He was the conqueror. She was the sacrifice.
He was powerful. She was unexpected.
He was certain. She was uncertainty.
He formed a nation. She formed his world.
Together they would make history.
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xxvii. Bound
Kari's fingers traced the bodice of the gown she was wearing, a light blue fabric that was procured for this exact day.
She found herself circling the golden bracelets around her wrists as she continued to be in awe of all that she was wearing. If she had been told months ago that she was to marry a king from a faraway kingdom, a viking king at that, she would've deemed the person who told her mad.
Yet it seems so many things can change in a matter of months. The woman staring back at her through the reflection of the mirror was not the Kari from Northumbria. The woman staring back at her now was surer of herself and assured that wherever she was, she had found her place.
Her hair was curled to perfection, golden ringlets carefully framing her face as a crown of flowers was placed atop her head. Her lips were stained red from crushed dried berries. Her gown was soft, fitted perfectly to her form.
The sun was shining brightly, the golden rays peeking from the window. From her room, she could hear the bustle and excited chatter of the crowds outside.
They had all cheered when Harald announced that they were to be married, though most of them seemed as though they knew that it was going to happen, one way or another. The women by the dock happily helped her get ready, some of them even giving her advice on married life.
Nothing could have made this day better.
All the women agreed that the good weather was a sign that Freya smiles upon the match, making them even more excited.
Kari could not help but share in the excitement. Her lips formed a giddy smile as she remembered all that had happened ever since they had finally been honest with each other.
They had returned to Tamdrup sopping wet with wide smiles on their faces. Harald had the leather band wrapped around his finger and her satchel on his arm. He wasn't taking any chances, he had said.
He had pulled her in every chance he could get to plant his lips upon hers, burying his hand in her wet golden locks. It had gotten to the point where they were caught by one of the servants, leading him to be extremely defensive, stating that they were to be married.
Although that led to another chain of events wherein he would tell anyone who would listen that he was to be married to Kari. By the end of the day, everyone in Vestfold had known that they were to be married.
Since then, Harald has wasted no time and no expenses in planning their wedding. Even though she had assured him over and over again that she was perfectly content with a simple celebration, he had reiterated that he only wanted the best for the future king and queen of Norway.
Kari had only sighed, knowing that there was no stopping the man. He was relentless and who was she to complain? That was one of the reasons she had fallen for him after all.
