Vikings-The Trick Of The Gods

Ten.

Okay so this bit doesn't really line up with the series as far as everyone's ages but the whole thing is fictitious and I didn't think everything thought before I started, sorry.

The summer sun bore down on us from above and I raised my hand to shield my eyes and remove the hair from my face. My hair was still not long enough to hold the braids in for long, especially after a long night sailing. It was frizzy now; the salty air and the braids had left kinks all throughout their lengths though it did make me look more similar to Lagertha. Wobbling on the moving boat I made my way to her. Warm and excited she smiled down at my and gripped my shoulder.

"You see there," she pointed to the land in front of us, "that's Kattegat."

Mountains imposed on us from either side, their grey faces learning down as if in disgust, like at any moment they could lift up a hidden limb and crush us. Blankets of pine trees rested on their shoulders and softened their jagged edges. The water lapped at the shore line and tapped gently on the sides of the boat. Birds screeched and warriors murmured softly, knowing they were close to their destination now. A faint smell of smoke entered my nose, a sure sign that we were near civilisation. Straightening my back, I peered around ornate calving at the front of the boat. I squinted my eyes and there it was, a large cluster of buildings was nestled into the mountains in front of us. It was big, certainly bigger than Hedeby and the port was lined with more ships that I had ever seen before. I had only seen places this big before I found myself in this time.

About a half hour later, we were close. A large cluster of people stood on the shore and a smaller cluster stood on a jetty. I looked up to Lagertha. I felt sick. Adrenaline scratched through my veins and my mouth grew dry. If I had not been accepted in Hedeby how would I be accepted here? I expected Lagertha to look thrilled as she had done previously but instead she looked placid. She stared almost blankly, though I could see her jaw was tensed, towards the people on the dock.

There was a man at the center of the group. His hair was shaved at the sides and he had a raven crawling up the side of his head. His eyes were ice blue yet contained a strange fire as he smirked in the direction of Lagertha. To his side was a woman she was dressed like a princess. She wore a green dress laced with gold and red in intricate patterns with glinting beads around the neckline. Her hair was in loose golden blonde waves that framed her face and sat delicately on her shoulders. A group of four boys were in front of them. Three of them stood and one, who looked around my age, sat. A shift at the back of the group caught my eye and, slightly behind the man, was Bjorn.

I felt the nerves melt out of my body and a smile plastered itself across my face. I went to wave but Lagertha caught my arm, holding it by her side. This was a formal affair. We reached the jetty and climbed out of the boat. Bjorn ran up to me and scooped my up into his arms crushing me against his chest and breathing in with his head nuzzled into my neck. After a few seconds he released me and I fell to the ground, stumbling a little where I was caught by the tallest of the four boys. I looked up at him and he smiled down at me, his eyes a burning blue just like...

"I see you've already met at least one of my sons," the man said clapping Bjorn on the back, "and that there is Ubbe, my first son from my wife, Aslug."

He continued to name members of his family gesturing to them as he did, though he did not introduce himself, as if he assumed everyone already knew who he was. Of course it was Ragnar, father of Bjorn. Lagertha had not taken her eyes off him and Aslug had not taken her eyes of Lagertha. I would seem the only person enjoying this interaction was Ragnar and Bjorn. All the boys seemed a little stunned as their eyes traced me up and down. I looked and my feet, shaking my head so that my hair would fall in front of my eyes.

"Come," said Ragnar, "there is much to discuss."

With his words, me and Lagertha, with Bjorn by my side, followed the family past the hoard of people and though the town to the main hall.