Chapter Seven: Flesh and Blood


A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews, follows and favourites! This chapter contains some semi-incestuous themes, just as a heads up! But please review and let us know what you think :)


Karena had never seen a blood eagle before, and she wasn't entirely certain that she wanted to. Jarl Borg had been civil to her during the time he had held her prisoner, and she didn't think she could stomach what was rumoured to be a very bloody and violent death. Nonetheless, she stood resolute beside her brother and father. Ragnar's knife glimmered in the firelight before he set to work.

Karena felt dizzy, and glanced across to see that Torvi, Borg's pregnant wife, had fainted. She felt that she might faint too. Her father seemed to notice her distress as she put her hands over her mouth, for he gave Erlendur a meaningful look.

"Erlendur, take your sister to her room."

"Alright." He caught her arm gently. "Come on."

Ylva stood beside Rollo as she watched Ragnar slicing into the body in front of him. Every now and then Rollo would glance to the woman at his side, wondering how she was feeling about the gore of it all, but she seemed to not be flinching or looking away. Ragnar continued with his work, stepping back when he was finally finished, blood dripping from Jarl Borg's body and staining the ground beneath his feet.

Ylva looked around as people began to move away from the site, turning and making a departure herself. Rollo noticed her move off, promptly following her. She raked her hair back as she made her way to her house, walking into the small front room, letting out a deep breath as her stomach churned over and over. She was not sure what had made her feel so unwell, but she knew it wasn't the gruesome way that Jarl Borg had been executed. She had seen worse during raids.

Rollo placed his hand on her lower back as he moved behind her, prompting her to turn and face him. "Ylva? Are you alright?"

"I do not feel very well." She admitted, resting her head upon his shoulder as his arms circled around her waist.

"How do you feel unwell?" He asked, rubbing her back in a comforting gesture as she closed her eyes.

"I feel sickly." She sighed heavily, pulling away from him and moving to lie down on her bed. Her stomach was still churning uncomfortably, it had been all day. She didn't understand why she felt so unwell all of the sudden. Nothing much in her life had changed recently to cause it, and she did not feel conventionally sick. "Perhaps I need rest."

"Like you are going to vomit?" Rollo sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her hair as he watched her. "It's most likely because of Jarl Borg's gruesome death."

"I do not think so. I have felt unwell for most of the day." She told him, reaching out and lacing her fingers with his as she let out a long and loud yawn, prompting a small smile to form on his face. "I'll try and figure out why in the morning."

Rollo frowned, finding it unusual that she felt so unwell. "Are you with child?"

Ylva shook her head. It was different to the feeling of being pregnant. She remembered that quite well from when she had been pregnant with Jakob. "No."

Rollo watched as she rolled onto her back to face him. "Are you certain?"

"Would it upset you if I was?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow and watching him carefully to gauge his reaction.

"I do not know. Would you want to be?" He replied, not sure how to feel in regards to the thought of her being pregnant. He didn't hate children, he just didn't see himself as a fit role model for a child.

"Perhaps." Ylva sighed, glancing down at her stomach. She didn't know how she would feel having another child, but a part of her told her that she would be happy if she were to have another one. "Jakob would do well with a brother or sister."

"I think it would be good for him." Rollo agreed, stretching out on the bed beside her, watching as she curled up against him.

Ylva glanced up at him, pushing his hair from his face as she kissed his cheek. "Would you want a child?"

Rollo glanced up at the ceiling. He was in two minds about having a child. A part of him wanted to and the other part didn't think it to be an overly good idea. "I am not sure whether I would be a good father."

"You would." She assured him, resting her head on his chest and wrapping the blankets around the two of them.

Rollo nodded, running his fingers through her hair as he watched her. "I hope so. I was a good uncle to Bjorn, I think."

"You would be a good father, I have no doubt in my mind." She smiled, running her fingers over his cheek in a tender gesture. "Stay with me tonight."

"Alright, if you insist." He chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him as she closed her eyes, beginning to drift to sleep.


"You can go back if you'd like," Karena said softly as they reached her room. She knew her brother was not as averse to gore as she was. Her mother would likely be disappointed. Karena would never be a shield-maiden, but she was beginning to suspect that she would never be strong either.

"I'm fine here." Erlendur closed the door, watching as his younger sister sat down on the bed.

"I didn't like seeing that," she admitted.

"Not everyone can watch such things," her brother responded. She had expected him to call her weak, or a little girl. But it seemed that Erlendur had no taunts for her tonight. She played with her hands, fidgeting restlessly.

"I am not brave," she murmured.

Erlendur caught his sister's hands, causing her to glance at him in mild surprise. Before she knew what was happening, he was kissing her. Not the sort of chaste peck on the lips that their family shared from time to time – Erlendur had wound a hand into Karena's dark curls and pressed close to her. She froze in shock, completely unsure how to react. Erlendur deepened the kiss, but released his younger sister and drew away when she remained still and unresponsive.

"Erlendur…what are you doing?" Karena asked, her voice barely above a shocked whisper. "Why did you do that?"

"I wanted to," Erlendur confessed. He had been tormented by his lust for his sister for quite some time, and thought perhaps kissing her would do…something. But instead, feeling her soft lips against his, it only made it worse.

"How do you feel about me really?" Karena inquired. Her green eyes were wide and alarmed, and Erlendur could tell that his actions had frightened her.

He shrugged. "You are my sister."

"The way you kissed me was not as a brother would kiss his sister," Karena replied, her voice shaking. She rubbed her arms as if cold, but Erlendur did not think that was what bothered her. "Please, Erlendur. Tell me the truth. Do you just see me as a sister and nothing more?"

"You should rest." Erlendur clambered to his feet. How was he meant to tell the truth now, when he saw how shocked – and perhaps even repulsed – Karena was? Whatever desires he had for her, she clearly did not reciprocate them.

"You're scaring me." Karena's eyes welled with tears. "Just tell me the truth. Do you have…sexual feelings towards me?"

Erlendur averted his eyes. "Somewhat."

"Somewhat? What does that mean?" Karena persisted, before she bit her lip. "Do you want to have sex with me?"

"Yes," Erlendur replied bluntly, seeing no point in denying it. Karena was already shaken by the fact that he had kissed her, so he may as well admit the whole truth. His younger sister tugged her knees to her chest, clearly upset by the revelation. He turned and left her, fuming about Bjorn and their blood relation and the fact that she would never return what he felt for her.


Karena sat by the shore and watched the waves gently lap over the sand. She had been very shaken by Erlendur kissing her, and his confession of desire for her. It had disturbed her possibly more than Jarl Borg's death. He was her brother, he shouldn't be feeling such things for her at all. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she jumped when Bjorn sat beside her. She hadn't even heard him coming.

"Something is troubling you," Bjorn noted.

"Something happened the night Jarl Borg was blood eagled," Karena said, although she was not sure how much to disclose. Could she trust Bjorn? Was it wise for her to tell him what Erlendur had done, what he'd said? "My brother, he…it's difficult to explain."

Bjorn slipped an arm around her shoulders, and Karena found the confidence she needed to tell him. Taking a deep breath, she prayed he would not judge her for what she was about to say.

"He kissed me. Not in the way a brother kisses their sister. I questioned him and he said…he said that he wanted to have sex with me."

She wiped her eyes, unable to help the tears that had suddenly sprang into them. All she wanted was for her big brother to be just that, but she knew she would be second-guessing everything now that she was aware of his incestuous lust for her. It frightened her, and she didn't know how she could make his feelings go away.

"I don't understand," Karena whispered. "I don't know what I did to make him feel that way about me."

"You are quite beautiful," Bjorn pointed out.

She stared hard at him, tears running down her cheeks. "So it is my fault for being 'quite beautiful' that he has those feelings?"

"It isn't your fault," he insisted.

"I don't know. I just don't know what to do." Karena rested her chin against her knees. "Should I speak to him?"

Bjorn shrugged his broad shoulders. "Perhaps you should leave it."

"How can I leave it?" Karena demanded. She did not know how she could just pretend like nothing ever happened, as though her brother had never kissed her and had never confessed to harbouring unwelcome desire for her. "I just want to talk to him and see what he has to say about it."

She took a deep breath and looked out over the water, forcing herself to think on things other than Erlendur. Bjorn was right here beside her, and he was a much nicer thing to think about. She glanced at him, taking in his fair colouring and strong features.

"Father says we might marry, you and I."

He smiled. "I would like that."

"You…you would?" Karena was slightly astonished. She had never really thought to ask Bjorn's opinion on the matter, too concerned on the fact that it was what their fathers wanted. Now she wished she had consulted him sooner, and felt pleasantly flattered by his response.

"Yes, wouldn't you?"

"I just didn't know how you felt about him," Karena admitted, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "After all, we have not known each other a long time."

"I would like to get to know you better," Bjorn stated, and the earnestness in his voice stirred something inside Karena. Before she even thought, she boldly leaned across and kissed him. For a single moment she feared rejection, but Bjorn kissed back passionately, tugging her into his lap and running a hand through her curls.

Karena trailed her lips down his neck, a little uncertain as to what she was doing. She had never done this with a boy before, but judging by Bjorn's groan of pleasure, she was doing something right. Bjorn's hand skimmed up her sides before he groped at her breasts, causing her to moan and squirm around a little in his lap.

"You are so beautiful," Bjorn said huskily, causing Karena to flush bright red and tuck her hair behind her ear. "Do I embarrass you?"

"No, it's just…" She trailed off momentarily. "No one's ever said that to me."

"I find that hard to believe," Bjorn said, inspecting her closely. She was secretly thrilled at his words, pleased that he found her to be beautiful. He was everything she could have ever wanted in a future husband.

"Well, my family," Karena admitted. "But they don't count."