Part 2
As promised, now we time jump to Twilight, or a little before it.
Rollo couldn't believe where he was at the moment and he was sure that Floki had done it on purpose, just so that he and the others could make fun of him later. They had probably taken a few pictures already, planning on saving them preciously. After all, he'd do it too in their position, wouldn't he?
He was wearing a bear costume, in the middle of a toy store in the large town of Phoenix, in America. His family was around as well, but they weren't in a disguise, and they were greatly enjoying his present situation while pretending to shop for specific figurines. Truth was, he was only doing it so that he could see the latest descendent of Princess Gisla up close without being spotted by her mother and see if she could be the Soul Mate he had awaited for so long. Though he couldn't help but think that there had to have been a better way to do this. Maybe cross her on the way to school, or at the supermarket. Yes, he was sure of it, Floki had planed this on purpose.
The young Bella Swan was there with her mother and a few of her class mates. A girl from her class was celebrating her birthday there and Bella, while she wasn't really close to the girl, had come as well because her mother had insisted that she needed to act like normal little girls do. She was now wearing a princess dress and had a small tiara on her head. She was undoubtedly an adorable 6 years old but she looked bored in this outfit and with the children, she kept on glancing at the book shelves, as if wishing she could look at them instead of playing with the other children.
"It has to be her, right?" Bjorn asked Floki in a whispered voice.
Bjorn hated to see his uncle so lonely, he knew that the warrior deserved some peace after so long on his own and he could feel this change coming. Even though he didn't have the gift of vision Floki had, his senses were heightened and at the moment, he felt a big, positive, change coming for his family and he hoped it was this little girl who'd bring it.
"According to the gods, yes, that's her. Of course she still has a choice and she'll be able to refuse him, then he'll have to wait a few more generations." Floki nodded.
Indeed, ever since his change, Floki had received the gift of vision. Just like the one who had changed them, he was a seer and, now that there was another person to carry on the wish of the gods, the Seer had been granted his wish: his final death and the desired pass to Valhalla. Floki could see the will of the gods, he could hear them at times and, sometimes, he had a mission to accomplish in their names, just like he did before they left for Paris, when he had to kill Athelstan. All in all, he liked this eternal life he had been granted, especially since he had his beloved Helga by his side forever.
"Good for him. He deserves it." Helga replied, with a nod of agreement from Torvi, Bjorn's wife.
"Where are my parents by the way? There were supposed to witness this too." Bjorn asked, curious.
"They're... busy." Helga whispered with a grin.
"Here? It's a kid's toy store!" Bjorn exclaimed, always surprised that his parents had so much desire for each other.
"They wanted to try out the pink castle on the other side of the store. No one's over there for now." Torvi replied.
"I do hope that Rollo and his soul mate won't act like my parents." Bjorn chuckled.
"For now, it's far from his mind." Floki added and they all turned to watch their friend in his bear outfit.
They watched as a small ball rolled away from the group of children and as Bella volunteered to go and pick it up. The ball rolled all the way to Rollo's feet and he picked it up, handing it to the little girl.
"Here you go, Little one." Rollo spoke kindly, smiling.
He forgot that he was dressed as a bear and that the little girl couldn't see his smile behind his mask.
"Thank you! Here, that's for you." Bella said with a bright smile, taking the tiara from her head and placing it on Rollo's, unknowingly started a fit of giggle in the warrior's companions.
"You don't have to do this." He argued in a gentle voice.
"You deserve it and I don't need it." Bella smiled before she left with the ball to give it back to her classmates.
.
Rollo took off his bear outfit and, instead of throwing it away, decided to keep it, along with the little plastic crown.
"And here we thought that the Seer spoke in images when he said that the princess would crown the bear." Bjorn chuckled, making Ragnar, Floki and Helga chuckle as well.
"It's her, isn't it?" Rollo asked Floki, knowing that while his gift was strength, Floki's was the same as the Seer.
"Yes, it's her." Floki nodded.
"I'm guessing we're moving to this town, then? Lagertha and I can see the bond as well, it's almost as strong as ours, probably will grow stronger once she's older and knows everything." Ragnar asked.
Indeed, Lagertha and Ragnar had a couple of gifts to go with their immortality. Not only they could read each other's mind, but they could also see the bonds when people are meant to be together, Soul Mates. Maybe because they were soulmates themselves, maybe because their love had won against anything life threw their way. Rollo knew that if they said that it was her, then she was the right one.
"Yes, we are." Rollo nodded.
"Good, I like this town." Lagertha smiled.
"So, how was the toy castle, father?" Bjorn asked with a smile.
"Fun, we'll have to come back when there's no risk of being discovered by innocent children." Ragnar replied with a bright smile.
"Or buy one and place it in our backyard, so that you don't have to break in here?" Torvi suggested.
"I don't know if it's going to be as fun if there's no risk of getting caught." Lagertha smirked.
Once, a long time ago, Rollo thought that he had found the right one. She had been Gisla's great granddaughter and even though it wasn't love at first sight, he had been attracted to her, only he had decided to stay away because she was already in love with another and they were days only from their wedding. He was happy to know that now, she was the right one. He'd have to wait for her to grow up, she was only 6 years old after all, but he had all the time in the world now. He'd wait.
.
The Viking coven, name given to them by other vampires, was settling into their large house when Ragnar walked back inside.
"It was Carlisle." he announced.
They had followed Athelstan's descendance until Carlisle had been changed one night. They had helped him adapt to this new life and let him go on his own, to find his own way, as he wished. While he was considered an honorary member of their coven, only a few members of his new family had met them. Once his first companion Edward had rebelled and left, Carlisle had taken Esme to meet them, to stay a few months with them and they had all loved the kind woman who was mated to Carlisle. In Carlisle, Ragnar saw his old friend and the bond he had with the vampire doctor was almost as strong as the one that he had once had with Athelstan.
"And how is Athelstan's descendant doing?" Bjorn asked.
"Fine. He and his family are preparing to move back to Denali for a while, maybe 10 years, before they move to Forks again." He replied.
"Forks? They're going back to Forks?" Rollo asked in a slightly worried voice.
"Yes, why? What is it to you, brother?"
"That's where Bella's father lives, where she goes every summer." Rollo replied, having learned as much as he could about his future mate.
"I guess you want us to buy a property there, just in case she goes to live with him?" Ragnar asked and the oldest member of their coven nodded.
"Maybe Torvi and I could go and live there for a while too, keep an eye on her father and everything in this town." Bjorn suggested.
"I'd like that, I think." Rollo nodded.
"Then that's decided." Lagertha agreed.
"Since Bjorn and Torvi wanted to go to high school with Bella later, when the time come, Helga and I will take their place in Forks." Floki offered and they all agreed that it would be a great idea.
It wouldn't be the first time that they lived apart. Over the years, each couple had gone their own way once in a while, to enjoy being on their own. It wouldn't be the first time and the Viking coven had already gone to Forks a long time ago, shortly before Carlisle Cullen and his family had gone the first time. They had made peace with the locals and had a strong treaty going with them. The wolf's spirits and gods had indicated that this particular coven were their friends and could be allowed on the reservation, that they never hunted innocents and would be strong friends to have. Valuable friend.
Carlisle's bond with them, recognized through Athelstan's arm ring that he had inherited and wore all the time, was the only reason why he had been able to make a treaty with them as well. Through the arm ring, they recognized that he was a friend of the Vikings, a good man.
.
Rollo and his family watched Bella from afar. They watched her grow up, learn, prove that she was smart and shy. Helga had taken a job at Bella's elementary school's library to keep an eye on her and protect her if need be while Lagertha was preparing to take a job at the Middle school later.
Once, when she was 8 years old, she was walking home from school with her nose buried in a book and not paying attention to anything else when a car, driving faster than it should and seeming out of control, drove right towards her. It would have hit her, and maybe killed her, if Rollo had rushed and saved her. He grabbed her, rushed her out of the way while his brother took care of the driver.
"Are you okay?" Rollo asked a shaken Bella.
"I think so, yes. What happened?" She asked.
"The car got out of control and almost ran you over, probably a drunk driver. You should be more careful and pay attention to where you're going when you're walking in the streets." Ragnar advised.
"I could have died." Bella realized, opening large eyes.
"Let's not think of that right now." he smiled.
"You saved me. Thank you! But... How did you get us so far away so quickly?" She asked him.
"I'm strong." He replied with a playful smile and a wink at her.
The little girl looked at him all over and nodded. She could see how strong he was, she could also see the numerous tattoos on his arms and she wondered what they meant. In any ways, they were pretty. She wondered what they could mean and tried her best to memorize them.
"I guess you are strong, yes." She thought that he was probably the strongest man she had ever seen.
She also couldn't help but notice his pendant and his arm ring. His pendant was black and white, with some sort of bird on it. Later, she'd learn that it was Ragnar's emblem and that it had become their coven's symbol.
"Now you should go on home. Don't worry, nothing will ever happen to you." he told her before he could stop himself and Bella nodded and started to walk home, turning over twice to look back at him.
Each time he smiled at her. When she turned around the third time, he was nowhere to be seen and she was starting to wonder if maybe she had dreamt him all along.
When the man said that nothing would happen to her, it sounded like a promise, something definitive and she instinctively knew that she'd see him again some day, that he'd protect her. Maybe he was her guardian angel or something like that.
.
"While she was at the library, yesterday, I made sure to look at a book about Viking culture, one of the truest ones, don't worry. She seemed interested so I let her borrow it. She brought it back today, saying that she was done reading it and that she'd like another one on the same subject. Sadly, it's a school library in an elementary school, there isn't much to give her so I suggested she looked at the town's public library." Helga informed Rollo a few months later.
"Maybe I could give her some. Leave them on her desk with a note not to tell anyone about them and that it's a gift for her?" Rollo suggested.
"I think it's a good idea. It'll get her little head wonder who could drop gifts to her and she'll start thinking of possibilities, especially since it'll be in her locked house." Lagertha nodded.
"Every girl loves gifts." Helga nodded.
"This one seems to love books more than anything else." Floki added.
"She's not a material girl, it's good. Especially since her mother doesn't have much and isn't really the saving money type." Lagertha replied.
Lagertha didn't like Bella's mother much, she thought that the woman did a poor job at being a mother and it was obvious that Bella was raising her more than the other way around. She believed that Renee was stealing Bella's childhood away, forcing her to grow up faster, to be more mature and responsible than she was supposed to be at her age. She hated it and felt protective of the girl, maybe because she was destined to join them.
"When she read the book, she looked longer at the symbols and what they meant. I should probably get her a book that explains them, see if she's interested in it or not." Rollo said thoughtfully.
"Good idea. Maybe you should also give her a pendant with our emblem on it. This way, if she crosses another vampire, he'll know that she's one of us, that we've claimed her and that harming her in any way would be lethal to them and considered an act of war." Ragnar suggested seriously and Rollo agreed.
So, what did you think? Next chapter will jump to Bella going to live in Forks with her father. Do you think Edward will be a problem?
Review please? And if there's anything you want to see happening, tell me, I'll see what I can do.
Lorelei Candice Black