"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls. The most massive characters are seared with scars." ~ Khalil Gibran

Aaline had been living comfortably in the Lothbrok estate for two months. She had adjusted to living among so many people fairly easily. Every morning around seven she would have breakfast with Sibylle and Thora. Margrethe was not a morning person and elected to sleep in most days. Aaline learned that she used to work for Ragnar but, following her marriage to Ubbe, she stopped working and spent most of her days sunbathing or shopping. Aaline had her own opinions about Margrethe's behavior but said nothing.

Once breakfast was done, all three women would head off in their own cars, with a driver per Ragnar's insistence, towards their respective offices. Thora worked closely with Hvitserk. She was studying for her own degree in law and worked as a sort of intern for Hvitserk's firm.

Sibylle worked in Björn's office. She spoke multiple languages and had a degree in Cultural Studies. She functioned as a translator for several of their international clients.

Aaline still worked in her old office downtown as head of Jensen Construction. Just because Ragnar owned 51% of the shares, Aaline still owned the name. Ragnar now had a significant amount of power in her company but she was still CEO. She tried not to let Ragnar's control affect her business.

She would work in her office from 7:30 to 12:30 and then she would take lunch with Lagertha and Torvi. These lunches functioned not only as get-to-know-yous but they also served as a way for Torvi and Lagertha to plan the wedding.

Aaline had attended dozens of lunches with Lagertha and Torvi and they had yet to tell her what the incident at that fateful dinner was all about. Every time she brought it up, they would go strangely silent and shift the conversation back towards wedding plans. Aaline didn't feel comfortable enough to push either one of them so she always let it go but she was beginning to get frustrated.

It was the night of her engagement party and Sibylle was helping her get ready.

She truly liked all the daughters of Ragnar, as he liked to call them, but Sibylle was her favorite. Sibylle made the most effort to get to know her and she genuinely seemed to care about Aaline. Not that the other women didn't. Thora and Torvi had been amazing but they maintained a sort of professional distance from Aaline. She wasn't sure if it was because she didn't open up to them or if it was because she was marrying the youngest son of Ragnar. Either way, Sibylle was the most open and friendly sister to her. Margrethe was distant at best. She attended all the wedding planning events and gave her opinion when asked but she made no moves to associate with Aaline more than necessary. With Margrethe, Aaline was sure it was because of Ivar.

Aaline was sitting at her vanity watching Sibylle pin her hair up in intricate braids. She'd learned early on that the braids the women wore were a sort of symbol of their rank and position. Braiding one's hair was a custom among the Northmen women but the more braids you had and the more complicated the style, the more power you had.

Lagertha always wore her hair in tight, intricate braids that started at her hairline and came back along her head and then came together into a distinct sort of ponytail. Torvi liked to wear her hair in a solid plate at the back of her head. It crossed in a complex set of strands from ear to ear and was framed by four smaller strands of braids and two thick rope braids. Thora's braids were always elegant, starting at her temples and curving around her head like a crown leaving most of her hair down around her shoulders. Margrethe kept her braids the simplest. The hair at the top of her head was gathered into one long braid that dripped down her back to her waist. Aaline hardly ever saw it any other way.

She blinked when Sibylle stepped back from her work and Aaline turned her head from side to side, examining the updo. Sibylle had given her two lace French braids on the left side of her head that trailed into a large bun at the nape of her neck. The hair was secure but not tight and there wasn't a hair out of place. She smiled at Sibylle and leaned forward to finish her makeup.

Sibylle began to putter around the room as she spoke. "So roughly two hundred people have been invited but…" Aaline cut her off. "I'm sorry. Two hundred people?" She turned in her seat to look at Sibylle. The other woman didn't seem to think this was odd. "Yes, two hundred." Aaline gaped. "I don't even think I know two hundred people. Why so many?" Sibylle shrugged. "I said two hundred were invited, I didn't say two hundred were coming."

Aaline rolled her eyes and turned back to her mirror. "I think the list I gave Torvi had maybe fifty people on it." She snorted. "Well, Ragnar's an important man. Most of the people who were invited weren't going to come anyway. They were sent an invitation simply because they do business with Ragnar. Out of the two hundred invited maybe a hundred will come. Maybe." Sibylle said as she picked up a set of heels that Aaline opted not to wear.

"So, who is coming?" Aaline watched Sibylle flutter around. "Well, all of us will be there, obviously. Ragnar's brother Rollo and his wife Gisla. Floki and Helga will be there." Sibylle looked up and smiled at Aaline's confusion. "Floki is Ragnar's best friend. They've been friends for years. Next to Floki his closest friend is Athelstan." Aaline nodded slowly, cataloging all the names for later. "The brothers, Harald and Halfdan, will most likely be there and…" She hesitated and Aaline looked at her in the mirror.

She was picking up a discarded skirt of the floor when she stopped and glanced at Aaline in the mirror. "Who else is coming, Sibylle?" Sibylle swallowed thickly and stood up, wringing the skirt in her hands. "Aelle and Ecbert will be there as well." Aaline's mouth dropped open and she whipped around to face Sibylle. The other woman had her bottom lip tucked between her teeth and the skirt twisted like a rope in her hands.

"Aren't Aelle and Ecbert the ones who attacked Kattegat and cost Ragnar millions of dollars? The same Aelle and Ecbert who's rogue soldier gunned down Aslaug seven years ago? Aelle, who's brother Ivar is currently torturing?" Sibylle stood wide-eyed as Aaline listed off all the connections to Aelle and Ecbert.

"How do you know all that?" Sibylle whispered. Aaline scoffed and turned back around. "Did you really think I would marry into this family and not know all of that?" She watching Sibylle, waiting for an answer. When none came she continued. "Did you not know any of that?" Sibylle shook herself and shrugged. "I mean, I knew about Aslaug and Kattegat but I didn't know about Ivar torturing Aelle's brother. How did you know?"

Aaline brought her eyes slowly up to Sibylle and the other woman took a measured step back. There was something dark in Aaline's eyes. Something that Sibylle had only ever seen in Ivar's eyes before and it scared her. As quickly as the look had come, it was gone. "I pay attention. I listen. The men around here aren't as subtle as they like to think. Besides, I knew that Aethewulf was missing and there's really only one plausible answer to where he is." Aaline said.

She leaned forward and slicked on her lipstick. Sibylle watched her and thought that maybe Aaline and Ivar would be more suited for each other than they thought. She blinked and asked the question that had been nagging at her since Aaline first spoke. "Do you know anything about me?" Her voice was soft but it carried enough for Aaline to hear. She stopped applying her makeup and carefully screwed her lipstick back down and replaced the cap. She met Sibylle's eyes in the mirror. "I know enough."

Sibylle had nothing to hide but she still got goosebumps at Aaline's admission. She tried to swallow and realized how dry her throat was. She cleared it and tossed the skirt back onto Aaline's bed.

Aaline watched Sibylle smooth her hands down the skirt of her dress and realized that she made the woman nervous. She tended to have that effect on people. She sighed and turned around in her chair. "Sibylle." She waited for the woman to look at her. When she did Aaline gave her, what she hoped was a pleasant smile. "Do you remember, a few months ago, when we had dinner together as a family for the first time?" Aaline knew right away when Sibylle figured out what dinner she was talking about. Sibylle straightened so fast it looked almost painful. Her hands knotted together in her lap and she pursed her lips tightly.

"What was Sigurd talking about?" She watched as Sibylle struggled with what to do. On some level, she knew that Sibylle probably wanted to answer her. She was a good woman and she was trying to be a good friend to Aaline so she wanted to be honest. On the other hand, no one discussed the incident that Sigurd was referring to. They liked to ignore it and push it under the metaphorical rug. It also wasn't fair to Margrethe since this all happened before she married Ubbe.

She finally sighed and looked at Aaline with wide eyes. "You have to promise not to say anything to Margrethe." Aaline sat back and crossed her fingers over her heart. She didn't even particularly like Margrethe. Then, again she didn't dislike her either. She didn't really have an opinion one way or the other. She was fairly indifferent to Margrethe as a whole, really.

Sibylle gave her a tense smile and sighed again. "Okay, well, this all happened years ago. I mean, before Aslaug died and before Ubbe and Margrethe were even married." Aaline nodded with encouragement and adjusted in her seat. She felt like she probably needed to be comfortable for this story.

Sibylle gave her a withering look before she continued. "Alright. Ragnar owns and operates several different kinds of businesses. He has shipping docks, accounting firms, law firms, construction companies," Aaline bristled but said nothing. "Restaurants, vineyards, wineries, you get the idea." Aaline nodded and gestured her along. Sibylle smoothed nonexistent flyaways back along her hairline and continued. "Well, Ragnar owns a few strip clubs as well." Aaline's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. That was surprising considering the kind of business that Ragnar mostly dealt with.

"Margrethe used to work at one of these strip clubs. That's how she met Ubbe. And Hvitserk. And Sigurd." Sibylle cringed remembering Sigurd's past with Margrethe and Aaline was kind enough to keep her mouth shut.

"Margrethe worked at this strip club and was a favorite between the three oldest. Ubbe and Hvitserk would come and see her during their breaks at school and Sigurd hung around a lot in high school and during college.

"At first, it was just dances and private shows but, as I'm sure you'll come to find out, it's difficult to say no to a son of Ragnar." Aaline arched an eyebrow at that statement but chose not to say anything. She'd investigate it later. She waited for Sibylle to continue. "It wasn't very long before Margrethe was sleeping with Ubbe. And Hvitserk. And Sigurd." Aaline felt her mouth slowly drop open. She'd heard of open relationships and had even tried one herself in college but she quickly learned that she was painfully monogamous. Just the thought of sharing her partner with someone else brought up intense feelings of jealousy and paranoia.

Sibylle looked like she was in an extreme state of discomfort but she continued. "Well, Ivar was in high school right around this time and was jealous. As you know, Ivar is kind of...difficult...and he was even worse as a teenager. Constant feelings of rejection and self-loathing made it hard for him to...be around people and girls were a topic best left alone." Aaline nodded along, transfixed. She was learning more about her fiance from Sibylle than she probably ever would from him.

"Anyway, Ivar told his brothers that he wanted to...be...with a woman. They asked him who he wanted to be with and he said Margrethe. Since the rest of them share her, why not him too." Aaline felt her mask of indifference slip over her face and she turned back to her mirror. When Sibylle didn't continue she looked at her from the mirror and nodded. "I'm listening."

Sibylle nodded and kept going, wringing her hands as she did. "Well, Ubbe approached Margrethe about it and she said yes, mostly because I think she was afraid of what would happen if she said no." Aaline's face tightened and she stared at her hard expression in the mirror. "Ubbe and Hvitserk set up a time and a place for Ivar and Margrethe to… you know...and everything was ready." Sibylle shrugged and shook her head.

"I guess during the actual event Ivar wasn't able to...perform." Aaline turned around and looked at Sibylle. "Nothing actually happened, apparently. Everything was fine until Margrethe started telling people." Aaline bit her tongue to keep from speaking. "She told Ubbe and Hvitserk and Sigurd and then Sigurd started telling his friends and eventually everyone knew about Ivar's performance issues." Sibylle looked away and shook her head.

"I mean, of course, he'd have issues. It was his first time with an experienced woman and he had no idea what to do. Anyone would have issues." Aaline took Sibylle in with a new light. The same thoughts were going through Aaline's mind and for Sibylle to share her opinion, clearly she didn't have such negative feelings towards her brother in law.

"Anyway, Sigurd likes to throw it in Ivar's face every once in a while and I should've been prepared for it that night. I was just hoping that he wouldn't bring it up in front of you but," She stopped and looked over at Aaline.

Aaline was sitting at her vanity with a pensive expression on her face. Sigurd was either cruel or held a deep resentment towards his younger brother. She decided to go with cruel and came to the conclusion that she would keep her distance. This situation was already difficult enough, she didn't need the added presence of Ivar's jealous older brother to strain her already fragile relationship.

It was cruel and unnecessary for Sigurd to bring up an event like that at a family dinner. Cruel because Ivar wasn't the only person he was hurting in doing so. Margrethe had clearly been embarrassed and Ubbe was angry. Sigurd upset not one person but three with his actions and Ragnar hadn't been too happy with him either. If anything, Aaline was a little angry at Ragnar for letting it go as far as it did. No wonder Ivar had such deep-seated trust issues and an impressive list of reasons he was self-conscious.

Aaline sighed and looked up at Sibylle. She smiled and nodded once, placing her earrings before standing. "Thank you, Sibylle, for telling me. No one else was willing to." Sibylle nodded half-hearted and let Aaline pull her to her feet. "Let's get this party over with." Sibylle couldn't help but give Aaline a real smile before she was pulled out of the room.

.

Aaline heaved a deep sigh and took a long drink of her champagne. The engagement party had been in full swing for over an hour and she was already exhausted. She'd played the part of a happy couple with Ivar, standing in the front entryway and greeting their guests. Smiling at the appropriate times and letting Ivar touch her back and shoulders. He was never inappropriate but they hadn't quite reached that level of comfort in their friendship.

Ragnar and Lagertha stood next to Ivar as they greeted guests and Ivar's brothers and their wives mingled in the back lounge where food and drink were being served. Aaline's father stood beside her and she made a show of ignoring him. He didn't make any moves to talk to her but he didn't talk to anyone else either. He kept to himself and shook hands with the guests. That was really all Aaline needed him to do.

About twenty minutes after the party had started, an imposing man walked in with a pretty brunette by his side. Her hair was pulled back into a thick braid that trailed down her back. She was dressed in a flowing gold dress that shimmered as she walked and she had a dainty smile on her lips. The man had hair nearly as long as Björn's pulled back from his face.

They had stopped in front of the couple. The man shook hands with Ragnar before bringing him into a tight bearhug. The woman gave Lagertha a warm smile before pulling her into a hug, kissing both her cheeks. When the man turned to Ivar, he received the same treatment and the woman gave Aaline a similar greeting as Lagertha.

"My, you are a beauty." Aaline blushed under the man's gaze and Ivar laughed. "Uncle, please, don't embarrass her." Aaline was grateful that Ivar said something. She was not surprised to praise of her beauty but it made her uncomfortable when it came from strangers.

The man nodded once and took a step back, placing his arm around his wife. Ivar did the same and leaned down towards Aaline. "This is my Uncle Rollo and his wife Gisla. They live a few hours away so they'll be staying here while they're visiting." He straightened and gestured towards the party. "Please, Ragnar and Lagertha have worked hard to arrange the party. It would be a shame if you did not enjoy it." Rollo beamed and escorted his wife towards the festivities.

Another couple quickly followed Rollo and Gisla. The man was tall and skinny and had a strange glint in his eyes. His grin was slightly mad and his eyes were lined heavily in black. The woman by his side had thick curls that swayed behind her and an array of flowers braided into her hair. Aaline learned that this was Floki and his wife Helga, one of Ragnar's closest confidants and Ivar's favorite uncle.

No sooner had Floki and Helga entered another man came in. He was alone and dressed more casually than the others. He shared a strong hug with Ragnar and an equally as powerful embrace with Lagertha. Ivar shook his hand and thanked him for coming and when he stepped in front of Aaline he took her hand and kissed the back of it.

Aaline watched him straighten and clocked the gun on his hip and the badge at his chest. She cocked an eyebrow and he laughed. "I'm Detective Athelstan. Ragnar and I have worked closely for several years and I would've hated to miss the party. Unfortunately, I am on duty so I won't be here long. I just wanted to wish you all the best." She nodded once at him and he was quickly escorted into the main area by Ragnar.

It had been over an hour since Aaline and Ivar had been released to mingle and Aaline was ready for the party to end. She took another long drink from her champagne and turned back to the bar. She nodded to the bartender and he turned to fix her another drink.

"I really do hate these big parties." She turned to look at the man who spoke. He was sitting on the barstool next to her. He was dressed in all black with gold cufflinks and a gold tie clip. His red curls were styled in a sweeping manner across his forehead and he was swirling an amber liquid in his glass. He looked up and smiled at her. She shrugged and nodded at the bartender when he handed her her glass.

"Well, it's my big party so I shouldn't complain too much." She watched him from the corner of her eye as she took a drink. He nodded and looked towards Ivar. "Your fiance is a lucky man." She turned to face him fully and narrowed her eyes. "Now why do you say that?" She asked.

He shrugged. "You're a beautiful woman and you have goals, ambitions. It's not every day a man meets a woman whose ambitions align with his own." She hummed. She looked towards Ivar. He was standing with Floki and his brothers, laughing and drinking. Aaline wished she could be having as much fun as he was.

"And what kind of ambitions are those?" She turned back to the mystery man beside her. He shrugged. "Power. Money. The same ambitions we all have." He watched her as he drained his drink. She smiled and leaned closer, intrigued by this man who thought he knew her. "What makes you think my ambitions align with Ivar's at all?" He leaned forward as well, his breath warm and smelling of scotch. "Why else would you be marrying him?"

Aaline jerked her head around when she was suddenly pulled away, literally. Ivar had his hand wrapped around her bicep and was pulling her across the room towards the front of the house. Aaline tugged against him but her strength was no match for his.

The entryway was deserted and Ivar whirled on her as soon as he was sure no one was in hearing distance. "What do you think you're doing?" He snarled down at her. His lip was curled up and his eyes were ablaze with rancor. She snapped her eyebrow up and scoffed, disbelief clouding her mind. "I thought I was mingling with the guests at our engagement party." She tipped her champagne glass up and took a swig, keeping her eyes locked on Ivar.

He sneered and took a half-step towards her, his first two fingers leaving his glass to point at her. "You're making a fool of me." She scoffed and looked over her shoulder. No one was paying them any mind. A Lothbrok party was quite an affair and most took the time to get drunk off Ragnar's impressive supply of wine and ignore the petty drama that took place right under their noses. Aaline wished she could join them but, clearly, her fiancé had other ideas.

"And how, exactly, am I making a fool of you?" She whispered. Her voice was low and there was a dangerous cut to it that set Ivar's teeth on edge. He ignored the feeling and peered down at her, forcing her back. She kept eye contact and he took it as a challenge. "By standing around, laughing with other men, flirting like you're not already spoken for." Aaline scoffed and shook her head.

Ivar's insecurities were at the forefront of this attack and Aaline wouldn't let him push them onto her. She wasn't about to let him blame his misgivings and self-doubt on her "behavior" at their engagement party. She was trying to have fun and get to know people. She hardly knew anyone and figured that if she was going to be married to a son of Ragnar she may as well get to know the allies of Ragnar. It would do more good than bad. Clearly, her attempts set off Ivar's anxiety because as soon as she started to forget all about her situation, he pulled her away and accused her of making a fool of him.

"Forgive me if getting to know your allies hurts your feelings." He didn't like that at all. His lips pulled back over his teeth and a low rumble settled low in his chest. He lurched forward into her space and was nose to nose with her. She didn't give him the satisfaction of flinching and he ground his teeth together. "That man is not an ally. He is Aethelwulf son of Ecbert."

Aaline clenched her jaw and felt something pop. She huffed and a bitter smile came to her lips. "Well, I wasn't the one who invited your enemies." She took another drink and delighted in the color that rose to Ivar's face.

He had to swallow down the scream that rose up in his throat and he released a slow, hot breath through his nose. Aaline raised an eyebrow at his impressive show of control. This was a new concept for Ivar and she had to give him props for trying.

"It is a power move. You, of all people, should know that. Now, we're going to go back in there and you will not embarrass me again." He made to grab her elbow but she pulled away from him and downed her champagne. He stared at her in what appeared to be bewilderment and she almost laughed. She placed her empty champagne flute in the entryway table and moved around him towards the stairs.

"I don't think so, Ivar." He gaped at her as she began to ascend the steps. "Where are you going?" He sounded incredulous. She turned to look at him, her face set in stone. "You think you're embarrassed? Imagine how I feel being manhandled out of our engagement party by my fiancé. A fiancé who doesn't look too happy, by the way. Then, you have the audacity to tell me that I made a fool of you when you're the one who invited your enemies to the party. Forgive me if being a good hostess embarrasses you.

"Now, I'm going up to my room to finish out the night with something relaxing. I hope that's not too embarrassing for you." She turned around to leave and growled when he grabbed her again and turned her to face him. She brought her hand up to his throat and squeezed. Ivar sneered and set himself down one step below her but he didn't let go. She did.

"What am I supposed to tell people?" Aaline was thrown by his compliance. If anything, she expected him to stomp and yell until she came back to the party. She wasn't sure what this move did for him but she acquiesced.

"Tell them I got sick. Tell them there was an emergency. I don't care. Figure it out." She shrugged and he released her. She turned away from him and made her way back to her room. She didn't see Ivar stand at the bottom of the stairs and watch her go, rubbing lightly at his throat as he did.