Runa| Hvitserk Ragnarsson DISCONTINUED

𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞༄

Friendly laughter woke Runa from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up. Then it clicked, the boy was still here. Her face turned a slight tint of red as she remembered yesterday. The fact that her mother woke up while a moment took place between the two strangers made her smile.
After she got up and dressed she exited her quarters. Her mother and Hvitserk were having a conversation as she noticed it wasn't raining. Why was he still here?
The blonde took a seat on the bench that sat by the table.
"Morning." She greeted taking a piece a bread from the board in front of her.
"Morning dear," her mother replied back as Hvitserk smiled genuinely at her direction, "I was just telling Hvitserk about the farm."
"Oh, mother don't bore him with such a topic." She lightly chuckled as she ate.
"Actually I asked about it," He pointed out, "must be nice having a plot of land away from the noise of the rest of Kattegat."
She nodded in response and took another slice of bread.
"Well, the walk to Kattegat to sell our produce is a pain but worth it. It's a lovely walk." My mother replied this time.
He chuckled and adjusted his pendant. Runa finished her breakfast and got up and stretched.
"Well, time to work." She yawned and dismissed herself from the table. Hvitserk glanced at her walking away and turned back to see Ingrid quirking a brow.
"Go with her." She mouthed at he smiled as if saying 'thank you' and he was up by the door.
When Runa got out the door Hvitserk was still putting on his shoes. He shrugged, she couldn't have gotten too far.
Hvitserk strolled over to find Runa was putting food in the gate of the sheep. Her light blue dress flew in the wind as she knelt down.
"I see you've followed me." She spoke to Hvitserk.
He didn't say anything he just smiled at her.
"Also it's bright and sunny why haven't you left?" She stood up and brushed the straw from his dress. He leaned on the post still smiling.
"I like it here I didn't want to leave." He honestly spoke.
"Don't you think you're needed back in the village?" She questioned as she open the gate and promptly closing it after she exited.
"Ouch, you want me away so soon?" He teased her. She shook her head.
"No I was just confused is all." She replied to his mocking sad voice. She picked up the buckets of water and began to carry them.
"Don't be," he spoke and sped up to her, "here let me take those."
She shook her head, "it's fine don't worry about it." She dismissed him, but he disobeyed. He took the buckets from her anyway. She didn't like the thought of someone doing everything for her. He wasn't doing everything but at the moment it felt like it.
"Where to?" He asked.
"To the other farm beside us," she began, "they don't have very good access to water for their horses so I usually bring them ours."
He nodded. At this moment Hvitserk felt content. He had no mother forcing him to marry, no brothers jabbing him for his love for food. Plus he met a very beautiful girl on accident, why wouldn't he be happy?

•

"So have you won many battles?"
"Well I'm going to avenge my father," he spoke confidently looking forwards.
"Wait so your father is gone?" She replied he had told her that he wasn't sure if he died or not so this was news to her.
"Well I wasn't sure at first, I knew he was going back to England. Then one day Odin came to tell me of his passing." He explained with undertones of sadness. Runa sighed, she didn't know how to console someone's grief as she hadn't known many people who lost someone apart from her mother and herself.
"I'm sorry he's gone." She put her lips in a thin line, "I know what it's like to lose a father, actually I believe my father had travelled with yours. Way back though."
He nodded and looked at her. He developed a habit of studying her, he couldn't help it. Runa took the idea of Margrethe out of his mind. Truth be told he only knew her for a short time but it felt right anyway. The two were now just sitting on a fence talking. Hvitserk had been so helpful with all the chores that she finished them early. She dreaded asking him but it was almost sundown and he hadn't left back to where he lived. So she asked him now.
"Hvitserk?" She asked fiddling with her fingers.
"Hmm?"
"When're you leaving?" She asked kind of sounding sad. He sighed.
"I really don't want to go back, my family drives me crazy." He spoke honestly.
She chuckled at his response.
"Though I guess I have to leave soon, don't I?"
She shrugged.
"It's been nice talking to someone," Runa replied, "haven't talked to anyone other than my mother and maybe the animals in ages."
He smiled, she wouldn't look him in the eye as she said that however, he believed her.
"I can say the same thing," he got off the fence and leaned on it, "this won't be the last you'll see me."
And like last night he winked. She laughed. They said their goodbyes (that weren't really goodbyes) and the two young people parted. The girl watched his figure fade into the dusty pathway. She smiled.
"I'm starting to like you Hvitserk.." she murmured, "I really am."

•

Hvitserk kept walking at a slow pace towards his home. He didn't think of it as home but it was what it was.
"There he is." Sigurd sneered when Hvitserk walked into the inner quarters.
"Hello to you too, Sigurd." He lamely replied as he took a seat with the rest of them. The smell of the feast in front of him made him hungry, he didn't know where to start.
"Where were you, son?" His mother asked him with an urgent voice.
"Out." He shrugged. He didn't really care for another one of his mother's lectures about being a 'good' son and prince of Kattegat. Plus he could tell she was drinking more tonight just by the smell.
"I'm sorry what was that?" She asked piercing her eyes at the boy, "I don't believe I asked for your sarcasm."
He rolled his eyes.
"Mother I can take care of myself and my whereabouts are none of your concern. Just be happy I'm alive." He shoved food in his mouth before he could really start talking back. He lived his mother but gods did she have the highest of expectations.
He almost choked at the sound of his mother slamming her hand on the bare wood. She was mad angry. He wasn't scared of her as she was no warrior like her parents though she had her way of revenge.
"Who's the girl." She bluntly demanded. He raised his eyebrows in confusion.
"What?" He asked.
"Someone told me that you stayed at a woman's home," she stood up from the table. All the sons looked at the scene in front of them. Ubbe had goosebumps on his arms at the sight of his mother enraged. Sigurd didn't look shocked nor content with the scene as he just kept on eating. But the last son, the cripple, was smirking as he was the one to tell about his brothers' whereabouts.
"So son," she was at his face now, "Is. this. True..."
Her face lingered in front of his for moments before he cleared his throat and answered.
"Yes." He replied and received a slap in response.
"I said no slaves." She spoke with venom as she shook her hand after the impact.
Hvitserk clenched his jaw.
"Bold of you to assume she was a slave." He spat at her and got up from the table. It was a yelling match now between mother and son. The others watched silently not daring to make a sound.
"What is she then? What is her status?"
He furrowed his brows in annoyance at his mother's constant need for social hierarchies.
"She is a farmer."
"Some job for a slave to be," she murmured, "probably a whore too."
He widened his eyes.
"For your information, she has probably worked harder today than you have ever in your whole life." His voice got low, "now leave this topic alone. We're done talking."
And he left.
Not to Runa. Not to the forest.
He went to the boat. The same boat he had always gone to since the day his father left all those years ago. He hadn't been back since he gave up waiting. But fair made its circle and he was back. His thoughts consumed him. He thought if his father hadn't left or been killed he would be happy.
Tonight the cold moon shone down on the second youngest son staring.
What was his fait?