#@beyond-the-ashes@elenawrit

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: The One He Chose

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Summary: (Y/N) is starting to realize how far her husband is willing to to bring her home.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Escaping Kattegat successfully had felt like a God ordained miracle; like the Lord himself was rewarding you for keeping faith. His Grace had put Floki’s home within walking distance from Ivar’s estate, had moved Amund and Earl Sven to kindness.

Now you were unsure if you would receive another life saving miracle.

Floki wasn’t here and neither was Amund, the Earl had already let you know that he wouldn’t hesitate to hand you over. In his mind  you were an escaped thrall, a lost piece of property he found too insignificant to protect. 

So what could you do?

The ship was already docked, meaning it wouldn’t be moved for at least a few days before it departed again. The crew would need to rest before setting sail again, meaning they would be in the markets, taverns, Great Hall and, if anyone had fallen ill on the journey, even the Healing Huts.

‘(Y/N)? What troubles you?’ Kendra asked in concern.

‘When did that ship arrive and where is the crew?’ you asked urgently, gripping her by the arms.

‘It arrived just before noon, the Earl was furious with a warship being so bold; he demanded council immediately. Everyone has been whispering through the city, conflict rumors and the like.’

Conflict?

Would Ivar go so far as to start war with an ally, just to capture you?

‘Are they in the Hall now? Where are they now, Kendra?’ you begged.

Kendra’s look of concern was unmasked as she looked around the shed, it was still pretty empty, most of the thralls with more demanding tasks still out working.

‘They are still in the Hall, their meeting was not short from what I’ve heard. Still they were granted hospitality while they rest and prepare for the journey back home. (Y/N) tell me now, are you in danger, Sister?’ she asked directly.

‘Yes, and I need to leave now. Not one man from that ship can set eyes on me.’ you confided, desperate for some type of earthly support in this terrifying moment.

You wouldn’t have survived, yet alone escaped if Floki and Amund hadn’t aided you; and as much as you regretted putting them at risk, you knew getting captured now would only negate their sacrifice.

So now, you would take any assistance you could get, even though you knew you weren't as likely to get away a second time.

This time the situation was not set up for your success at all; there was no ally you could go to, you had no access to a ship already leaving and now you didn’t even have noble status to buy protection. Your only accessible options were to either try to make it to the next village and pray the search doesn’t expand that far, or try to hide deep in the woods and hope they will overlook you.

Neither one seemed likely to succeed.

If Ivar had expanded his search this far, why wouldn’t he have his men search the neighboring settlements? If these men have been receiving his wrath for the entirety of your absence, there is no chance of them being lax in their efforts.

Kendra, of course, did not know fully what was in your head, but she could see your panic rising as your mind raced.

‘How…how far are you willing to go to leave?’ she asked seriously.

Her tone, the look in her eye and sweat on her brow gave it all away; Kendra knew a way out and she always has.

‘As far as my body will take me before it drops. Sister, if you know a way out of the city I beg you to tell me.’

‘I can’t, not alone, we need the others. Megan is bathing in the river, fetch her, and me and Dawn will meet you at the butcher’s house. Quickly, before Hilda makes her way back from inspections.’ Kendra said in a hurried tone as she stood up, pulling you up with her.

‘Do not run, don’t bring any attention to your movement, stay as out of sight as possible, speak to no one.’ she whispered as she casually led you out of the shed.

As soon as the two of you were out of the shed Kendra’s entire body language changed; she was no longer closely huddled to your side conspiratorially and her worried face immediately softened to its usual youthful smile.

‘Thank you so much for helping me, Hilda would be furious if she knew I’d lost one. We’ll have better chances splitting up, so we can both meet back here and hopefully one of us has some good luck.’ she smiled brightly before she took off for the Great Hall.

You were momentarily confused, but you had no time to wonder what Kendra was talking about or if it was some kind of coded message, you needed to get Megan.

From the Slave’s Shed almost the whole city was accessible, the constant flow of thralls meant you could find a footpath leading anywhere that slaves were needed. So getting to the river where most thralls and peasant women bathe wasn’t an issue, but trying to not run was a hard task.

As you walked you kept your head low, but tried to look like you were looking for something in order to keep up the lie Kendra announced. In reality you were making sure you didn’t see any familiar Kattegat faces.

You followed Kendra’s instructions and didn’t call any attention to yourself at all, your body remembering exactly how to blend into a crowd without being noticed.

The river was in the woods behind the market square, which was thankfully not busy as the sun was setting. Most vendors and merchants were packing away for the day as you passed them, and you heard their conversation.

‘I thought for sure it was gonna be a fight when that ship pulled in! All for nothing! Just a cripple who can’t keep a woman!’ an old man griped as he put away his dried fish.

There was a younger man helping him, probably an apprentice since you didn’t recognize him from the shed.

‘And pathetic enough to chase her across the world.’ the young man laughed.

Their words made your stomach almost lurch.

Still you didn’t increase your speed or stray from your path to the river, at last you arrived and found Megan in the water weeping silently.

‘Megan?’ you called softly, looking around to make sure the two of you were truly alone.

She turned to you, startled, and you saw the redness of her eyes and briefly wished you could soothe her right now.

However, you simply didn’t have that luxury.

‘Get out of the water now, get dressed quickly.’ you instructed as you stood on the banks.

‘What is-’

‘No time, we are leaving tonight and I need you to get dressed now Megan!’ you snapped before she could ask questions.

To her credit, Megan got out of the water immediately and dressed quickly without any further questions. She had a look in her eyes and you imagined that your face looked the same way when you decided to leave Ivar’s estate.

Once she had gotten back into her shoes you took her hand tightly in your own and began leading her to the butcher’s home.

You could see uncertainty in Megan’s eyes, but she followed, letting you lead her to what she prayed was a safe haven from her life as a bed warmer.

The butcher was a very wealthy man and his home reflected it. Of course it was close enough to the markets, and it was one of the largest homes outside of nobility.

Now that you had made it here you realized with absolute horror that Kendra hadn’t given you any further instruction past this point.

You didn’t know if you should wait outside the front entrance, or hide behind the house; Dear Lord you didn’t even know if the butcher would punish unclaimed thralls on his property.

Just as a panic was beginning to form in your head, the door opened and Dawn invited them in as if she were the lady of the house. Standing boldly at the entrance and well dressed, if not for her face still being smudged with ashes from cooking today you wouldn’t know she was just a slave.

‘Come in! Quickly before I have you both lashed!’ she barked coldly.

Her harsh tone snapped you out of your confused stupor, you and Megan hurried inside.

Kendra was here as well, but she didn’t seem at all confused about Dawn’s familiarity with the butcher’s home. Inside the decor was impressive, the hearth burning strong as a boar was roasted on a spit, the tempting scent filling the room. The butcher gave it a turn before facing you all directly but his eyes were very focused on you in particular.

He was a big bearded man, with mostly greying hair but he was clearly still able bodied enough to earn his living.

‘Before anything happens you will answer me honestly girl.’ he said.

You nodded.

‘Are you the Princess them warriors are here to take back to your husband, Ivar the Boneless, Son of Ragnar?’

Of course you knew logically that the crew would explain why they were here, but you weren’t prepared to be questioned. Still, you needed help and lying wouldn’t help you now.

‘Yes.’ you confessed.

You felt Megan release your hand and she turned to look at you with hurt and betrayed eyes, but you took her hand again and held it firm.

‘I am (Y/N), Princess Consort of Kattegat. My husband is a cruel man, more cruel than any man you have ever laid your eyes on. He forced me into marriage, he raped me, he humiliated me and he burned my posessions to ash. I stowed away in a box for weeks and chose to be a slave rather than his wife. I am begging you, please do not turn us away.’ you answered.

You hoped that he’d believe you, but you prayed Megan would see that you hadn’t meant to lie or betray her, that every second you spent at her side in silent solidarity was real.

The butcher cursed and sat down in a large chair as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

‘Finn?’

This time it was Dawn who spoke up, she walked over to the man’s side and placed a practiced hand onto his.

‘You promised, you promised and I’ve agreed.’ she said seriously but in a very soothing tone.

‘Everyone stop!’ Megan shouted before Finn the butcher could respond to Dawn.

All eyes were on her now, she looked like a shivering lamb that had fallen into a pond. Her hair was still wet and she was shaking from the cold, but she didn’t look scared. She looked frustrated and confused as she watched her fellow Christian Sister be so familiar with a heathen.

‘Tell me what is happening. Dawn, why are you dressed like that, are we escaping or not?’ she asked.

Dawn and Kendra shared a look before Dawn sighed.

‘Meeting you girls has been my biggest blessing in all the years I’ve lived as a slave, and I never want you to forget that.’ the older woman began as she walked over to you and Megan.

‘You three are escaping.’ Dawn explained.

‘Are you not coming with us?’ you asked.

‘Finn has sent a messenger to the Great Hall, he has paid the Earl for my freedom and blessings for our marriage.’

Marriage?

You looked behind Dawn at the butcher who was still rubbing his eyes in his chair. Dawn was going to marry this Pagan to grant you safe passage out of the city, just as you had married Ivar to save your Sisters back home.

‘You can not do this.’ you rejected.

‘It is done, as his wife I have the authority over thralls. We are going to send you to Herning, Finn has family there that will publicly grant you all freedom. The journey will be long, but there are two horses he-’ Dawn explained hastily before Finn took her hand in his, effectively interrupting her.

‘We…have two horses to spare and can give you all cloaks and food for the road.’ the man said firmly; immediately you understood why he was helping and why Dawn hadn’t taken his aid earlier.

Finn loved her; must have been in love for a long time too if he was willing to smuggle Earl Sven’s slaves out of Brande. Dawn accepting his hand in marriage only now, when it was your only chance of survival, made you feel like you had personally damned her soul and life. 

‘Sister Dawn, I cannot accept you doing this for me.’ you said, the guilt already crushing your lungs.

Dawn smiled sweetly, in that motherly way that she often did as she placed a kiss on your cheek. She did the same with Megan and Kendra, who both still looked like they were holding their breath waiting for this incomplete plan to fail.

‘Please do not weep or grieve for me. I have loved this man since I first caught him shorting me on the pork, he is a good man and I trust he will treat me well as his wife.’ the older woman assured, sending her new husband a smile you don’t think you could ever imitate.

‘Why? If you love him, why have you been slaving all these years?’ Megan asked incredulously.

‘I had my faith, and you all…and because I was afraid to love a heathen, afraid to be married to one and become one. Now I can keep you all safe and marry a big old fool that loves me even when our Gods disagree.’

Of all the strange and foreign things you had seen since you had been dragged away from England, this was by far the most unbelievable. A truly happy marriage between a Christian and a Viking.

A male slave came into the home, not bothering to knock, or more so being unable to as his arms were full of modest fur cloaks. The man was clearly a field hand, being large and clearly well fed to become so visibly strong. He was maybe Kendra’s age, nineteen, with blond braided hair and green eyes that never met anyone else’s.

‘Good lad! Hand them out quickly, we must get you all out of the city before people begin leaving the feast.’ Finn instructed.

The feast. You had been so concerned with simply following Kendra’s instructions that you had forgotten that there was a feast taking place in the Great Hall at this very moment. Hilda was probably already taking notice of the absence of four slaves, hopefully the feast would keep her too busy to spare sending anyone to look for you all.

You were handed a fox fur cloak and you quickly put it on, noting that this commoner's fur was the finest and warmest material you had worn since arriving in Brande.

‘It’s only just started by the look of things, the streets are nearly empty. We have enough time to prepare the horses and nothing else. I will saddle them now.’ the slave reported as he tried to leave, but the butcher stopped him with a whistle.

‘These women are to be your companions and charges; they are dear friends to my wife. I am holding you personally responsible for their safety, Rolf.’ Finn warned severely.

The slave named Rolf, nodded and left just as abruptly as he’d arrived.

‘Are we leaving here? Really and truly leaving this place to go be free somewhere else?’ Megan asked, her voice nearly shaking in her hope.

‘Yes, we are leaving, it is up to God to decide if we make it to freedom.’ Kendra said, as she held on to her worrying friend’s hands in support.

‘Freedom.’ you said.

Have you ever truly had freedom? When you were back home you were not free to choose a husband, in Kattegat your husband Ivar owned the air in your lungs and in Denmark you were an actual slave. Could you really go somewhere new and actually be allowed to make your own choices? 

Choose what you will be doing, what you will eat,  who you will meet, praying in peace even if it's only in the safety of your own humble home.

‘(Y/N).’ Megan called out to you weakly.

‘I am sorry, I couldn’t tell you the truth. I-’ you began to apologize.

‘I understand, you never lied to me. Even if he is your husband, if he treated you like a bed warmer then that is life you escaped. God knows the sins we commit and the sins done against us.’ she smiled as she hugged you tightly.

Soon you felt Kendra and Dawn join in and you just felt them there with you, and you revelled in the fellowship.  

‘Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for guiding us to find each other when we were in our darkest moments. We pray you will watch over us and all who have shown us kindness, let them be healthy and prosper here on Earth. Amen.’ you prayed aloud.

You looked up and saw that Rolf had returned and both he and Finn looked uncomfortable with your openly Christian display.

‘And may the Gods bless you both, may they keep your fields plentiful and your fishing nets full.’ you said sincerely.

These men were not Christian, but they were kind and you were truly thankful for their help. They were putting not only their reputations in Brande at risk by freeing slaves, but their lives as well if Ivar’s men found you.

‘May the Gods watch over you all as well, now it's time. Follow Rolf, he knows the way and he knows how to stay out of sight.’ Finn smiled appreciatively.

For the last time you looked over Dawn’s face, searching for any sign that she was not doing this willingly.

Her face was flustered as she hastily helped secure Megan’s cloak, but there were no tears or any of the general puffiness that crying brings. Her hands were not shaking and whenever she glanced over at Sven only gratitude and love was visible in her expression.

Even as Megan and Kendra followed your guide out into the night, you watched the couple.

‘He will not harm me.’ she assured.

Deciding to believe her, if only to placate yourself, you followed your new band of refugees.

‘Hurry this way to stables.’  Rolf ordered before walking off.

You all followed close behind, your heads turning every which way looking out for spying eyes. Rolf did not turn his head once, as if he knew there was no possibility that anyone would dare spy on the noble butcher’s lands.

The stable was astoundingly far from the main longhouse, or at least if felt that way. By the time you had finally set eyes on it up close your thighs were burning. Rolf pulled a carrot out of the cargo one of two saddled horses was hauling.

‘We’ll have to ride doubles.’ he said, not looking back at you as he split the carrot to give both the horses a treat before the journey truly began.

Megan gripped your arm fiercely, and of course you understood why. After only knowing pain from a man’s touch it can become difficult to have any contact with men, she couldn’t ride with Rolf.

You and Kendra looked over at each other and silently Kendra agreed she would ride with the Viking.

Rolf helped you all mount then gave instructions on how to lead the horses and stay saddled if they took off running.

Once he was done with his rushed warnings he commanded his and Kendra’s horse to begin walking, you and Megan followed behind him much less gracefully. You had never properly ridden a horse before, but you found it enjoyable immediately.

The bounce as the horse walked the uneven path, the wind blowing in your face and hair, and the thought that God sent this animal to carry his children to safe haven.

Rolf led your group away from the Great Hall and market, instead you entered the woods leading to the river you had dragged Megan away from nearly an hour ago. However, Rolf did not follow the foot path, instead he passed it by.

‘We will follow the river until nightfall, when we stop to rest the horses we will wash to try covering our scent before we leave. The Earl will need permission from the neighboring Earl to search his lands, by the time it's granted we should be in Herning.’ the man informed.

‘Shouldn’t we wash the scent now? That way they can’t follow us the whole way out of the city?’ Kendra asked.

‘No, he’s right. If we are found while we’re still on his land, it won’t matter if the scent is on us or not. Earl Sven will turn me over to my husband and then do Lord knows what else to the rest of you. We need to put as much distance between us and here as we possibly can before sunrise.’ you replied.

The ride was quiet and tense, no one daring to speak, everyone of you listening closely for approaching footsteps. Even Rolf, who walked so confidently to the stables, was now turning his head occasionally as he led the way.

On and on it went, the tense silence as you all crept through the night following the flow of the river. Every time the wind rustled the leaves one of you looked to make sure it wasn’t guards catching up to you.

It was only after the sun began its rise on to a brand new day did you all breathe a small sigh of relief. It had been a tense eight hours on horseback, but you had survived the night. 

You would not be waking up to Hilda’s stick today, and she would not be giving you orders; she no longer had that power over you.

Because you were no longer a slave, not quite yet a free woman…but you were certainly not a slave anymore.

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: Anymore? No, Less

Summary: Ubbe is starting to see why his wife is in such a rush to divorce him.

Pairing: Not telling

Part One

Part Two

Ubbe didn’t know what he was expecting to find when he got home, but it certainly wasn’t this.

(Y/N) was sitting on the couch looking calmly over a thick stack of papers, there was a glass of white wine sitting half empty on the side table. 

‘(Y/N), please-’ he started.

‘Have you ever looked at the marriage contract? Or did you just sign when your Mom put my file on your desk?’ she asked, cutting him off.

Ubbe couldn’t even answer the question with certainty; he had been hungover when Aslaug had barged into his condo to inform him he wouldn’t get a cent of inheritance if he wasn’t married. The widowed woman threw down a file that contained your photo, medical history and the pages of the contract he needed to sign.

He wants to say that at some point, once he was sober; that he did look over the contract thoroughly, but that was five years ago. 

He couldn’t remember if he ever had.

‘Don’t feel too bad if you didn’t, clearly my lawyers didn’t look past the compensation before they put this in my hands either. I only looked through them after that damned reception, and what was I supposed to do then?’ she shrugged.

‘The ink was dry and I was already doomed to be your wife. A position that your mother clearly thinks requires strict rules. Listen to what all I agreed to when I married you.’ she said coolly as she sat back and picked up her glass of wine.

‘In signing this document, I am agreeing to the following… I will have no external affairs, nor will I entertain the notion.’ she began.

‘(Y/N)-’ he tried, but again she spoke over him.

‘I will uphold no social image without distinct direction; meaning no social media presence that is not approved by Ubbe Ragnarson directly. I will uphold a respectable image as to not negatively impact the public image of the Ragnarson Family and or their businesses. I will not have any private business ventures not contracted with the current Ragnarson Family law firm.’ she read before taking a sip.

‘This one is the best, this is how I knew someone in our legal department was going to be let go on my wedding day.’ she said as she sat the wine aside and went back to reading.

‘I will not conceive a child during the five year period of this agreement.’ she said, finally looking at him.

She held out a few pages that were paperclipped together.

‘This is a summarized version of it, but there’s a bunch more if you want to see it for yourself.’ she said as she waited for Ubbe to take the stack of papers.

‘I don’t understand, I never heard anything about there being conditions.’ he said honestly as he took them and began reading them over.

‘Every contract has conditions, even the one you signed.’ she smiled dryly as she picked up another, singular sheet of paper.

‘In signing this document I am agreeing to the following…I will not commit criminal offenses toward (Y/N) (Y/L/N). I will ensure her financial needs are met. That’s it.’ she said before she finished the last of her wine and stood up.

Ubbe felt like his head was visibly throbbing.

‘Your Mother and her lawyers buried those conditions in this enormous pile of papers to ensure I had no freedom and no voice, and all you had to agree to was not outright abusing me. And of course the penalty for violating the contract would cripple my family’s stock while barely inconveniencing yours.’ 

He looked through the pages; big long legal terms that no one cared about individually but when put all together put her in a web of red tape. Now he was certain he’d never looked at the contract before, this was practically criminal, but he knew his legal team knew how to do anything they were told. 

‘This doesn’t make sense…(Y/N) I swear I didn’t know any of this was in the contract.’ he said sincerely, desperate for her to believe him.

‘I know you didn’t, you didn’t care to know. You didn’t care at all and you made that clear from the beginning, but I want you to look at that contract and tell me you would stay if you were me.’ she said directly.

When he looked up at her face he could see the drinks she’s had today taking their effects, her eyes were glossy and her face was becoming red. That’s when Ubbe knew she was about to cry, even though he had never seen her do it before, everyone knows when a drunk cry is about to happen.

‘Look at that paper and tell me it’s fair.’ she asked softly as the tears began to flow.

Ubbe had stepped forward to try comforting her, he dropped the papers and tried to wipe away her tears, but she protested.

‘Tell me if I treated you the way you treat me, you would stay. That I could parade men all over the city and come home just before sunrise and find you waiting for me!’ she yelled as she pushed him away.

‘I have been on the back burner for-’ she tried to say but a fit of sobs kept her from finishing.

Her body seemed overcome with her sadness as she curled in on herself, hugging herself tightly as she cried harder than Ubbe had ever seen anyone cry before. This was more than a drunk cry; this was honest to God wailing as her broken sobs devolved into borderline screaming cries. The kind of cry you should only hear from a baby, but there was nothing childish about the pain she was expressing.

‘Five years!’ she cried out as she fell to the floor, still holding herself as she sobbed on the wooden tiles.

It was heartbreaking to see anyone reduced to this, literally crying and broken on the floor; but knowing that he had been the one to break her made Ubbe want to set himself on fire.

(Y/N)’s sobs began to quiet and became more like weak whines and Ubbe couldn’t stand to see her lying there surrounded by the pages he’d dropped.

He bent down and picked her up off the floor bridalstyle, to his surprise she didn’t protest or struggle when he did this. She just began to sob a little more, but this time she seemed desperate not to let the sound out.

Ubbe carried her up the stairs and walked past the guestroom, taking her to the master bedroom instead. It took a bit of effort but he eventually managed to get her in the bed and under the comforter.

‘I will sleep in the guest room, and I’m going to bring you something to eat.’ he said softly.

His wife didn’t say anything back, she just turned away from him.

All Ubbe wanted to do was apologize, for everything; for the way he had treated her, for the contract, for his willing ignorance to her suffering.

Of course he didn’t say anything; he just left the room, closed the door and listened as her hushed sobs continued in his absence.

His head hung low as everything was all starting to make sense. 

For five he’s been operating under the foolish assumption that his wife was so devoted to him because she wanted to be, because maybe she did have feelings for him. Now he knew that she had no choice, she was legally chained to him.

Eventually he couldn’t stand the muffled sobs and he finally went back downstairs to cook, something he had never actually done in this house.

Back before he was married he rarely cooked for himself seeing as he could afford private chefs, but he had enough skill to make a few dishes pretty well. 

Once he was downstairs, Ubbe was met with the scene he’d left behind in the living room. The contract pages scattered on the floor, mocking him in black and white.

Furiously he gathered the pages with one hand while speed calling his mother with the other,

‘Hello Ubbe.’ Aslaug greeted casually.

‘What the hell is this contract Aslaug?’ he asked angrily.

‘That is not how you talk to your mother; and don’t you think it’s a little too late to be worried about it now?’

‘You birthed me, that doesn’t make you a mother; stop dodging the question. What the hell is this contract?’ he repeated.

‘I insured our reputation wouldn’t be affected by a gold digger none of us care about. If anything you should be glad those conditions were in play.’ she argued.

Ubbe wanted to throw his phone in his frustration, is this how his mother had been talking to (Y/N) this whole time?

‘Gold digger? She has never asked for a dime, she has never asked for anything.’ he said through gritted teeth.

‘Because she can’t, Ubbe do you think if she could do whatever she wants that you would have been able to enjoy yourself these last five years? You think her social media would make you look good, that she would be beneficial to us? You needed a wife, I got you one that wouldn’t change your lifestyle, you should be thanking me.’ Aslaug ranted.

‘Thanking you?! (Y/N) just had a breakdown, she is seeing divorce lawyers…she can’t wait to get away from me.’ he replied, stunned by his mother’s logic.

‘Exactly what I thought you would have wanted; your inheritance secured and your life unchanged.’

‘Well you thought wrong. Have the lawyers make amendments to the contract and take all of that condition shit out, and I want the five years extended.’ Ubbe demanded as he stood up and slammed the papers onto the coffee table.

‘Extension? Ubbe, what are you talking about?’ his mother asked, and he could hear the displeasure in her voice.

‘Nevermind, I’ll set up the consultation personally. This is the first and only time I’m going to say this, my marriage is no longer any of your concern, stay out of it Aslaug.’ he said before hanging up.

He sighed heavily, imagining he could see his irritation exit his body in a cloud.

Of course it did little to actually calm his nerves but he decided to pretend it did as he went on into the kitchen to start cooking.

He looked in the fridge and of course it was fully stocked with fresh produce, meat, beverages, and dairy. (Y/N) made sure the house was always in top shape, even though she was usually the only one to see it because they’ve never had guests over.

Ubbe surveyed the contents of the fridge and pantry and found he had everything he needed to make a beef stew, one of his best dishes in his own opinion.

As he chopped the vegetables he thought about how many times (Y/N) stood in this spot, preparing meals she never even saw him eat. Wondering what she’d rather be doing instead of this, if there was someone she’d rather be cooking for.

That thought made Ubbe set the knife down halfway through cutting an onion.

What had been her situation before she became his wife? Had she been with someone, was she thinking of him while she sat alone in this house? How awful would it be if she had no experience at all, and he was her introduction to what relationships were?

More and more questions came to his mind as he continued cooking, seasoning and browning the stew meat in the pot before adding in his chopped onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, beef broth, water and seasonings.

With everything assembled now all he could do was wait for the veggies to soften and already he wanted to do something else. He needed to be doing something; anything that could make him feel like his marriage stood a chance.

Full of determination, Ubbe pulled out his phone again and set a legal consultation for the day after tomorrow. He would need more than two weeks to convince (Y/N) that he could be a better husband, so the sooner he asked for an extension the better.

To his surprise, his lawyer called as soon as he’d set the appointment online.

‘Tell me you aren’t trying to end this marriage early, Ubbe. just thirteen more days and it’ll save your family millions I promise.’ Alfred said tiredly on the other end.

‘I’m not, I need an extension.’

The line went silent for a moment, and Ubbe thought maybe the call had ended; at last he heard his lawyer clear his throat. 

‘I’m sorry, I must have heard wrong, it sounded like you said you wanted an extension but that can’t be what I heard.’

‘It’s what I said, I need an extension. Me and (Y/N) will be in your office Tuesday morning, have the papers ready.’ Ubbe said, annoyed with everyone being so ready to see him divorced.

‘Wait!’ Alfred shouted before Ubbe could end the call.

Ubbe took a deep breath before he put the phone back up to his ear.

‘What?’

‘Ubbe, as your lawyer I will do whatever you tell me; but as your friend from college I can’t bite my tongue on this. You shouldn’t get the extension.’

‘And why not?’ Ubbe asked but he knew the answer.

‘It was a miracle that she signed it the first time, asking her to extend it is just cruel. I hadn’t passed the bar yet when that contract was drafted, so there wasn’t much I could do when you hired me, but I cannot in good conscience watch her sign away another five years of her life.’ Alfred said gently.

‘We will be there Tuesday, have the papers ready to be amended.’ Ubbe said sternly before hanging up and powering down his phone.

He didn’t have the energy for anymore conversations, all he wanted to do was focus on taking care of (Y/N), but the five minutes it took for Alfred to piss him off was not enough time for the food to cook.

So he decided to start going through the contract to find all the hidden conditions, and he was horrified by each one he found.

I will give no public or private interviews during the duration of this agreement.

Every few pages there was another sentence casually taking her ability to do the most basic of things.

She had looked the contract over the day of their wedding…after he’d humiliated her that very first time.

Ubbe sat on the couch, black sharpie in hand as he redacted every one he found; his wrist was cramped when he started to smell his stew. He sat aside the marker and checked on his food and found that it had come out better than normal.

The stew meat was perfectly cooked, the vegetables were all fork tender and the broth was flavorful. He filled a bowl and grabbed a spoon before he began his climb up the stairs, he couldn’t hear any crying from the bedroom.

(Y/N) must have fallen asleep.

More like cried herself to sleep, how often did she do that while he was sleeping in some hotel room with other women.

He nervously opened the door and found that he was right, she was sleeping with her back still facing the door.

As he sat the food down on her bedside table he studied her sleeping face, closer than he could ever remember doing before.

The tears had dried on her cheeks and her face was still slightly puffy, but she seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

Ubbe suddenly saw something in his own bedside table, a small stack of sticky notes and a pen. Notes were how he left messages when he came home after she was asleep, so he always had them out.

As he wrote his note he hoped that (Y/N) would find some, even if only a small amount, of comfort in his words.

I made this for you, I hope you like it. I’m truly sorry.

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: Not a Costume Party

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Summary: (Y/N)'s first college party didn't go as planned, but even better.

ONESHOT

That bitch Freydis.

It was the first thing you thought as you entered what was already anticipated to be the biggest freshmen party of the semester.

The big sorority house was already crowded with bodies, beer cans, and liquor bottles. Music was blaring through surround sound speakers as smoke from several vapes and other substances filled the air.

It was exactly what you’d expect from a college party, the only issue was it wasn’t a costume party; like your roommate Freydis, who had invited you, said it would be.

The campus had strict rules about public intoxication so no one was in the yard in front, meaning you didn’t realize how out of dresscode you were until it was too late.

You stood in the doorway dressed in a Daenerys Targaryen two piece Dothraki costume, equipped with a platinum blonde wig and three prop dragons that Freydis watched you hand make for nearly two months.

Now, of course this wasn’t a movie; the whole party didn’t stop just to point and laugh at you. 

That you probably would have preferred over what actually happened. Most people were too preoccupied with their own conversations, but more than enough looked at you and turned back giggling to their friends.

Like you weren't worth more than a glance, but you were a funny thing to talk about.

Your ears burned in humiliation, feeling foolish for thinking Freydis, who had always been rude and dismissive of your presence, would genuinely invite you to a party.

Deciding you had given everyone enough to see you turned to just go back to your dorm and set fire to this costume, but someone catches your arm before you could leave.

‘Where are you going? The party just started, don’t you want everyone to see the outfit you worked so hard on?’

It was Freydis, dressed in a pink tube dress that made her look sweet as strawberries and smiling so happily one would think she was being genuine.

You snatched your arm away and glared at her venomously.

‘You’re right, I did work hard on this. Why should I let a girl who hasn’t graduated from high school bullying stop me from showing it off?’ you snapped before you closed the door and walked deeper into the party.

You were not in high school anymore, and people you don’t know shouldn’t have the ability to make you feel small. Freydis had been a nightmare from the beginning of the year, but once she saw how the professors praised your assignments she became outright spiteful. 

She would not get the satisfaction of making you leave this party to go home and sulk.

With your head held high, you walked into the kitchen and ignored the eyes that fell on you as you poured yourself a shot of tequila and downed it.

While you were preparing to pour another shot when someone took the bottle.

‘Hey!’ you protested.

‘Can’t have the Mother of Dragons pouring her own drinks can we.’

You looked up and saw the unthinkable.

Ivar Ragnarson, the wrestling team captain that everyone called Boneless. 

He was one of those infamous names that you’d heard a million times on campus. Everyone seemed to like him or envy him.

He poured your shot and got a second shot glass and poured one for himself.

‘To the best costume here.’ he toasted.

‘To the only costume here.’ you corrected as you clinked his glass with yours in cheers before taking your second shot.

‘Yeah, I was gonna ask what the deal was, but I got distracted by how well made this is.’ he said, pointing to the dragon on your shoulder.

‘Thanks, it’s detachable and doubles as a figurine.’ you said, removing the foam Rhaegal accessory and showing Ivar how it moved at the joints of the limbs, neck and wings.

‘That is sick, you are definitely either fashion major or engineering.

‘Both, fashion major, minors fashion engineering and robotics.’ you confirm.

‘Robotics?’ he asked intrigued.

You smiled brightly, you had been looking forward to the party so you’d get a chance to show everyone your favorite feature of your costume. Even Freydis hadn’t seen it as you needed the robotics lab to work on it.

‘Wanna see something epic?’ you asked with a grin.

Ivar smiled back and nodded.

You took Drogon from its notch on your belt and stuck it onto the one on your shoulder where Rhaegal was before. Then, you pulled a long black tube from inside the foam dragon’s mouth and connected one end into a nozzle hidden under the right wing.

‘Do you have a vape or anything to smoke?’

‘No, but I know just the guy. Sigurd!’ Ivar called loudly over the music and soon a long haired blonde guy smoking a bong joined you.

‘Whattya need?’ he slurred, clearly high already if his red eyes were anything to go by.

‘Literally just what you’re doing now is perfect, blow your smoke into this please.’ you smiled holding out the end of the tube.

Sigurd seemed to only notice you and your costume just then.

‘Sick costume, but I don’t blow anything. Take a hit for yourself if you need smoke.’ he offered the bong to you.

You weren’t a prude, plenty of your friends back home smoked weed, but you had never actually smoked before. Then again you never attended a college party before either, so why not cross one more thing off your bucket list tonight?

You took the hit, trying to remember just how everyone always showed you, but the first hit made you cough. Taking pity on what was clearly a first timer, Sigurd gave a tip to add an ice cube to the bong so it's less harsh.

You took his advice and tried again, this time you successfully held the tube to your mouth.

You took a step back and held up one finger, signaling that it was about to happen. You blew the smoke into the tube and watched the mouth mechanism open and spew out the smoke along with an audible roar that the whole kitchen heard.

You smiled as you watched countless failed attempts finally pay off in front of an audience.

The room erupted in cheer as the roar echoed.

Soon there was a line of people all eager to blow their own smoke clouds through the dragon on your shoulder. Everyone was asking where you got it, then how you made it in such a short amount of time. A few people who were in the same classes as you were quick to compliment your work in class and surprised to see you did more than study.

People from the living room began pouring into the kitchen to see the cause of all that cheering noise. Eventually the kitchen was too small for the crowd and Ivar helped you carefully walk out to the living room.

The dragons were firmly secured by the notches, but the battery compartment that powered your pulley system wasn’t so lucky. It was just loosely sewn into the waist line of your skirt and if it got too knocked around the whole effect would be ruined, so you appreciated Ivar directing a path for you as you exited the kitchen. 

The music in the living room was still blaring, but the roar along with the smoke show that a sorority sister blew out as you entered got everyone’s attention.

‘Everybody look alive! We got royalty in the House of Dragons! Introducing Kattegat University’s very own Daenerys Targaryen!’ the DJ announced as the spotlight actually landed on you.

The crowd erupted, the same people who had just been whispering about you were now chanting your name and trying to get your attention for photos and videos.

‘What the fuck?’

You looked over and saw Freydis looking red in the face in anger, but she wasn’t looking at you at all.

‘I know, isn't it cool!’ Ivar smiled.

‘No, it’s a stupid costume from a nerdy TV show. Ivar, let go of her.’ she snapped.

You looked confused, sure you had heard her on the phone talking about her new boyfriend on the wrestling team but you didn’t think she meant Ivar THE Boneless.

Ivar looked confused too as he politely let the guy waiting for his turn with the tube know you needed a minute to talk to someone.

‘Wait Freydis, is this your roommate?’ Ivar asked, looking back at you.

‘Yeah, and she was the one who told me it was a costume party.’ you answered.

‘Dude, that’s not cool.’ Ivar said, looking at Freydis in disappointment.

She scoffed dismissively in the way that made you want to put Nair in her shampoo.

‘It was literally a joke, and it doesn’t matter. Let go of her.’ she repeated.

‘You told me your roommate was a know-it-all headcase who had no social skills; and…what’s your name?’ he asked offhandedly.

‘(Y/N).’

‘(Y/N) seems just fine socializing with everyone, so what actually is your issue with her? You’ve been badmouthing her all over campus since orientation.’ Ivar asked directly.

‘She is a know-it-all! Even now she had to add homework to a dorky costume in order to get attention.’ your roommate snapped angrily.

At this several people protested, stating that Game of Thrones was recognized as a global phenomenon and that your costume was the coolest thing at this party.

This did little to reduce her anger, you noticed.

‘Ivar, I am telling you to get over here now; I’m your girlfriend, not her.’

This time Ivar looked genuinely amused.

‘Not ordering me around like a dog, you’re not.’

‘Excuse me?’ Freydis asked angrily.

‘I’m breaking up with you, you understand?’ Ivar said slowly and clearly.

You covered your mouth to hide a surprised laugh as Freydis’s jaw literally dropped.

‘No , you are not.’ she rejected.

‘Yes I am, you’re toxic, overly jealous, and clearly petty as hell. (Y/N) having better grades than you doesn’t make her a know-it-all, and her not wanting to get blacked out every weekend like you doesn’t make her socially stunted.’ he argued.

‘Ivar, tell me you are not seriously trying to break up with me, for this…bookworm.’ Freydis sneered, looking at you in disgust.

‘Well, I was gonna get to know her first, but yeah I think that sounds like a plan to me.’ Ivar shrugged.

This time you went red, suddenly becoming hyper aware that his hand was still on the base of your back holding your hidden battery compartment steady for you.

Freydis looked like she might actually explode into a tirade like no one’s ever seen, but she looked around and saw how many people had paused their conversations to listen to her getting dumped.

She cursed and stomped out, slamming the door behind her.

‘Good riddance, she was a nightmare and a half.’ Ivar sighed as he led you back to your que.

The party went on and eventually, after nearly every smoker and even a few non-smokers who just liked the costume had their turn with it you were finally able to detach the tube and put it away.

Ivar stayed with you as you went back into the kitchen, the two of you laughing as a few guys huddled by the fridge bowed dramatically to you.

‘This is definitely the best time I’ve had at any party.’ you smiled.

‘Well it is only your first college party, I’ll take you to a better one next week.’ Ivar smiled back.

Again you went red.

‘Tha-that's... I um would r-really like that.' you stuttered nervously.

‘You’re cute, smart, and clearly you have good taste in TV. Why couldn’t I meet you first instead?’ he whined dramatically.

‘She couldn’t have been too insufferable, you dated her didn’t you?’ you said, trying to ignore your nerves.

‘I was young and foolish.’ he sighed.

‘Didn’t you guys start dating like last month?’ you laughed.

‘And I’ve matured so much since then, honestly isn’t the tuition worth it when you learn so much so quickly?’ he joked charmingly.

You laughed and looked away, wondering how you had gone from being the butt of a joke to having Ivar the Boneless charming your socks off.

‘Seriously though, I imagine she’s fuming in your dorm right now. Wanna crash at mine?’ he offered.

‘Your place?’ you blushed outright.

Ivar laughed and told you not to worry.

‘I can sleep on the couch, whatever you’re comfortable with (Y/N). I’ll even give you the bedroom key if you want to lock me out.’ he assured.

The thought of going to a guys dorm made you feel scandalous, but you knew he was definitely right about Freydis.

You had bought a camera for your PC that faced your side of the room so you weren’t afraid of her destroying your stuff, but you knew if you came in tonight she’d find a way to annoy you.

Plus a small part of you really wanted to get to know Ivar better, so you made up your mind.

‘I’ll take you up that offer.’

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: The Alliance

Summary: While the princess hunts, Ivar learns how to be a good husband.

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

For a few glorious seconds when she had first woken up she believed she would sit up and be in her quarters with Ivar beside her. Her dream of simply being his wife had been so vivid she felt in her bones it was the reality.

But the seconds only last so long and she feels the ache of sleeping on the hard ground as she opens her eyes to her tiny little shelter lit by rising sun.

She groaned in discomfort as she stood up and looked down at the rocky surface she laid on in distaste.

With what she knew to be a childish temper she walked over to the bloody bag that would have been her blanket and kicked it. She knew the fabric would have provided her little comfort, but it would have been better than nothing.

With a silent apology to the Great and Many she pulled out some more bread and biltong then tried not to glare at the bloody bag again. The lion had not only been unworthy of skinning, it was also unworthy of eating too, she complained silently.

Still, as she ate she knew she needed to do something with the carcass before its scent attracted trouble.

What was the best way to get rid of it alone, she wondered; considering abandoning it a few miles away from the shelter or even trying to burn the remains.

The idea of burning it made the princess feel wasteful, and even a tad bit sorrowful for the lion. It was a very respected animal and it seemed to have had a hard time living as long as it had before you crossed his path. Burning it properly and safely would take hours and every second of sunlight felt precious, and the Spirits would know that this body was wasted and not returned to the soil it was born in.

Soil…land, hunt; water…fishing?

The words had bounced around in her head in a weird procession of word association, soil is on land where you hunt, water is where you fish. What if she tried to fish on land?

(Y/N) quickly shoved the rest of her food in her mouth as she hurried to see how much rope she had left in her sack. It was only about twenty feet of twine, but it would have to be enough.

The next hour was spent preparing to go out and put her plan in motion, putting out the embers of the fire last night and shallowly burying a large portion of the lion's dismembered body a good visible distance away from her shelter and marking the spot with a large fallen branch.

(Y/N) had plans to cut out a widow in one of the walls of her shelter so that she could watch the burial site. If the first plan didn’t work out then she could hope to catch something digging up the free meal.

With that in mind she exited her humble dwelling, rope tied around the largest and best piece of meat the lion had to offer. The poor beast was really in bad shape and finding a piece of meat large enough to lure and entice anything had been ghastly work, but eventually she settled for the left hind leg.

She felt the burning sun above her as she walked towards the waterhole, the bait meat was hanging on her hip, tied tightly around her waist so her hands were free if she needed to fire an arrow.

Luckily, she didn’t run into any trouble on her way, reaching the trees that surrounded the water.

She knew from experience on previous hunts that most animals came to the warterhole to either bathe or drink so the trees were mostly empty. There were mandrills that kept to the denser trees where they had more shade, but she had no intention of getting in their way.

The princess took one large sip of water from her canteen before securing it along with the bow and arrows, the next part was not going to be easy and that excited her in the midst of her unease.

She had no idea if this hunting tactic would work, (Y/N) never even heard of any of the royal hunters attempting something like it.

‘Land fishing.’ she whispered before she began her first attempt at climbing a doum palm tree.

The bark was rough and splintery and the first initial step resulted in two red and raw palms that left her hissing.

She removed as many splinters as she could see, but her hands were still stinging.

The height and uniquely structured rough bark of the great tree were the largest hurdles for the time being, she couldn’t hold onto the leaf scars of the trunk without ripping them off the tree bark entirely.

She walked once around the tree, hoping to see something, anything on the tree that would make climbing it possible before noon.

There was nothing, the tree seemed in much better health than her lion visitor had been yesterday. She looked at her new dilemma and tried to find a new solution, but a sound of rustling leaves quickly distracted her, making her curse securing her weapon.

The sound was actually very far off, over where the mandrills were lounging in the thicker tree branches. The princess’s eyes followed the motion of fallen leaves and saw that a young infant had apparently fallen from a low branch of the tree.

In the next second the mother jumped into the grass to retrieve her screaming babe; (Y/N) made sure that she was not visible to either mother or child, ducking behind the trunk of the tree, and prayed the distance was enough to keep her scent from being noticed.

Mandrills moved in hordes and even as a wealthy princess, (Y/N) couldn’t afford to get their attention right now.

For a few stiff moments the mandrill sat still and searched for something other than her child, like she had caught a scent she didn’t like. The magnificent beast paced around the base of the tree, her head turning as she searched for any movement or sign of a threat.

The princess was as still as stone in her hiding spot.

She watched from behind her unclimbed tree as the mother mandrill placed her young onto her back and began climbing back to their sanctuary in the high branches.

Wide eyed the princess saw how the creature climbed, using the fragile leaf scars as steps rather than handles. Its powerful arms wrapped around the bark and interlocked the fingers so they connected like a belt as it pulled itself up higher until the leaves concealed them once more.

Of course she knew she couldn’t perfectly imitate the primate’s climbing but it had definitely given her an idea.

Carefully she untied the twine around her waist, making sure not to drop anything in case the mandrills were being cautious.

Once the twine was unravelled enough for her to wrap around both the tree and herself she tied it tightly behind her back. Looking again at how thin the twine was she made another loop around the tree and secured a second knot.

‘Please Great and Many, I want to marry that man. Be with me in this hunt and protect me, do not let me fail.’ (Y/N) prayed softly, feeling a breeze and hoping the wind carried your prayer to listening ears.

At last she gathered the strength to make a second attempt.

She leaned back feeling the twine support a large portion of her weight as she wrapped her arms around the trunk and pulled herself up using her arms. Once her feet were off the ground she gently placed them on the leaf scars and found that they held her weight well enough, but she wouldn’t push her luck.

Before the leaf scar could begin to snap under her foot the princess lifted her interlocked hands and pulled her body up higher as she moved her foot to the next scar, only a few inches off the ground but she tried to memorize the position and motion as she did it.

It took a large amount of strength to pull her own body weight along with her supplies and bait, but it also took an unprecedented amount of balance.

After repeating the motion about seven more times Princess (Y/N) found herself out of breath and with another twenty feet at least left to climb. Her arms, legs and abdomen were already beginning to ache and the rough texture of the twine seemed to be rubbing any skin it touched raw.

The sun was not yet fully peaked just yet and the shade the tree provided was heavily appreciated, but she felt drenched in sweat as she continued her strenuous climb.

Higher and higher she climbed, trying to focus on the next step she would take, but already she was not looking forward to doing this backwards on the way down.

As the beloved princess of Tunisia was trying to prove her worth as a valuable wife, Ivar was on his way to learn what it meant to be a good husband in Tunisian culture.

Of course he was genuinely interested in what the markets had to offer, but more than that he wanted to see the people. How they speak to one another, how the men show their affection and what the women found attractive.

Ivar had been truly touched by Princess (Y/N)’s assurances that she would be with only him even if he couldn’t please her, but he wanted to at least give her the best of what he knew he could.

He would learn every marriage custom and be sure he never did anything in ignorance to disrespect her as his wife.

It seemed the servant girl originally assigned the task of escorting them was experiencing her bleeding time and would not be available for a few days. So now Bintu was leading him along with the rest of his family out of the castle to begin the tour of the markets and the heavy mood that had dominated breakfast had mostly subsided.

Though Ivar suspected it was because Aslaug had chosen to stay behind with Queen Aza in court.

‘Your young royals are the ones who take these daily patrols?’ Hvitserk asked as they began their outing.

‘Yes, it is custom. Once they are educated enough, this teaches them what is happening among the people, to communicate it properly and put faces to the complaints.’ the older woman informed.

‘Who has been doing them while Princess (Y/N) was in Kattegat?’ Ivar asked.

‘A rotation of nobles, that way it’s harder for corruption to form. Lies start to fall apart when you involve large amounts of people to coordinate.’

‘I can confirm that, even now I’m King because an old man included the wrong people in his schemes against me.’ Ragnar sighed in reminiscence.

‘Sven told us how you and your magical boat builder overthrew your last King, it was a favorite with our young warriors. I imagine you will be asked to bless a few blades once we reach the market.’ their guide smiled.

‘Magical? Don’t let Floki hear you call him that…it would go right to that bald head of his.’ Ivar laughed.

‘Only a man with magic could build those long ships, even as the journey sickened me I appreciated the craftsmanship.’ Bintu said praisingly as they at last seemed to reach the market.

A large square with randomly placed carts, tables and tents, each accompanied by a merchant who had displayed their goods as intricately as possible to capture the attention of the passersby.

‘Speaking so fondly of other men now Bintu? Are you hoping to provoke me into acting rash next week?’ Sven asked as he approached their group.

He seemed to have been looking at a blacksmith’s cart before he noticed their arrival.

‘If I am? What could you do about it?’ Bintu challenged, but Sven only smiled fondly.

‘Nothing now, but I will remember.’ he said casually, but the look he gave the Tunisian woman was hungry and wanting.

Ragnar looked in amusement between the two, and a knowing smile crept its way onto his wrinkled face.

‘Ah, another union!’ the king teased.

Sven proudly raised his tunic and revealed a bloody bandage on the right side of his ribs.

‘Our Matrimonial Fight is next full moon. It won’t be a large event like Ivar’s but I imagine it will be a good show.’ the old man beamed.

Everyone gave their congratulations, even Bintu couldn’t keep her indifferent facade going in the midst of such celebration.

‘Thank the Gods, thought we’d see you two stumbling out of the boathouses for ages.’ Ubbe joked.

‘Our tour! You are interrupting our tour of the market! Go away, go train…just don’t be here!’ Bintu said quickly, pushing the jolly giant that was Sven back to the blacksmith’s cart before herding Ivar and his family further into the market.

Without the distraction of Sven and Bintu’s courtship Ivar began to look closer at the items on display.

Colorful fabrics with complicated designs and patterns, elegantly beaded jewelry, gold accessories, headdresses, strange spotted and striped furs, vibrant paints, spices, herbs, unfamiliar crops and so much more that Ivar didn’t even know how to describe.

‘What stall would you all like to see first?’ Bintu asked, her eyes still occasionally moving back to the Blacksmith’s cart.

‘I want to see what all you harvest.’ Ragnar answered for them all.

Bintu nodded and began to lead them to a section of carts and tables laid out with what appeared to be vegetables, grains and butchered meat.

The merchants had taken notice of their foreign audience and had begun to advertise their products vigorously.

‘The best biltong you can have!’

‘Fine potatoes and turnips. Perfect for even the most royal of meals!’

‘Palm wine! Honey sweetened and perfectly aged!’

There were so many people speaking Ivar had a hard time translating it all at once, but his family looked more and more excited the louder things got.

Soon their group had been separated despite Bintu’s wishes, everyone wanted to see different things that were scattered too far apart.

Hvitserk was tasting things at every cart, Ubbe was fascinated with the gold accessories on display, Ragnar spoke with a turnip farmer, and Sigurd had purchased what looked like a flute.

Ivar had taken longer than he wanted to reach the stand that interested him the most, his crutches really did slow him down.

‘Stylish cloaks! Perfect for every occasion and life saving in the winter season.’ the old woman said, her weathered hands presenting her collection that was displayed on a table.

There were all types of furs and even some beaded cloaks that Ivar couldn’t help touching as he greeted the woman politely.

‘Hello Elder, may I ask a few questions?’ he asked.

‘Of course, anything for our Prince Consort, many blessings to you and our princess. I’ve asked the Great and Many to guide her home safely for your wedding.’ the woman smiled brightly.

‘I thank you, I wanted to ask you what kind of animals are used in the finest cloaks? I would hate not to know the significance of what she presents to me after she has worked so hard.’

The old woman tutted and came around the table to hold his face, pinching his cheeks firmly.

‘Eh Eh, such a good good husband! Oh that blessed princess to find such a kind strong man! Sweet child, so much work goes into a cloak of any kind, but a warrior woman’s matrimonial cloak…I’ve seen women so determined they stitched full cloaks from rabbits alone.’ the woman spoke openly.

‘Those don’t tend to end well from what I’ve seen.’ she said quietly looking over her shoulder.

‘You didn’t hear it from me, but the salt merchant’s wife presented him with a cloak of rats! He accepted because she was a well sought out beauty, but now…come supper time, you can find her under the docks with all types of urchins!’ she laughed.

Ivar looked over at the salt merchant in amusement, he found the old woman’s presence comforting and warm. She spoke to him the way he imagined a grandmother would if he had one. She, like every other person Ivar had interacted with in Tunisia, said nothing about his legs and didn’t look at him like he had no right to exist.

‘The best animals are the large prey, pack animals and predators. Like this leopard here.’

Ivar looked at the cloak she pointed out and he was amazed by the orange black spotted pattern of the fur, he ran fingers through it.

He imagined what the leopard looked like before it was skinned to be this thick and large cloak in his hands. Then he imagined (Y/N) alone with one out in the desert that surrounded the capital village.

‘There are also gazelle, lion, wild boar, tiger, baboon, zebra, mandrill and hyena. Those are the best! Never seen an unhappy marriage for any couples with those furs, they are difficult to hunt successfully with a full party, it’s dangerous to do alone. Only women who are truly interested in the marriage seek these furs, even fewer have the skill to obtain it.’

‘How dangerous is it to do alone?’ Ivar asked, his worry growing.

‘Do not fret my pale patreon, I have lived in this village many years and I’ve seen Princess (Y/N) grow into such a skilled warrior. I am certain she will have a magnificent cloak to present to you, I will personally be helping her in the skinning tents when she returns.’

‘You are one of the skinners?’ Ivar asked.

‘No, but we all use the tents, and the best way to get the finest furs and leathers for your product is to help make it. It also doesn’t hurt if the skinners love your cooking, but again I did not tell you this.’ she smiled conspiratorially.

Ivar got the message; bribe the skinners with food.

‘Thank you Elder, I hate not to buy anything after taking so much of your time, please take this.’ Ivar took out a few gold coins and the old woman thanked him heavily and insisted he take at the very least a bright beaded bracelet.

‘Ivar, you have to try this fruit!’ Hvitserk called excitedly from a table so far away it made Ivar wince before he even began to approach it.

‘It had better be amazing.’ he mumbled as he finally got within reasonable hearing distance.

‘My brother, try this.’ his brother repeated.

‘Baobab fruit, my visiting friend. A local delicacy here, it dries naturally on the branch so the flesh is always perfectly preserved.’ the merchant advertised eagerly. Still holding the handful of golden coins Hvitserk must have given him.

Ivar looked at the strange fruit that littered the table, it looked more like a root vegetable or an odd type of melon. The merchant took out a knife and kissed the blade before he cut into the mysterious fruit.

‘Why do you…Ah Ivar.’ Hvitserk had started to ask but he seemed to have a hard time finding the correct way to ask his question in Derja, so he looked to Ivar for help.

Ivar sighed in annoyance but he looked to see what his brother was trying to ask; Hvitserk kissed the back of his own hand and pointed at the man’s knife.

‘My brother wants to know why do you kiss the blade?’ he asked.

The man shook his head as he removed the flesh from inside the fruit and placed it in a small clay bowl for Ivar to try.

‘Ahhh, it is a sad custom for widowers.’ the mad said.

Ivar’s hand froze on its way to reach into the bowl and he looked closer at the merchant he was speaking with.

This man was not elderly, nor did he look particularly sick or hard weathered. The Tunisian looked to be maybe a few years older than Ubbe, but his posture had changed after he gave his answer. His shoulders slumped and his head hung low as he seemed to caress the blade now.

‘My late wife’s last family blade…she died in childbirth and there is no child to pass this on to now. So I keep it with me, I ask it and her spirit to watch over me in my remaining years.’ he said softly, not looking at Ivar or Hvitserk, just his knife.

Ivar fought hard not to imagine himself in this man’s shoes; alone with no wife or child, just a knife that never gets to be inherited.

‘I am sorry for your losses,’ he said.

The man nodded in silent thanks before he straightened his composure, and put the knife back into the sheath.

‘No more widower talk, I’m sure you are interested in more positive things with a grand wedding to plan. My congratulations on winning the Matrimonial Fight for our sweet Princess (Y/N) I’m sure she will gift you an extravagant cloak.’ he beamed.

Ivar finally did get to try the Baobab, it was the strangest and sweetest thing he’d ever experienced. The flesh was sweet but dry and the seeds should not ever be thrown out, according to the merchant’s horrified expression when he first did it.

‘The seed can be crushed into powder, roasted or eaten raw.’ the man informed.

‘I’m going to convince father we need to add these to our trade, and I’m buying two barrels if he refuses. One way or another these are coming home with me.’ Hvitserk said, his voice determined.

‘I agree these are delicious.’ Ivar complimented and he gave the man a gold coin and took a few fruits and added them to Hvitserk’s bag.

‘Thank you for your story, may the Great and Many bless you.’ Ivar said before moving on to another cart.

‘Many Blessings, have this coriander for good health.’ said a kind young woman standing by a tent that smelled of fresh spice.

‘Congratulations! Please take these shell beads as my humble wedding gift.’ an old man said, handing Ivar a small rattling sack.

In all his years as a prince, Ivar had never felt so openly accepted. More than simply accepted, he felt as though for the first time he was being revered. No open glares, or cursed laughter when he passed by; all he saw was smiling faces directed at him as he limped along.

More and more people congratulated him as he passed, the merchant’s becoming less skeptical of them as they saw there was no ill intent on the pale unscared faces. And eventually, the young men began to interrupt Ragnar's exploring to nervously ask him to bless their various weapons, just as Bintu had teased.

Ivar soon had to offer seven gold coins for carrying his gifts to a passing young man, but the man refused; he insisted he was at the willing service of the royal family. Confused by the rejection, Ivar asked why.

‘I am not in need of it, the next person you meet might be.’ the man who introduced himself as Dele said as he walked alongside Ivar.

‘Ah! Our lucky man! Come come! I have by far the best wedding gift for any young married couple!’ a man exclaimed enthusiastically from under a tent.

‘Go, that is a tent you cannot afford to miss if you want to please your wife. Trust me.’ Dele urged with a smile.

‘Why?’ Ivar asked curiously as they turned to approach the tent.

‘I may not be married yet, but I can assure no woman has ever been upset seeing their husband coming out of there, look!’ his new companion said, pointing at a man exiting the tent behind the merchant.

He looked like the exact man (Y/N) said she would gladly overlook for Ivar; dark skin, long dreadlocks and a warrior’s physique. He walked over to a woman who smiled brightly as she looked around to see if anyone was watching.

When she noticed Ivar her eyes widened, she quickly hid her face in the man’s chest. He looked confused before he laughed and waved at Ivar happily, Ivar waved back and the woman dragged the cackling man away.

‘Good man, come inside.’ the merchant smiled as he ducked into his small tent.

Ivar followed, greatly appreciating the reprieve from the harsh sun. The tent had the strongest scent Ivar had experienced outside of a few select religious ceremonies.

It made him slightly lightheaded in a pleasant way.

‘Welcome Prince Consort, my congratulations! I have something special for your wedding gift.’ the merchant promised.

‘Thank you Uncle, may I say I am very curious about your trade. It seems infamous.’ Ivar complimented.

‘Ah, the Great and Many push me to be humble, but I must confess I picked a great trade.’ the man smiled as he searched for something in a crate of what looked like organized painted eggs.

‘What is it exactly that you offer?’

‘I offer what everyone needs, a little help.’ the man grinned, and Dele failed to restrain his laughter.

‘Help?’ he asked.

‘Aphrodisiacs! A little bit of the right herbs can help keep even the most mundane of married couples happy. Instead of passionless nights; imagine your wife wanting you so much she loses her senses for hours, then imagine having the stamina to satisfy her fully.’ the man explained.

Ivar’s eyes widened, his brows probably touching his hairline; he could hear Dele laughing outright at his expression but he knew his face wasn’t warming from shame.

‘No need for shyness. The tent gives you privacy, in here we are all people, merely seeking a little…help.’ Dele assured as he placed his arm over Ivar’s shoulder in a friendly way.

Between the overwhelming scent that surrounded him and the unfamiliar friendly faces, the young prince couldn’t help opening up. Speaking freely on one of his deepest secrets in front of total strangers.

‘What if you’ve never…been able.’ he asked in a small voice, waiting for the crude laugh that would rip this fantasy away from him.

No such laughter came, instead the merchant smiled as he went back to searching the eggs.

‘Fear not, I have just the thing for you my friend. I have something for absolutely everything and everyone. Have you never, or do you simply prefer pleasure alone?’ the merchant asked casually.

‘Nothing ever, not even alone…not once.’

The merchant hummed, then his smile widened; to his own surprise Ivar recognized the expression. A challenge had been accepted.

‘A blend I believe will be the best…Grains of Paradise surely yes, and Mondia Whitei for calming nerves and increasing hunger.’ the man muttered as he took out two eggs.

They were simple chicken’s eggs but they were clearly already cracked open and held together by strips of twine turning the potentially scandalous merchandise into eggs into easy to miss in an inventory.

Both were painted in extravagant patterns but they were notably different from each other.

‘Mix equal parts of this into your broth, about a pinch of each, two to three hours before you perform your husbandly duties. My gift to you and the Princess (Y/N), but if you are more interested I offer a variety of things to guarantee you a happy marriage.’

Ivar took the two eggs and studied them in wonder, he could hear the spices rattling inside the shells. He imagined following the instructions and being truly able to satisfy his betrothed on their wedding night.

‘What all do you offer Uncle?’

‘For first timers I strongly suggest burning Duffra incense, they are not overwhelming and slowly erase inhibitions and allow a woman’s desire to increase gradually. Also the scent is unforgettable, every time she burns these incense she will recall that first night.’

Ivar felt as if he were back in the Great Hall as a boy, sitting at Floki’s side and learning about the very first raids. Like it was one of the few Godly things men were capable of doing and he wanted to experience it.

He was unsure of how long he spent in the tent but he knew his gold purse was significantly lighter and Dele was carrying a larger load. Ivar learned everything he could while inside the tent, he asked every question that came to him.

Thankfully, Dele and the Merchant Chu’ Ku were happy to enlighten him, they answered his questions and gave him the societal sub-context he needed to navigate efficiently in public and behind closed doors with his wife.

For instance nudity was an odd concept here, if a person works outdoors they can be naked and it only means it is a hot day. However, being naked indoors is a show of trust with the person you sleep with. It made him feel somehow even better about the nights he lay beside (Y/N), and it made him miss her more.

Looking around the market he could see the crowd had reduced greatly and the sun was beginning to fall. Still a large number of merchant’s remained and he could see his family still wandering, and all of them had volunteers carrying their newly acquired treasures.

‘Good tent?’ Ubbe asked.

‘Of no use to any of you my brothers.’ Ivar said quickly.

He didn’t want them to know what he had needed “help” with, and he was certain his brothers had no issues exciting women. So why expose his own private blessing?

Ubbe looked curious for a moment but shrugged it off before moving to another cart. Ivar instructed Dele to take his things to the castle and return, he would ask the merchant’s to hold onto their gifts until the kind helper returned.

With that done Ivar went back to his own browsing, still accepting good wishes from almost every person he passed.

Then he saw something unbelievably recognizable in this strange place.

Crutches.

A whole collection of them leaning against a modest wooden table, a young boy stood by and smiled brightly up at Ivar’s astonished face.

‘Pale Prince, are you looking for new crutches? Mother was hoping to gift you some but she left to help a man home.’ the boy explained eagerly.

‘Dear child, has there been any war in Tunisia.’ Ivar asked.

The boy’s smile fell as confusion took over his expression, he shook his head no.

‘Why does your mother sell crutches?’ Ivar asked as he looked over the craftsmanship. They were wooden, unlike his bronze forged pair; they were taller and meant to hold the user under the arms and the bottoms were flat instead of spiked to stab into rich soil or wooden floors.

‘For the people who can’t walk?’ the boy said, as if it were so obvious it was a little concerning for the Prince to not know.

Ivar notices even smaller crutches that were so short they couldn’t possibly be for an injured warrior or field hand.

‘And are there many people…children who can not walk?’

‘Enough to get us by, but not make us rich; is what my mother says.’

Chike!’ a young woman scolded as she rushed to the child’s side.

‘My deepest apologies Prince Consort, my son has not been bled and doesn’t know the custom yet.’ she said quickly, her face struck with panic.

‘Not necessary, I am also still learning the customs so I do not know how to be offended.’ he soothed.

The woman sighed in relief and sent him a grateful smile.

‘Please, any you would like.’ she said, motioning to the display.

Ivar was fascinated not only by the crutches themselves, but also by the fact that this woman made enough selling them to support her family. That meant there were children like him born here that were never at risk of being left to die.

That Tunisian women did not discard imperfect babes, that (Y/N) would never be told by her friends to reject his children. It explained why none of the Tunisians stared or questioned him as he crawled past them that first meeting in Kattegat, to them he was not strange or wrong,

He found a pair that suited his height comfortably and gave them the same test he had performed on his first pair. These were much better suited for the hard dry soil and his weight was much easier to support while standing, but most importantly he could move noticeably faster.

‘Good choice, I hope my humble work can serve you well.’ the woman smiled, wrapping her arms over her son as she watched the prince.

When she did so Ivar noticed a familiar X shaped scar that had a horizontal line cut through it placed on her left forearm.

‘Tell me, I am so curious about your culture; what is it like to be married?’ he asked openly.

He found that simply was the way Tunisians spoke; openly, the same way they show their scars. No riddles or mind tricks, simply speaking directly and giving honest straightforward answers.

The woman looked down at her arm and smiled fondly at the scar.

‘I can not pretend to know the complexity of a royal union, but…simply being a wife and mother are my greatest joys. Waking up and knowing no matter what happens my husband will be at my side, that he works hard to provide for me and our child and that he would never allow any harm to fall upon us.’ she answered.

Ivar listened, hanging on to her every word, he wanted nothing more than to make (Y/N) feel the way this woman felt with her modest business and lack of status.

Loved.

He spoke with the woman more about the population of people who couldn’t walk, and learned that he could find any number of them in the healers tents on the other side of the market. There were several children born healthy that lost the ability to walk due to illnesses and others like him who were born that way.

These children would be trained in some craft that they could learn to live off of and they were most often taken in at the castle as royal workers where they can work within their limitations while also having their own servants for assistance.

At some point Dele found him again, carrying all the things the merchants had gifted Ivar while he was dropping off the first load.

‘NORTHMEN!’ Bintu called from the entrance of the market.

It seemed that their excursion had come to its end.

Ivar gave the sweet woman the remaining gold coins in his purse, and when she refused to accept he handed it to the child.

‘I do not know the customs…can you accept this favor?’ Ivar asked playfully.

The boy smiled, literally jumping in his excitement as he accepted the money.

‘I also do not know the customs, I will ask father during supper.’ the child grinned before running off.

The woman looked prepared to call her boy back but she saw the grin on Ivar’s face and admitted defeat.

‘Thank you.’ she smiled.

Ivar bid her farewell before joining the others at the entrance trail, where they all took immediate notice of his newest wedding gift.

‘A woman sells them…for all ages.’ he said.

They all again congratulated him and listened as he explained how these compared to his first crutches, and how he was already planning to visit the healers' tents to meet the others.

Ragnar came closer and allowed his son to lean against his side while he studied one of the crutches closely.

‘Better.’ he conceded.

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: The Alliance

Summary: Princess (Y/N)'s hunt has finally come, and Ivar has more than a country to explore.

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

A/N: I know I haven't been uploading and I'm sorry, I've been working and this story in particular requires a LOT of research (like literally so much). That said please enjoy this chapter, remember if its bold that means it is spoken in the foreign language. This chapter does include a hunting scene so trigger warning if it applies.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Taglist:

The celebration of Princess (Y/N)’s homecoming was indeed an event that would be talked about in Tunisia for months, and the Norse travelers would never forget it. The beach, the dancing, the music, the food that was served was all breathtaking and bordering comfortably on the edge of overwhelming.

It was only when the feast was entirely eaten and the performers were physically unable to continue that everyone agreed to retreat to their own homes to rest.

Ivar found himself on the back of his father, he couldn’t fathom hauling his weight on his crutches after he had exhausted all his energy during the festivities. However; it seemed Ragnar had reserved just enough energy to help his youngest son to the palace.

He even carried Ivar’s crutches in his arms as Ivar clung to his back, and Ivar saw how his father’s grip on them left his knuckles pale white.

‘You do not like my crutches.’ he said, breaking the comfortable silence between the two of them as they lagged behind the royal party on the way back to the castle.

‘I do not like them.’ Ragnar confessed casually.

‘Why?’

‘You do not need them, Ivar; you move slower with them. I can tell it exhausts you and you break more bones by standing upright.’

‘I haven’t bro-’

‘You have.’ Ragnar interrupted the lie, his voice suddenly stern.

‘I am not your mother, I don’t need to see and hear you crying to know when you have pushed your body too far for its limitations. Every time I tried to hold you for the first year of your life I broke a bone in my rough handling.’

At his father’s confession Ivar was left speechless; how many times had his mother drunkenly rambled that as a babe Ivar cried whenever Ragnar picked him up? Of course Ivar had not known why he did this, he was too young, all he knew was his mother was telling the truth about it. Aslaug’s drunken complaining made up a large amount of Ivar’s childhood and sometimes her drunkenness made her dramatize the events but this was one of the few that never changed; Ragnar never spoke of it in front of him.

Not once in all his life.

‘Even the night I left you in the woods, it was your right ankle, it cracked as I tried to swaddle you. I hadn’t intended to leave you that night, I was just trying to hold you and I couldn’t do even that without hurting you.’ Ragnar continued.

‘You must not be used to the palm wine these Tunisians serve, mead has never made you drunk enough to tell me this before.’ Ivar tried weakly to joke.

He hadn’t been prepared to hear this, he had long ago come to accept that he would die without ever having had this conversation with his father.

‘I must not be.’ his father let out a humorless breath of laughter.

‘How do you know when I break a bone? Is it the blue in my eyes?’ Ivar asked.

‘No, son; it is not your eyes, it’s your nose.’

‘My nose?’

‘It scrunches up in a wince whenever a bone breaks, even as a baby before the cries could fall from your lips your nose would give you away. I also know because whenever I see you break a bone I feel it.’ his father confessed.

‘I feel the same sickness rise up in my throat, the same guilt. My guiltiness led me to abandon you, my guilt kept me from loving you. Guilt over how you were born, guilt that my impatience and disregard to your mother’s warning cost you your health.’

Ivar did not need any elaborations on what his father was referencing.

“His mother said he would be a monster.”

“Not even ten and already a killer.”

“There is something not human in him, I just know it.”

“She wasn’t even pregnant yet and she knew he’d be vile and twisted.”

“He even slithers around like the great serpent, he will bring Ragnarok to us all!”

Phrases like these were whispered around him all his life; his mother’s prophecy that if Ragnar had her too soon she would birth him a monster.

‘I do not blame you, or mother, I am not angry with you father. I never have been… I never could be. I-’ Ivar felt like he was physically choking on the words he was trying to say.

It was the first time he’d ever said them out loud before.

‘I love you Father, even if you broke my bones holding me I never wanted you to put me down.’ he said pressing his face into his father’s shoulder, and let Ragnar feel the tears soak into the fabric of his tunic.

‘You do not have to blame me, I will even allow you to be foolish enough to forgive me, but son, I will never forgive myself for the way I treated you. You and your brothers are one of the very few things that keep me in Midgard, and I do not deserve the love and respect you all show me. I have wronged you all, in unforgivable ways.’

‘I have never heard you admit to being wrong.’ Ivar said around the lump that had formed in his throat as he at last got a hold of his emotions.

‘Do not get used to it, it will never happen again and I will deny it if you tell any other living thing.’ his father said, his voice once again becoming lighthearted.

Their emotional conversation had ended, and he knew that neither he nor his father would ever mention it again. Not to each other or to anyone else.

Not even the Princess would hear of this, he would keep this moment selfishly to himself for the rest of his life.

A comfortable silence fell over the two men and lasted until they were finally in the palace, where Ragnar placed his son down and placed the crutches down, sending them a distasteful glance.

Ivar looked over at the others and saw that they were still raving over the festivities and their eagerness for sleep and he looked back to his father.

‘I know I do not need them, father, but I do want them. I want to stand tall among other men, I'm tired of looking up at those I know are beneath me.’ he whispered as he pulled himself up on his crutches.

‘I will not use them forever, I will improve them…and myself.’ he promised.

Ragnar sighed and placed a sudden, unexpected kiss on Ivar’s temple and whispered into his ear in confidence.

‘You will be a man to be feared one day, Ivar the Boneless. Your broken body will never be able to contain your mind and violence.’

With those last words Ragnar went back to the group and he along with Aslaug retired to their chambers.

His brothers and the Tunisians all quickly followed suit, and gave quick and polite goodbyes before going their own ways as well.

‘Let us also retire. I am absolutely exhausted.’ (Y/N) said and indeed she looked like her will alone was keeping her upright.

‘Yes, I’m sure that kind of dancing used up all your energy.’ Ivar agreed and soon they began their journey to their newly shared chamber.

‘I enjoyed dancing to your heart beat. It beats in alignment with my own.’ she remarked as they entered.

Inside they were met with their respective servants who must have brought in their things before joining the feast, as all their things were now properly in place in the chamber.

To Ivar’s surprise and delight the princess sent them both away.

Occasionally on the journey the princess would feel very affectionate and would like to undress Ivar herself; it was another thing he came to rely on while they shared space on the ship.

He would always eagerly offer to undress her in return, she would graciously accept and they would lie in each other’s arms as they slept through the night.

Tonight, however, she was more slow in removing his tunic than she usually did and he could tell by the distanced look in her eye as her hands moved that her mind was not truly in this moment.

‘I will not be at your side when you wake my love.’ she said as she discarded the clothing.

‘How long will your hunt last?’

‘As long as it takes, after the hunt is complete I will be taken to the Skinner's hut to fashion the cloak alone. Every three days a hunting party will be sent after me, if I were to forfeit, they would escort me back safely. In which case I will have failed, and we would not have the blessing of the Great and Many.’

‘Then we would not marry.’ Ivar concluded.

A pregnant silence set in over the two of them as they undressed and remained even as they lay in each other's arms.

‘Can I make a request for my cloak?’ Ivar said at last.

‘Of course.’

‘Something warm. I will want to wear it often and the weather back home is not as nice as this.’ he said with a smile.

He hoped she understood what he was saying between his words; prayed she understood that he had confidence she would succeed and they would marry.

Ivar only needed to meet her watering eyes to know she did understand him, and more than anything else she needed his confidence in her.

‘I’ve trained since the day Sven left with his party, and I am even bold enough to call myself a warrior, but I have never hunted alone.’ she confessed.

‘I had never known true combat until our Matrimonial Fight.’ Ivar returned.

He was surprised that she looked so surprised.

‘Are you trying to console me?’ the princess accused.

‘I am being truthful. Sure on occasion my brothers include me in a bit of roughhousing, or I may even initiate a scuffle but they are never actually aiming to overtake me. Our fights are never true.’ Ivar replied.

‘I knew when I fought with you there would be no holding back on your part, you fought me as an equal and you hit where it hurt.’

The princess’s accusing eyes softened before she hid her face in his chest.

‘I did apologize. ‘ she yawned sleepily.

‘Nothing to forgive, I loved it. I loved fighting you, watching how skilled you are, seeing that look in your eyes as you look for a new place to aim. And if you hunt as well as you fight I imagine I won’t be waiting a full week.’ Ivar encouraged.

Ivar whispered soft assurances and praises until he heard her soft snores, and even still he kept silently praising her, hoping that his Gods would hear his love for her and give her protection.

As he himself finally fell into slumber he even hoped the Great and Many would watch over her as well.

When Ivar woke up he had known (Y/N) wouldn’t be there, but he was still disappointed by her absence.

A small pebble was suddenly thrown into the room, noisily hitting the floor.

‘I am awake, Trya.’ Ivar sighed as he sat up to see his thrall entering the princess’s chamber holding a Tunisian shield.

‘My Prince, did you not sleep well? Should I call for the healers?’ the woman asked, the concern for his legs showing on her face.

‘My legs are no worse than I can handle, and my sleep was sound.’ he assured her as she began to dress him.

‘You have gotten used to her being there.’ Trya realized, but immediately she went red with embarrassment at her impulsive speaking.

‘I’m sorry Prince Ivar.’ she said quickly.

‘No need to apologize when you are right, if anything I should apologize in advance for my bad mood while she is away.’

‘If I may say, I think she will return sooner than you think and with a noble animal fur just for you. In the meantime there is a beautiful village to explore and such wonderful people to meet.’ Trya offered.

Ivar knew the old woman was simply trying to cheer him up, and she was even right; but he found little comfort in her words as he left the room on his crutches.

Just as he began to wonder where he should go without (Y/N) to guide him through the unfamiliar palace, one of her servants, Kya, rounded a corner and approached him.

‘Meal before.’ she mumbled in broken Norse.

‘We are in your homeland, no need to speak a foreign language for my sake.’ he said in perfect Derja.

The girl let out a sigh of relief and began speaking in her mother language.

‘It is time for first meal, I will take you to the great hall .’ she said, her tone very confident and proper in her own dialect, before leading him through the labyrinth of halls.

Ivar was led into a large room where both royal families were sitting on the floor in a circle, all of them eating some type of bread and dipping it into something steaming hot from their bowls.

‘Ivar you must try this porridge, their spices are so flavorful.’ Hvitserk said as Ivar lowered himself down as gracefully as he could.

‘I must agree, we will definitely be trading a great deal of spices in the near future.’ Ragnar agreed, his own bowl nearly empty before Ivar had even received his portion.

The flavor of the porridge was very strong and delicious, and the bread was more grainy than the bread back home.

‘It is delicious.’ Ivar complimented as he ate with a bit more vigor.

After all, he had a long journey on the ship and had drank far too much at the feast.

‘I’m sure if my future daughter in law were here she would be flattered.’ Aslaug said, surprising everyone.

‘(Y/N) made this meal?’ Ivar asked, truly questioning how his mother knew this.

His mother sat aside her now empty bowl and looked at him in earnest, as she always had. As if she hadn’t ignored him from the moment he decided to sail here.

‘I was unable to sleep through your father’s snoring so I had a servant show me around the palace. The princess was in the kitchens, helping the cooks as they prepared her rations and first meal. We had a talk.’ the Norse Queen answered.

Ivar sent a look to his brothers, who looked equally as stunned, even his father had wide eyes.

Every word she just said went against everything they knew about their mother. Aslaug was often so drunk she could sleep through the harshest winter storm, she despised watching thralls work, and in all their lives they had never seen her set foot in any kitchen.

It hadn’t been a convenient coincidence, Ivar was certain his mother had snuck out of bed in the wee hours to speak to (Y/N) privately before her departure.

However, if anyone was waiting on Aslaug to explain her conversation with the princess, they were disappointed when she went back to her wine in silence.

‘Well then, what will you all like to do today?’ King Akashi asked the Norse royals.

‘We would like to walk through your markets. Your daughter tells us it was her most important duty as a child. The concept is both foreign and intriguing to all of us, plus we are eager to see in person the beautiful kingdom that raised our new princess.’ Ragnar replied.

‘Excellent, I shall give them a tour.’ Prince Ayo beamed as he stood excitedly.

‘Sit down.’ the queen said in a quiet but stern tone, the kind that came only from mothers and queens; and considering that she was both, her tone was truly powerful.

The child prince sighed in his defeat and sat back down on the floor.

‘You are not old enough yet my son, and you are not far enough along in your studies to walk the village and converse with the people. Until then you will spend your day with your tutors.’ the king said, seeing the upset on his son’s face.

‘I will send a servant to escort you through the markets, she will meet you at the castle gate.’

‘If I may.’ Ivar spoke up, politely asking to speak directly to the royal family, something (Y/N) had informed him was considered extremely polite.

The queen looked at him with a raised eyebrow before nodding her approval.

‘As my father has said, we are all eager to see your markets and kingdom today, but may I join the young prince with his tutors tomorrow?’

Now the queen was downright studying him, her gaze alone making the cripple straighten up his posture.

‘You wish to study here?’ she asked.

‘I have a great thirst for knowledge, like our All Father Odin, who traded his eye for it. It seems I already traded my legs at birth.’Ivar smiled charmingly, making a humorous face at the prince, who let out a small breath of laughter.

The queen smiled, seemingly against her better judgment.

‘Yes you may join the lessons tomorrow, I will have Bintu accompany you both to the library together tomorrow. She seems to want to get acquainted with you better.’ Queen Aza agreed.

‘Are you close with Bintu as well?’ Sigurd asked.

‘Of course, I personally chose Bintu to protect my daughter. She was my closest friend as a girl, had I ever chosen to propose a Matrimonial Fight she would be my instructor.’

‘I must say, while there are so many fascinating customs in your country, the one that fascinates me the most is your approach to your inferiors.’ Aslaug confessed.

‘No no no. I have no inferiors, my Queen Sister. I am Queen and I am the highest authority, but there isn’t one subject in all my kingdom that is inferior to me. Do you know how most commoners address queens in this country?’ the Tunisian Queen questioned.

When none of the Norse answered she smiled to herself.

‘Queen Mother; that is how I am addressed by every single one of my subjects. Queen to show me their respect, and Mother to show their love. Of course now the title is more than fitting.’ she explained, rubbing the roundness of her belly.

‘I may not know you well, Queen Sister, but I feel that the title was well earned. For I have never seen so many happy commoners, and I have certainly never met a young woman more amazing than your daughter. Truly you are Queen Mother, if I may, I’d like to accompany you today. I have been a Queen almost as long as I have been a Mother, but I am not blind to my shortcomings. I would like to learn from you, Queen Aza.’ Aslaug requested, her eyes never leaving the other woman’s.

At this Ragnar had to cover his mouth to silence his own gasp; Ivar was happy they were already sitting on the floor, had they been in chairs he is certain his brothers would have all fallen out of them in shock.

Years and years, all their lives, they all sat watching their mother drink away her affections and love for anyone other than Ivar. They had stopped expecting her love before they had even gotten their armrings. They never in their wildest dreams thought she cared enough to notice their disappointment in her as a mother.

Ivar looked over at his brothers and surely enough each of them had different expressions of shock.

Ubbe looked as if he simply couldn’t process what he’d heard, Hvitserk had dropped the grainy bread into his nearly empty bowl, Sigurd was wide eyed and his face was becoming red.

‘I would love your company, Queen Aslaug. In fact, I am quite done with first meal. I will await you in the throne room. I will send for Kya to accompany the rest of you through the markets.’ Aza said before holding out her hand to her husband.

King Akashi, who had been silently eating the last of his own meal while observing his guest, set aside his empty bowl and helped the queen rise to her feet.

The Tunisians bid their farewells, instructed a servant girl to give them a tour of the markets and departed.

As soon as the retreating footsteps could no longer be heard all eyes fell on Queen Aslaug, who had met their eyes confidently.

‘Do not look so stunned, have you not all wished for a better mother? A better woman to sit beside your great father on the throne? As I have no intention of losing my status, I must improve; at least that is the advice I was given.’ she said in Norse.

‘Why did you seek her out? You have been spiteful to all of us since the fight; you ignored us all nearly completely since she suggested sailing here.’ Ubbe asked, trying to keep his tone neutral.

The hint of accusation was still noticed by his mother.

‘I had no ill intention, my son, I only meant to see her before she left for her hunt. A servant led me to the kitchens and there she was gathering her rations, we spoke and she left.’

‘What did you say to her?’ Ivar asked, not bothering to hide his suspicion.

‘She spoke to me, and I saw what about her you love. She is intelligent, wise and almost annoyingly well spoken. Though she hasn’t seen one of your fits yet, Ivar, I’m sure she will be able to control even your rage.’

The princes all looked between each other, wondering if the others believed a word of this; even Ragnar had been studying his wife to see if there were any visible signs of deception.

‘Mother, she is going on a hunt, alone, I don’t even know what kind of animals they have here. I need you to tell me with conviction that you did not upset her before she left to do something so dangerous.’ he was pleading with his mother.

Aslaug stood from the floor and looked around at her family.

‘I do not know why I sought her out, I don’t know what I wanted to say to her. I know what she said to me. That she can see the weeds of hate growing in all of your eyes when you look my way. That your frowns deepen when I speak to you directly no matter what I say…and now I can see how right she was.’ Aslaug said with a truly hurt expression painting her face.

‘You think I would be so spiteful to try and sabotage her hunt Ivar? Even you? It seems I have been far worse a mother than I thought.’ she said, her voice beginning to shake as her eyes misted.

Before Ivar had a chance to let the guilt take hold of his heart fully his mother had turned and left the rest of them to their now unappealing bowls of porridge.

The room was quiet, everyone needed to digest more than the food; Aslaug’s words had left a bitter taste in their mouths.

‘Do you believe her?’ Hvitserk asked.

‘Of course not, she has been wretched since she birthed us, that doesn’t change after one talk.’ Sigurd dismissed with irritation.

‘She seemed upset, maybe she does regret the way she raised us.’ Ubbe said in her defense.

‘How could you think so, Ubbe? What raising did we get from her? It was while she was meant to be raising us that you and Hvitserk fell through ice and nearly died. In her “care” Bjorn lost his first daughter! The only time the truth comes out of her mouth is when she knows it will hurt.’ Sigurd spat angrily.

‘She is your mother, Sigurd. You owe her your life and respect.’ Ragnar said, a hint of a warning in his tone.

The circle was tense now, despite the fragility of their marriage Aslaug was still Ragnar’s wife and not many Viking men allow their wives to be insulted in their presence.

‘I had no say in who my mother was Father, did I? Even still you are right, I owe her respect…just as she owes us her love, but unfortunately for her I no longer want it.’ Sigurd replied just as stubborn as he had been as a child as he stood up.

‘I will wait at the gate for the escort.’ he said formally before leaving.

Ivar watched Sigurd in a mixture of annoyance and understanding, no one could deny that Sigurd had been the most hurt by Aslaug’s neglect growing up. He was always the one to interrupt their chess games to ask if they could have a walk all together, and he was always turned away.

‘I know your mother was…is a hard woman to understand and that it was hard growing up when I would sail away, but I know her. For better or worse I can read that woman’s heart like fresh carved runes, and I think she is being genuine. Now if you excuse me, I believe I need to have a private conversation with my son.’ Ragnar sighed tiredly before he followed Sigurd.

‘What do you think, Ivar?’ Ubbe asked his youngest brother.

‘I think…my betrothed did speak with her, and I think the conversation went more or less the same way she says it does. What I don’t know is if she is accepting that conversation as a friendly warning or a threat.’

‘You think she would sabotage (Y/N)’s hunt?’ Hvitserk asked in shock.

‘At first I will admit I did think her capable of it, but in my heart I know that isn’t like her. I know I should have no say in it seeing how she doted on me, but she has never gone out of her way to hurt any one of us. I don’t think she ever would.’ Ivar answered honestly.

‘He is right, Mother never cared enough to be cruel to us, sure she poured love onto Ivar, but Ivar is going to marry. Who will be there for her to pour on to? Ragnar?’ Ubbe said strategically, as if he were discussing a battle in a war room, not his own mother.

‘So she wants our love now that Ivar has his own woman.’ Hvitserk realized.

The room fell into one last long silence before Hvitserk noisily slurped down the very last of porridge in his bowl and stood up.

‘Well,I’m flattered to finally be worth her affections, however, what she does will have no true effect on me, but I will not discourage her efforts.’ The middle son declared before he too left.

‘What about you Ubbe? Do you still long for Mother’s love?’ Ivar asked.

‘You know, I remember the day we fell through the ice.’ Ubbe said, surprising Ivar.

Neither Ubbe or Hvitserk ever spoke about that terrible day, no matter how strategically he and Sigurd asked about it growing up; and they had asked quite often back then.

‘We had followed mother and Harbard, because why not, it was too cold for fishing obviously and we were too young to hunt back then. They went into a hut and we went to get a closer look but there was a noise…a calling so inviting and pleasant it carried us away.’

Ivar didn’t want to reply and pull his brother out of his sharing mood so he just listened and let Ubbe speak freely. He had never seen his eldest brother look so lost in his own mind while talking before, it seemed as if he was doing more than remembering. He was there all over again, a small boy out exploring with his brother on a winter's day.

‘It promised such fun and we were so excited we didn’t realize how far we had walked, but we did notice when the snowy grass became ice beneath our feet, but the call assured us and on we walked further out on the ice. Siggy, do you remember her?’ Ubbe asked.

‘Of course, Rollo’s wife.’ Ivar provided.

‘She was a kind woman to us, mother often left us in her care and she had seen us on the lake, she tried to call out for us but what was her small far away voice to a call only we could hear? A call that must have been from the Gods? She chased after us but it was too late, the ice cracked and the call stopped as soon as we fell into the freezing water.’

Ubbe seemed to not even see Ivar sitting across from him anymore, he was lost in the memory of coldness.

‘The water was so much colder than the ice had been, or at least that’s how it felt, cold all over my body, cold water in the lungs. In that cold do you know what I thought, Ivar?’

Ivar shook his head no, and waited eagerly for the answer.

‘I want my mother.’ Ubbe said softly, leaning in closer, as if this was his most precious secret.

‘I wanted to feel the warmth of her embrace and for her to whisper soothing words into my ear to assure me I would not be forced out of Midgard so soon. I even thought maybe she’d heard my silent cries and rescued us, but it was only Siggy pulling us out of the ice. Harbard was there, and she managed to give us to him before her own life was taken by that cold water. After Harbard had brought us to Mother she asked him to heal us and once he had she sent us off to bed for rest…without ever touching us.’

Ivar, who of course saw that his mother showed him more love than his brothers, was stunned by just how cold the woman had truly been to her other children.

As Ivar chewed over his rapid change in family dynamics his bride to be was walking vast dry hunting grounds.

She was brought some comfort in the fact she wasn’t in completely new territory. She had gone on at least a dozen hunts in this area. Of course those hunts had been with full hunting parties of at least ten.

Hunting in large groups was a common practice throughout the world because the simple fact was that there is power in numbers. More hunters mean more game can be caught, and the hunters had a stronger sense of security knowing that there would be more people able to watch their blind spots in case of predator attacks.

More than that, for (Y/N) at least, hunting in a group simply made the experience of hunting much more pleasant. She remembers talking with the others as they walked for hours to the waterhole where most game favored to drink and bathe.

Now she was alone and could not afford any such pleasantries. She had to keep her ears and eyes sharp, there was no one there to assist her in spotting anything that may be lying in wait.

Another benefit of hunting parties, she had come to understand quickly, was that it entailed more provisions. She had a large canteen of water that weighed heavily on her hip, but she knew it would be all she had until she reached the water hole.

And that was a half day’s journey and as heavy as it felt the canteen only had so much water inside. So she ignored the dryness of her mouth, resigned not to drink until the sun was fully in the sky.

Along with her water canteen she had a variety of tools and rope to make shelter, her father’s blade, an ax, twenty ready made arrows to go with the bow she carried by hand and a fortnight's worth of food in the pack she had on her back. One fortnight’s worth of food.

One fortnight worth of food.

One fortnight, that is two weeks.

Two weeks is fourteen days.

She repeated these things mentally every mile or so, she was determined to keep track of the time. If she allowed herself to lose her senses she could find herself out here alone with nothing to eat, no water and no choice but to wait for the rescue party.

No. Even if it did come to that she would refuse to return, and that would mean staying not only to hunt for a beast but also hunting to survive.

The thought of scavenging for berries in the dry lands was almost as discouraging as the thought of wasting arrows on smaller prey before finding her true target.

Whatever that target may be; she thought guiltily.

She had promised Ivar a grand cloak worthy of his Gods but she had no idea what that even meant yet alone what animal she would hunt. Luckily the water hole would be sure to have a variety of beasts to choose from.

After what she guessed had been four hours the sun was finally shining at its highest point in the sky. She took the canteen from her side and took a singular large swallow of cool water before closing it off again, but she held the container to her forehead to feel the coolness of the water inside.

It had to be at least noon now, that meant about six more hours until she was at the water hole, but that would mean arriving at by nightfall and that wasn’t wise. She would have to stop and make her shelter for the night.

A large cluster of boulders and a tiny cluster of palm oil trees in the distance told her she had in fact remembered the path from her previous hunts.

The rocks were where her hunting party usually sought shelter. The formation of the boulders created a sort of rocky valley and with wood and leaves from the trees a roof and walls can be fashioned.

(Y/N) took special care in looking around for any signs of a predator before she removed her pack and dug out some dried biltong and a piece of plantain bread.

She kept alert as she ate quickly, wanting to make sure she didn’t stay here long enough to be found by any thing, but she also wanted to savor the chewiness of the antelope meat, and the bread was so filling on her empty stomach it felt as warm as an embrace.

Once the last of the bread had been eaten (Y/N) picked up her pack again and continued on, still chewing the last bite of biltong, trying to extend the longevity of its flavor and the mere illusion of eating. After she had finally resigned to swallow the over chewed meat she again took a single drink from her canteen, this time only a sip as it was less about true thirst and more a desire to wash down her brief meal.

The further she walked the more she thought over her plans for when she reached the boulders.

First she would find the best spot in between the rocks that required the least amount of material to fortify. Then she would go and gather the wood and palm leaves to make the roofing and walls, after that she would go again to the trees for firewood to keep her warm once night fell.

She tried not to get too comfortable or confident but so far she was pleased with her progress. She had yet to come across so much as an antelope so far and if there were no prey animals near her that meant the chances of predators were much lower.

Of course that also meant if she did encounter a hungry meat eater it would probably be extremely eager to eat the first thing it found.

With that in mind she kept her grip firm on her bow as she pushed on.

It was when she was only about an hour away from her destination that she heard a rustling in the grass behind her that was too isolated and sudden to have been wind.

With an alarming quickness she pulled an arrow from her pack and raised her bow, aiming at the direction of the noise.

It was quiet again, but she was certain she’d heard something and she wasn’t going to turn around or move on until she found and killed whatever had made that sound.

She focused her gaze and scanned through the tall yellow grass for anything out of place. She kept a special look out for spots and stripes; this was big cat territory.

A final second of quiet passed before finally the grass rustled again, and this time she had seen exactly where the grass moved.

Without hesitation she released the arrow and several things seemed to happen all at once to her.

Of course things had happened one at a time, and they happened in this exact order.

First; the arrow flew like lightning into the tall grass, second; a loud pitiful roar cut through the air, and thirdly a lion had leapt out of its hiding place.

With no small amount of fear and an even larger amount of alarm the princess readied another arrow and began back stepping, she knew better than to turn her back to this beast.

Now that it was out of the tallest grass she could see it was a truly pathetic thing. Its mane was shaggy and matted, several scabby bald patches that had been licked raw from over grooming littered his back legs and it was so unsightly thin even in her panic she could see its protruding rib cage.

Her arrow stuck out of its left front leg in a vulgar way as it tried weakly to chase her down, but already her fear was subsiding.

Even as she backed away to put distance between her and the lion so that she could have a clear clean shot, (Y/N) could see that the arrow wasn’t the only thing slowing down her attacker.

Yes it limped on its injured front leg, but it made a huffing whimpering noise every time his right hind leg hit the ground. Clearly something had tussled with this frail thing before she had and it seemed that unknown creature had done her a great kindness.

Once she was confident in the distance between them she released the second arrow and watched it land true as it sunk into the lion's skull and the weak body fell into the dirt with a soft thud.

A final breath escaped its mouth and sent up a small cloud in the dry dirt it now laid lifelessly upon.

With the beast taken down she found herself breathing hard, her adrenaline still racing as she approached it.

Up close she could better inspect it to see if this had been it, if this could be THE beast.

However, no amount of optimism could allow her to overlook the matted shabby dark mane, the many bald patches she could see in the lion’s coat or the clearly visible bites they exposed.

No, this wouldn’t even be worth skinning, not for her husband's cloak, but still leaving it here was not an option, it would attract scavengers and most of those were pack animals. So she took out her ax and made quick work of dismembering the lion and then did her best to wrap the remains in the blanket she intended to sleep under.

It was too heavy to lift alone so she attached the sack to a rope and dragged it the rest of the way to the boulders. By the time she had reached her destination her legs and arms were more sore than they had ever been in all her years of training, but she didn't stop to rest.

Just as she had planned she found a small rectangular spot that was perfectly spaced between two boulders that stood twice as high as she did. There she sat the lion sack before she went to fetch the wood and palm leaves. The sun would be setting soon and she would not be out in the open with a fresh kill at her side when it happened.

She chopped and dragged long branches for one hour, then she fashioned two walls about one foot taller than herself using rope to tie the branches together, tying the leaves together to keep out the wind. She installed her walls by burying the branches in the dirt making sure they were firmly planted. The roof was easier to make since she had to leave a spot open for smoke to escape.

Finally, just as she had tied the last bit of rope securing the roof to the walls the sun was beginning to set. She made her final trip to the grove of trees for firewood and quickly returned to her newly built shelter.

Her fire was burning strong as the sun set, but she did not lay down, she sat beside the fire watching the flames as she thought one thing over and over.

What beast was worthy of Ivar the Boneless?

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: The One He Chose

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Summary: After all this time has Ivar finally caught his wife's trail?

Taglist: @ubbesgirl, @shewolf2000, @tis-itheapplepie, @atequila, @demoncrypt1066, @greennightspider, @badbitsh13, @fireismysaftey, @minarawr, @laketaj24, @hvitserksgirl, @blahblahcookiesdoma, @fabulous-peasent, @sforsammmmmi, @minmiin1d, @courtrae89, @letsloveimagines, @tomarisela, @titty-teetee, @beyond-the-ashes@elenawrit, @mblaqgi, @whenimaunicorn, @chuflisworld, @mystruggledlife, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @syreni-dea, @trashqueenbitch, @alykatv, @mbaku-babygirl, @perfectus-in-morte, @beyond-the-ashes, @neeadinghugs, @readsalot73, @triumphantreturnofpies, @anarchy-is-coming, @tephi101, @alicedopey, @ivarslittlebadgirl, @jtrstp, @nejijjeoroo, @charlylama, @ivartheblessed, @captstefanbrandt, @fabulouschrissi, @ivarsrideordie, @3x5gurl, @the-writer-appreciation-blog, @lolabee9, @captainfoxy22, @young-ugly-god, @im5ftbutmythroat66, @bribyyy, @irishhiggins, @cadetomlinson, @keclleon101, @slutforragnarssons, @ltkeke, @meeeeeeeeeps, @lille-kanin, @opalscarab, @ssraven7, @ivarandersen, @concretewaywardangel, @funmadnessandbadassvikings, @sharon-is-tired, @cadetomlinson, @mystruggledlife, @chuflisworld, @justmarissa97, @lol-haha-joke, @weirdly-randomly-awesome, @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanim, @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers, @alexa040004, @buckythetinman , @burntmythroatskullingmytea,@jorunnravenslayer, @two-unbeatable-beaters, @buffy-the-vampire-blogger, @arses21434, @ltkeke, @captainfoxy22, @chinduda @letsshamelessqueen-m @my-soul-is-the-moon @we-are-transcendent

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Anyone working under the delusion that Ivar would accept the fact that his wife had escaped him eventually learned that would not be the case.

His men had stopped their violent search of Kattegat, just as he had promised Bjorn, but he was still searching for her.

Even as the months went on to become nearly a full year.

(Y/N) had been missing for ten months, one week and four days, Ivar was keeping count of his lonely nights. Despite how the people talked he had not let Freydis warm his bed in his wife’s absence.

Instead he spent most of his days and nights in his war room, looking over all the maps of other cities and villages that Kattegat traded with the most. He was furious at the fact that there had been no news from any of his informants, and his relationship with his brothers did little to comfort him.

Bjorn was, as he expected, furious at his sending off warriors to such vital trading cities. He had shouted himself nearly blue when he’d arrived at Ivar’s estate; of course he let the King do his whining and even allowed him to smash his war table in his tantrum, because to him none of it mattered.

His ships had sailed, his warriors deployed and there was nothing to be done about it; not by Bjorn or even himself. Hvitserk, like he always had, chose to remain neutral in the argument. Ubbe was clearly on Bjorn’s side, but unlike Bjorn, Ubbe seemed to understand why he had acted so hastily even if he disapproved of the actions.

Currently Ubbe was the only one of his brothers who had friendly conversations with him, and Ivar would never be able to express how much he appreciated the company in these hard months.

‘Still no news?’ Ubbe asked as they both sat on the beach and watched a merchant ship approach.

‘Nearly a hundred spies and no good news.’ Ivar sighed.

‘No good news?’ the eldest questioned.

‘My spies reported at last that they had a difficult time keeping track of (Y/N) in my time away, she would leave town alone around midday…and would not return home until nearly sunset.’ Ivar confessed, laying back in the sand and covering his eyes.

Ubbe felt his heart begin to beat faster, but he was not sure how much information Ivar truly had on the subject they were discussing.

‘You think she had an affair?’

‘I do not know, that is what tortures me brother. Not knowing things has always angered me, and now it seems I know less than ever. I don’t know if she was unfaithful, I don’t know where she is; all I know is she isn’t here.’

Ubbe had such conflicting feelings battling in his chest as he watched a few easy to miss tears roll down his brother's face. He was relieved to not have been discovered as (Y/N)’s lover, but still he was upset to see his brother in pain and know he was at least partially responsible for it.

‘If you think she was unfaithful why continue the search? Let go of your devotions and remarry, you have no obligations to her.’

'Why would I ever think such a thing?' Ivar asked, his anger visibly raising.

‘I will not let go, Ubbe.’ Ivar said as he sat back up and wiped his eyes with the back of his hands.

‘Not of her, not my marriage and not my anger. I will find her and she will answer every question I have.’

‘But what if you don’t find her? So far it has been nearly a year and you have had no progression in your search. It pains me to see you destroying yourself and your reputation for one woman you can replace so easily.’

Ivar looked over at his brother incredulously.

‘She can’t be replaced, not by Freydis or any woman in this world. She feared me Ubbe, do you understand that? From the day we stepped into that insignificant Christian kingdom, she looked at an army and still she feared me the most out of them.’

‘Ivar, every woman you have spoken to fears you. It would be impossible to find a woman in Kattegat you did not terrify.’

‘I know that, but how many of them would be brave enough to marry someone as vicious as me? How many would make that sacrifice? She could have stayed quiet and let any of those women be dragged away, but she stepped forward. Those Christian men offered her up like a lamb for sacrifice and still she wanted them to live, and was even smart enough to know how to play my mind games.’ Ivar explained.

‘How could I replace a woman like that, a woman that brave, who fears a filthy cripple like me?’

Ubbe sighed and stood up, looking out at the sea and saw that the ship was nearly at the docks, but he decided he could offer his younger brother some advice.

‘You shouldn’t want her to fear you, Ivar. How can anyone love what they fear?’

Ivar looked taken aback, as if he’d never considered not terrifying his wife, but instead of responding he turned his focus over to the ship crew that was unloading the boat.

‘I don’t see how he thought he was secretive?’ one of the men said casually as he helped to dock the ship.

‘He’s young, he’s never smuggled a damn thing and it shows,’

Ivar’s ears perked up upon hearing this conversation and he quickly called the two merchants over; abandoning his own chat with Ubbe.

The two men looked over at the princes curiously; as they had not been aware of the chaotic search for the Christian nun that had occurred while they were at sea.

‘Prince Ivar, Prince Ubbe.’ one of them greeted and the other nodded in agreement.

‘I’m happy that the Gods brought you all back to us, I would like to treat your crew to a small feast on my estate in the next fortnight.’ Ivar said cheerily.

Ubbe quickly understood the game Ivar was playing and he decided he wanted no part in it at all.

He bid his brother a less than polite goodbye and left the two men to Ivar’s manipulation.

A feast for a simple unimportant ship crew was unheard of, especially a feast given by a prince. It would have been considered a great sign of disrespect to decline his hospitality.

The two men thanked Ivar for his unwarranted kindness and went to let the others know that they would all, along with their families, be expected at the youngest Prince’s estate.

Ivar watched the ship crew discuss their surprising treat and he pulled himself up onto his crutches and began to walk back to the markets.

As he limped along his way he subtly motioned for one of his spies, a thrall working outside of the butcher’s stand, to walk along side him.

Obediently the man followed the wordless order and matched Ivar’s pace.

‘Everyone under my purse is to watch the men on the merchant ship that just docked. Every man is to be followed for the next fortnight. I will expect daily reports if anyone fails to report even one hour of their actions I will have them hung.’ Ivar said strictly not looking at the man at all.

As he had wished, his warning went a long way in getting the results he wanted. He received reports in the crewmens’ every action, he’d even gotten reports describing their trips into the woods to relieve themselves.

Still no news of his wife or of what the two men suspected a crew mate of smuggling, but Ivar was sure that this was the right ship.

He had discovered the ship had sailed off the morning after (Y/N) had vanished.

Ivar tasked his thralls with preparing for the feast and he was impressed with how well they had performed.

By the night his feast was set to happen he had large tables sat outside under a cloudless starlit sky and there were heaps of fine dishes and mead as well as wine from England.

The crewmen were all in awe of the extravagant show of hospitality and everyone gave him their thanks in person.

Ivar mingled among them and was pleased that the news of his wife's disappearance had become common knowledge to all of the men.

‘May I speak with you Prince Ivar?’ one of the men asked as he approached the high table.

Ivar was quick to recognize the man as one of the men he’d spoken to on the beach.

‘Of course come with me.’

With a great amount of control Ivar calmly led the man into his home away from the festivities.

‘What would you like to discuss?’ the prince asked.

‘Forgive my intruding, but I have heard of your wife’s disappearance, and I- I think I have some information to give.’ I asked.

This was what Ivar had planned; to give the crew such a grand feast that at least one man would be grateful enough to betray one another.

‘Please, I would owe you an unimaginable debt if you could help me find my wife.’ Ivar said cunningly.

‘I can’t be sure if it was your wife, all I know is that Amund had someone in that crate. We more experienced in smuggling saw him speaking with it, sliding his rations into it even.’ the old man said.

‘A crate?’ Ivar asked.

‘Yes, big crate, it could easily fit one person, maybe even two.’

‘Two?’ Ivar said, feeling his grip on his crutch tighten in his anger.

She’d had an affair and ran off with some nobody; she’d decided weeks locked in a crate with another man was better than the rest of her life with him.

‘You said this man’s name was…?’ Ivar questioned, struggling to keep his anger hidden.

‘Amund, strong boy; he went ahead of the rest of us and the first thing off the boat was the crate.’

Ivar took in all this information, trying to piece together what all this implied and he determined he needed more to work with.

‘Tell me, what happened after the merchandise was unloaded. Did he hide the crate?’

‘No, the crate was in the assigned room when we all brought in the rest, still nailed shut too. The Earl granted us his hospitality to rest after our journey.’

Again Ivar was silent, trying very hard to picture in his mind what could have happened. If (Y/N) was in the crate and this Amund was the one responsible for getting her out why did he leave it sealed?

‘Big enough for two…’ he mused, thinking that if there was a man strong enough inside with her he could break out of the crate with her then she could have escaped with him.

‘Was this crate ever damaged, or moved?’ he asked the crewman.’

‘No, at least not to my knowledge, but the journey had been harder on my body than usual in my advanced age. When the Earl offered us rest I rested, but I did hear rumors.’ the man continued.

‘Rumors?’

‘The merchants spoke of one of our crewmen walking into the Great Hall carrying an unconscious woman. I never saw her, but she was the topic of much gossip while we restocked the ship.’

‘Did anyone on your ship see this woman, even a glimpse of her?’

‘I can not say with certainty, I can only say that Amund smuggled someone out of Kattegat.’

The anger for the old man’s lack of knowledge was red hot and only cooled by his relief of finally having a lead.

Thank you for telling what you could, please enjoy the feast with your family. It is a celebration in the honor of you and all traders like you, what would our world look like without brave men like you all.’ the prince complimented as he dismissed the man.

As soon as the man was out of earshot Freydis, silent as death, immerged from the shadows of the dim lit room.

‘Spread the word, I want this man, Amund identified, and followed. He shouldn’t be able to sneeze without me knowing when and where.’ Ivar ordered, his voice much harder than it had been mere seconds ago.

‘For how long?’

‘As long as it takes for him to let down his guard and let the information slip.’

While Ivar’s spies began to focus on Amund, all the way in Denmark, (Y/N) was adapted into her new life.

In the first week of her new life as a thrall she quickly realized two things.

The first was that the life of a nun and the life of a thrall was eerily similar in many regards. An older, more hardened and experienced woman would assign tasks to her and then would judge if the task was completed correctly and met her standards. If she did well she would be given another, often more challenging task, but if it did not meet Hilda’s standards there was punishment.

It was a rare occasion when (Y/N) was on the receiving end of Hilda’s wrath, which was why her punishments always seemed so harsh in comparison to the other girls.

The second thing was that, even despite the hatred the head thrall clearly had for her, she greatly preferred the life of a thrall over the life she had fled from.

Sure the shed the thralls all shared was cold and hardly much of a shelter at all but she slept fine knowing she wouldn’t wake up to Ivar’s rage.

And even better she found other Christians among the women she now shared status with.

It felt as if she had been welcomed into a new church, even if it had only been a small circle consisting of three women of various ages.

There was Kendra, the youngest being only around nineteen who had been captured and sold from York. Dawn was in her mid thirties and was a cook, she had never said where she was from originally, just that she had been only thirteen when she became the old cook’s apprentice. Finally there was Megan who was closer to (Y/N)’s age being twenty four, she was originally from Essex.

After two years of hiding her faith from her tyrannical husband, praying amongst others was euphoric. Holding hands in prayer was what she looked forward to most when she awoke at first light.

Every morning she would be awakened by Hilda whacking a wooden stick against the walls of the shed from outside before the doors of the shed were thrown open.

‘Get up! Work to be done!’ she boomed unnecessarily.

It was common knowledge that anyone still laying down by the time the doors opened would not only be promptly hit with the stick but they also would get no first meal.

The term meal was used loosely, it was only gr Rx bone broth and uncooked crops or, if they were so lucky, scraps from feasts.

Today’s meal was bone broth and carrots, after receiving her portion (Y/N) went to the corner with her small group and they shared a brief prayer over your meal before eating quickly.

‘What is your chore list today Kendra?’ she asked the youngest.

‘Caring for the Earl’s stock.’ was the answer she was given.

‘Be sure you give the chickens enough, the last few we’ve cooked were more feathers than meat.’ Dawn sighed.

‘I will be…preparing for a visitor.’ Megan said quietly, hardly touching her small meal.

At this all of them went silent.

Megan was often used as a cleaning girl around the great hall, but on the rare occasion that the Earl had important company she was a bed warmer.

It was a truly horrible fate for any woman but it seemed to be an especially cruel task for a Christian.

Every night before Hilda came in to order everyone to sleep they all joined hands in a silent prayer, but even still it was obvious Megan only prayed for God’s mercy and forgiveness.

(Y/N) reached out and took Megan’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

‘God knows your heart and he knows your mind and spirit. He knows what sins you choose to commit and he knows the sins done against you. He will always forgive your sins and in time he will punish those who have sinned you.’ she encouraged.

Megan held onto the hand that she had been offered. Of course all the women of this small congregation were close, but Megan had such a strong connection and admiration for (Y/N).

The lie that Amund had told the Earl was widely believed and widely discussed in the markets. Meaning it was well known that (Y/N) was a runaway bed warmer herself.

It was for this reason that Megan looked at (Y/N) such wonder and great respect. In her unknowing eyes (Y/N) had done the impossible; escaped a lifetime of being nothing but a common whore for Pagans.

‘Hurry up you dogs! There's work to be done and if even one task isn’t completed then no one eats tonight!’ Hilda’s voice boomed.

Realizing that she hadn’t been focusing on her already cooling broth (Y/N) quickly drank the remaining liquid in the wooden bowl and stuck her carrots into her skirts.

Hopefully she would get a moment to sneak away and eat them before nightfall, if not then she would give it away to a beggar.

They all arose and set out to their assigned work locations.

Hilda sent a glare of pure malice at (Y/N) as she passed her on the way out of the shed.

‘If I hear so much as a word against you from the healers I’ll have you flogged.’ the old haggish woman warned.

‘Yes Hilda.’ (Y/N) replied, the air of respect and responsibility in her tone before she went on.

She had been assigned as a healer’s apprentice due to her telling the Earl she had some experience in that field of work.

Her days were spent gathering herbs and roots, mixing and brewing, occasionally there will be a person who is injured or falls so ill they need physical care and when that happens she would be the one to give them care. She would clean them, try to close up or disinfect their wounds and feed them remedies.

Today when she entered the healer’s hut she was met with the now familiar scent of living rotting flesh.

‘Girl.’ the healer, an old ragged woman named Skadi, called to her from the table where she was laying out her supplies.

‘Who is it?’ the thrall asked as she approached.

‘One of the Earl’s blacksmiths; got his foolish self cut and didn’t think to clean the sore.’

‘Infection, can it be treated?’

‘No, but he’ll survive.’ Skadi said sadly as she placed her necessary materials on a tray.

There were ropes to tie off the blood flow and restrain him, a leather strap to keep the man from biting off or swallowing his tongue, and a red hot ax in order to both remove the limb and cauterize the wound.

You hated doing this but it was necessary, the hut stunk with infection but it didn’t smell of death quite yet.

The man was older, maybe forty but clearly he’d lived a hard life to reach that age. He was quiet but his chest was heaving as if he had been fighting for each breath. His eyes were screwed shut and his head was turned away from his rotting hand.

It truly was disgusting to see a hand that mangled. The wound was still open, but no longer bleeding leaving an open gash caked in blackened blood and crusted puss.

She went about tying him down, making sure to be extra precise when restraining the arm that would soon be handless.

This was how she spent her days, in the hut with the sick and injured. It was a far cry from her old life in Kattegat. She was no longer a prince’s wife that was tended to by a full staff of thralls. Now she was herself thrall and she was called upon to do hard, truly hard, work and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Leaving the hut for the day (Y/N) found herself exhausted but hopeful that the man would be ok once he was rested.

As she made her way back to the shed she chomped on the carrots she had stored away from breakfast, thankful to have them at least in case someone really didn’t finish their chores and no one was given dinner tonight.

It was as she finished her last carrot that something compelled her to look over at the beach as she neared the shed.

There was a ship, of course there was a ship at the beach; where else would a ship be if not at sea. That wasn’t what made her stop in her tracks, it was undoubtedly a Kattegat ship.

By no means was (Y/N) an expert on such things but after two years she could single out Floki’s handiwork from any other boat builder.

Those sails, the dragon figurehead…that was not a merchant ship.

With her heart racing she hurried into the shed and huddled into the corner where she slept, but she did not lay down.

She just sat with her hands fiddling with the threads of her skirts, as she thought back to the morning conversation she’d had.

A visitor, an important enough visitor to be offered a bed warmer.

How had she not thought to ask who this visitor was? She prayed with all her heart that it wasn’t Ivar, but there was no way to be sure.

No, Ivar couldn’t know which boat you snuck onto, even if he did he wouldn’t just devote himself to hunting you.

At least not personally.

Ivar was a prince of a wealthy kingdom, as well as a respected warlord in his own right. What man would dare to disobey him if he ordered them to find you.

Everything was hitting her all at once.

She would have to leave tonight…run until she made it to the next town.

With what? No food, supplies or weapons to protect yourself? This wasn’t like the cold journey to Floki’s that last night. This would be a three day trip by foot. Not to mention it was no longer winter. It was spring and roads would be busy and therefore dangerous. A woman in rags traveling alone was little more than an invitation for a rapist on his way.

It wasn’t ideal by any means but it was either risk the dangers of the road or stay and be turned over to Ivar by whatever man Ivar had sent after her.

‘(Y/N), you look as if you’ve seen a ghost.’ Kendra said as she sat beside her.

‘Not to be dramatic, but it feels as if I have.’

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: Find Us

Summary: (Y/N) has done her job, now Ivar must do his.

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten

Taglist: @ubbesgirl, @shewolf2000, @tis-itheapplepie, @atequila, @demoncrypt1066, @greennightspider, @badbitsh13, @fireismysaftey, @minarawr, @laketaj24, @hvitserksgirl, @blahblahcookiesdoma, @fabulous-peasent, @sforsammmmmi, @minmiin1d, @courtrae89, @letsloveimagines, @tomarisela, @titty-teetee, @beyond-the-ashes@elenawrit, @mblaqgi, @whenimaunicorn, @chuflisworld, @mystruggledlife, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @syreni-dea, @trashqueenbitch, @alykatv, @mbaku-babygirl, @perfectus-in-morte, @beyond-the-ashes, @neeadinghugs, @readsalot73, @triumphantreturnofpies, @anarchy-is-coming, @tephi101, @alicedopey, @ivarslittlebadgirl, @jtrstp, @nejijjeoroo, @charlylama, @ivartheblessed, @captstefanbrandt, @fabulouschrissi, @ivarsrideordie, @3x5gurl, @the-writer-appreciation-blog, @lolabee9, @captainfoxy22, @young-ugly-god, @im5ftbutmythroat66, @bribyyy, @irishhiggins, @cadetomlinson, @keclleon101, @slutforragnarssons, @ltkeke, @meeeeeeeeeps, @lille-kanin, @opalscarab, @ssraven7, @ivarandersen, @concretewaywardangel, @funmadnessandbadassvikings, @sharon-is-tired, @cadetomlinson, @mystruggledlife, @chuflisworld, @justmarissa97, @lol-haha-joke, @weirdly-randomly-awesome, @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanim, @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers, @alexa040004, @buckythetinman , @burntmythroatskullingmytea,@jorunnravenslayer, @two-unbeatable-beaters, @buffy-the-vampire-blogger, @arses21434, @ltkeke, @captainfoxy22, @chinduda @letsshamelessqueen-m @my-soul-is-the-moon @we-are-transcendent

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six,Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten

The sleep came easily enough, even easier considering that you had gone all day with no rest and unbeknownst to you it was the most rest you would receive in months.

In the land of the living it had been three days and you hadn’t had a clue, for you it was just like any other dream. Time was irrelevant and nothing important to worry about as you walked around the abandoned market. With the information you now had you came to the conclusion that this was a Viking age settlement.

And just knowing that much made you eager to look around and see everything. How many people could say they had seen something like this? It would be an opportunity lost if she didn’t explore.

You were still in your hospital gown and had been barefoot before you found some shoes that were too big but they stayed on.

Viking mud is still mud after all.

There was so much to see, there were stands that had vegetables and fruits and less attractive ones that had dead animals hug up on display. Further into the market area you found jewelry and long stretches of fabric. Most were brown or white but others were absolutely gorgeous colors like red, blue and gold.

It was while you were touching a blue silk fabric that you heard something behind you.

Muddy footsteps.

It made a wet squishing noise; squish squish squish, getting closer but not at a rushed speed. 

Whoever was behind you felt no need to rush.

You turned around; fully expecting to see the man with no eyes to be standing there with a new riddle for you to solve, but that wasn’t who it was.

It was you.

The woman standing before you had your face, she was older maybe in her twenties or early thirties, her hair was longer than you could imagine growing yours and it was in a braid that rested plainly over her shoulder. She was wearing a brown dress and leather shoes.

Despite how much you had looked into mirrors you had never seen yourself like this.

‘Y-you.’ you managed to say when you found the will to speak.

‘You.’ the woman smiled.

‘Do you know who I am?’ she asked as she stepped closer to you.

Instinctively you stepped back.

‘Your name is Wilda, you are a Saxxon woman.’ you replied.

‘I am, or maybe I was. It is hard to understand even for me, I have been dead for so long and yet here I stand speaking with you.’ she mused.

She walked over to the fabric you were just holding and rubbed it curiously.

‘I had been wanting this fabric when I died, the woman who made this was the best seamstress in all of Kattegat.’

‘Kattegat? Is that the name of this place?’ 

‘Yes, this is where it all began. This is where it all happened, where your fate was sealed with the Boneless One. I must apologize, for I am also responsible for involving you in all this, but please know I didn’t wish for any of it.’ she said sadly.

It was weird seeing yourself like this, it was like watching yourself in a movie but you had no memory of acting in it. Either way this woman...this you, was talking and it was understandable.

‘Can you tell me what happened, why am I involved and what will happen after Ivar accepts his past life?’ you asked.

‘I do not know it all, but I will tell you what I know, come walk with me, I want you to see something.’ she said as she began to walk away from the fabric stand.

You walked beside her, still keeping a bit of distance.

‘I was a child of the church, in York. When I was a small child the city was raided by the Sons of Ragnar and their Heathen Army. I barely survived but after they took over Ivar took me in as a slave.’

‘Why?’

‘I was often the apprentice to the healers after men would come from battle. I would take care of his legs with salves and oils. He hated me, it was simply a fact but he valued my care through the years.’

‘Why did you marry him?’

‘Years had passed and I’d seen him do...horrific things, he’d won great victories and suffered massive losses then all at once he was just losing. Battle after battle his plans failed him, he was losing his fame, becoming a joke among warlords.’

As the two of you walked past the last stand of the market she led you through a trail in the woods.

‘At his wits end he called on the seer.’

‘Seer? The man with no eyes?’ you asked. 

She nodded.

‘He sees peoples’ fates and speaks with the Pagan Gods. He told Ivar that the Gods had abandoned him; that they had favored his father Ragnar despite the disrespectful way he viewed them, and they would not show Ivar the same mercy if he followed his father’s footsteps.’

‘Ragnar? I thought he was a myth.’

‘People spoke of him as if he were, but he was a real man with real feelings. Ivar loved him despite the strain his broken legs put on their relationship, and like his father he began to place too much pride in his own importance.’ 

‘Broken legs...he really couldn’t walk could he.’ you said in amazement.

‘Not on his own he made braces to keep himself upright, really they were amazing to see. Even I, who despised him, felt a small amount of admiration for his resilience.’

‘I grew up in his care, he never hurt me but he was cruel. When he came to me demanding my hand in marriage I didn’t understand. He told me it was life or death, he said he would have the church in York reduced to ashes if I refused.’

‘How romantic.’ you said sarcastically.

‘I thought so as well. From what was told to me Ivar had gotten everyone close to him cursed, exiled from all their nine worlds, left to wait for the reincarnations of both Ivar the Boneless and a Christian Girl to to reunite and his guilt alongside her love and forgiveness would be the light that lead them to Valhalla.’

‘My love?’ you asked in embarrassed shock.

‘Yes, you love him and I know it.’

‘How can you know something like that? Do you feel my emotions or something, because I’m not sure if it is more than a crush.’ you said in your defense.

Wilda laughed and was odd to hear it, you recognized it as your own laughter but you never heard from someone else.

‘My sweet girl, you are not the first reincarnation, and your Ivar isn’t the first either, if God wills it you will be the last.’

‘I’m not the first? How many have there been and what happened to them?’

‘They all end up here eventually.’ Wilda answered as at last the two of you had arrived at your destination.

You were in a large clearing. There was nothing else there to take your eyes away from what was in the center.

Two graves, both empty and two piles of dirt waiting to fill them in once there was a body inside.

Your heart was lead.

‘It is never painful, for any of them, you’ll just go to sleep.’

‘But I- I’m sleeping now...am I am I d-‘

‘No, you are alive outside I promise. All you have to do is wait, wait for Ivar to accept his faults and remorse.’

‘And if he doesn’t then what? You’re saying I can’t do anything for myself? What kind of misogynistic bullshit is this? I thought Viking women had rights of their own.’ you ranted angrily as you paced, looking away from the graves.

‘Unfortunately, I wasn’t Viking, even if I did follow their beliefs I was a thrall. I had no rights before my marriage and even with that title I was still Christian.’

‘So what? Just sit here with you and wait?’ 

‘Yes, do you have faith that your Ivar will save you?’

‘Of course!’ you shouted so suddenly that it surprised you.

All at once it hit you how much faith you had in Ivar, the one thing you had no doubt about was that he would do anything for you.

He cared for you, even if not romantically, he cared about you; and no matter what he had to do he would save you.

Or he would die trying.

‘Then wait.’ Wilda said sweetly.

Ivar’s POV

The last three days had brought about a lot of chaos.

(Y/N)’s family was devastated by the news, her siblings were scared and her mother was in complete shambles. Miss (Y/L/N) had called your father who flew out with his wife and other kids and had arrived on the second night. 

His own family had been affected as well, he had been too shaken up and crushed by guilt that he couldn’t drive so he just sat in his car feeling sorry for himself and crying harder than he had since he was a child. His brothers ended up tracking his phone and once he had calmed down he explained what had happened.

No one in the Ragnarson family could ever remember seeing Ivar this distraught before, even his parents sat aside their marital issues enough to sit in the waiting room with Ivar and (Y/N)’s family.

It was strange to see for Ivar.

His family loved each other in their own odd constipated way, but they rarely got together like this. Even Bjorn and Lagertha showed up once, apparently they all wanted to be there for him but he suspected they just couldn't get over the fact that he had a friend.

Every day there were at least four people in the waiting room for (Y/N) and one of the most constant residents was Ivar.

He hadn’t even gone to school, all he could do was sit and watch...and think about things. Think about what he had to do, because no matter what logic told him he just knew this was his fault. She was a human vegetable and was because of him.

That thought alone made his head hurt, he was constantly taking pain killers that did little to ease his headaches.

He was on his phone watching the same video he had seen a thousand times it felt like.

The footage from (Y/N)’s sleep study. 

Her mother had demanded the footage, in hopes to find some kind of clue about what led to (Y/N)’s sudden seizure. She expected to see an administration of medicine or maybe even a nurse sneaking in, anything to explain it.

Unfortunately there was nothing on the film that the doctors hadn’t already explained. For about an hour she was sleeping peacefully, a bit of uncomfortable tossing and then, like a firecracker had startled her, she shot up.

Her body convulsing as she thrashed around so violently that she fell out of the bed and if the visual wasn’t upsetting enough the scream she let out after she landed on the floor was absolutely blood churning.

She was screaming loud and shrill at the top of her lungs, all the while her body never stopped shaking, her limbs were endlessly flailing. The nurses and doctors had rushed in to restrain after only forty seconds or so but it felt so much longer to Ivar.

He watched how carefully Herald administered the sedative and the way (Y/N)’s body went immediately limp. Ivar closed the video once the doctors started hurriedly checking her vitals.

Ivar sighed and stood up to stretch, the joints of his shoulder blades cracking in protest as he did so.

‘Going home for the night Ivar?’ Miss (Y/L/N) asked as she yawned in her own chair.

‘No, just going to the restroom, might get a coffee.’ he assured.

‘Grab me one please.’

‘Of course.’ Ivar said happily.

He didn’t really need to use the toilet, just needed to move around. His legs were getting sore and he needed to take his pills and he preferred to do that in private.

‘I would have killed for a treatment like that in my life.’

The color drained from his face as he looked in the mirror and saw a most unwelcomed sight.

‘I get the feeling you don’t like me much...understandable I suppose.’ the old man said from behind him.

His heart suddenly swelled with anger as he turned and swung, ready to feel his fist connect with the bearded face of this bastard, but it didn’t.

All that happened was his fist went right through him, as if he were air, with nothing solid to connect to he stumbled to regain balance.

‘I’m sure had I been alive that would have been a solid attack, were you done or do you want to waste more time? Because your Christian doesn’t have much to waste.’ the old man said tiredly.

Ivar turned around and glared, but it softened a bit when he saw something he hadn’t noticed before in his anger.

The old man was standing.

There were unpainted metal braces on the viking’s legs that seemed to be the only thing keeping him up, along with the cane he was using.

‘Why are you here?  Are you going to kill her now, brain dead not enough for you? She has nothing to do with this, whatever bullshit this all is, leave her out of it!’ Ivar shouted, not caring if someone heard him yelling to himself.

‘My Christian had nothing to do with my problems either, and had she been as selfish as I was she would have refused to take part. Then I would be cursed with no hope of redemption, and both of our Christians would have had longer and probably happier lives without us.’ he said tiredly.

‘But she was soft, she felt it was her stupid Christian duty to help others over herself. Despite her resentment for me, and mine of her, she agreed to help my family and for that I want to repay my debt to her. In order to do that I need you to see me.’

‘I do see you.’ Ivar argued.

‘No. You see an old man in strange clothes but you don’t see yourself in me at all do you? It's frustrating because you are the last and most important piece to this complicated puzzle. The Christian, her job was to find us, you and me, now you have to see us. Really look at me and see yourself...she will die if you don’t and the loss of her will drive you mad.’ 

He felt like ripping out his hair in frustration, Ivar had never been this angry. In his youth anger was the backbone of his personality, he was angry because his legs hurt, he was angry he couldn’t talk to anyone other than his brother because he didn’t have any friends, he was always angry. But this was pure rage; red hot and scalding, he was angry because he was terrified.

‘What do you mean she will die?’ 

‘Her body is here where you can see it, but her essence is in the void between the nine worlds and a living person can only stay there a short while before their body lets them go completely. Please if not for me and my family or yourself do it for her.’

For her, all at once his anger left him.

‘J-just look at you?’ he repeated.

‘See me...and look into you.’

Ivar felt like fire ants were covering his entire body, his stomach felt ready to rid itself of the crappy hospital lunch he’d had earlier, his heart felt like it was frozen in ice; and all that paled in comparison to his headache.

He had only met the eyes of the old man for a few seconds and already he wanted nothing more than to look away.

For her.

Ivar dug his nails deeply into the palms of his hand as he held the man’s gaze.

‘There you go, see me...see all we have done.’

Then as if zoomed in like a scene from a movie he could see images in the blue pupils, and what he saw made him want to look away even more.

He saw...a boy with a dirty face it looked like he was trying to pull something, suddenly he felt like there was something leather in his hand and he pulled it back he felt the boy in the eye pull it back and suddenly he struck his hand out with all his might and watched as the boy in the eye was hit in the head by the blade of an axe.

‘No!’ he gasped in horror.

‘Don’t look away, no matter how terrible or how ashamed. Do not look away.’ the viking said, but his voice was different now. It wasn’t as hoarse as before it appeared to be...younger in a way.

The boy faded away and he saw something worse than the boy.

‘Sigurd?’

In the eye there was his brother, his hair long, his clothes strange and he was talking and Ivar wished more than anything that he couldn’t hear what his own brother was saying, but he did, clear as a bell in his mind was his older brother’s voice.

‘It must be hard for you now that your mummy’s dead. Knowing she was the only one who ever really loved you.’ Sigurd said in a strange dialect as he sipped something from a chalice.

Hurt and anger swelled and he felt something wet and thick touch his lip and distantly his mind realized his nose was bleeding heavily, again his arm jerked forward and watched an axe fly and plant itself in his brother's ribs.

‘Sigurd…’ he whimpered as his eyes began to overflow with tears.

If anyone came into this restroom they would see him standing still as a statue, staring into space as his nose bled like a red river and his eyes leaked like faucets.

‘Don’t look away, don’t run from what you have already done.’ 

‘Sigurd...Siggy I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-’ he choked on the lump in his throat, the blood from his nose leaked into his mouth as he spoke and the taste was horrid but it felt nostalgic in a horribly gruesome way.

Again the image in the eyes changed and this one was more than the image it practically sucked him in like a portal.

No longer was he in a hospital restroom; he was in a stone building and there was so much noise, loudest of all was a baby crying. He could recall this, the dream, the one he remembered in the truck that night with (Y/N) the one that made his nose bleed.

This time it was so much more, it felt like his brain was exploding in his skull, he felt an aching throb in his ears but it didn’t compare to the horror he was seeing and hearing.

He could smell burning flesh, feel the heat and as the melted gold poured into the crying man’s mouth; the screams would haunt him until his last breath.

In horror he felt his chest shake in laughter.

Just when Ivar thought he would pass out from the pain in his head he felt something he hadn’t felt in years. His legs were breaking under his weight, but that wasn’t possible, he had titanium bones, they could never break but still he felt it. Even worse so he heard that familiar cracking noise as he fell to the floor.

‘Hold strong, we both know you can take more than this, and there is so much more to see.’ now Ivar was certain the voice he heard wasn’t the voice of an old man.

That was his own voice, and he suddenly processed that he wasn’t being sucked into the eye, but the eye was moving closer to him.

No longer was the phantom standing on crude braces as an old and ragged man. Now he was crawling, using his strong arms to pull himself along, his legs dragging behind him like a useless tail.

More than anything Ivar wanted to look away and see what the face of this man looked like now but he couldn’t.

For her… for (Y/N).

He stilled himself and tried to brace himself for more pain he was sure would come.

He had been right, more pain came and no amount of preparation would have made him ready for it.

A thousand or a million images flashed in the eye going so fast it shouldn’t have been possible to follow each one, but he could. Not only did he see and comprehend each image he felt them.

He saw the light go out in a fat man’s eyes as someone was chopping into his back with an ax, he felt the muscles in his arms ache with the effort it took to stab through the muscle and bones of a man in the heat of battle.

That was when he realized that these images, these senses were all things he’d seen and experienced before.

These were his dreams.

 ‘Yes, you are remembering. That is good, almost done now; look at me.’

At last that horrible eye closed, and Ivar nearly collapsed in relief, but he kept just enough energy to look up at the face that carried the eye.

There was no longer a beard to hide anything from view he could see the face in front of him with complete clarity.

This truly was his face, it was like looking into a mirror but this mirror showed what he looked like before.

‘Finally...you see me.’ He smiled.

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: Find Us

Summary: (Y/N)’s sleep study goes horribly wrong.

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine

Taglist: @ubbesgirl, @shewolf2000, @tis-itheapplepie, @atequila, @demoncrypt1066, @greennightspider, @badbitsh13, @fireismysaftey, @minarawr, @laketaj24, @hvitserksgirl, @blahblahcookiesdoma, @fabulous-peasent, @sforsammmmmi, @minmiin1d, @courtrae89, @letsloveimagines, @tomarisela, @titty-teetee, @beyond-the-ashes@elenawrit, @mblaqgi, @whenimaunicorn, @chuflisworld, @mystruggledlife, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @syreni-dea, @trashqueenbitch, @alykatv, @mbaku-babygirl, @perfectus-in-morte, @beyond-the-ashes, @neeadinghugs, @readsalot73, @triumphantreturnofpies, @anarchy-is-coming, @tephi101, @alicedopey, @ivarslittlebadgirl, @jtrstp, @nejijjeoroo, @charlylama, @ivartheblessed, @captstefanbrandt, @fabulouschrissi, @ivarsrideordie, @3x5gurl, @the-writer-appreciation-blog, @lolabee9, @captainfoxy22, @young-ugly-god, @im5ftbutmythroat66, @bribyyy, @irishhiggins, @cadetomlinson, @keclleon101, @slutforragnarssons, @ltkeke, @meeeeeeeeeps, @lille-kanin, @opalscarab, @ssraven7, @ivarandersen, @concretewaywardangel, @funmadnessandbadassvikings, @sharon-is-tired, @cadetomlinson, @mystruggledlife, @chuflisworld, @justmarissa97, @lol-haha-joke, @weirdly-randomly-awesome, @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanim, @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers, @alexa040004, @buckythetinman , @burntmythroatskullingmytea,@jorunnravenslayer, @two-unbeatable-beaters, @buffy-the-vampire-blogger, @arses21434, @ltkeke, @captainfoxy22, @chinduda @letsshamelessqueen-m @my-soul-is-the-moon @we-are-transcendent

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six,Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine

Sitting at the table you had continued the research you had begun the day before, you had been knee deep in articles since you had sent your sibling off to school that morning and it was almost time for them to get out.

Not that they would be coming back home after school; your mother had to stay on location for a few days and for tonight you couldn’t hold down the fort because you had your own appointment.

Dr. Finehair said he had a specialist come in to conduct a sleep study to see if maybe it was a brainwave disturbance causing your sleeping problems and he wanted you to try and sleep as long as you could.

Without meaning to you had let your mind wander back to your phone call with Ivar yesterday.

After you hung up you spared a moment to think about how abruptly Ivar decided to end the call, it seemed like something was wrong with him.

You figured he would tell you when he felt the need to talk about it, so you went back to your research on Ivar the Boneless.

History was one of your favorite subjects because it’s like a story that really happened once upon a dark and twisted time.

The more you read the more you wanted to put it all aside and never look at it again, which was odd for you. Normally you loved the dark part of history, you believed that no country can ever grow without looking back at its history.

American history was your usual topic but this was a completely new ballpark, and Ivar the Boneless didn’t really feel like light reading. Especially when you couldn’t help but picture your best friend performing a Blood Eagle in order to avenge his father.

His father was another matter that needed researching, you had to look into as much as you could. Any small piece of information could be vital to figuring out this whole thing.

Whatever this thing was.

Your stomach growled and snapped you out of your own head, you sat aside your laptop and stretched before you stood up from your kitchen table.

The kitchen window gave your neighbor a good enough view that she could just walk by and see that you weren’t sleeping.

It didn’t surprise you that your mother didn’t trust you to stay awake on your own accord, because you also didn’t trust yourself to not take a nap.

God you needed a nap.

With a sigh you went and made yourself a quick bowl of ramen to ease your hunger without overfilling yourself.

It was about an hour before Ivar would be released.

He was going to drive you to the hospital and wait for you, meaning he would sleep in an uncomfortable waiting room or even worse his truck. It felt odd that he would do that for you, and even though you had asked him to, you thought he’d decline.

Suddenly your phone chimed with a message.

I’m leaving early be there in ten - Ivar

Cool, we can just chill until it’s time to go - (Y/N)

You looked at the phone and couldn’t help but second guess if that message was good enough, or if you should have added any emojis.

Ugh, this was not good, how could you have suddenly developed feelings for him; Ivar of all people. The guy you were trying to get to remember his past life.

A life in which he was married to you while being old enough to be your grandfather.

You groaned in mild annoyance and complete confusion as you went upstairs to change out of the pajamas you had been lounging in.

The minutes passed like seconds and soon Ivar was at your door.

Fighting the urge to double check yourself in the mirror you went downstairs to let him in.

‘Hey, I got your schoolwork.’ he said handing you a folder.

‘Boo.’ you whined as you looked at the assignments.

‘You’re welcome, not like I went out of my way to get them for you or anything.’ Ivar sassed.

‘Thank you, think you can help me with this...I hate math.’

‘I know, sure I’ll help.’

You led him to the kitchen and subtly motioned to the open window and waved at your neighbor who waved back.

The older woman looked at Ivar in confusion and Ivar waved politely before he sat at your table.

‘So are we starting with math first?’

‘Hell no, tell me about the man with no eyes.’ you said bluntly.

‘I don’t know much, man doesn’t like being in the public eye. Got rich through genius investments but he seems to come from old money despite the fact that no information on his family is available. My father said he was one of his first clients.

‘So it's not like he just time traveled to get here, he’s well established. Covered in mystery but still real, does that mean he’s been alive this whole time?’ you asked.

‘I would guess so but that doesn’t seem humanly possible.’ Ivar said back.

‘Maybe he isn’t human then, at this point we can’t afford to think too logically anymore, the new motto is if we can explain it then we can accept it.’

‘Inspirational.’ he hummed.

‘Thank you, I’m truly a poetic soul.’ you joked.

‘Yeah... there is more though, he knew too much.’

That got your attention, not because of what Ivar had said but the way he said it, like he wasn’t talking about something he’d experienced. It was as if he was talking about someone else he didn’t know.

‘What do you mean?’

‘He knew about my family, but it didn’t feel like he looked us up. He just...knew too much.’ Ivar tried to clarify.

‘What did he know?’

‘Dad was introducing us and he said this wasn’t all us...he knew two of us weren’t there and he was right. Bjorn wasn’t there and he knew about Gida...almost no one knows about Gida, Dad never talks about her except on her birthday.’

‘Who is Gida?’ you asked.

‘My sister, well half sister if you want to be politically correct. My dad’s first wife had two kids Bjorn and Gida, when his first company was just becoming successful he had to leave town a lot and on one trip he was told Gida had died of influenza.’

‘Oh my God, I’m sorry.’ you said sympathetically.

‘It’s ok, she died way before I was born, I’ve only seen a few pictures but I don’t know anything about her, but that guy did. He knew that none of us ever saw her and he knew she was sick, and I could tell that dad was surprised by him knowing.’

Now Ivar was looking off into the distance as if he himself wasn’t even here sitting at your table right now. It was as if he was mentally somewhere else, probably trying to come up with a scenario where his father would have talked about this girl named Gida.

‘Hey, calm down. We can put a pin in it for right now if you want to, I actually do need to get some of my homework done.’ you tried to comfort.

Ivar nodded and took in a deep breath and let it all out.

You actually managed to put most of your focus on stupid equations that no one would ever need in real life, but you couldn’t help but think about how hard this was all becoming now.

Ivar was in complete denial of who he must have been in his past life, anytime you brought it up he shuts down or starts bleeding. How much more proof did he need and what will he do when he can’t deny it any more?

By some miracle you finished all your assignments with mild confidence that it was at least a B+, Ivar was apparently putting all his focus on helping you.

Pretty soon it was time for the two of you to head out if you wanted to get to the hospital in time for your appointment.

The ride was uneventful, just casual talk about school and plans for next weekend; pretty much you talked about anything but the elephant in the room.

While you rode you were very proud of yourself for keeping things casual. It was as if you had pushed aside that mild panic you felt about the possibility of you having a crush on the guy next to you.

At the hospital you filled out some papers while Ivar was chatting with the lady at the desk, it was the same one from your first visit.

Her name was Helga, she was a blond woman who looked no older than twenty seven tops, but she spoke to Ivar as if she were an forty year old aunt.

‘Are you her ride home? She could be here for a while, your mother will worry.’ Helga asked.

‘Mother always does, I let her know I’d be home late if it makes you feel better.’ he assured.

‘It doesn’t.’

You felt kinda awkward interrupting to let her know you were done with the papers.

She took them and led you into an examination room where a male nurse took your vitals and gave you a gown to wear.

After a minute Dr. Finehair came in with another doctor who you had to assume was the specialist who would be conducting the study.

‘Hello Ms. (Y/N), I’m Dr. Finehair.’

You made a confused face and sent a looked between the two men.

‘My little brother, if it helps you can call him Halfdan.’ your doctor explained.

‘Don’t worry the smarter one is in charge.’ Halfdan smiled politely.

It was strange how easily his charm seemed to relax you, but you guessed as a doctor he had to have amazing bedside manners.

‘I’ve looked over all of your test results and it seems to be nothing physically with your body, other than what could be expected from an exhausted teenager.’ he said as he began placing little stickers on your temples, scalp face, chest and legs.

Both doctors were very nice and the small talk did help to pass the time while Halfdan was placing sensors on your body.

‘The main purpose of the study is to see what your brainwaves are up to when you go to sleep. If there is anything unusual then we can know what to focus on and see what tests need to be run on you. OK?’ he explained.

‘I understand, how long do I need to sleep?’

‘As long as you can, did you need any sleeping aids, I see it’s been prescribed to you.’

‘Not necessary, I’m ready to crash whenever you give me the go ahead Doc.’ you smiled.

‘Oh well don’t let me stop you, we are going to leave the room, the sensors are connected to a machine, we will monitor the room as well record video.’

‘What if I have to use the restroom? I guess I should have asked before you started.’

‘It is fine, we can disconnect you, all you have to do is let us know.’

‘Alright you are all set to go, we will leave you to it ma’am.’

The two men left and it only took you about thirty seconds to go to sleep.

******************************************************************* Ivar’s POV

The hospital was unusually quiet today, not empty by any means, but it seemed nothing horribly urgent had happened since he’d gotten here.

Every person that came in was calm and in good enough shape to explain why they were here and what they were feeling.

Of course that would be expected because this hospital was a bit out of the way, too far from the busy highways where most car accidents tend to happen.

There was also the fact that this was a very expensive hospital, with amazing security, top of the line technology and the best doctors you can get.

All of his surgeries had been done here, because on top of all those other great qualities this hospital assured each patient complete privacy. No matter who the patient was or how much money their secrets were worth.

Ivar was sitting there, in one of the uncommonly comfortable waiting room chairs, scrolling through social media on his phone when a sudden wave of lightheadedness hit him.

His vision blurred to the point where he had to sit his phone aside and shake his head in an effort to clear his head.

‘I see you Boneless.’

Ivar flinched at the sudden voice, but more than that he flinched at the name.

He looked up and what he saw was impossible, so very impossible that even the thought of it made him think that he was going mad.

There is no other explanation for what was sitting in the chair across from him.

It was himself.

His own face, slightly hidden behind a thick and graying beard, but all the same it was obviously his face. His eyes, nose and teeth...his face.

‘No.’ he breathed.

‘But yes, you wouldn’t believe what all had to be sacrificed for us to chat, and I’m sad to say that my being here is not good news.’

‘You aren’t here.’ Ivar whispered.

‘No, not really; neither are you, not completely. Neither of us can ever truly be anywhere until we are together. Until you accept that you are me, I did my part; I died...and I waited.’

‘Waited for what? For two teenagers to meet to clean up a mess you made thousands of years ago?’ he snapped angrily, barely managing to keep his voice down.

‘I didn’t want to do this, I saw no point in it. I was fully prepared to accept the punishment the Gods felt I deserved, but it wasn’t just me...and it isn’t just you. Everyone you love and care about, they are all being punished for my deeds, our deeds.’

‘Your deeds.’ Ivar spat.

‘Our...deeds.’

‘Ivar.’

This time Ivar jumped clean out of his chair, partially due to being so suddenly startled but mostly to look away from this thing with his face.

Herald was there and just the look on his face told him something was wrong; horribly wrong.

‘What happened?’

‘Helga is calling her mother now, Ivar I need you to be calm. I can see how much you care for her and I know you will worry, but losing your composure won’t help anything do you understand?’ Herald said seriously.

‘Tell me what happened.’ Ivar repeated quietly, almost certain he didn’t want the answer but he needed it all the same.

‘(Y/N) is brain dead.’

‘What? She was just here for a sleep study. What the hell happened?!’ Ivar hissed.

The hairs on the back of his neck was standing up and he couldn’t think of a time where he had been this scared.

‘We don’t know. I wouldn’t even be saying any of this to you if her mother hadn’t listed you as one of (Y/N)’s emergency contacts.’

‘Tell me!’ Ivar snapped.

Herald sighed in mild annoyance but his look remained professional.

‘Her vitals were excellent, no sleep aids were administered. Neither me or Halfdan can explain what happened, I was monitoring her on camera and he was watching her brainwaves. Out of nowhere the waves flat-line and she is seizing up.’

‘She had a seizure?’

‘Yes. A non epileptic seizure, but a seizure nonetheless; we had to risk sedating her before she hurt herself. I wish I could tell you something, anything to explain what went wrong, but I don’t know. I checked her for every physical condition I can think of as a medical doctor and there is nothing to see.’

Ivar was speechless, he didn’t know what to say, even if he did he wouldn’t trust his voice to say it without breaking.

‘When her mother arrives I will explain it to her and what happens next will be her decision.’

‘Can I see her?’ he asked softly.

‘Yes, but do not move her. We are not sure what is causing the problem and we won’t know until we can get her in a CAT scan.’

‘CAT scans, do you think it’s cancer?’ Ivar asked, his eyes wide and his heart filled with dread.

‘I can not say, even suggesting it with no test done I could lose my license. For right now I need you to keep calm while we try to figure out what exactly is happening.’

Ivar nodded in understanding, he listened to the room number and made his way there; all the while thinking about everything.

He thought about the imaginary creature that spoke to him in the waiting room.

“My being here is not good news” that’s what he said and he was right.

He remembered when he had first met her in the hallway; he couldn’t stop thinking about her in class, when he saw her at the table with his brothers he was happy to see her. Even happier that he liked her and saw her as a great friend.

A friend was something he’d never had before and he had thought this was why he wanted to keep her so close, but it wasn’t.

Ivar knew that now, he wouldn’t be this worried and concerned for a friend.

He loved (Y/N), he loved her and right now she was brain dead because of the actions of a dead man.

Because of his actions.

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: Find Us

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Summary: Ivar’s family have a very peculiar lunch guest.

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight

Taglist: @ubbesgirl, @shewolf2000, @tis-itheapplepie, @atequila, @demoncrypt1066, @greennightspider, @badbitsh13, @fireismysaftey, @minarawr, @laketaj24, @hvitserksgirl, @blahblahcookiesdoma, @fabulous-peasent, @sforsammmmmi, @minmiin1d, @courtrae89, @letsloveimagines, @tomarisela, @titty-teetee, @beyond-the-ashes@elenawrit, @mblaqgi, @whenimaunicorn, @chuflisworld, @mystruggledlife, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @syreni-dea, @trashqueenbitch, @alykatv, @mbaku-babygirl, @perfectus-in-morte, @beyond-the-ashes, @neeadinghugs, @readsalot73, @triumphantreturnofpies, @anarchy-is-coming, @tephi101, @alicedopey, @ivarslittlebadgirl, @jtrstp, @nejijjeoroo, @charlylama, @ivartheblessed, @captstefanbrandt, @fabulouschrissi, @ivarsrideordie, @3x5gurl, @the-writer-appreciation-blog, @lolabee9, @captainfoxy22, @young-ugly-god, @im5ftbutmythroat66, @bribyyy, @irishhiggins, @cadetomlinson, @keclleon101, @slutforragnarssons, @ltkeke, @meeeeeeeeeps, @lille-kanin, @opalscarab, @ssraven7, @ivarandersen, @concretewaywardangel, @funmadnessandbadassvikings, @sharon-is-tired, @cadetomlinson, @mystruggledlife, @chuflisworld, @justmarissa97, @lol-haha-joke, @weirdly-randomly-awesome, @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanim, @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers, @alexa040004, @buckythetinman , @burntmythroatskullingmytea,@jorunnravenslayer, @two-unbeatable-beaters, @buffy-the-vampire-blogger, @arses21434, @ltkeke, @captainfoxy22, @chinduda @letsshamelessqueen-m @my-soul-is-the-moon @we-are-transcendent

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six,Part Seven, Part Eight

Ivar arrived home with a little over an hour to spare.

He was happy to say his legs were no longer burning in hot flames of pain and had died down to the usual dull simmering pain that he was used to dealing with.

As he walked to the stairs he took a moment to be childish and flick off the elevator.

He took a shower and for whatever reason his mind started to wonder, thinking about the series of unfortunate events that occurred last night.

The thought of himself being the great Viking king that his mother named him after was still too outlandish for him to think about. The splitting headache and nosebleed did little to encourage him to think about it.

So his mind moved on.

He thought of (Y/N), the way she accepted his legs, she didn’t immediately get that stupid look of pity or false empathy. No her eyes didn’t soften, nothing had changed in her eyes. She still saw him as she had before, and he was very happy for that.

Being in the family he came from he couldn’t find many friends, not any real ones anyway. His brothers could handle having friends who were drawn to the money and fame, but Ivar couldn’t stand people like that. He couldn’t explain it too well, but he could always see it, the hungry way people looked at him.

Like he was a walking ATM and if they could just get close enough to him then the money would never stop flowing.

All of them had the mutual understanding that none of the Ragnarson children ever wanted to be pushed into the public eye. No magazine articles or press interviews, but still they were hard not to recognize if only for the way their mother seemed to flaunt their wealth around.

(Y/N) had never seen the designer clothes his mother dressed him in or heard about out of country trips he had been dragged on.

Her eyes weren’t hungry, and he liked that.

Ivar liked to be around her, he liked the conversation with her and the way she never asked for favors, anything he did for her was his own choice and it always would be.

(Y/N).

His mind wandered to her in the car, when his nose had bled. With no hesitation she gave him the very shirt off her back. That thought made him think about her sitting in his passenger seat, topless and blushing. The way her face became an ungodly red when he had stupidly invaded her personal space.

Then it all went south, his mind decided to be treacherous and focus on that moment before the cop knocked on the window.

Ivar immediately shook his head and wrapped up his shower, if he set the water to ice cold for a few seconds then he’d never admit it.

Deciding to shut up his mind Ivar put in his earbuds and blasted his music while he got dressed, he walked past his real closet full of clothes he had picked up in shops and went to his second one.

The one his mother filled with brands that “people of their status” should be wearing, he picked up a suit without giving it a glance before he started putting it on with practiced ease.

As he was tying back his hair Hvitserk barged in the room, in a suit of his own.

‘Looking spiffy, bet (Y/N) would have loved to see it.’ his brother smiled as he sat on the bed.

‘Shut up.’ Ivar rolled his eyes as he took out his earbuds.

‘What did you wear to see her last night? Birthday suit?’ Hvitserk teased.

‘I said shut up, some people can be friends with girls and not have sex with them.’ Ivar sassed.

‘Of course they can, that just doesn’t seem to be the case for you Ivy.’

‘Don’t call me that.’

‘So you’re going to tell me that you...Ivar Hogh Ragnarson, got up in the middle of the night to meet a girl and nothing scandalous happened.’

‘Yes, nothing happened.’ Ivar said tiredly.

‘Well I don’t believe that for a second, why did you go out in the first place?’ Hvitserk asked.

‘I’m not going to keep talking about this, can we please just get downstairs before Mother comes looking for us.’ Ivar deflected.

Hvitserk rolled his eyes but he did sigh and got up, meaning that for now at least the subject was dropped.

The two of them headed downstairs to the dining area. As expected the table was covered in large expensive dishes, and of course none of it had been prepared by their mother.

The cook had truly outdone herself today, Ivar new his father must have given her quite a bonus for this feast.

At the head of the table was his father and his mother was sat in the seat on his right, both dressed in expensive brands.

Ubbe and Sigurd still hadn’t come down yet, but Ivar and Hvitserk took their seats across from each other.

‘Ivar...I heard the elevator. Are you feeling well?’ Ivar asked.

‘Yes I am fine, I just woke up in the odd hours where my medicine wasn’t as effective as usual. So I went out for a drive while it kicked in.’ he said casually.

‘You went driving?’ his mother asked.

‘Yes, not too far, I was safe I promise.’ he soothed.

His mother bit at her lip and looked away before she took a sip from her wine glass, she always drank when she worried.

She was always worrying.

Thankfully before the silence could become awkward the two missing brothers came down and took their places at the table.

‘Boys, this lunch is with a very important client, one of my first clients when I started out and he brought me a lot of business by nothing but word of mouth. He is usually quiet and very much so a shut in, and he comes from old money.’

‘If he is a shut in why did he suddenly ask to have lunch?’ Ubbe asked.

‘No idea, but I couldn’t decline. Now, I know you all know how to behave in front of clients, but this client is completely blind so be sensitive to that. Do not mention it, do you all understand?’ his father asked.

Everyone agreed and the conversation moved to lighter things like school and stocks and what summer plans were in consideration. It was all idle chit chat to pass the time while they waited for their guest.

At long last their loud dramatic doorbell rang and one of the housekeepers led in a man using a white cane.

The man was very tall, and that was impressive considering the fact that Ivar was the shortest Ragnarson while standing at exactly six foot.

He had to be at least seven feet, his black suit was clearly custom tailored to his body in a way that made it hard to tell if his suit was filled out by fat or pure muscle. His eyes and forehead were completely hidden behind the largest pair of reflective sunglasses Ivar had ever seen.

His skin was as pale porcelain, it was very oddly accompanied by the most visible light blue veins beneath his flesh and the black lipstick that was smeared over his almost fish like lips.

‘Hello Ragnar.’ the man said, his voice large and raspy as he had been smoking since he could walk.

‘Hello old man.’ Ragnar said happily.

‘I’m as old as I’ll ever be and as young as I can be now.’ the man said.

‘There goes that wise man way of speaking you are so famous for.’ the father smiled happily.

‘And there is the smile you are famous for.’

‘You can see me smiling?’ Ragnar teased.

‘My eyes see nothing, but I see all...that is my curse.’ the man said as he took his seat.

The whole table was silent, not even his father, the great conversationalist that he was, could make light of such a cryptic thing.

‘Don’t be so tense, introduce me to your family so we can eat this delightful feast.’

‘Of course, family meet my great client Mr. Divine. This is my wife Aslaug, my boys that I’m always talking about; Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd and Ivar.’

‘You are missing two...a boy and a girl…a poor sick girl no one here but you ever got to see.’

Ivar was stunned, and judging by the almost loud silence his family members were in the same state.

His father didn’t speak of his only daughter, the girl that died long before he had been born. From what he had been told his half sister Gida had caught a horrible case of influenza and she just didn’t have a strong enough immune system.

No matter how he tried he couldn’t imagine his father talking about Gida with a client, no matter how important.

‘Yes...we should enjoy the feast.’ Ragnar said, not as cheerful as he had been before.

At last the lunch finally began and while it took a minute the conversation did pick up. Despite that Ivar couldn’t shake this sick feeling.

The feeling he had at the restaurant when (Y/N)’s mother was talking about her findings, like his entire body was covered in ants. He was still polite to the guest, but he just couldn’t look at this man for more than a few seconds.

For such a large spread the actual lunch passed rather quickly, and eventually no one could eat another bite.

‘This was a fine lunch, but I do have several appointments lined up so I must be going.

All of a sudden Ivar couldn’t control himself, there was a question he needed to ask before this man left.

‘Mr. Divine? Is that your given name?’

‘Ivar.’ Ragnar warned.

His ears suddenly burned red in embarrassment at his rude outburst.

‘No need to worry Ragnar, with youth comes curiosity and recklessness. Walk me to the door boy.’ Mr. Divine said to him.

Ivar looked at his father and after he received an approving nod he stood and walked around to the other side of the table.

Mr. Divine stood as well and pushed back his chair from the table, he used his cane to get around the table.

Ivar didn’t move to guide him, partially not wanting to startle him but mostly knowing instinctively that this man wouldn’t appreciate him assuming he needed help.

The two walked out of the dining room and made their way to the door.

‘Do you remember me?’

Ivar looked at the man in confusion.

‘Have I met you before? I think I’d remember if I had, you do leave an impression if I must say.’ Ivar replied politely.

‘We have before, just not in this life.’ Mr Divine said as he stopped walking and took off his humongous sunglasses.

Ivar’s heart dropped so quickly into his stomach as if it had suddenly been turned to lead in his chest, his palms were nearly spraying out sweat and he felt like his body was turning into stone.

Mr. Divine didn’t have eyes.

Not empty sockets he could fill with glass prosthetic ones, but there was nothing but skin covering the place where eyes should have been.

“No eyes…�� (Y/N)’s voice rang in his mind.

This was him, it had to be; the one who spoke to her directly.

‘I see you don’t recall me personally, but you are aware of me thanks to the Christian child.’ he said as he moved closer to Ivar.

‘You are the one who talks to her...how are you here, those dreams happened centuries ago?’ Ivar asked in complete shock.

‘Not dreams...you know they are more than that don’t you...Boneless one.’

This time Ivar outright flinched at his words.

‘I-I’m not-’

‘You are; run from it and deny it all you like but the fact remains you are and the faster you embrace it the better off everyone you care about will be.’ Mr. Divine said gravely as he put on his glasses once again.

‘I-’ Ivar didn’t know what he had meant to say but it didn’t matter, because the blind man had already walked away.

‘Long long years I have roamed this horrible world and I will continue until you accept the truth. I pray to all the Gods that you do not make the same selfish mistakes again, there are too many people at stake.’ Mr. Divine said before he left, closing the door behind him.

Never before had Ivar felt such an odd feeling, but the one thing that mattered was that he didn’t like the feeling at all.

He didn’t like the man’s eyeless, black lipped face and he liked his words even less than that.

Ivar didn’t know who this man was or how he was here but he knew that if he never saw that blind bastard again he would have no complaints. All he had done was say stupid things that didn’t answer his questions and left more confused than he was before.

Selfish.

Ivar wasn’t selfish at all, he donated a majority of his monthly allowance to multiple charities and whatever he had left he gave away to the homeless or beggars he saw on the streets.

Angrier than he had been in quite some time he gritted his teeth and walked back into the dining room.

The maids were cleaning the table while the others were still there talking about the lunch they had just had.

‘So you are telling people about her now Ragnar? You rarely speak of Gida even to me, he must be a very good friend.’ Aslaug said politely, but everyone knew it was anything but.

Ivar didn’t bother sitting back down and instead made his way back to his room, he heard his brothers coming up behind him on the stairs.

‘I honestly don’t understand why they have to fight all the time, don’t they get tired?’ Hvitserk sighed.

‘Lord knows they aren’t staying together for our sakes so what is the point? Not like Mom wasn't already an heiress before she met him.’ Sigurd asked in a sour tone.

‘Who knows, it doesn’t matter. I'm going out with some friends, I’ll be back in the morning.’ Ubbe said.

‘Can I tag along? I have nothing going on, but I certainly don’t want to stay here.’ Hvitserk asked.

‘Sure, you two wanna join?’ Ubbe offered.

‘Hell no, I have my own plans, taking a girl to a poetry slam and then a night on the town.’ Sigurd said dismissively.

‘No need to ask Ivar, he has plans with his girlfriend.’ Hvitserk said.

‘Oh he finally got official with (Y/N)? Good for him.’ Sigurd hummed casually.

‘I’m not official with her, I’m not unofficial with her because I’m just friends with her.’ Ivar said in his own defense.

‘Well I don’t believe that for a second.’ Sigurd dismissed.

‘Funnily enough I said the same thing.’ Hvitserk added in agreement.

‘That’s because you idiots have two brain cells between the two of you and you’re sharing one of them.’ Ivar teased.

‘Whatever, you in or not?’ Ubbe asked in mild amusement at his younger brothers bickering.

‘No, gonna catch up on some Netflix documentaries, there’s a good one abou-‘

Ivar was cut off by his phone ringing in his pocket, he pulled it out and looked at the contact.

My Literal Child

‘Might I suggest you change her contact info, looks creepy considering the change in your relationship.’ Ubbe said.

‘I would like to suggest you invite her over to Netflix and Chill.’ Sigurd grinned.

‘Shut up.’ Ivar said as he went into his room and closed the door.

He accepted the call and kicked off his shoes.

‘What’s up, except for your horrible timing?’ Ivar answered.

‘Hey so I’m super grounded.’ she said.

‘Can I ask why, hello by the way.’

‘Because my mother isn’t blind enough to miss a hideous truck in her driveway.’

Ivar outwardly facepalmed, he had been so pill loopy and pain struck that he hadn’t even thought about hiding his truck a few blocks down.

‘But luckily my mom likes you so much she isn’t mad enough to kill me. I am still on lock down with the exception of school and I won't be allowed any visitors unless it's a classmate for a group assignment for two weeks.’

‘That sucks but is there anything else, because I have some news that will blow your mind.’ Ivar replied.

‘Actually yes, the doctor called my mom on Friday to set up a sleep study for me on Monday night. Problem is my mom can’t make it and that hospital isn’t really walking distance from my house.’

Do you want me to take you, I can wait for you in the waiting room too.’ Ivar offered.

‘Thanks, now what is your news? Is it...you know?’ she asked quietly in a way that suggested she didn’t want anyone hearing what they were talking about.

‘Yeah. Do you remember that guy you told me about from your dreams, the one with no eyes?’

‘Hard to forget a face like that.’

‘I know tell me about it, I just saw him.’ Ivar said.

‘What do you mean you saw him? Like you dreamed about him? Did he say anything to you?’ (Y/N) asked eagerly.

‘No not in a dream, I mean I saw him. He was just sitting down with me and my family having lunch. He’s one of my father’s first clients, he looked no older than fifty tops.’ Ivar ranted.

‘That’s not possible, we already know that all this past life stuff happened in the Viking Age, that is centuries ago, there is no way he could still be alive. Maybe he’s like us and just looks like his ancestor.’ she suggested

‘No. I don’t think so. He pulled me aside and he asked me if I remembered him, he called me…’ Ivar didn’t even want to say it.

‘He called you what Ivar?’ she urged.

‘Boneless, (Y/N) he called me Boneless one. He said he’s lived many years and he will continue to live in this horrible world until I embrace who I am. He said the sooner I do the better everyone will be, he said too many people are at stake. The bastard called me selfish and he doesn’t even know me!’ Ivar vented, growing angrier with every word.

‘Ivar! Ivar calm down! Calm down!’ (Y/N) cried from the other line.

‘How! Some old fool just showed up speaking like a cartoon fortune teller and called me selfish!’ he seethed.

‘If you aren’t then why be upset!’

All at once Ivar’s anger left him, and it left his body feeling deflated like a balloon.

He still took a few deep breaths just to assure himself that he was actually calm.

‘Are you good now?’

‘Yeah, yeah I’m good; I’m sorry I didn’t mean to yell at you.’ he apologized.

‘I know, you only yell when we talk about who you might have been before; it’s like your twisted version of a defense mechanism. Not that I can blame you, I’m currently looking into this guy and yeah I get being afraid to be him, I’m scared reading it.’

‘I’ve read everything about him, I know almost every theory and legend that even mentions his name.’ Ivar replied as he laid in his bed and looked up at his ceiling.

‘Who is your favorite fairy tale character?’ Ivar asked.

‘Alice from Alice in Wonderland.’ she replied without hesitation.

‘Imagine some caterpillar showing up and saying you’re the real Alice and you just don’t remember.’

‘I’m sure I’d be too freaked by a talking bug.’ she joked.

‘Well the guy looks like an insect.’ Ivar snipped.

‘That’s mean. How about tomorrow after you get out of school you come over and we can talk about this eyeless guy for a while before I have to go in for my sleep study.’

‘I thought you said no visitors.’

‘I did but I did say she likes you and she seems to trust you to make sure I don’t take a nap before my sleep study. My neighbor is going to be checking on me during school hours.’

‘OK, I’ll be there.’

‘Thanks, so we are good to go. Oh and Ivar...for what it’s worth I don’t think you’re selfish; you’re the most generous guy I’ve met.’

‘I’m happy that you think so, I’ll see you tomorrow.’ Ivar said.

‘See you tomorrow Ivar.’ (Y/N) said before she hung up.

Ivar threw his phone down on his bed and closed his eyes.

She thought he was generous and that really made him feel bad about what he thought when Mr. Divine said too many people were at stake.

Why are they his responsibility?

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: Find Us

Summary: Something very not good happens.

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight

Taglist: @ubbesgirl, @shewolf2000, @tis-itheapplepie, @atequila, @demoncrypt1066, @greennightspider, @badbitsh13, @fireismysaftey, @minarawr, @laketaj24, @hvitserksgirl, @blahblahcookiesdoma, @fabulous-peasent, @sforsammmmmi, @minmiin1d, @courtrae89, @letsloveimagines, @tomarisela, @titty-teetee, @beyond-the-ashes@elenawrit, @mblaqgi, @whenimaunicorn, @chuflisworld, @mystruggledlife, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @syreni-dea, @trashqueenbitch, @alykatv, @mbaku-babygirl, @perfectus-in-morte, @beyond-the-ashes, @neeadinghugs, @readsalot73, @triumphantreturnofpies, @anarchy-is-coming, @tephi101, @alicedopey, @ivarslittlebadgirl, @jtrstp, @nejijjeoroo, @charlylama, @ivartheblessed, @captstefanbrandt, @fabulouschrissi, @ivarsrideordie, @3x5gurl, @the-writer-appreciation-blog, @lolabee9, @captainfoxy22, @young-ugly-god, @im5ftbutmythroat66, @bribyyy, @irishhiggins, @cadetomlinson, @keclleon101, @slutforragnarssons, @ltkeke, @meeeeeeeeeps, @lille-kanin, @opalscarab, @ssraven7, @ivarandersen, @concretewaywardangel, @funmadnessandbadassvikings, @sharon-is-tired, @cadetomlinson, @mystruggledlife, @chuflisworld, @justmarissa97, @lol-haha-joke, @weirdly-randomly-awesome, @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanim, @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers, @alexa040004, @buckythetinman , @burntmythroatskullingmytea,@jorunnravenslayer, @two-unbeatable-beaters, @buffy-the-vampire-blogger, @arses21434, @ltkeke, @captainfoxy22, @chinduda @letsshamelessqueen-m @my-soul-is-the-moon @we-are-transcendent

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight

You were internally screaming, wondering how the hell you got here. Top less, in a truck with a bloody nosed boy and a cop at the window.

‘I’m gonna need you both to step out of the vehicle.’ the cop said sternly.

Ivar sighed and rolled down your window.

‘Hello officer; did you happen to have a jacket or blanket she could use?’ he asked politely.

‘The male officer sighed.

‘Stay here, I already have your plates and it’s stunning how quick I can have every cop car in the city looking for you.’ he warned before walking to his car.

‘What are we gonna do? Shit what is my mom gonna do?’ you panicked.

‘Calm down. Just be quiet, look totally embarrassed and I can get us out of this.’ Ivar whispered, looking at the cop that was coming back.

The cop held up a grey scratchy looking blanket, but considering that the only thing keeping your nipples covered was your arm you weren’t too picky.

For a moment all you did was look at the cloth the man offered you, wary that moving too much would expose even more of yourself.

Luckily the officer took pity on you and just dropped it into your lap.

‘Thank you.’ you mumbled, pulling it over you.

Once you were secure in your coverage Ivar opened his door and you followed suit.

You sent a concerned look Ivar’s way, seeing how stiffly he was moving, he was visibly wincing with each step.

‘Now that we are all as appropriate as we can be, care to explain why you two are loitering in a closed park.’

‘We are so sorry, it’s just-well we are just, trying to…you know. Take things to the next level in our relationship.’

‘Ivar!’ you gasped.

‘What?! Am I supposed to lie? Kinda hard to do that when you don't have on a shirt, and I’m bleeding because we have horrendous coordination.’ he argued.

The officer snickered but quickly covered it up with a cough.

‘Look, Mr.Ragnarson. I have caught your brothers all over the city in a great many situations, as I’m sure your brothers can attest to. Do not think being rich will keep you out of trouble, however this is your first incident and everyone has been a teenager. Get outta the park and try hitting third base in a place that isn’t public.’ he said.

You were so damn red it was amazing you hadn’t become a damn tomato.

‘Keep the blanket...stay safe.’

‘Thank you officer we are sorry for wasting your time.’ Ivar apologized as the officer got back in his car and drove off.

Immediately you swatted at his arm, repeatedly, almost as hard as you could.

‘What the hell is your problem?!’

‘My legs are giving out soon so help me get back in the car.’ Ivar hissed as he as his knees buckled.

Just before it was too late you managed to catch him, in doing so you nearly hit the ground with him. Thankfully you found your footing and stabilized the both of you, all the while keeping the blanket over your shoulders.

‘Jesus! You’re heavy…’ you groaned out.

‘How sweet of you to say (Y/N), really I’m flattered. Can you drag my heavy ass to the car?’

‘I can try, but I don’t have too much confidence in myself to be honest.’ you confessed.

‘Just let me put some of my weight on you, I can make it.’ he grunted.

You nodded and let Ivar move around a bit, standing a little taller, taking some of his weight off.

Surprisingly enough the two of you moved very well together and got him in the car pretty quickly, all things considered.

‘Alright, you ok Ivar?’ you asked.

‘Yeah.’

‘Good because I need you in shape...so I can yell at you the entire ride home.’ you replied hitting him again.

‘Stop that!’ Ivar pouted.

‘Why did you tell that cop you were trying to cop a feel?!’ you hissed.

‘I didn’t tell him that, I said we were trying to have sex.’

‘Ivar!’

‘Did you want to be taken to the station to sit in a cell and wait for the police to call your mom and tell her what you were doing in my car shirtless?’

‘You are the most annoying person I’ve ever met, and that says something coming from someone with six siblings!’ you snapped.

‘Are you done?’

‘...yes.’

‘Good, because I don’t think I can make it to my house.’

‘Excuse me.’

‘My legs are sick of me, I didn’t give my meds time to kick in fully, I didn’t eat and it’s making me feel sick.’ Ivar said weakly, leaning back in his seat.

‘What were you doing driving when you felt this bad?’

‘Had to see you.’

It felt as if the air had been knocked out of you, Ivar had stupidly driven to meet you through pain you couldn’t even comprehend.

Sure you’d had friends before, but you couldn’t think of a single one that would even consider doing what Ivar had without any hesitation.

‘Can you get to my house in one piece?’

Ivar looked over at you, took a second to shake his head affirmative.

‘OK, me casa su casa I guess.’ you smiled.

‘Thanks.’ he said.

‘You’re still the worst.’ you joked before you ran around the truck to get back in the passenger seat.

Ivar closed his door and started the car.

‘My first slumber party, think we’ll get to braid each other’s hair?’ he said weakly.

‘Focus on getting us there buddy.’ you rolled your eyes playfully.

Ivar drove slowly and carefully, if you hadn’t personally witnessed him driving before you’d almost believe he was still a student driver.

Nonetheless, he did make it to your house and he parked safely, without blocking your mom’s car.

‘Good news is we made it, bad news is my couch is super uncomfortable but my room is upstairs.’

‘I can make it.’ Ivar assured you.

Deciding to have faith that Ivar knew what he was and wasn’t capable of, you held back your urge to ask if he was ok.

You got out and the two of you made your way into the house as quietly as you could, quickly you verified that no one was up on the first floor.

So far so good, your mom would have been waiting for you at the bottom of the staircase if she knew beforehand that you had snuck out.

Just as Ivar said, he made it up the stairs surprisingly quiet for a guy who had just nearly collapsed a few minutes earlier.

Once you two were safely in your room with the door closed, and locked Ivar quite literally fell face forward onto your bed.

You walked over to your desk and cut on the lamp, so that you weren’t moving around in nearly complete darkness.

‘Now if you don’t mind, staying in that exact position while I put on a shirt.’ Ivar wordlessly held out a thumbs up.

You pulled a sleep shirt out of your dresser, and just to make you feel a bit better you also put on one of your more comfortable bras.

Finally dressed you begin to fold up the blanket the cop had given you.

‘We’re good.’ you announced quietly.

‘Good, now where did you want me to sleep?’ Ivar asked as he sat up.

‘Uh uh, first I’m going to give you something to eat, you said you felt sick right.’

‘You don’t have to take care of me.’ he declined.

‘Shut up. You feed me everyday at lunch, let me feed you for once.’ you dismissed.

Ivar sighed in defeat and just laid back down.

You went downstairs and made two sandwiches, grabbed the family sized bag of chips that was more than half empty, took two sodas and a pair of bananas from the fridge.

Getting up the stairs and opening your room door proved to be quite the challenge but you prevailed.

With very visible relief you sat down your feast on the bed and took a seat in your office chair, wheeling over to the bedside while Ivar helped himself to one of the bananas.

‘Thanks.’

‘No issue, after that shit fest I need to stress eat...plus can’t have your first sleepover be a complete bust.’

‘So...do you wanna finish talking about-’

‘No, not now. The headache is finally clearing up, plus I’m not ready to get another nose bleed.’ Ivar interrupted.

‘Wait, so the nose bleed wasn’t a side effect of the medicine?’

‘No, neither was the headache. While I wasn’t feeling my bubbly self tonight, my head didn’t hurt until I tried to remember my dreams.’ he explained, finishing his sandwich.

You took a while to think this information ove as Ivar handed you a soda.

‘Yeah we should definitely not do anything that makes your head hurt, not tonight at least.’ you agreed.

The two ate in a comfortable silence, after such an eventful past hour the peace was very much so welcomed.

At last the food had been eaten and the soda cans emptied, so you threw away the trash and did your best to wipe away the crumbs from your covers.

‘So...am I sleeping on the bed?’ Ivar asked.

‘Yes.’ you replied like it was obvious.

‘And you will sleep...where?’

‘On the floor.’

‘No, you sleep in your bed, I’ll take the floor.’ he argued.

‘I don’t think so.’

‘I’m not letting you sleep on the floor in your own room.’ he said strictly.

‘Well I’m not letting you sleep on my floor either.’ you snapped back.

‘Alright then sleep on the bed, I won’t do anything if you don’t.’ Ivar bargained.

‘Don’t flatter yourself, I definitely won’t do anything other than snore and probably kick you out of bed.’ you scoffed.

Ivar rolled his eyes and awkwardly moved around until he could get comfortably under the covers and laid down.

Still partially annoyed, you walked over to the desk and took one of your prescribed sleeping pills and cut off the light.

After a moment of wondering if you were really about to share a bed with your guy friend you assured yourself that the only feelings you had for Ivar were platonic.

With that in mind you got in the bed and got settled in, you still made sure that there was plenty of space between the two of you.

‘Won’t your mom wonder why I’m here in the morning?’ Ivar asked.

‘No, everyone is going to Sunday morning church service. No one will be coming near my room, not until afternoon service. Benefits of being unable to sleep is getting a lot more opportunities to sleep in.’ you answered.

‘OK, if you’re sure.’ Ivar yawned before turning over.

With Ivar turned around and his breathing already evening out you also succumbed to your own exhaustion and went to sleep in record timing.

But of course you couldn’t just enjoy sleeping, not when your apparent past life was dead set on ruining your current life.

You were back in that strange room with the long fire pit, the smell of old leather and barn animals filled the air,

At first you thought it was empty, dreams like that had seemed to be becoming more common recently.

You sighed and turned, thinking you could walk around the area a bit more, maybe find something useful.

Just as you turned around you certainly found something...someone more specifically.

‘Ah!’ you squeaked out in shock as you were met by the eyeless face of the only man you could actively speak to outside of Ivar.

‘You are making progress with the Boneless one.’ he said.

‘I think I am, but I-we, we have questions and we need them answered.’ you replied.

‘You ask the wrong questions.’

‘You haven’t even heard my-’

‘I know your questions, you want to know why...why doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that he remembers, he must remember himself in all his glory, and his disgrace. He will deny it, and the memory will hurt him, but he must.’ the man said, his voice deep, heavy and grave.

For a moment his words took the very air from your lungs, they made the hair on your arms stand up and you wanted to wake up and leave this behind you; but you couldn’t.

‘Fine, I won’t ask you why, but you will tell me this. What will happen to him once he does remember?’ you asked, demanding an answer.

‘What happens when you remember things?’

You were startled out of your sleep by an iPhone ringtone.

Sluggishly you reached over for your phone that was on the nightstand and looked at it in annoyance but it wasn’t ringing.

You felt the bed shift and looked over to see Ivar leaning over to pick up his phone off the floor.

‘What do you want, Hvitserk?’ he answered, his voice deeper than normal.

‘I’m out with (Y/N)...shut up you idiot... yeah...I’ll be home for the damn lunch.’ Ivar said before hanging up and throwing the phone back down on the floor.

Just as you were about to ask what was going on Ivar rolled around facing you, he placed his arm around your waist and pulled you closer to him.

You were so close to Ivar’s chest that you could hear his heartbeat.

Ivar was most definitely sleeping if the quiet snore was anything to go off of, and you had no clue how you were supposed to deal with this. So you tried to mentally make a to-do list, if only to make it easier for you not to freak out about how you were cuddling with a boy in your bed.

First thing you needed to know was what time it was, then you needed to get the hell out of this bed.

Luckily you hadn’t put your phone down, it was still in your hand.

So at a very weird angle you held up your hand and strained your neck to look at the screen.

Eleven fifty four in the morning, a solid six hours of sleep you noted absentmindedly.

Ok, step one went without a hitch, now for the next step.

First you moved his arm that was draped over your waist, and did an awkward little skoot backwards until you were almost completely out of the bed.

‘Where you going?’ Ivar asked sleepily.

‘Um, out of bed?’

‘Get back here...I’m sleepy.’

‘I thought you were a morning person.’ you tried.

‘Not on days like this.’

‘It’s almost noon, my family will be back at like twelve thirty.’ you said.

Ivar made a unpleased noise and sat up, he put his feet down then he lightly stomped each foot.

‘At least I can walk now.’ he sighed as he stood up.

‘So...you like to cuddle.’ you smiled, trying to lighten the mood without talking about his legs.

‘Rarely, and don’t go telling people either.’

‘Why shouldn’t I?’

‘Because I could tell everyone you got caught with your twins out last night.’

‘Ivar!’ you shouted.

‘I’ll be quiet if you will?’ he bargained.

‘Deal, any...dreams last night?’ you asked.

‘No. What about you?’

You nodded.

‘And I got at least two of our questions answered.’

‘Which two?’

‘Well..I know that your nose bleed was because you were remembering. The man with no eyes said the memory would hurt.’

‘The man with no eyes, what else did he say?’ Ivar asked.

‘I asked what would happen if you did remember.’

‘Ok...and?’

‘He just said what happens to me when I remember things.’

Ivar squinted his eyes in confusion.

‘What happens when you remember things?’

‘I mean...nothing, I just have that information again I guess, but the information I remember is usually not an entire lifetime of memories.’ you said.

‘Well, maybe if you’re as lucky as me you’ll get to remember your old life too.’ he sighed.

‘Ivar, I know this all really sucks…’

‘Were you gonna finish the sentence?’

‘No that was it, this sucks.’

Ivar scoffed, but it quickly became a laugh, a contagious kind it seemed as you were also in stitches.

‘Come on, I gotta start getting ready for afternoon service, and I think you have some type of lunch thing with your family.’

‘Yeah. I’ll call you after.’ Ivar promised.

‘Cool, and not to smother you, but let me know how you are feeling when you get in.’

‘Fine. I can text you.’

‘Good.’

The two of you stood still for a minute.

‘Ok bye.’ Ivar said, actually leaving this time.

You weren’t sure why, but something possessed you to look out your window so you could see Ivar get in his car.

And maybe whatever made you come to the window also made Ivar look back up at you.

He smiled and waved, and you returned the favor.

You watched him get in and pull off and you let out a breath that you couldn’t for the life of you remember holding; your chest felt tight and your cheeks were hot.

Oh...this was bad.

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: The Alliance

Summary: Ivar takes his betrothed to meet a very special person before they depart.

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Taglist: @ubbesgirl, @shewolf2000, @tis-itheapplepie, @atequila, @demoncrypt1066, @greennightspider, @badbitsh13, @fireismysaftey, @minarawr, @laketaj24, @hvitserksgirl, @blahblahcookiesdoma, @fabulous-peasent, @sforsammmmmi, @minmiin1d, @courtrae89, @letsloveimagines, @tomarisela, @titty-teetee, @beyond-the-ashes@elenawrit, @mblaqgi, @whenimaunicorn, @chuflisworld, @mystruggledlife, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @syreni-dea, @trashqueenbitch, @alykatv, @mbaku-babygirl, @perfectus-in-morte, @beyond-the-ashes, @neeadinghugs, @readsalot73, @triumphantreturnofpies, @anarchy-is-coming, @tephi101, @alicedopey, @ivarslittlebadgirl, @jtrstp, @nejijjeoroo, @charlylama, @ivartheblessed, @captstefanbrandt, @fabulouschrissi, @ivarsrideordie, @3x5gurl, @the-writer-appreciation-blog, @lolabee9, @captainfoxy22, @young-ugly-god, @im5ftbutmythroat66, @bribyyy, @irishhiggins, @cadetomlinson, @keclleon101, @slutforragnarssons, @ltkeke, @meeeeeeeeeps, @lille-kanin, @opalscarab, @ssraven7, @ivarandersen, @concretewaywardangel, @funmadnessandbadassvikings, @sharon-is-tired, @cadetomlinson, @mystruggledlife, @chuflisworld, @justmarissa97, @lol-haha-joke, @weirdly-randomly-awesome, @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanim, @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers, @alexa040004, @buckythetinman , @burntmythroatskullingmytea,@jorunnravenslayer, @two-unbeatable-beaters, @buffy-the-vampire-blogger, @arses21434, @ltkeke, @captainfoxy22, @chinduda @letsshamelessqueen-m @my-soul-is-the-moon @we-are-transcendent

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

A/N: I know, I took FOREVER to post this but at last here it is in all its non-proofread glory. I hope you all enjoy it.

His father had once told him about this ridiculous Christian thing called a miracle when he was a child, it was a word he used when describing his washing up back on Kattegat shores.

Something that is not possible.

While he did truly hate the entirety of the Christian religion and those who believed in it, Ivar didn’t know any other words to describe how he had gotten a ship ready so soon.

It was almost purely a coincidence that out of a small fleet of ships that had been used to raid in England last year one hadn’t yet been completely stripped down. So Ivar hired a large group of young able bodied men and a single experienced old timer to lead them in preparing the boat.

Of course the ship being partially prepared already didn’t mean that there was not still a lot of work to be done. They still needed rations of food, ale and drinkable water for those on board to make it to Tunisia without starving. There was also a need for even more essential things like oars, a new sail, blankets, ravens and ropes.

All these things kept Ivar in a constant state of annoyance and stress, none of which was helped by the fact that he hadn’t had much time spent with his betrothed.

While he himself was very occupied with preparing for the journey, Princess (Y/N) was preparing for the arrival.

Going over details with Ragnar and hand picking the warriors she wanted to journey back with them, as well as teaching everyone her language. 

It had already been discussed during first meal that she would teach Ivar privately on the journey so that he wouldn’t have to take time away from his preparations.

At last tonight the ship was fully stocked and prepared to make the journey to Africa. Ivar felt such a sense of relief in this moment that it was only second to the feeling of winning (Y/N)’s hand in marriage. 

He was so exhausted he nearly fainted on the docks.

But he managed to pull himself the rest of the way to his chamber and was surprised to find (Y/N) sitting in his bed.

‘Ah, a pleasant surprise.’ he said as he pulled himself up onto the mattress next to her.

‘Sorry to intrude, I just needed a minute away from everyone, it feels as if I haven’t had a moment to myself since the feast.’ she said.

‘I understand, I am glad you find comfort in my chambers, since we will be sharing it rather soon.’ Ivar sighed as he laid down.

‘Tired?’

‘Exhausted, I’m honestly wishing we could just skip the weddings and just be married at this point.’ he yawned.

‘Really?’ (Y/N) asked as she laid down beside him.

Ivar was surprised by this, a small part of him had expected that now that he was here that she would leave.

‘Yes, of course I cannot wait to meet your family, I just wish the boat was easier to prepare, or at least less tiresome.’ 

‘I understand, Sven seemed stressed when he had to prepare for the journey to bring us here. I wish I could bring you some comfort.’

‘You already are, just being here.’

‘Do you really find my company so comfortable? No nervousness?’ she asked, turning onto her side to face him a bit better.

‘Why should I be nervous?’ Ivar countered. 

‘Lots of reasons, you will soon be on a boat for the first time in your life to meet the family of the woman you will be marrying.’ she said.

‘I have wanted to be on a boat on my way to new places since I was a boy, it is only now that I have the opportunity. If anything I am thankful to you, and despite how tired I am from preparing for it, I am excited for the journey.’ Ivar said softly.

‘I am nervous.’ the princess confessed.

‘Why? I cannot imagine a woman as amazing as you being nervous.’ Ivar replied as he sat up.

‘You are the first man other than my father to be in my life, and he wasn’t in it long enough. I have never felt anything for a man, but I feel something for you Ivar. Something I have never felt before and sometimes it scares me, I think that I will not be a good enough wife to you.’ she confessed. 

‘I know you will be a great wife, Freya will guide you to be the best wife in all of Midgard.’

‘Who is Freya?’

‘Freya is Odin’s wife, the goddess of fertility...and a few other things involved in marriage.’ Ivar explained.

‘Other things?’ the princess asked in confusion as she sat up and began removing her rings from her fingers.

Ivar watched almost in a trance as she reached behind her back began to undo the laces of her dress.

‘She is also the Goddess of things like war and death.’ he said, mouth going dry as the princess began comfortably removing her dress and skirts.

‘Does war and death naturally go along with marriage?’ (Y/N) asked as she finally removed the last of her skirts.

‘No...but she is also associated with beauty, lust...and sex.’

‘Sex? I imagine that is a large part of a healthy marriage. Just another reason to feel nervous I suppose.’ she said as she got back in the bed.

‘Sorry if my disrobing made you uncomfortable, I was becoming a bit warm. May I help you out of your clothes as well...My Love?’

‘My Love?’ Ivar asked, deciding not to answer her request to undress him.

‘My mother used to call my father her Love, when I was a girl I couldn’t wait to say that to someone, but then I began training and it took over my mind to the point that I forgot about my silly little dream.’ she said as she began tugging at Ivar’s tunic.

It seemed she had taken his silence as compliance and decided to just go ahead and undress him, and Ivar was too stunned to fight it. So he raised his arms and let her pull the material over his head.

‘I used to listen to my parents call each other all sorts of things, very rarely anything nice.’ Ivar said quietly as he began to become self conscious.

(Y/N) was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and her naked body was a blessing to behold, and he knew she would never find such a beauty in his broken bones.

‘I noticed, I always knew that all marriages were not out of love, but all the ones I have seen normally have a bit more...respect between them. I imagine a lot of anger has been between your mother and father, I’m sure they each have reasons.’ she said as she stood in front of him

‘They have plenty of reasons, they share them quite often, I’m sure you will find out once we are officially married. They will grow tired of acting civil quite quickly once they no longer need to impress you. Pretty soon my mother will be complaining drunkenly to you while my father seethes.’ he tried to joke to mask the way he flinched when she went to remove his pants.

The princess saw his tenseness and stilled her motions.

‘I want to see them Ivar...I want to see you. I am to be your wife and you are to be my husband. You belong to me just as I belong to you, please let me see you.’ she asked.

‘You are kind...and naive. I can look at you and see that  you have never felt disgust; true and complete disgust, the kind that makes you want to turn away so that when your stomach lurches you don’t have to worry about adding your sick to an already unpleasant sight. I do not want you to feel such a thing for me yet.’ 

‘I would never find you disgusting, you are the man who bested me in combat. What about you could be disgusting? Your strength, your character?’

‘My legs, more than once I’ve seen women look away from me in favor of my brothers.’ Ivar said.

‘I have never favored your brothers, not to say I do not like them. They are not attractive to me physically, but your spirit....I’ve never seen anything so beautiful and magnificent.’ (Y/N) said holding Ivar’s face gently in her hands.

‘You are only saying that, and I appreciate it, but I assure you once we reach Tunisia you can pick any man you like to come back with us. To satisfy your needs that I never could.’ Ivar replied sadly as he tried to turn away.

‘No man, no matter if his skin was as black as war paint and his dreadlocks flowed down his back like rain, could ever have a spirit as great as you.’ she swore, keeping her hold firm on him, making him meet her eyes.

She tried to make her sincerity pour out of her brown eyes, so that her intended could be assured that he had no reason to feel insecure. She felt no disgust toward him and she had no desire to lay with any man other than the one she was to be married to.

Ivar did not look away this time, instead he just looked at her, searching for any of the signs that she was lying. Her eyes didn’t shift, her eyebrows didn’t twitch and her face didn’t tense up...she was telling the truth.

She really didn’t find him repulsive, and that was a reality that he was almost unprepared to accept.

‘May I undress you...my Love?’ she asked again.

‘Yes.’ he said so quietly that even he barely heard it.

She unlaced his trousers, slowly so that if Ivar truly wished for her to stop he could let her know. Despite how he was gripping tightly at the furs on his bed, he did not push her hands away and easily raised his hips so that she could pull them down.

Once the pants had been removed she stood and took in the sight before her, Ivar’s legs looked truly broken...practically tortured.

‘In Tunisia we have so much gold that if we really wanted we could boast being one of the wealthiest kingdoms in all of Africa, but we don’t. In all honesty...we don’t value it at this point, obviously we know everyone else does but do you know what we truly value?’ the princess asked as she kneeled before Ivar just as she had when she proposed the Matrimonial Fight.

‘We value this.’ she said running her fingers over one of the many scars over Ivar’s right leg.

‘Scars, we cherish them. They show what a person has been through; how they have lived and how hard they have fought to keep living. Some warriors wear scars to show how many kills they have made and how many battles they have fought. I believe the Great and Many Spirits gave you the scars in advance because you are destined to see many victories.’ the princess began.

‘We bleed our people, a scar will show their loyalty and their endurance. I was born into a royal bloodline, so other than minor scrapes from training I have had no scars...until these.’

(Y/N) ran her hand over the scar where he cut her chest when she had proposed the fight, then the one on her shoulder that claimed her as his bride to be.

‘These scars were given to me by you, do you know what that means Prince Ivar of Kattegat?’

Not trusting himself to speak without his voice shaking, Ivar shook his head.

‘It means that I am fated by the Spirits to endure you, no matter what you do I will be at your side. You can not scare me away Ivar, you can’t push me into the arms of another. You are mine to endure, just as I am yours...My Love.’

If her words weren’t enough to move him to tears then her leaning down to place a kiss on the scar she had been touching certainly was.

He tried to cover his quivering lip, but he couldn’t stop his sob from escaping his mouth.

(Y/N) moved to sit on the bed and wordlessly pulled Ivar into her arms, and without hesitation he accepted the affection.

He cried into her naked chest for what felt like an eternity but had really only been about thirty minutes, not that Ivar could be blamed for this; he had fallen asleep.

The princess carefully laid back and pulled the furs over the two of them, seeing as the fire was dwindling. 

As Ivar slept in her arms she thought of how she had found herself here; she had been so desperate for some peace and quiet. Between teaching Derja to so many people with different learning styles and your servants chattering about how excited they were to return home the princess needed a break.

So she devised a plan to get away; a simple plan that consisted of simply telling different people different things. Telling the servants to go to her chambers to sleep while she teaches the royal family and then telling the royals she was going to rest. Then she thought as to where she should go now that she was alone, at first she considered taking up one of the empty chambers but did not want to make unnecessary work for the slaves.

For a while she just silently moved around the long halls until she spotted Ivar’s thrall leaving a room carrying a basket of sheets. Assuming that the room was Ivar’s and the sheets had already been changed she snuck into the room while no one was in the hall.

Ivar’s room was very obviously his, and it even showed more of who he was than he probably realized.

Most of the furniture was placed very closely to the bed so that he wouldn’t have to crawl as much, unlike the other rooms where everything was spread out to fill the space. There was an almost infinite amount of scratches and dents in the wood works of the room as well as the furniture from years of Ivar throwing weapons around during his many anger spells.

The room was empty and full and beautifully scarred just like Ivar, in an odd way just being in this room put the princess’s mind at ease.

She knew that at some point Ivar would come back to his chamber and they would obviously address her being here, but she did not know that it would lead to this. Ivar sleeping in her arms, not that she minded at all.

In fact she soon joined Ivar in the land of peaceful slumber; in her dream she was chasing after a large beast through the fields of Tunisia to turn into the most magnificent fur for her husband, in his Ivar was fighting in a great battle, standing strong and whole and at his side he saw his princess fighting alongside of him.

Both of them would have been happy to stay in their dreams forever, but of course it was not meant to be.

Trya entered the room an hour before the sun was set to rise, just as she always did with her shield and a small pebble. And as usual she threw the pebble from the door toward the bed and held up the shield.

However, on this morning, there were more daggers thrown her way than normal.

Cautiously she lowered the shield to see her master was not alone in his bed, the African princess was also there.

Both royals were, as far as she could tell, undressed.

Trya...good morning.’ Ivar greeted as he sleepily stretched and yawned.

‘Good morning Prince Ivar, Princess (Y/N).’

‘Good morning, I hate to trouble you, but could you fetch my servants from my chambers and have them bring me a courtesy robe, so that I can leave you to your own morning chores.’ she requested politely as she covered herself with the furs.

‘Of course, right away your highness.’ Trya bowed before she left, leaving Ivar and the princess alone.

‘Well this will be our last day in Kattegat before we board the ship, there will be quite a feast tonight.’ Ivar said.

He had no intention of speaking on their emotional conversation last night, or the fact that they had just been in a very obviously compromising position.

‘I have been told, Leena and Kya are so excited that they get to help prepare a traditional African meal. I am more excited to go home and see my family, I’m sure they are worried, I was not meant to stay this long.’ (Y/N) said.

‘Really?’ he asked, to which the princess nodded.

‘When Sven proposed the marriage I agreed to only one week, if only to meet the man I might marry. It’s been a month, so I can’t imagine what my mother must think is keeping me here.’

‘I hope she doesn’t assume we are keeping you against your will.’ he said.

‘No one knows what the mind of a worried mother is capable of coming up with.’ the woman sighed.

The door opened and in walked the one of the Tunisian servants holding a white robe made of fine silk folded over her arm.

‘Princess, Ivar Prince.’ she greeted as best she could in Norse.

‘Prince Ivar.’ (Y/N) corrected as she got out of the bed.

This time Ivar didn’t look away, he had seen all of her last night, and it didn’t feel like he was doing anything wrong now. She had consciously let him see her full beauty last night, and she would also be his wife, there was no reason for him to feel guilty for looking at her.

However, none of that changed how breathtaking he found her to be.

The princess was dressed and politely left to get dressed for the first meal of the day, leaving Trya to dress Ivar.

As usual the room was silent as she helped him into his trousers but this morning the silence seemed pregnant.

‘You have something you wish to say Trya?’

‘No Prince Ivar...just that I am happy for you, in all my years serving you I have never seen you like this. So...happy.’ the thrall commented as she put on his boots.

Ivar thought about it and he realized that she was right. In the months since the Tunisians had arrived he had found himself generally in a good mood. He was no longer waking up to do nothing but crawl through the markets to watch the people live regular lives with working legs.

Now he had important things to do, he had a princess to make his wife and a boat to board; he had real duties.

‘Thank you Trya, I hope my good mood lasts while we are on the ship.’

Soon Ivar made his way to the high table, taking his time to look around and trying to memorize all the little things he never paid attention to. 

Tomorrow would be the last day he would see these things before he boarded the ship to go to Tunisia. From how everyone has been speaking of the feast that would be held tonight, he imagined he’d be far too drunk to pay much attention then.

‘Brother.’ Ubbe greeted as Ivar crawled into his seat.

Ivar grunted tiredly in response, taking notice that (Y/N) had not yet made it to the high table.

He also realized his mother was at the table quietly eating her meal without looking up at anyone, seeming as if she had no idea her entire family was even there.

It was the first time Ivar had seen his mother since he told her that no matter what he would be going on this journey.

Aslaug hadn’t really spoken to anyone really, not even just to fight with Ragnar; which was truly odd. Her silence was clearly her way of showing her disapproval of this entire journey, and it pained Ivar not to be speaking with her.

‘Mother, will you be joining us on the journey? I made accommodations for you.’ he said.

Of course he received no reply.

‘Her mood aside it is nice to see you and the princess are already getting along so well.’ Ragnar said.

Hvitserk and Sigurd snickered as they ate their meals.

‘What are you talking about?’ the youngest asked.

‘Don’t be shy brother, you two are to be wed, no one can blame you for not being able to wait. I doubt any of us could if we were so lucky.’ Ubbe said.

‘The thralls saw the princess leaving your room in a courtesy robe, good for you brother.’ he continued.

‘It has only just happened, how do you all know already?’ Ivar asked in pure confusion.

‘Forget all that, we want to hear about it.’ Hvitserk said eagerly.

‘Quickly before she gets here.’ Sigurd urged.

‘There is nothing to tell, we just slept. She wanted a moment alone so she went into my chamber, when I came in we spoke then fell asleep.’ he explained.

‘He is being truthful.’ the princess said as she entered the Great Hall with her usual party in tow and took her place.

‘Good morning princess, may I apologize for my sons' crudeness.’ Ragnar said.

‘No need King Ragnar, the one thing that spreads faster than illness is gossip. And they, as his brothers have the right to be curious.’ she smiled politely.

The princess looked to the queen and sighed, seeing there was no point in trying to have a pleasant exchange.

‘What will you all be doing today, checking over our luggage?’ Aslaug asked, surprising everyone.

‘Our luggage?’ Ivar asked.

‘That is what I said, I guess if my entire family insists on drowning we might as well do it together. So that I can be smug when we all arrive in Valhalla.’ she said snidely.

Ragnar rolled his eyes at his wife's dramatics.

‘I see must apologize again for my family.’ he sighed.

‘And again there is no need, she has every right to be upset, in all honesty I imagine my own mother will be far worse to deal with and I will be doing a lot of apologizing in Tunisia.’ she said.

‘And there will be no need.’ Ragnar lightheartedly mocked the princess's voice.

From anyone else (Y/N) was sure she’d be offended, but something about King Ragnar was oddly charming.

‘Why don’t you all go enjoy your last day in Kattegat. Say your goodbyes.’ Ragnar suggested.

‘Yes, go through the markets and see how many gifts you will get this time princess.’ Sigurd said.

‘Ah! Speaking of gifts, I have something for Ivar, the blacksmith gave it to me for you. He said he wanted to give it to you after the fight but it wasn’t ready.’ (Y/N) said before wordlessly looking over to one of her servants.

The girl nodded and left to retrieve the gift and while they all waited for her to return they gave their guesses for what they thought the gift was.

More than likely it was probably a set of daggers or some new welding tools that he was thinking about.

At last the servant came back but she certainly wasn’t holding daggers or tools.

‘What is this?’ Ivar asked as she approached him.

‘Crutches, he said he had been working on the design for a long time, and he wanted to give it to you as an engagement present.’ the princess said as Ivar was handed his new gift.

Ivar looked over the craftsmanship and sure enough he could tell that a great deal of effort had been put into each one. 

They were made of bronze, with oak wood handles that had very finely sanded as to not cause splinters and at the bottom there were sharp spikes that he assumed were meant to root into the dirt, but he also figured if he needed to he could use them as a weapon.

‘Amazing.’ he said as he inspected them.

‘Try them out Ivar.’ Aslaug smiled.

The first smile anyone has seen on her face since the Matrimonial Fight, it seemed no amount of her anger could compare to her love for Ivar.

Ivar pushed his seat away from the table before firmly planting the first crutch, making sure the spike was stabbed into the wooden floor before doing the same with the second crutch.

Once he was fairly certain that the crutches wouldn’t slide he began to pull himself up.

This was the closest to standing he had ever been in his entire life, he was obviously not at his full height but he had never stood this high before.

‘Do they feel alright Ivar?’ Ubbe asked.

‘Excellent brother.’ Ivar answered excitedly.

‘Try walking.’ Sigurd said, an underline of malice in his voice.

‘Sigurd.’ Aslaug said in warning, sending her third son a look only a mother was capable of making.

‘No, he is right, crutches are made to help men walk, not just stand around like trees.’ Ivar said, returning his brother’s look.

Ivar straightened up his position a bit more and very cautiously moved the right crutch a few inches in front of him before he used the strength of his arms to pull his top half forward; his legs dragging behind him.

He looked very focused as he did this a few more times until he seemed to get the hang of it, he stood a bit taller as he moved about the room, smiling with an almost childlike glee.

‘I take it you are pleased with this gift Ivar.’ the princess asked.

‘Of course I am, this is the first time I’ve ever seen things from this height, I didn’t even know I was this tall.’ he replied happily.

‘Still the shortest out of us.’ Hvitserk teased in good fun.

‘And you’re still the dumbest.’ Ivar returned in kind as he moved back to his seat and sat down.

‘Never mind all of this, tonight will be our last night in Kattegat before we all board the ship and sail off to Tunisia.’ Ragnar said.

The princess noticed a small, barely there, look of distaste in his eyes as he looked at the crutches at Ivar’s side.

‘It is and I would like to at last spend some time with my fiance.’ Ivar said smiling at (Y/N).

‘Why not spend the day with your beloved brothers?’ Ubbe joked.

‘I see you all too much for my liking, besides, she is better looking.’ 

The rest of the meal was full of joyful banter between Ivar and his brothers, every so often the princess would join in. Overall everyone, with the exception of Queen Aslaug, was in good spirits and anxiously waiting for the feast.

Eventually everyone began to go their own ways; the queen leaving wordlessly as Ubbe and Hvitserk began to speak of all the women they planned to see. 

Ubbe, Hvitserk and Sigurd left to see who could bed the most women before morning, leaving Ivar, the princess and Ragnar at the table.

‘Well now that we have a bit of peace, what do you actually have planned for today?’ the king asked.

‘I want to take her to meet Floki, it has already been too long since I’ve seen him. Between my engagement and his preparing to set sail with Bjorn we haven’t had the time to visit.’ Ivar answered as he grabbed his crutches and pulled himself up.

Again (Y/N) noticed a look of distaste come over Ragnar’s face as he looked at Ivar stabling himself; and again she decided not to say anything.

‘Come Princess, let us start our last Viking outing.’ the prince invited.

(Y/N) stood and her servants bid her farewell before heading to the kitchens to prepare tonight’s feasts, and Bintu went to follow behind her princess when she was stopped.

‘Bintu, it is our last day in this country before we return home, don’t you want to spend it doing something you enjoy?’ the princess asked.

‘I enjoy keeping you safe.’

‘I can think of another person you’d rather spend your time with.’

Bintu was visibly flustered as she looked around for a second to see if anyone else had heard (Y/N)’s teases.

‘Hush now, there is nothing else for me to do...with anyone.’ she said quickly, hoping no one would be able to translate it fully.

‘Then go on and enjoy a day of peace alone, see what else this country has to enjoy...I want you to have fun today.’

Bintu looked ready to argue some more but her princess would not let her.

‘I’m just going to keep teasing until you go, and you know it.’

‘All these years later and you still exhaust me just as you did as a child.’ she sighed in defeat as she left.

‘What did you say to her?’ Ivar asked.

‘Nothing she wasn’t hoping I’d say; trust me she will be enjoying her day with a mutual friend of ours.’ (Y/N) smiled.

‘Sven.’ Ivar and Ragnar grinned.

It was true that despite Bintu’s determination to keep her activities with the old man a secret Sven was proudly boasting their affairs to anyone who would listen.

‘Go on now you two, I will busy myself elsewhere. Ivar, be sure to send Floki and Helga my love.’ Ragnar said.

Finally Ivar and (Y/N) made their way out onto the markets and they were met with an almost immediate silence.

It would seem everyone was in shock to see Ivar’s face without having to lower their heads.

‘Come this way, to the stables.’ Ivar said, trying to ignore all the attention on him as he led the princess through the separating crowd.

‘Why must we go there?’

‘Floki doesn’t live in Kattegat, even if my legs worked it would still take days to get there on foot.’ 

‘Is your friend a recluse?’

‘Of course not, he is just…’ Ivar paused to find a word to describe the man that helped raise him.

‘He is just Floki, there is really no other way to describe that old man. He prefers to be in the company of the Gods over other humans, you will know when you meet him and meeting him is something no one ever forgets.’ he settles.

The princess hummed in response.

‘I believe I have heard of the name Floki...is he a man of power?’

‘Floki seeks no point in power, he feels he hasn’t the mind for it. In his eyes the Gods made him to follow; to follow their will and the men they favored.’

‘If not a man of power who is he? Who is he to your people and to you.’

Ivar laughed as the two of them reached the stable and he gave a boy direction to set up a cart to carry them to Floki’s estate.

‘Floki helped to raise me...whenever my parents fought which as you’ve seen to be often, mother would take me to Floki because she didn’t want me to be as my father.’

‘Why? King Ragnar seems to be a very good man.’

‘He is; the greatest and most famous man in our country, but he is not a conventional Viking. He has questioned and even denied his own belief in the Gods, befriended and protected Christians. Even now under his tunic he bears the cross of a Priest named Athelstan, the first Chritian he’d ever spoken to.’ Ivar explained. 

The princess took a minute to process this information as she and Ivar were helped into the cart.

‘This tells me who he is to you, but it doesn’t tell me who this man is to your people.’

‘Floki is our boat builder, his ship took Ragnar to England for the very first time, every man who calls himself a builder has consulted with Floki. His craftsmanship is only second to the dwarves. The Gods gave him the ability to pick the best trees and the foresight to know exactly how to build a boat that could cut through water like a knife though fresh bread.’ he answered.

‘So he is the man who created those ships, I must say I’m excited to meet him. My people… we see many visitors and wanderers; and a great many just jump on ships to far away places, but we have no way to travel independently. The boats we will receive in this alliance could change our way of living.’ (Y/N) said.

‘And the gold we will receive from your country will help us fund raids and wars that have long been fated.’

As they spoke the cart carried them out of Kattegat and the princess looked at this new scenery in wonder. There were so many trees here, and the earth was so moist compared to the almost desert-like village she lived in.

‘I wish we had known about the abundance of trees you had here, I imagine we will be trading some of our gold for wood.’ she said absentmindedly.

‘Do you not have trees in your country?’ Ivar asked in mild disbelief.

‘Of course we do, just not many, not enough to build anything.’ 

At last the cart stopped and the thrall helped them get off safely, making sure not to be too rough while sitting down the most feared prince in all of Kattegat.

‘Thank you for delivering us safely, take this as a token of my grace. Please be sure that the horse is rested while we visit.’ the princess said as she handed the thrall a golden ring from her finger.

‘Princess I can not possibly-’

‘Take it, you won’t find too many charitable royals boy.’ 

With swift reflexes Princess (Y/N) threw her dagger at the sudden voice that came from behind her.

The dagger landed at the feet of an old man; he stood more than six foot but was lightly leaning against an even taller walking stick. his eyes were lined with charcoal and his bald had was covered in faded tattoos.

His very presence made the princess feel as if she, a royal princess of a rich kingdom, was no more than a child hiding behind the huts of Tunisia once more.

‘Whew! I see this one does not take kindly to surprises.’ the man chuckled madly.

‘You can't fault her for defending herself, you are quite a horrid sight to a young woman.’ Ivar said with a glare.

‘That may be true, how many daggers has she thrown at your crippled arse?’ the old man snapped back in response.

(Y/N)’s eyes were nearly out of her head, she had never heard Ivar speak so rudely to anyone, nor had anyone ever been so disrespectful to a royal in her presence. 

Before she could voice her dissatisfaction Ivar and the old man began to laugh wildly.

The old man threw aside his stick and moved towards Ivar and wrapped his arms around him.

‘Floki!’ Ivar said cheerfully.

‘Ivar the Boneless.’ the man smiled as he let go of the prince.

‘I want you to meet someone very special, Floki; this is (Y/N) Princess of Tunisia. She is to be my wife.’ Ivar said proudly.

‘I know who she is, some gossip of Kattegat can still reach this old boat builder’s ears. I hear she gave you one hel of fight.’ Floki said.

‘She did, but I would be disappointed if she hadn’t, I wanted her to meet you before we depart for Africa.’

‘I’m glad for it Ivar, let me get a better look at her.’ 

The old man placed his hands on her shoulders and held her in place and just looked down at her.

Floki really was a very tall man, even though she could tell he was slouching and not at full height he was still stood almost a head over her.

His eyes were lined thickly with coal, but nothing could hide the age on the man’s face, it was obvious to the princess that this man had lived a hard life and known much loss and great sadness.

‘I can see she has the same sight as me… she is reading me just as I’m reading her. What do you see princesses?’ he asked.

‘I see that you wear coal on your eyes to hide the sadness in them, your scalp is tattooed, something that I’m sure pained you, but it was far from your truest pain. You are old, and a great many heartbreaks can be gained in a long life lived hard.’ she answered.

Floki smiled and closed his eyes as he let out a sigh.

‘What do you see in me, Floki?’ the princess asked in return.

‘I see that you have been raised to keep face in front of people, but you are more than a princess; you thirst for blood. You want to fight on the battlefield for glory, but you have never seen it. You are naive to how horrid it is and you know it...but still you want it.’ Floki guessed.

She was shocked to have what she considered to be her deepest desire exposed by a stranger.

‘I do, but if the spirits are kind to my people I will never see the reality of war.’ she said once she regained her composure.

‘She will either be the best thing that happened to you Ivar, or she will be the end of everything. Only time will tell which one.’ he said gravely as he looked between the young royals.

A pregnant silence filled the atmosphere and for a moment neither Ivar or (Y/N) knew what to say, thankfully Floki laughed.

‘Come on, Helga is going to want to send you off to another country ten pounds heavier.’ the man said as he dragged Ivar off toward the small house.

(Y/N) picked up Ivar’s crutches and Floki’s walking stick before she followed behind the two Norsemen and thought to herself that Ivar was right.

She would never forget meeting this man.

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: A Different Time (Final)

Summary: Now that they know how to go home it is time for the Vikings to go back to their own century.

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen, Part Fifteen, Part Sixteen

Taglist: @ubbesgirl, @shewolf2000, @tis-itheapplepie, @atequila, @demoncrypt1066, @greennightspider, @badbitsh13, @fireismysaftey, @minarawr, @laketaj24, @hvitserksgirl, @blahblahcookiesdoma, @fabulous-peasent, @sforsammmmmi, @minmiin1d, @courtrae89, @letsloveimagines, @tomarisela, @titty-teetee, @beyond-the-ashes@elenawrit, @mblaqgi, @whenimaunicorn, @chuflisworld, @mystruggledlife, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @syreni-dea, @trashqueenbitch, @alykatv, @mbaku-babygirl, @perfectus-in-morte, @beyond-the-ashes, @neeadinghugs, @readsalot73, @triumphantreturnofpies, @anarchy-is-coming, @tephi101, @alicedopey, @ivarslittlebadgirl, @jtrstp, @nejijjeoroo, @charlylama, @ivartheblessed, @captstefanbrandt, @fabulouschrissi, @ivarsrideordie, @3x5gurl, @the-writer-appreciation-blog, @lolabee9, @captainfoxy22, @young-ugly-god, @im5ftbutmythroat66, @bribyyy, @irishhiggins, @cadetomlinson, @keclleon101, @slutforragnarssons, @ltkeke, @meeeeeeeeeps, @lille-kanin, @opalscarab, @ssraven7, @ivarandersen, @concretewaywardangel, @funmadnessandbadassvikings, @sharon-is-tired, @cadetomlinson, @mystruggledlife, @chuflisworld, @justmarissa97, @lol-haha-joke, @weirdly-randomly-awesome, @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanim, @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers, @alexa040004, @buckythetinman , @burntmythroatskullingmytea,@jorunnravenslayer, @two-unbeatable-beaters, @buffy-the-vampire-blogger, @arses21434, @ltkeke, @captainfoxy22, @chinduda @letsshamelessqueen-m @my-soul-is-the-moon @we-are-transcendent, @sparklemichele

To say that the mood had been ruined by Sigurd last night would be a massive understatement.

Neither you nor Ivar even had the energy to speak about what had just happened, even if you did what would you say?

“I love you and we are perfect for each other but you need to go back to a land before toilet paper.”

Yeah right.

So you both just went to sleep.

Now you were waking up and Ivar was gone, but you knew last night hadn’t been a dream because your laptop was open with all kind of nonsense typed into the Google search bar. It didn’t take a genius to realize that Ivar had woken up before you and messed with your computer.

With a small sigh you closed the laptop and got out of bed to take a quick shower and brushed your teeth.

Dressed in pajamas you walked into the den and found everyone sitting around, looking very deep in thought.

‘I take it Ivar told you all about Sigurd.’ you guessed.

‘He did, he is also spouting nonsense about wanting to stay.’ Bjorn said with a scowl.

‘It is not nonsense, we have been for three days and nothing seems to have changed. Why leave if there is no reason?’ Ivar argued.

‘We all have reasons! I have a wife and children, and an entire country to raid! Not to mention that if we are all here what will happen to Kattegat? Hmmm? Our father’s kingdom, King Finehair has been waiting for years to take it over. What will keep him from doing so if we are here?!’ Bjorn shouted.

‘I do not care about Kattegat! What is it to me?! What was it to Father?! He was never there! All he wanted to do was get away from that barren place, so much so that he found England and Paris.’ Ivar spat.

‘You knew your father a short while Ivar, I knew him most of my life. Yes, Ragnar hated ruling, but he knew it was his home. Its where his family was, it’s the world he built for his sons.’ Lagertha said.

‘Why are you so keen on returning Lagertha? Are you really so eager to face me in combat?’ Ivar growled.

Lagertha smiled softly before she stood from her seat in the armchair.

‘I may not be eager, but be assured I’m ready.’

‘Hey! None of that! Not here, save all of that for when you are home. Ivar...you all are going home, I don’t like it either but Bjorn is right. You all have big roles in history as well as lives to live, you can’t just stay here.’ you said with finality.

Ivar looked visibly upset but said nothing back, and the others all seemed to take that as Ivar agreeing.

‘Good, now take the ax and send us all back.’ Bjorn said impatiently.

‘Wait.’ you said before you could stop yourself.

‘What is it?’ Ubbe asked.

‘Let’s go out, one last time. We could go to a park, get in one last good memory together before you go back.’ you said.

Sure you were procrastinating but you couldn’t help it, you really didn’t want them to leave. You didn’t want to go back to waking up alone and only having the television to keep you company.

‘I agree with (Y/N), I do not wish to have our time with her end on a sour note.’ Hvitserk said as he moved to stand between Ivar and Lagertha.

Ivar scowled at Lagertha one last time before he nodded.

‘Good, let’s go and get dressed. We can get you all ready to leave when we come back.’ you said.

The air in the room was still heavy but everyone moved to their rooms. 

As you picked out your clothes you kept having to tell yourself that you were doing the right thing, but it was hard to feel that way when all you wanted was for them to stay. 

Nonetheless, you pushed your own emotions to the side and finished putting on your sundress and white sandals. 

While you were putting on some lotion someone knocked on your door.

‘One second.’ you called before standing up and opening the door, revealing Ubbe.

‘Is everyone ready?’ you asked.

‘Not yet, but I wanted to tell you how much we all appreciate you doing this. I know it is not easy, but it is necessary.’ he said.

You nodded, keeping your eyes closed to keep them from watering.

‘Yeah, I know, but let’s not talk about it. I want to enjoy the last day with you all as much as I can.’ you smiled.

The two of you left your room and went to wait on the couch for everyone else.

While you were going through your purse making sure you had everything you needed you got a good idea.

‘Hey Ubbe come here.’ you did, motioning for him to sit closer to you.

He looked confused but did as you asked, once he was close enough you held up your phone.

‘What is this?’ Ubbe asked in wonder as he looked at his own image on your screen.

‘A picture, I want to have a few things to remember you all by, just look at the phone and smile.’ you explained.

Ubbe smiles and you do the same, once you were satisfied with angle you snapped the pic.

‘Yay, you are very photogenic.’ you comment as you showed him the picture.

‘What does that mean?’ 

‘It means you look good.’

‘Well I could have told you that much.’ he said smugly.

For the next minute or so you and Ubbe take more selfies and once everyone else came out you got one with each of them, all of them being fascinated to see their own image.

‘I really am quite handsome.’ Hvitserk said.

‘So humble Hvitserk.’ you smiled.

‘Come on, we can get breakfast at a diner, one that I don’t work at.’ you said.

You all moved out and loaded yourselves into the car.

As you drove the car was filled with joyous conversations, the vikings were speaking of all the things they would miss from this time and all the things they missed from their own.

While it was great to see that they were all excited in the backseat you couldn’t help but notice that Ivar was not participating in the conversation at all.

You reach over and put a hand on his and gave it a squeeze, if only to show that you saw that he was upset and you cared.

Once you arrived at the diner and got out you all headed inside, you were glad it wasn’t busy right now so you got a good table.

The server got everyone’s order, just the usual breakfast plates for everyone and orange juice for you.

‘So...this is it for us, our last meal together.’ you said.

‘It is, I must say that we will all miss you (Y/N).’ Lagertha said.

‘Aw I’ll miss you guys too.’

‘I’m going to miss this world, I wish I could have seen more of it, especially those sex toys. It would be amazing to have a mouth in my satchel for long journeys.’ Hvitesrk sighed.

Bjorn hummed a noise of agreement.

‘What are you whining for, you grab a girl on every raid, more than that if you are overly excited.’ Ubbe teased.

‘Been a little busy if you hadn’t noticed, not been on a raid in ages.’

‘You’ve got girls all over York too.’ Ivar said as he took a sip of water.

‘It gets boring having the same six girls.’ Hvitserk shrugged.

‘Six? You have that many?’ you asked.

‘Not that much.’

After that the rest of breakfast was spent chatting, laughing and teasing; it was as if the gloomy cloud had temporarily vanished and left everyone to enjoy their time together.

Even Ivar was laughing and making jokes with Ubbe and Bjorn, you imagine this was how they all were before everything happened.

Eventually everyone finished their food and you paid and tipped the server before you all headed to the park, you made sure not to go to the popular spots like the new playground or the lake.

You parked in the older play area, nothing was wrong with it, but a few years ago the city had built a bigger and better one closer to the lake so parents could watch their kids play while fishing.

‘What is this?’ Ubbe asked as he helped Ivar into his chair.

‘A playground, little kids used to come here to play, no one comes to this one anymore.’ you answered.

‘Did you play here?’ Hvitserk asked as he moved toward the swing set.

‘Yeah, here sit here and keep your feet off the ground.’ you smiled as you ran over and placed the viking in the swing.

Confused he followed the directions and once you were sure he was situated you began pushing him on the swing.

‘Swing your legs but keep your feet off the ground.’

The others were fascinated and curious to see what other wonders your favorite childhood play place had to offer. Within ten minutes Ubbe and Hvitserk were on the swings, Bjorn was spinning Lagertha on the merry go round and you were running Ivar all over the wheelchair track.

Everyone was having a good time and you felt like a little kid again, except you were not in that great a shape as you were back then so you had to stop to catch your breath.

‘Hold on...whew!’ you panted.

‘Are you alright?’

‘Yeah, totally...just need to a second.’ 

‘No more running for you.’ he suggested.

‘Thank you.’ you said as you began to push his chair again, walking this time.

‘Father would have loved you...Mother too.’ 

‘I would have loved to meet them.’ 

‘Do you think your mother and father would like me?’ Ivar asked.

‘My Mama would be thrilled that I let her meet you, if only to tell you embarrassing stories about me, my Dad? He’d try to kill you...if he doesn’t kill me first.’ 

‘Why? Because I’m crippled?’

‘Because you’re a boy, I’m his first born and he seems to think I’m still too young for anything involving a boy. Eventually he’d back off enough to drink a beer with you, and I’d have to remind him that I’m an adult.’ you replied.

‘What do you think would happen if I did stay?’

‘Ivar-’ you sighed.

‘I know that I can’t, but what if I did? What would happen between us (Y/N)?’

For a minute you didn’t reply, thinking it over in your head, what would happen if Ivar could stay here.

‘Who knows, maybe we would be together and everything will be amazing, I’d find a way for you to be able to go out in public and we’d live happily ever after.’ you hummed.

‘Or I would one day let my anger get the best of me and push you away, like I do with everyone I love.’ Ivar said.

You saw an old bench under a tree and placed Ivar beside it before you took a seat.

‘Maybe it would be my religion that pushes you away from me, Ivar you would not be the only one at fault if things went bad.’

Ivar took your hand and placed a kiss on your knuckles.

‘Want to know what would happen if I could take you with me?’ he asked.

‘What would happen if I could go with you to Kattegat?’ you asked with a smile.

‘I would make you my wife, and I would plan a grand wedding so massive even Freya would attend to bless our marriage. Then I would make it my mission to fill you with as many children as possible.’ Ivar said.

You chuckled, not at all surprised by how large Ivar’s dream already was, he was very famous for his ambitions.

‘How many kids, all boys?’ you asked, placing your head on his shoulder.

‘At least seven, and of course a man needs daughters to spoil.’

‘Nothing is worse than a spoiled little girl.’ you scoffed.

‘You would keep her humble...just like you would have kept me sane.’ he whispered.

‘You are not crazy Ivar, you do not need me to tell you that. You are no different from any other man, except in the fact that you are the greatest man that I have ever met in my life.’ you said seriously. 

Ivar looked shocked to hear such kind words spoken to him and seemed too stunned to even speak, so he just squeezed your hand gently as he looked away.

The two of you sat there in comfortable silence, listening to the birds and bugs, just enjoying each other’s company while you could.

Eventually Ubbe came to find the two of you to tell you everyone was ready to go home.

His words held a deeper meaning, it was not your home he was talking about.

The ride was filled with silence this time , as everyone seemed to take in the fact that they were really about to leave. No more discovering all the new technology, learning all the new customs or trying new foods; once they got back to your house they would say their official goodbyes to you and your world.

While they came to terms with that you were dreading going back to living alone in that house again. Once they were gone you would go back to quiet mornings, shopping and cooking for one, and spending a majority of your time either on the couch or in your bed.

More than anything you were feared seeing Ivar leave, you knew in your heart that you would never find another guy like him. A guy who would make you feel the way he did emotionally.

It was something you noticed while you were comforting him during his panic attack, sure at the time he was clearly not feeling his best but you had remained calm in the situation. Something you had been trained to do since your brother did have seizures often when he was younger, keeping calm is important in that situation. While whenever you had to deal with that type of thing you acted composed, but inside you were always panicking.

With Ivar you were genuinely calm, you knew he would be okay and had no worries. It was as if you knew nothing would ever break him, he was Ivar the Boneless. A man who would become history’s most notorious viking, he would conquer an entire world when he went home.

You could not keep him from that, no matter how much it broke your heart to let him go.

Soon you were parked in your driveway and there was no more time to take it all in, it was time for them to leave.

Everyone got inside and you told them to gather all of the things you had bought them that they wanted to take with them. As they did that you went to the garage and got all their weapons and the bag filled with the clothes they were wearing on when they first dropped into your pool.

In less than half an hour you were all in your living room, they were back in their battle clothes with their weapons and holding a few things they’d chosen to take with them.

Hvitserk had a small necklace with a cute crown charm, he said it was for Ubbe’s wife, a woman called Margrethe. Lagertha had a ceramic owl that she said reminded her of a pet she had back home. Ubbe was holding an hourglass and he was also holding Ivar’s snow globe. Bjorn had taken a ship in a bottle that he claimed to only be taking to assure himself he hadn’t gone crazy and imagined all of this.

Ivar sat in his chair, with his eyes focused on his bound legs.

‘OK you guys please just remember that before you die you have to burn these things to ash.’ you told them.

‘Why?’ Hvitserk asked.

‘Historians spend years and years digging up things you guys left behind, it would be weird if they found a necklace that was made in China in twenty eighteen with a bunch of viking swords. Don’t leave any evidence of this stuff, swear it to me.’ you begged.

‘We swear it on our rings.’ Bjorn said honestly.

‘Good now there is one thing left.’ you said.

‘Saying goodbye.’ Hvitserk said sadly.

‘I’m going to miss you guys.’ you managed to say as a lump formed in your throat.

Hvitserk and Ubbe stepped forward and pulled you into a group hug, you ignored the stink of their clothes and how rough the armor felt against your skin, you just held them as close as you could.

‘We will never forget you (Y/N), you’re the one we lost.’ Hvitserk said as he pulled back.

‘No matter what happens when we get back home I want you to know that my first daughter will have your name.’ Ubbe smiled.

‘Oh that’s so cute.’ you smiled as you wiped your tears.

The two of them stepped aside and allowed Lagertha to pull you into a hug all her own, she held you tightly in a way that only a mother could.

‘You will always be a daughter to me, I am sad to leave you.’ she said before pulling back and placing a kiss on your forehead.

Then Bjorn stepped forward and kept his eyes on anything but you.

‘We are all thankful to you for housing us and feeding us in our time of need, none of us will forget your kindnesses, this I swear on both my arm ring and my life.’ he said formally.

You rolled your teary eyes and hit him in the chest.

‘Shut up and give me a hug you mean old man.’ you said as you wrapped your arms around him as best as you could, certain that you looked like a child next to such a large man.

‘I will miss you too Bjorn.’ you said.

Now came the last person you wanted to say goodbye to, Ivar; and by the way he was still looking down you assumed he didn’t want to hear it either.

‘Ivar.’

Before you could say anything past his name Ivar had suddenly grabbed your arm and pulled you down into his lap.

‘Don’t say it. Let me imagine that I will see you again one day...please don’t say it.’ he whispered into your ear.

You tried closing your eyes to keep the tears from falling but it did not work; you hadn’t actually stopped crying since you started but now you were all out bawling into Ivar’s shoulder.

He wrapped his arms around you and held you as you sobbed, and you were sure that you felt a few tears on your shoulder as well but Ivar didn’t move an inch or make a sound.

With all the willpower you had in your body you pulled back and placed a kiss on his lips, not a deep or lustful, but you tried to bid him farewell this way since neither of you could handle it being said out loud.

‘I will see you again.’ he said.

‘Yeah, and we’ll have that big Viking wedding you promised me.’ you said, trying to smile through your sobs.

‘Then you will give me many children.’

‘Dozens of them.’ you said as you stood up and turned away from everyone, if only to give all of yourself a minute to regain your composure.

Once you had finally silenced your sobs you turned back around and found Bjorn holding the ax.

‘It is time for us all to go home Ivar.’ he said as he held out the weapon.

‘Finally.’

Everyone jumped as Sigurd appeared, standing by the fireplace.

‘Sigurd.’ Ubbe said in awe.

‘Did you miss me brother?’ Sigurd asked with a smile.

‘Of course I do, we all do.’ Ubbe said.

‘It has been chaos since you died, as you have noticed.’ Hvitserk said.

‘It couldn’t have all been avoided, but some of it could have been.’ the ghost said passive aggressively.

‘Why are you here Sigurd? Is me making the sacrifice not enough, do you need to see it too?’ Ivar spat.

‘I am only here for one thing, and is none of your concern, you’ve said your goodbyes to the woman you love, now take the ax and make your sacrifice.’ 

Ivar looked ready for a fight but Ubbe’s hand on his shoulder let him know that this was not the time to lose his temper.

Bjorn once again held the sword to Ivar.

You dug your fingernails into your palms to keep yourself from knocking the ax out of Bjorn’s hand.

‘Take the ax.’ you forced yourself to say.

Ivar looked over at you and he just looked deep into your eyes, before saying the one thing you needed to hear from him before he left.

‘I love you.’ he whispered before he put his hand on the ax.

At first you thought you were imagining the sky blue glow that seemed to be coming off of all of them, but after you blinked and it was still there you knew it was real.

They were all glowing, and the brighter that beautiful blue glow became the harder it was for you to see the vikings. Eventually the light was so bright you had to close your eyes to shield them from the glow.

Soon the light dimmed enough for you to open your eyes again, but there was nothing there. 

The only thing left in front of you was an empty wheelchair, and as much as you thought you had been prepared for it the wave of absolute loneliness knocked the wind out of you.

You barely recognized the wrecked noise that clawed its way out of your throat as you broke down literally to your knees.

It felt as if you were going to be physically sick from how hard you were sobbing, but you couldn’t stop.

‘Do not cry Miss.’ Sigurd said, his voice softer than it was before as he placed a cold hand on your shoulder.

‘Leave!’ you snapped at the ghost as you stood up and turned on him.

‘I will, but not before I put you at ease.’ 

‘How can you put me at ease?! I just met and lost what may have been the love of my life because of some stupid siblings rivalry from centuries ago!’ you yelled.

In anger you pushed him back, mildly surprised when your hands actually make solid contact.

‘Believe me I understand a broken heart and I know that right now you curse me and blame me for the ache in your chest, but allow me to put some of your worries to rest. Let me tell you how Ivar lived his days without you.’

You did not want to hear that right now, you were still trying to cope with the fact that Ivar was long dead now, but you knew that later on you would go nuts wondering what happened to Ivar.

‘Tell me.’ you said as you sat down on the couch, taking the time to wipe away your tears.

‘Ivar had many great victories in battles and war, and many failures in love. He never forgot you, and he never found a woman he could love as much as he did you.’ Sigurd said

You felt like a shit person for feeling any amount of comfort in those words, but you were a little glad to know that Ivar didn’t forget you.

‘Was he happy?’ you managed to ask.

‘...No, Ivar could never truly be happy without you by his side, but he tried to be for your sake. He died in his bed an old man in one of his many kingdoms, with his wife and children at his side.’

Your eyes watered at that bit of information, and you were unsure if you were sad or happy about it.

‘He had children.’ you repeated.

‘Yes, and he left you a message...here.’ Sigurd said as he held out the ax to you.

At first you had no desire to touch it, but you did notice carving all over the handle that wasn’t there before.

Reluctantly you took it and saw that it was in fact writing, it was the English alphabet but you didn’t understand the language. You remembered Ivar wanting to learn to read and write in English, but you never got the chance to teach him so this was most likely Old English or Latin.

‘What does it say?’

‘It says, To my love, I’ve missed you everyday since I last saw you. It has been thirty four years since that sad day, and I am on my deathbed. My wife is sleeping beside me, I must say that in a way I do love her, she gave me many children, but it is not the love I have for you. I sometimes deep in my mind curse myself for not being a filthy Christian, if I were I could see you in heaven one day and be happy with you.’ the ghost read.

Your knuckles were white from how hard you were gripping the ax, you were determined to stop crying this instant.

‘Ivar was better for meeting you, and so was his personal life with our brothers, and because of you I can finally dine with father in Valhalla. For that I am thankful to you, as are the Gods, they will not forget your sacrifice. When you are ready, they will bless you, farewell Miss.’ he said before he vanished just as he had last night.

Now alone, you began crying again, the sound of your sobs seeming to echo through the empty house.

It felt like all you did for the next two weeks was cry as you moved around the house cleaning the rooms the Vikings had used. The last room you did was your sister’s, the room that Ivar used.

You slept in there until Ivar’s scent left the sheets.

Eventually you had to return to work after your vacation was over, but your boss was still very upset about the altercation that had happened during your last visit. He had been cutting your hours and giving you dead shifts that required a lot more work with less tips.

After a month of this you were fed up and got a job at the buffet with your friend, the pay was better since it was hourly and you were also given tips.

Your finances were greatly improved but your mother needed a very expensive surgery and you couldn’t afford to throw all your money into that without putting your siblings allowances at risk.

So you figured the best thing to do was to list your home on Air B&B for extra money. It really killed two birds with one stone, you were able to afford the procedure and the house was alive again.

The guest kept you busy and some were real cheapskates but it was better than doing nothing all day and crying.

One afternoon you went to your email and saw that someone wanted to use your home for the next two months while he and his friends looked for more permanent homes in the city.

You emailed back and you both agreed on the price and time period before you finalize everything. 

At last came the day and you were making sure everything was ready for your guest, the bedrooms were clean and the fridge stocked. 

Like usual you took off the day of your guests arrival so you could give them the tour and you always like to prepare them dinner on the first night to introduce your guests to Texas.

There was a knock on your door and you went to open the door with a smile like always, but your polite smile quickly became a dropped jaw.

It was Ivar! 

Standing right at your front door, your mind was filled with a million questions. How was he here, how is he standing, what the hell is going on?! 

None of those questions could fall from your lips because before you could catch yourself they were on his.

You had thrown yourself into his arms and kissed him, overwhelmed by a flood of joy to be seeing him again after all these months.

He pulled away and looked at you awkwardly.

‘Um excuse Miss.’ he said with a stunned face.

You backed away and looked at him, taking in his jeans, muscle shirt and the headphones around his neck.

This was not Ivar, not your Ivar anyway.

‘Is this how you greet all your guest or am I special?’ he smiled nervously.

‘I-I uh… oh my God I’m so sorry I thought you were someone else entirely.’ you apologized, completely mortified. 

‘No no, it is fine, I can think of worse greetings.’ he smiled.

You shift your feet nervously as an awkward silence fell over you two.

‘Anyway, I am Alex Høgh Anderson.’ he said, mercifully breaking the silence.

‘Of course, I’m (Y/N) (Y/L/N) welcome to Dallas.’ you said.

Before he could reply you heard a car door close, causing you to look behind Iv- Alex and you saw Ubbe and Hvitserk.

This time you refrained from running up to them, not wanting another awkward moment.

‘Let me introduce you, these are my buddies Jordan and Marco, guys this (Y/N) she will be hosting us.’ he introduced.

The two of them greeted you politely with waves and short hellos. 

Jordan was wearing sweats, while Marco was in straight up pajamas.

You step aside and let them all in to begin showing them around the house.

As you walked around you were struggling to keep calm, but you managed to get through it.

Of course Alex was the last one to be shown to his room while the others began unpacking. 

‘Ok this is the master bedroom, the bathroom is stocked with towels and toiletries let me know if you need anything. I’ll be in the kitchen cooking if you have any questions.’ you said.

‘Thank you and um...whoever you thought I was must have been a very lucky guy.’ Alex smiled.

You blushed as you left the room to scurry into the kitchen to start on dinner.

The second you entered the kitchen you nearly ran back out.

‘I take it you did not miss me.’ Sigurd smiled.

The ghost looked much better than he had last time, his clothes were no longer bloodied and he appeared to be brighter now.

‘What the fuck are you doing here? And what the hell have you and your Gods done to Ivar, Ubbe and Hvitserk?’ you whispered angrily.

‘Nothing, my brothers are all feasting in Valhalla, those are regular men that the Gods lead to you. What happens now is all up to you.’ 

‘What are you talking about?’

‘I told you that the Gods would not forget what you have done, nor would they leave you heartbroken.’ he said.

‘A replacement?’ you asked.

‘Who are you talking to?’ Jordan asked as he came into the kitchen.

You looked back to where Sigurd had been literally a second ago but of course he was not there now.

‘Just myself, trying to decide what to make for dinner.’ you lied.

‘Oh yeah Alex said you would make dinner some nights. I was just coming to ask for the WiFi password.’ 

You gave him the password and also took the time to ask him if any of them had any food allergies, thankfully none of them did.

‘Great, I’m sure you and your friends are all tired after getting off the plane, you can all chill out in the rooms while I cook.’ 

He thanked you and headed out, leaving you alone once more, for a minute you waited for Sigurd’s ghostly self to pop up again but he didn’t.

As you began cooking you think back to when you first developed feelings for Ivar, and how strong they were. It had taken you so long to even begin to move on and live day to day without crying at the thought of him.

You did not think you could ever feel that strongly about another man again, and a small part of you didn’t know if you wanted to.

Nearly two and a half hours later you were done with dinner; the chickens were baked, potatoes roasted, broccoli buttered and steamed and rolls were glazed with sweet honey butter. For desert you thought ice cream would do fine, since you were not sure if they would be still be hungry after dinner.

After you set the table you got out a simple bottle of champagne and put on ice, once you were satisfied that everything was ready you went to get your guests.

You never opened the bedrooms if the door was closed, it just seemed like a rude thing to do, especially if the person was a paying guest.

Jordan got right up when you knocked and told you he would get Marco, since apparently he was a heavy sleeper. Which you knew to be true when he burst into Marco’s room and you saw him straight belly flop onto his friend.

You tried not to laugh as you knocked on Alex’s door, telling him that the food was ready and he opened the door wearing sweats now. 

‘Thank you, I was starving.’ he yawned as he stretched.

‘Good I cooked plenty, should put you all right back to sleep.’ you smiled.

‘Already trying to get me in bed?’ he teased.

‘You are not going to let that go are you?’ you asked.

‘My first kiss in a new country? Nah I’m going to hold on to it for a while.’ he smiled.

‘Whatever, lets just eat, hopefully Marco is up.’ you said as the two of you walked down the hall.

‘The foods ready?’ Marco said as he finally came out of his room, wide awake with a completely exhausted Jordan behind him.

‘Yes it is.’

Finally you were all seated at the table eating and drinking while you all got better acquainted with each other since they would be staying here for two months.

‘Wait so you guys are opening a shop?’ you asked.

‘Sort of, we design and build custom furniture, the company we work for decided to go international and opened a location out here and sent us to start it off.’ Jordan said.

‘That is so dope, I actually was looking to redo the front room, maybe I’ll be customer number one.’ you smiled.

‘And we would make sure your furniture was our best work, least we could do after this amazing meal. I don’t even eat broccoli but this is delicious.’ Marco complimented.

‘Aw thank you so much.’ you smiled.

The night went on and not a crumb was left of anything, you all were full and ready to go to bed for the night.

You all got up and headed to your rooms, your room was right across from Alex’s so you two were the last ones left in the hall.

‘Um, Alex.’ you said before he could go into his room.

He turned back to you and you inwardly cursed because a small part of you hoped he hadn’t actually heard you.

‘I just wanted to say thanks, for not telling the others about...you know.’ 

‘Why would I? You don’t tell too many people when you find such a great treasure.’ Alex smiled down at you.

You were so (pleasantly) surprised by his straightforward flirtation that you couldn’t think of what to say.

Luckily Alex took mercy on your awkward self.

‘I was wondering if you would like to go out for coffee and a walk tomorrow morning. The other two will no doubt sleep until two in the afternoon if we let them.’ Alex suggested.

He had just asked you out for a date, like a real date! You hadn’t been out with any man since Ivar and the rest of his family had left, in fact you hadn’t been thinking about romance at all.

Maybe Sigurd was right and it was time to change that. Ivar would have wanted you to be as happy as you could be.

‘I would love to.’ 

‘Great, um is eight a good time?’ he asked.

‘It’s perfect, I will see you then, good night.’ you said before you finally went into your own room.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath to try and calm your racing heart. When you opened your eyes they fell on the ax on your bedside table.

With a sad sigh you walked over to it and ran your hand over the carving.

‘He’s not you Ivar, I could never expect him to be, but I will try to be happy with him. Just as I’m sure you tried to be happy for me.’ you said softly.

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: Find Us

Summary: Ivar and (Y/N) go to the museum.

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Taglist: @ubbesgirl, @shewolf2000, @tis-itheapplepie, @atequila, @demoncrypt1066, @greennightspider, @badbitsh13, @fireismysaftey, @minarawr, @laketaj24, @hvitserksgirl, @blahblahcookiesdoma, @fabulous-peasent, @sforsammmmmi, @minmiin1d, @courtrae89, @letsloveimagines, @tomarisela, @titty-teetee, @beyond-the-ashes@elenawrit, @mblaqgi, @whenimaunicorn, @chuflisworld, @mystruggledlife, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @syreni-dea, @trashqueenbitch, @alykatv, @mbaku-babygirl, @perfectus-in-morte, @beyond-the-ashes, @neeadinghugs, @readsalot73, @triumphantreturnofpies, @anarchy-is-coming, @tephi101, @alicedopey, @ivarslittlebadgirl, @jtrstp, @nejijjeoroo, @charlylama, @ivartheblessed, @captstefanbrandt, @fabulouschrissi, @ivarsrideordie, @3x5gurl, @the-writer-appreciation-blog, @lolabee9, @captainfoxy22, @young-ugly-god, @im5ftbutmythroat66, @bribyyy, @irishhiggins, @cadetomlinson, @keclleon101, @slutforragnarssons, @ltkeke, @meeeeeeeeeps, @lille-kanin, @opalscarab, @ssraven7, @ivarandersen, @concretewaywardangel, @funmadnessandbadassvikings, @sharon-is-tired, @cadetomlinson, @mystruggledlife, @chuflisworld, @justmarissa97, @lol-haha-joke, @weirdly-randomly-awesome, @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanim, @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers, @alexa040004, @buckythetinman , @burntmythroatskullingmytea,@jorunnravenslayer, @two-unbeatable-beaters, @buffy-the-vampire-blogger, @arses21434, @ltkeke, @captainfoxy22, @chinduda @letsshamelessqueen-m @my-soul-is-the-moon @we-are-transcendent

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six

After you had told Ivar about your dreams and his involvement in them Ivar was almost scarily eager to help you figure out what they meant and how to help.

He would ask you for details that you were still unsure about giving and he was also looking into all kinda shit online, Reading every single sleep study article he found.

Ivar had also taken to just being at your house, whenever he thought he found anything useful he would call and before you could tell him he didn’t need to come over he was already in your driveway.

This was one of those times.

You sighed as you put down your phone and stood up from your desk to go down stairs to let him in.

‘It’s Saturday you know, you don’t have to waste your weekend on me.’ you said as you opened the door.

‘Hush you, I think I found something.’ he said as he came in, heading straight for your room

With a sigh you followed behind him, leaving the door open to follow your mom’s rules.

‘What do you got?’ you asked.

‘First you tell me.’ he said as he pulled his laptop out of his backpack.

You though back to the dream you had last night.

This time there wasn’t anyone in your dream, or even a voice. You were just alone in a strange place. It looked like a Medieval theme park and quite honestly smelled kinda rank. It looked like you were in some kind of farmers market, a lot of stands lined up side by side like the stands at a carnival. 

You waited for a moment for someone to show up or for a voice to come from nowhere and when none came you just looked around the abandoned stands until your alarm woke you up.

‘Nothing, no one was there this time, it looked like and abandoned market or something.’ you answered.

‘So not one of the seizure dreams?’

‘I think it was just this time nothing happened I just looked around.’

‘Well I found something by some guy with a shit name that he needed a degree to spell. Apparently he thinks psychics are super legit.’

‘Psychics?’ you scoffed.

‘Hear me out, listen to this; some people are born with a connection or fascination to another person. The most common form of this connection seems to be romantic and is often referred to as fated encounters or love at first sight.’ Ivar started.

‘You’re starting to sound like Sigurd.’ you sighed.

‘Shut up and keep listening, I’m not done. There also seems to be cases where someone fixates on a person who has already lived and died. This is a very rare happening in which a person may have dreams of someone else’s past life or even dreams of communicating with that person.’ Ivar finished.

Now that sounded like something, very vague and not at all specific but it did sound kind of probable.

‘That seems to make sense, except for one dream I had a while back.’ you said.

‘What happened in that dream?’

‘There was this...guy, he was really tall and had these really black lips and no eyes-’

‘No eyes?’ Ivar asked with an arched brow.

‘Yeah, not like missing eyeballs but more like his skin had grown over them or maybe he was just born without any. That guy talked directly to me and he was not at all who I “fixated on” and in any case the guy in my dreams is you.’

‘Or an ancestor that I look just like.’ Ivar said.

Now that got your attention, but something about it wasn’t right...the wording was wrong.

“Tell them who they are.” the words rang clear in your head.

‘No, not an ancestor... a past life?’ you mumbled.

‘Past life?’ Ivar asked.

‘Oh my God! A past life!!’ you yelled as you jumped up from your seat and began pacing, talking a mile a minute.

‘That’s it! That’s what the scary guy was trying to tell me! It’s not you, not this you but past you, if I find out who old you is then the dreams have to stop! Holy shit, come on!’ you said grabbing Ivar’s arm and trying to pull him off the bed.

Only Ivar wasn’t budging, he was still trying to process all the shit you had just said.

‘Wait a minute.’ he said, yanking his arm back making you fall back onto the mattress.

‘What?’ you whined impatiently.

‘Where are we going and do you mind explaining all that gibberish just now.’

You sighed and used the breath to calm yourself down a little bit so that you could explain your epiphany.

‘Look in my dreams the first time I saw you-the other you, you were an old man; you yelled at me and threw an ax at me to keep me away.’

Your mind goes back to that dream and you remember the ax that Dream!Ivar had thrown at you.

‘You threw an ax at me.’ you repeated as a thought crossed your mind.

‘I threw an ax at you?’  Ivar asked in shock.

‘Yes, and even better I have seen that ax before.’ you smiled as you stood up and started pulling out some clothes.

Just as you were about to start getting changed you remembered Ivar was very much so still in the room and looking at you.

‘Um Ivar could you like wait in the living room? I’ll be right out.’ you said.

‘What?’ 

‘Get out I need to change.’ you clarified.

Though you could tell Ivar was still completely confused he gathered his things and left the room mumbling about getting you evaluated.

You put on some jeans and a sweatshirt then you put you your shoes before you checked your purse and made sure you had what you needed.

Once you had everything you headed downstairs and saw Ivar sitting on the couch doing whatever on his phone.

‘Hey come on.’ you said.

With a sigh Ivar stood up and grabbed his bag and the two of you had got into the car.

‘Want to tell me where the hell I’m going?’

‘The museum, we were supposed to go the first time we hung out but I had to go home. My mom says that museum gets a lot of the things she and her team recovers.’

Ivar doesn’t say anything on the ride but you were talking up a storm, mostly about all the sleep you were about to get now.

‘Seriously if I wake up from a coma in thirty years still give me an extra five minutes, don’t let my Mom pour ice on me. I need every minute in those thirty years.’ you rambled.

By the time you had actually reached the museum you were almost bouncing with excitement and Ivar was looking concerned.

‘Are you sure you’re right about this (Y/N)? If this turns out to be a false lead-’

‘It’s not, I can feel it in my bones. Every fiber of my being is telling me that the answers we need are in that building and even if it is wrong its the first and only lead I got.’ you said as you took off your seat belt.

 You and Ivar got up and headed for the entrance, the ticket collector asked for your tickets and you handed over the all access card your mother had given you and you were happy that it also came with a plus one.

She let you both in and the two of you entered.

Immediately as you entered the museum you were hit by a strong feeling, almost like wind but not quite. Maybe a better way of explaining it would be like getting the wind knocked out of you.

‘Woah.’ you breathed placing a hand on your chest.

‘Are you OK?’ Ivar asked in concern.

‘Yeah...just got a little overwhelmed you know? Must mean we are onto something. Come on.’ you assured as you walked further into the museum.

‘Do you want to join the tour?’ Ivar asked.

‘No, I can read the plaques myself.’ you said as you searched over the items for one thing in particular.

Finally you saw it.

‘There!’ you pointed dragging Ivar along to stand in front of a long display table.

On that table there was several items with little informational plaques underneath each item, but the one you were focused on was the ax head.

‘This is it, the ax you threw at me. This is one of the things that my mom found when she came here. They found so much that they wanted her to stay and moved the whole family out here.’ you explained as you looked at the ax.

Ivar looked at the ax then looked down at the plaque.

‘Late Viking age ax found buried with an unknown male, the handle was disintegrated but the ax head was well preserved.’ he read.

‘That was your ax...so that was probably your grave.’ you said.

‘Just gonna say hearing you casually say “my grave” is not my idea of a fun day out, so could you not.’ Ivar asked.

‘Right, sorry but this was the ax that was thrown at me and it belongs to whoever threw it.’ 

Ivar moved over to another item.

‘Viking chess pieces found in burial site, Vikings were often buried with their weapons, their favorite horse and their favorite game pieces.’

You decided to follow his lead and look at the other things on the table. There was a war helmet that you were reading about while Ivar was looking at what you thought was a belt buckle.

‘Listen to this. Apparent belt buckle that was found strapped around the legs of buried male suggesting the man may have had a disability that prevented him from walking.’ Ivar read.

‘Disabled?’ you repeated looking at it the buckle trying to remember if you had seen it before, but you drew a blank. You never looked at his legs but now that you thought about it you had never seen him standing.

‘Always sitting, whenever I’ve seen you in my dreams you were sitting, maybe you were disabled.’ you said.

Not that you noticed but Ivar tensed a bit at that and moved onto another nearby display table.

‘Come and look at this one.’ he said pointing to the plaque on the table.

‘The contents on this table were found buried with a woman, appears to be a blended culture burial combining customs of Saxon and Viking religion.’ you read.

‘Look here more game pieces...and a cross.’ Ivar said pointing to the cross necklace.

You look down at the pendant and were surprised to feel such a strong sense of familiarity, you found yourself rubbing your neck as if you were missing the weight of a necklace.

‘That is mine.’ you whispered.

‘What?’ Ivar asked.

‘Huh?’ you said looking over at him.

‘You said that was your cross.’ he clarified.

‘Yeah, I mean it feels like it is mine, but it can’t possibly be.’ 

‘Well if that was my ax why can’t this be your cross?’ Ivar questioned.

At that you had to take a minute to consider, you had to admit it made sense. It would explain why you were the one connecting with Ivar and why you started having the dream when you arrived. 

If you lived here in a past life coming back would probably trigger something, and if you had a connection with Ivar in that past life then maybe some...higher power wanted the two of you to reconnect.

‘If this is mine and that ax is yours then maybe we knew each other back then.’ you suggest.

‘Maybe it was more than just knowing each other.’ Ivar said as he bent down to get a better look at something in the glass case.

You bend down beside him to look as well.

A wedding ring with some Old Norse Runes carved into it.

‘No way.’ you gasped.

‘Married.’ Ivar said.

‘No way, I mean there is no way. You threw an ax at me, that doesn’t sound like a proper greeting between husband and wife.’ you argued.

‘Well not every marriage is loving and who knows how far you went back, you could have went back before we-I mean they were married.’ he said.

‘Even if that were the case, which I’m still not too sure about, then that must mean one of us killed the other. Because the one time that I could actually speak with you it wasn’t very friendly.’

You and Ivar looked over the items a little more trying to learn as much as you could. You had read each of the plaques and Ivar was writing down the dates that the items were expected to be from.

‘Do you get anymore weird psychic vibes looking at any of this?’ he asked as he put his notebook away.

‘Well the cross felt the most...mine, you know. Like when you clean the attic and find a toy you used to have as a baby. You have no memory of it, but you’ve seen pictures of yourself with it.’ you tried to explain.

‘So no feeling with the ring?’

‘I don’t think so.’ you sighed in disappointment.

‘Wait, what if you try touching me while you look at it, that could help.’ Ivar suggested.

‘Maybe, give me your hand...wait, stand behind me, just in case seize up, I don’t want to cause a scene.’ you said.

Ivar moved to stand behind you while you looked around to make sure no one was looking at you, thankfully it wasn’t busy today.

You grabbed his hand and bam! 

That feeling like ice cold water had just been poured all over you took over your body and when you opened your eyes you were in yet another strange place.

You looked down at yourself and found that you were no longer you in your own clothes. Instead you were in some weird long, thin white long sleeve dress, and it was itchy as hell.

‘What?’ you said in confusion as you scratched at your arms.

You looked around and found you were on a beach and there was a strange woman standing in front of you and she was much stranger clothes than you.

Her dress was brown and looked like it was made out of a long potato sack or something, she had a weird winged metal helmet and she was holding a golden bowl.

Cautiously you looked inside and saw that there was a a very red liquid inside and you really hoped you were wrong about what you thought it was.

‘Get on with it.’ 

You looked to your left and found Ivar...Dream!Ivar sitting on a tree stump beside you. Still just as old as he had been before but now he was looking even worse, angrier.

‘Yes, hurry this along.’ came another voice.

Behind you there was a crowd of people you hadn’t even noticed before, you recognized the men from your dream, Ubbe, Hvitserk and this time even Bjorn was there looking practically ancient and WAY less hot.

None of them particularly happy to be here, what was happening?

‘Are you sure you want to do this? In the eyes of the Great Many Gods, bound forever...and beyond?’ the woman asked, her voice much deeper than you had expected.

‘I swear it.’ Ivar said angrily.

‘Do you Wilda, swear you want to marry this man, in the eyes of the Great Many Gods, binding yourself to him in this life and in all the lives that come after?’

‘Uh...I-’

‘Hurry up already!’ he snapped.

‘I swear it.’ you squeaked in fear. 

The woman reached into her long sleeve and pulled out a a bunch of leaves and twigs, you guessed that’s where she pulled the rings from too. She dropped the herbs into the bowl and mixed it with her fingers, mumbling something as she did so.

What the hell is going on? Clearly it was a wedding and it obviously wasn’t a joyous event.

‘Drink from the bowl, may the blood bind you and herbs guide you to find each other again.’ 

Dream!Ivar took the bowl and drank from it and you winced at the thought of how gross that must taste.

Then he handed the bowl to you.

‘Drink!’

The cold feeling rushed over your body the second you touched the cold metal bowl.

After a few blinks you looked around and found yourself back in the museum.

‘Woah there!’ Ivar whispered as he held onto you to keep you from falling.

‘T-thanks.’ you sighed, practically out of breath.

‘I take it you saw something.’ 

‘Yeah. It was-’

Before you could explain what you had just seen your phone rang, your mom and Ivar were the only people who called you and Ivar was here so you knew who it was when you answered.

‘Yes Mama.’ you said.

‘Where are your siblings?’ she asked .

‘Uh..they all went to their friends’ houses, I’m out with Ivar, what’s up?’ you asked.

Ivar looked at you in worry, wanting to see

‘Go get your siblings, we are going out for dinner tonight I have big BIG news!’ your mom said excitedly.

‘What is going on?’ you questioned, putting the phone on speaker.

‘I was going to wait until we were having dinner but I just can’t, act surprised when I tell y’all at dinner. (Y/N) I think I just made the biggest discovery of my entire career!’

‘Oh! Well that’s great, awesome! What did you find this time?’

‘You remember that grave I found, the one that made them ship us all out here?’

No way.

‘The one where you found an a man and woman buried side by side, with a lot of well preserved items?’ you asked, looking at Ivar.

Ivar looked over at the table you were just looking at and you nodded, this was all the stuff your mom found and she was talking to you about this stuff every other day while you helped her cooked dinner.

‘Yeah, that one well today they were giving the remains CAT scans and while that was happening I was with the restoration team. Ugh this is taking too long! What I’m trying to say is I think I found the grave of the most famous Viking in recorded history!’ your mother yelled excitedly.

There was no doubt she was doing her weird little excited mom dance.

‘Really? Who?’

‘I’ll tell you at dinner, I’ll meet you kids at the Chinese place by the house, and remember to act surprised.’

‘Wait! Uh can Ivar come, since he’s gonna be providing the ride? And you are totally on speaker right now.’ you said.

‘Hey Ms.(Y/L/N), congratulations on the find, can’t wait to hear about it over dinner.’ he spoke.

‘Awe thank you Ivar! You are welcome to join us, honestly you are the first boyfriend (Y/N) has ever introduced me to and I am so proud of her judgement.’

‘Mama!’ you yelled as you felt your ears burn in embarrassment.

‘I’m just teasing, see y’all at the restaurant.’ your mom said before hanging up.

‘Well guess we are about to get a lot of answers, come on tell me about what you saw on the way.’ Ivar said.

You nodded before quickly and as stealthily as possible taking a few pictures of the display.

‘Let’s go.’ you said.

In the car he told you that you were out for about thirty seconds and you gave him the run down on what you saw.

‘So we were right about the marriage.’ Ivar said.

‘Yeah, and it was not a loving kind either, but something else about it was off. I mean I’m not an expert on Vikings Age weddings but I think they don’t usually involve blood drinking and binding each other in this life and all the lives that come after it.’

‘Maybe you should ask your mom, what else did you get for us to work with?’

‘I think I got my name...her name? Wilda.’

‘Wilda? Doesn’t sound very Norse to me...sounds very Anglo-Saxon.’ Ivar replied.

‘And you know that how?’ you asked.

‘My favorite class is history, did a research paper on ancient Norse culture last term.’ was the answer.

‘When we get there we won’t ask too many questions just let my mom talk and I’ll squeeze her for info later.’ you planned.

‘Squeeze her? You sound like an interrogator...I love it.’ he smiled.

The two of you went to pick up your siblings and immediately shut down any talk about your past life. Instead you were now dodging your siblings’ questions about why Mama wanted them to go out so suddenly.

At the restaurant you send in your your two mobile siblings to go inside and get find a table while you got the youngest one out of his car seat, which always takes a minute since he puts up a fight.

Ivar helped you and it was hit to your pride how quickly your brother stopped fighting and got out the truck for a stranger after he had fought you for like five minutes.

Once Ivar had him out he handed you your sibling to carry.

‘You’re a little shit show you know that?’ you glared at the boy in your arms.

Finally you three headed inside and you started looking around for your other siblings when the hostess came up.

‘Oh what a cute baby.’ she smiled.

‘He thinks so.’ you replied politely.

‘He looks just like you Miss, you two made a beautiful boy.’ 

‘We what? Oh no! No no no! We’re teenagers, this isn’t our kid, we aren’t even dating!’ you panic as your cheeks burn.

The woman looked horrified with her mistake and apologized before showing you where your siblings were waiting for you.

‘Took y’all long enough, I already ordered drinks.’ your sister said as you sat down with your brother in your lap and Ivar took the seat beside you.

You took a sip of your soda and kept your eyes on anything but Ivar, still horrified that someone not only thought you were dating him but that you’d had a three year old toddler with him.

Eventually your Mom showed up, wearing sunglasses and big fur coat you know she didn’t own yesterday.

‘Hello Darlings.’ she said with all the dramatics in the world and then some.

‘What is going on here, where did you get this thing?’ you laughed.

‘I bought it, with the money I got from the museum, the restoration team gave them a call about my find and they are so interested they want to buy the WHOLE HAUL! Since it was my find I get a small portion, but considering what I may have uncovered even the small portion isn’t anything to sneeze at.’ your mother smiles as she sat down.

‘What did you find?’ you asked.

‘Okay, now I cannot say for sure yet, some things need to officially done first. Translations and what not, the usual red tape put up by museums, but I think I’ve found the real body of...Ivar the Boneless.’

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: Alliance

Summary: The Matrimonial Fight is taking it’s toll on both Ivar and the princess.

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Taglist: @ubbesgirl, @shewolf2000, @tis-itheapplepie, @atequila, @demoncrypt1066, @greennightspider, @badbitsh13, @fireismysaftey, @minarawr, @laketaj24, @hvitserksgirl, @blahblahcookiesdoma, @fabulous-peasent, @sforsammmmmi, @minmiin1d, @courtrae89, @letsloveimagines, @tomarisela, @titty-teetee, @beyond-the-ashes@elenawrit, @mblaqgi, @whenimaunicorn, @chuflisworld, @mystruggledlife, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @syreni-dea, @trashqueenbitch, @alykatv, @mbaku-babygirl, @perfectus-in-morte, @beyond-the-ashes, @neeadinghugs, @readsalot73, @triumphantreturnofpies, @anarchy-is-coming, @tephi101, @alicedopey, @ivarslittlebadgirl, @jtrstp, @nejijjeoroo, @charlylama, @ivartheblessed, @captstefanbrandt, @fabulouschrissi, @ivarsrideordie, @3x5gurl, @the-writer-appreciation-blog, @lolabee9, @captainfoxy22, @young-ugly-god, @im5ftbutmythroat66, @bribyyy, @irishhiggins, @cadetomlinson, @keclleon101, @slutforragnarssons, @ltkeke, @meeeeeeeeeps, @lille-kanin, @opalscarab, @ssraven7, @ivarandersen, @concretewaywardangel, @funmadnessandbadassvikings, @sharon-is-tired, @cadetomlinson, @mystruggledlife, @chuflisworld, @justmarissa97, @lol-haha-joke, @weirdly-randomly-awesome, @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanim, @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers, @alexa040004, @buckythetinman , @burntmythroatskullingmytea,@jorunnravenslayer, @two-unbeatable-beaters, @buffy-the-vampire-blogger, @arses21434, @ltkeke, @captainfoxy22, @chinduda @letsshamelessqueen-m @my-soul-is-the-moon @we-are-transcendent

Part One

Part Two

‘What were you thinking?’ Ragnar asked as he was pacing the great hall.

His sons were all in line and mentally prepared for one hell of a lecture from their parents. Even Aslaug was looking annoyed at her sons.

‘I didn’t have the time to think, one moment we were training the next she was proposing a matrimonial fight.’ Ivar explained.

‘Ivar is telling the truth, he knocked her sword down and then she suddenly knelt and by the time we all realized what was happening she was already handing Ivar a knife.’ Ubbe spoke up.

‘A knife?’ Aslaug asked.

Ivar sighed and undid the ties of his tunic and pushed aside the fabric to show his still bloody cut.

‘She cut you?’ Ragnar asked, stepping closer to his youngest son to inspect the cut.

‘After I was instructed to cut her she returned the favor. From what I have been told it is a fight between her and I to determine if she will marry me.’ Ivar answered.

Ragnar lets out a tired sigh as he went and sat on his throne.

‘How do you plan to win? Since losing would bring us great shame and rob us of a very fruitful alliance.’ the king asked.

‘The prince needs to train.’ Sven said as he entered the great hall.

‘You know about this fight?’ Aslaug asked.

‘I was informed by the princess, she wants me to train Ivar.’

‘Tell us, about this matrimonial fight.’ the king ordered.

‘I saw a few while we were in Tunisia, it seems much like a single combat fight, except not to the death. Both man and woman get one weapon and fight until one of them yields, if the man loses the two will not marry and they will be destined by their spirits to never be together.’

‘So if he loses then this will definitely fall on one of us.’ Ubbe said.

Ivar could only look down at his useless legs.

He had placed a lot of stress on his family by accepting this fight, he had to win or his brothers would have to fight, and he didn’t want any of them to marry the princess.

‘Well then, come on, we don’t have much time, I’m disadvantaged already.’ Ivar said as he slid out of the chair and began crawling.

‘Ivar.’ Aslaug called out, worry in her voice.

‘Fear nothing Mother, I will win this fight…’ he said to her before turning to his father.

‘And I will secure the alliance.’ he swore as he and Sven left.

‘First we need to get that cut cleaned and covered, an infection won’t do you any favors in a fight. We’ll stop by the healer before we start training, and I’m sorry but this is not going to be very enjoyable for you my prince. It’ll probably be best that we have a healer follow us.’ Sven said.

Ivar heard his mother’s breath catch in her throat.

She did not like this, yes she wanted the alliance and for her sons to marry, but she didn’t want Ivar hurt in the process. Fighting the princess was a guaranteed broken bone that she would have to see him endure.

Despite knowing and understanding his beloved mother’s discomfort Ivar still left, because this was for his people. With his deformity Ivar knew that he’d have few opportunities to physically fight in battle for the betterment of his kingdom, this would probably be his only chance to prove he was capable in combat.

‘I admire you Prince Ivar.’ Sven said as they were now sitting in a healer’s hut, getting his cut covered.

‘Why?’ Ivar asked.

‘The princess is an extraordinary warrior and an even more amazing young woman. She has been raised to defend and represent her country, she has been training to fight since she turned thirteen, has never spared any man a second glance from what Bintu has told me.’ 

‘So you are still enjoying the guard’s company old man.’ Ivar grinned.

‘Well she is a beast of a woman, how could I resist her? In any case she told me that (Y/N) has never cared much for men or women, but Bintu said she’s caught (Y/N) watching you Ivar. You must be quite the man to capture her attention, and brave to accept her challenge of a fight.’ Sven said.

‘More like foolish, I’m gonna lose.’ Ivar sighed as he put on his tunic.

‘What happened to all that confidence you had back in the hall?’

‘It was all lies, they didn’t believe a word of it. I’m surprised you did.’ the prince said bluntly.

‘Well I think we may have a chance, I believe the fight can be spun to be in your favor. Come.’ Sven said as he left, knowing Ivar would follow behind him.

‘What do you mean?’

‘The princess has never seen you fight, you have the element of surprise and you are better at sword wielding than she is. With some strategy and the Gods will you might be able to best her.’ Sven explained.

‘Do you really think that Sven?’ Ivar asked.

‘I do, and if you want even a shot then you better start believing it too my Prince, you will definitely lose with this attitude.’

As they made their way to the training camp Ivar thought of the princess and all he had learned about her in the two days she had been here.

She was gorgeous, he noticed that first, and she was clearly very civilized and took her title very seriously and was self aware of the position she was in. More than anything Ivar found he was attracted to Princess (Y/N)’s very presence.

He felt strangely at ease around her, the air around her seemed warm and inviting, and even in the moments when darkness clouded her eyes he still wanted to be by her. He also found that she was very persuasive somehow, already his father was taking into consideration that he might need to spend more money on his subjects and his mother was treating her thralls a bit nicer.

Even he had started asking the thralls their names and about their lives, something he’d never cared about before, his personal thrall Trya was a mother to three thralls that worked for other families and only saw them in the barn when they would sleep.

The princess had already begun making such changes, she was such a woman, Ivar couldn’t help but doubt that he’d be able to have her. Especially if he’d have to fight her for such an honor, she was a skilled and able warrior, he as a cripple too angry for his own good.

Nonetheless he pushed those thoughts aside as he and Sven began training, Ivar stayed focus on what Sven told him about this fight.

It was a bit different from a single combat fight, it wasn’t to the death, for starters. Both he and (Y/N) would only get one weapon, no shield, if one of them lost their weapon they could either yield or fight bare handed. And it would be a great shame to her and her family if she were to purposefully lose the fight, so there was no chance of that happening.

Sven trained Ivar on his sword fighting, but instead of preparing him for a sword on sword match Sven used a spear that he had taken from one of the soldiers (Y/N) had brought.

The spear was the princess’s strongest weapon, and she would no doubt be using that as her weapon for the fight, and he had gotten the info from Bintu just to be sure.

Ivar did in fact break a few bones, and he found himself knocked into the dirt more times than                  he’d like to admit, but he didn’t complain. He only had one chance and the days were passing by far too fast already

*ON THE BEACH*

(Y/N) was training as well, blocking the blows from the sword Bintu was wielding, and once again her spear sent the sword to the ground.

‘This training is not helping you.’ Bintu sighed.

‘What do you mean? I have gotten better at fighting against swords.’ the princess said in confusion.

‘Better isn’t good enough, you need to practice...with someone who is more skilled at sword handling.’ her friend explained.

‘Who will I ask? Sven is training with Ivar.’

‘One of his brothers.’ Bintu suggested.

‘And if they tell my strategies to their brother? They want him to win this fight, that way they still get our alliance without having to marry.’ (Y/N) reminded.

Bintu grinned.

‘Trust me they will say nothing, wait here, I will fetch them.’ the guard said before she turned and headed off.

The princess hoped her friend wouldn’t go too far while threatening the princes.

Ubbe, Hvitserk and Sigurd were sitting in the archway of the great hall, watching the people buzz around the markets.

Then they spotted that guard of the princess coming their way with a bag on her shoulder.

‘Princes.’ she greeted.

‘Bintu.’ Ubbe said back, wondering why she was here talking to them.

‘My princess needs you to help her train, she needs someone more familiar with sword fighting.’ Bintu said, getting right to the point.

‘And you want us to train her? What makes you think we won’t go back to Ivar?’ Hvitserk asked.

‘Because I assume none of you want to end up in this bag.’ she smiled tapping the bag she was carrying.

All the men looked at the bag in confusion then back to her.

‘What do you mean by that?’ Ubbe asked.

‘In this bag are the menhoods of the men who killed my king, may his spirit carry on, are in this bag. I cut them off myself...that is how I repay betrayal, so I will ask one time only. Can I trust you all to help my princess train.’

Silence. 

All the Sons of Ragnar were stunned into complete silence as they looked at the guard in front of them, it was Sigurd who found his tongue first.

‘You are bluffing.’ the prince said in disbelief.

Bintu reached into her bag and pulled out something wrapped in bloody bandages and tossed to Sigurd, who idiotically caught it by instinct.

He immediately dropped it when he realized what it was and that she was very much so serious.

‘Are you coming or not, my Princess is at the beach waiting.’ Bintu said with a disturbingly sweet smile before she began walking away.

They all looked at the severed cock at Sigurd’s feet and then up at each other before they hurried behind the giantess woman. None of them saw a stray dog sniff at the bloody rags and tear into it to get to the uncooked sausage.

At the beach they all found Princess (Y/N) waving around a dull sword, seeming to be getting a feel for it.

When she noticed them she looked genuinely surprised to see them.

‘You actually came?’ she asked in surprise.

‘Out of the kindness of their hearts.’ Bintu smiled sweetly.

‘What did she do?’ the princess asked Ubbe.

The eldest prince looked over at Bintu who simply tapped the bag she was still carrying.

‘We are here out of the goodness of our hearts.’ he said with a straight face.

‘Of course, you are.’ she sighed before handing him the sword.

‘I don’t really care how she got you all here but I do appreciate the help, so long as I have your word you will not reveal my strategies to Ivar.’ 

‘Trust me...they won’t, now pick up your spear princess. You have lost enough time already.’ Bintu said as she sat in the sand.

Hvitserk and Sigurd sat beside her as well, with a bit of distance, of course.

They watched as Ubbe almost effortlessly knocked (Y/N)’s spear out of her hand, he picked it up and gave her some points on how to follow his movements so she could block it in time.

‘I think she will win. She is very easy to teach it seems.’ Sigurd said.

‘She only has two weeks, Ivar has been sword fighting since he was ten.’ Hvitserk reminded.

‘But Ivar hasn’t fought against a spear in this style before.’ the blond prince added in.

‘Do either of you truly wish for her to win?’ Bintu asked.

The brothers shared a concerned look, unsure if they should answer honestly.

‘Well not to wish her ill, it would be in our best interest if Ivar won the matrimonial fight. That way we’d have secured a profitable alliance and our personal lives would remain as free as they have always been.’ Hvitserk answered.

‘I see, I was also thinking the same, Tunisia would be greatly benefited by your ships. And if I am being honest I think my princess has taken a genuine interest in your brother. I want her to have the happiness of marrying a man she truly wants.’ the woman spoke as she watched the training.

The days past even faster with the Sons of Ragnar helping the princess train and Ivar’s training with Sven and even a few of the Tunisian guards was going just as well. Soon they were all in the square, a large crowd surrounding a makeshift pin.

Ivar sat on a tree stump that had been brought for him, and Princess (Y/N) stood across from him.

She wore the same clothing she used for training, but also some war white paint on her face, chest, arms and legs. Ivar felt under dressed in his everyday clothes, but that wasn’t going to take up much of his time.

All he had to do was win.

Bintu stood between them, one of (Y/N)’s servants stood beside Ivar, holding a sword while the other stood by her with a spear.

Ivar looked over at his family, all of them dressed in their finest clothes and looking completely indifferent but he knew better. They were nervous for him, they needed him to win this match.

‘This is the Matrimonial fight of Ivar Lothbrok of Kattegat and Princess (Y/N) of Tunisia, should Ivar yield and admit defeat then he will prove too weak to protect (Y/N) as a husband should and the spirits will never allow him the chance to have her as a wife. Never again will he be able to fight for her hand in marriage.’ Bintu announced to the crowd.

‘Each opponent has chosen a weapon, if their weapon is broken or knocked away no replacement will be provided. The fight will only end when one person has admitted defeat.’ 

The crowd cheered, mostly in support of Ivar, but some just seemed excited to see a fight.

Ivar was handed his sword and (Y/N) was given her spear.

‘May your Gods be with you Son of Ragnar.’ (Y/N) said.

‘And may your Spirits be with you Princess.’ Ivar replied.

The princess moved closer, slowly watching the way his body tensed...the fight had begun.

Once she was close enough Ivar took the initiative and made the first swing, aiming for her shoulder, which the princess blocked before swiping to hit Ivar in the side to knock him off his stump.

Ivar blocked her attack and made to swing his sword her left shoulder, if he could hit the shoulder and get her to drop her spear then he could probably wrestle her down, but again the attack was blocked.

For a while it was all back and forth, striking and blocking until the princess began to move from her place in front of Ivar and moving to stand beside him. Making Ivar turn to keep up his defense, which was harder to do while not facing her fully.

Then she moved even more she was now standing behind him, Ivar was going back in forth turning from left to right to block her attacks until at last she successfully knocked his sword from his hand.

With more confidence than she had before (Y/N) swung again to hit Ivar’s side but he caught the staff of the spear in his hands.

(Y/N) tried to yank the spear out of Ivar’s grasps but the prince held strong, instead he himself pulled the spear and dragged her along with it.

Before she knew what was happening (Y/N) was in arms reach of Ivar, and the prince wasted no time in grabbing her by the shoulders.

His grip so harsh and sudden that she dropped her staff.

With her finally unarmed Ivar pushed her back into the sand and threw himself on top of her, the two royals were now rolling around in the sand like children.

The princess tried to push Ivar off of her but he was intent on keeping her pinned down.

‘Yield!’ Ivar yelled in her face.

(Y/N)’s face twisted in defiance before she drew her head back as far as she could her position then slammed it forward, headbutting the prince.

Ivar was completely caught off guard and the impact was so strong that he fell back, holding his head, his vision was even a bit blurry.

The princess took the opportunity to pin him down in the dirt, straddling his waist and pinning his hands above his head.

Ivar’s vision cleared and he could see her face clearly now, the fire in her eyes burning through him and he knew he had to have her.

So with a burst of determination and energy Ivar threw the princess off of him and crawled on top of her.

The princess was struggling, kicking Ivar’s legs and of course he could feel a few of his bones breaking from the force. Even as he screamed and cried out in pain he held her down firmly.

‘Yield!!!’ he roared, with tears in his eyes.

All the fight in the princess seemed to deflate in that instant.

She looked up at Ivar and the tears and pain in his eyes, he was giving everything he had in his fight, despite the pain of the bones she had felt herself  break and even still she could see a fight in him. He would run his body into the ground for this fight and she had no doubt he would give all that and more if he were to be fighting to protect her.

‘I yield.’ she whispered.

Ivar looked at her in shock, unable to believe what she just said.

‘I yield!’ she yelled.

For a moment it is almost completely quiet and then there was a deafening roar of applause, the crowd was going crazy. As Ivar looked around he could see his father smiling at him proudly while holding his mother back from running to him and his brothers were cheering loudly with the crowd.

Hardly able to believe what had just happened Ivar slid off of the princess and laid back in the dirt, broken and more tired than he could ever remember being in all his life...so that was it.

Combat.

He loves it, the pain, the satisfaction of victory and for a second he thinks, he could get used to this feeling.

‘Healers!’ Aslaug screamed, still fighting against Ragnar’s hold.

Ivar couldn’t do much resisting when his usual team of healers ran into the fighting pin to pick him and drag him off to their hut.

‘Wait!’ Bintu yelled.

The healers that were currently holding up Ivar stood still as the giant guard stood in front of them, or more specifically Ivar.

‘You must mark her as your betrothed, with the blade of your father. An X that you may carve anywhere you like, make it as visible as you would like.’

Princess (Y/N) stood from her previous position on the ground and spread out her arms, waiting on Ivar to mark her as his wife.

The servant stepped to stand beside Ivar and hand him the knife that Ragnar had originally given to Sigurd but was now by all means Ivar’s.

Ivar took the knife and searched her body, his vision began to blur as the pain was starting to take his consciousness. Still he tried to think of where he should leave his mark on her, somewhere that could be easily seen and not be insultingly branding.

He looked over her legs but decided it was too hidden, so he looked her stomach and couldn’t think of cutting into that perfection, finally he saw a spot that he liked.

Her left shoulder.

She noticed his looking and lowered her arm so that he could cut into her skin, she stood perfectly still as he brought up the blade and pressed it into her skin.

Dark red blood flowed from her like rain and fell into the dirt, she looked down at it felt it in her spirit that she was now bound to this place...to this man by blood.

Once the mark was made Ivar’s body went limp as finally he could no longer take the pain of his broken legs.

‘Ivar!’ Aslaug panicked finally managing to break out of her husband’s hold and run to her son.

The princess watched as the queen and healers dragged Ivar off to the healers hut and as the crowd began to spread out.

Ragnar and all his sons approached the princess with large smiles.

‘Well then it would seem you are to be my daughter in law.’ the King smiled.

‘It would also seem that this is the beginning of a very beneficial alliance.’ she replied.

‘There will be time for that later, for now let us celebrate! The engagement of our brother to a beautiful and strong princess, THERE WILL BE A GREAT FEAST TONIGHT!’ Ubbe cheered.

The crowd that was still remaining let out a loud roar of applause.

‘I’m sure what we should be worried about right now is Ivar, I did not go easy on his legs.’ the princess said, looking at the hut the prince had been taken to.

‘So precious, do not worry Ivar has been through worse than you and he will be at your side during the feast. For now I think you and I should speak more on our Alliance now that it is confirmed.’ Ragnar assured.

‘He is right my Princess, there are many important matters that must be discussed.’ Bintu spoke.

‘Very well, after I’ve changed I will meet you on the docks.’ (Y/N) agreed.

‘I look forward to it, and again, I am happy to be taking such a fine young woman as my daughter in law.’ the king said politely.

The princess smiled as she and her servants made their way back to the great hall so that she could get out of her now dirty clothes.

As she walked the princess’s mind thought over a few things, like how she would give word to her family and how the gold would be delivered. It was all too much for her at the moment, her mind was still reeling from the fight.

The fight she had just lost.

It felt as if only now it was sinking in that she was going to be getting married, after twenty two years of only caring for Tunisia and her family should would now have a husband to care for.

She would have a wedding and then a wedding night where she would consummate her marriage in the eyes of the Spirits.

The thought both excited and terrified her, she had never thought of marriage or men, all she knew was that she found Ivar to be very intriguing. He was the oddest man she had ever met in her life.

Ivar was a prince and yet he worked, he was the youngest son but was clearly the most skilled fighter, and despite his deformity he lived in a harsh world.

He was a strong man.

Once they had reached her chambers the servants began removing her clothes as Bintu cleaned her Matrimonial Mark.

‘You fought well today princess.’ 

‘Thank you, I just wish I hadn’t been so rough with Ivar’s legs. I hope he is not angry at me.’

‘He knew what was at stake, he must have been expecting his weakness would be exploited in hand to hand combat. Besides at least now we know that for you he will endure such pain, trust me, most men do not fight that hard.’

(Y/N)’s eyes looked over the long ago faded scars on Bintu’s chest, back in her youth, before she was assigned to protect the princess, Bintu was one of the most sought after women in Tunisia.

She had fought six Matrimonial Fights and had never lost and was there for never married.

‘One day, maybe someone will fight for you.’ she comforted.

Bintu smiled softly as she placed a bandage over the princess’s shoulder. 

‘It’s been years, I have accepted that the Spirits do not intend for me to marry or have children of my own.’

‘Don’t say that, it could still happen, you’re not as old as you act. I’ve seen you and Sven and I think if you let him then he could be your one.’ Princess (Y/N) assured.

‘What you saw is nothing more than a man being a man and a woman who has needs, no love is there for him.’ Bintu sighed.

‘For him? What about you?’ 

The guard went to argue but realized that she had talked herself into a trap.

‘It doesn’t matter, what matters is you have to discuss with King Ragnar the specifics of this new alliance as well as find a way to get permission to have your wedding based on our traditions.’

‘Have I ever told you I hate when you change the subject?’ (Y/N) pouted.

‘You have, now put on your dress and go, I will make sure they prepare something we can actually eat.’ Bintu said firmly before she left.

The princess rolled her eyes as her two servants finished putting on her clean dress, today she had decided to where a few more layers. It was colder today than it had been since she had arrived so her servants had picked out one of her winter dresses.

Would you like your head dress as well your highness? Leena asked while Kya was putting on the jewelry.

‘Yes please, once you are both done I would like for you to help in the kitchens.’

‘Of course ma’am, I heard the cooks speak on how they want to make the Fufu again.’ Kya replied, putting on one of the fur coats a merchant had given to the princess a few days ago.

When they were done dressing her (Y/N) stood up and thanked them before she left to meet King Ragnar.

A few merchants congratulated her as she walked through the markets, she smiled and thanked them politely.

Once she reached the docks she found Ragnar looking out at the water waiting for her.

‘Hello King Ragnar.’ Princess (Y/N) greeted.

‘Princess, would you like to walk while we discuss these matters?’ he offered.

‘Yes please.’

As the two royals walked along the beach the princess decided to just get into it.

‘Am I correct to assume you would like the agreed upon amount of gold as soon as possible?’ she asked.

‘You are correct, and is it safe to assume you would like to travel back to your home to bid farewell to your family?’ Ragnar smiles.

‘And also so that me and Ivar may be married there.’

Ragnar stopped walking and stared at the young woman.

‘You want to take Ivar with you...to be married into another religion?’ he asked with an arched brow.

‘I do not expect him to turn against his Gods, but I know my mother, she will never respect this marriage if it is done in our ways, in the Spirit Cave.’ Princess (Y/N) explained.

At that the old king frowned and looked away as if to hide his annoyance.

‘This was never discussed.’ he said.

‘I am sorry if this news upsets you King Ragnar, but I am not an unreasonable woman. After we return from Tunisia with the Gold then we shall have a Viking wedding here.’ she offered a compromise.

‘The issue is not with the wedding, Ivar cannot travel Tunisia. He has never been on a boat in his life and if his mother has anything to say about it then he never will.’ he said as he began to walk in circles.

‘If the wedding isn’t the issue then please explain to me what is.’

Ragnar took a moment to stop his pacing and face the princess and decided that she did need an explanation.

‘When Ivar was fifteen, I wanted to take Ivar with me to England for a revenge mission, but his mother forbid it. You see my wife...she has visions of the future.’ he started.

‘Visions? Like a Soothsayer?’ the princess asked.

‘I guess so, in the past she had told me of her visions and I never heeded her warnings, even though they were never wrong. She told me there would be a storm and that Ivar would drown, still I planned to take him and I told her this. So she went and told Ivar and even though he didn’t care about living or dying she made him promise not to go.’ the king continued.

(Y/N) was listening closely, it seemed as if telling this story was hard for King Ragnar to tell and she didn’t want to seem disrespectful by not giving him her full attention. 

‘I still decided to go and just like Aslaug had said there was a terrible storm, the worse waves I had ever seen. I barely escaped with my life, the rest of my crew wasn’t so lucky, thankfully the Gods pushed the waves to carry me back to these shores. As I lay in the sun I thought what would have happened to Ivar had he been on that ship.’

‘He can not swim...because of his legs.’ the princess realized.

‘After that Aslaug decided that she would never allow Ivar on a boat, and I agree with her. Maybe a few years ago I would have been confident in saying I could save my son, but I am older now. My body isn’t what it was.’

‘I understand why you would fear letting him go on the journey, truly I do, but you must see that Ivar is a man now. He must make decisions of his own and you and Queen Aslaug need to allow him to do so.’ she advised.

‘He is my son Princess, I have already done him wrong once.’

‘I heard, but he is to be my husband and the same way he fought for me today I would fight just as hard for him. I will protect him as he protects me.’

Ragnar seemed to consider her words, they were so similar to what he used to say to Aslaug all those years ago. He wanted more than anything for Ivar to be able to live as normal as a life as he could, it was with that very thought in his mind that he had left Ivar in the woods as a baby.

He did want to all of his sons to grow up and become great warriors, when Ivar was born Ragnar knew that there was no hope for him. But Aslaug saved him, and as he grew he had watched Ivar try to be normal and eventually give up and simply live the best he could.

Either Way he had to admit that the princess was right, it was Ivar’s life to live and he would need to make his own choices. Especially now, he was going to be starting a family soon, Aslaug and he could not continue to tell him what to do.

‘I will not give you permission  to take my son with you, but I cannot stop you from asking him if he would like to travel with you.’ Ragnar said.

‘And the Queen?’ she asked.

‘Leave her to me, now let us continue our walk. If you manage to talk Ivar into going I am sure his brothers will want to go...so will I and more likely than not Aslaug too.’

‘Your entire family? Who will rule in your place?’ the princess asked, completely confused.

‘My son Bjorn, I trust him to rule in my stead. Besides he is focused on his journey to a new sea he heard about a few years back after our defeat in Paris. It will be nice to meet your family and see this strange place you come from.’ Ragnar smiled.

The two of them continued to walk along the beach making negotiations and plans for the journey to Tunisia and back as well as discussing exactly how many ships Tunisia would now officially own. It was silently agreed to that neither would talk about the weddings, as if just mentally agreeing to cross those bridges when they came to them.

Before either of them knew it Kya was coming to fetch them that it was almost time for the feast, leading them back to the Hall where they parted ways to get dressed.

For the third time that day the princess was dressed, in lighter clothes this time since she wasn’t dressing to be outside in the cold. Only a soft brown dashiki dress and some gold jewelry, something impressive and not too extravagant.

‘This feast will be quite the celebration I am sure; you two be sure you and the others have enough food put aside for yourselves.’ Princess (Y/N) said as they left the chamber.

In the hall it seemed all of the thralls were buzzing about bringing out tables and lighting candles, there were also musicians setting up instruments. She could even see a few of her warriors helping set things up.

At the high table she could see the royal family, all except Ivar, his seat beside his mother was empty. There was also a second empty seat that she assumed was for her.

‘Sister in Law.’ Ubbe smiled as he pulled the chair for her.

‘Thank you, Brother in Law. Where is Ivar, is he not feeling well enough to join?’ (Y/N) asked.

‘He is fine...after the way you beat in his legs, he will be with us shortly.’ Queen Aslaug said passive aggressively.

The princess looked down at that, she did after all feel quite guilty about attacking Ivar the way she did during the fight.

‘Forgive her, she is an overprotective mother. Let me assure you that Ivar holds no grudges, I spoke to him earlier and between us I don’t think anyone has ever been so happy with two broken legs.’ Hvitserk said.

‘Shut up Hvitserk.’ Ivar said as he was carried in ny Bjorn.

‘Ivar.’ the princess greeted.

‘(Y/N), good to see you, how is your cut?’ he asked as he was placed in his chair.

‘Far better than your legs it would seem, forgive me for being so rough.’ she said.

‘Nonsense, it was a fight; I could not expect to go easy on me simply because I am a cripple. In fact, I don’t think I’d be able to forgive you if you had, besides I quite enjoyed fighting for your hand in marriage.’ Ivar smiled at her.

‘I also enjoyed fighting you...and I must say I am happy that you won.’ she said, keeping her head down to avoid showing her flustered face.

Never before has she felt her heart beat so fast without reason, nor has she ever felt so nervous to speak her mind. What an odd feeling this was, she didn’t know what to call it but she kind of liked it.

Without meaning to Ivar also looked away to hide his own reddening cheeks.

‘How cute are these two? Surely there will be a lot of kids running around in no time, Gods help us all.’ Ubbe teased.

Pretty soon the people began flooding into the Hall and in no time the air was filled with the scent of meat and ale. Every few minutes someone would come to the high table to congratulate the newly engaged couple.

The music played and the people all danced and drank, yes this was quite the feast, even the Tunisian warriors and servants were seen having a bit of fun. 

Eventually all good things must come to an end, people still had things to do the next day and pretty soon the Hall had emptied, leaving only a few passed out men.

‘Well it would seem the feast has officially ended, Hvitserk is dead to the world.’ Ragnar sighed drunkenly as he stood.

‘Yes, it is time to retire, take him to his chamber Ubbe. Ivar see your new fiance to her’s as well.’ the queen said.

‘Stop telling him what to do, he has a woman now. What more proof do you need that the boy is dead, let the man live.’

‘My boy will never die, no matter the circumstance before anything he is my son.’ Aslaug argued, keeping her face neutral but her tone firm.

‘As are we...Aslaug.’ Sigurd said before he stood from the table and left.

Ubbe tsked, shaking his head as he stood up and grabbed Hvitserk.

‘Forgive his mood Princess, he is an angry drunk sometimes. On his sober behalf and mine as well, congratulations on your engagement.’ the eldest prince said.

‘You come on, there is something that we need to discuss.’ Ragnar said to his wife, and with a look of complete annoyance she stood and walked past him.

‘Ivar, you fought well today and secured a very important alliance. I am proud.’ Ragnar said to Ivar.

‘Thank you Father, your praise means a great deal to me, but I wasn’t fighting for you or the alliance. I was fighting for her.’ 

Again the princess felt her heart beat faster and her cheeks burn, she was so touched by Ivar’s words.

‘Even better.’ the king smiled before he left.

Now alone the intended couple looked at each other for what may have been the first time since they had parted ways in the fighting pit.

It was strange and ridiculous for either of them to be so nervous, if they were to be husband and wife they should be comfortable around each other. 

‘Let me-’

‘Ivar-’

Both royals spoke at the same time.

‘I’m sorry, you speak first.’ Ivar said.

‘I wanted to talk to you Ivar, for the alliance I will be returning home to fetch the gold and say my goodbyes to my family. I want you to go on the journey with me and for us to have a Tunisian wedding ceremony.’ (Y/N) said.

Ivar was silent for a minute before he looked away.

‘You want me to have a Tunisian wedding in a foreign country?’ he asked.

‘Yes, and upon returning, we can have a Viking wedding, or we can have the Viking wedding first. So long as we have a wedding that my Mother will approve of, otherwise I will return empty handed.’ she said.

‘Are you aware that I have never been a boat in my life, that I have never been outside of Kattegat?’ he asked.

‘Yes, your father told me of your mother’s vision, and I understand your reason for not wanting to go. Just know that if you choose to go that I will not let anything happen to you Ivar. I was where you were Ivar, had never left the capitol village of Tunisia, but I traveled all the way here and look at what has happened.’ she spoke.

The princess stood and took Ivar’s face into her hands and made him look at her.

‘I made to this place and the spirits lead me to you, the man that could best me and the man I would marry. I know that you do not like other religions, and I will not ask you to change your religion so long as you do not ask me to change mine.’ Princess (Y/N) reasoned.

With a heavy sigh Ivar took her hands in his and looked deep into her eyes.

‘I will tell you the same thing I told my mother all those years ago; I do not care if die. What I am doing here is barely living, I am Viking, and Vikings are meant to travel. As I have said I fought to marry you, did you think I wouldn’t do this as well?’

The princess’s heart was overwhelmed, and beating faster than she could handle. It was almost the same feeling she got when she danced for the Great and Many Spirits, as if her body was not hers to control.

Before she knew what she was doing (Y/N) had thrown herself into Ivar’s arms and was kissing him.

Her first kiss.

His first kiss.

Neither of them knew what they were doing, and both of them were nervous, but they were also very eager. Eager to explore and please each other, Ivar’s hands had found their place on her hips and hers were tangled in his hair.

How Ivar wished more than ever that the Gods were not toying with him, that this wasn’t just in the healers hut dreaming that this beautiful woman was his.

Quicker than either of them wanted the princess pulled back.

‘Never done that before.’ she whispered.

‘Neither have I...did you...like it.’ Ivar asked.

‘I did, very much and...I can hardly wait to do more.’

‘Neither can I?’ he said leaning up to kiss her once more, but his lips were stopped by soft hands.

‘When we marry in the Spirit Caves.’ she smiled in teasing.

Ivar let out a small sigh as he fell back into his seat.

‘Well then I will start getting us a ship ready, the sooner we marry the better.’ he smiled back.

‘Thank you, I will see myself to my room, perhaps tomorrow you can take me to see more of the city.’ the princess smiled as she stood.

‘I would love to, sleep well.’ Ivar said honestly.

Princess (Y/N) smiled once more before she made way to her room,already feeling no guilt in the fact that she was definitely about to wake up her servants and tell them everything that had just happened.

With the princess gone Ivar sat in the hall a moment longer, taking in all the changes that had taken place in his life. He would soon be on a boat, on his way to a strange country to marry a beautiful woman.

It was only when his legs began to ache did Ivar slide out of his chair and began to crawl to his own chamber, internally taking note to have Trya massage his legs in the morning.

Once he was in his bed he fell into an easy rest, today had been so exhausting after all, but his sleep did not last long at all. He awoke to his mother frantically shaking him looking absolutely terrified.

‘What did you say?!’ Aslaug begged.

‘Mother, what are you talking about?’ 

‘The princess! Did she ask you to travel with her back to that country of her?! What did you tell her?!’ the queen urged.

‘I told her I would go...and Mother I am going.’ he said.

‘No you aren’t! I forbid it! Ivar you will die, I have seen it you know I have just as you know I am right.’

‘You said there would be a storm and there was, but that storm has passed. I am getting on that ship mother and more than anything I want your support, but with or without it, I will not change my mind.’

‘Please Ivar, you are my son-’

‘That is the problem Mother!’ Ivar snapped before he could stop himself.

Aslaug looked at her son, completely stunned as he had never raised his voice at her before despite his many tantrums.

‘I am your son and that is all you see...your poor crippled sin that you saved from the woods, am not that baby anymore. I am a man, I have been for some time now but you refuse to see that.’ Ivar said keeping his head low, unable to look at his mother as he spoke.

‘All my life you have smothered me in your attention and love, and I love you for that, but I hate it. While my brothers ran wild as children you kept inside because you didn’t want me to get hurt, but getting hurt is apart of life, a life without it is hardly a life. I hurt everyday anyway, so what are you really keeping me from?’ he finished.

With all his inner strength he forced himself to look up at his mother’s tear streaked face, and how it broke his heart to make her cry. All he wanted to do was make his useless legs work so that he could chase after her when she left, but he couldn’t and even if he could it wasn’t the right thing to do.

The sleep he fell into this time was not as peaceful as his first one was and when he woke up he did not feel too well rested, but still after Trya had massaged his legs he crawled into the great hall for first meal.

He noticed his mother’s seat was empty.

‘Good morning Ivar.’ the princess greeted with a smile and that alone helped put him at ease.

‘Boys, Ivar has something to tell you.’ Ragnar said.

Ivar looked to his brothers and felt a spark of pride in his heart as he puffed out his chest a bit as he gave his news.

‘When (Y/N) returns to her country I will be travelling with her so that we may have a Tunisian wedding, when we return we will have a second Viking wedding.’ he announced taking the princess’s hand in his own.

‘What?’ Ubbe asked in shock.

‘Yes, we will marry in the Spirit Caves. I am sure my mother will make it a great celebration and I suspect I will pick a fine beast for Ivar.’ the princess smiled.

‘Beast?’ Ivar asked.

‘Yes...a tradition in my village, after the man wins the matrimonial fight the woman proves her worth by hunting a great beast and making her husband a fine pelt. Obviously this must be done alone with no help and is rather dangerous, because of that it is a tradition carried out by mostly warriors and royals.’ she explained.

‘And you will do this...for me?’ Ivar asked.

‘Of course, I also wish to prove I am a worthy spouse.’

‘You are already worth the world and more to me.’

Before the princess could reply Ragnar threw a piece of bread at her and then another at Ivar.

‘Hey! You two are going to make my fish taste sweet! Stop it the rest of us are eating here, save it for your wedding nights.’ he teased.

Ivar rolled his eyes and ate the bread that he had been hit with and motioned for his fiance to follow him as he left.

Thankfully the conversation between them today was easy and casual if not a bit flirtatious as they walked through Kattegat.

She spoke again to a few of the merchants that she had met before, most of which gave them gifts in congratulations of their engagement. It was odd for Ivar to see so many people smiling at him, most people do not favor him, and understands why. Be it because of his legs, or his violent behaviors and twisted personality; he didn’t care much, he didn’t need their acceptance.

Still it was quite nice having so much positive attention from people outside of his family, as well as so many men looking at him with envy.

By mid day the two Tunisian servants were begging to retire to her chambers so that she could at least put down all the gifts they were carrying. 

‘Of course, besides I’m sure you both must be tired after these last few weeks with the preparations for the Matrimonial Fight. Take the day to rest, do as you please.’ (Y/N) said.

Leena and Kya smiled brightly as they hurried off to the hall.

Ivar, despite how he tried not to let it show, was growing tired as they made their way to the outskirts of Kattegat.

Of course with her being as observant as she was the princess noticed, she also saw how he was trying to push himself for her sake.

‘Let us rest Ivar, I believe this tree is a nice spot.’ she said while sitting underneath the tree’s shade.

For a moment Ivar looked ready to argue but the princess hushed him with a single look and he moved to rest beside his intended.

‘Your mother visited me last night.’ (Y/N) said the princess.

‘She what?’ 

‘She woke me up in the early hours of the morning, she cursed me something awful at first for wanting to put you on a boat knowing you would die. I told her I knew you wouldn’t, because I wouldn’t let you, but it did little to ease her worries.’

‘Why are you telling me this?’ Ivar asked.

‘She wanted me to tell you that she is cross and if...if you insist on going than not only would she not be speaking with you, also she has forbid Ragnar from helping you prepare the ship for our journey.’ (Y/N) informed.

Immediately his heart was filled with sadness and before he could control himself Ivar felt the tears begin to run down his cheeks. The princess pulled Ivar into her arms and let him weed into her chest, holding him close.

He couldn’t believe this, he was crying like a child on the woman he was meant to marry, but he couldn’t stop. Never before had his mother been cross with him and the fact that his marriage was what had angered her hurt him.

‘If...if you wish to call off the wedding I under-’

‘Hush.’ Ivar ordered.

At first the princess tensed up and prepared to argue, no one had ever dared to speak to her like this and she did not really like it, but when she looked at his face she saw how serious he was.

‘I want to marry you...I want to get on the boat and sail the seas to discover new lands. I wanted to go with my father when he sailed off for England for revenge, but I let my love for my mother stop me; I will not let it hold me back again, not from a woman as good as you.’ 

‘Will you always think this? Even if your mother is right and there is a storm?’ (Y/N) asked.

‘If I die with you at sea in a weeks time I will have no argument, for that is better than dying a hundred years later alone.’ Ivar said, looking deep into the princess’s eyes.

Soon they were both leaning in, both of them ready to feel the others lips again as they had just as they had last night, but they were stopped.

‘Ivar!’ Hvitserk yelled as he ran up to the pair and sat on Ivar’s free side and shook his younger brother by the shoulders.

‘We are going with you!’ he said excitedly.

‘Stop shaking me you idiot.’ Ivar managed to say.

‘Let him go Hvitserk.’ Ubbe said as he calmly walked over.

At last Hvitserk released him and allowed Ivar to regain his composure and notice that all his brothers were now standing under the tree.

‘What is he talking about Ubbe?’

‘Father says we will all be travelling with you to Tunisia, to meet the in-laws and show a sign of good faith in our alliance.’ the eldest brother explained.

‘All of you?’ Ivar asked with wide eyes.

‘Father too, and he says he also offered mother accommodations on the ship as well but none of us are sure if she will accept it.’ Sigurd added.

‘Bjorn is going to stay here and rule in Father’s place, that way he and Floki can have more time to prepare the ships for his journey to the Mediterranean.’ Ubbe said.

‘How exciting.’ (Y/N) said with a smile, also excited that she could show her new family where she was so proud to come from.

All the arguments Ivar was about to voice died in an instant, despite the fact that he wanted this to be his own moment if it would please her to have them along then he would agree.

‘Mother says that Father isn’t allowed to help you prepare the ship so we are going to help you, so come on.’ Ubbe said as he dragged Ivar up and put him on his back.

‘Wait a moment.’ Ivar protested, he didn’t want to prepare the ship right now, he was meant to be spending the day with his bride to be.

‘No, we need to get a move on, there is already a crew waiting for us at the docks.’ Hvitserk said.

‘If you lot are going to be making preparations for the journey I would like to join you.’ the princess said.

‘Nonsense, this is mother challenging Ivar, he has to do this on his own, why don’t you stay out here, enjoy this day or maybe find a spot for that shelter you were thinking about.’ Ubbe suggested.

‘Are you sure...Ivar?’ she asked.

He wanted more than anything to have her by his side at all times, but his brother was right. His mother didn’t think that he could do this, that he would do this, and that is exactly why he had to do it alone.

‘I will prepare the ship for us, and by the next moon we will make way to Tunisia.’ Ivar said.

His brother all bid (Y/N) farewell in too their leave.

‘Next moon?!’ Sigurd hissed.

‘That is barely over a fortnight away, no one can prepare a ship that fast.’ Hvitserk agreed.

Ivar knew in his head his brother’s were right, it took an average of month to prepare a ship, with good conditions. Getting it done by next moon was simply unheard of, but when he turned around and saw her there he knew one thing.

‘I can do it...for her.’     

[honestsycrets]

Soiled III: New Shores

❛ pairing | oc x reader, hvitserk x reader (implied)

❛ type | multi

❛ summary | reader encounters the swedes.

❛  warnings | kidnapping, forced marriage, general assholery

❛ sy’s notes | this chapter mostly has interaction with my oc. it fills in the gaps of last chapter.

Your steps stagger toward your age-old friend, the pier. Every day you would finish preparing the náttmál for Thyri and Harald, when he was in Kattegat, and carry on toward your pier with the booze you took great pride in brewing. Your clothes begin to fray at the edges despite the fine craftsmanship sewn by your hands alone. In preference for booze or clothes, you prefer booze. It is not as if you had not heard the women call you names.

She’s the prince’s whore, they said. They have their point. You spread your legs for Hvitserk, clung onto his shoulders, and enjoyed him while he was yours. Now, he wasn’t. He was Thora’s man and you doubt she has the willingness to share.

“He loves me,” Thora told you one day. “And I love him.”

Fair enough. She won. You lost.

You lift the bronze bottle to your lips and enjoy the sear down your throat. In these days, you look over the waves lapsing in and out of Kattegat’s busy harbour. Soon the happy couple would come after their night of happy feasting and fucking to come to cheer you up. Perhaps, if you didn’t have to see his face, it would be that much easier. The moon glitters up across sky beside the twinkling stars, her lovely face light and glistening out over the waves that tickle your feet, deep in the waves.

The plates of the wood bow underneath a stranger’s feet. They bounce, reverberating to where you lay with your skirts splayed open. You’re minimally concerned with it. Hvitserk. Thora. They come for you soon.

“Go away.” You groan. The steps slow to a stop.

Here was the part where Hvitserk would kneel before you and tell you how beautiful you were. Except in its absence, a pair of hands drag you across the floorboards, yanking you upon your feet. You almost undoubtedly expect Hvitserk’s playful green eyes trying to coerce you into his small cabin. Instead, the crinkling of a man’s conspiring eye meets you. His hands palm their way around your hips, causing you to shriek in your surprise.

“Who-- Who are you?” You slur in your shock, your leather clad feet kicking as he lifts you up against his broad chest. He’s a large man, with features slightly pretty, if you could tear your eyes away from the empty hole of his eye socket. The man tilts his head, the one remaining eye cold like steel.

“I’ve got her, brother!”

He turns, securing you against his chest as he pounds down the pier toward an older man. The second has hair just as wild and furious as the shapeshifter Loki.

“Put me down,” you say even in tone.

“Then let’s go!” He turns in a shift of the warm furs and wool cloak, kicking up grainy sand on the flat beach. They beat down another pier and the sheer shock settles low in your stomach. Your scarred hand grips the man’s cloak, thrashing in his arms in your abortive attempt. He’s a strong man with well-corded arms that keep you restrained, almost as if he’s done this before. Your nails dig into his face, digging skin on top of dirt that you’ve not cleaned that night. It doesn’t phase him.

“Put me down!”

“She’s a feisty one,” the other man reaches for the long plank that is set out from their strange ship across the empty space of land onto their ship.

“She’ll calm down, yeah? Won’t you (Y/N)? Be a good girl!” The man gives a squeeze of your ass, scoffing into a warm laugh.  Your hips jerk away from him, not at all understanding how he might know your name. You notice a few younger men pounding down the pier, throwing women young and old into the boat beside you. Women. It’s only women. They’re hunting women.

“Hvit…” you sob. It settles low in your stomach when the man boards the boat. “Hvitserk, please!”

The man throws you down upon the boat. Your exhaustive eyes bore up at the man when he ties the pale rope around your wrists with one, two, and three loops before he knots the rope tight. It dips into your wrists, bound there. Your prince’s name dabbles pathetically on your lips, your lower lip straining and rolling in.

“He isn’t coming,” the man leans in, his ruddy beard tickling your sun-cracked lips. “But don’t worry my little wife, I’ll take good care of you for him.”

After all, why would he come? Your tears stop streaming.

Being on a boat was a miserable existence. Ran’s powerful waves like to sweep in, moisten the hands of the rowers. You pray to her to take you too. One powerful wave and it could be done and over with. You would not have to worry about anything at all. The woman next to you chokes on her cough and inevitably, she’s thrown over. Swedes, as you learned, were as savage as you always heard from Harald.

“We’ve spotted home,” your captor slunk over to you, placing a fur over your shoulders. As opposed to the cold and damp women, he often brought his furs to warm you. He’s taking care of his stolen goods, you lament.

“Good for you,” your voice scratches. You wipe your misty face over the sleeve of your dress. He balances on the balls of his feet as he looks you over, his eye tracing your jaw and then down lower, across your chest.

“My father will want to marry us as soon as we land,” he states.

“I do not even know your name,” you respond.

“Jonakr.” He rubs his reddish beard. “Son of…”

“Siggeir.”

“The same,” he assures, reaching out so that he might stroke his large hand over your cheek. “We will marry and you may rest a good night. The trip has been long and tedious upon a woman of heartache.”

You turn away from his hand and look out toward the rocking waves. Miles off you spot what land he speaks of. The shore is flat as home, but it’s different. It’s not home. You turn back to look at your betrothed, the bags under your eyes puffy and thick.

“You’ve been watching me.” You state.

“A good time.” Jonakr raises, his large arms settling upon his pasty barrel of a chest behind plates of armour. “Unlike Thora and Hvitserk, you are a hard worker. You will bring me many sons.”

If that was the legacy that you wanted, you might have thought of it as flattery. Maybe one time you dreamed of having many children with Hvitserk and giving him a legacy to be proud of. Now, you thought, there was no escaping this lest you throw yourself upon a sword.

It wasn’t unappealing.

The shore was beautiful. You thought that Jonakr would rush you into the hall to marry straight away. He untied your hands based upon your unwillingness to run. No matter where you went, there was no escape from one fate or another. If the gods led you here, you decided that you would stay. For what was there at home other than a man who did not love you?

“The shore is lovely,” you say. Behind you, thralls arrange your wedding. Soon you would be whisked away and prepared for a wedding that you never imagined having.

“Birka is the same as Kattegat. Busy.” He states, his scarred hand lazy upon your shoulder.

“I see,” you whisper. Jonakr leads you toward the tent where you were to be married. You glance behind you to fiery, barefoot haired women that stand just outside of the tent. You look to one and then the other.

“These are my sisters. They will prepare you.”

You exhale a long breath, looking down to your scarred hands. Jonakr grasps them, bringing them back up for a kiss to your knuckles. It almost soothes you when he clears his throat, almost in his own anxiety. Is he nervous, you wonder.

“I will see you soon.”

Somewhere upon the distant horizon, there was no way you could see the boats flying a black and red raven. 

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[honestsycrets]

The Dove

❛ pairing | hvitserk x reader

❛ word count | 1218

❛ genre | oneshot 

❛ request | can you do a Hvitserk imagine where he and the reader have been dating for a while and before one of their big wars (maybe when they avenged Ragnar) Hvitserk thinks refer is cheating on him because she’s always sneaking away but really she’s been making him a bracelet with a dove on it (his nickname for her) because she knows he always misses her when he leaves and this way he’ll always have his little dove with him. I just need a bunch of fluffy Hvitserk

❛  warnings | wet chihuahua reader, suggestion of cheating, anxiety, worry, some fluffers, angst

The pier is full. Mothers and fathers, lovers and would be lovers fill the pier welcoming home their warriors and shieldmaidens from a successful raid abroad. Hvitserk shoulders by groups of people with Ubbe beside him, his arms wound underneath Ivar’s knees to support him on his back.

“My dove… she isn’t here.” He looks around a man shouldering a large tapestry ripped from the walls of a church. Ivar tightens his arms around Ubbe’s shoulders, a playful shrug ripping across his own when Hvitserk stops, looking around as if to question where she could be.

“You've been gone months. She’s been seeing the blacksmith.” Ivar says, depressing his mandible and looking around dully. “Maybe she doesn’t want a real Viking.”

Ubbe nearly drops him off his back at that. Ivar holds onto his throat for life, choking his older brother in the process. He tightens his hold back on Ivar’s legs. The color drains from Hvitserk’s face, turning away from his older brother and setting into the town.

“What was that?” Ubbe hisses, starting into the gates. Ivar looks down to the shaved ruddy side of his brother’s head before giving him a playful pat.

“Don’t worry about it brother.”

Hvitserk’s footsteps stomp through Kattegat and with them, those going on about their business stand aside. Never once had he broken up with. He knows Ivar to be the Loki of his brothers, always the one to stir up trouble where trouble did not need to be had. He turns into the dusty cabin where the blacksmith was, confident that this… this is just Ivar being ivar.

“Oh, harder?” He recognizes your voice straight away. That can’t be… he grips his sword around the grip, trying to calm himself down. This wasn’t the Hvitserk you wanted to see. He had to be truly Viking-- check his anger where it needed to be checked.

“It is better if you thrust harder.” The blacksmith says. But… did it need to be checked now? Something, he suspects, is happening. His feet carry on heavily through the cabin back toward the area where the voices were coming from.

“But it kind of hurts!”

“You won’t be sore for it later.” He hears the old blacksmith say. But why him! He was old! He didn’t have the history with you, the moments of kissing your knuckles on the pier and bringing home new flowers that Kattegat did not have.

His heart thumps in his chest like a spear tight against his chest as he steps past the leather strip curtains, looking to the blacksmith standing just to the side of you. He assists you in thrashing a hammer down upon a chunk of metal.

“Prince Hvitserk.” The blacksmith pulls aside. “You are home.”

By his side you squeal, turning up to almost jump upon him. Your arms fling over your neck, squeaking like the bird that he named you for. His sweet, innocent little dove.

“Oh Hvitserk!” You sing.

Hvitserk brings his hands up to your hands around his neck and bring them down his chest. He loses the grip on your dusky fingertips, bringing his hands to cup your jawline.

“What are you doing here?” He rumbles skeptically. There was no proof that you had betrayed him. Your dress was carefully cropped around your ankles but clean as he had ever seen it. The apron that came over your ashen dress was the filthy one. You promptly remove it and set it aside.

“What?” You blink softly.

The blacksmith senses his suspect before Hvitserk does, shifting to take the round piece that you were working upon to the side. The blacksmith’s coal dark eyes lift to look past his stringy hair that hands in his face.

“With the blacksmith?” He suggests.

You quickly understand, “You think I was cheating on you?”

Your voice, hurt. It aches to see the film of your eyes moistening with drops of tears. They bubble over the rim of your eyes. Tears drip over your cheeks, moistening down your jaw. The next words die dry on his tongue when you pull away, going to grab a chunk of metal. The blacksmith stops you from burning yourself by supplying you with the heavy tongs.

“I was just making you a stupid bracelet! So you could remember me when you’re away in whatever country you choose sleeping with women I don’t even know!”

He takes a good look at the metal braided bracelet. Almost like his armband jingling on his wrist but clearly different. A dove takes the place of a raven or dragon, whimsical in its nature.

Oh.

“My dove, you should have told me. Ivar...”

The blacksmith seems to know how this goes already. He takes the tongs from you and makes himself quickly scarce, handling the bracelet and slipping out the leather strip curtains with nothing else but a word of luck against Hvitserk’s ear.

“You listened to Ivar? Why would you listen to him! He is insane!” You say, turning around in a circle. “And I am your wife!”

His face drops when there is a little giggle from outside. The girls, he thinks. The ones that always waited outside the door to see when the other ‘shoe’ would drop so to speak. The timing couldn’t be worse.

She thinks she’s his wife. It’s so cute!

Fuck those little-- Hvitserk stalks over to the door to shoo the girls on their way. He wears the cringe on his face when he turns back away from the door. You sit on a creaky oak old chair, digging the meaty part of your palm into your eye.

“Or at least I would be if you weren’t so ashamed of me!”

“Dove, stop.” Hvitserk kneels before you on the dusty floor. He leans forward to pull your hands free of your face and replaces them back within your lap. “What is this about?”

“Ubbe is married.” You say. “But we have been together much longer.” 

“Yes, he is.” Hvitserk leads you on. “You don’t mean… that you want to, too?”

At your silence, Hvitserk figures that what he suspected might be true. It had been on his mind on a constant basis since the wedding. After all, he noticed your silence at the wedding-- gazing at Margrethe in envy.

“I just want you to want me like Ubbe wants Margrethe.”

Hvitserk glances off to the side for the moment, reliving that wedding night where you allowed him to go and play with his brother. Perhaps that was another trigger for this explosion.

“Oh you want me to want you more than that.” He courses his tongue across the side of his mouth, bringing your fingers to his chest. “You don’t need a ring to tell you that like I don’t need a bracelet to tell me that either. You are always with me.”

“You think so?” You say.

He looks down as if thinking intently. It’s a farce by the way his smile perks, shifting the honey fibers of his moustache up. “Yes, I think so, little dove. Isn’t it the same for you?”

“Then I want you to wear my bracelet.”

“If you’ll wear my ring.” Hvitserk suggests, standing up with your hands in his. You sneak your hand around his arm, dropping your head on the his shoulder as he speaks, adorably bursting into the giggles and peaceful smiles he named you for. “I think your father is sick of courting. He sicked his dog on me last time you know.”

“At least it wasn’t the bear.”

“He has a bear?” 

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