A/N: Hey sorry these have been extra short. I'm currently writing an 8000 word paper on how the sun disappeared from art and worship during the Viking Age. It's fun, but my non-academic writing has taken a back seat because of it.
"Unnr once again found herself by the water's edge. Though this time her feet dangled in the water of the fjord and not the isolated pond.
"So you are promised to Ivar, then?" a man's voice asked. As he sat down beside her, Unnr recognized him as King Ragnar whom she hadn't seen since their initial meeting.
"The queen has not agreed to it yet," she answered.
"Will you come with us to England, then?" he asked.
Unnr shook her head. "I already promised Björn I would go with him. Besides," she glared at him. "Why, Herra, would I join a raid doomed to fail when the leader does not wish to return?"
Not much surprised Ragnar anymore, but this accusation did. How could she possibly know of his intentions? "Would you not want to go then to insure Ivar's return?"
She scoffed: "Ivar will return. He cannot be killed so easily."
"No?"
"You and I both know Ivar is not of this world. He is something different than us; stronger," Unnr explained and Ragnar raised a brow. "Ubbe is of the same mind. He fears Ivar, though I don't think he knows why. But I do; it's because he knows that Ivar is not a normal man."
Ragnar grinned; he couldn't help but like this girl through her praise of his son. "And you have known this for a while?"
"The very moment I met him," she smiled fondly at the memory of how his eyes had both startled her and drawn her in. "Do I have your approval to marry your son, then? Though I don't think it matters much now."
Ragnar put a hand on the back of her neck and forced to her to look towards him so he could kiss the top of her head. "I am glad he has found someone who understands how special he is."
