I'm rather pleased with the response this has gotten so far, especially since this isn't a super popular category. I'm very glad people are interested, because I've got loads of ideas for this story!

It's pretty clear that the events of season two didn't happen in the span of just a few months, so I've been trying to figure out this timeline for the past few days. This is what I've come up with – the Vikings raided in the summertime, so it must have been early summer when Ragnar first went to Wessex and perhaps mid-to-late summer whenever he returned to retake Kattegat from Jarl Borg. Judging by how pregnant Aslaug and Jarl Borg's wife are by the time Blood Eagle happens and how quickly Aslaug has the baby after Jarl Borg's death (Lagertha is still in town for the birth and talks about needing to go back home and prepare her ships, which leads me to believe only a few weeks go by between the execution and the birth), I would say another eight or so months passes after the battle for Kattegat, which takes us to late-winter, early-spring. Another month-ish goes by, then its back to Wessex!

This might not be entirely accurate, but it's the best I could come up with – plus it's fiction, which means I can tweak things around a bit! Can we all get on board with this timeline?

Anywho, enough from me. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Vikings!

Chapter One

Hedeby - 800

The air filled with the sound of metal clanging against metal as two figures danced around one another in the middle of a field. The figure on the left, a tall young man with blonde hair and olive-toned skin, lunged forward with his battle axe, aiming it at the head of his opponent. The opponent in question, a young woman with auburn curls that fell past the middle of her back, blocked the blow with her shield and then returned the charge, letting out a cry as she swung her own battle-axe at the man's neck.

The young man deftly ducked the swing before he could get his head chopped off, then straightened up with a wide smirk. His brown eyes twinkled with mirth as he circled around her, but he made no move to attack just yet.

"You fight like a girl, Signe," he taunted with a small snicker.

Signe narrowed her eyes a bit in response, but did not dare drop her guard. She kept her shield up and her axe poised to strike, ready to spring back into action at any given moment. "You helped teach me how to fight, Garik, remember?" She shot back at her brother, her expression perfectly calm. "If I fight like a girl, then what does that say about you?"

The rebuttal made Garik's smirk immediately turn into a frown. Then, with a roar, he lunged at her.

Signe had been expecting him to rush her and braced herself, once again blocking the strike of his axe with her shield. She then threw her weight into her opponent and shoved him away with her shield, forcing him to back up a few steps, before rearing her axe back to counterattack. Garik, however, surprised her by dropping low and kicking her legs out from underneath her, sending her sprawling ungracefully onto her back.

The air rushed out of Signe's lungs with a giant whoosh, and for a moment she lay there struggling to fill her lungs again. But when Garik suddenly appeared over her and raised his shield, his intent all too obvious, she quickly rolled to the right. Barely a moment later, Garik's shield slammed into the earth where Signe's head had just been.

Signe finally caught her breath again as she climbed to her feet. Garik watched her with a smirk on his mouth again, giving her a moment. "Less talking, more fighting," he said cockily.

Signe quirked a brow and opened her mouth to say something in return, but another voice beat her to the punch.

"Get on vith it already!" It was Gunnar, Garik's twin. He was sitting on the ground about ten feet away and had been watching them spar for the past half hour. "You are both boring me!" He added, feigning a dramatic yawn behind his hand.

Signe shot Gunnar a brief look in response, while Garik just looked to his twin with an unaffected smirk. The two were identical in every single way – both in looks and in personality – with the one exception being their haircuts. Garik wore his hair to his shoulders and generally braided the top half of it back so that it would not fall in his face. Gunnar, on the other hand, had very short hair. It was cropped close to the head on the top and around his face, while the back was shaved bald. It was a popular cut for warriors, as the lack of hair on the back of their head made it harder to get grabbed by enemies in battle.

"Forgive me, brother," Garik called to Gunnar without taking his eyes of Signe. "Let me see if I can make things more interesting!"

And without warning, Garik was charging her again.

For the next few minutes there was a frenzy of action. Shield slammed against shield, axe against axe, shield against body, axe against shield. Back and forth Signe and Garik went, exchanging hits without pause, each trying to get the upper hand over the other. Signe was drenched in sweat by now and felt as though her arms might fall off at any moment, but she gritted her teeth and pushed past the pain, blocking away Garik's fatal attacks whilst delivering just as many of her own.

Suddenly, their axes locked together. For a moment they stood still, staring each other squarely in the eye and panting heavily for air, until Garik yanked with all his might. Signe's axe pulled from her grip and went flying into the distance, leaving her with nothing but a shield. She barely got her shield up in time to stop her brother's axe from splitting her face in two when he swung again, then found herself having to hold on for dear life as he attacked again and again, slowly forcing her backwards under the powerful onslaught. Throughout all of this, Gunnar cheered and chanted, egging the two on.

With her arm starting to burn with the strain of warding off the relentless assault on her shield, Signe knew she had to get back on the offensive and get Garik off of her, otherwise she feared he might break her shield. So when he reared his axe back again and hesitated for just a moment, leaving his chest open and vulnerable for a split second in time, she slammed her shield forward, hitting him hard and sending him of balance. With a quick spin for extra momentum, she rammed into him again while he was still stumbling around, this time knocking him to the ground.

Garik's shield fell from his grasp as he hit the ground and landed on his back. He grappled for it quickly, but Signe was faster. She danced around his hands and kicked it out of his reach, smiling at him serenely as she did so. "I do not think you vill be needing that anymore," she said matter-of-factly.

She let Garik climb to his feet again, waiting patiently as he recovered and readied himself again, happy to have a moment to catch her breath. After a few moments they faced off again, Garik with only his axe and Signe with only her shield. They circled each other, staring one another down challengingly, each silently daring the other to make the first move. Finally, after a shout from Gunnar, Garik lunged again.

Signe jumped backward as his axe swiped at her midsection, then brought her shield up to block his next downward slice toward her head. Unfortunately, she lingered with her shield raised just a second too long – Garik took the opportunity to knee her hard in the stomach, making her eyes bulge a bit as she doubled over. One well aimed kick by Garik in the next second had her shield flying from her grasp and sailing away, until it landed with a thunk on the grass a few feet away.

Signe recovered enough to make a lunge for her shield, but she stopped short when Garik purposefully moved to block her path and circled his axe around in the air tauntingly. He clicked his tongue and shook his head as she straightened up, silently telling her with his amused, triumphant eyes that trying to go any further would be a bad idea.

Now completely defenseless, she could do nothing but stand there and watch Garik with wary eyes. He tossed his axe back and forth between his hands, smirking at her quite evilly as he sized her up. "And now, dear sister," he said slowly, "I shall have to kill you."

With that being said, Garik let out a battle cry that would have impressed Odin himself, raised his axe up with both hands, and went to deliver the final blow. But Signe was not as defenseless as she looked – as her brother made a show of his finishing strike and raised his weapon high into the air for dramatic effect, she dropped to a knee and reached for the dagger that her other brother, Hallsteinn, had demanded she keep in her boot at all times. Just as Garik started to bring his axe down she thrust the dagger up toward his chest, stopping just before she could actually stab him. Garik froze with the axe still above his head, looked down at the blade dangerously close to imbedding itself into his heart, then swung disbelieving eyes to Signe.

Signe had just won the fight, and they both knew it.

"You were saying, dear brother?" She couldn't help but ask with a hint of taunting, immensely proud of herself for having bested Garik. It was not often that she beat her brothers in sparring matches, so when she did, it left her feeling very good about herself.

Garik lowered his axe, scowling a bit and looking rather unhappy with the fact that his little sister had beaten him. As Signe returned her dagger to her boot and stood to her full height again, Garik grumbled something under his breath and shot her a decidedly grumpy look. There was no doubt he would praise her later for a match well fought, but for now, with the emasculating loss to Signe still so fresh, he was most definitely going to sulk about it.

"Seems Hallsteinn has been teaching you a thing or two vhile we are not around," he said, referring to the fact that their second eldest brother firmly believed daggers to be a nonnegotiable necessity to any warrior's repertoire of weapons and never had less than five of them concealed on his person at any given moment. "Dagger in the boot," Garik continued, "I should have known." He then heaved and offered a hand for a cordial handshake. "You win this one."

Signe smiled, shook his head, and started to tell him it had been a match well fought. But before she could get the words out, Garik suddenly kicked a leg out and swiped her feet out from underneath her, sending her falling ungracefully to her back again. Taken aback, Signe swung disbelieving eyes up to her brother. An amused Garik just shrugged and smirked.

"Do not get used to beating me," he warned, "it vill not happen again."

And with that, he was stepping over her and walking off with whatever pride he had left.

"Do not forget, brother," Gunnar called after the retreating form of his twin, evidently thinking this the appropriate time to remind Garik of the bet that had been made before his and Signe's match, "this means you must clean up after supper for the next week!"

"I know!" Garik barked back, not bothering to turn around. Gunnar just chuckled to himself in response, clearly enjoying seeing his twin so irritated. As much as the two loved each other, they loved annoying each other even more.

Signe just laid there and stared up at the sky for a few moments, watching as the sun briefly broke free of the grey clouds and shined down on the earth below. When a shadow fell over her, she turned her eyes from the sky and squinted at the figure above her. It was the same face she had just been looking at, only this time it belonged to Gunnar. And though he too was smirking in amusement, he at least offered a hand to help her up. She sighed and placed her hand in his, letting him pull her up from the grass.

"Do not worry about him," Gunnar said, brushing the grass and dirt from her back. "Garik has alvays been a sore loser," he proceeded to remind her. Gunnar then ruffled her hair with a proud smile. "You fought well, Signe," he complimented, "You improve more and more with each fight."

Signe smiled widely as she ran a hand over her auburn hair, trying to fix the rumpled mess that the fight and her brother's enthusiastic ruffling had turned it into. "Thank you," she said, before shrugging her shoulder nonchalantly. "I have good instructors," she added, shooting him knowing smile.

Gunnar grinned and nodded, then clapped her on the shoulder. Signe, sore from the fight with Garik, winced at the contact. "Come," he said, nodding his head toward their family's house some thirty yards away. "Let us get something to snack on before supper. Watching you two try to chop each other to bits has made me hungry."

Thinking his statement a bit odd, Signe quirked an eyebrow at her bigger, taller brother, but followed him nonetheless. She paused to scoop up her axe, which was Valborg's old one, and her shield, formerly Hallsteinn's, on the way. "I worry for your sanity sometimes, brother," she told him, half joking but half serious at the same time. "You do know that, yes?"

Gunnar just grinned widely in response, his expression and the mischievous gleam in his eyes doing absolutely nothing to quell her uncertainty. "Of course," he said matter-of-factly, making Signe laugh and shake her head as they started trekking back across the field.

When they returned to the house, they found their father, Oleg, chopping wood near the stables.

At one point in time Oleg had been a mighty warrior who fought in many battles for Earl Sigvard, as well as the reigning Earl before him. But about a year after Signe's mother died, he had returned home from a territory battle missing an arm, an eye, and with a nasty gash on his belly that left him knocking on death's door for weeks. Nobody had expected him to survive, but by the mercy of the Gods, he had. Though he had never outright sworn off fighting, he had not participated in a battle since and had chosen to focus primarily on farming and raising his children – Signe did not expect he would ever fight again.

He was still tall and broad, a trait he had passed on to all of her brothers, but some of the muscles he had once boasted had started turning to flab from lack of training, particularly around his midsection. He had long, auburn hair the same color as Signe's and his one remaining eye was dark brown – an eyepatch covered the ravaged area where his other eye had once been. The left sleeve of his shirt – and all of his shirts, for that matter – had been cut short and sewn closed about three inches down from the shoulder, just enough space to conceal the nub that used to be his arm and not have the rest of the sleeve hanging down as a crude reminder that something was missing.

"Garik just stormed through here looking rather annoyed," Oleg said as he picked up a block of wood, raised an axe with his one strong arm, then brought it down with a powerful strike, splitting the wood in half perfectly. It was really rather impressive, given the fact he did this one-handed – it also attested to just how strong he still was, despite having not trained or fought in nearly a decade. "Do I even vant to know what happened this time?" Oleg continued dryly, turning a knowing look on them with his one brown eye.

After years of listening to Signe and her brothers bicker and fight and drive each other to madness, she was starting to suspect that their tiffs didn't really even affect him anymore. "Garik and Signe were sparring," Gunnar spoke up, nudging her with his elbow in the process. "Signe won."

Oleg pressed his lips together and made a humming sound, though she thought she saw a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "That would explain it," he said with a nod. Signe and Gunnar shared a smirk as he turned to grab the next block of wood. "And where are your other brothers? Have you seen them?"

Though neither Valborg, nor Hallsteinn, still lived at home, they had made their homes nearby and came for dinner nearly every night. Recently, however, because his wife Ingelill had become so enormously pregnant – she had a few months to go yet, but she looked like she would pop at any moment – Valborg had taken to staying at home for dinner so that his tired, pregnant wife did not have to strain herself with a trip. They had already had three failed pregnancies since marrying nearly six years ago, so they were not taking any chances this time around.

"Valborg and Hallsteinn went to fetch Bjorn around midday so they could go fish," Signe answered, smiling a bit at the thought of her friend. Then she looked up to the sky to gauge the time. "It will be dark in a few hours. I expect they should be back soon."

"Talking about us, are you?" A new voice suddenly asked, catching the attention of the three.

Signe turned just in time to see three familiar figures coming around the corner of the house. It was Valborg, Hallsteinn, and Bjorn, all looking a smidge sunburned but also quite proud of themselves as they toted their catch for the day. Each was holding a string filled with at least ten fish, a more than decent catch for their dinner. Gunnar whistled in appreciation, then he and Oleg went to admire the fish and praise the men.

Signe hung back for just a moment, smiling to herself as her eyes landed on the only man not in her family.

Bjorn had been her very closest friend for the better part of four years now. They had met soon after he and his mother, Lagertha, moved from Kattegat to Hedeby, and their friendship had been nearly instantaneous. Brought together by their similar upbringings and common history – they had both been raised by warrior parents and had both lost family members to the plague – it wasn't long before they were practically inseparable. Bjorn was around so frequently, in fact, that he had more or less become an honorary member of her family. Her brothers had liked Bjorn ever since he punched a girl in the nose for her – though Bjorn still insisted to this day that he hadn't meant to – and had quickly taken him under their wing, while her father had always treated him like one of his own. Signe was honestly surprised Bjorn hadn't tried to make himself a permanent place in her home yet.

Bjorn's eyes suddenly shifted to her. As his smile grew wider, Signe felt her heart skip a beat.

When she had met Bjorn, he'd been a skinny, moody fifteen year old boy who stood three inches shorter than herself. But now, at nineteen, all the baby fat had disappeared from his face, he had grown tall, and he had filled out with a significant amount of muscle. Bjorn had grown to be very handsome, probably one of the most handsome young men in town, and many women - young and old - in Hedeby had taken notice of him, Signe included. Unlike the other women, however, Signe knew that there was much more to her friends than a pretty face. Bjorn was noble, honest, kind, loyal…he had never mistreated her and he always looked out for her, having taken on the role of protective brother despite the fact that she had four of them already. He was her best friend, someone that she trusted and respected and cared about.

Yet somewhere along the line, her feelings for Bjorn had changed. She wasn't entirely sure when it had happened, but one day she had just looked at Bjorn and been struck so hard by the realization that it felt as though she'd been socked in the gut. Where she had once looked at Bjorn and seen a brother, now she looked at him and saw something much different. Her feelings of friendship had blossomed and grown into something much bigger, something that ran far deeper than just friendship.

Signe cared for Bjorn a great deal. Perhaps even more than she had dared to admit to herself.

Bjorn excused himself from the conversation with her father and brothers and started toward her. Suddenly feeling very self-conscious of her appearance, Signe straightened up and smoothed out her clothes and hair, trying in vain to make herself look a tab bit more presentable, but it was a lost cause. Her woolen shirt and trousers – which had formerly belonged to Hallsteinn before he outgrew them – were filthy after a day of chores and training. She smelled of sweat and dirt and the outside, and her hair, which had been half-braided into an intricate design to keep it out of her face, had come loose during the fight with Garik and undoubtedly looked a disaster. Signe wasn't a particularly vain person, nor did she think Bjorn would really judge her, but she still liked to at least look and smell decent if she could manage it. Especially if Bjorn was going to be around.

"Well?" Bjorn asked with raised brows as he approached, holding up the fish for her to see and gesturing to them grandly with his free hand. "What say you to this?" He asked, jutting his chin into the air proudly and obviously awaiting her praise.

Signe smiled, eyeing the numerous fish with impressed eyes. "I say that the Gods most certainly blessed you today," she told him. "Well done," she then praised. "You might even be a better fisherman that Valborg."

Bjorn's eyebrows shot upward before he grinned and turned to send Valborg a haughty look. "Did you hear that?" He said loudly, raising his voice so Valborg would hear him. "Your own sister thinks I am better than you at fishing!" He bragged, grinning triumphantly.

Valborg, the oldest of her brothers, raised a brow at her before shrugging a shoulder. Of all her brothers, he was the one she looked most like – they were the only two who had gotten their father's auburn hair and mother's blue eyes, and they were the only ones with fair skin. "I would not get too excited about that, Bjorn," he suggested with raised brows, "Signe was dropped on her head as a babe," he added, this time with a tiny smile pulling at the corner of his lips. "She often gets...confused."

Bjorn and her brothers immediately started laughing at her expense. Signe, knowing Valborg was just teasing her but still slightly put off by the comment, placed a hand on her hip and shot him a look, one eyebrow inching higher in warning. Valborg just smiled at her as he received slaps on the back for his funny joke from their brothers, silently telling her with his eyes that he hadn't meant any real offense. Never able to actually feel annoyed with Valborg for very long, she finally just shook her head and smiled, letting him know she was not angry.

"Alright, I must be going now," Valborg announced, taking his string of fish and slinging it over his shoulder. "Time to feed Ingelill and the babe."

The men, Bjorn included, each took a moment to say their goodbye's to Valborg for the night. Once they had dispersed a bit, Valborg came up to Signe and ruffled her hair.

"Training again?" He asked, eyeing her attire and the weaponry that she had set on the ground by her feet. She usually only wore men's clothing when training or doing hard work that necessitated free movement, which dresses did not always allow.

"Yes," she answered with a nod. Then, grinning proudly, she said, "I beat Garik today."

Valborg immediately grinned. "No doubt he is inside sulking about it right now," he commented, eyeing the house for a brief second before turning proud eyes on her again. "Well done, Signe. I wish I had been there to witness it. I do always love watching Garik getting bested."

Signe practically glowed at the approval and laughed at his comment. "Next time," she promised.

"Agreed," Valborg said. "I must go now. My wife will be wondering where I am," he said, gesturing toward the beaten path that would eventually lead to his cottage about a half mile away.

Signe nodded. "Do not let Ingelill strain herself," she instructed. "And tell her that I will come by tomorrow to do housework for her so she does not have to worry herself about it," she added.

Valborg nodded and smiled gratefully. "Thank you, sister, I will." Then he leaned down to press a brotherly kiss to the top of her head, ruffled her hair again, and strode off toward his house with one last goodbye to his family.

Now Signe loved all of her brothers equally and would never outright claim to having a favorite. But, secretly, she had always felt like she and Valborg shared a special bond. He was the most level-headed of all the siblings and she had always been able to go to him for absolutely anything, knowing that he would only ever give her his honest, unbiased opinion. Personality wise she liked to think she was a lot like Valborg, which was probably why she felt that they shared a special bond – they just understood each other.

"Well, young Bjorn," Oleg said, pulling Signe from her thoughts, "Am I correct in assuming you shall be joining us for supper tonight?" Bjorn had eaten at their house for the past four nights – at this rate, it would probably be more surprising if he decided to go eat at his own home.

Bjorn smiled and then shrugged his shoulders. "Only if I would not be an imposition…" He said, trailing off and leaving Oleg plenty of opportunity to turn him away.

Oleg did no such thing. Instead, he smiled and clapped Bjorn on the shoulder. "What sort of host vould I be if I turned away the man who caught us our supper?" He asked, making Bjorn smirk. "You are more than welcome to stay, you know that."

"Thank you, Oleg," Bjorn said sincerely.

Oleg patted him on the back again, then wandered into the house with Gunnar and Hallsteinn to wash up for supper.

"That makes five nights in a row," Signe pointed out once it was just she and Bjorn standing together outside. "Will your mother not be missing you?"

Bjorn just shrugged. "She knows I am with you, so I am sure she vill understand. She knows I am in good hands here," he added with a small smile.

In the next moment, Bjorn's stomach rumbled loudly, making Signe's eyebrows raise a tick. "Hungry?" She asked with a smirk.

"Famished," he confirmed. No surprise there – he was a growing a man with an appetite big enough for an entire army. Between him and her brothers, it was a miracle there was ever enough food leftover for Signe to remain sufficiently fed. "I clean, you cook?" He offered, nodding toward the fish.

Signe smiled and nodded. "Deal."

Supper, as usual, was an enjoyable occasion. Signe put her cooking skills to use and made a feast of fish and fresh vegetables while the men situated themselves around the table and broke into the ale. While she cooked, Signe just smiled happily to herself as she listened to the men discuss different battle techniques, talk enthusiastically about the upcoming summer raids - though she noticed Bjorn didn't seem as excited about the raids as her brothers did - and gossip like old maids over the goings on in Hedeby. Though it might have overwhelmed other women to be surrounded by so much testosterone on such a frequent basis, Signe was so accustomed to it that she couldn't be bothered to mind - not even when the ale started getting to them and they began talking more boisterously. It was actually a bit of a comfort, really. It was...normal.

By the time dinner had been served and they had all eaten their fill, the sun had gone down. Oleg retired soon after, weary from a long day of work, while Hallsteinn decided to return to his home for the night before the twins got him too drunk. When Gunnar decided to take it upon himself to make sure that Garik remained true to the bet and started cleaning up after supper, Signe and Bjorn decided to sneak out and enjoy the cool evening weather. As they went to sit in the grass and look up at the stars, they could hear Gunnar mercilessly teasing his twin inside.

"It is a pleasant night," Signe commented, reaching for the horn of ale that Bjorn had brought outside so she could steal a few drinks. "Summer has most certainly arrived. Thank the Gods for that," she added, all too happy to see welcome the pleasant weather after the long, rough winter they had just had.

Bjorn nodded, then took a drink of ale when she passed the horn back. A small crash sounded inside, probably the result of Garik finally losing his patience with his nagging twin, but they were both so used to occurrences such as these that they hardly noticed.

A comfortable silence passed between them for a few minutes. When Signe finally glanced over at Bjorn, he was staring down at the grass and seemed deep in thought. "You seem distracted," she observed, tilting her head curiously. "What is on your mind?"

Bjorn shook himself from his thoughts before meeting her gaze. "Earl Sigvard has started preparing for the raids. Those going will be departing soon," he said with a sigh, reminding her of their dinner conversation. He paused for a moment, then continued. "I spoke to him this morning, told him of my wishes to join the raids this year," he went on to reveal, his expression suddenly turning sour. "The man all but laughed in my face when I asked for permission to go."

Signe immediately frowned at hearing this - evidently this had been weighing on Bjorn's mind all day, but he had waited until they were alone to bring it up.

"Why would he not let you go?" She asked, frowning deeper with confusion. "You are a good fighter and you are of age. There is no reason to restrict you."

Bjorn snorted and sent her a look. "I can give you one very good reason," he countered dryly. "My father."

Signe heaved and shook her head. "Ragnar Lothbrok has nothing to do with this, though," she said matter-of-factly.

"Not in Sigvard's eyes," Bjorn countered.

"He has never even met the man!" Signe pointed out incredulously. "And you yourself have not even seen or spoken to him in four years. Nor has your mother!"

"That does not matter," Bjorn told her, pausing to take another gulp of ale. "He will alvays hate the fact that my father is a better man than he is, and he vill always take that hatred out on us."

Signe pulled a face and turned her eyes out to the distance as she mulled over Bjorn's words, watching the outlines of the dark trees as they swayed in the cool, evening wind. Earl Sigvard positively baffled her sometimes – he could be so petty, so ridiculous, not to mention downright irrational. She had been raised to be respectful of her Earl so she would never say it aloud, but she did not like the man. Especially so because of the way he treated Bjorn.

To put it simply, Bjorn's relationship with his step-father – if you could even call it a relationship – was a very strained one. Though Earl Sigvard would never admit it aloud, Signe knew from things she had heard that the man was incredibly jealous of Ragnar Lothbrok, even more so because of the ties that Bjorn and his mother had to him. He held a mighty grudge because of it and had chosen to take most of that out on Bjorn. Since the day he had married Lady Lagertha, Earl Sigvard seemed to go out of his way to belittle and emasculate Bjorn at every opportunity, as though that would somehow change the fact that Bjorn was the great Earl Ragnar's first-born son and make him seem less important.

Of course, Bjorn had not made things easier by being uncooperative to the point of near rebellion. Nor did it help that he had repeatedly chosen to make himself at home with her family rather than in the home of the Earl. Between Earl Sigvard's harsh treatment and Bjorn's stubborn resolve to have nothing to do with his unloving step-father, any hope that the two would set aside their differences and come to an understanding had started to feel like an impossible feat.

"Let us talk about something else," Signe finally suggested after a stretch of silence, hoping a change in subject would brighten Bjorn's spirits. "A few weeks ago you talked of possibly going to the mountains to live on your own for a while," she reminded him. "Have you given this more thought?"

"Yes," Bjorn confirmed with a nod.

"Perhaps if you cannot raid, you vill be able to do that instead," she offered encouragingly.

Apparently her attempt to lighten the mood did not work, because Bjorn scowled again. "I vould need the Earl's permission for that as well," he said darkly. "And if he will not allow me to raid, I doubt he will let me go to the mountains."

Signe sighed, watching as he took another large gulp of ale. "You will never know unless you ask," she chided gently.

"What is the point Signe? When has he ever given me anything I have asked for?" Bjorn asked with a bit of snap in his tone, looking to her with raised brows. "When has the man ever put my happiness before his? Never." He finished the rest of his drink then and started toying with the horn-cup, glaring at it as though it were Earl Sigvard himself.

Signe finally reached over and place a hand on his arm, pinning him with a firm look when he met her gaze again. "Bjorn, I know you do not like Earl Sigvard, but you must at least try to push aside this resentment you feel. He vill never let you do anything so long as you continue to fight him every step of the way." Bjorn heaved in response to her words, but Signe was not deterred. "I only say this because I tire of seeing you so unhappy," she continued, squeezing his arm gently. "If you want to test yourself in the mountains, if you want to raid – if you want to do anything – you must be the bigger man and try to resolve the issues between you two."

Bjorn looked at her for a moment, then turned his eyes away with a sigh as he thought her words over. "Perhaps you are right," he finally admitted, albeit begrudgingly so.

Signe smiled and patted his arm. "Of course I am," she said matter-of-factly. "Am I ever wrong?"

For the first time since they'd come outside, Bjorn looked to be in slightly better spirits as he turned a smirk on her. "Believe it or not, you are wrong sometimes," he joked, making her gasp in mock-offense. "Though, I admit, it is rare," he added.

That made her jut her chin into the air and quirk a haughty brow. "And you vould do well to remember that," Signe shot back, pulling a chuckle from Bjorn.

Another silence suddenly fell between them as they continued to stare at each other, though this one felt a bit different than the last. Bjorn still had a small smile on his face and was watching her in a way that she couldn't quite decipher – whatever was in his eyes, however, was making her heart beat just a little bit harder. She had caught Bjorn looking at her like this before over the past few months, but she had thus far been hesitant to read into it, afraid to presume too much. Bjorn had never hinted that he felt anything but friendship for her…but sometimes, in moments like these, she had to wonder.

A shout inside broke the spell between them and had them both looking toward the house - through the window, Gunnar and Garik could be seen wrestling a little too closely to the hearth.

When Signe met Bjorn's gaze again, that puzzling expression in his eyes had disappeared. Feeling more than a little disappointed, she sighed and then offered a small smile. "I should make sure Garik and Gunnar are not killing one another," Signe said. "Or at least quiet them before father kills them both."

Bjorn nodded his understanding. "It is time for me to go home anyway," he said, getting to his feet. "No doubt my mother and...step-father - " Bjorn practically spat the word, " - vill be wondering where I am."

Signe returned his nod, then accepted the hand that he offered to help her up. When he pulled her up to her feet, however, he pulled so hard that she nearly rammed into his chest. Standing only inches apart, they both froze for a moment and stared at one another in silence, the close proximity taking them both by surprise. Finally, when she could stand the tense silence no longer, Signe cleared her throat and gently pulled her hand from Bjorn's grasp.

"Will you try to speak with Earl Sigvard again?" Signe asked, pretending as though nothing odd had just occurred between them.

Bjorn blinked as though coming out of a trance, then sighed and nodded. "Yes, I will," he answered, though he didn't seem very enthusiastic about it.

"Good," Signe said, pleased that she seemed to have gotten through to him - or, at least, to some extent. As a strong gust of wind siwrled around them, Signe glanced took in their dark surroundings before frowning at Bjorn. "Will you be alright to return home at this hour?" She asked with obvious concern. "It is quite dark."

Bjorn smiled and nodded again. "Do not worry about me. I can take care of myself," he reassured her. "I will be fine, I promise."

Signe nodded, took the horn-cup from Bjorn when he offered it to her, then smiled. "Goodnight, Bjorn. I vill see you soon, I am sure."

Again, Bjorn nodded. "You will," he promised. "Goodnight, Signe."

Then, after reaching out a large hand to squeeze her shoulder, he turned to leave. Signe stared at his retreating back as he started down the path that would lead into the village, watching him go with a feeling very similar to that of longing. He paused just before he went around the bend in the road to turn and wave one last time – Signe smiled and returned the wave, only lowering her hand again when Bjorn continued on and she could see him no more. Then, with a sigh, she turned and retreated back into the comfort her own home.

Thoughts?