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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xliv. Blood Relations
"Trouble, no."
Harald knew that he had just gotten her back but he was tempted to throttle her the next time she went off on her own again. He understood that she was simply trying her best to recover and the healer had said that it was alright yet that did not put to bed all his fears that she might be in a fragile state.
"Harald, yes." Kari responded, smirking at him as she reached for a ladder, intending on climbing it to see what all the fuss was about.
Everyone had been excitedly bustling about ever since that morning. Granted, the previous day had been a busy day as well with so many well-wishers wishing to see Kari alive and well. At the end of the day, Harald had fallen asleep on the chair beside her bed while they were talking to Hvitserk.
Her brothers had been overjoyed upon receiving news that she had woken up. Though they, along with Harald, had agreed not to tell her much about the outcome of the battle other than the fact that they won. She had enough on her plate. Even callous Ivar had agreed to that.
Kari had wanted to speak to her brothers about how she met their father but she had no idea how to bring that up in conversation. They would surely not believe her, even she could not believe it but she knew it had happened.
She had met Ragnar Lothbrok. She had met her father. The thought of not seeing him again for a very long time filled her with sorrow but the promise of one day made her hopeful.
Nevertheless, today was a new day that brought more excitement as ships were spotted on the horizon. Not wanting to entertain the idea of spending another day in bed when she was feeling much recuperated, Kari went off to see what was going on.
Harald had refused to let her leave the bed but she wasn't going to let him stop her. By the time he returned with their meals, she was already gone from their chambers. Luckily for him, he had found her talking to some of the people of Kattegat, allowing him some relief that she was alright.
Presently, she didn't even get the chance to make it to the first step of the ladder when he grabbed her by the waist and set her back down on the solid ground. She rolled her eyes but did not move toward the ladder again, knowing that he would stop her.
Harald knew that he was being a bit overprotective. Alright, he was being very overprotective but who could blame him? Just a few days ago, his wife was dying and chances were low that she would wake up. Now that she was able and moving, he didn't want to take any chances, especially since she was carrying their child.
"Harald," Kari sighed out, completely frustrated that she was not allowed to do anything.
"Kari," Harald returned, matching her tone as he wrapped an arm around her waist to lead her back to the main hall.
"You're being overbearing." She pointed out, even as she walked beside him. Behind her, she could hear everyone chattering among themselves about the unexpected guest that had arrived.
