❀Fred Weasley ❀George Weasley ❀Bill Weasley ❀Viktor Krum ❀Neville Longbottom ❀Cedric Diggory ❀Severus Snape ❀Cormac Mclaggen

Fantastic Beasts and where to find them ❀Thesus Scamander ❀Newt Scamander

Vampire Diaries ❀Damon Salvatore ❀Stefan Salvatore ❀Enzo St John

The Originals ❀Niklaus Mikealson ❀Elijah Mikealson ❀Kol Mikealson

Maze Runner ❀Gally

Greys Anatomy ❀George O'Malley

The Mummy ❀Rick O'Connell ❀Ardeth Bay

Once Upon a time ❀Killian Jones ❀David Nolan ❀August Wayne Booth ❀Neal "Bealfire" Cassidy ❀Rumplestiltskin ❀Sheriff Graham Humbert ❀Jefferson

The Musketeers (BBC) ❀Porthos ❀Aramis ❀Athos ❀D'Artagnan

The Last Of Us ❀ Tommy Miller ❀Joel Miller

Fargo ❀Gator Tillman

Sebastian Stan Characters ❀Nick Fowler ❀Lee Bodecker ❀Mickey

Lewis Pullman Characters ❀Rhett Abbott

American Gods ❀Mad Sweeney

Scream ❀Dewey Riley ❀Billy Loomis ❀Stu Matcher

Shadow and Bone ❀Matthias Helvar ❀Kaz Brekker ❀Jesper Fahey ❀Nikolai Lantsov

Reacher ❀Jack Reacher

Bullet Train ❀Tangerine

Percy Jackson ❀Poseidon ❀Hepheastus ❀Aries ❀Hades

The Last Kingdom ❀Osferth ❀Finnan ❀Sihtric ❀Ulthred

AEW ❀Maxwell Jacob Friendman ❀Wardlow ❀Eddie Kingston ❀Orange Cassidy ❀Chuck Taylor ❀Trent Berretta ❀Cash Wheeler ❀Luchasarus ❀Hook ❀Kenny Omega ❀Daniel Garcia ❀Will Osprey

WWE ❀Damien Priest ❀Grayson Waller ❀Sheamus ❀Otis

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miss-madness67 · 1 year

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Chapter Sixteen: Nonnekloster (Ivar & Alfred)

The Mistress

Vikings

The morning after Alfred left my alcoves, I went to talk to the King. I was miserable and honestly could not phantom continue living as a mistress any longer, so I decided to sincere myself to king Ecbert about my resolution. When the knowledge about my affair was brought to the public, I was originally given two options to safeguard my dignity. The first one was the one that I precisely chose: living my life as a second woman. The other choice required me to go live in the nunnery. When I made my decision I considered my love for Alfred to be the most important priority and I was ok with that. Mainly given my confidence in being able to withstand the difficulties of seeing my lover in another's arms and stand tall against the rumors of court. I believed I could lead such why life, and I was clearly wrong. Moreover, another one of the reasons why I decided not to live in a nunnery was because I was convinced that the clergy would treat me poorly for my committed sins, but I thought it could not be so much different compared to the stares and whispers in the King's villa.

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#ivar x reader #ivar the boneless x reader #vikings imagines #vikings imagine #vikings x you #vikings x reader #ivar ragnarsson x reader #vikings fic #vikings fanfiction #Viking #Iavr #ivar lothbrok #ivar lothbrok x reader #ivar the boneless #ivar the boneless x you #ivar the boneless x female reader #prince alfred x you #alfred x reader

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teddyniffler · 1 month

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Mercy in Defeat

Chapter 12

Part 2

Years had passed since Alfred, the greatest king Wessex ever knew had passed, Edward had also died, killed in a battle in York with Vikings a few years ago. His grandson Athelstan had returned to Wessex now as a young man. He now sat on the throne against all odds. The young king was already showing signs of being the exact king that would have made his grandfather proud. He was translating holy books from Latin into English, continuing Alfred’s work to bring less power to the church over common people. His nobles said he was ill fitted for the throne, they wanted his younger brother, Alfweard who they claimed to be King Edward’s true heir, but he had died. They had no choice but to crown Athelstan when no other option arisen.

Hvitserk kept tabs on the young king of Wessex, he reminded him so much of Alfred, they even looked so alike, where Edward had light hair, Athelstan had his grandfather’s darker wavy hair. Hvitserk had seen him many times, back before he was crowned as king, he believed the boy would be a great man one day. Alfred’s dream of a united England still lived on, all kingdoms were now under Athelstan’s rule, having cleared out the Viking invasions up in York that had killed King Edward.

All except for East Anglia.

It had been decided that upon Hvitserk’s death, his children would renounce their titles as princess and princes, they would be the Lords and Lady of East Anglia rather than King or Queen. The Kingdom of East Anglia would merge into England as a whole. When that happened, Alfred’s true vision would be realised, it was just sad not Hvitserk or Alfred would ever see it, but their decedents would. Not that Hvitserk was up for too much these days. He had a much quieter life in his senior age, today he sat on his favourite bench outside of his court, enjoying the feel of the sun on his face.

His youngest grandson was fast approaching the age Hvitserk had been himself when he went to Paris on his first ever raid. He had dark hair and ice blue eyes, he looked so much like Ivar, as much as Hvitserk could remember Ivar looking. Naturally he would be the child of his youngest son, the one who hated everything about Christianity. Hvitserk often laughed at the irony, although only he understood. His other grandchildren had a more traditional Saxon look, although it was hard to tell as most children born today were a mix of Nordic and Saxon parentage. Some of the young people in Hvitserk’s kingdom didn’t even know they were of Vikings origin, but Hvitserk could point out a few young people right here now in the green who were the children and grandchildren of Northmen, but who believed their parents and grandparents were Saxons. He giggled to himself, just little things like that amused him to no end.

“Something funny Lord King?” Asked a young woman who had joined him on his bench. She placed a basket of food she had been gathering from the fields in her lap.

“Oh nothing, just little things” Hvitserk said softly.

The woman smiled “Your grandson is getting taller by the day, is his father still refusing to officially welcome him to the Christian faith?”

“Naturally” Hvitserk answered her, he lowered his voice. “Although my dear wife used to tell him to put his personal feelings aside and do it for his son.” He lowered his voice “Did you know my wife confirmed to the church that he had been christened in a private family service, but he wasn’t. It’s been eight years; I’m not going to force my son’s hand if he doesn’t want his son in the church. It shouldn’t be forced upon someone, it just causes resentment later on, I had this half-brother, well he claimed to be my father’s son, he hated how this faith been forced upon him. He viewed himself as Viking”

“You raised a terrible Heathen and now he himself raises a Heathen” The woman said.

Hvitserk laughed again.

“That’s not fair!” He protested, still laughing “I did the best I could. Just some people are of extra strong will. It’s not on me, I did everything that was asked of me.”

Two people walking by noticed King Athelstan sitting there on the bench again. They smiled at him politely and nodded their heads in respect, then they glanced at each other in concern for their elderly king’s state of mind, as he was talking and laughing to himself again. This wasn’t the first time he had done it, but it seemed more often now. The king was slowly loosing his mind to old age.

Or so it looked to them.

“Tell me Idunn, is my brother still alive?” Hvitserk asked, looking at her. It had been a while since he had asked about Ubbe, he always dreaded the answer.

The goddess lowered her vegetable basket.

“You brother has reunited with your family” She said simply.

“Oh” Hvitserk said. He closed his eyes for a moment. He knew this would happen eventually, but in the years since he learned Ubbe was still alive from the goddess he had felt comfort knowing his older brother was still out there somewhere. He wasn’t alone if Ubbe was out there.

“I had wished maybe, just maybe, he would have come back” He said regretfully. “I would have loved to show him my family, and seen his”

“Are you sure you don’t want an apple?” She asked “You know they will make you young and reenergised”

“Idunn, I’ve lived so many lives, I’ve lived longer as a Saxon than I did a Viking, I have seen five kings from the same family, from Ecbert to Athelstan. I have lost people I loved and I don’t recall their faces easy anymore. My children have children and one of those is mere days from becoming a woman, she wishes to marry a boy from an Northumbrian Lord. If I were to eat one of your apples, I would see my grandchildren’s children. I know you don’t want me too, but I am human and we die. You need to let me go, you have watched me all my life, but it needs to end, just rejoice in that, just let me live out the last of my days as my friend”

“As it pleases you” She started cutting carrots and letting them fall into her basket, just as Hvitserk’s daughter came over. The princess of East Anglia was bare a remarkable resemblance to Hvitserk’s own mother, but he could never tell his daughter that.

“Father, I think we should get you back to your study” Her face said everything, she had been alerted by the couple to the fact her father had been talking to himself again.

“Why don’t you leave him be?” Came a male voice, his youngest son had arrived. They had been a slight gap in years between both their births, meaning Hvitserk’s daughter always looked down at his youngest son.

His blue eyes flickered over to the spot where Idunn was sitting. “If our father wanted to go inside, he would, he’s not senile you know”

The two glared at each other, they had never gotten along. They were too different, his daughter an example of a Christian lady, his son the exact opposite, Hvitserk had often caught his son in his archives, looking at Pagan Saxon documents and other things Alfred had once sent Hvitserk to keep safe. The older son was currently broking a marriage deal for his oldest daughter in Northumbria.

“I was just about finished out here anyway, my son I want to see you in my study. Daughter, could you inform me what is said in the Witan later today?” Hvitserk told them. The tense exchange between his children was broken, as his son nodded and walked into the court.

“He can see you, can’t he?” Hvitserk asked Idunn. “How many times have you actually spoke to him?”

“Not many, I just normally watch him. He did ask me who I was before but I didn’t tell him. He thinks I’m a ghost”

Hvitserk sat quietly.

“When I’m gone, will you watch over him if he chooses to leave here?”

“I shall”

The sun was at the midday spot now, it would only get hotter from here. He had stopped being angry with Idunn many years ago, she had turned up to warn him of a Viking raid near his home, then she had returned with news that confirmed Ubbe was still alive. She would inform him of any threat to him or his family, allowing him to always stay ahead of any plot that should rise up, including an unexpected inspection of his archives by a suspicious and furious King Edward who had suspected Hvitserk had inherited his father’s own secretive personal archives. It had never been an issue before, not really, until Hvitserk had fallen foul of Edward for giving his son Athelstan shelter when the King was demanding his return to Mercia. Hvitserk was able to hide everything incriminating well before Edward turned up ‘unannounced and unexpectedly’ for an inspection, as king of the larger kingdom – as he had reminded Hvitserk – King Athelstan should agree. All Edward found was a few holy relics, religious texts and an over friendly dog greeting him. After that Hvitserk had viewed Idunn as his friend. He allowed her back into his life as his personal guardian. Time after time, she would visit him over the years, cooking food for him. Feeding him her apples in the dead of night on the eve of battles when his men were all sleeping.

After his wife has passed, she had brought flowers in her basket. He had felt guilty, sitting in church praying to his God while he knew a goddess from his past life waited outside for him. During confession, he knew he could never tell the priest who he had been talking too, so he explained himself to his God once alone. He was truly living up to the name Athelstan by being torn between Idunn and Christ, he didn’t know who his savour was anymore. As nobody could see her as she chose not to show herself, as he got older, people started to believe he was talking to himself.

She appeared more often to him now, telling him what he had already knew. The end was very near, but she could extend his life and return his youth to him if only he ate her apples once more, but he couldn’t. He had to die one day and didn’t want to go to hell, Alfred had already saved him once, he didn’t want to undo everything, as he had explained to God, he had only ate the apples to fight against the Pagans.

It had been a long time since he had eaten any apples, but the effects of them were still working on him now, he still had a sharp mind when younger men than he had already passed. He wanted to see Alfred again, he wanted to enter the twilight of his days without another Viking raids or plots, the younger generation could take over for him, he had done enough. He was now older than his father had ever been, older than Ubbe. Older than Bjorn.

He opened the door to his study, his son was waiting for him. His youngest son was in his mid-twenties. The woman he had loved had died in child birth, leaving him to raise their son alone. The final straw against Christianity for him had come when he had asked God to save his love, and then she proceeded to bleed out in front of him. Since that day, he had vowed never to follow the faith and he had taken his son and refused to let any priest near him.

In those years since being born, he had fought against everything the Christians stood for. He took too much interest in Saxon Pagans of the past, he knew so much about Woden he didn’t need to read any scrolls no more, he knew every single Roman god. Hvitserk looked at him, if Hvitserk had darker hair and his father’s blue eyes, with none of his mother’s features, then he would have looked like this. If he had looked like this, then maybe his own family would have taken him seriously.

Looking at his youngest son, he only seen a Pagan, not a Christian.

“All your life you haven’t fit well into this place, you hated going to church as a boy, refused as soon as you turned an adult, you had a child and you’re currently raising him similar to how a heathen would, I’m not saying this because I’m angry at you, I want to tell you something I can’t tell your brother and sister.”

His son looked at him, with a slight head title that caused Hvitserk’s heart to ache, he reminded him so much of himself, it was like looking at a mirror. The same image, only flipped. A Christian born young man who was seriously unhappy and unfulfilled in his life, always fighting with his siblings for being so different, looking for something he knew wasn’t quite right, he was lost.

“My name at my birth was not Athelstan, the name Athelstan was giving to me at a later date, a much later date. You once asked what were the marks upon my back and chest when we played in the river when you were younger and I told you they were old sword wounds, but I knew you were asking about the other marks, the faded ink in my skin. Those are tattoos, I got them when I was a young man. They did have a meaning once, but that message has been lost. The sword wounds I told you I got from fighting, from a battle. You believed I sustained them fighting the Pagans who came to these shores, the truth is I did get them in a battle, but the Pagans were not whom I was fighting with.”

He paused; he had never thought he would ever reveal who he really was, He had hoped he could take his greatest secret to the grave with him, but he owed his son this, if he could free his son from this life it would be worth it, this life was the one Hvitserk couldn’t have freed even himself from. He loved the family and life he had here, he had found peace and comfort from what Alfred had given him, he even liked God for that peace and love, but it wasn’t the life he was born into. His blood was the blood of a Norse God, he had Odin’s blood within his veins. He would have faced death if he had refused to join this faith, but his son could be freed. Alfred had told him all those years ago to set his son free if he didn’t find peace himself.

“I was fighting against the Christians”

His son’s mouth dropped in shock.

“But father, why? Was there a civil war or -”

Hvitserk smiled.

“No” He said before he could continue “The Christians were fighting the Pagans and I was with those Pagans, not the Christians.”

His son sat down on the sofa. He rubbed his head. Total shock on his face. Hvitserk could see it was the type of shock that confirmed something you already knew deep in your heart.

“I’m the son of the once king and queen of a place in Norway called Kattegat. I had an older sister I never met for she died in a plague before I was born. I had two older brothers and two younger. They are all dead now, I’m the last one that is left. My family all died because of our culture, either fighting each other or killed in battle. I came to England in my early twenties, just a few years younger than you are now, as part of a raiding party, my younger brother died in the battle and I was severely wounded. King Alfred spared my life. That is where the marks came from, they are from Alfred’s men, soldiers of Wessex trying to kill me. I wasn’t born into the Christian faith; I wasn’t born in this country. My family were Pagan, we were Vikings. My real name, the one my mother give me, was Hvitserk”

Now his son looked up, his hand over his mouth.

“Hvitserk, as in Hvitserk Ragnarsson?” He asked surprised, realisation slowly drawing on his face as he looked at his father. “He was mentioned in those accounts King Alfred written, then that means…?”

“My brothers were Bjorn Ironside, Ubbe, Sigurd, and my youngest brother was-“

“- Ivar the Boneless” His son finished, awe on his face mixed with shock and horror. “Are the stories true about him father?”

Hvitserk nodded. “As well as the ones unknown about him, the stories are all about his cruelty, but none about his kindness. Those ones never got out. I suppose universal hatred is easier if everybody thinks he was a monster. The brother I knew wasn’t a monster, he saved my life so many times, he died trying to save me. He did do bad things, but he changed. He loved a young Christian boy, he was a father who loved his child enough to leave it and its mother be. None of that is ever told”

His son leaned in closer.

“Ragnar Lothbrok? The famous Viking from all those stories?”

Hvitserk nodded. “He was my father”

Hvitserk sat down next to his son

“I’m telling you this now because I want you to have a choice. I never really had a choice you see. You can leave here if you want and go find out who you truly are. If you go to Kattegat in Norway and tell them you are the grandson of Ragnar Lothbrok, they will welcome you, my father’s name still holds meaning among them. If not, go to Gotland, your grandmother was a princess there. Idunn will watch over you, she’s the woman you’ve been seeing, she’s not a ghost, she’s a goddess, the goddess of youth. She has watched over me all my life and she said she will guide you and watch over you.”

His son twitched his fingers.

“There’s a man often in my dreams, he started showing up when I was really young, he’s surrounded by birds and he keeps saying my name, he has an eye patch, he’s Woden isn’t he?”

“Odin” Hvitserk corrected “Yes, you’re a descendent of Odin, so am I, so was my father”

Hvitserk touched his son’s hand.

“I won’t be here much longer, my time on this earth grows shorter. I have a matter of maybe days, maybe less. I’ve known for a while, I ate Idunn’s apples, it has been keeping me younger than what I should be for all these years, I should have died maybe ten years ago, but my life was extended maybe, I refused another apple from Idunn because it know it’s not right. If you want to go, it needs to be soon, in a matter of days because otherwise King Athelstan will come, he will make you a Lord of East Anglia and you won’t ever get away, if you want to be free, you need to go now and take your boy. If you go and it doesn’t work out for you, return here and tell them you’ve been on a holy pilgrim to Rome to find yourself in God, they will believe you, but you must go soon or you will be trapped here and in this life”

His son looked at him, there were tears in his eyes.

“I understand. I’m going to go father, thank you, I can’t stand another day living this life, it’s suffocating for me, it always has been. Thank you for telling me”

His son put his arms arounds Hvitserk and they embraced.

To everybody’s surprise the younger son announced he was going to travel to the holy lands with his boy at dinner that night, they would both find themselves on the journey as they had been lost for so long. Hvitserk’s daughter was pleasantly surprised, she guessed all her years of praying for her brother’s soul had finally worked. After dinner, Hvitserk took one last look at his youngest son as they both disappeared into the night on horseback, they were traveling down to Suffolk where a boat was waiting, it was a trading boat that was going to Denmark, however this one was also making a detour to Norway. The Danish crew had been paid for their silence. Hvitserk had hugged his son and grandson one last time, and as he did he noticed a beautiful woman waiting for them. She smiled one last time at Hvitserk, this would be their final time seeing each other for evermore. He nodded goodbye to the goddess.

Hvitserk turned away from them, he was beyond sad to see his son leaving forever, but most of him was filled with joy that overpowered him.

One of them could return home, to their people.

He pushed open the door to his chambers, his dog was already laying at the foot of his bed. She lifted her head as he came in, she rolled over with a loud sigh. He stroked her head before getting into bed. He lay there in the sheets and smiled, his son was free to live the life he wanted, he knew Idunn would look after them. He rolled over and closed his eyes. It had been a very long day.

The next morning, he woke to the sounds of the bells which confused him for it was not Sunday. They didn’t ring the bell often, normally for Viking invasions but nobody had come to alert him to such an attack. He had half a mind to go out there and tell whoever was ringing that bell to stop, but he wanted to stay in bed a little longer and admire the glorious sunlight that was filling his room, it was promising a beautiful day.

Then it came to him, he had somewhere to be.

He couldn’t believe he had forgotten, he had to go meet somebody on the hill outside of town. He couldn’t stay in bed, they would be waiting for him. As he sat up, he noticed his dog was no longer there, she was free to come and go as she pleased, but she was a loyal dog and never left him, he wondered for a few moments where she could have gotten too.

He didn’t dress, his night clothing was comfortable enough and nobody would really mind if the king had stepped out before dressing to find out what all this noise was so early. He left his room, it was time to go met somebody.

Out of his personal rooms, through corridors bright and warm with sunlight, he looked for his dog, he walked into the main throne room, which also doubled as a sitting place for his family and friends to gather, a few people were here but they didn’t pay the king any mind, he looked at the furs near his throne, she wasn’t there either.

He found her when he stepped out of the court, she was sitting outside the church, her golden fur shinning in the sun.

‘Odd place for her to be’ Hvitserk thought.

Even odder was the fact King Athelstan was standing in the green, talking to Hvitserk’s daughter and to his oldest son who had returned from Northumbria, his daughter had clearly been crying. Hvitserk paused as he watched them, he was making his way towards them to ask them what was going on, when it came to him again.

He had somewhere to be.

He was meeting somebody on the hill.

He glanced once more at his dog, her ears lifted and she sniffed the air, looking in his direction, but not moving.

They were waiting for him. He turned away from his children and made his way to the hill, it seemed to grow closer to him, far too fast than what it should have done. His feet barely noticed the gentle climb as he rose, there was a tree up there, he had somebody to meet at that tree.

He reached the tree and sat down in the shade, leaning back on the trunk, he looked out over the sea.

Home.

Home was far out there, where his father once lived in the Halls of Kattegat. He had been happy there as a young boy, playing with his brothers and being tucked into bed by his mother. He looked out at the water, his father had sailed this sea to find England, his horns blowing as his boat cut through the waves. If Hvitserk listened, he could hear his father’s horns blowing again, or so he thought. The wind blew his hair, the smell of the sea in his nose.

The horns were calling out across the water.

Calling out for him.

Calling him home.

“You look like shit” Came a voice to his left.

Hvitserk closed his eyes, half laughing.

“I feel like it” He replied.

He turned his head. There he was, the person Hvitserk had come to meet.

“Hello Ivar” He said. He broke into a smile. He had wanted for so long to see Ivar again, he looked at his brother’s face, taking it all in. He had forgotten the little details, the way his eyebrows slopped up, the bright blue among the dark hair.

Ivar looked back at him, a smile already on his face, then they both had tears in their eyes. They reached out to the other at the same time and held the other tightly, they didn’t let go.

“You got so old brother. What ever happened to not dying as old men in our beds, eh?”

Hvitserk rested his head against Ivar’s shoulder, his brother was warm, his arms around him held firm, as if Ivar had been waiting years, decade to hold him once more. Hvitserk held on just as tight.

“I didn’t leave you” Ivar said, his voice was shaking, in a way that Hvitserk had only ever heard once, when they had said goodbye all those years ago. “Mother, father, they all told me to come away, to leave you be. They said watching you will only break my heart, I’ve stayed with you this whole time. When you were crying for me, when you tried talking to me, I was right there with you, you were never alone Hvitserk, I could never leave you, I just couldn’t reach you. Father came to see you a few times, so did our brothers, they told me to come back with them, I refused each time. I didn’t want to leave you; we were always meant to be together”

Finally, reluctantly, they let go of each other. Ivar touched Hvitserk’s face

“You’re so old” He said, he reached into his pocket and took out something, he dangled it in front of Hvitserk. Hvitserk looked at it.

It was his pendent.

In a moment Hvitserk blinked. He reached out a hand for the pendent and noticed smooth skin, his arms had been bruising easier as he got older, but now they were clear, his skin looked soft and hydrated and as he looked down, he felt the feel of braids once more in his hair, the slightly blurry vision he had grown used to vanished as he felt his energy levels rise, he felt he could leap around once more. There was a tingle on his face and elsewhere across his body as the scars also vanished, leaving clear skin in their place, as if they had never been there. His clothing also changed, he was wearing very familiar clothing, although he hadn’t seen them in a very long time. His favourite clothes from his youth.

“That’s better” Ivar beamed “You look like yourself again. I’ve missed you brother”

Ivar’s face was shining with tears.

“I missed you too” Hvitserk echoed, his tears running down his neck.

Ivar pulled the pendent over Hvitserk’s head, finally Hvitserk recognised himself again, he felt whole.

“I kept it safe for you”

“Thank you Ivar”

In the distance, the bells still rang from Norwich, but it felt like it was happening in a different life, a different place.

“Ivar, is this Valhalla or is it Heaven?” Hvitserk asked, he was unsure. If it was Heaven then why was Ivar here, if it was Valhalla, how come nobody was fighting, there were also no gods here.

Ivar shrugged “It’s neither. It’s not Valhalla nor is it the Christian heaven either. I was asked to collect you, to bring you home. Father was going to come for you, but he felt I was the right person to bring you back. He was concerned you would refuse if it were him. They are waiting for us, just over there, beyond the horizon. I mean everybody. Everyone is there. Father and mother, our brothers. Even the Christians are there, Igor and Dir are there if you want to see them, and -” Here Ivar give Hvitserk a look “- Alfred is there too” He pulled a face, then laughed “Athelstan is there, never away from our father, he and Floki are now friends. Mother and Lagatha put aside their grudges; they often weave together now. They are all waiting to welcome you home”

“Even our brothers accepted me back the second I came. I spoke to Sigurd and he forgive me for killing him, even Bjorn! They want to see you too, Ubbe and Bjorn. Father is holding a gathering to celebrate you coming home at last, but I wish to ask you something” Ivar spoke. He looked at Hvitserk, he knew this was a big thing he was asking.

“Before we met again, back when I was staying with the Rus, Prince Oleg asked what wishes everybody wanted for Christmas, they asked me even though I was Pagan. I asked to walk again”

Then he did something Hvitserk never expected, he stood up.

Hvitserk looked at his legs, noticing now for the first time something that should have been obvious all along.

There were no leg braces on Ivar, nor were his eyes blue anymore.

“Ivar, you’re standing” Hvitserk gasped in shock.

“Nothing gets passed you” Ivar rolled his eyes, he held his hand down to pick Hvitserk up from the ground. “So, mother, father, our brothers, everybody else, they are all waiting for you, even Thora is there, she has waited for you even longer than I, she still loves you even after all this time, but I want to ask you something first”

He hesitated, he wanted to ask, it was always his dream to walk, to run with his brothers. He wanted to swim in rivers, he wanted to run across sand, he wanted to climb a tree, to jump and leap just like his older brothers, little simple wants that had been denied to him while he had been alive.

“How about we don’t go straight there, what if you and I were to disappoint our family one last time? We can go out there and see the world, go anywhere we want, just me and you. The entire world is out there for us to see, if you want to? Mother and father won’t be impressed, but they’ve waited a long time to see you again, what’s making them wait a little longer? But if you want to go see them all, I understand.”

Hvitserk thought for a moment, he wanted to see everybody again, knowing he could see them again so soon, speak to them, hold them again was making him dizzy with glee. He wanted to hug his mother, hug his father. Then he looked at Ivar, his little brother. His little brother who had always loved him, no matter how much they had fought. Ivar who had always protected him, nursed him when he was sick.

His little brother who had died for him, to save him.

Now Ivar was asking Hvitserk for this one little request and the look on his face said he didn’t believe Hvitserk would grant it.

The answer was simple for Hvitserk.

“Where are we going?” He grinned at Ivar.

Ivar grinned back at Hvitserk.

“Family disappointments” Ivar laughed.

Hvitserk nodded.

“Sorry excuses for sons of Ragnar” He laughed back. Then they both laughed, imagining everybody’s faces when they didn’t show up.

“Mother will be sitting there looking furious” Ivar remarked, pulling a crude face that mimicked their mother.

Arm in arm across their backs, for the first time they walked together without Ivar using any aids, the sun bared down on them, blue skies above them, an endless world all around them just waiting to be explored. Hvitserk and Ivar set off as they had so often in life, they set off as brothers across the land.

For their family waiting, it didn’t take too long for them to realise Ivar and Hvitserk weren’t coming.

Ragnar Lothbrok stood up at the table in the Halls of Kattegat which somehow also looked like the Villa of Wessex at the same time, in the warm glow of the fire he looked around all his family and friends, Pagan and Christian alike, gathered around.

“Well, we were gathered here to welcome my son back among us where he belongs, but it appears both my sons had other ideas.” He looked at Aslaug who sat there with a stern expression on her face and everybody gathered there, waiting for the no-shows. He pulled a face and mouthed ‘oops’ to loads of laughing and he raising his cup.

“To Hvitserk in his absence, Skol!”

“Skol” The people around the table echoed.

Bjorn shock his head and looked at Ubbe.

“I worked so hard deciding what I would say to him” Bjorn said to his younger brother.

“Same” Ubbe said “I guess now we’ve got more time”

Athelstan touched Ragnar’s back as he sat down, as Alfred from his other side reached over for some meat, he loved eating a range of foods now his stomach could handle it. Ragnar beamed at the both of them, as Floki ducked his head between Alfred and Ragnar.

“Hello Priest”

“Floki, how are you?”

They were all good natured with each other now, they all drank and ate together, wondering where Ivar and Hvitserk were now.

Time had passed, a long time that also felt short. the brothers were together in the cabin up in the hills. Bjorn, Ubbe and Sigurd had arrived first, then they were joined by their sister, Gyda, who had caught them fish to go with their meat.

It was a normal day, they had been hunting with their father, they had swum in the lake. They were sitting at the table and laughing together. Gyda was braiding Sigurd’s hair by the fire as Bjorn told them of how he had finally lured Rollo from his castle and convinced him to join Bjorn for a walk, how he had ‘accidently’ trapped dear Uncle Rollo in the makeshift log ‘Christian jail’ they had all made earlier in the woods, before their father set him free.

For a while they couldn’t stop laughing, then the door creaked slowly open. They all glanced around, still laughing, expecting their father to come in, but instead it was Ivar.

The room went silent, Ubbe leaned forward in his seat and raised his arm up to his chin, they had not seen Ivar in some time. Bjorn stood up as Gyda looked between her brothers, she had only met this brother once before, he had never wanted to stay, always wanted to watch over their living brother.

“Hello Ivar” Bjorn said carefully, trying to see if anybody else was with him. Ivar looked behind him as he stepped through the doorway.

“It’s ok, come” Ivar said gently to somebody standing outside. “Come”

Bjorn a deep breath slowly. He knew exactly who was with Ivar, he suddenly thought of everything he had wished to say to his younger brother when they met again. He had talked to his mother when he had arrived here and got the fully story of what happened that night. He understood now how her death wasn’t Hvitserk’s fault, he was as much a victim as his mother had been. He had been grieving, hurting, everything had gone wrong for him and he had taken it all out on his baby brother, the one he used to hold in his arms. He hadn’t even went to speak to Hvitserk, get his side of the story, he had just thought him guilty and dragged him from his sickbed, determined to beat the truth out of him. Bjorn had sat by Hvitserk’s side up on the hill when his little brother spoke to his tomb. He sounded so miserable, he had looked much better in appearance, but Bjorn could see the damage he had inflicted upon his wellbeing. His little brother had ran off with the Christians in order to heal his broken spirit and that was on Bjorn.

If he could take it all back, he would never have put Hvitserk through that execution. What sort of monster does that to his own brother? If he knew what he did now, he would have gone outside into the woods to find his brother and bring him home.

All this he wanted to say, but Bjorn found his voice failed him as Ivar beckoned again to the person outside to come in. All he could do was stare as Hvitserk slowly walked through the door.

His green eyes took in Bjorn with nervousness, uncertainty, he looked afraid of him. Bjorn knew Hvitserk would be apprehensive at seeing him again, he had been anxious himself about this moment, but to see fear in his baby brother’s eyes made him feel even more ashamed of himself. He had never wanted his brothers too look at him like that. It was clear Hvitserk still expected Bjorn to be beyond furious, same as with Ubbe. Hvitserk’s eyes flickered over to Ubbe, wondering if he would speak to him or if he would pretend Hvitserk wasn’t there. He didn’t want to be cast out from his brothers all over again. As he was looking, Ubbe lowered his arm and also stood up from his chair. Nobody said anything as they were taken back by the sudden and unexpected arrival of their runaway brothers. For Hvitserk, all he heard was laughter that stopped the moment he and Ivar arrived and now his brothers were just looking at him. He didn’t even notice the giant smile on Sigurd’s face, or the unknown girl, he was just focusing on Bjorn’s hand, sure he was going to be hit. Ivar had talked him into coming here, he didn’t want too, it was far too soon, they would still be angry. They should have waited like he wanted too.

To Ubbe, Hvitserk looked just like he had that day, so long ago, when he had returned from the trip to the Mediterranean. His checks were full, his hair clean and braided, his clothing tidy and not full of vomit and mud, he looked healthy, as if he had never touched drugs or alcohol in his life. He looked like the Hvitserk he knew and loved. Leaving Hvitserk to his fate had been one of the hardest things Ubbe had to do, he had loved him so much, but he knew he couldn’t help Hvitserk, seeing him so unwell was killing him just as much as the mushrooms and ale were killing Hvitserk. Ubbe knew the brother he had once cherished was no more, a violent drunk had taken his place, however looking at the young man who was standing in the doorway, looking like he wanted to flee from them all, all Ubbe could see was his treasured little brother.

The silence in the cabin was deafening.

“Hello” Hvitserk said hardly louder than a whisper, just to break the silence.

Bjorn wet his lips, he needed to make things right. As the oldest brother, it was on him to make sure his siblings were okay, but his mind was still blank.

He moved slowly to Hvitserk, who tried to stand his ground. He didn’t want Bjorn to come any closer, sure he was going to grab him by the hair, pull him close and break his heart one more time by telling him he wasn’t forgiven. Bjorn’s hand reached for him, Hvitserk tensed, waiting for the blow and then-

The tightest hug of his life.

Bjorn’s arms were fully around him, over his back, over his shoulders and neck. Hvitserk’s arms were pinned into place as Bjorn scooped him up as if he were a boy again.

“Hvitserk!” Ubbe roared in happiness, elated to see his brother again, as Bjorn’s fingers held Hvitserk’s head next to his own.

“I made a mistake and I’m so sorry. I love you and always have, you’re my little brother, we’re family. I shouldn’t have done what I did and I’m so sorry” Bjorn spoke quietly while holding him close.

Hvitserk nodded, he was numb which had nothing to do with the crushing hug. These were the words he needed to hear without knowing it. He tried to wiggle his arms free from Bjorn’s grip. Bjorn let go slightly hurt, thinking Hvitserk had rejected his embrace, but Hvitserk leaped up, throwing his own arms around his brother, his feet almost leaving the floor as they both cried out in joy. Part of him, the part that had been hurting ever since Bjorn and Ubbe casted him out, healed. He had never known the feeling of relief this strong; His eyes were watering and it had nothing to do with sadness or pain, he was happy, the happiest he had ever been in so long.

He had his brother’s back. They didn’t hate him.

He buried his face into his brother’s neck and closed his eyes tightly to dry them up, he didn’t want them to see him crying as Bjorn still hugged him, this was how it had always been, he felt like a boy again, being held by his big brother, his protector and his friend all in one.

He felt Ubbe’s hands clapping on his shoulders. They would be time to hug Ubbe too, but for now he let himself be freed from Bjorn’s embrace as he smiled over at Sigurd.

“Welcome back” Sigurd smiled to him, then he noticed there was a small girl in the room with them. He didn’t know who she was, maybe a daughter of Ubbe?

Gyda smiled at Hvitserk. It was a very happy smile, the type you give somebody who you were happy to see. He didn’t know this girl, so he was a little confused, something the rest of his brothers all noticed

He smiled back to be polite.

Ivar opened his mouth to explain to Hvitserk just who Gyda was.

“No Ivar! Don’t tell him, let’s see how long it takes until he realises who she is” Sigurd said with a large grin.

“You’re mean Sigurd” Gyda said, she came closer to him and he noticed something, they had the same green eyes. The same green eyes Hvitserk never knew how he got, as both of his parents had blue.

“Hello sweet Hvitserk, I have waited so long to finally met you. You were such a cute baby” She told him. Hvitserk confusion only deepened, not a child of Ubbe then. Who was this girl? He had never seen her before in his life so how did she know him? Then it clicked into place. The eyes. The way she looked at him, as if he were somebody special to her and not a stranger. He knew now who this was, even thought he had never seen her before in his life, she had died even before Ubbe was born.

She gently reached up on her tiptoes and hugged him.

“Wait, you’re Gyda aren’t you?” He asked her “Our sister?”

Her smile confirmed it as his Sigurd moaned, disappointed Hvitserk had realised so soon. She only looked twelve at the most, but he knew she would have been a similar age to Bjorn had she lived.

“I always wanted a sister” He told her. His brothers all made noises of protest.

“You don’t want a sister” Ubbe cautioned with a small smile.

They all sat around the fire and brought furs to sit on as they exchanged stories of their lives. They asked Hvitserk about his life as a Christian or Ubbe to explain how the new word worked.

“-A woman turned into salt! Good if you have fish to keep fresh I guess –“

“ – It is called a Moose and it stands taller than a man. And just as long! – “

“-No, Floki got that wrong, they don’t actually eat people, it’s just bread –“

“ – This waterfall was so big, Jormungandr could have fitted his whole body within it!” -

“-Ubbe, don’t mention Jormungandr to Asa, she still is afraid of him-”

Hvitserk smiled as his brothers all talked to him, to each other, it had been so long since he had been around these people, the ones he loved.

“I must say Hvitserk, our mother is not impressed that you and Ivar did not show up as expected, tread carefully” Ubbe advised.

“We already seen her” Ivar winched.

“She told us both off, then hugged us” Hvitserk giggled nervously. “Although father seems to find it very amusing. He asked what we had both seen and discovered out there, what lands we visited”

The night stretched on, Hvitserk watched the flames. He would go see Alfred tomorrow, they had reunited briefly when he had arrived, Hvitserk smiled remembering the way Alfred had suddenly ran to him, shouting his name, his real name, to embrace him, however he had been with his brother, and King Aella. It was awkward for both of them as the last time Hvitserk had seen Aella, they had tortured him to death. Alfred had asked him to come to the Villa, so he could introduce Hvitserk to his family, they had heard a lot about this son of Ragnar from Alfred.

Hvitserk caught Ivar’s eye as his youngest brother lay down in his ‘bedroom’ at the corner of the cabin, he seemed exhausted and Hvitserk suddenly wondered if Ivar had ever slept while he watched over him for all those years. They exchanged a smile before Ivar closed his eyes, only now could Ivar finally settle and rest with his family, now his brother was there with him. Bjorn and Gyda were pranking Sigurd, who had already fallen asleep, it seemed like a normal thing and Hvitserk suddenly wondered if having a sister really was a good thing.

He was feeling tired himself, he had not slept in a while and the fire felt warm. Ubbe came and sat down next to him on the furs. Ubbe hesitated for a moment as he tried to pick up on Hvitserk’s body language. He had a blanket under his arm, he offered half of it to Hvitserk, before putting his arm around his brother and Hvitserk leaned into him. When they were kids, they would sit like this before sleeping, it was their way to wind down for sleep once their father had left and their mother had long stopped telling them stories. Ubbe would stroke his hair as Hvitserk slowly dosed off to sleep, then Ubbe himself would sleep. They had once been so close, Ubbe had been everything to Hvitserk, the brother he loved most, the one he always went to for support. Things had changed a lot in the years, Hvitserk had moved closer to Ivar. Ubbe to Bjorn. They had damaged their relationship to the point they both only brought pain to the other, but now this blanket, his warm hold once more on Hvitserk, it all told Hvitserk he was loved, he was accepted once more by Ubbe.

Hvitserk lifted up. He had almost fallen asleep before saying goodnight to Ubbe. He leaned his head forward automatically without thinking and Ubbe did the same a second later. They held their foreheads together. Hvitserk had his eyes closed.

There was no need for words. That embrace said everything they needed too.

‘I’ve missed you’.

#MIDAHFABL

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