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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xl. Broken Promise
"Do you remember how we met?"
Kari chuckled softly, both amused by the question and feeling tickled by the feel of his fingers on her face as he trailed paint across her cheeks. "What an odd question. I could never forget the day we met. You changed my life that day."
Harald grinned, his thumb tracing her eye carefully as he meticulously applied the blue paint. "You changed my life, Trouble. I can still remember you, so scrawny yet so beautiful, looking up at me angrily. Gods, I thought that you were some sort of chained deity."
"I was terrified beyond belief. It took everything in me not to start crying then and there when I saw you." She admitted, recalling how it felt to see him and his company.
He laughed at her admission, filling in the spots he had missed out on. "It was not obvious. You were brave and I remembered thinking to myself that I needed to have you."
"You did not even know who I was then. I was merely some stranger to you yet you helped me." She said, looking at her reflection to observe the work he did on her face while he wiped his hands clean.
"I just knew. Somehow I knew that you were going to be very important to me." He answered, his eyes glued onto her as he sat in front of her.
"As you are to me." She whispered, placing her hand on top of his, tethering her strength with his. Even now, when both of them were feeling particularly vulnerable, their courage came from each other.
They were mere hours away from the battle, hours from the battle that would decide their fate and the fate of all Vikings in Norway. The fear did not lessen just because they had plenty of men and soldiers on their side.
Kari knew that winning or losing this battle would be the end of it. Nothing more would come after for the land of Kattegat. Neither side would be able to stomach such a loss. It would be a tragedy, no matter which side wins or loses.
For all their talks of what was right and wrong, it still did not change that many warriors will be welcomed into Valhalla today. No one knew who would be left behind when the dust settles, if the people they care about will be one of those people left standing.
Unconsciously, one of Kari's hands slipped to her abdomen, pressing against the flat surface. She would not be fighting for just one today, she would be fighting for her and her child. If she were less of a woman, she would tell Harald the truth and opt to stay behind.
But she couldn't. If he was fighting, then so was she. Although if she was fighting, she would not be able to tell him the truth about her condition. If she were to fall in battle, she would rather he not know and not try to blame himself for allowing her to fight.
It may be selfish of her to have that sort of thinking but the last thing she wanted to do was leave Harald in despair and regret. She could carry the burden of the choice, choosing to fight like this, but she refused to let him carry such a burden when he needed to focus on staying alive.
