otherlothbrok:

<sub>after the blood eagle of Borg, Rollo with a heavy heart realized
that he no longer had ties to Kattegat. his brother seemed to still
barely trust him and was wrapped up in his family. his friends still
though he could not blame them for that. and Siggy, who he had
loved and tried to treat right had betrayed him twice. with Horik 
and the man’s son. it had been too much. it had broken him in 
both spirit and P R I D E. 

                                                             so he bid farewell to his family 
                                            ( his real family. Ragnar and his children, even Aslaug )

there were not many places for him to go. he had cut many ties
from betraying Borg and Ragnar in such a short span of time. 
and there were very few places that he wanted to go. that he 
thought might offer him comfort that Kattegat was unable to. 

                                                         he did know, exactly who and where would
                                                         offer him the sort of peace mind that he was
                                                         seeking his heart knew as well as his mind that
                                                         he may have a home in L A G E R T H A’S new
                                                         lands

 when he arrived it was to wary stares, which he understood.
but he did not flinch, asking to see Lagertha, though he was
surprised when they seemed wary to bring her to him. at the
sight of her, the hard lines riddled with sadness on his face
instantly softened. only to harden again at the obvious healing
marks on her face. his fists clenched in rage and a fire ignited 
in his stomach. but he grit his teeth and spoke, unwilling to
act until he knew what had happened to her beautiful face. 

                                                         ( who would dare touch her like that? )</sub>

                        <sub>“ I have news if you wish to hear it. 
                               ——— but I did not come in order to bring you news.“ 

                                                       he did worry that she may not want him there.
                                                       that her husband may not want him here. but
                                                       he had no where else to go. his heart yearned 
                                                       for no one else. 
                          “ May we go inside and talk? I feel this may take
                            a while….”</sub>

        _{his presence was not unwanted but surprising all the same.
        what would cause him to leave Kattegat, to leave his deepening
        bond to his brother? reasons for his departure were to be revealed
        in time, that was one fact Lagertha was certain of. his trust in her
        was the tie that bestowed permission on the shieldmaiden to see
        the Rollo beyond what was provided to most. even if unease was
        her initial reaction, she could not help but recall the night they
        had spent together.} 

                        _{F U R Y  unrelenting, unparalleled arose in his gaze, tension
                        immediately noted in his frame causing her feet to advance
                        rather than retreat as most would. the evidence of her punishment
                        still laid bare on her skin for all to witness, the trigger to awaken
                        his desire for bloodshed. of course deep down he knew there were
                        no dragons or beasts for him to slay here when Lagertha was capable
                        of doing so herself.} 

                                      _{❝ of course.
                                                 ————– come. ❞}

        _{fingers curl round one of his fists, hoping to coax his own free,
        to induce moderate relaxation. it was a gentle reminder for him
        to calm what storm raged within before depriving him of her touch
        to lead him further into her dwelling, into what private space resided
        behind the vast gathering hall.}

                       _{the moment they are alone, she motioned for him to be seated
                       whilst calling to one of the servants requesting that they prepare
                       food & drink for her visitor. once their exchange is completed, her
                       attention reverted back to her impromptu company, closing the
                       door behind her.} 

                                                                 _{❝ what has happened? ❞}

gavefarmore:

           _{He is not meant to look quite so… proud, is he? But this is the
           Lagertha that he remembers, and he has missed her so. Even
           if he is unaware of how she might have changed over these 
           four long years, how she spent so long taking and never offering
           any kind of strike in return.}

                                       _{Would he be more proud of her for finally 
                                       standing up for herself? Or would this news
                                       do very little more than break his heart?}

           _{Ragnar doesn’t know. But, luckily, he doesn’t have to, does he?}

          _{“You are a good mother.” 
            It’s all he says for a few moments— and perhaps it sounds a little
            unrelated, but his thoughts have settled on Björn and what she
            has done for him, what she did by settling with Sigvard in the 
            first place. She would not stay with a man who humiliated and
            abused her out of love. Ragnar had his fights with her, of course,
            but he would never beat her. 
                                                            And she still left him.} 

          _{”And you will be a finer Earl, no doubt.” 
            Eyes flicker away from her for a few moments, and the next few
            words that leave his lips are really the only ones that make any
            kind of sense. 
                                 “Would you be opposed to allying yourself with
            me? With Kattegat? We could work together again.”} 

            _{They work so very well as a team, after all. 
                                                    But they’ve had a lot of practice at it.}

        _{his response spurred a heaviness infiltrate her muscles,
        the reality of her past coming into full view to taint her
        lighthearted expression. every blow or ill word to serve
        as the slap across her skin was endured, a willing abdication
        to give her son what he had forfeited when his choice had
        been made years ago. a Jarl’s son, a title, a future, l o s t
        because of her pride forcing him to choose.} 

                                                                        _{( it was her DUTY to restore what had
                                                                          been disavowed, to withstand whatever
                                                                          challenges the Gσ∂ѕ desired to place
                                                                          in her path. )}

        _{darkness had been her burden to bear, her fate revealing
        little illumination but her faith was unshaken. a mother’s
        sacrifice was an admirable trait she prayed would cause
        light to warm her once again.}

                       _{silence befell them, the crackle of the fire their only
                       company as whispers would riddle their minds, memory
                       after memory saturating them. the smile etched on her
                       visage was steadfast, a nod to acknowledge his kind
                       words, to express gratitude silently, respectfully. even
                       with her humble acceptance the shieldmaiden’s answer  
                       to his query was swift as she had preemptively
                       considered his proposition on her journey to Kattegat.}

            _{❝ i would not. it could benefit us both as it has done in the past. ❞}

        _{diplomacy was the safe barrier between them, a filter to
        seize the remnants of their past, for their tether to one another
        to be ignored. still, the one spirit that bound them was her sole
        concern far beyond sailing West, her inquiry fleeing from the
        tip of her tongue without conscious consent —- formality was
        fractured again.} 

                                                                        _{❝ ———- and what of Björn?
                                                                                                is he happy still? ❞}

landnama:

_{the answer is no different from his expectations, but the
                shipbuilder finds himself disappointed regardless.}

                                _{Nothing but a brief flicker of unhappiness
                                shows on his face. His smile widens, his eyes
                                glint; he will simply have to make the most
                                of her time here. Hers and Bjorn’s both; the
                                world is a changed place without them.} 

                _{An answering giggle to the question pushes its way
                past his lips, unbidden. Amusement comes naturally
                to the shipbuilder, as naturally as tricks and
                ever-constant movement. Even now, he finds himself
                shifting on his feet, head tilting down slightly so that
                he can look up with his eyes at her. Floki holds up his
                arm, fingers closing into a loose fist, his hand bent at
                the wrist.}

                                _{”It would be difficult to build my ships if I had
                                refused to recover.”
                Reason enough to fight through anything, surely.
                Being confined in any way had been something like
                torture, the very worst part. The trickster would hate to
                feel so trapped again.} 

                _{His hand drops to his side, thumb tucking into the wide
                belt at his hips. As if he was a winged creature, his
                elbow still sways slightly.
                                ”The Gods are angry with us,“}

                _{he starts, his voice turning low and husky as amusement
                fades from his features.
                                ”They mean to make us fight for their favour.”}

        _{the mere flicker of melancholy on his features did not
        go unnoticed, a reflection of the memory she had departed
        with years ago. it was the same expression he had bore when
        her decision to leave Kattegat grew to become common knowledge.
        Floki had to know how glad she was to see him again, fully
        recovered,  t e e m i n g  with life.} 

                      _{his energy serves as the sun after months with only night.
                      all the shieldmaiden could do was hope that his most recent
                      past was one not to regret but to rejoice, that their hall was
                      still filled with the comradery could not remain once Ragnar
                      had proposed taking another wife in their company. airy mirth
                      emanated from her, nodding in agreement to his statement.}

                 _{❝ it would. and what beautiful ships you make.
                                           there is none other as talented as you. ❞}

        _{no inhabitant of Hedeby could equate to those in her
        former home. even with their unfailing kindness & acceptance,
        it could not compare leaving her to feel a constant void.
        it always left her to wonder if Björn felt the same.} 

                                           _{❝ —— what was done to lose their favor? ❞}

        _{amusement appeared to diminish within them both, her’s
        quickly replaced by concern.}

unrestrained-chaos:

     Fenrir knew the posture of one born a warrior well;
     he had laid a hateful eye upon one such example
     with each cycle of day and night bringing Law to
     his feared burden, sturdy arms laden with meager
     morsels fashioned in the crude semblance of a
     filling meal — an ill-fated venture, for the harbinger
     had hungered for much more than mere meat, the 
     to taste divine blood upon his lips and feel the heft
     of sated revenge within his gut seeing desirous
     bounds frame his mind — yet the woman stood 
     before him was wholly unfamiliar. Einherjar she was
     not, nor did the scent of the damnable valkyrja arise
     to assault lupine senses.

     A human warrior. The harbinger had to restrain a 
     scoff at the mere thought.

               ❝Jæja, er þetta ekki samúð fyrir þig? Ég er enginn maður.❞

        _{wolves, though vicious when provoked, would fall to edge
        of a blade carried by those valiant enough to wield it. although,
        this was no ordinary canine she had engaged before. as azure
        irises would trail the length of its looming frame, the barrier to 
        her memory was to creak ajar releasing the charismatic murmurs
        of faðir as he spoke of the Tяι¢кѕтєя'ѕ children.} 

                                                                     _{( Jöямυηgαη∂я, the serpent within the seas
                                                                       fated to defeat Tнσя once the events of
                                                                       Rαgηαяöк had begun & the m o n s t r o u s 
                                                                       wolf, Fєηяιя, foretold to slay Óðιηη. 
                                                                                   ——- could this hound truly be … ? ; )}

        _{his stature alone was to serve as the evidence she required,
        knowing that her destiny did not lie with putting an end to the
        beast but rather to become caught within his jaws —- prey to
        a vastly superior predator. if this was who she thought, he would
        only bring disorder, a harbinger of sinister malevolence to those
        who resided just metres away. Lagertha was wise not to engage
        unless the odds were in her favor even if Vαℓнαℓℓα awaited.}

             _{❝ Ég vil ekki vandræði fyrir mig eða þjóðar minnar, Fєηяιя.  
                                                      það er augljóst að þú ert ekki maður en dýrið. ❞}

        _{little apprehension would grace her tongue when his presumed
        identity was uttered, disregarding the rapid pace of her heart
        within the caverns of her chest. a slow exhalation lead through
        her nostrils would strive to slow its pace to little avail.} 

                                          _{❝ Hvað er fyrirtæki þitt hér? ❞}

gavefarmore:

                           _{“They say you cut Sigvard’s throat,
                             removed head from shoulders,
                             & mounted it above the chair in
                             which he used to sit in your hall.”}

         _{He smiles at the thought. Oh, he is so certain that she killed him,
         as that is the Lagertha he knows and loves, but the rest seems at
         least just a little questionable. Unlike her, at the very least. So 
         excessive, such a waste. Lagertha knows how to make her points
         in other ways.}

                                 _{It is something he has always admired about her.}

                           _{"I have a feeling that gossip may have
                             run away with this story, just this once.
                                           —Not to say you didn’t give him
                             exactly what he had coming.”} 

         _{Attention turns to crackling fire and Ragnar smirks. Good, he thinks.
         Björn has spoken about what Sigvard was like, and though Ragnar
         possessed the desire to show the man the error of his ways himself…
                           He knew Lagertha would do it when the time was right.}

                           _{When she need not worry about Björn as well as herself.}

         _{How wonderfully smart she is.}

        _{mouth just barely ajar, her brow furrowed in complete
        bemusement, blinking momentarily to comprehend the
        entirety of his explanation. his smile caused the corners
        of her lips to curve in mild amusement, practically mirroring
        it as her sight would falter to the fire before them. strange
        how the truth grows such ludicrous embellishments as it
        as passed from one to another.} 

                                                                                  _{( as if she would want that
                                                                                    cretin’s head anywhere near
                                                                                    her hall. )}

                      _{❝ i find little truth in the story you were told. ❞}

        _{of course Ragnar would swell with pride to know that
        the blood of a warrior still burns in her veins. that no
        man would ever need to save her when she could easily
        settle any score herself. was it a comfort to know she
        did not need her protection or had it been an insult?} 

                      _{Lagertha doubted the Princess ever held the hilt of a
                      blade in her lifetime despite being the child of Brynhildr.
                      nobility had yet to alter the shieldmaiden as it had many
                      others & she never would allow it to do so.}

         _{❝ it was a knife to his eye after he tried to humiliate me.
                  he was not happy that i came to your aid, leaving without his ‘permission’. ❞}

                                            _{a sin more grave than the one Ragnar
                                                  had committed against her.}

        _{death for so long had brought her sorrow, loss to be the
        weight upon her shoulders poised to cripple her. but never
        has Lagertha wavered to rest upon her knees, trembling
        beneath the burden no matter the toll it would take on her
        body. head held high, honour was her master, arising from
        the rubble of her past, Sigvard’s death being the key to unlock
        the irons ensnaring her slender wrists.}

                                     _{( death had now become a  R E L E A S E. )}

        _{very little bruising remained on her once marred visage,
        broken skin healing closed to appear as if her attack had
        never occurred. presently, Hedeby had fallen into her grasp
        naming her its sole ruler, fulfilling the position of Jarl. & as
        her former husband would spend his free moments nursing
        a cup of mead or wine, the shieldmaiden was busy walking
        about the lands, mingling with those who inhabited them
        before her arrival.}

                       _{all of the faces within her Hall were recognized, greeting
                       them with a risen glass & graceful nod but there was one
                       in particular that caught her eye, sparking her curiosity &
                       taste for adventure.} 

           _{❝ i have not seen you around Hedeby before.
                       —- may i ask what has brought you here? ❞}

        _{they were hardly a foreign invader, not appearing to be
        a danger to her people. she would assume them to be a
        weary traveler —- one she welcomed with a small smile.} 

gavefarmore:

       _{“Do you know what they say of you?" 
         Is he allowed to look quite so p r o u d, he wonders briefly. After all,
         Ragnar has had no hand in Lagertha’s rise, simply been a bystander 
         in her greater story. A chapter in a book filled with great tales and 
         even greater glories, no doubt.}

                              _{She was never to be just a farmer. 
                              Just like Ragnar himself. 
                              And such a feeling it settles into
                              him, to see her r i s e like this.}

                                                 _{"Should I begin to call you Earl Lagertha 
                                                   from now on?”}

                   _{❝ what is it they say? ❞}

        _{perhaps she should not have allowed herself to divulge
        in trivial matters of speculation but there was a foolish part
        of her that pondering what picture others’ words had painted
        of her. it would be proper to dispel any falsities that may have
        reached Ragnar’s ear.} 

                      _{when she thought her fate would reveal only darkness,
                      the Gσ∂ѕ smiled on her, allowing her to bask in the warmth
                      of their fortune. sacrifices were promptly made in their honour.} 

        _{her former husband’s inquiry sparked a simper, humble with
        pride lurking behind it. the title she gained with crimson staining
        her hands seemed to distance her from those she was close to. a
        mere formality that she would never allow to break the bonds she
        fostered.} 

                                                      _{❝ no, Jarl or not, i will always be Lagertha. ❞}

lokkja:

Trepidation and caution always the first reaction to his presence, it came as no surprise in this instance. Wariness was wise given the many warnings that came along with his name, wise to heed them.

                           ”Shall we call it curiosity, for now?”

                                            “I am intrigued. You need no more answer than that.”

A more beautiful piece of mortality he had never set eyes on, strength beyond measure,  she persevered though each trial laid before her. Worthy of his coming offer in every way. 

        _{a step, then two, carried the shieldmaiden forward tentatively.
        no matter the station she would hold, Lagertha would be the
        warrior her father had raised her to be. & even with the closing
        wounds upon the flesh of her countenance, her head remained
        high, straightened vertebrae steadfast as if constructed of more
        than just meager bone. honour, regality, & strength seeped from
        her pores, desperate to not dwell on the words he had uttered upon
        his arrival.}

                                                     _{had Fяєуנα truly been so ignorant
                                                     to her wishes? had her pleas at Uppsala
                                                     fallen on deaf ears? was it not punishment
                                                     at all?}

                           _{& yet … was it not a trickster’s duty
                           to spark doubt in those she had strong
                           faith in?}

                        _{❝ and just who are you?
                                i have not seen your face among my people before. ❞}

        _{she may have had her assumptions but it was confirmation she
        sought —- a compulsion to hear the words leave his very lips.} 

                                                                   _{❝ —- i am curious as well. ❞}

                                                                                          _{( … speak it ; echoed within
                                                                                                her mind, azure irises unable 
                                                                                                to waver from his visage. )}

        _{those who resided in Hedeby had stood at her side to
        slay the tyrant who had sought to break Lagertha's ᴍɪɢʜᴛʏ
        spirit, matchless by any other. but was she prepared to rule
        the settlement? to inherit the power those around her had
        not dared to challenge as their right? sovereignty would fall
        to her, rising to the occasion, tight, confining braids  r e l e a s e d
        to allow flaxen strands to cascade down her shoulders.} 

                                                                                       _{( her trust in the Gσ∂ѕ
                                                                                         had P R E V A I L E D . )}

        _{the injuries upon her face began to mend, able to smile
        the slightest bit without causing a wince of pain, returning
        to the seemingly menial task of turning thread into garments
        at her loom. freedom was the crash of her chains colliding
        with the earth to couple with the thud of Sigvard’s frame.}

                                         _{lost in her reverie, she did not hear
                                         the servant girl enter her space until
                                         her soft, meek voice graced her senses.} 

                  _{❝ my Lady, there is someone here to see you. ❞}

        _{despite what bewilderment would course through her frame,
        the words were acknowledged with a nod, dismissing her with
        gentle words of gratitude. & as she exited, Lagertha pivoted
        to view her visitor, her previous perplexity was shown clearly
        on her furrowed brow.}

                           _{❝ —- Rollo ?
                                      Do you bring news of Kattegat? ❞}

                                                                                  _{why else would he be here?
                                                                       had poor fortune befallen her former home?
                                                                                            what of her son ?}

landnama:

years, it had been.

       He’d only just begun a lengthy recovery when Lagertha had left. The way of things in Kattegat had not changed substantially, nor had the ways of the woods. There are always certain occupations to keep his hands busy, and his mind is seldom idle. Helga is with him more often than not, and slipping into her ever-present company had been as easy and comforting as the warmth of a fire on a deathly cold night.

           _{not that it matters.
                                  there was a time when Lagertha and Bjorn both were family to him.
   they still are.}

       The trickster answers the embrace by slipping his arms around Lagertha in turn, a genuine smile pulling at his lips. Where he was expecting a fight, a small war even, there is this. It’s a soothing balm to fresh wounds. And a relief, if he’s honest, to know that there’s yet time. “You have been away for too long.” His fingers curl slightly, catching at the armour she wears, and then he is stepping back to get a better look at her. Lagertha has ever looked most natural when she is as this. 

       ”How long will you stay with us?”

        _{before she had departed, their revered ship builder &
        resident trickster was on his feet, wounds beginning to
        heal as many prayers were muttered to Freyja & Eir in
        the hopes that they would be answered. she was glad
        to see the goddesses had not forsaken her completely.
        once barely clinging to life, Floki was brimming with it,
        exuding it in his own off-kilter manner. her absence had
        inflicted wounds that would not part flesh but something
        beneath the skin that was far more precious.} 

                                                                   _{( of course, he had to know Lagertha
                                                                     had to follow her own path, to remain
                                                                     true & faithful to herself after suffering
                                                                     her once husband’s humiliation. it was
                                                                     the unbeaten path she had to travel, to
                                                                     accept her fate. )}

        _{home was where the heart felt it belonged, where it was
        tied to & here among those who had observed her exit
        years ago, welcomed her once more. this was home. it
        was cruel that soon enough she would have to suffer absence
        from it once again.}

                    _{❝ My son and i are more than happy to come to Ragnar’s aid. ❞} 

                                         _{weighted thoughts were to be eradicated
                                         as her embrace was returned then quickly
                                         left under his exploratory gaze, her smile
                                         steadfast.}

                                                           _{❝ —— as long as we are needed. ❞}

                                                                                          _{( WE, it was always ‘we’.
                                                                                                   she & her son. )}

                              _{❝ are you well? you look far better than last i saw you. ❞}

        _{a thirst for battle surged through the shieldmaiden’s veins,
        trepidation conquered by her unyielding courage. this raid
        was similar to the rest, invading to gain what treasures lied
        beyond foreign walls but the moment cries for salvation would
        grace her ears as they leapt from the throat of a defenseless
        woman, valor would take root once more. in mere moments,
        Lagertha emerged separate the predator from his prey, urging
        the female to run as her elbow collided with the viking’s jaw
        exerting considerable force. & while he fell to the dirt, her line
        of sight rose to meet that of a man she did not recognize, one
        who was strangely captivating. there was something oddly 
        reminiscent of divinity about him.}  

                                                            _{( still within a territory that was
                                                              not Kattegat, the unknown caused
                                                              her fingers to curl around the hilt
                                                              of her blade, suspicious to trust one
                                                              she was not acquainted with. )}

                   _{❝ —— who are you? ❞}