The lights of the great hall beckoned as we moved closer towards the doors. Ubbe and Hvitserk clinging to my legs like baby bears as I struggled with each step. I could hear the conversations inside our recovered home. Loud laughter with flowing drinks and lots of food.
"Right, let go... Go to your mother." I sighed, my hands tapping gently against their frames. The two untangled from my limbs before they sprinted off in the direction of their mother and Ragnar. My eyes rested upon Floki and Helga, their faces drenched in joy as they sat whispering.
A hand engulfed my waist, tugging me from the lit hall whilst the other clasped around my mouth. My body writhed beneath the grip as muffled shouts came through. My head snapped back, a groan echoing in my ear as the hands released me. Bjorn's body hunched over with hands clinging to his now bloody nose.
"Bjorn! What the hell?" I shouted, my body crouching to see his hands dripping with blood from his nostrils. His blue eye slipped up towards me, looking at me with a growing smile.
"I was only messing, Liv." He groaned. I shook my head as my hands gently pulled his frame to stand straight. Two streams of thick, warm blood trickled from his nose. My hands tugged at the shirt that covered my torso, holding the sleeve to his nose as he softly laughed. "Remind me never to piss you off." He chuckled.
A brow rose, shaking my head at his words. "I thought you knew that anyway." I sighed. The sleeve of my blue shirt slowly turned stained at the stream of blood that left his nose. "What did you want anyway?" I finished. His large hand pushed at my sleeve, allowing the stream of blood to continue.
"I wanted to go for a walk." Bjorn quietly muttered. He did not wait for my answer. His bloody hand snatched my wrist, dragging my frame behind him as he almost ran for the hills.
The moon was full over the rolling hills and the adjacent ocean. It looked beautiful. Our bodies collapsed in silence. We lay in the tall grass side by side, something about it made my stomach tingle. I could feel the heat radiating from his body as he lay silently beside my frame. I could feel his hand feeling the empty space between us. My eyes slipped across, admiring the way the moon's light danced on his skin.
"Bjorn, why didn't you leave with Lagertha?" I whispered. I watched his head move towards me. I watched his eyes skim over my frame like i were frozen painting.
"I did not want to leave my father again. I did not want to leave my brothers..." His voice trailed off into silence. His teeth nibbling against his lower lip. "And I suppose that I did not want to leave you."
My blue eyes turned back to the sky. The words repeating in my mind, over and over till my body sat up sharply. I looked towards the shimmering water. My breaths gentle and regular.
"Did i say something wrong?" Bjorn gasped. His body scuttled back to my side, watching my face for any reaction. My head tilted towards him, my blue orbs becoming stuck in his gaze. I could feel his fingers grazing against my cheek before they curled into a strand of my sun-kissed hair. In the blink of an eye, my hands pushed against his muscled frame. My eyes watched as his body slipped beneath the shimmering water surface. A small laugh slipping through my lips.
"Olyiva!" He shouted as he rose to the surface of the water. I could see the grin on his face. It willed me closer and closer to the water's edge. "Care to join me?" He chuckled.
With a wide grin, my head nodded. I took a leap. The water engulfed me. Every sense was tingle. My skin was burning at the change in temperature. But i could feel his hands gripping my waist, dragging me to the surface in front of him. I could see the smile on his lips as his gaze engulfed me. Every cell was telling me to leave, but i couldn't bring myself to do it. Bjorn's hands tugged me closer, till i could feel his breath against my cheek. His arms moved around my back till his gentle palm rested on the back of my neck, edging my closer with each second. Then, i felt it. His soft lips against mine. It was gentle at first, but with each moment, it grew hungrier. My arms moving around his shoulders. All the while, we struggled to keep above the water's surface.
A foul stench filled my nose. My body quickly pushing away from the boy in front of me as i span in the water, searching for the source of the pungent smell. I froze, looking towards the rising dark cloud over the shining orange building. The burning building in Kattegat.
"We need to get back, Bjorn!" I shouted. My body launched towards the shoreline. Swimming as if the great serpent were chasing me. Bjorn was close behind. I hurled my body out of the water. My soaked clothes weighing me down as we sprinted towards the burning building.
Torstein and some other men stood outside the building, watching the flames rise.
"Torstein, what happened?" I shouted. Torstein's arms snatched my frame, stopping me from nearing the flames.
"Don't Olyvia." Torstein shouted. His hands guiding me toward's Bjorn with wide eyes. Bjorn trapped me in his arms, holding me tightly. We watched the building burn. The screams eventually subsiding from within the flames.
Bjorn's P.O.V
"I sent someone to find you. They could not find you. Where were you?" My father muttered. My orbs avoiding his gaze with a solemn sigh. I felt ashamed. I felt embarrassed.
"I was with Olyvia." I sighed. Awkwardly, my eyes came to meet my father's. A groan escaping his lips as he looked towards the roaring fire.
"That was your decision," My father looked to me with a twinkle of disappointment in his eye. "You chose to be with her, rather than me." I hated to see my father in such a way.
Is it wrong that i chose Olyvia? Is it wrong that i couldn't leave her behind again? Is it wrong that i feel for the girl that i grew up beside?
Olyvia's P.O.V
Blonde hair swayed during the dance of battle. A small frame dodging a man's advances with ease.
"Lagertha?" I shouted. My frame running towards the duelling pair with a growing grin. I watched as the blonde frame turned, Lagertha smiling wide at the sight of my smiling face.
"Olyvia! I swear, you grow more beautiful with each moon." Lagertha gasped as she pulled my frame into her embrace. "I am so happy to see you again."
Around us, men and women gathered with shields and weapons. "Care to join us?" One woman smiled, throwing a small axe in my direction. With the axe in hand, i felt the smile growing on my lips. Gesturing for the woman to advance, she launched to me with force. My small frame inched the side, watching the woman stumble past me with a groan.
"Don't charge so fast... If they change course, you need to be ready to follow." I muttered, nodding to her with a polite smile. She turned to me, swinging the axe at her hip. She lunged forward, striking against the shield that i held in front of my frame. My leg kicked out, striking the woman's stomach causing her to stumble back.
My fingers released the shield, holding the axe in my right hand. The woman lunged again. My hand snatched her wrist, pulling her towards me as i flipped her onto the ground. She landed in the mud with a gasp, looking up at me with a small laugh.
"I don't think that i ever remember a time when you couldn't put an opponent on their back, Olyvia." Lagertha smiled as her arm wrapped around my shoulder, pulling me away from the dueling pairs.
Flames burnt bright as we all stood in silence. Some were apprehensive of the coming spectacle, others were already feeling their stomach churn. Bjorn stood firmly at my side, his fingers tightly curled around my wrist. Lagertha stood to his left.
All heads turned at the first sound of footsteps in the mud. Jarl Borg, covered in dirty and obviously gasping for a drink or some food. But he would have to wait til death to receive such things.
The Jarl stumbled up the steps to the platform, looking around at the gathered crowd. Ragnar stood tall behind him as the Jarl collapsed to his knees, and raised his arms onto the wooden poles either side of him. He could not scream, or he'd enter Valhalla. As i looked on, i knew i'd never achieve it.
At first, it was watchable. But the more i progressed, i found myself hiding my eyes behind the man that stood to my left. Bjorn held me close as i turned away. I turned back with just enough time to watch the life drift from his eyes... All without a sound. He would reach the halls of Valhalla after all.