Summary: Viking!AU - Morfius of Glaskeld, Greenland arranges for his daughter, Astoria the Star Maiden, to marry Lucius of Wilby, Norway's son, Draco Dragon Eye. Uniting their respective families and settlements to make them stronger.

Rated: K

Genre: Fantasy; Family

Competition/Challenge Block
Written For: Monthly Challenges for All (Year 6); Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry 2.0 (Term 2); Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition (Season 11)

Quidditch: Wigtown Wanderers; R3: Chaser 1 (Write about the patriarch of a family.) 【Viking!AU; [Color] Merlot; [Genre] Fantasy】

Hogwarts: Slytherin; A6 - Oneirology Task 1 (Write about being let down or disappointed.)

MC4A: Ship: SpWic 2 (Harsh); SpMed2 (Wine; Alcohol); SpBig (Knife/Dagger; Hair Comb/Pin); Hunt: Sp Item (Earring; Seed Beads); Sp Con (Berries; Alcohol); Sp Set (Rainy); TrB (4B - Mutual Pining); ShipB (1E - Enemies to Lovers); SpB (1D - Laughter; 2D - Sunshine; 2E - Fire)

Beta: WiseGryffindor; AlcestePeace

Word Count: 1,659 (1,626 without Epigraph)

Warning Tag: n/a

Author's Note: Obviously this is all fiction and should not be used as a reference to actual Scandinavian roots even though I made sure to carefully sidestep a lot of it.

The Norse would give people titles or nicknames should it be earned (sometimes negative ones too!), hence why Astoria and Draco have titles and not the traditional way last names were given in Scandinavian culture. Technically Morfius has a title too (Greengrass), but Daphne would simply have Morfiusdottir as her last name since they literally use the fathers name and add "son/dottir" to it ("Dottir" means "Daughter").

If you want to be even more technical, the children called their parents by their names and not "mother/father", same with them and their children/grandchildren, but I wanted to keep it simple and easy to read.

"Skol" is a word similar to "Cheers" but means "Good Health."

The epigraph Hávamál is from a collection of old Norse poems and stories that taught basic morals and philosophy. It is also known as The Words of Odin the High One. You could say it was their version of the bible.

Fates Entwined

.oOo.

Never a whit should one blame another

whom love hath brought into bonds:

oft a witching form will fetch the wise

which holds not the heart of fools.

— The Hávamál, 91

.oOo.

Astoria stood beside her father at the front of the boat. She held a white flag while her elder sister held their tribe's flag bearing an onyx raven against a vibrant green background opposite her. They had come from their homeland of Greenland to meet with the King of Norway at his request.

She knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, the tribes of Scandinavia had drifted and separated from one another over time. Her tribe migrated and settled in Greenland from Iceland, but the land was harsh, desolate, and void of resources for survival. To counter this, her father, Morfius, would comb the furthest parts of Norway's coastline, using his gift of persuasion on the small fishing and whaling tribes to sail back with him and settle, bringing what resources and trades they had with them.

It worked… mostly. It was easy to bribe people with the promise of fresh new land and retaining their livestock and boats in exchange for only their loyalty and willingness to provide their skills in turn. Little resistance was made, that was until King Lucius of Norway heard about the deceptive ways of her father. And now, they were summoned to mainland Norway to make peace between them. They all had Norse roots, ill will among their own wasn't the way of the gods, after all.

They watched as the docks grew closer and the horns sounded their arrival. The deckhands caught the tossed rope and aided in guiding and securing the boat to the post. Morfius disembarked the ship first, and he aided his daughter's after while the rest of the crew kept the boat steady. Grey skies seemed to darken in that moment and the rain came showering down in a steady, light mist. This could be considered a bad sign, Astoria recalled, but then the sun broke through in the distance, its golden light mixing with the water drops. It was beautiful.

The three were greeted by drums and chanting as they headed for the banks of Wiltby. The king stood at the mouth of a vast gate constructed of wood, bones, and iron. Merlot-red flags with the raven of the city donned both watchtowers on either side of it. Astoria saw a woman with white-blonde hair standing just behind the king's left shoulder, her crown of silver and red gems nearly blending in. A young man stood to his right. She noticed that his left eye was clouded over and an angry red scar cut down over it. The ornate earring glimmered like the sun with a merlot-colored stone embedded in it from his ear. He looked absolutely terrifying.

They all wore white furs from foxes and wolves, but the king wore the skin of the white bear.

King Lucius spread his arms wide as they approached, smiling fondly. "Welcome Morfius Greengrass of Glaskeld! The gods have blessed you with safe passage from Jörmungandr's wrath."

"We fair quite well when my daughter accompanies our voyage," Morfius said, gesturing to Astoria. "She is quite gifted in navigating with the stars. So talented in fact, that she is known as the Star Maiden back at home."

This seemed to pique the king's interest. Astoria could feel his grey eyes studying her.

"This is my elder daughter, Daphne," Morfius continued, presenting her. "Unfortunately my wife, Helin, had fallen ill and was unable to attend this important meeting."

"It is my pleasure to meet you both," King Lucius said, and Astoria nodded in greeting, as did Daphne. "May I introduce my wife Narcissa and my son Draco Dragon Eye. He has also just returned from a long voyage to the East for this event.

"But politics will wait, first we shall feast and get you settled and rested," King Lucius said, turning to lead them into the city.

Astoria met Draco's curious gaze, and she looked away almost immediately. She had a feeling that this trip was going to change more than she anticipated.

Morfius presented his offerings to the king in the Main House where the feast was well underway. They provided him with freshly made wine from the berries grown by the mysterious family who claimed to be the grandchild of Ubbe Ragnarson in Greenland. The small, onyx glass-like beads that adorned the hair comb, earrings, and bracelets were a hit with Narcissa. The ceremonial black-glass looking dagger had caught Draco's attention. Everything was quite well received.

The room echoed, "Skol!" all around her as the king finished his speech, welcoming them to their home.

"King Lucius and I have spent quite some time negotiating, as you know my daughter's," Morfius said.

The firelight stretched to the ceiling of their cozy quarters King Lucius graciously provided, but it cast their father in an ominous light.

"We have agreed to many things, but in order to make sure that our word holds true, he has offered something that I cannot refuse."

He looked at Astoria then. She swallowed hard and felt her head shake ever so slightly, unable to hold it back under her father's gaze.

"Astoria, my amazing daughter, I am honored to announce to you that King Lucius' son, Draco Dragon Eye, has asked for your hand."

She knew this would happen, but it didn't stop her from rising from her seat in anger. "How could you, father? Why not prepare us for such a life changing possibility?" she demanded.

"We do not decide our fates, Astoria, you as any know that," Daphne reasoned. "You should be honored to be wedded to one of the most fierce warriors of our time. His legacy challenges even the famous Ragnar Lodbrok."

"They're only stories, Daphne!" she snapped. "Bedtime stories. He really can't predict the future in battle. It is only a glorified injury!"

Morfius snarled, sending both daughters into silence. He paced the small space, holding their attention. "You will do what you are told, Astoria."

"Why not offer Daphne?" Astoria deadpanned. "She is the eldest and therefore she should receive such honor before me."

Her tone dripped in sarcasm.

"Well, unlike you, sister, I would accept without a second thought," Daphne said. "But you cannot deny Fate. You cannot refuse what the gods have blessed you with, Stori."

"He asked for you," Morfius said, "and you must accept."

"If Mother were here she would oppose this arrangement," Astoria found herself saying. "I don't even know him!"

"Dear daughter, it is what needs to happen," he said, placing a hand on Astoria's shoulder. "You're right in saying Mother wouldn't approve, but she also is smart enough to know when to simply accept what is."

"And should I refuse?"

"You are being selfish, Stori," Daphne scolded. "Acting like a child will get you nowhere."

"Listen to your sister," he said, "because if you refuse, our homeland will be nothing again."

So an underlying threat was made to seal the deal. How quaint. "What benefits do we get out of this aside from not being wiped off the face of the earth?"

Her father stared at the fire. "Politics are an unfortunate part of life, my daughters. While marrying for love is the best outcome, when you are a ruler or the head of a tribe, your children become tools for bargaining. As your father, I am allowed to aid in choosing your suitors. As your ruler, I will do what it takes to protect my home, as should you both."

"You and Draco are a perfect match," Daphne said. "With your navigation skills and his thirst for exploring, you'll uncover countless untouched lands to stake claim to."

Astoria sat outside their hut, angry about the entire situation. To take her mind off it all, she focused on the project in front of her instead. The shaved fish bone fit easily through the small bead holes, and after collecting a few black ones on it, she switched to a merlot color before feeding the beads off the bone-made needle and down the threaded horse hair. It was to be a necklace for her mother when she finished, but now she wasn't even sure if she would ever see her mother again.

"Were you the one who made the jewelry gifted to my mother?"

Astoria startled, dropping her craft. Looking at the speaker, she went from scared to scowling at Draco. She picked up the necklace, making sure no beads were lost.

"I may have. What does it matter?"

"Because she loved them, and if you were their creator, then I would like to personally thank you for pleasing her so," Draco said, looking at what she was doing.

"I am glad to know," she said. "Your father rather fancied our alcohol."

"Ah, the key to his heart really," he replied. "Surprised that he didn't agree to everything at that moment. Just like my mother and jewelry. They are quite materialistic, if you haven't noticed."

"The white furs give it away, unfortunately."

He chuckled at that, but she tried to ignore him now, thinking their conversation had ended. Yet, he lingered, and she was itching to ask. She looked up at him, his face was soft, curious, and held no fierceness like it had when they were welcomed. His good eye was silver-grey, his blind eye a milky white. The scar didn't seem as red and fresh as it was before. How peculiar.

"Can you really see what someone does before it happens?"

Draco smirked. "Only if you wish to believe it." A breath was released. "Are you really a maiden from the stars?"

Astoria couldn't help but roll her eyes at that. "Only if you wish to believe it."

For some reason, that had him laugh. She smiled in turn. Maybe he won't be so bad after all.