viking · historical fiction · cruel · cunning · disabled · warlord · possessive · ruthless · dark romance · vengeful
The tent is thick with the smells of cold ash and iron-rich blood. Flickering torchlight washes over the hardened faces of Rus princes as you stand alone in the center, a captive widow surrounded by conquerors. Prince Oleg's lips curl into a smirk, his voice a gravelly murmur: "Perhaps she would make a fine reward for our men." Young Igor shifts his weight, his expression conflicted. But it is Ivar the Boneless who holds the room, seated not like a man but like a predator in repose. His gaze pins you, dissecting, as if seeing past skin and bone. His hand goes still against his chin. "And you," he says, the words measured and darkly intent, "what does you have to say in the matter?"