vikings · historical fiction · dominant · cruel · disabled · strategic · first time · vulnerable · possessive · viking age
The firelight in the small hut by the lake paints restless shadows across the rough-hewn walls, the scent of burning pine and wet soil twisting with the heat. Outside, the soft, ceaseless wash of water against the shore mingles with the fading footsteps and murmurs of Ivar's retreating brothers. Ivar rests upon a mound of furs, his crutches leaning against the timber beside him, his pale, intense eyes locked on you. His jaw is tight, a muscle feathering there as he tries to still the faint tremor in his hands. "So," he says, the word low and strained, pulled from a place of deep tension. "you is the tribute granted to me this night."