29

RAGNAR

Once they arrived back in Kattegat Ragnar ushered Mia to their living quarters. He could tell she was immensely happy to be back home, but clearly still a little shook up. Turning to face her sitting at the table, he sighed. As the silence passed between them, he knew what needed to happen yet couldn't find the words. A servant came in with Nik, distracting Mia from any type of conversation they were about to have. "Oh, hello there," she cooed at their son. He couldn't help but smile at her relieved expression, but still knew they needed to have a serious talk to debrief after the Merrik ordeal.

"Leave us," he said to the servant who had moved to tend to the smoldering fire. She obeyed, and they were left alone with the baby.

"I am so happy he is alright," she whispered as she ran her hand along Nik's cheek.

"Yes. He is alright because you put his life before your own," he answered in a controlled voice. Although Mia being captured was painful for him, he was definitely proud of his wife's willingness to sacrifice for her child. It was honorable. That said, it was clear that she could tell something was up. He was not able to easily hide tension around her. She knew how to read him, and he knew there was no point in beating around the bush.

"What troubles you?" Her voice was soft, partially because she was holding Nik who looked like he was about to fall asleep.

"We need to discuss what will happen next," he said, moving to sit next to them. He moved his hands to rub his tired eyes. So many nights he slept alone, he did not actually sleep. Nik was a comfort, and Bjorn hovered to ensure he was alright, but that didn't suffice. It was difficult sleeping in their warm bed while he knew Mia's life was at risk. Thus, he hadn't really slept more than the bear minimum. His body and mind were tired.

"I assumed we would be attacking on Wessex to kill Ecbert. Is that not your plan?" she questioned. He detected passion behind her words, and knew s he would be on the same page as him to get revenge on Wessex and Ecbert.

"That is the plan," he chirped, unable to stop the image of a dead King Ecbert from coming to mind. The corner of his lip started to form a smile, but he quickly cleared his throat. "I do not suspect you will like the rest of the plan." She remained silent, willing him to finish. "We will go to Wessex, and kill that bastard Ecbert. There is no question in that. And we will succeed. Even if it sends me to Valhalla in the end, I promise you that Ecbert and Wessex will fall before I take my last breath."
He stood, starting to pace in front of Mia seated at the table. "You are coming with to Wessex. You, Bjorn, and even Nik are coming."

"What?" she abruptly stood and stormed over to him. "You can't expect us to travel with a baby Ragnar. That's ridiculous. I can't even believe what I'm hearing. How do you propose we bring Nik?" She switched between English and Norse, which amused him that he had her riled up already.

"People travel with children all the time. I cannot risk you staying behind, as that has not worked out well for us in the past, eh?" He tried to keep his tone level, and reached out for her.

"It's not safe," she stubbornly argued.

"It will be fine. Nik will be fine. Thor will bless us with calm waters, I'm sure."

"You know damn well that ocean is unpredictable. You've sailed in rough waters, and there's no way to keep him safe if our ship is ruined or sinks." She was yelling now, clearly willing to fight him on the subject.

"I do not wish to argue. I just got you back. Let's not fight, yeah?" He knew the servants and anyone outside would hear their disagreement, so English seemed like a good idea. His own temper was starting to rise, but he tried to remember how shaken up she must have been after her experience in Merrik.

"I can't believe you. I think this is a stupid mission and you're basing your decisions off of your emotions. I understand getting revenge on Ecbert and Wessex. Hell, I agree with you! But not this way. We do not all need to travel as a family to kill a king. Children do not need to see that."

"Are you concerned about Nik's safety? Is that the problem? Huh? I can promise you that we will do everything in our power to make sure he is safe. But do not insult me. Do not question each decision I make. You want an opinion, fine. But I am making the choice. We go together. No more arguing, end of discussion." He could see that his words left her taken aback with the harshness of his tone, but he stood firm. His family would travel with him. That was the only way they could be safe. Once Ecbert was dead, he could appoint someone else to run things. No longer would Wessex be run by a crooked king, not to say he himself wasn't dishonest at times, but at least he put his people first and not his greed. Mia shook her head in anger at him and started pacing with Nik in her hands to settle him.

"We will go together as a family. But you will not go untrained. We will resume your training to give you a better fighting chance should anything go wrong while we are there."

"That's the first sane thing you've said since I've been back," she raised her eyebrow at him. In turn, he rolled his eyes and poured himself a glass of ale. He assumed it was safe to switch back to Norse, as she appeared at a tolerated compromise with his promise to further her training.

"We will not have very long, but long enough for you to learn some more. The boats are being prepared and I am gathering more men from Earl Leif who will be arriving soon." She nodded at his words and set Nik down to play with him on the furs. "I love you," he said as he moved forward to kiss her head as she played with their son.


MIA

Although she was upset that Ragnar wanted them to bring Nik on the Journey west, she understood his reasoning. Sort of. Bad things happened while they were separated. Call it fate, coincidence, or just pure shitty luck, but it was evident they were stronger together than apart. She was happy to be reunited with her family, and even made love to her husband their first evening after setting up camp on their way back to Kattegat. That didn't mean she agreed with him on his plan to bring them with to Wessex. She knew it would be dangerous, but also knew that it was necessary.

The plan to give her more fighting lessons was her only positive from their discussion. It gave her confidence that she would be able to defend herself, or Nik, if the occasion calls for it. She just hoped Ragnar took it seriously and didn't interrupt every session with sex because he was in the mood. That was what happened to their previous sessions, they turned into love making sessions in the woods instead of her learning how to fight.

The nearby Earl Lief was going to be assisting them on their trip west. He was a trusted Earl that Ragnar had known for many years. They hadn't done much trade with him in the past because he's a particularly difficult person to get along with supposedly. Ragnar told her that he wouldn't consider Lief a friend, but the man could be trusted to stay loyal while raiding. While they didn't necessarily get along, they could work together. Wessex was a threat to more than just Kattegat, and Lief must have seen that potential danger and finally agreed to help Ragnar conquer it.

That left her with the determination to train with Ragnar, and to provide the support their people needed to defeat Wessex and restore the peace. As the queen, Ragnar reminded her that her duty was to the people, however difficult it may be. After a few hours of avoiding him, she finally broke down and needed his comfort. He was speaking at the docs with Floki and another man when she found him. The wind was strong, making it hard to hear. It looked like a storm was going to roll in.

"Ragnar," she called to him, and he turned around to see her standing alone. He looked surprised to see her by herself at the docks, and probably thought something was wrong.

"What is it?" he questioned with concern.

"Everything is alright, I just need to speak to you, alone," she pleaded with her eyes to show him it was important. He nodded, said a few words to Floki, and stepped to the side with her.

"Tell me," he urged and was searching her eyes for answers as his hands rested on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," she admitted and placed her own hand on his neck. "I'm sorry for arguing. I'm glad I'm home safe, but still can't stop thinking about t…." she trailed off, unable to shake the gross memories of Merrik from her mind. Yes, she killed the creepy Earl, but that didn't make it all better. After the dust settled on their argument, she had time to reflect on the last few weeks. Being home, cuddling her son, and preparing for yet another battle had brought out the still-sore thoughts on her experience in Merrik.

"Come here," he answered and pulled her close to his chest. She felt the tears start, and couldn't help herself. "I figured you were handling it all a little too well, huh? Shh, it's alright. You know how proud I am of you for killing that piece of shit?" she knew he was trying to comfort her, but after the first few sentences, she didn't understand what he said. She just needed to be held and needed to know it would be okay. She could be strong for their people, learn to fight for her family, and lead with courage alongside Ragnar, but she was still allowed to be scared. And that's exactly what she was. The recent events caught up to her, she realized she'd killed someone in a gruesome manner, and they were about to enter a bloody battle to the west. It was all too much.

She could feel Ragnar guide her back to the longhouse, quickly brining her to the back so as to not attract so much attention, and set her on the bed. Siggy must have noticed something was off, because she knocked at the entrance to their room with a concern gaze. Mia met the soft eyes of her friend, giving her a nod that it was alright.

"Can I do anything? Is there something you need?" Siggy offered, and Mia felt Ragnar shift beside her.

"Look after Nik for a while," he ordered.

"Thank you," Mia whispered in a thick voice as her friend left to tend to their son.

"Here," Ragnar handed her a glass of mead, knowing she liked it better than the ale. "Do you want to talk about it?" She accepted the glass, took a sip, and turned to face her husband. His eyes were kind, the azure blue irises staring back at her. She was appreciative of his concern, and glad he'd been the one who rescued her.

"I…I'm not sure," she honestly answered. She was so overwhelmed, she wasn't sure what to do or say.

"Mmmmm. Let's start with the wild sex we had after you were rescued, eh? I always like reliving those moments," he smirked in her direction, and she couldn't help but laugh at his comment.

"Of course, you do," she noted and settled into the bed a little further. They spent the evening in their room, drinking late into the night. He took her mind off all of the serious threats looming over their heads. His distractions were much needed, and she was grateful he was considerate enough to drop what he was doing for the day to spend time with her. The phrase, 'Enjoy the little things,' came to mind. Short, precious moments were sometimes the most important and vital ones to cherish.