Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Please don't sue me I'm.
When Ragnar's alarm went off in the morning he didn't want to wake up, until he remembered about his guest. He shut the alarm off and got dressed. He opened the door to the spare bedroom and peered inside. He saw Athelstan curled up like a kitten still hugging the pillow. Ragnar smiled he didn't want to wake Athelstan, he didn't have the heart. But he had to.
"Athelstan" he said as he shook his shoulder lightly. Athelstan twitched but didn't wake up "Athelstan. Wakey, wakey" he said and shook Athelstan's shoulder slightly harder. Athelstan opened his eyes and yawned. He looked at Ragnar and seemed to have forgotten where he was "Don't worry Athelstan it's just me" Athelstan recognised Ragnar and smiled. He seemed to mime the words 'Good morning' and sat up.
"Are you hungry?" Ragnar asked
Athelstan nodded.
"Well then let's go to the kitchen. Lagertha should be down soon with the kids" Ragnar said and led Athelstan into the kitchen. The kitchen wasn't very big but there was enough space for a table and chairs "I'm not much of a cook but I'll get some breakfast started" he said as he placed a frying pan on the stove.
Athelstan tapped Ragnar on the shoulder to get his attention. He pointed to himself and then pointed to the frying pan.
It took a moment for Ragnar to realise what Athelstan wanted "You want to help cook?" he asked
Athelstan nodded with a smile.
Ragnar shrugged his shoulders and said "Alright then" he got out bacon, eggs and butter from the fridge "How does bacon, eggs and toast sound?" he asked
Athelstan furrowed his brows and looked like he was going to mime something until a loud thump from upstairs stopped him "I don't want to go" a muffled voice from upstairs said.
Ragnar sighed and rubbed his forehead "That was my son Bjorn. I'll be back in a minuet" he said and went back up the stairs.
While Athelstan was left alone he began to search around the kitchen.
Meanwhile up stairs Ragnar was as trying to convince his son to get up "You have to go to school Bjorn"
"I don't like school it's boring" Bjorn replied pulling the covers back over his head.
"Neither did I but I went" Ragnar argued
"Fuck off" Bjorn swore
"Alright I'm getting your mother" Ragnar said in a huff
Ragnar told Lagertha what Bjorn had done and knew she would set him straight. He went back down stairs to see how Athelstan was doing. When he entered the kitchen a range of different mouth watering smells hit his nose. On the table there was plates, knives, forks and spoons but never mind the cutlery the food looked fantastic.
There was bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, sausages, tomatoes, beans and a stack of pancakes with honey and some chopped banana. How did he do this? Ragnar wondered "A-Athelstan did you do all of this?" he asked
Athelstan nodded and continued to stir something in a pot.
"How? I didn't even know we had any pancakes or...what is that?" he asked pointed to the with stuff in the pan.
Athelstan stopped stirring and made some hand gestures. It looking like he writing with an invisible pen "Ah Pen and paper? I think we have some in here" Ragnar said and searched around the kitchen. He found a pen and some paper and gave them to Athelstan.
Athelstan wrote something on the paper. When he was done he handed it back to Ragnar.
"You made the pancakes from scratch and the stuff in the pot is cream" he said reading the paper "Wow I'm very impressed Athelstan, this all looks great"
Athelstan smiled and poured the cream into a small bowl and put it on the table.
"I'm going back up stairs to get the family and then we're all going to have some breakfast, alright" Ragnar ran back up the stairs and found his wife "Lagertha you are not going believe what Athelstan has done"
She was about to asked what fearing the worst but then Gyda interrupted her "Who is Athelstan?" she asked
"Athelstan is are guest and he has made us the most amazing breakfast. Come on let's go" Ragnar urged. Ragnar's wife, son and daughter followed him down the stairs. They were amazed at the sight of the delicious food set out on the table.
Athelstan was standing in the kitchen staring at Ragnar blankly.
"Bjorn, Gyda this is Athelstan" Ragnar said
"Why is he wearing you pyjamas? There too big for him" Bjorn scoffed
"Pancakes!" Gyda said happily. She sat at the table and started to eat.
The rest of the family sat at the table and Ragnar invited Athelstan to sit next to him.
"This looks good Athelstan, I'm surprised. But where did you get pancakes from? I was sure we didn't have any" Lagertha said
"He made them from scratch" Ragnar told her
"I see" she took a bite out of some bacon and eggs and said "This is great"
"These pancakes are good too" Gyda said
"I prefer the bacon" Ragnar said
Athelstan took a bite out of some toast when Bjorn asked "What are you doing here?" Athelstan just looked at him.
"He and your father met last night during a fight. So we let him stay the night" Lagertha said
"You don't look like the fighting type. Why were you fighting?" Bjorn asked
"He wasn't. Two thugs tried to hurt him, I stepped in, scared one away and when the other one pulled a knife Athelstan jumped on his back and distracted him and the I managed to finish him off" Ragnar explained
"Really?" Gyda said
Athelstan nodded his head.
"Why don't you say anything?" Bjorn asked
"He's a mute" Lagertha told him
"What's a mute?" Gyda asked
"A mute is someone who can't speak" Lagertha replied
"Why can't you speak?" Bjorn asked
"Bjorn, be nice" Ragnar said as a warning
After breakfast Ragnar took the kids to school in the car while Lagertha and Athelstan cleaned up.
"That was a very good breakfast. You have talent" Lagertha said to Athelstan
Athelstan blushed slightly and smiled at her. He put a plate away after he had dried it and moved on to the next one.
"Are you practicing to be a chief?" she asked
Athelstan shook his head.
"That's a shame. You'd be a good chief" she complimented
After the dishes were done and the counters were clean Lagertha told Athelstan to follow her. Athelstan followed behind her, he unfortunately tripped on the long pyjama trousers and fell flat on his face. He whined as his eyes filled with tears. He clutched his noses and a small drip of blood fell through his fingers.
Lagertha was immediately by his side trying to help him. She pulled him off the floor and sat him on the sofa. She grabbed a cloth and ran it under a cold tap. She sat next the Athelstan and told him to let her see his face.
He pulled his hands away carefully and let her clean his face.
She wiped away the blood and inspected the damage. He would probably get a bruise but it was not serious. She put some cream and a plaster on just to sooth the pain "Feel better" she asked
He shook his head and continued to sniffle.
Lagertha thought about how adorable he looked right now. He acted like her children when they were younger and got scrapes. So why not treat him like that? She pulled his face towards hers and kissed his nose.
Athelstan jumped at her sudden tenderness and stopped whimpering.
"Feel better now?" she asked
He nodded slightly and blushed furiously.
'Cute' she thought . "Well come on then" she said and took his hand. She brought him back up stairs and into the spare room. She handed him his clothing or rags as see saw them and told him to put them on. She left the room until he had finished and went back in. Those clothes really were rags. She wasn't sure if she had the heart to let the boy walk out in them. But then again she wasn't going to let him leave him just yet she needed to find out if anyone was looking for him.
She pulled out her phone and said "Athelstan I'm going to take a picture of you, hold still please"
Athelstan held still and until she took the picture he wondered what it was for.
"There we go perfect. Now Athelstan do you know if anybody is looking for you? Friends or family?" she asked
Athelstan shook his head.
"I see" she said. She wondered what she was going to do for him during the day, then she got a brilliant idea. If he really had now where to go then he may as well earn his keep for a while "Athelstan you enjoy cooking, yes?" she asked
Athelstan nodded his head enthusiastically.
"Well how do you feel about working in the pubs kitchens today? You'll get to cook a lot of different types of foods for people"
Again Athelstan nodded his head enthusiastically.
"I'll give you some clothing to borrow, I'm sure I can find something to fit you. Wait here will you" and then she left to find some of Ragnar's old clothes. She searched through drawer after drawer until she found some clothes small enough to fit him. She gathered the clothes and told Athelstan to put them on. When he was done she took him down stairs to the pubs kitchen.
"This is where we make the food for the customers. The orders come in on this wire here, you take them and then make the food. Then you put the meals through here and ring this bell. Then someone will come and take it away to serve to the customers. Understand?" she explained
Athelstan nodded his head and continued to look around. He looked through the cupboards and drawers as Lagertha explained where everything was. When she handed him an apron he put it on and tied it.
"Now there is just one more thing I should mention. Are head chief Floki is a very unusual person and highly demanding. I'm not sure how he is going to reach to someone else working in his kitchen. But don't worry I will have some words with him before he meets you, alright?"
Athelstan nods a little bit unsure about this Floki.
"Well we still have sometime before the pub opens and the rest of the staff come in, so I'll show you around a bit and tell you about the other members of staff" Lagertha said and showed him where the bar was "Now because you only seventeen you won't be allowed near any alcohol. Do you understand?"
Athelstan nodded. He knew the laws about alcohol.
"Good" Lagertha continued "This is the smoking area and this is the non-smoking area. This is the family area but no kids are allowed in after six. And finally this is the main office. This is Ragnar's sanctuary as he calls it. It's where he does most of his business. Nobodies allowed in without permission, understand?"
Athelstan nodded.
Lagertha looked at her watch and realised that Ragnar was due to be back any minuet and the pub should be opening soon. She took Athelstan back to the kitchen, sat him in a chair and told him to wait.
She had a plan to tell the other staff about Athelstan but she needed Ragnar to be here.
"Honey I'm home" Ragnar said playfully as he walked through the door. He gave her a kiss and asked where Athelstan was.
She told him he was in the kitchen and told him her plan for him to work in the kitchens.
Ragnar liked the idea and promised to tell the others what had happened.
Soon enough all the members of staff were gathered and Ragnar began explaining what happened yesterday and who Athelstan was. When he had finished Floki was the first to speak out.
"I don't like the idea of some stranger working in my kitchen" he said "How can we trust him?"
"The same way you trust me" Ragnar replied
A few others were unsure about the decision as well. But Ragnar was the boss and they had no other choice. They opened the doors of the pub and let the customers in.
Floki was in the kitchen glaring at the boy sitting in the chair wondering how he could scare him away.
"Don't scowl Floki" Ragnar said clapping him on shoulder "Athelstan this is Floki he's the head chief"
Athelstan smiled and offered his hand. He pulled his hand away and dropped his smile when Floki didn't accept it. This Floki was pretty scary.
"Now be nice Floki, I promise he will help you" when Ragnar heard the ding of the order bell he smiled and said "Well time for work" and then left.
Floki locked eyes with Athelstan and gripped his shoulders. He forced him to sit back down "You stay there and don't touch anything" he ordered
For an hour Athelstan kept getting up and trying to help but each time Floki just sat him back down. But Athelstan was persistent.
"Floki! Let Athelstan help" Lagertha said charging into the kitchen "He needs to earn his keep. Now let him help"
Floki sneered but agreed. He knew not to go against her.
"Athelstan, why don't you cook these three meals?" she said. Athelstan nodded and began to cook at last and just for good measure Lagertha sat in the kitchen to make sure Floki didn't stop him. She watched as Athelstan cooked the food with enthusiasm. He always had a smile on his face and for some reason the food seemed to look better when he cooked it.
Athelstan was glad he was finally able to help. If there was something he enjoyed more than cooking it was making deserts and sweets. He loved it when someone ordered ice cream or cake, but only because he had a sweet tooth himself.
As the waiters made their way from table to table they heard various people saying how good the food tasted and how well it was presented. They themselves had noticed the difference between Floki's food and Athelstan's food, although they are pretty sure Floki will not like it.
When someone ordered the birthday sundae Floki was insistent that he make it and not Athelstan because of how careful it had to be made.
But Lagertha was persistent that Athelstan give it a try. She watched in amazement as Athelstan made the perfect birthday quickly and efficiently. He even made an adorable little change all the scoops of ice cream had little smiley faces on made from chocolate buttons, hair made from syrup, ears made from marshmallows and upside down ice cream cones as party hats.
"Very impressive Athelstan" Lagertha said
"But it's not a birthday special" Floki argued
"So what it's an improvement" Lagertha said and gave it to Arne to take the table. He came back and said they customers said it was the best thing they'd ever seen. Lagertha smiled and patted Athelstan on the head for his good work.
When night time came around and it was time for alcoholics to start pouring in Lagertha sent Athelstan back up the stairs due to his age. She went with him after she had given the till keys to Erik. She entered the living room and saw Gyda and Athelstan sitting at the table colouring and Bjorn playing his PS3. She smiled at the scene it seemed homely to her.
"Did you have fun today Athelstan?" she asked
He turned to her and nodded yes with a smile.
"Athelstan said he cooked today in the pubs kitchen, how did Floki take it?" Bjorn asked
"Athelstan said?" Lagertha questioned
"He wrote that he worked in the kitchens, what did Floki say?" Bjorn corrected
"Floki was not happy but I convinced him to let Athelstan help" she said "And he was a very big help today. We got a lot of good reviews and watching you make deserts set my sweet tooth off"
"Desert? Like cake?" Gyda asked excited
"Yes and more" Lagertha replied
"Can you make us cake please?" Gyda begged Athelstan
Athelstan turned to Lagertha with a questioning look.
"I suppose he could but we only eat it after dinner" she said
Both kids celebrated and Athelstan seemed to silently celebrate himself. He got up and went into the kitchen to start the cake.
Athelstan searched the kitchen and began to make the cake under the watchful eye of Lagertha. He mixed the ingredients into a bowl. One cup of water, 3 scoops of unflavoured gelatine, 2 cups of sugar, half a cup of corn syrup, half a table spoon of salt, two tea spoons of vanilla extract, one cup of powdered sugar and one cup of corn starch. And then put them into a sauce pan. Lagertha was surprised when he put a thermometer in and she wondered what kind of cake he was making. Because she had never seen a cake made with those types of ingredients.
While the ingredients were boiling he greased up a cake pan and waiting for the ingredients to come to a boiling point. When they were done he poured the mixture into the greased up cake tin and spread it out evenly. He spread some greased plastic wrap over it and set it aside.
Next he took some cooking chocolate and melted it in the microwave. When the mixture seemed to have set he mixed half a cup of corn starch and half a cup of powdered sugar together on to a baking tray. He cut around the edge of the cake and placed it on the baking tray.
Next he poured the chocolate on top and spread it around, making some of it drizzle over the side. And finally he covered the top with sprinkles. He turned to Lagertha and pointed to it meaning he had finished.
"I'm impressed Athelstan that looks brilliant" she complimented "But what is it made from?" she asked
Athelstan mimed something and Lagertha remembered he couldn't talk. Life must be very difficult for him at times. She got some paper and a pen and handed it to him. He wrote something and handed it back to her "Marshmallow? It's made from marshmallow? Well that is very impressive. Maybe we should add this onto the pubs menu"
"Is the cake done?" Gyda asked walking into the kitchen
"Yes. But we're not having it until after dinner" Lagertha said
Gyda took one look at the cake and her eyes lit up "Oh wow that looks so good. Can I try some please?" she begged
"No wait until after dinner" Lagertha insisted
When Gyda whined Athelstan gave her the marshmallow covered whisk to lick.
"Yeah, thank you" Gyda said and ran back into the living room.
"You shouldn't spoil her so much" Lagertha said. Athelstan just smiled at her.
"Why does Gyda get sweets?" asked Bjorn stepping into the kitchen.
Athelstan grabbed the chocolate covered spoon and gave it to Bjorn "Thanks" he said quietly. His eyes trailed to the cake and asked "Is that the cake?"
"Yes. It's made out of marshmallow" Lagertha told him
"Really?" he asked and his mother nodded. He said nothing else and left with the spoon.
"I think he's warming up to you" she said
They set the cake aside and went back into the living room. Gyda gave Athelstan a colouring book and sat next to him. Bjorn continued to play his game and Lagertha picked up a book. Three hours later Ragnar came up stairs for dinner.
Lagertha and Athelstan had made a wonderful dinner for all of them, they sat down like a family and ate.
"Athelstan has made us some desert" Lagertha said to Ragnar
"Really? What kind?" Ragnar said interested
"Marshmallow cake, with chocolate and sprinkles. I was thinking about adding it to the pubs dessert menu" she replied
"That sounds amazing" Ragnar said smiling at a blushing Athelstan "So what else have you done today?" he asked Athelstan
Athelstan mimed all the things he had done that day and Lagertha realised that he seemed to forget that he couldn't speak. She put a hand on his shoulder "Athelstan" she said softly and handed him some paper. His smile dropped and he started to write. He gave the paper to Ragnar when he was done.
"So I take you had fun working today?" Ragnar asked. Athelstan nodded "And you had fun colouring as well?" he asked playfully. Again Athelstan nodded "Well that's good. Do you want to work again tomorrow?" he asked. Athelstan nodded enthusiastically "Well then you should get a good night's rest and I'll wake you up early tomorrow" he smiled
After dinner they watched T.V. until they were ready for Athelstan's marshmallow cake. Lagertha brought it out and put it on the table.
"This looks amazing!" Ragnar said wide eyed "I think we should defiantly add this to the menu"
Lagertha cut the cake and served it. They all complimented Athelstan's cooking and he flushed at bright as a tomato. When they were done Ragnar went back down stairs to run the pub and everyone else finished watching their programme.
When Lagertha sent the children to bed she was going to have a word with Athelstan about his past but he was starting to fall asleep as well "I think you should go to bed as well Athelstan. You will be getting up early" he yawned and nodded.
She took him up stairs and gave him Ragnar's pyjama's "Good night Athelstan" she said. Athelstan mimed 'Good night' to her and she closed the door.
Athelstan put on the pyjama's and got under the covers he was asleep in minutes. Before he fell asleep he wondered why these strangers were being so nice to him. Nobody had ever been so nice to him before. Well whatever the reason he didn't care, he was happy.
