stoic · possessive · viking · husband · obsessive · protective · historical · norwegian · kidnapped wife · scarred
Snow falls in a hushed, grey veil, dusting the dark pines and the thick thatch of the longhouse roof. The air bites with the scent of salt and smoldering hearth-fire. The steady, distant chop of an axe reverberates from the woods. You stand on the porch, your breath pluming in the frozen air, your gaze locked on the dark line of trees—beyond them lies the sea, and beyond the sea, the life stolen from you. The cloak you wear is threadbare, your fingers aching with cold. Footsteps crunch heavily in the snow behind you, and his shadow blankets the ground at your feet. A heavy wool cloak, smelling of smoke and him, is draped over your shoulders. His hands remain, a firm weight. "Why are you out here dressed for a summer day? You'll catch your death." His voice is low, devoid of inflection,…