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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l. Disoriented Thoughts
Kari supposed she did not know her own strength.
Whereas before she could not even carry a sack of grain or lift a bucket of water, but after training with shield maidens, overseeing a kingdom, and caring for her child, perhaps her strength had grown into something even she could not begin to fathom.
That was the only explanation that came to mind as she cradled her throbbing fist, looking down at her husband who she had knocked unconscious with a single blow. It was either her strength had grown or Harald had grown weak after fighting in England.
Extending her foot, she lightly kicked him on the side though he still did not move. For a moment, she thought she had killed him. Until a loud snort left his sleeping form. He was fine. For now.
Grabbing a cup from the table, she filled it to the brim from the pitcher before spilling it all over her husband's sleeping form. His eyes flashed open with indignation, falling upon her in shock.
"Get up," Kari commanded, not even sparing him a glance as she took a seat and waited for him to pick himself up.
Harald let out a loud groan of pain as he came to, wiping water off his face. He pressed a hand to his reddening cheek, trying to ease the growing pain. "You did not have to do that."
She crossed her arms over her chest as she glared down at him pointedly asking. "Did you deserve it?"
He started, getting to his feet and making his way toward her, this time with a hint of caution for fear that she would punch him again, effectively knocking him out for good. "Trouble, I-"
She repeated, her face remaining blank, refusing to give him the satisfaction. "Did you deserve it, Harald?"
He looked down shamefully, knowing that he could not disagree with her. "Yes, I did."
She nodded thoughtfully, gesturing to the chair a fair distance away from her. "Good. We're in agreement then."
He was silent for a moment before he uttered an apology, knowing that it was not enough and anticipating what came after. "I'm sorry."
She accused, raising her voice for the first time since they saw one another again. She did not hold a single thing back, releasing all the rage, the pain, and the hurt she had felt for months. "You left me! You left your wife and your unborn child."
"And I regretted it every single day." He returned, slumping down on the seat in front of her. "Do you think you were far from my thoughts? That I could simply forget you just like that? Trouble, you consume me."
She challenged, looking at him unflinchingly doubtful of his words. "Really? Then why did you not come back? Why did you not turn around and return to us the moment you realized your mistake?"
"And come back as what? A broken man? A soulless, regretful husk of the man I once was. I killed my brother. I failed to protect my wife. I was a failure and I would have just made things worse." He shook his head, accepting that no matter how much it hurt him, he did it for her.
