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mirkwoodest · 3 years

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History Channel's Vikings By Season According to Émile, post-rewatch (spoilers!)

vikings s1: Good

yeah it just slaps, sets of the world, makes you care. there's a reason it got renewed. the themes get set up, the cool stuff they do with languages, all good. Not perfect, but good.

vikings s2: Great

Plot is even more exciting than s2 in my opinion. The family reuniting in a new way rules. the set-up and twist in the finale is *mwah* 'My main issue was that Kwentrith was given a really 2D pussy-nality. Her stuff with Ecgbert and hitting on everyone was a red flag for the pointless horniness of the next few seasons, RIP.

vikings s3: Cringe until the last 3 episodes

U g h Yeah it gets very annoying here. The horniness of this season gets really tiresome here. Where before if felt like there was sexual energy that served a purpose, it started to get really pointless and annoying in this season. The way they wrote Þorrun off was annoying. Her arc felt very pointless and her motivation for leaving lacked depth. I couldn’t make myself care at all about the Saxon politics and that’s the show’s fault, not my fault, because I found that stuff plenty engaging in The Last Kingdom.

Good character development for other characters, especially Rollo and Bjorn. Aethelstan's stuff is pretty good. Was I sad to see him go? Yes, but I know George got a great gig as the main character of Versailles after this and I thought his death was respectful of his narrative arc. Unpopular opinoin maybe, but I appreciated Ragnar’s first signs of downward spiral. THE SEIGE OF PARIS IS SO GOOD. Literally felt like I was just waiting for the whole season to get back to this section. It seems like they put all their energy into these three episodes and it made all the cringe worth it.

vikings s4 part 1: VERY cringe until close to the end.

The Yidu plot was a HUGE fuck up. one of the worst of the entire show imo. Introducing a woman of color doesn’t get you any diversity points if make her a 2 dimensional sterotype and kill her horribly, lol. The political stuff in Paris with Odo and Charles and the offbrand Lannisters? Not a fan. Don’t care. Didn’t come here for that. Contributed nothing. The political stuff in Wessex with Exbert and Judith and Aethelwulf and Kwentrith? Not a fan. Don’t care. Didn’t come here for that. Could have all been cut and nothing would have been lost except for maybe little glimpses of baby Alfred. So many excessive and pointless horniness. Like WHY?

The only sex scenes that didn’t make me cringe were with Rollo and Gisla because they were funny and light and served a narrative purpose. Rollo and Gisla’s stuff was all solid gold. I would have liked more of it, to be honest. Enemies to lovers arranged marriage slowburn? Medieval powercouple? Girlboss/Malewife vibes? I wanted them to have a spin-off. Bjorn and the bear was a GOOD plot. It was a very effective way to make Bjorn grown up very fast. Lagertha making good on her promise to kill Kalf and doing it on their wedding day? A real GirlBoss move. I was similarly satisfied by Torvi’s stuff. I think it’s rad that she was such a minor character in season 2 and by season 4 she’s gotten pretty interesting. Ragnar’s downfall hurt, but it was a long time coming. It narratively made sense. As soon as they got back to Paris, the battles were once again wicked. That shit with the towers and the chain and the fire arrows was beautiful. Seriously, planning out interesting and engaging battles is one of the main strong suits of this show, it never disappoints. Finale? GOLD. Making us root for Rollo and feel satisfied that he had defeated the family of protagonists we’ve been rooting for this whole time? Genius. The jump forward in time!!!!!!! I remember I lost my shit watching it the first time. Because all of the first half of S4 is all about Ragnar falling to pieces, it was really useful and hopeful to see OH YEAH the next generation is about to take over.

vikings s4 part 2: Soooooooo good oh my god.

The tragedy. The coming together. Knowing that everyone's shit is about to get wrecked. TBH this might be the strongest season in terms of big-picture storytelling without neglecting nuances of individual characters. Biggest complaint is just that Gisla was treated as a dead end when there was still so much potential for interesting shit to happen with her and Rollo. Sigh. I thought Lagertha's characterization started to fray a bit though. Like it seemed like she was at peace w/ Aslaug so why kill her after she surrendered?

vikings s5 part 1: Decent

Good plot. Less over-the-top horniness. Very solid except Heamund was very annoying. Stuff with the brothers was pretty good. Lagertha's characterization continued to fray though. Idk why I don't have much to say, I guess that kind of speaks to the quality of 5a. Not mindblowing but not rage inducing.

vikings s5 part 2: Okay...

The plot itself was pretty good except Freydis is 2D as fuck. Great potential just left to rot on the floor. I'm in love with Gunnhild. Heamund was.... poorly cast. They continued to tone down the over-the too horniness and everyone benefited. Gunnhild my beloved... Thorra's character existing just to be fridged was 🙄 Speaking of which Hvitserk's arc was all over the place and totally disconected from where he came from of where he was going.

vikings s6 part 1: Good

Good tbh. Kiev is DOPE. Ingrid was kind of 2D. Hvitserk's fixation on Thorra was kind of hard to buy into because she had so little screentime and personality before being fridged. Bjorn's, Ivar's, and Hvitserk's arcs all felt solid and interesting. Loved everything with the little Russian prince. Yeah. Bjorn's kid dying felt very pointless though, and made me annoyed at Lagertha. Lagetha's end was good. Bjorn wrecking Hvitserk was extremely triggerig hahaha but good. The battle with the Rus was good. Character development for everyone but Hvitserk felt solid

vikings s6 part 2: Good

Mostly all good. Bjorn's final stuff was great. Hvitserk and Ivar's stuff was good, the Rus plotline was good. I really disliked the Gunnhild, Ingrid, Harald, Eric stuff. Like compared to the other plotlines it felr very hollow. They made Ingrid more 3D at least. I have mixed feelings about Gunnhild..... like it was kind of a badass end, but she was supposed to be the mother of kings???? The England plotline was pretty good, especially Ivar, Hvitserk, and Harald's stuff although Alfred just couldn't compare with TLK's Alfred in terms of depths. He was comparatively very 2D. I think they rushed Hvitserk's arc completion. There was interesting stuff that could have been mined. Ubbe and Torvi's stuff was p agonizing but the payoff was huge. I liked the Canada plotline. Very satisfying and a beautiful counterbalance to to the tone of the entire show, creating a really fitting ending in my book. Like perfect? No, of course not. The had sooo many strings to tie up so it would have been almost impossible to do it perfectly. But overall it was a satisfying and natural end. I felt like investing so much time to go on a journey with these characters was worth it in the end and it gave me a lot to think about.

#rape mention #vikings tv #I probably left out some stuff but this isnmy general take #txt

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theboatbuilderswife · 4 years

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𝙷𝙸𝚂𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚈'𝚂 𝚅𝙸𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂 𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝚁𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙿𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁𝚂 𝙼𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙻𝙸𝚂𝚃

Please REBLOG ↠this other↞ post if you wish to be added to the list. Do NOT add your own url to the list yourself ! I will update the list at least once every 2 weeks ❤ please note that I may REMOVE your name from the list if you seem inactive for longer than 3 weeks unless communicated otherwise. If I took you from the list due to inactivity or any other reason and you wish to be added again, just reblog the other post again ! Updated: 20 December ‘19

𝚅𝙸𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚂

Ragnar Lothbrok: deficd (multimuse), ofodinn, ofragnar Lagertha: queenofkategat, xx--ofmanythoughts--xx (multimuse), ordrengir (multimuse) Floki: liftedrelics (multimuse) Björn Ironside: crowsandmurder (multimuse), ordrengir (multimuse) Ubbe Ragnarsson: liftedrelics (mutlimuse) Hvitserk Ragnarsson: crowsandmurder (multimuse), ordrengir (multimuse) Ivar the boneless: vredeir, ragnarsscn Helga: theboatbuilderswife Torvi: norseblooded (multimuse) Siggy: norseblooded (multimuse), xx--ofmanythoughts--xx (multimuse) Þórunn: ordrengir (multimuse) Margrethe: norseblooded (multimuse) Freydis: freydisi Astrid: hedebyforged, ordrengir (multimuse) Sten Haraldson: crowsandmurder (multimuse) Kjetill Flatnose: crowsandmurder (multimuse) Gyda Ragnarsdóttir: deficd (multimuse) Thyri Siggadóttir: norseblooded (multimuse) Angrboða Flokadóttir: eyungr (multimuse)

𝚂𝙰𝚇𝙾𝙽 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚂

Athelstan: kristnirpresti Alfred: Aelfred Ecbert: crowsandmurder (multimuse) Aethelwulf: crowsandmurder (multimuse) Aethelred: crowsandmurder (multimuse) Bishop Heahmund: liftedrelics (multimuse) Judith: norseblooded (multimuse), crowsandmurder (multimuse) Kwentrith: norseblooded (multimuse) Father Cuthbert: crowsandmurder (mutlimuse)

𝚁𝚄𝚂 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚂

𝙾𝙲𝚜

Váli Flokason & Ástríðr Torsteinsdóttir: eyungr (multimuse) Sigrúnn Leifsdóttir: skogsyn Erik & Ingvar & Ylva: norseblooded (multimuse) Asta Goidóttir: astatheloner Solveig Ísleifsdóttir & Sindre Ísleifsson & Hilda the Wolf-slayer: deficd (multimuse) Hetha Ylgr: ylgrr Rolf Ulfricsson & Kol Ulfricsson: ordrengir (multimuse)

𝙱𝙻𝙾𝙶𝚂 𝚆𝙸𝚃𝙷 𝙰 𝚅𝙸𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂 𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙴

bishopdescendant sigrvif ulfhrafnx sinnhelmingr

#vikings rp #vikings roleplay #historical rp #rp masterlist #masterlist #❧ .OOC | ‘ out of herbs ’#[ free to reblog ! ]

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celestial-gold · 4 years

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anyone else get Vibes from princess kwentrith on vikings or is that just a me problem

#og #arth

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ofodinn · 6 years

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In the span of an episode, Ragnar goes from thinking Kwentrith is intriguing to being like ...she is crazy.

#✖ [OOC]#Tanya should be asleep

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procrastinatingsoicanreadfanfics · 1 year

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labour by paris paloma is THE vikings women theme song

#like #24/7 baby machine so he can live out his picket fence dream #THATS ASLAUG RIGHT THERE #it's not an act of love if you make her #ASTRID #KWENTRITH #therapist mother maid #LAGERTHA.#scream scream scream #AND RAGNAR FED INTO THIS MOST OF ALL!!!

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janglejanglejane · 5 years

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#vikings #historyvikings #kwentrith #princess kwenthrith #amy bailey

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drogonstone · 7 years

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SOME VIKINGS URL IDEAS I’ve made a little list of urls that no one is currently using. enjoy! :) ✶ ofhvitserk ✶ hvilserk ✶ ivaragnarson ✶ ubbesragnarsson ✶ bjornsaxe ✶ bornironside ✶ floki ✶ torvi ✶ sigurds ✶ kwentriths ✶ ecberts ✶ kingaelle ✶ helgas ✶ hedebys

#these are golden can't believe they're not taken yet like ????#vikings url #vikings urls #vikings #vikingsedit #url idea #url ideas #free urls

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reviewpri · 7 years

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Hirst has a woman problem.

If you want to avoid spoilers, then leave!

ONLY A FATHER IS DESERVING OF “MOURNING”

Aslaug was not a favorite. I get that. She was not a good mother after Harbard came to the picture. She negletcted her foster kid, Siggy, was distant to her other sons and overlooked Ivar´s sadistic tendencies. HOWEVER, Ragnar left for a number of years after he became a fucking drug addict, and before that he was distant, at best.

When he dies their sons go to great lenghts to “avenge” his death:

Aslaug´s death is all but forgiven by Sigurd and Hvtserk...

MEN HAVE THE RIGHT OF BEING FATHERS EVEN IF THEY ARE UNFIT BUT WOMEN ARE NOT WORTHY OF SECOND CHANCES.

Okay, Porunn was also not a favorite. Vikings are harsh and her post partum depression obviously was something unheard. But Bjorn shuns his daughter afterwards, even though he could have arranged proper fostering and HE gets the chance of starting a new family with Torvi.

Not convinced?

Floki is a mentally and emotionally instable man, but, after the death of his daughter, he gets a chance to raise Ivar and develop a bond with him.

Helga? No, Helga is destined to be a loser, so she goes crazy, adopts an orphan GIRL, who will...well...be the end of everything for poor Helga.

ONLY MALE CHILDREN ARE GIVEN ENOUGH SCREEN TIME AND ONLY THEM SURVIVE INTO ADULTHOOD:

I will not make a list, but go ahead and name me a single girl in this series that was shown to be born and survive? You will not find her, because she does not exist.

IF YOU ARE NOT A SHIELDMAIDEN OR IF YOU DO NOT SLEEP WITH YOUR FATHER IN LAW, YOUR STORY IS NOT WORTH SCREEN TIME

Kwentrith and Siggy senior were killed off because the actresses had other projects, I do understand that. However, Hirst has been writing female characters as either warriors or lapsed mothers for a long time now. Gisla was an example of politically active woman , but her development stopped the moment she became Rollo´s wife- from that moment on, she is being portrayed as either loving or nagging, but always in relation to Rollo.

THE ONLY RELATIONSHIPS THAT MATTERS ARE MALE-MALE FRIENDSHIPS.

I said it before, but I will say it again: the first 2 and half seasons of Vikings were incredible efficient in portraying strong women building positive relationships with one another, having agency and a sense of community. No cat fights, no bitching around, no jealousy.

But also the deaths of women are events that leave no impact in the story.

Siggy gave her life to save two of Ragnar´s sons. Her death only served one purpose: to freed Rollo. Not even Hvitserk or Ubbe were able to remind the viewers that they are only alive because of that woman´s sacrifice. Hvitserk only said “ we almost died following Aslaug on that frozen lake”

Sigurd is shown to be traumatized by being left behind in Kattegat. He goes on and on about Harbard, about Ivar´s being breastfed. He never mentions finding little Siggy corpse.

Kwentrith was killed by Judith, who knew she was pregnant and who had previously betrayed her already. We don´t get any scene of Aethelwulf lamenting her death. Magnus, her son, is sent away after being discovered that he WAS NOT RAGNAR´S- but he is still Kwentrith. I see that Aethelwulf was actually saving this child life, because he has a claim to Mercia and Ecbert would definitely kill him now, but the way the scene played was telling “ Tell them that you are Ragnar´s son”. NO MENTION OF HIS MOTHER.

Aethelstan, on the other hand, dead since season 3, is still there. His death led Ragnar to drugs , he is mentioned by Ecbert all the time, to the point of exhaustion. To be honest, Aethelstan was not even that interesting, but hey, Hirst thinks he was, so we should all agree.

The problem is, in my view, Hirst cannot write 20 episodes. He caters to the “ kick ass” male fans and he has hinted that History presses him to write “ less Saxons, more Vikings” , but even part of the male audience is getting restless. Ragnar, Aethesltan and soon Ecbert are dead. We should move on to Ivar and Alfred, but if the series wants to go forward, Hirst has to do better. The way things are now, we will not see Aethelflaed, the Lady of Mercians, daughter of Alfred, woman of great intelligence that was responsible for reclaiming a big part of England from the Viking invaders.

#vikinhs #vikings season 4 #lagertha #aslaug #ivar the boneless #michael hirst #floki #helga #ragnar lothbrok #rollo #rollo x gisla #women lives matter

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valhallalullaby · 7 years

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I needed to write about my relationship with women on vikings and especially with Aslaug for weeks.

Firstly, I've seen many posts here talking about how Hirst kills female characters on this show, and the thing I have to say to this is : hell yes, y'all right. I used to love Vikings to the bones for its female characters, Lagertha(s1-2), Helga, Siggy senior, Porunn, Aslaug and Kwentrith, for example. Not mentioning all the loss of potential with all these characters and more. Cough cough- Yidu.

The only proper, and proper is a huge word, death a woman had in this show is actually Siggy senior, dying as she lived, bravely.

We never had the chance to see what Gyda, Thyri and Siggy Bjornsdottir could become. We actually never had the chance to see any female characters growing up in the viking world surrounded by men. Let us be honest, the women are the heart of this show. Fearless, fierce, brave women. Beginning with Aslaug, yeah, well, that's the all point of this post.

Like everyone else who started watching Vikings without any knowledge of the norsemen culture, I disliked her when she showed up. And I think that if you're not that interested in understanding the characters of this show, you'll stay stuck thinking Aslaug is a homewrecker.

The main point I like about Queen Aslaug is Alyssa Sutherland. The amount of hate she gets on social networks for protraying this character is disgusting. Yet, she stays polite and kind-hearted, and she is very protective of Aslaug. I honestly think that we couldn't have dream for a better actress to play the queen Aslaug is.

I recently watched a 40min long interview of her speaking of Aslaug. And you should all listen to it very carefully. Stop pretending Lagertha is a usurped victim. In the first EVER episode of Vikings, Lagertha says to Ragnar not to sleep with too many women in Kattegat. That says a lot about their relationship. Lagertha DECIDED to leave her husband because he humiliated her. And for that, I looked at her with a large amount of respect. Lagertha has been through many shit, so did Aslaug. Ragnar only was to blame for this. HE decided to sleep with another woman, who could bare him sons. What asshole could leave his wife cause she can't give him sons?(Henry VIII, and I think Hirst has a lot of Henry VIII issues to deal with).

Like Alyssa pointed out in this interview, Aslaug grew up alone, as an orphan. She is a volva(not a witch as catholic meant it), she « sees things other cannot ». She knew when she met him that she bound to give Ragnar his sons. And I don't mean she isn't cunning, of course she is. And clever enough to become queen. When she realize that she is pregnant with Ragnar's child, her only concern is for her son not to grow up without knowing his famous father, like she did. Imo, this was not out of ambition, but mainly for her child to be born. Alyssa also said that Aslaug is scared of Lagertha, and that she keeps her in high respect. In series two, Aslaug actually says that she would like to be more like Lagertha. She knows Lagertha is a fierce shield-maiden, with a HUGE pride. And that's why she also left Ragnar to go make her own fame and history. Again, like Katheryn said in an interview to promote season two, « If there is anyone to blame, it should be Ragnar. I don't think Lagertha blames Aslaug for this. »

So what is this 4B bullshit again ? Fanservice.

When Hirst wants us to look for strong women on this show, he makes them shieldmaidens. What about Helga, what about Siggy senior ? What about Kwentrith, Aslaug, Judith, making their own way without being in a shieldwall ?

I mean it like I say it, Aslaug never murdered Ragnar in his sleep for her children. He raped her, yes Ivar is born of a rape, sorry. He beaten her(If s1-2 Lagertha had known this, she would have murdered Ragnar herself, being a victim of an abusive husband too). She had all the reasons to kill him, and imo she never did for her sons. So, thanks to shitty writing, she wasn't the best mother but in the other hand, she cared for her children. She took care of them, raised them when Ragnar felt like he didn't want to be king anymore. Wow, daddy of the year. She rose Kattegat to the title of major trading center, and kept it secure. Of what we saw, the « look what mess she made of my home » was not canon at all. This storyline bares many contradictions it makes me angry. Both for Aslaug and Lagertha.

Hirst tried his best to make her a villain. The saddest part of this is that the one scene when Ragnar comes to apologise to his wife was Travis's idea. Hirst gave so much zero fucks that he didn't have this idea. Cause Ragnar and Lagertha forever. Even I, wouldn't do that with my one true otp.

What of « women should stick together more, and we should rule » ? Lagertha forgave Aslaug, in season two it was water clear. And suddenly, she became power hungry for a place she left willingly twenty years ago ? I rolled my eyes so much I saw my brain. And on what purpose ? It almost looks like she was taking Kattegat back to rule with Ragnar again. Yo, Lagertha deserves better than this shit. That was stupid and out of character.

In one of the latest episodes, Sigurd says « What is a warrior without his honor ? » Well, apparently queen. Since murdering someone with an arrow in his back in acting with honor.

Now back to Aslaug and how she deserved better than to be pregnant 1,5/3 season she was alive. She is the daughter of a dragon slayer and the most famous shieldmaiden to ever live, for Odin sake. We never had a chance to see how she ruled when Ragnar was raiding or being selfish in exile. Everyone just assumed that she ruled badly. Ragnar is allowed to sleep around but not her ? Even if at this point of season three, imo she didn't give anymore fuck about Ragnar. She asks him to come home for his sons, only for them. Bjorn is allowed to give up on his daughter and everyone assumed that Aslaug was responsible for her life and well-being ? It's more easy to blame her than one of the mighty sons of Ragnar, isn't it ? Don't forget that, at this point, Aslaug was completely alone with five children to look after, neglected by her husband who was everything but kind and gentle to her. And that she felt betrayed by a man she cared about, once again.

I don't mean men to be role model fathers but come on, Rollo leaving Gisla on her own in Normandy, not knowing if his nephew would kill him ? Ragnar leaving for almost ten years ? Bjorn not minding his own daughter death ?

Aslaug freed Porunn so she could become what she wanted, a shieldmaiden and be with Bjorn. Aslaug freed Yidu so she could leave if she wanted to. Aslaug took risks to keep Ivar alive, risk even to have her own people hating her, fearing to be cursed by Ivar illness.

I would've liked to see more of Helga/Siggy/Aslaug friendship. But women on this show are only worthy of attention if they can fight in battle, apparently. Proof is that Helga is going mad, Aslaug is dead, Siggy too, Kwentrith too. Judith and Gisla character development ? Destroyed to enlight men's storylines. Honestly, Ubbe saying that he and Hvitserk aren't jealouse cause they are « vikings » ? Rolled my eyes once more. Margrethe deserves better than being a Ragnarssons sex toy. Astrid deserves better than watching her lover lamenting herself over her one true lost love.

Aslaug not teaching her sons to be respectful of women is what made me even more angry with this season. Being neglected herself by their father, whom she loved truly once upon a time, I don't think she would EVER allow them to treat women like things. Even Torvi's development is reduced to ashes now. And I was honestly rooting for her at the end of 4A. She should remind Bjorn that she still have this crossbow she killed her second husband with, sometimes.

I admired Lagertha in the first seasons, but now I can't recognize her anymore. It's hard not to be resentful toward her since 4B started even if it’s all the writer’s fault. Even Katheryn is lost with all this, she doesn’t know on which foot to dance on interviews. Season four actually destroyed more characters than I could mention.

Writing strong female characters isn't writing them acting in a manly way. Female characters are diverse, powerful and brave in many ways, not only in a shieldwall. Stop killing off women Hirst, please. And give Lagertha her mind she seem to have lost.

#vikings #vkwomen #vkaslaug #vklagertha #vkhelga #vkpost #vktorvi #vkastrid #vkkwentrith #vkjudith #vkmargrethe #vksiggy #vkyidu #vkgisla #vkporunn #alyssa sutherland

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erickyicky · 7 years

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Another sort of rant about Vikings,sorry. Just see it getting a lot of hate and it raises my hackles lol

One thing I don’t really understand is why the fandom seems to play Ragnar out as this big man-whore and adulterer. I mean I might have missed something but as far as we know he has slept with three women on the show, Lagertha, Aslaug and possibly Yidu (unclear on this one as all we see is some weird bathtub touching). Not counting Kwentrith because we do not see it, and Ragnar said he didn’t sleep with her so until we hear otherwise she don’t count.

While he did cheat on Lagertha by our standards he did not by theirs as we told in the pilot, from Lagertha herself, that it is not unusual for men to sleep with other people when they go to big events like the Thing, and Upsula and she expects him to, she just asks that he does not sleep with too many women. Kind of like how in Sons of Anarchy when they go out to other charters or on runs and the like it is not considered cheating as long as they don’t bring it home, so kind of the same concept. But anyway, so Ragnar sleeping with Aslaug wasn’t “cheating” the bad thing was that she got pregnant and showed up at his place which brought it from the event, where it is tolerated, to his home, where not so much (we also see this in Sons of Anarchy when Cherry shows up at SAMCRO and promptly gets a skateboard to the face). Then with Yidu, if he did sleep with her it was only after Aslaug had already cheated on him well before he did anything himself, and she said he could. Is he a bad father? he’s not the best. A bad husband? Oh yes. A man-whore or a serial-cheater, I don’t think so unless we are holding him to our own rules and ideas rather then the ones of the show where everything he did was accepted to an extent (except for the abuse which was very not good), then I suppose yeah he may be a serial-cheater and a bit of a man-whore. In his own world he is very tame sexually it seems compared to pretty much all of the other adult characters. But as always this is just my opinion based on what I see in the show, I know people will disagree.

#vikings #ragnar lothbrok #my opinion #just rambling

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procrastinatingsoicanreadfanfics · 7 months

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ch. 4 — timbran (to build)

summary: the arrival of princess kwentrith only brings chaos

notes: cw for graphic violence, drinking

tagged: @levithestripper, @demon-of-the-ancient-world

series masterlist | general masterlist | ao3

Alethia

The arrival of Princess Kwentrith was of such staged grandeur that Alethia almost had to laugh. She knew her kind of nobility - the one that grasped for power where it was not the right place to do so. When she looked at Kwentrith, she saw a flicker of madness.

Alethia was not sure what to think of it.

Still, she smiled at the other woman courteously as she joined King Ecbert for dinner. Seated next to Athelstan, Alethia knew she was only there because king Ecbert planned to soon make use of her. Threats surrounded Wessex, and Ecbert had already poked holes into her when it came to strategies.

The king seemed to like what she said, but Alethia was always careful not to say too much. He knew that she had lost her child, and was not happy with it - it gave him one less thing to control over her.

“A monk amongst Northmen.” Kwenrith began, amused. “How interesting.”

The princess leaned towards Athelstan, smirking at him with a lazy smile. Alethia grabbed her knife a little tighter, reminding herself that this Kwentrith was seeking allies in every opportunity.

“Indeed.” Athelstan replied. “I learned a great deal.”

“I hear Northmen do not believe in marital fidelity.” Kwentrith continued, and Alethia watched as Athelstan grew more and more flustered. The Mercian princess did not seem to care. “It seems much more natural, no?”

“I do not know.” Athelstan replied curtly.

“But isn’t it?”

“Their way of life is simply different.” Athelstan forced out, and Kwentrith rolled her eyes.

“How boring.” she said, and Alethia thought the discussion would end there. Instead, the princess’ eyes landed on her.

“And you are?”

“Alethia Stahl. The woman that arrived in Wessex one day?” Alethia suggested.

“Arrived? From where?”

“I do not remember.” Alethia replied smoothly. “Many details of my home remain foggy to me until now.”

“But the English tongue is not your own.” Kwentrith noted. Alethia looked to Athelstan, who smiled in reassurance. She hoped her accent was not too strong.

“No.” Alethia admitted. “I have been learning from Athelstan.”

Kwentrith glanced back to him, and Alethia forced herself to breathe. Why was this princess so interested in Athelstan? She was staring at him like a piece of meat.

“How do they love where you are from?” Kwentrith asked in a sardonic tone. The bishop at the table cleared his throat, but Alethia ignored his pretentious holiness.

“We choose whom we love, and we can love whoever we choose, as long as they are old enough for that love.” Alethia explained curtly. Kwentrith smirked.

“What does that mean?” she inquired, her hands traveling towards Alethia’s. She drew her fingers back, forcing a smile onto her face.

“That I bed whomever I please.” Alethia replied. The bishop choked, and she thought she heard King Ecbert chuckle. “But I must disappoint you, princess. I am a widow.”

“God, how old are you?” Kwentrith continued.

“Eighteen.” Alethia said calmly. “But I have the wisdom to not throw myself into reckless danger.”

“That is debatable.” Athelstan mumbled next to her, and Alethia elbowed him playfully. She hated that Ecbert noticed the movement.

“I was shocked to hear of the death of your brother.” Ecbert said quickly, redirecting the attention of the restless princess.

“Don't worry about my brother.” Kwentrith replied. “Did you know that the Pope

has already made him a Saint? Saint Kenelm! Apparently, he lived an exemplary life!”

“Do you mean to say that he was not altogether virtuous?” Ecbert asked carefully.

“Well, he raped me when I was about 12, so you must make up your own mind.” Kwentrith said, too casually if anything. There was another choking noise from the bishop, and Alethia suddenly understood the madness in the eyes of the Mercian. She remembered when it had been reflected in her own.

A woman’s grief, a woman’s pain.

“I am sorry, princess.” Alethia said. “What was done to you was entirely and utterly wrong. If there is a hell, I would hope your brother burns in it.”

“Thank you.” Kwentrith said. “I do not think anyone has ever apologized to me for what happened. Yet, I tell so many people! They all do not seem to care!”

Kwentrith laughed again, and Alethia looked to Athelstan worriedly. She let the evening conversation trickle on for a bit longer, and when there was a small pause, Alethia took her chance.

“I am quite tired. This evening has been so eventful. If I may be excused, I wish you all well for the negotiations.”

“Of course, Alethia. You may go.” Aethelwulf said, before his father could speak. He was trying to get her to leave, and Alethia was glad for it.

“Me as well.” Athelstan said quickly, getting up too. In her mind, Alethia cursed him a bit. Could he not try to make them look a little less like they were leaving to fuck?

As soon as they were out of the room, Alethia turned to Athelstan.

“I don’t like the way she looks at you.” she said.

“Why?” Athelstan asked, walking next to her quietly.

“Because… do you really not know?”

“No… what is it?” Athelstan continued.

“She wants to fuck you. That’s why she was asking about the Northmen.”

“Really?”

“Yes!” Alethia said, exasperated.

“Well… alright. I won’t.” Athelstan said slowly. “There’s a whole vow I am keeping to, after all.”

“Good.” Alethia replied.

“Does it bother you?”

“No.”

“You’re lying.” Athelstan observed.

Alethia hated that he was right. She shouldn’t care, really. Why did she care? “It’s disrespectful.”

“To who?” Athelstan replied. “She’s just a little insane.”

“First of all, so am I. Respect that please. Second of all, I find it disrespectful. To your… vow.”

“Alright.” Athelstan said slowly, staring at Alethia with confusion. “I won’t sleep with her, just like before.”

“Please, stay away from her.” Alethia sighed tiredly. Perhaps it was fatigue that was driving her crazy like this. Perhaps it was simply the fact that Athelstan was her only friend in the whole entire world.

The weight of being alone made Alethia feel like something was crushing her soul.

“Alethia?”

Athelstan’s voice brought her back to reality.

“Goodnight Athelstan.” She mumbled, turning away already. All she wanted was to bury her face in her pillow and sleep. Hopefully for a long time.

Behind her, Athelstan sighed in defeat. Alethia wanted to run to him and apologize. Instead, she went to bed.

The next morning, she ate her breakfast alone.

Athelstan

Whenever he thought he understood Alethia, she wiggled out of his grasp, changing again. It was as if she was not willing to be understood.

As if she wanted to hide herself from the world by always changing, always becoming someone else. The things that did not change about her were few.

Her scars, her quiet smiles, her teasing jokes. Her will to learn, her eagerness to understand. That certain something in her eyes he still could not place.

The territorial understanding of him, that was new. Athelstan thought he understood. He did not like her speaking with Prince Aethelwulf or King Ecbert either. It made sense though - they were both outsiders here, her even more than he.

Still, it hurt that she was distant after the day of Kwentrith’s arrival.

It took Athelstan a week to gather up the courage to ask her about it.

“Why does her being here bother you so much?” Athelstan asked towards the end of one of their lessons. Alethia was still struggling to understand the grammar of the Norse tongue, and Athelstan could not blame her. She mixed it up with English grammar quite often, and that was how he could tell she’d learned uite a few languages in her time.

“A Mercian princess seeking an army to win a civil war? As a woman? This means war.” Alethia replied gloomily.

“I thought you would support her claim.” Athelstan said carefully.

“I do. But the Mercians will never accept her as their ruler, not if she is a woman. Her life will not end well, and her legacy pulled through the dirt for generations to come. And I do not wish to fight in a war that is not my own. Why should I?”

“You serve the king, so you must fight for him. That is simply how it works.” Athelstan shrugged.

“Will you?”

He did not have an answer for her.

“I’ve had my share of war.” Alethia replied simply. Her green eyes looked everywhere but at him, and he knew she had gone to another place in her mind.

Athelstan returned the scrolls to their proper places in the shelves, watching as Alethia did not move from her seat. Suddenly, he noticed that she had begun to braid her hair more tightly ever since Kwentrith arrived, making it form a crown around her head. What was more, she hadn’t worn a dress since that dinner, and a knife was secured in her boot.

She truly was preparing for war, then.

Still, Alethia stuck to Athelstan like a shadow as he climbed the stairs to the main hall of the villa.

“I am sorry for the way I’ve been treating you.” She said suddenly. “It isn’t right.”

“It’s alright.” Athelstan replied.

“No it’s not. It won’t happen again.” Alethia promised. Athelstan smiled softly. The words were kind, and had not been spoken to him often enough in his life. He reminded himself that this was what he was supposed to hear sometimes.

“Do you need me to forgive you?” He teased carefully.

“Yes, please.” Alethia replied snarkily, a smile reappearing on her face.

“Then, my lady, you are forgiven.”

“I am not a lady.” Alethia laughed.

“Oh Alethia. I knew you were one the moment you stepped foot into the courtyard.” Athelstan sighed.

“What do you mean?”

“Just… the way you act. You set boundaries some of us could not afford to set.”

“Oh. Well, I suppose I’ve always been a bit stubborn.”

Athelstan laughed. “A little?”

“Maybe a bit more than a little. Is it very bad?” Alethia asked.

“No, I like it. You know who you are and you aren’t afraid to say it.” Athelstan replied.

Alethia smiled at him, her ears turning a little red from his words. The way she looked at him made his stomach flutter uncomfortably.

“Thank God for my stubbornness then.” She mumbled. As the two of them rounded the corner into the Great Hall, Athelstan froze. Someone was speaking Norse, just a few paces away.

Alethia had noticed it too, and it did not take Athelstan long to recognize the voice.

“Torstein?” He asked, and the Viking man turned around, a wide smile appearing on his face.

“Priest! ” He called loudly. Athelstan could feel Alethia tense behind him, her hand wandering towards her sword.

“And who are you, shieldmaiden? ” Torstein continued, speaking to her. Looking at Alethia, Athelstan knew she had understood Torstein.

“Good job.” He praised, and Alethia blushed.

“She is not a Viking woman. ” Athelstan replied.

“What a pity. ” Torstein laughed, and Athelstan felt his hands ball into fists before he could stop the action.

“Has Ragnar returned, then? ” Athelstan asked, and Torstein nodded.

“He sent me as an envoy… ” Torstein began, before he trailed off, staring at Alethia again. “ So, you and that woman, priest? ”

“She is my student. ” Athelstan replied calmly. “Are you still following, Alethia?”

“I am trying. I think he thinks we are together.” Alethia said. “Why does everyone seem to think that?”

Athelstan could only shrug in response.

“Torstein, what is your purpose here? ” Athelstan asked again, but before the Norseman could reply, King Ecbert strolled into the Great Hall, his son in tow.

“Athelstan, translate.” King Ecbert said, turning to Torstein. Next to Athelstan, Alethia snorted quietly.

“Earl Ragnar, Earl Ingstad and King Horik wish to negotiate terms. ” Torstein said.

Athelstan translated his words, wondering who Earl Ingstad was. He had not heard of this ruler before.

“We should kill him and be done with it.” Aethelwulf said angrily. “These heathens should not touch our ground, much less raid on it.”

“Patience, my son.” Ecbert replied. Torstein looked between them nervously, and next to Athelstan, Alethia was almost holding her breath. “We shall not allow them to raid again. Athelstan, we will keep this Viking as a hostage while my son will go and negotiate with the Northmen.”

“Torstein, you must remain here while Prince Aethelwulf delivers the king’s terms to Earl Ragnar. ” Athelstan explained.

“How will the Northmen take your word seriously?” Alethia asked. “For all they know, Torstein may as well be dead.”

King Ecbert pulled something from his pocket, and Athelstan’s eyes widened.

“My arm ring!” He exclaimed. Had King Ecbert truly had it all this time?

“What is that?” Alethia asked quietly.

“It is a token of loyalty, to Ragnar. I thought I’d lost it, but evidently…” Athelstan replied.

Alethia said something in her tongue, and from her tone, it was evident she was cussing out King Ecbert in a way that she’d be able to keep her head.

“ Smart. ” Athelstan said in Norse. Alethia smirked. Athelstan really needed to learn her tongue. He could not imagine what it was like to not be able to speak your mother tongue for years on end. Living in Kattegat like that had been difficult enough, and Ragnar had made an effort to learn the language.

God, he would learn three languages for her. Alethia was so lonely sometimes, and Athelstan knew exactly how difficult that could be. If he could help her ward it off, he would. She was his friend, after all.

In truth, Athelstan was not so sure all the time. She made him so nervous, so afraid at times. That was not the way friends were supposed to make you feel, right?

Athelstan could barely concentrate on his job as he thought about it, Torstein’s jabs not making the situation any better. He almost breathed with relief as it was done and Alethia disappeared towards the roman bath.

“I want to go swimming.” She said, squeezing his arms gently. “Tell me if you need me to kill anyone for you.”

“What gave you the impression?” Athelstan replied lightly.

“You seemed stressed.” She shrugged.

“King Ecbert can be… intense.”

“Regicide. Haven’t had that one so far.” Alethia laughed. Athelstan looked around nervously.

“That’s treason.”

“Don’t worry. I’d only do it for you.” Alethia joked. Then, her expression grew more serious. “If someone bothered you, you’d tell me, right? I don’t know about regicide, but I’d do a lot to make sure you’re okay.”

“Why?”

“You’re my friend, Athelstan.” Alethia replied. “That’s what friends do.”

Athelstan shouldn’t have been disappointed at that, and yet, he was.

Alethia

The day was cold when Ecbert sent for her, a servant rousing her from her sleep and dragging Alethia to the library. She was still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, disgruntled to be woken this early on a Saturday when she heard Athelstan’s voice and smiled.

“ Caesar had sent his cavalry a little in advance, and was following with the rest of his forces. The battlefront was not formed according to rules of military theory, but as necessitated by the emergency and the sloping ground of the hillside. The legions were facing different ways and fighting different actions. The 9th and 10th legions were on the left,and discharged a volley of spears at the Atrebates." Athelstan translated, his finger brushing over the old scroll when Alethia slipped into the room. He looked up at her for a moment, giving Alethia a small smile.

“Yes. Always thinking, always using the terrain. Go on.” Ecbert mumbled, and Athelstan looked back down at the document.

"At the same time, the Roman cavalry and light-armed troops, seeming to appear from nowhere-"

“Ah! But he knew where. They were in here.” Ecbert interrupted. “And what of his person? What of he himself?”

"As the situation was critical, Caesar moved to the front of the line, addressed each centurion by name...And shouted encouragement to...The fragment ends here.”

“We can imagine how it really ends. We must do battle with Ragnar

Lothbrok and his allies.” Ecbert finished. “Alethia, what of your grandeur of knowledge.”

“Well, Caesar was smart to use the terrain. That’s why he’s such a decorated strategist. The terrain around the villa is not suited perfectly to the plan though. In this battle, Caesar’s enemy was at the bottom of a valley, surrounded by hills from all sides. This is not the case here.” Alethia pointed out, grabbing a map of the surroundings of the villa. She wished there was a physical map at hand.

“The villa was built atop a hill by the Romans. They considered the terrain when they did. The Northmen will be attacking from the shores, which are South. They will fight an uphill battle. Therefore, it would be smart to send the archers out first, attack them with a barrage of arrows before they can form their shieldwall.” Alethia explained. “They cannot march in that formation, so that is where they are most vulnerable.”

“I like that.” Ecbert said. “Quite a bit.”

“Well,” Alethia continued. “What we could also do is send the soldiers in waves. The Northmen may underestimate the forces the first few times, and then, if we keep sending in troops, it’ll be impossible to estimate the true size of the army.”

She shuddered involuntarily, remembering when Ramsay Bolton had used that strategy on her. “It will be difficult to surround them as Caesar did, but your men know the land. If they can figure something out, then it will be even easier to defeat them.”

“I cannot believe that Ragnar does not want to negotiate. I know him too well. He's looking for land, farming land, for his people.” Athelstan argued. Alethia suddenly felt bad, remembering that those Northmen she was helping to kill were his friends. Selfishly, Alethia also did not want to imagine how lonely she would be once Athelstan was reunited with them. She could not imagine he’d be spending much more time with her, then.

After all, Alethia knew Old English with some sufficiency now.

“His men killed all of my envoys, sparing only my son, by which they sent me a simple but clear message.” Ecbert replied calmly.

“Why not send me to speak to him?” Athelstan suggested. Alethia knew Ecbert’s true answer. Athelstan was a hostage. She could not bring herself to tell him that.

“You are already too dear to me, and too important. Which is why, I think, they would kill you.” Ecbert lied smoothly.

“When? When will you attack?” Alethia asked.

“As soon as King Aelle returns with his warriors.” Ecbert replied, before turning to Athelstan. “I'm sure you would prefer that Earl Ragnar and I made peace. Perhaps then you could be at peace with yourself.”

Athelstan looked to the scrolls, not answering King Ecbert. Alethia made to help him clear his things, but King Ecbert stopped her.

“You will lead the attack of my men together with my son.” He said.

“I do not think your son or King Aelle would appreciate that very much.” Alethia said. “They are pious men, after all.”

“A pity I am well aware of.” Ecbert replied. “But you will do so regardlessly. Today, in the courtyard, my son will assess your fighting skills.”

And while Alethia did not want to fight a battle, she did like the idea of wiping Prince Aethelwulf’s awfully arrogant expression off his face in the yard.

She nodded.

“Will Athelstan be there?”

“Do you wish it?” Ecbert asked, a smile playing on his face.

“I do not care.” Alethia replied. “But if I am to put myself in danger, I would like one sane opinion to assess the risk of it. Athelstan has seen your men and the Northmen fight. It would be good to see what he thinks of my own capabilities.”

In the yard, Alethia secured her leather armor with one last pull at the strings holding it together. Prince Aethelwulf stared at her with narrowed eyes, twirling his sword in his hand. Alethia held her own loosely, letting it point to the ground.

She’d spent hours arguing with the blacksmith to improve the balance, and thanks to her tenacity, it was almost perfect now.

Soldiers were strolling around the yard, pretending to prepare themselves for battle, but their stares were quite obvious. Athelstan had taken his place next to King Ecbert, Princess Kwentrith whispering something into the King’s ear as Alethia readied herself to spar with the Prince.

He was good, supposedly.

Alethia had learnt to fight in Westeros, in a time that, compared to ninth century England, was far more modern. She hoped that it would be enough, and that she would not utterly embarrass herself in front of the entirety of the court.

She wasn’t sure if her pride as a woman allowed it.

But when the spar began, intuition took over, and Alethia’s instincts emptied her head of any doubts. Athelstan was alright, a strong fighter when he needed to be, but Aethelwulf was his father’s soldier.

His fighting style was harsh, aggressive, and Alethia reveled in it. He fought with honor.

She did not.

Alethia was not herself when she fought. She felt nothing as she parried the prince’s blows and made him dance around the yard. Nothing at all.

She wondered if, perhaps, that would change should she kill the Prince. In the blink of an eye, her blade was at his throat. All she had to do was cut.

“Yield.”

Alethia stepped back. Ecbert’s sarcastic clapping brought her back to reality. And still, she could not breathe. She could barely hear what Ecbert was saying, only that she needed to go.

There was a pain in her stomach, there where her child should have grown to be born. It was always there when Alethia had difficulties with her emotions. No one knew of it, not even Athelstan.

She did not want to burden him even more than she already did. She could not meet his eyes, not even when the riders prepared themselves for battle.

Athelstan kept his distance in turn. The palpable feeling of guilt hung between them, heavy in the air as in Alethia’s limbs. How could she fight again?

And then, the battle. Alethia swore it was all condensed into one deep breath, all the mud, all the blood, all the death. The blinding pain as a sword sliced her shoulder open, hot blood drowning in her armor.

A Northman under her hands, under her claws, dead before she knew it. Alethia had lost her sword, she realized numbly, somewhere among the masses. Where was her sword?

Could she still kill without it? Would she live without it?

Alethia kept on fighting, ducking out of the way of swords and picking up the weapons of fallen soldiers. She kept going, always driving forward. Prince Aethelwulf was somewhere closeby, slaughtering almost as much as she. He was enjoying himself.

When it was over, Alethia watched the Vikings retreat. She had led King Ecbert’s troops well, but still, some of them had died under her command. They dirtied her soul.

“You fought well today.” Aethelwulf told her, patting Alethia’s injured shoulder. It was not on purpose, still, a hiss of pain escaped her. She nodded, sitting down in the battlefield. There, closeby, lied a brown-haired Northman with scars similar to her own.

“ Does Odin come for your souls now? ” she asked numbly.

“ Ours, shieldmaiden. ” the man rasped.

“ I am no Northman. ” Alethia replied.

“ You are not Saxon. ”

“ No. ”

The man only stared at her with confusion. Alethia helped him drink. She did not have the heart to kill him, neither for mercy, nor for cruelty.

The Northman closed his eyes, his breathing getting more laboured. Alethia thought of what it would be like to lie down in the mud for a little while. A soldier walked up to them. Alethia thought she knew him. He was one of Ecbert’s.

He raised his spear, ready to kill Rollo, when, suddenly, Athelstan stopped him.

“No! Wait! Stop!”

“Athelstan, who is it?” Alethia asked.

“His name is Rollo. He's Ragnar Lothbrok's brother. We baptized him, but it made no difference.”

“It is unfortunate that he's practically dead.” Alehtia sighed.

“No. He's still alive.” Athelstan argued. “This is an important man. See what you can do to save him.

“He's badly wounded. There.” Alethia pointed. Athelstan nodded, instructing the soldiers, before he turned to her.

“You left.”

“I did.”

“Come back.” Athelstan said. He held out his hand. All she had to do was take it. Alethia stared at the scars of his crucifixion. Then, she took it. It was firm. Safe.

She returned to the villa for Athelstan.

Athelstan

He stayed close to Rollo, afraid to leave him. What if they ended up killing him anyway? And yet, Athelstan was torn. Alethia was somewhere closeby, getting her injuries cleaned. He didn’t even know what had happened to her, only that he should have tried harder to keep her from the battlefield.

“ Athelstan ?”

Athelstan turned back to Rollo. “ Rollo .”

“ Priest? Look at you. Horik was right. You betrayed us. ” he spat. “ These are your folk. Christians. You look like them. ”

“ What am I to you ?” Athelstan asked quietly.

Rollo only grunted in response.

“ You are my family .” Athelstan mumbled.

“ If I had enough strength to kill you now, I would. ” Rollo spat. Athelstan felt his heart sink, and he turned towards the Great Hall. The sounds of celebration were beginning to bleed out of the villa, and he was expected to join.

“Allies! Hmm!” Ecbert cheered as Athelstan entered. Alethia was seated next to Prince Aethelwulf, toying with a cup of wine. She was staring at the King, eyes dull.

“Allies and friends, huh?" Aelle continued. “When shall we attack again our wounded foe, huh?”

“And wipe them out? That might not be a good idea.” Ecbert warned.

Aelle snorted. “Of course it's a good idea. We've won half a victory. Now, with God's help, we'll annihilate our enemies, hmm?”

“Forgive me, King Aelle, but I might suggest that even the complete destruction of one Northern army will not lead to the end of their incursions. Probably quite the opposite. Motivated by greed and by the need for revenge, they're very likely to return with renewed strength.” Ecbert warned. Alethia took a heavy sip from her cup, and Athelstan noticed that she was shaking when she set it down. Ecbert did not. He continued.

“And not just once or twice, but again and again, times without number. The only way to bring an end to these incursions is to negotiate an agreement that is good for both sides. But, in the meantime, King Aelle, buying the services of these Northmen as mercenaries will certainly help us to overcome Mercia.” Ecbert suggested. Aelle seemed to think for a moment.

“Very well. As you say. But someone has to take this offer to the pagans. That is if they have not yet already sailed away.” Aelle agreed. Alethia’s eyes shot up, suddenly staring at Athelstan. They were red, the only sign that she had cried.

“Indeed.”

“Considering their treatment of our envoys so far, you're not going to have too many volunteers.” Aelle mused.

“I have a suggestion.” Ecbert began. “I think we should send Athelstan.”

He looked up at Ecbert at the mention of his name, and yet, the tick in Alethia’s jaw did not escape him.

“But they may kill him.” King Aelle noted, staring at Athelstan as well. Athelstan wanted to run. There were entirely too many eyes on him.

“Oh, I doubt that.” Ecbert reassured. He was about to open his mouth again when Alethia suddenly stood. She swayed where she stood, and Athelstan noticed that there were winestains on her sleeves and the table.

How drunk was she?

Then, she stumbled past the men, all of them taking their eyes off of Athelstan and gluing them to her. Athelstan only gave King Ecbert an apologetic nod before he followed her out of the Great Hall and outside.

Alethia still swayed unsteadily, back to Athelstan, before she steadied herself against a fence and emptied her stomach out onto the wet ground. Athelstan hated the noise of it, and yet, he rushed to her side, pulling her freshly washed her away and almost automatically rubbing her back.

When she was done, Alethia wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Athelstan could feel his face wrinkle in disgust, no matter how much he tried to hide it.

He hated it when people vomited. It had bothered him so much when the Vikings had feasted, never disturbed by their own actions.

“M’ sorry.” Alethia slurred, her words flowing together. “Too much. Lost [...] blood too [...].”

She managed what he presumed to be a curse, before she turned back towards the ground and hurled again.

“You’re alright.” Athelstan told her. “Let it out, you’ll feel better.”

Alethia began to say something, interrupted by her own stomach again, white-knuckled hand curled around the fence.

“Ecbert’s sending y’to [...]. I don’t [...]” Alethia continued, and at this point, Athelstan was not sure what language she was speaking, if any at all.

He practically carried her to her room, the stench of wine clinging to Alethia. In that moment, Athelstan found it hard to be close to her. Still, he made sure no one saw Alethia, and when they were in her room, he helped her clean herself.

“Go sleep.” he said, wiping the vomit off her hands and mouth.

“M’alright.” Alethia replied. Athelstan still tucked her into bed like a child, right after helping her change out of her dirtied clothes. He did not even see the beginnings of her form, and yet, he was ashamed.

It felt like he was taking advantage of her.

“Bertie wants t’send you as an envoy.” she said, and Athelstan had to smile at the King’s new nickname.

“I know.” Athelstan said softly.

“I want to accompany you.” she managed, her voice almost masterfully even. “Protect you.”

“Sure.” Athelstan lied. There was no way in hell she was coming with him tomorrow. He would not risk it, nor would she be in shape for it. Athelstan turned for the door when Alethia stopped him again.

“Athelstan?” she asked.

“Yes?”

Alethia hiccuped. “Stay?”

“Why?” Athelstan asked carefully.

“Afraid of the dark sometimes. Bad dreams.” she replied, patting the side of her cot. She missed, her hand slipping. Alethia sighed, before she giggled.

“I can’t. You’ll be fine.” Athelstan said. Of course, he did not know that.

“Why? Do you have a wife you didn’t tell me about? Or a husband. I don’t really care. Or I do.” Alethia mused.

Why did she care? Athelstan shook his head. “No, I don’t. Have you ever seen me with a wife?”

“No. But you are a nice person. And handsome.” Alethia said, before she burst into a fit of giggles.

“Handsome?”

“Yeah.” she replied, before she blushed furiously. “Gosh, you have nice eyes. Has anyone ever told you you have nice eyes, Athelstan?”

“I’ll stay until you fall asleep.” Athelstan assented, sitting in her chair. Alethia waved him closer, and Athelstan obliged, chair scraping across wooden floor. She took his hand, head buried in her pillow.

Athelstan took a few moments to gather the courage up before he asked his question. “You think I am handsome?” he asked finally.

No reply.

“Alethia?”

She was fast asleep, snoring softly. Athelstan shook his head. Gently, he pushed her nightgown out of the way where the wound on her shoulder had already soaked through bandages. Athelstan worked quickly, replacing them.

He saw the other scars, far more than Ragnar or Rollo had had. Athelstan ignored them. It was not his place to see, or to know.

And yet, he left her room with a heavy heart. A part of him wished that he could have stayed and soothed her scars.

#alestan #heorte til heorte #alethia x athelstan #athelstan x alethia #vikings #history vikings #athelstan #alethia stahl

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