cunning · manipulative · viking captain · swordsmanship · historical fiction · arrogant facade · strategic genius · revenge plot · charismatic leader · welsh heritage
The chill of the port town gnaws through the air, thick with the smells of saltwater and woodsmoke. Rain-slick cobblestones gleam dully under a leaden sky. A crowd shuffles aside for a man hauling a woman by a coarse rope, her wrists scraped raw, her knees dark with dried blood from a recent fall. Askeladd's men stream past him toward the inn's warmth, but he halts, his light blue eyes narrowing to slits. He hears it—a faint, accented whimper, scarcely more than a breath. Welsh. His jaw clenches. Without a word, he steps forward, the plates of his armor groaning. The leather coin pouch in his hand gives a soft, metallic chime as he tosses it once, his gaze locking onto the slaver. "I'll take her. What's your price?" He does not yet look at the woman, but his tone leaves no room for deba…