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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xlix. Bitter Cause
"Bjorn is here."
Kari looked up from the carving she made on the table, her eyes wide with surprise. Of all the things she expected to come from the other man's mouth, that was probably one of the least likely ones.
"I thought Bjorn was in England." She wondered aloud, not knowing how to feel about her older brother being in the same place as she was when the last time she saw him, she was on the verge of death.
"Apparently he has returned to take back Kattegat." Hvitserk continued, sitting beside her and placing a piece of meat in his mouth.
Hvitserk was being awfully suspicious with his short answers and cryptic tone which is why she decided to probe further. There must have been a reason why he was acting in such a way.
Usually, he was the calm one between the two of them, the voice of reason.
"And what does King Olaf have to say about this?" She asked, playing along as she took a sip of ale, her eyes tracing his every move.
"He agrees with whatever it is we decide upon." He answered, looking anywhere but at her, eyes wandering.
"Alright, what is it? Why are you so tense?" She went straight to the point, wanting to know what it was that was bothering him.
"Bjorn is already on his way here. I asked our men to bring him here so that we could speak to him first." He spoke quickly, before softly adding in a mutter. "And Harald is here as well."
"What!?" Kari exclaimed loudly, making him jump from his seat at her loud tone. "And you didn't start with that?"
"I didn't ask them to bring him here but I heard from our men that he is here as well." Hvitserk defended, raising two hands in front of him in defense.
She stood, beginning to pace as she covered her face with her hands. "This can't be fucking happening."
"I'm sure we can-" He tried to say.
"Why is he even here with Bjorn in the first place?" She demanded, her tone frantic at the thought of seeing the two men. Gods, she wanted nothing more than to be back home with Eric yet here she was, fighting for his and her birthright.
He stood, taking hold of his sister's hands. "Kari, everything will be fine. I promised you that nothing bad would happen and I intend to keep that promise. Even if I have to kill your husband."
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I know and I am grateful that I am with you. This is something that has to be done. Let's get this over with."
Upon hearing her confirmation, he led her to the table as they waited for Bjorn's arrival. In that time, Kari gathered her wits about her, knowing that it was not Bjorn's fault in any way.
