"Bring him forward."

Glistening rays of sun illuminated the sleek, black hair of the prisoner. He knelt in front of the shaded steps leading up to the royal seats, though it was his unique appearance that captivated Magnus. Not once in his years of traveling across the sea had he ever seen a man with such bushy eyebrows.

The sun shone through the looming stained glass windows. Heat in a plentiful of colors beat down on the back of Magnus' neck.

"Sir Li," Ivan stated.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Are you aware of your charge?"

The prisoner chewed at his lower lip. Magnus had to mimic this behavior to prevent himself from laughing at the caterpillar-like movements of the man's furrowed brows.

"Yes, my lord. But-"

"Stealing is a punishable offense in this kingdom, Sir Li. Dealing unapproved goods is not welcome on our land, either. Somehow you have succeeded in achieving the titles of both thief and dealer."

"It was just a purse! You're acting like I tried selling him a relic!"

One month had passed since the wedding. For the duke, however, it was one month too long. The castle walls suffocated him. Stone pillars and spiral staircases were not what he was accustomed to, and he found himself homesick for the pastures and livestock from which he came. Gold and silver decorated his new home, but even the riches he once yearned for couldn't remedy his ache. He was expected to attend Christian church services, where the language barrier left him guessing when to drink his chalice of wine. He wore tight boots that left blisters on his toes, and long coats that hid his inner Northman.

Magnus could not become accustomed to his new wife, either. She made her suspicion of him obvious, and he was beginning to feel the same towards her. He was raised from a young age to fight and to look death in the eye, but he lacked the training needed to battle a neurotic woman who slept with knives under her pillow.

And on top of these new adjustments, he had Ivan to worry about. They hadn't known each other for long, only several months. Magnus was bloodthirsty and lustful when he first stepped foot on the king's soil, and if it wasn't for the wanderer he stumbled upon during a distant ransacking, he doubted he would be sitting in the royal court. The wanderer spoke both of their languages, and successfully illustrated a kinder picture of Magnus than what he actually appeared to be. Tales of Magnus, Prince of Denmark, had traveled far and wide to reach the ears of Ivan's royal court; Ivan had to have been well aware of the trail of blood following the other, but still he chose to open his doors to him.

Ivan was only yearning for a faithful friend; that was what his translator had told him. Friendship, however, was expensive; Magnus thought he made the right choice in buying the king's sister as a bride, but the more time he spent on land, the more he lusted for the salty spray from crashing waves to douse him.

The king turned to face the man at his right. "Lord Sadiq, what punishment do criminals receive in your land?"

"My lord, we hack their faces apart with blades." The king groaned as he stretched his arms behind his head.

Sadiq was a confusing man. Magnus was aware of the other's lifelong friendship and allegiance to Ivan's family. Perhaps it was his age, but Magnus didn't understand how the ruler could remain calm when discussing his plans. Just days before, the two had briefly come together to settle borders and options for peace, but Sadiq was much too passive for his taste. 'Do whatever you want, just stay away from my border,' he had said, before sighing the way aging warriors did.

"And you, Lord Magnus?"

Magnus snapped out of his daydream when he heard his name. On instinct, he leaned forward on the table until half of his body was dangling from it. Laying there, he stared into the prisoner.

"Sir Li, did you wrongfully trick the man in question?"

He thought he heard Li gasp. The prisoner's expression softened as he sighed. He mumbled something before finally giving a firm, "Yes."

Magnus crawled back into his seat. He was well aware of Ivan and Sadiq eyeing his ostentatious behavior, but he didn't let it phase him.

"Where I am from, if you confess your crime and show remorse, you will be set free."

Li's eyes shone. His chest heaved as a relaxed laugh bellowed from his lips.

"You did not let me finish, Sir Li," Magnus continued, the other man freezing in place. "I do not this land just yet. If my two fellow members of the court believe in harming you, then I cannot go against their authority."

From the corner of his eye he saw Ivan's arm lift, followed by him calling for his guards to send the prisoner to the castle cellar. A sudden pain swirled in Magnus' gut. He looked over to the other two men; Sadiq pouted his lips as he picked at his nails.

"You'll run into problems with the east. They call themselves China. I have tried many times to befriend their emperor, but instead he runs from me. Some of his people pass through the border for, eh, opportunities , which I monitor quite a bit. They fashion their own products and try to sell them as our Lord's relics, authentic ancient goods, such and such."

Sadiq sighed. His arm dangled over the short backing of his seat. "It's a shame. We have a similar problem in my kingdom, too."

' The Lord sounds quite profitable ,' Magnus thought in the midst of his uncomfortable confusion.

Ivan's tone lowered to a hush as he leaned in to the two men beside him. "They all try to say they're the child of the emperor, too. Watch this."

The prince swept his gaze to the table. From the corner of his eye he saw Ivan's arm lift, followed by him calling for his guards to send the prisoner to the castle cellar. A sudden pain swirled in Magnus' abdomen.

Li struggled in the guards' grip around his arms.

"No, please!" he gasped. "My father is the emperor!"

Magnus swore he caught a smirk growing on Ivan's lips.

"I'm sure he is," he growled. With that, the king motioned his hand towards the door. The fidgeting prisoner, smaller in comparison to the burly, armored guards, kicked his feet in the air as he was carried out of the hall. His screams of agony could be heard even after the iron door was shut.

"What, not used to this kind of thing?"

Sadiq slammed a mighty fist against Magnus' shoulder. He gasped, then tried his best to cough out his embarrassment. His stomach churned, and his face felt cool in the stuffy, humid room.

"Death for a fraud, isn't that a little too harsh?"

"I like to treat my citizens like my friends," Ivan said as he bit at one of his fingernails. "I like it when my friends get along. You wouldn't want to be tricked by a friend, would you?"

"No, no."

"I thought you Vikings would be all for this kind of punishment," Sadiq teased. "Come on, Mags, tell me about yourself! I feel like I barely know anything about ya! Expand my horizons, won't ya?"

The prince cringed at the nickname. "What is it you want to know about me?"

"You're a prince, aren't ya?"

"If you're wondering about my land, I will have you know it is being looked after by my mother." Magnus' voice was stern, though he regretted it as soon as the words escaped his mouth. Sadiq pursed his lips, his mask bouncing with his facial movements.

"Hey, why so defensive? I just want to know about your family. But uh, your mother? Where is your father, huh?"

"That's a good question, Sadiq. I wish I had the answer. My own father was killed when I was a child. He was replaced shortly after, and now I have two half brothers. Their father…"

Magnus paused. His copper hair shook as he chose his words.

"He left about a year and a half ago. He said he was going into the woods to show he can survive the winter on his own. Now my mother is the queen."

"So you're pretty used to being bossed around by a woman, eh?"

"Aren't we all?" Ivan's quiet voice broke through the growing tension. The suddenness of it sent chills down Magnus' spine. It was too soft, too smooth.

"Boy, I'm surprised you married Nat and you didn't pawn her off to one of your brothers! I don't know if you've noticed, but she's kind of-"

"If you'll excuse me, I have an appointment to meet."

Agitated, he took the opportunity to excuse himself from the table. Then, he rushed through the castle's maze of hallways until he was able to find the castle grounds and drown in the fresh air he sought. Blood did not scare him, nor did justice. Men were the same no matter where he set foot, which in turn was both a blessing and a curse. He mentally rued his dedication to assimilate with the other royals.

A voice caught his attention once he met the open air. He followed the source of it until it grew louder, and he was eventually pulled to the barn where the servants resided. Magnus recognized the childish singing voice of the fool that entertained him before the wedding.

"There's a storm in the sky, there's a storm on the boat.

There's a storm in my heart, and I here barely float.

The wind, it will howl, our bodies will sway.

My sailor swears we will all live one more day.

But his eyes hold the thunder that shocks us to death,

He who holds bag o' air, and will take my last breath."

"Hey, you." Magnus threw a nearby stone into the barn, right in the fool's direction. The boy jumped, his premature voice cracking on the last note as he was taken by surprise. The duke took this as a sign to approach him. Manure and hay suffocated the air in the spacious barn, but the scent felt more like home than the castle next to it.

"I am sorry if I scared you," he began, his boots crunching the hay beneath him. "You have a nice voice."

"I do not ! I have the voice of a baby duck, according to Lady Natalya." Raivis dramatically clasped his hands across his mouth. "I am sorry! I should not speak of your wife in such a way."

The prince took a few more steps towards the fool until they were inches apart. He ran his calloused fingers through the boy's honey curls before giving the bouncy hair a pat.

"Well, she is right about something. You look like a duck, too!" Magnus let out a snarky laugh, much to the other's apparent horror.

"Make duck noises!"

"W-what?"

"Do it! Do it!"

The fool did as he was told, going as far as squatting down and flapping his arms like the animal. When the last of Magnus' giggles vanished, he watched how Raivis' lower lip quivered, and remembered how he entered the barn in the first place.

"What was that song you were singing?"

"I don't know."

Magnus quirked a brow. "You don't know?"

"No, my lord. It hasn't told me its name."

Before the elder could come up with a response in his confusion, Raivis spoke again.

"It was just a tune I came up with, my lord," he replied as he played with his fingers.

Magnus wrinkled his nose. The barn's natural aroma danced with the summer heat. "You have never seen the sea before, have you?"

"I seek to see the sea, my lord." His own pun made the twitching grin wrinkle on his cheeks. "I was born on the coast, but I have not lived near the water for many years."

"You seem to know a lot about the ocean for someone who hasn't come close to it."

"I only know as much as my body can handle, which is not much. Eduard knows more than I do! Is that not right, Eduard?"

A rustling followed. The servant appeared from a corner of the barn, his outfit coated in hay and animal hair. As he approached them, Magnus thought of him as a walking tower. The frozen coating over Eduard's icy eyes shone like iced windows.

"Hmm? Sorry, I was just resting." Eduard hadn't seemed to notice the royal at first. He didn't hide his squinting, which admittedly made Magnus slightly uncomfortable. The useless eyes of his popped open upon realization, however, and the other thought the servant was going to knock him over from excitement.

"My lord!" Eduard bowed dramatically and reemerged with glowing cheeks. He began to ramble, his shrill voice startling every living creature in the barn.

"It is an honor to be in your acquaintance."

Magnus could only nod his head. His lips remained firmly pressed.

"I see you quite often! I don't follow you, if that's what you're wondering. I help clean the rooms of the castle, so I've stumbled upon you in the halls."

"Ah, yes. I apologize for my wife's habit of moving the furniture around. Between the two of us, I think she gets bored too easily."

"It does make cleaning harder, if I'm honest."

Magnus mindlessly ran his fingers through Raivis' hair again. "Your friend here says you know about the sea."

"Who says I'm his friend?" the fool asked as he shook.

"Yes! I grew up on the shore of the Baltic Sea, the one you came on! We've both served the king for about…"

He lifted his hand and pushed a few fingers down.

"Eight years. Raivis and I, we grew up in the same village. Ivan was upset with our duke, so he killed everyone and took some of us children as slaves. It was four years into his reign, and I think he became quite comfortable sitting on his throne by that point."

Magnus nodded as he calculated the years in his head. A nine year old king, who then became a thirteen year old conqueror? He had to admit that, after the initial suspicion, he was impressed.

"Adolescent anger?" the prince asked with a smirk.

"Bored and blood thirsty, my lord."

A hush fell over the barn. Even the animals inside had stopped moving. Magnus knew how cows and horses and the like acted when a storm was approaching; they would feverishly prance around and cry until the first drop of rain fell. This silence, however, felt like the calm before a hurricane.

"I would like to be a warrior." Eduard's voice broke through the ominous silence. He grabbed Magnus' shoulders. "Please. I want to see the ocean."

Magnus' tongue rolled around his cheek. "Warriors fight. They have good eyes-"

"My lord, if I cannot fight then I will serve you the way I serve the Braginsky family. I will learn your language." Eduard leaned into the duke's ear. Magnus cringed at the hot breath that wheezed from the servant.

"I know things you may not know," he murmured. He broke free from his suspicious posture and added, "I cannot fight, but I can solve puzzles very well! I'm sure if you explain the terrain to me, I'll move through a path with ease."

"Don't listen to him."

The fool, now seated in a worn stack of hay, narrowed his gaze.

"His eyes are frozen over, so he tries to rely on his other senses to keep him out of trouble. Unfortunately those seem to not work well either."

Eduard's cheeks glowed a dark shade of pink. He mumbled something incoherent in the fool's direction and puffed his cheeks.

Magnus' mind swirled. For a mere servant, Eduard had quite a bit to say. It was a shame that he had so much to reveal. Before confusion could settle in, however, he allowed his innate impulse to take control. He clasped a hand onto the other's shoulder and turned him in the direction of the beaming sun.

"Come with me."

The travel to the Viking campsite had almost lost its worth in the summer heat.

They kept themselves at a fair distance. Magnus' people were known for not straying far from their boats, but the kingdom's unpredictable landscape made it impossible for them to be close to both their ships and the castle. Their halfway point was a two hour walk from either direction.

Magnus could almost smell the faint saltiness of the sea as he progressed along the rocky landscape. Tall grass swept across his pant legs, and his face stung from exposure. The campsite's surroundings weren't much of an improvement; the cleared land meant there was limited shade from the scorching sun, and when the two finally arrived, the burnt faces and chests of his warriors seemed to blend with each other.

"Hey, Bj⌀rn!" the prince shouted as he waved at the man seated in front of him. He was slightly taller than Magnus, with light hair and a broad build. He greeted the other with a quick nod from his place on a fallen log, before continuing his work whittling an unknown shape from a chunk of wood.

Bj⌀rn was burly and intimidating. He towered over Magnus' people when he stood, and his physical build made it obvious that he was a king. Bj⌀rn ruled the Gothic land across the sea from his own home. The two had agreed upon exploring the land to the east together, though at times they had trouble meeting an agreement on simple ideas. Magnus told himself it was the sea's fault; the vastness of the ocean could drive anyone's patience over the edge. He couldn't explain, however, why the boat's rockiness continued to shake the two on land.

"Giving me the silent treatment, huh?" Magnus shouted. He motioned for the servant to climb down from the horse, the prince following his action. He swaggered towards Bj⌀rn and slapped his hand down on his shoulder. "Typical Bj⌀rn!"

The other man cocked an eyebrow in the direction of the stranger. "Who is that?"

"A servant for the royal court. He wants to join us." He turned to face the anxious Eduard, then back to his comrade. "He can't understand our language."

Bj⌀rn looked him up and down. His face crackled as his rigidness exposed a slight smile. "Nice outfit," he mumbled with a poorly concealed laugh.

Magnus drowned in a deep blue garb. His sleeves swallowed his arms, and the silver crown upon his head had edges that shot up to the heavens.

"Thank you! I can get you one too, if you'd like!"

Bj⌀rn regained his stoic posture and grunted in response. Magnus motioned for the servant to follow him as they stepped over fallen tree branches, wound through tents, and greeted his humdrum comrades. He found the man he was scanning for outside of a tent, tending to a fresh fire. The prince shouted for the wanderer, and then waved to him.

"Oy, Timo! I have tried every word you taught me, but she still refuses to fuck! What should I do?"

The wanderer jumped to his feet. "I hope you are not saying it like that !"

Timo had his quirks. Being a native Finn, the warriors had stumbled upon the trilingual man when they first set foot in Ivan's land. His mannerisms knew no culture, and his optimism suffocated those around him. Maybe that was why the prince's group had spared his life, or maybe it was because he could weave his words into whichever language that was needed.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't dare do that with her. I, uh, like having my head." Magnus pat Timo on the back and introduced him to Eduard. He gave the wanderer an eager salute and brushed past the duo, who had immediately started an intense conversation.

Magnus finally found who he was looking for on the other side of the campground. Behind the makeshift homes and open fires, he spotted his half-brothers in the distance. The younger, who was distinguishable with his immature height and natural pout, held a rounded shield in one hand and a glittering sword in the other. His brother, who was more lean and a few inches taller, matched him with his weapons. Together, they pushed and pulled against each other, with the rhythm of their shouts keeping pace.

"Hey, Sigurd! Eirik!"

The younger of the two buckled into the dirt. His brother's steel tip was pointed at his throat. Sigurd threw the sword and shield away from him, as did Eirik with his own weapons, and Magnus watched the duos' mouths move before they approached him.

"Oy, you didn't forget about us after all," Sigurd said with a hint of surprise.

"I'm just as surprised as you are! I thought you guys would have sailed off by now."

"We wanted to."

The three stood for a moment before they pulled each other into one tight hug. Magnus nestled his chin onto their shoulders and let out a chipper sigh while he took in the scent of fresh dirt and flowers. They remained close together after their embrace slowly unraveled itself.

"Look at you." Magnus ruffled the youngest's hair. Eirik was lanky, though his attitude reached higher than his height. "You're seventeen already, huh? You look a little taller now, too!"

Eirik scowled and crossed his arms. It didn't stop his cheeks from glowing.

"How are things in the castle?" the middle sibling interrupted upon seeing the youngest's embarrassment.

"I think the gods are after me."

"I can't say if they are, but I wouldn't be surprised." Magnus swore he caught him winking.

"What is that supposed to mean, Sigurd-"

"You are thin. Have you not been eating?"

The eldest's burst of joy had diminished. Though his clothes were spacious, the fabric couldn't hide his gaunt cheeks.

"I do not eat when Ivan's sister is nearby. I don't trust her."

Eirik cocked his head. His shaggy bangs hung in front of his eyes. "The one you're married to?"

Magnus gave a single, heavy nod.

The youngest's light eyes widened. "What is she like?"

"She's very pretty."

"And?"

"But her mind is cloudy. You can see it if you look at her. It is like she has nothing going on inside her head. But, I know there is something."

He knocked his knuckles against his head.

"Her silence is louder than she thinks."

Sigurd crossed his arms and smirked. "A woman who thinks. It looks like Mighty Magnus has met his match."

"Hey! She threatens me any chance she gets!

"Have you had any dreams lately?"

"Is this why you came back to camp?"

"No, no! I came back because I miss you. All of you." Magnus looked around before leaning in, despite the trio being isolated from the others. "Even Bj⌀rn!"

" I miss Mother-"

"-and good fish!" Eirik interjected. A rosy pink painted his cheeks. He glanced down, and then mumbled an agreement with Sigurd.

"It has been months, Magnus. When are we supposed to attack? We have been here since the beginning of the spring-"

Magnus defensively threw his arms up in front of him. "I know, I know. I'm just waiting for Ivan to get weaker. I'm still learning their culture. It's...interesting."

"You are an idiot. But, we are prepared for whatever your idiocy may bring."

"Aren't you supposed to know what that entails?"

The middle brother was far too valuable to lose. After falling from a tree branch as a child, he awoke two weeks after to find that he gained the knowledge of the gods. His claims went unrecognized until his first public fit, where he collapsed on the meeting hall's floor and informed anyone who would listen of a fast approaching enemy. Hailed as a seer, the royal viking brother held his own unique position in both the village and the household.

But he didn't always dream. More often than not, his limbs would flail and his brief convulsions only left him exhausted. When messages didn't come through, Sigurd would pray and proclaim his devotion to his masters until his mind was clear enough to receive their words. He was insistent on proving his worth by training to become a warrior, too, and the only enemy standing in his way was the impending fit that occurred after the battle. No one knew why the gods destined Sigurd to be their voice, but he was well respected nonetheless.

The prince inhaled through his teeth. Sigurd's deep, cobalt eyes stared him down as he waited for a witty, hassling remark. At times, Magnus couldn't see the fairness in his brother being gifted with both spiritual and rational thinking abilities.

A painful silence choked the air, and the seer finally spoke. His deep voice rolled from his throat like waves.

"Gold will melt. Fathers will cry for their sons. A world of ice will be heated with passion."

Magnus' lips curled into a smirk. Gently, he leaned in to his brother's cheek and gave it a kiss.

"I knew I could count on you," he whispered. Then he smacked Sigurd's shoulder and flashed him a wide grin.

"Now, don't just stand there! I'm hungry!"

A/N: Chapter 3 is up! I know it's been a few weeks since the last update, but I've been busy with work and life. The good news is that I have 90% of the story written in total, which makes writing and posting much easier than writing as I post.

I wrote Magnus, Sigurd, and Eirik as half brothers because I thought they would make for an interesting family dynamic. If anyone is confused, Sigurd can see glimpses of the future. My intention isn't to disrespect seizure disorders.

I hope you've enjoyed the story so far, have a nice day! :)