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peaceisadirtyword · 3 years ago

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Heathen V (Ivar/Edlynn)

A/N: Hello! I might have gotten a bit carried away with this(?) Sorry😅 I hope it’s not too boring though🥺 I was just going to rewrite the ending and suddenly... I had 1000 more words💀 anyway, I hope you like it!♥️ In this chapter I talk about norse mythology and christianity, and even if I’ve read about it (norse mythology, at least) I’m by no means an expert, so I had to consult some friends and people I know that are professionals. In any case, I’m sorry if I wrote anything wrong, please tell and forgive me.

Btw, thank you so much for your messages! I’m feeling better now🥰 I watched some videos of Alex and Marco and I calmed down a bit! I suppose I just need to relax a bit, it’s okay, but seriously thank you for your messages and for always being so understanding with me💞🙏🏻

Warnings: talk about religion, mentions of violence, war and all that sh1t... Ivar is too perfect I’d like to marry him but, unfortunately, I can't

Words: don’t hate me but there’s 5492 words under this... I hope it’s worth it (?)

Heathen Masterlist

gif belongs to @therealcalicali

For Edlynn, it was both scary and hypnotizing to see Ivar learning how to read. He seemed to understand things quickly and even if they didn't really have any materials for him to practice writing, Edlynn saw him carving letters on wood more than once, like he did with the runes. In a few days, Ivar could understand some parts of the books, even if he still needed help, and Edlynn remembered bitterly how much time it took for her to learn basic words and how many times the priest that taught her and her siblings scolded her.

In return, Ivar agreed to tell her a bit more about his culture. He talked about the Gods, even showed some runes to her, she asked him to show her their longships, and was amazed by the carvings and the designs. Sometimes, she'd ask him to translate some words from English to Norse, and soon became obsessed with his language, trying to memorize everything she could for when she went back home. Mildrith would love it.

"Can we go back to reading?" Ivar sighed, raising an eyebrow when Edlynn asked him to translate a few words more. He had spent the entire day with Hvitserk and was on a good mood, but he was also tired.

"Yes, sorry" she blushed a bit, realizing her eagerness was probably improper "Just one more, please"

Ivar nodded slowly. He found her excitement adorable, and he had to hold back a smile more than once when she tried to repeat some words with a soft voice.

"How do you say sun and moon?" she tilted her head, curiously "It's true that they are Gods for you?"

Mildrith had told her once that the northman she had been with had told her that they worshipped the sun and the moon, as if they were Saints or Gods. And, for some reason, Edlynn became obsessed with it.

"Those are two words" Ivar smirked "But they are Sól and Máni, and they are Gods, yes, but slightly different from the Aesir and the Vanir" he shrugged "It's a long story"

Edlynn waited a few more seconds, maybe expecting for him to keep telling the story.

"So the moon is a Goddess?"

Ivar hummed, nodding.

"She's a woman, sister to Sól, the sun" he shrugged.

"That makes sense" Edlynn bit her lip, interested "But, how can you say they are a man and a woman? They're not humans" she smiled softly, amused "They can't be man and woman"

"But they are" Ivar frowned "It's like that story of yours about the Virgin, I've heard that one before, how can you tell she was a virgin?" he shrugged.

"Because God chose her to carry his son, the one who would bring His word to us"

"You christians are too obsessed with virginity" Ivar rolled his eyes. Edlynn felt her cheeks burn, and cleared her throat.

"It's a sin not to be a virgin when you get married"

"Yes, I've heard a lot about those sins" Ivar nodded "And I still think it's ridiculous, why would your God demand that you deny the pleasure of having sex to yourselves?"

"It's an act of purity, of faith" Edlynn narrowed her eyes. She knew the northmen were much less... Traditional, with these things, and sometimes she felt somehow curious. It wasn't a topic that was very discussed at the court, and much less at home with her father... Once, Edlynn and Mildrith saw a couple on the stables and asked Hilda about it. The nun was so angry at them that she made them pray for hours, and then made them promise they wouldn't go around talking about it.

"It's stupid" Ivar shrugged "You would be much happier if you forgot about that"

The girl pressed her lips together, a bit bothered. Ivar's smirk showed he was trying to get a reaction from her, but Edlynn wouldn't start arguing.

"I didn't expect a heathen to understand it" she shrugged.

Ivar chuckled, shaking his head.

"I've spent maybe too much time around christians to understand many things, but I still believe your God is weak" he licked his lips "Compared to Odin and Thor, he's weak and demanding"

She ignored him, looking back at the books and parchments they were studying. Finally, Ivar stood up, making Edlynn raise her head as he walked over to the bed, and sat down to take his braces off. She watched as his fingers worked quickly on them, freeing his legs. When Ivar started taking his clothes, she stiffened, blushing again, and stood up to tidy the books and avoid looking at him. If she had looked, she would have seen Ivar's amused smile.

"The day and the night are also man and a woman" he continued, startling Edlynn. She turned to look at him, curious, but turned around when she realized he was shirtless "What? Are you also not allowed to look at me?"

"It's not proper" she muttered, looking down. During the nights she had been sharing his tent, she always slept with her back turned to him, and usually she would already be asleep when he went to bed.

"Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?"

Edlynn hesitated, but finally turned around. He was doing it to bother her, and wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing it was working. The sight left her breathless. Ivar was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen, but not only his face was beautiful; he was strong, she had already noticed it when he grabbed her for the first time. Edlynn tried her best to avoid staring at his beautiful hair, collected in braids and tied that fell down his back and shoulder.

"Dagr is the day, and he's the son of Nótt, the night, Odin gave each of them a chariot that they can ride on the sky... And two horses, Skinfaxi and Hrímfaxi" his own finger pointed at his chest, which was crossed by dark lines. Those strange drawings on his skin were normal among the northmen; she had seen those on their arms, necks, faces... It was weird but she had to bite her tongue more than once to avoid asking about them.

Ivar had also another one on his back. Edlynn couldn't see much, but from the few glimpses she had caught, it looked like a snake. The ones he showed now had an intricate pattern, and she frowned softly while looking at them.

"They don't look like horses"

That made Ivar chuckle, but he didn't say anything else as she approached him, her eyes still fixed on his chest. When she was close enough, she raised her hand slowly.

"Can I?"

Ivar tensed, but finally nodded softly. Edlynn didn't know what to expect when her fingers touched the dark ink, but was somewhat surprised by the feeling of his skin. It was warm and his muscles tensed under her touch when her finger roamed around his chest following the lines. It was hypnotizing, and she couldn't feel anything else that wasn't Ivar.

She found his necklace. It was always hidden under his clothes, so it caught her attention. The question was written all over her face when she looked at his eyes again.

"Mjölnir" he answered quietly "Thor's hammer"

Edlynn nodded. She had heard about that, and thought it would be something like the cross that hang from her own neck.

Finally, she moved her hand backwards, almost like she just realized what she was doing and was suddenly too shy to keep touching him. Ivar's eyes were still fixed on Edlynn as she turned around, getting away from him faster than he would have liked, and soon she was laying on her side of the bed, with her back turned to him and her body tense and stiff, not bothering to cover herself.

______________________________

Edlynn was amazed by the shieldmaidens. She had heard about them more than once, since she was a kid, and sometimes imagined herself with a sword when she watched her brother, Edward, train with their father. But when she said it once, during dinner, everyone turned to look at her with widened eyes. Both her father and her sister reprimanded her; the battlefield is no place for women, you're needed at home, praying and taking care of the children.

Since then, the thought hadn't crossed her mind again.

She also saw the two viking women training when they were staying with King Alfred. They moved gracefully, and easily defeated male warriors, it was entertaining and interesting to see, and Mildrith and her would always sit and watch her, but always under the stern gaze of their fathers. Once, the blonde woman she had often seen with Bishop Heahmund offered them to try. Edlynn remembered the soft smile and how she approached them. She was sure her face lightened up, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Lord Eldred was behind her, he gripped her shoulder with maybe too much force. His daughter wouldn't go near a sword, he had said sternly. And the viking woman sighed, shooting her a sad smile before leaving.

But in that camp, even with her wrists tied and three northmen around her, she was free to watch as much as she wanted.

There was a group of many women, training with her swords, axes and shields. They fought fiercely, but laughing and hugging each other, and Edlynn was amazed. She barely blinked and didn't know how much time she had been there watching them. The women didn't seem to care, and she felt more at ease around them than around the men.

But when she turned her head, startled by some other sounds coming from her right, something else caught her attention. The first thing she saw was Hvitserk dodging a dagger as he trained with another viking. She knew that dagger, and soon her eyes fixed on Ivar, who was leant on a tree and smirked softly. He had a horn on his hand, and his eyes shone as they only did when he was around his brother. Next to him, Edlynn saw some arrows and a wooden bow, an axe and another sword.

He hadn't seen her, and she stayed silent and still, watching. He was relaxed, laughing and had a playful smirk on his lips. In some way, he was even more handsome. Soon, he got tired of just watching and grabbed the bow and arrows, tensing it slowly. His gaze was fixed on the tree in front of him, and Edlynn couldn't help but stare at him as his whole body tensed. She remembered when her brother learnt archery, when his arms were always shaking. Ivar didn't move a single muscle until he shoot the arrow.

"Don't miss, brother, you have an audience" Hvitserk's voice startled both Ivar and Edlynn, and when his eyes finally landed on her, his expression changed. She wasn't able to point exactly what changed, but Ivar barely looked at her.

"See something you like, princess?"

Edlynn felt her cheeks burn, and pressed her lips together when she heard the guards and some other men chuckling behind her, refusing to let them see her. Ivar also smirked, leaning to grab another arrow.

"I was just watching" she muttered. Ivar looked amused when he turned his head to look at her.

"Want to try?" he pointed at the tree. Edlynn hesitated, knowing that grabbing a bow and shooting arrows wasn't proper. But then again... There was no one there to scold her, right? And probably, if King Alfred reached an agreement with them, she wouldn't have to see any of them again.

She nodded softly, feeling a strange rush of excitement like the ones she used to feel when she was little and did something that was strictly forbidden. Ivar nodded at the guards and they let her go after untying her wrists.

"I don't think you have done this before, am I right?"

Edlynn narrowed her eyes at him and snatched the bow from his hands, making him laugh. It was heavier than she ever thought, and nearly let it fall to the ground. But she could already imagine how much the men would laugh if she dropped the bow.

"Turn around" Ivar ordered, and Edlynn obeyed slowly, still hesitating and nervous because of all those pairs of eyes fixed on her, studying her every move. She wasn't a warrior, but a noble lady that lived in a castle, so her movements were clumsy and not graceful at all.

She startled and nearly jumped when Ivar's hands touched her waist.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, widening her eyes.

"Don't you want to learn?" Ivar shrugged, an innocent tone on his voice that Edlynn didn't believe.

His strong hands moved her effortlessly, and she tried not to blush even more when she felt Ivar's body closer to hers. She could even feel his breathing behind her neck.

Ivar worked in silence, making sure she was on the right position before taking a new arrow. Edlynn frowned when she tensed the bow and her arms started shaking, even if Ivar was the one that practically held it behind her.

"Stop shaking" he scolded her, and Edlynn could hear some chuckles around her. Some of the shieldmaidens had stopped training and came to watch. The saxon girl making a fool of herself, how amusing.

Ivar's closeness, his scent and his body practically wrapped around her weren't helping. Edlynn felt her heart beating faster and faster as his fingers touched hers to position them around the arrow.

"Now" he muttered into her ear when he was finally satisfied "Loose"

Edlynn tried her best to point at the tree, but the arrow flew next to it and got lost into one of the bushes.

Everyone laughed. She could even hear Ivar chuckling next to her ear, and her cheeks reddened again. She glared at them and scoffed.

"It's fine, you'll get better if you practice" Ivar had a smile on his lips, but Edlynn couldn't say if he was mocking her or actually being nice.

One of the northmen said something loudly in their language, making everyone laugh even harder. Ivar sighed and shook his head, but had that small smirk on his face.

Narrowing her eyes, Edlynn reached for another arrow, making everyone stop laughing and look at her with an eyebrow raised. Ivar had an even bigger smile on his face when she turned to look at him.

"I want to try again"

_______________________________

Mildrith was furious. She couldn't understand why they kept discussing God knows what in that tent when Edlynn was held as a prisoner in the enemies' camp. It was true that she was more calmed now that the scout came back and assured she was well and unharmed. Mildrith always knew her friend would survive; Edlynn was strong and smart, but she also knew they could have hurt her in many ways. Especially Ivar the Boneless.

She almost shivered when she thought about him. Mildrith had always wanted to see Ivar at least once, to see if what they said was true, but to be captured by him? Her mind had replayed every single story she had heard about that heathen from the women of York.

Even that young viking she had had a quick affair with had talked about him; he was the most letal of the sons of Ragnar, a monster.

And King Alfred knew it! He had met him more than once, he had been fighting in York after the Great Heathen Army killed both his grandfathers. How he had allowed them to keep Edlynn for so long was a mystery to her.

Hilda kept praying, kneeled at the feet of what one day was Edlynn's bed with a cross between her hands. Mildrith didn't understand what praying would do, God didn't help her before and it seemed he wouldn't help her now. She was also angry at Him.

More than once, she had wished she could use a sword so she could enter the northmen's camp and free her.

"Mildrith" the nun sighed. She had dark circles under her eyes and her voice sounded weak. Hilda had barely slept or ate since Edlynn, the little girl she had raised almost as if she was her own, had been taken. She prayed day and night, hoping she would be well and no one would hurt her in any way "Please, stop pacing around the tent, sit here with me and let's pray"

"I don't want to pray" the young, raven-haired girl, clenched her fists, glaring at her "I want them to get out of that tent and go find Edlynn"

"They can't do that" Hilda sighed, her trembling hands rubbing her own face "The king is doing everything he can, Mildrith, and you know it, he appreciates Edlynn a lot, but they're asking for a high price, and he must think about the rest of the country too"

Mildrith scoffed. She hated it, she hated politics, war and negotiations. She couldn't understand it. They were in their own country! They were stronger! Why couldn't they just raise a bigger army to go and free her?

"We have do something"

"We can't" the nun shook her head "You know we can't, we can only have faith and hope she will be returned to us soon"

The young girl sighed, sitting down on the bed. She didn't want to have faith nor pray, she wanted her friend back. Her only comfort was to know that Edlynn would have many stories to tell, when she came back.

___________________________________

"They're asking for all of that, for a young woman?"

Alfred raised his head, narrowing his eyes at the man who just spoke.

"They're not asking anything, my lord, they demand all of this" he explained, slowly "And Edlynn isn't just a young woman, she is a dear friend, the daughter of one of my most trusted advisors and the sister to one of the men that I trust with my life every day"

"They want gold" Lord Eldred sighed. He was pale and had lost weight, Alfred hadn't seen him sleep nor eat for days "A lot of gold... And land, more land?" he sounded desperate.

"Yes, but separated from the land I gave to Björn and Ubbe Ragnarsson" the king rubbed his face "They also want a truce, some time to settle on our lands"

"That's the part that worries me" Lord Eldred shook his head "Why do they want time to settle? Do I have to choose between my daughter's death and a possible invasion?"

"We don't know if they plan an invasion, my lord" Alfred shrugged "For now, I am trying to save your daughter's life before anything else"

"She must be so scared" her father rubbed his eyes "All alone, surrounded by barbarians, God knows what they are doing to her"

"Our scout assured she was unharmed, Lord Eldred, I believe him" the king softened his tone "Ivar won't hurt her for as long as we don't anger him"

"I will pay as much as I can" Lord Edmund spoke for the first time since the reunion started "To ensure my lady's safe return"

Her father looked at her with a sad smile.

"Thank you, my lord" Alfred nodded "The messenger is out there, ready to leave for their camp to give them our reply"

"What do you say, my king?" Queen Elsewith put a hand on his shoulder. Alfred took her hand softly and sighed, looking down at the table. For days, he had been thinking about his decision, trying to find the best solution for all of them. If he agreed, there would be consequences, Ivar would know he had an advantage, many of his lords wouldn't agree with him. If he refused, Edlynn would suffer things worse than death before her head was sent to them, he was nearly sure of that.

Edlynn was a good girl. Responsible, obedient and polite. They had played together when they were children, and he couldn't stop thinking that it was Elsewith whom they wanted. Would they have so many doubts about saving her or not if it had been his queen?

He sighed.

"I say we agree" he nodded "And that we will meet them in the forest to give them what they want in exchange for Lady Edlynn"

____________________________________

Ivar's arms hurt. It had been a while since he practiced so much archery, and the muscles of his back and arms were already sore when he retired to the tent. His face also hurt from laughing so much, and he didn't remember when was the last time he had laughed so much, probably it was when he was still with Igor. He couldn't help but smile softly remembering the kid he had learnt to love as if he was his own son.

Before entering the tent, he could hear Edlynn whispering some words in English. He supposed she'd be reading, as she used to do since he let her read the books freely. He had to wait outside to force himself to stop smiling like an idiot before entering.

Edlynn raised her head and smiled softly when he entered the tent. In part, it was because of her he had had so much fun that day, he never guessed that teaching archery to a saxon girl could be that entertaining.

She was also tired. Her arms hurt and she only wanted to get into bed and sleep, but at the same time every time she closed her eyes, with her head leant on the soft pillows and inhaled Ivar's scent her mind went back to his hands around her waist, his breath on her neck and the soft whispers with which he had guided her. She even remembered the small smile she had seen on his face when she had finally managed to struck the tree and her cheeks would redden. Now, seeing him entering the tent leant onto his crutch with clouded eyes from drinking so much mead, laughing with his brother and even letting himself take a nap next to the fire, made her heart beat faster again.

"How are you, princess?" the playful tone made her nearly sigh in relief. He was still in a good mood.

"Tired" she muttered "But fine, it was... Interesting, to use a bow"

Ivar hummed softly, sitting down on the bed as Edlynn closed the huge book she had on the bed, leaning to leave it on the floor, next to the bed, she kneeled behind him and watching him as he fiddled with the braces. She bit her lip, not knowing what to say but wanting to keep talking to him.

"The men were quite impressed with you" he said, not looking at her "A shame we don't have time, I'm sure we could turn you into a fine shieldmaiden"

Edlynn tried to hide her excited smile.

"Really?"

This time Ivar turned around a bit. His amazing eyes fixed on her curving lips before landing on her eyes.

"Yes, I think you have potential, it would be though, we'd have to work a lot with those little arms and small hands, but we could do something" he shrugged "But we can't, you're too eager to go back to your castle, your husband and your dresses"

Her smiled faded slowly as he turned away once again. It was true she really wanted to see and hug Mildrith, Hilda, Edward and her father, but at the same time, she didn't want to say goodbye to Ivar.

At first, she had been scared, even tried to run thinking those heathens would torture and kill her, remembering all those stories she had heard about the ruthless Ivar the Boneless. But that playful, blue-eyed northman that she had seen giggling with his brother, telling stories about his Gods and who had guided her until she had finally succeeded with the bow didn't look like the monster they described on their stories. It was almost human; a human with his own beliefs and ambitions that wasn't so different from all those men she had met in England.

"Lord Edmund is not..."

"Not your husband yet, I know, princess" he chuckled "But he will be soon, right? Even if I would advise you to reconsider that marriage, taking in consideration that he didn't came to this camp to cut my head off for taking his woman"

Edlynn chuckled. She knew Lord Edmund couldn't really make that decision, besides, she didn't expect him to risk his life for a woman he just met.

"I can't reconsider anything, actually" she smiled sadly "It wasn't my decision"

Ivar raised his eyebrows, nodding slowly. Then he moved to take off his clothes, and Edlynn looked away with her cheeks flushed.

"If I was your father, then, I wouldn't give my daughter to a man that wouldn't die for her"

"I can't ask him that" she smiled, his words warmed her heart "He barely knows me"

"Wouldn't you prefer to marry someone you loved?" Ivar got rid of his shirt, and Edlynn couldn't help but take a look of the dark lines of his back, shaped like a snake.

"I..." she frowned "I will learn to love him, he's... He's good, a good man, he's nice and handsome and... I'm lucky that he chose me, I know many women that had to marry old men that didn't treat them well... Also, I don't know anyone who married for love" she chuckled. With time, she convinced herself that love was built, not found. All those tales Hilda had told her when she was little were fantasy.

"I married for love" Ivar muttered, almost like he didn't mean for Edlynn to hear "I did love the woman I married"

She felt as if someone had kicked her chest. Suddenly, she stopped looking at him and felt stupid for even feeling sad about the fact that he had a wife. Of course he had a wife.

Ivar groaned as he laid on the bed, covering his legs with the furs and closing his eyes as he relaxed against the pillows.

"I didn't know you were married"

Ivar opened his eyes, looking up with what she could describe as a heartbroken expression.

"I was" he muttered "Some time ago"

Edlynn tilted her head with curiosity.

"What happened to her?" she almost felt bad for asking, but Ivar didn't seem to mind.

"She died" his jaw clenched "She betrayed me and she died"

"And... how was she?"

"She was... Beautiful" he almost smiled, and Edlynn bit her lip, looking down "She looked like Freyja, she was blonde and had blue eyes"

The opposite of me, she thought, and immediately felt stupid for even thinking it.

"She sounds pretty" she smiled softly, hating that sad look on his eyes. Ivar then turned his head to look at her, and blinked slowly, almost like he was realizing something.

"I've only loved three women in my life" he shrugged "And one of them was my mother"

His face contorted again, almost like it pained him to think about her.

"And who was the other one?"

Ivar's lips curved on a smile.

"The mother of my child" he muttered "She was a princess, like you, but she was mysterious while you are not" he chuckled. Edlynn glared at him, but ignored his comment once again.

"I'm not a princess, though"

"Because you don't want to" he shrugged "You could be a princess, even a queen, if you wanted to, you are pretty enough to conquer a king"

"Me?" Edlynn giggled, blushing softly "No, I don't think so"

"You would be a good queen" he insisted "You're strong and smart, you respect people" Ivar nodded.

"I still need to find a king" she shrugged "Still pretty impossible"

"Lord Edmund could be your king" Ivar pronounced her betrothed's name mockingly, as always.

"No" Edlynn shook her head "He's handsome, brave and good, but he couldn't be my king, nor my prince, I'd have to find another"

The intensity of Ivar's gaze burned her skin. Edlynn looked away, and moved to lay down and rest her head on the pillows, sticking to her side of the bed as she always did.

"I never knew my mother" she muttered, changing the topic before the tension on the tent escalated too much "She died not long after I was born... She was from Ireland, from a place called Dubh Linn, have you heard about it?"

Ivar nodded slowly. His people had raided that place more than once.

"So she wasn't a saxon?"

Edlynn shook her head.

"Her father brought her here when his lands were taken from him, trying to procure a good future for her and marry her to a lord, my father asked for her hand... At least, that's what they always told me" she shrugged "Father always said I have her hair, and that I look like her... I think that's why he didn't want to raise me when she died, I think it was painful for him... But I can't complain, Hilda is great" Edlynn groaned and rubbed her eyes when she realized she was talking a lot "Please, forgive me, I talk too much"

"No, it's fine" Ivar shook his head with a soft voice, he had turned to look at her, and he felt like he was looking at a goddess. Maybe it was the mead, maybe the exhaustion, but he couldn't help but move a bit closer to her.

"My mother died too" he added "She was killed" he clenched his fists in rage "She always cared for me, she always protected me, even when my father wasn't there" he had a small, sad smile on his lips as he remembered the, sometimes suffocating, love his mother had showed him "And I miss her everyday"

Edlynn nodded. Even if she didn't remember her mother, she also missed her. And in some way she wished she could have had such a relationship with her, maybe she would have been able to explain to her what was that thing she felt, laying down on a northmen's bed and looking at him closely.

"You and I aren't so different, then" she pointed out, smiling softly. Was it her or they were closer now?

"I suppose we are not" the thought seemed to amuse him "Even if we worship different Gods and speak different languages"

When Ivar turned his head again, Edlynn was so close he could feel her quick breathing on his lips. It was nearly as intoxicating as the mead he had drank.

Ivar's hand reached to caress her hair, making Edlynn shudder and gasp, almost like she realized what she was doing.

"Is it not... Inappropriate to be so close to a heathen, princess?" he teased a bit, enjoying the way her cheeks turned red once again.

"At this point..." she sighed, barely able to think about anything that wasn't Ivar "I don't really care"

That made him laugh and his grip on her hair tightened. Edlynn wasn't lying, she couldn't think about God or anything that weren't his blue eyes and his lips parted. Without even thinking about it, she leant in while closing her eyes, and didn't stop until she felt his warm lips against hers.

Edlynn had never kissed anyone, unlike Mildrith and some of the girls at the court, that were stolen a kiss or two in the stables or in a hidden corner of the castle. She never looked at the boys, too occupied with her books, her prayers and other important things. But she could understand now what the priests meant when they talked about temptation. Ivar's lips were addictive, better than anything she had ever tasted, and ignited something inside her that she couldn't recognize.

The kiss was slow, passionate but also shy. They stopped kissing for a moment, but she had barely opened her eyes when Ivar's hand cupped her neck, his thumb caressing her cheek softly before he leant in again. And Edlynn had to put her hand on his warm chest to balance herself, moving her lips against his and leaning more and more into him, feeling like she would die if she wasn’t as close to him as possible.

When they finally broke the kiss, none of them opened their eyes. Ivar was panting, one hand secured against her neck, to keep her lips close to his, and the other one had landed on her waist when she had leant into him almost straddling his waist, and his heart was beating so fast it was almost scary. Her forehead leant into his and Ivar sighed. It had been a long time since he had felt that warmth inside him.

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#ivar imagine #ivar the boneless #ivar ragnarsson #vikings #ivar x ofc #vikings imagine #heathen

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charliehoennam · 4 years ago

Text

Freed II

A/N: This came out much longer than I expected, but I’m content with that. Enjoy!

Warnings: a lil bitty smut towards the end ‘cause I couldn’t help myself.

SHARING IS CARING, SO PLEASE REBLOG

Ragnar had kept his word as he had promised. You lived freely in Kattegat under his protection.

Your new home was much colder in the winter; the snow blanketed much more than just the gargantuan mountains surrounding the city. The once flourishing green fields became a sea of white frost.

The rivers had frozen solid enough for the children young teens to strap on their skates made from animal bone and glide cheerfully over the ice. It took you time to adjust to the bitter cold.

In truth, you believed your bones would rattle endlessly even with the warmest of fires near you. However, the decision to leave your past behind and embrace all the harsh winters to come would never be something you’d regret.

As a guest of Ragnar's, he welcomed you to stay under his roof while he provided a home for you. Meanwhile, you spent most days learning the exhausting endeavors of farming, the intricate art of weaving, the ways of the tasteful new cuisine and learning the foreign language. In spite of the fact Ragnar spoke your native tongue, he wasn’t always around to translate and you knew you couldn’t rely on him to help you all the time. The thralls of the longhouse became your teachers. Hilda was the strictest and the eldest of them. Perhaps it was the chores that needed to be done thoroughly to the queen’s standards; her impatience for your weak fluency in the language; her disdain towards you for simply not being Viking or being mostly responsible for watching the young, wild princes. She carried out most of the duties in the household and many times, felt overburdened. Frida was very much the opposite. The youngest of the thralls and very much the kindest; tremendously patient and sweet as her giggles. Innocent in many ways and naive. “So young. She’s got much to learn still” you’d think to yourself sometimes. She quickly became your first friend and you couldn’t be more thankful for the sense of comfort she brought you.

Many tasks kept you busy throughout the days. Some, you took pleasure in executing. Others, you dreaded with a profound objection. Nevertheless, you did in fact have a one particular activity you cherished more than your newfound freedom: combative training.

“You look like you’ve seen the ocean for the first time in your life” he stated, quickly snapping you out of the trance you’d been under. Your eyes were glued to the field when shieldmaidens and soldiers practiced. Ragnar often caught glimpses of you studying their techniques and movements from a distance, so he decided one afternoon to question your curiosity.

“Many things are new to me” you replied walking slower as you treaded along the road.

“They are shieldmaidens. Many learn to join their family or friends in battle. Many learn to protect their homes from invaders when the Viking are away. Does that surprise you?”

“It is just uncommon to me. Many of the women I knew could never even lift a shield, let alone fight with one.”

“Some men fear women who can defend themselves.” His eyes were on you but you didn’t bother to glance at him. You could swear if you’d been looking at him, you would’ve seen the corner of his lips curl for a quick moment. His smiles were usually out of irony nowadays, you heard. He used to laugh more before he became king.

“Would you like to learn, Y/N?”

“Y-you mean become a shieldmaiden?”

“No, I mean learn to braid hair and bake honey cake” he scowled with a smile. Sarcasm was too much a part of his nature.

“Yes, I mean become a shieldmaiden.”

“I would love to, but I don’t think I’d be as good as they are.”

“They weren’t born fighting, they had someone to teach them.”

“And who would teach me?”

“I could use a distraction. Bjorn is teaching Ubbe now that he is old enough, but the others are still too young.”

You spent many afternoons in a hunting cabin tucked high in the mountains. Teaching you to survive in the wilderness had been one of the stages he deemed most important. He showed you everything from fishing or hunting to searching for meat or any kind of food sources, sailing, making traps or weapons with limited resources, building fires and so on. Slowly but surely, he grew impressed with you.

During your spars, he knocked you down - sometimes accidentally unconscious - more times than he could count. But the strength you managed to always conjure amazed him, though he would never willingly admit it. Part of him feared it would make your ego grow too largely and blind you with premature pride in combat. The other part of him was just too cocky to admit you were improving. Ragnar had no mercy on you - he was relentless and ferocious in all your spars – and the fact that you were a woman did nothing to change that. In fact, part of his technique was to openly undermine you. His tone was low but always sarcastic attached to some witty remark when it came to correcting you.

“I think you should stick to weaving. You make better blankets than scars with those delicate hands.”

Most of the time during your training, you wanted nothing more than to simply hit him just once. The beginning was the most complicated part but quitting was far from consideration. At times, you hated him for being more experienced; found yourself full of rage to unleash on him. He was quicker, stronger and smarter than you on this so that never happened. At least not until you learned to control the fury within. You forced your mind to clear all thoughts and focus on his movements or ‘constructive criticism' which was mostly composed of harsh comments that angered you. He put your patience to the test, using your weaknesses against you by calling them out. Though some days he had been mean enough to make you cry during your nightly baths, you started to realize his intention was beyond strengthening your body. He wanted to sharpen your mind, teach you to be free from distractions he knew very well you would face in the battlefield or in combat.

“A chain is only as strong as its' weakest link, Y/N. Are you your own weakest link?” he asked impatiently towering over you while your back was planted on the floor. You shook your head with a piercing glare.

“I thought so. Now get up.”

The day your knuckles finally met his jaw was the day you first felt invincible. A small token of satisfaction but it was enough to bring a smile not only to your face but his.

“Now the true fun is only beginning!”

It started with a single right-hook. Then it was a combination of premeditated attacks once you learned to locate his weaknesses. Soon you were disarming him in swift, agile movements that fascinated even him. And after years of training with other shieldmaidens and soldiers and strict dedication, you finally cracked his shield in half during one of your lessons with a force neither of you imagined you were capable of possessing. And when your sword kissed his neck, he knew you were finally ready.

“If you cut my beard, I will have a bone to pick with you.”

The cabin was mostly used during the spring, summer and fall for your training. You would spend endless days and nights together, learning the ways of the wilderness; hearing stories about his Gods over warm, crackling fire and the faint whispering of leaves in the mountain’s breeze. To him, these moments with you were an escape from his worries and burdens. He didn’t want to waste it being reminded of what he wanted to forget so initially, he hardly said a word and it remained that way for quite some time. But you didn’t let that stop you from asking questions, riddling him with annoyance often. Over much time, he’d grown a soft spot for you as his young student. Your conversations became steadily more and more extensive and they would mostly be about your religion; his religion and the stories of the Gods; the differences between your cultures or sometimes your past. You didn’t like to talk about it. You wanted to erase that from your thoughts in spite of the fact they would always haunt your dreams. Every attempt of his to discover more about your past was quickly shut down with a sharp curt answer or left unacknowledged. Eventually, an unspoken agreement to avoid addressing each other’s obvious struggles had embedded itself in your friendship so you strayed from more personal topics related to his family.

“Come now, Y/N! Just as I showed you” he grunted, digging his heels into the earth as he locked his arm around your neck from behind. You closed your eyes and the beauty of muscle memory allowed your body to remember the steps he had taught you. Step forward; to the side; slip shoulder; twist and push off. And in a flash of his eyes, you were free and prancing on your toes as you kept your guard up.

“You learn quickly. I love that about you” he smirked.

“Ah, I think you’re just getting tired, old man” you joked back just to poke fun at him.

“Tired of you? Oh, please. It’s like fighting Hvitserk for seconds at supper.”

“You talk too mu-“

Before you could even finish your sentence, you were shoved back against a tree. His forearm pressed against your throat, locking you in a perfect position to be strangled to death. You fought to remain calm mentally in order to give you enough time to quickly think about your next move.

“You’re running out of breath, Y/N. You have nowhere to go, I’m much stronger than you. What are you going to do? Are you going to let a man overpower you again?” You could feel the rough bark digging into your skin over the fabric of your tunic from the force he pushed onto you. Your breaths were becoming slower and shorter as you fought for release. The despair to regain power and control surged like adrenaline. Your body remembered what it had been trained to do. You clung to his wrist and with a quick roll of your foot and a pivot o your shoulder, you swiftly snatched his arm right out with a ruthless elbow to his mouth before twisting his arm behind his back as you coiled another arm around his neck in a headlock.

“That’s the spirit, little one” he smiled devilishly at you shooting a quick glare to playfully warn you.

“I take a while to learn but I always learn.”

“Don’t let it get to your head. You learn because you have the best instructor.”

He wasn’t surprised by the blow. You’d both had gotten hurt over time, bruises and scars were simply a consequence. However, they were indeed rare for him. He felt a burst of energy course through him when you nailed a hit. He took each one with pride but not for the reason one would expect. He was too cocky and arrogant to admit you were outsmarting him and insisted on egotistically stating it was a compliment to himself for being a great teacher. He didn’t want you to become too proud of yourself but more importantly, discover his admiration for you.

His counterattack was nothing merciful. In one swift move, he’d planted a foot behind yours and pushed you until you fell onto your back with a thud. Having quickly mounted your hips, Ragnar reached down towards your throat and squeezed. He was always careful with his pressure and you trusted him entirely. You rarely used the safe word agreed between you two but he always respected you when you did use it and would cease immediately, turning his focus entirely to your safety. In those rare moments, you would see something Ragnar was usually an expert at hiding; fear and worry.

You tightened your elbows to prevent his knees rising under your arms. Locking your fingers around his wrist and securing his arm in place with your other hand in his tricep, you crossed your leg over his and thrusted your hips up to knock him down to the side. With your tight grip on his arm, Ragnar was unable to prop himself up and avoid the inevitable tumble which allowed you to successfully straddle his chest and pin his hands above his head.

“What are you going to do now, master? Are you going to let a woman overpower you?”

You were beaming with joy and adrenaline. Every opportunity to knock him down or disarm him did not go unseen. You took every chance given to prove him wrong about you despite the scarcity in reoccurrences. From his position, you looked so different compared to when he first laid eyes on you. The frail little bird with clipped wings he once knew was full of color again and the desire to glide over the highest mountains. Free and happy.

“I would let you do more than just overpower me.”

The blood boiled underneath your cheeks, turning them a shade of flustered pink. Ragnar was very attractive and everyone knew his effect on most women. His past was nothing new to your knowledge; you knew better than to think you would be his wife. You didn’t want to be. The idea of marriage felt like another cage to you, one you weren’t ready to be trapped into and wasn’t sure it would be the right commitment to make. Thanks to the traumatic experience you had the unfortunate luck of enduring, intimacy was somewhat foreign to you. Yet part of you still yearned for it. Not just with anyone, they didn’t have the sturdy level of trust you had with Ragnar. Being around him was different from being around everyone else. You enjoyed his company, but that wasn’t the only thing that set him apart. What truly set him apart from all others the trust you confided in him; the strength he taught you to tame in order to trust yourself again and execute your plans with ease and courage. If you were to be with anyone in a romantic sense of your choosing to seal the ability to trust again, it would be with him. Just a stitch in time to abandon the world in the warm comfort of lust and skin.

“If you ask me, it sounds like you are making advances on your student, King Ragnar.” You smirked as you rose to your feet and helped him up as well.

“How else will you learn how to fight hm?”

“The other kind of advance.”

“Well, you’re a fine and fierce woman. I’m sure there are many men making the same advances” He wasn’t wrong. Since converting to the Viking way at your own will and desire, few people became more and more interested in you. And your alliance to their king certainly had a hand in it.

“Many women too” you smirked, following him to beside the fire to finally relax for a while as the day winded down. The air was growing colder as the evening moon chased the sun and its’ warmth away. It melted into the summer sky, proudly flaunting the warm hues of purple, orange and yellow. The usually white clouds were drenched in faint blends of pink and lavender that waned above like waves on the ocean’s shore.

A strong fire crackled at your feet as you sat in front of the cabin, spiced meat slowly cooking over the open flame thanks to your successful hunt earlier during the day. It needed a while longer to cook before you could enjoy the reward of your hard endeavor, so you chugged your water down and stretched yourself out comfortably on the grass to better watch the sunset. Hands tucked behind your head for support; feet crossed one over the other and eyes glued to the sky.

Ragnar did the same as you, which was normal. Until you suddenly felt his presence plop down beside you on the soft grass. An arm propped his head up as he laid on his side to stare curiously as you. You could feel his gaze was different this time. He studied you in a way that was intimidating but alluring. There was a gleam shining behind the pale blue orbs but a gleam of desire. He was closer than he knew he should’ve been but you didn’t shy away.

“Do you have a preference?” He wasn’t as surprised as he was amused. Intimate topics such as sexuality wasn’t something either of you discussed too extensively.

“Not really. I just like interesting people.”

“Would you consider me to be interesting?”

“There will never be anyone more interesting than you, Ragnar Lothbrok. But you already know that. You just want to hear me say it.”

“That is true” he smiled. And do you know why?”

“Because your ego is the size of the sky?” His expression instantly dropped for a moment as he faked a smile at you.

“Very funny, but no. I want to hear you say it because I need approval to do what I am thinking.”

“You are the King. You can do whatever you want.”

“I could. But it wouldn’t be right. For some things, even kings need approval. No matter how great or rich or old they are.”

“Answer this for me first. Why didn’t you do it? You could’ve taken me out of misery the day you found me. What stopped you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it was pity. I felt sad seeing you, how calm you were when you thought I was going to kill you. For a moment, I thought about it. But it seemed like you wanted me to do it. So I wanted to give you something better than death.”

“And what would that be?”

“Revenge. Now that is something worth dying for.”

You stared back into his eyes searching for an explanation to his riddle.

“What are you talking about, Ragnar? Is this about the raid that you are preparing for?”

“I want you to come and fight beside me. You don’t have to go if you don’t feel prepared. But if you do, will you fight in my name?”

“You will always have my sword, my king.”

Honored by his personal invitation, you lifted his hand and held it in yours just above your sternum. You were certain he could feel your heart pounding in your chest like drums of battle.

“And how about your trust? Do I have that as well?” he chuckled with a smirk, fiddling with your fingertips.

“Isn’t the answer to that obvious?” you chuckled back, smiling as you felt his palm splay out over your sternum. His large hand teasing you as it inched upwards slowly.

“I need to hear you say it. Do you trust me?”

His question was an inquiry of permission, asking you if you would allow his hand to inch just a little higher and higher to where you so desperately needed it.

“It depends, Ragnar... Do I trust you enough to let you past my legs and not take advantage of me? Yes. Do I trust your judgement enough to follow you into battle? Yes. Now, do I trust you enough to hope you will make me your wife some day? No.”

His lips slowly sunk lower and closer to you, molding themselves against yours. You welcomed him with your hand on the back of his neck as the other perched itself over his splayed hand, following as he glided his palm up to the ties of your tunic. Your fingers helped his as they loosened the ties enough to allow him to access to your flesh. His calloused fingers entrapped your breast and kneaded it tenderly, brushing his thumb over your hardening nipple at the touch of his cold fingertips over your warm skin. You couldn’t hold back the moans he forced out of you when he rolled your nipple between his fingers.

“You’re smarter than you lead others to believe, Y/N.” He smirked looking into your eyes as he suddenly pull his hand out from underneath the fabric of your tunic.

“Why have you stopped?” you frowned surprised and slightly disappointed.

“You’re not the only clever one here. You’ve improved a lot and my cock is my weakness. I don’t know if I can trust you with it just yet.” You both laughed as you playfully swatted his arm. It was the worst excuse you ever heard but coming from him, it was just a teasing joke at your trust in him. A form of silly punishment. In the end, he was still a king. And you knew better than anyone kings are just as corrupted as anyone else.

#vikings #vikings imagines #vikings fics #vikings ragnar #ragnar lothbrok #ragnar lothbrok x reader #ragnar lothbrok imagine #ragnar lothbrok x y/n #ragnar lothbrok x you #jcwrites

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thewarfactoryau · 4 years ago

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@manda_at_arms looks stylish in our Shieldmaiden set! Our Siggy demi-cuirass paired with matching Hilda kidney belt. Great form and smooth movement on or off the battlefield . . #shieldmaiden #leatherarmor #leathercorset #kidneybelt #demicuirass #larpgirl #womeninarmour #leathercraft #larparmour #armouredwomen #etsyseller #larpmodel #larpphotography https://www.instagram.com/p/CDnZu1-He1X/?igshid=1tlwzluqvqidc

#shieldmaiden #leatherarmor #leathercorset #kidneybelt #demicuirass #larpgirl #womeninarmour #leathercraft #larparmour #armouredwomen #etsyseller #larpmodel #larpphotography

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littlemisssquiggles · 5 years ago

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RWBY Musings #76: The Best of the Best. A Squiggle Meister’s Views on the Atlesian Ace Ops.

Hey there fellow FNDM fam! It’s your favourite squiggly squiggle meister here with a brand new RWBY Musing post to kick off V7. I know. I know. It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. I also know this isn’t the musing that I promised where I discuss the first episode of RWBY V7.

Fear not faithful readers, I will be getting that…soon. But in the meantime, I wanted to deviate and get my thoughts out there about a certain group of characters who were teased at the end of the first episode. I wanted to talk about the Ace Ops:

Keep reading to hear my theories for these guys but fair warning. While not entirely spoiler-y, this post does contain screenshots from the first episode.

So for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, this is your chance to click away. But if you have seen the episode and/or you don’t really care about spoilers or you’re just curious about what I have to say on these guys, feel free to go right on ahead. I won’t keep you long.

Okay. So like I said, these guys appeared out of nowhere at the end of V7 CH1. They were there mostly to arrest our heroes after they had just helped protect the kingdom from a Sayber Attack.

Though their introduction was brief, already the Ace Ops have peeked my intrigue. The first thing that got me curious about these guys is who their respective inspirations were going to be. Usually the general consensus for designing RWBY Characters is that they draw inspiration from some kind of fictional character, be it from fairytale or historical or even mythological origins in some shape or form.

So immediately, dem squiggly gears started a-grinding and I think I’ve figured out who these guys are meant to represent. Here’s my theory:

Atlas’ Playing Hand

I think the Ace Ops are meant to symbolize a basic hand in a deck of cards. At least, they supposed to represent the Ace, King, Queen, Jack and lastly, the Joker cards in a playing hand. That’s my guess.

What made me think of this is the character of Clover Ebi.

The Ace of Aces

He’s the only Ace Op that got to speak this first episode and again, while his dialogue was brief, immediately I’m left to assume that he is leader of the Ace Ops given his strong, confident demeanor.

He’s also the first person on their team silhouette card in the V7 Opening so that was another dead giveaway.

Clover Ebi is presumably our Ace card. He is the Ace of the Ace Ops and thus the leader.

The Aces’ Wild Card

Following him, we have this fine tattooed bald fellow. After him, we have Bald Tattooed Man (who I’m most tempted to nicknamed ‘Sparky Boom-Boom Man’ for the obvious Avatar reference). I can’t tell if those weird markings on his face are meant to be simply tattoos or animal markings hinting that this guy might be another Faunus on the team.

For now I’m going to assume they’re tattoos and their rather interesting tattoes because they remind me of jester make-up. Hence my theory is that this guy is definitely the Joker of the Ace Ops---second in command to Clover Ebi.

He’s also next to Clover on the character board, I’m guessing he must also be the Ace Ops second in command next to Clover.

From what I’ve gathered from my research on playing cards, your Ace is the highest card in your deck. Hence why I say Clover Ebi is the Ace of the team---he’s their leader and the highest ranking member of their group.

In playing cards, the Joker is seen as the wild card that can either turn the tides of the game in your favour or cause you to lose entirely; at least based on my understanding when reading up on cards. From what I know, a Joker can either be extremely beneficial or extremely harmful. So perhaps Sparky Boom-Boom Man here possesses a really powerful semblance that works like the Joker card. It can either prove extremely helpful when used or extremely dangerous which probably means that this character’s hidden power is only used in times of desperation. It wouldn’t surprise me if this guy---I’ll call him Joker---is the wild card of the Ace Ops. He is second in command since, in playing cards, while Ace holds the higher value; a Joker is substitute card that equates to the value of the card that makes the best possible hand. Therefore, the Joker is secondary to the Ace.

It’d be interesting if Clover possibly possesses a lucky charm semblance that increases the Ace Ops chances of success whenever on a missions. But in the event that Clover is hurt, Joker comes in as his substitute with his semblance which can probably mimic the effects of Joker’s semblance.

Since Jokers are substitute cards, perhaps Joker’s semblance allows him to copy or mimic the effects of another person’s semblance to some degree for a short space of time. Is that even possible? Perhaps his semblance is even called Copycat. That could be cool. I’m just picturing this guy’s involvement in the Ace Ops contributing to either their success or failure given the nature of his unique power. I can see Joker’s semblance being both powerful but dangerous and it would be interesting that due to this, his semblance is used only in accordance with Clover’s semblance to further ensure the Ace’s chances of success.

My hunch is Clover’s Ebi semblance is Lucky Charm. He’s the Miraculous Ladybug of the Ace Ops. I’d like to think that he is possibly the key to Ace Ops success given the nature of his unique. He is the embodiment of fortune. After all, the name ‘clover’ obviously alludes to the four leaf clover which is a traditional symbol of fortune. Not to mention that I also glimpsed a rabbit foot keychain hanging from Clover’s pants. Rabbit’s feet is another token of good luck.

Yeah so that’s my guess. Clover is the Ace followed by his Joker. As an added detail (and theory), it’d probably be interesting if there is an unspoken animosity and feelings of jealousy between Clover and Joker. At least on Joker’s side. Imagine if these two were childhood best friends who grew up together but no matter how hard Joker worked, Clover would always trump him. He was always better at him at everything.

Like Clover strikes me as your average good joe. He’s only been on screen for a few minutes but already I feel as if I’m really, really going to like this guy. He strikes me as confident but not arrogant, y’know what I mean? The type kind of guy who is down to earth, extremely charismatic and very approachable. The type of guy who can instantly befriend anyone he meets since he has high-spirited presence and energy about him that makes me trust him and feel comfortable around him which probably lends from his semblance and lends to why he’s such a good leader.

I know I’m only assuming heavily here but…hear me out. I’m just saying it wouldn’t surprise me if Clover is liked by many who get to know him, including his teammates. It also wouldn’t shock me if Clover and Joker are close friends but Joker is secretly jealous of Clover because he wants to be leader. He wants to be the leader of the best of the best.

Of course, Clover is innocently oblivious to Joker’s true feelings about him despite them being close dear friends. It’d be interesting if Joker secretly desires to replace Clover as the leader of the Ace Ops (thus playing into the motif that Joker cards can substitute for any other card in the deck except Ace. Since Ace is always the highest card and Joker will always be secondary to Ace)

I know, I know I’m assuming a lot here for characters who’ve only been on screen for less than five minutes. But let me have this one okay.

The King of Aces

Next up on the list, following our Ace and Joker cards, we have the King. The next character in the Ace Ops lineup is Big Buff Barefoot Girl with the Hammer. By the power invested in my theories, she is possibly the crowned King of the Ace Ops and let me just say that, similar to Clover, already I like her.

I like her design and I feel like I might like her character too.

If I had to guess her official name, I’m going to take a wild guess and say her name might be Brunhilda or simply Hilda for short, alluding to character of the same name in Norse Mythology.

I found it pretty interesting that she wields a hammer just like Nora. Nora’s last name is Valkyrie and in Norse mythology, Brunhild (also known as Brunhilda or Brynhild) was a shieldmaiden or valkyrie. I have a feeling that Nora and this girl are going to be rivals given their similar weapons and possible inspiration.

So yeah, Hilda is the King of the Ace Ops. This leads into the next character after her--- Pink Eyed Girl.

The Queen of Aces

My assumption is that she’s the Queen of the Ace Ops. And right off the bat, I’m going to call this now. I’m going to bet that Hilda and Pinkie-Eye are probably a couple. I’m not saying I ship them or anything, it’s just a thought. If they’re not a couple then my next best bet is that they’re partners who often work closely together since they’re very in sync with each another.

I say these two might be a couple since they’re giving me Ren and Nora vibes with how Hilda wields a hammer like Nora and Pinkie-Eye has pink eyes just like Ren. So my theory is that their dynamic is probably going to challenge Ren and Nora’s dynamic.

After all---we saw how Ren just took off and left Nora behind and she was visibly annoyed by that. You can’t tell me that’s not gonna come back and be a thing with them for this season. The King and Queen of Ace vs Flower Power---one power couple to another. I mean I could be completely wrong here. But…who knows? That’s my hunch.

And last but certainly not least, we have the final guy---the Wolf Faunus of the group.

The Jack of Aces

This guys is the Jack of the Team. Wouldn’t even surprise me his name is Jack or some variant of the name Jack. For now I’m gonna dub him Jack Wolfe.

I’m also curious if this guy is going to have an allusion to the fairytale---Jack and the Wolf more commonly known as “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.”

Perhaps he’s the scout of the Ace Ops and his role in the team is to inform his remaining operatives of any trouble. What would solidify this guy as taking inspiration from the Boy Who Cried Wolf is if he’s also a prankster.

Since V7 seems to be setting up for Team JNR_RWBY going on missions with Ace Ops, what would be interesting is if while on his first mission with the rookies, Jack plays a prank on them making them believe their might be a Grimm nearby. He does this two times before an actual Grimm shows up.

I feel like this guy is going to be the Boy Who Cried Wolf. That’s my assumption.

I also wonder this Jack Wolfe guy is going to share any chemistry with Ruby by chance. I once shared a Lil Red Ruby headcanon about her having a Big Bad Boyfriend who was a wolf faunus that alludes to the Big Bad Wolf.

Could this Jack Wolf be that character? Will my headcanon actually be made possibily. I have no idea. These all just assumptions and theories of mine.

But it would be interesting if it does play out like that. I guess we’ll see for the season.

So in conclusion…

Those are my theories for our new Atlesian Ace Ops. A short musing for a short theory on characters who only appeared for a short time. But I digress. Still wanted to put it out there. Like I said, we’ll see how V7 goes with these guys.

I’m excited to see how they’ll interact with JNR_RWBY.

More Squiggles’ RWBY Content

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

#rwby #rwby volume 7 #rwby theories #rwby volume 7 theories #rwby ace ops #rwby musings

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vuulpecula · 5 years ago

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@deficd inquired: Hilda saunters toward Fox, a small smile painting her lips, hands hidden behind the small of her back. The fire crackles as night falls, and the shieldmaiden sits aside the other. “I made this for you -- to brighten you up.” She hands the other a flower crown, woven in yellow azaleas, tassel flowers, Danish orchids, and long stalks of green grass. “I hope you like it.”

just sit and look at my sweet bby girl in a flower crown.

"Like it,” Fox repeated, moving the crown delicately around in her hands to view it from every angle before setting it atop her head. “I do not just like it, Hilda,” her smile was slow and soft as it grew into a grin. “I cherish it.” Her heart burst with child-like delight as she touched at the soft petals and stalks of grass shifting in the wind.

“Does it suit me?” There was power in the beauty of nature and now it resided atop her head, she felt -- godly. What had she ever done to deserve such a gift? Reaching out, she clasped both her hands around Hilda’s. “Words cannot express my thanks for this blessing.”

#[ LEE I LOVE U SO MUCH ]#[ THANK U ]#x | burning the letters ( answered. )#deficd #x | v. undetermined.

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deficd · 2 years ago

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Dialogue prompts taken from Star Wars: The Old Republic || @vuulpecula said to Hilda, “ bravery in the face of certain death is only attractive when you survive. “ || accepting.

The things that Hilda recalls the clearest are also the most harrowing: the battlefield, the blood, the sense that she could never maintain a semblance of self-worth from the life she so desperately clings to. How she daydreams of valiant battle among the shieldmaidens, with her mother, longing to make something of herself. A dream, to make herself into a thing that she cannot name.

Dreams flutter away like moths. She aches.

“And so on this day, I did,” she says, laying her head back to the dirt to stare up at the clear sky for another moment. “I should thank the gods, then. I want nothing more than to be attractive.”

Perhaps delirious from her wounds, or perhaps mad from falling on her arse one too many times-- she doesn't know, letting the pain in her joints mingle with the spasms of her muscles, the blood dry to something sticky in her clothes. The bandits had been watching the settlement just outside of Kattegat, biding their time to attack. Wandering for weeks, perhaps, they'd grown hungry and bold. Half a life spent in the woods means her ears are sharper and her eyes are keener-- the whispers of the nøkkr just a little louder.

How that story ends is reminiscent of her laying face-up on the ground.

Yet-- alive.

"Wait-- do you think I am attractive now?" Yes, there's the delirium, she thinks immediately and hopes the bruises on her face hide the blush. Sputtering to change the subject, she pulls herself to a sitting position, spits a mixture of blood and dirt out of her mouth.

"Do not tell anyone about this. Please. My brothers would be furious." And everyone else will know they are right about me-- that my mother should have left me for the wolves and crows. "A fate worse than death."

#vuulpecula #x: the wolf-slayer (threads.)#i'm on a starbuck roooolllll

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maidenxfthemxuntains · 4 years ago

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@deficd sent “How did you get this?” from Hilda (Always Accepting) -----------------------------------------------------------

Asta looked over at Hilda and follows her finger to her shoulder, where there was a small scar going across the outside of her arm. A small smile forms on her lips as she looks back at the woman. “That is how I met Erik, actually. It might not surprise you that I almost fought him before I fell for him.”

Asta loved talking about her family, even if there was a tightening in her chest. It helped her cope with the absence of both Erik and Bryn.

#deficd #Hilda #The Outcasted Shieldmaiden (Main)#the mun needs to write it down (Needs to be tracked)

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markcrobinson-wordsword · 3 years ago

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My take on Russell Myers’ titular comic-strip character, that 1500-year-old, beer-guzzling, cigar-chewing witch Broom-Hilda, which debuted in newspapers in 1970 and is still going strong today. Myers had her give up cigars and beer early in the strip’s run, but I liked the visual of Broom-Hilda smoking a stogie.

Since I was very young when I became aware of the comic, I didn’t realize at the time that “Broom-Hilda” was a pun of Brünhilde, the shieldmaiden of Germanic legend.

#BroomHilda #RussellMyers #comicstrip #comics #witch #cartoon @gocomics

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wristic · 8 years ago

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Only So Long

Pairing: Hvitserk X Reader

Word Count: 1100

Warnings: none

Anon prompt: Can you do an hvitserk imagine , your married to him and the imagine is where he teasing / making dirty jokes at a table with his family

It was your fault, you told yourself, you knew what you were getting into. This man couldn't flirt his way out of a paper bag but you still married him. This was all on you. As the hand crept higher up your thigh, you knew what was coming, and in front of his family no less.

Sucking in a breath you continued with Aslaug, ignoring the kneading and trying to pull your legs wide. If you were anything it was stubborn, and you were going to stick to this conversation if it killed you. And boy were your Shieldmaiden leathers not doing you any service. “She’s one of those uppity newcomers who thinks just because she's eager, means she can take on everyone. Seriously all it took was the littlest taunt and she starts swinging, sword and shield flying around like she's trying to dry her clothes!” You snickered at the unfortunate girl who thought being a warrior was something you just walked into. “And Hilda just grabs the edge of her own shield and bashes it into her face!”

Amidst your laughter Hvitserk leaned close to your ear and whispered. “I know something that wants to bash in your face.”

Your head dropped back to look at him. Damn this ridiculous guy and the ridiculous ways he made you smile. You leaned in return and whispered. “I imagine bashing is not the word you want to use for that Darling.”

With a little shake of his shoulders, his smirk held firm. “Oh, it is.”

Rolling your eyes you gave a quick hushed, “You're bad at this.” before picking at your food like it was the end of the conversation. Hot breath on your neck and a husky voice said otherwise.

“Not if it gets my point across.”

You rubbed your eyes, already feeling the heat rise under your skin. Ubbe had since started talking about planning a hunt before Fall ended but all the words faded when the hand on your thigh forced between your clamped knees, the struggle to shuffle it out only making it easier for him to slide up and press against your sex. The distraction had you stop chewing, pressing the back of your hand to your mouth to hold back the heady sigh he welled in your chest. Hearing him chuckle the hand drifted back utterly satisfied with your reaction.

The conversation stayed away from you until Hvitserk confidently announced, “I would love to go hunting, it feels like ages since I ate something… juicy and… savory.” he glanced at you with a smile in his eyes and you had to resist rolling yours, hearing an annoyed, 'brother’ from Ubbe.

“Well I’m pretty tired from dealing with the new arrivals so I’ll probably skip out.”

Hvitserk tried nudged you into submission. “Oh, you won't have to do anything. Just lay there while the men work...”

You shook your head, the blush spreading till you were burning under your collar. “I feel like that would be a bit rude on my part.”

“Nonsense! It's always a treat to have you.”

Sigurd groaned in his cup and it didn't help the giggles threatening to bubble out from you. You leaned to Hvitserk and said as sternly and quietly as you could barely muster, “Stop it.”

Just to amuse you he whispered back. “Why?”

“Because your family is here and you're being embarrassing!” you giggled under your breath.

The hand threatened to dive back in between your legs, making you flinch and clamp them again because you really didn't need his family seeing you aroused. Though you were sure at least Sigurd had a pretty decent idea what was going on already. He sure was glaring at Hvitserk like he knew.

Hvitserk on the other hand was entirely unfazed, taking a long drink of his cup before pulling back and examining it, squeezing your thighs as he emphasized a certain word. “This mead seems a bit thicker than usual.”

You let your eating hand sag, turning to him with brows raised high. He only smirked behind his cup. “I didn't say it was a bad thing. I'm a real man, real men like things thicker.” he winked and you had to hide behind your propped hands for the killer wave of second hand embarrassment. How do you tell a man that confident his flirting was just that terrible. Then again you did marry him, gods above and below what did that say about you.

“Su~btle.” Sigurd congratulated in the most unimpressed drone he could.

“I think it's cute.” Aslaug smiled brightly before glaring at the rest of her son's, “At least he is married, which is more I can say for the rest of you.”

Sigurd and Ivar both groaned, funny how the two hated each other but would sync up when they both hated something together. Ubbe only shrugged it off, “At least if I was, I wouldn't be feeling her up at the dinner table Hvitserk.”

Hvitserk only looked at his brothers hard warning stare with a smile, his hand slowly drifting from your lap back to the top of the table. It was only moment when the little warning did him in, a few seconds of not being able to touch you, that was just not right.

Pushing his plate forward and loudly scooting his chair Hvitserk chimed, “Well we are done eating.”

Your eyes jumped up, recognizing ‘we’ as in ‘you and him’. “We are? I’m not!”

He pushed your plate away, you desperate to take the last bit of chicken. “No, we’re done eating.”

You shoveled the bit of meat in your mouth knowing your time was dwindling fast, “No no! I was training all day, I’m starving!”

Hvitserk didn't seem to care, putting his arms under yours and dragging you out of your chair with a sing song, “We’re~ done~ eating~”

The groan you gave filled the hall as you stumbled to you feet and followed him, shaking your head at yourself. So much for being stubborn till death.

Outside the halls doors you pouted, watching your feet as they approached the steps. “You're the worst you know that.”

He surprised you just as your foot hovered over the stair, Hvitserk catching you before you came down. Seeing his bright face, still so taken and dreamy when he looked at you melted away any sort of issue you had with his behavior, like it always seemed to do. “I know, and you love me.”

#hvitserk #hvitserk imagine #hvitserk ragnarsson #hvitserk lothbrok #hvitserk x reader #vikings imagine #my stuff #you ever start blushing uncontrollably at writing characters just being cute as fuck with each other #Only So Long

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