Foxy

Two years and this was the first Full Moon party you actually had the chance to go to. Not just for a couple of hours, not sober. You were actually going to be able to enjoy yourself. How Valentin had swindled a night off from the hotel for you both, you didn't bother to ask. But you appreciated it nonetheless.

The parties on the nearby beach weren't quite as big as others you'd heard about, but you were excited. Just a chance to escape the hotel, a chance to not have to pander to guests or be ordered around by managers. And, of course, a chance to be with Valentin.

The lights blinded you as you made your way down to the beach. Valentin was already there, based on his message, along with Alexei and Vlad. The music drowned out whatever the guy at the entry said, but as he pointed down to the party, you just nodded and continued on.

Valentin's eyes found you immediately, the flashing lights bouncing off the metallic stars that covered your body. And they barely covered it. You had really gone all out for tonight.

He put his hand up to wave, watching as you wound through the crowd to find him and the others. It wasn't long before you made it all the way over to him.

"You look…divine."

The music picked up in tempo. Thumping through the soles of your feet as Valentin held on to you tight. Hands taking a wandering path over your body, slipping under the spaced out stars that somehow made up your outfit.

You could see the neon paint that swirled over his bare forearms, some of it already smeared across your back and stomach as you danced.

More and more people seemed to fill the beach. The strobe lights and neon decoration adding to the dizzying haze that filled your head. You could hardly keep track of what was going on around you, even when Valentin's lips met your neck. The solid planes of his body pressed impossibly tight against you.

It was like this was the one place you could just be together. Not pretending you were just colleagues, both to guests and other staff. Tonight, Valentin was all yours.

And both of you had every intention of taking full advantage of that fact.

So you didn't resist when Valentin's hands did more than just wander. Everyone was far too distracted by the party to notice anything else. Slipping beneath your barely there waistband, letting his groan vibrate against your neck when he found only flimsy fabric hiding what he wanted.

"Just for me, hmm?" Valentin whispered, letting his teeth scrape against your skin.

You didn't get to answer as two fingers slipped beneath your underwear, finding their destination immediately. Head falling back against his shoulder as you gave into his touch. his face was buried against your neck, his free hand winding up and holding you upright.

But just as you felt your release creeping up, he stopped. Both hands back on your waist and spinning you to face him. A familiar, mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Be a good and do what I tell you.”

You couldn't help but let out a giggle as your back hit the wall, knowing its neon patterns were now smudged over your skin. Valentin's lips and hands were everywhere on your body, you could barely keep track. Your own hands tangled in his hair as he made his way down your body. There was a desperation to how he touched you and you couldn't get enough.

His hands pushed your thighs apart as he pushed your skirt higher, quickly discarding the useless fabric of your underwear. The sounds of the party and the ocean behind him muffling the moan of his name as his lips met your core. Lapping at you like you were his only sustenance.

Your legs were quickly slung over his shoulders, only his body keeping you from sliding down the wall. You could feel his groans vibrating right up through you. He needed this as much as you did. It had been a while after all.

"Val…" you whined, earning you a quick smack to your thigh.

His mismatched eyes found yours, "Shh, baby, just enjoy it."

So you did. Closing your eyes and letting him finally pull you through your release. Legs shaking as he pulled away, letting you slide down the wall until you could both lay back in the damp sand.

Valentin had barely caught his breath before you were on him, but he smirked as you tugged away his shorts. He didn't stop you when you shakily clambered into his lap. The wash of the tide creeping in, but neither of you cared all that much.

He could still feel the slowing spasms of your walls as he let you settle onto his length. Your joined moans of satisfaction washed away on the slow waves. Your hands planted on his chest as you set the pace. The party behind you long forgotten as Valentin moved to knead at the soft globes of your backside.

The waves seemed to roll in time with your hips, soaking through his shirt and cooling the flush on his skin. But your pace wasn't quite fast enough for his liking, he needed more and he needed it now.

Valentin's hold was tight as he rolled you onto your back, barely breaking contact as he picked up the pace. Holding your hands up and over your head as he chased both your highs.

Letting the water wash over you both as he peppered kisses over your neck. Winding up to your lips as he felt you finish for the second time. Legs tights around his waist as he chased his own. Your nails scraping against his hands and wrists as his rhythm stuttered. Every pent up desire spilling into you as he thrust deeper until his body shook with release.

"Fuck…" he chuckled, brushing the now damp strands from your face.

"We need to come to these things more often."

The party had barely noticed your absence when you returned. But Alexei and Vlad had noticed. One minute you and Valentin had been there, tangled together to the music, and next you were gone. Their eyes met yours with knowing grins.

"Full Moon parties really are crazy, huh?"

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Treating wounds was not the reason why Uhtred had brought you to his side, but it soon became second nature to you. And when you weren't tending to the Dane Slayer himself, you were tending to his men. Never did there seem to be a moment where this group of warriors was without some form of injury for you to treat.

Your home had been a barely there village when Uhtred had taken you into his service. Something you had been entirely used to as a seer and healer. Saxons viewed you as godless, a heathen. Danes, especially those with aspirations beyond their abilities, viewed you as a commodity.

But unlike others you had served, Uhtred treated you as an equal. In his words, you were as essential to his cause as a blade or shield. Where would warriors be without a pair of healing hands?

Usually, you would have a steady supply of herbs and the like to forage. Now, however, travelling was as much a mainstay in your life as anything else. Between camps beside rivers or within the depths of forests, you had learned to adapt to whatever nature offered you.

Today was yet another day where Uhtred was at your door, blood staining his shirt and an attempt at hiding his pain on his face.

"It is becoming pointless for me to look to the gods to see when you will darken this door again," you teased, pointing to the nearby cot before Uhtred had even crossed the threshold.

Battle seemed to find Uhtred more often than it used to. Though he would not admit it, you were half sure he sought it out over it being a mere accident.

"I do not intend to seek out blades to the gut," Uhtred grunted in response, hissing in pain as he awkwardly maneuvered himself to sit.

With a simple shake of your head, you moved to inspect his wound. An angry slice spanned the flesh down his right side. Thankfully, not as severe an injury as the amount of blood and anguish on his face suggested. You busied yourself cleaning away the already drying blood when another figure hovered at your doorway.

Without even a turn, you guessed who it would be.

"You two wish to test my talents today, hmm?"

Sihtric let out a soft chuckle. Your second most frequent visitor. If they and their friends, didn't save so many, you would wonder if they themselves were a test from the gods. But these two in particular were a test you would willing take time and time again. Though you hoped hid your feelings, it was a pleasing change to treat two handsome warriors.

"Apologies, lady…"

You silenced him with a hand, Sihtric was polite as ever, even now. Uhtred's side was clean and it was now the younger Dane's turn for your attentions.

"Sit down, Sihtric."

You could hear him move to the wooden chair you usually sat yourself in when there were no bloodied soldiers to tend to. When you finally looked at him, you could see what looked like the beginnings of a bruised jaw as well as an almost matching slice to his lord. Thankfully, he seemed far less blood stained than Uhtred.

The two men sat patiently as you rifled through your cupboards, searching for the ingredients you would need for your typical pain relieving tea. And then…you hit a snag. Despite being camped in a Mercian forest, you hadn't had the time to forage before the next battle darkened Uhtred's door.

You let out a soft huff, somewhere between frustration and disappointment. The ingredients in your hand would hardly be enough to handle them both, and you weren't about to watch two very stubborn men argue over who got it first.

"Is everything well, lady?" Sihtric asked as Uhtred tried to lean around to see the issue.

You turned to them with a tight smile, "It seems I haven't enough for you both, and before you start, there will be no arguing over who goes first."

Both men opened their mouths to argue, before deciding otherwise. Without another word, they wandered in unison towards the doorway. You already had your satchel slung over your body, a mental list of what you needed and a small dagger hooked to your belt.

Sihtric had already left when Uhtred turned to look at you.

"If you are more than an hour, I will send someone to search for you."

The forests around camp were filled with more than enough plants and herbs. Some for medicinal uses, others used for when you took time to commune with your gods. Your satchel was half full when you wandered towards the riverbank.

You never claimed to know every plant and how it could be used, but you knew enough to be useful. Soon, you were presented with a treasure trove of flora. You recognised most, knowing that the same plant would look different based on how close it grew to water or other plants.

So you didn't think twice when you plucked a handful over seemingly familiar blooms. The deep green leaves and pale petals appearing to be a particular flower that would make your usual herbal teas taste just that much sweeter and more palatable to those in your care.

What you didn't know, was that there were several plants with just that appearance. Not all aided in the art of healing.

Steam rose from the pot as you boiled the water over the fire. The smell of the tea filling your makeshift hut. It smelled no different than usual and you hoped that the floral addition would be as a sweet a flavour as you thought it should be.

Sihtric and Uhtred soon returned, settling into the chairs by the fire as you ladled out two small cups of the tea. Both of them instinctively inhaling the sweeter scent before taking a single large gulp.

"It may be hot, but drink it all as soon as you can and it should ease some of the pains."

Both men nodded, taking the sting of the hot water in order to feel the healing benefits sooner. The life of a warrior came with many risks, painful injuries being one of them. Though even the strongest warrior would find it hard to hide pain from someone who knew them well.

"I'll make sure your wounds are clean," you added, looking at Sihtric first then Uhtred, "Then the tea should start having an effect."

Sihtric was the first to set down and empty cup. You busied yourself immediately with checking the bruised jaw and then moved down to his cut torso. It wasn't as deep as Uhtred's wound, thankfully. A quick clean sufficed while the tea was making its way through his system.

"If it doesn't, or you feel worse, come right back."

With that both men left and you allowed yourself a few moments respite. Mixing your own herbal tea, designed for relaxation over healing.

An hour later, if you had to guess, you were anything but relaxed. Your skin felt clammy and you could feel beads of sweat running down the curve of your back. But that wasn't what was drawing your focus right now.

It was the almost agonising desire that burned in the pit of your stomach. It felt like every movement you made was just stoking the flames and making your body tremble. Your fingers gripped tight onto the fabric of your dress as you sat at the very edge of your bed.

You had to do something. You had heard of plants that could do this. Sending a person's body into overdrive with the feeling of lust and a desperate need for it to be sated. But you had never thought you would be in that position.

With a thud, you lay back onto your bed. You hands already bunching your skirts higher until the cool air hit your sweat soaked flesh. You already knew your own touch wouldn't be enough, but the sensation was almost unbearable.

So a frantic knock on the door was the last thing you wanted.

You hurried to wrap your shawl back around your shoulders, quickly pulling the door open to see one of the younger warriors wide eyed and almost dancing with nerves.

"What is it?" you asked, looking around to see if there was some sort of emergency, do everything in your power to raise a mask of composure when all you wanted to do was peak over and over again.

"It is Sihtric, lady" the young boy hurried through his words, thankfully to panicked to notice your own state.

Shit.

You had flavoured the healing tea with the same flower. A flower that apparently was not what you had believed it to be. Your thoughts were in overdrive. If Sihtric was affected, you were affected, then so was Uhtred.

The cold air was like pinpricks on your skin as you hurried after the boy. Winding through the camp until you saw Sihtric's hut in the distance. But before you got any closer, another young warrior raced up to you.

"Lady!" he called out, almost skidding to a stop before you.

"It is Lord Uhtred, lady…"

You cursed mentally again. For the first time, you had no idea how to fix this other than the obvious. Your home was too far away but maybe you could somehow get Uhtred to Sihtric's hut?

"Bring him to Sihtric's quarters, no questions."

You dismissed the messenger as soon as you arrived at Sihtric's door. You didn't want anyone to see him as you imagined he would be. Both he and Uhtred had drank the tea at least an hour before you had, if not more.

Your skin was on fire, you were just managing to remain upright. You could only imagine how Sihtric and Uhtred were faring. And your suspicions were proved correct when you rounded the corner to where Sihtric usually slept.

The muffled groans greeted you before you saw him. Mixed with curses and pants interjected with the rustle of clothing.

"Sihtric?"

You were answered only with a groan of your name. He was far more worse off than you were right now. Hurried steps took you to kneel beside his bed. His skin was flushed, sweat shone on his face and his body seemed to twitch just at your proximity.

As if on instinct his hand reached out to you. His other, you now realised, was firmly beneath his breeches. You sighed softly, his rough palm barely meeting your cheek before the door behind you swung open.

Thudding footsteps made their way over to you and you somehow knew immediately it was Uhtred. It was like he knew exactly where to find you, stumbling through the door and almost collapsing to his knees at your side.

You were the most coherent of the three of you and only one thought now filled your mind. Whatever was coursing through your veins wanted one thing. The best choice, was to satisfy that need.

You moved to stand, ignoring the way both men seemed to reach out to you as you passed. The lock clicked on the door, this was not a situation that needed any interruptions. You could feel their eyes on you, following every single move you made.

When you made your way back over, Uhtred's hands were the first to find you. Gripping at your skirts and burying his face in the layered fabric with a deep inhale. Just the feeling of his hands pulling at you, the heat of his breath already seeping through the material. You could feel your pulse race just a little faster.

Sihtric groaned your name, reaching out for you again. His hand still hidden beneath his waistband. His back already arching away from the bed below, chasing something he couldn't quite reach.

Both men were driven solely by their needs and desires now, the tea having made its way through their bodies and settling deep in their veins. Only you, it seemed, had any sort of clarity left. You had little idea of how long the effects of the tea would last, what would happen if the needs were not swiftly sated.

Your hand tangled into Uhtred's hair, feeling his low grumble against your side as he rested his head. Your eyes scanned the room. Sihtric's bed was likely big enough for the three of you, if the two men could keep their hands to themselves for more than a second.

Sihtric's fingers grazed down your stomach, trying in vain to pull you closer. Uhtred's hands circled your waist, holding you in place.

"Oh, my sweet boys," you soothed, moving close enough that Sihtric could lay a flat palm against you while Uhtred tried to hold you tighter.

"Shall we…do something about this?"

They both made noises of agreement. But when you didn't immediately move, two broken voices spoke in unison.

"Yes…please."

You somehow extricated yourself from their holds, watching as they both moved to stare at you with hooded eyes. The same eyes watched you with an intensity you were sure might burn through you as you began to strip off layer after layer.

The room was warmer than it had been outside, but your skin continued to prickle with goosebumps as each layer of clothing was removed. It was almost as though you could feel the effects of the tea blooming in your veins every passing second. Or maybe it was the pleasured filled gazes of the two men in front of you that had your body running between hot and cold.

As you stood, left in only the layered necklace that always hung around your neck, you realised both Uhtred and Sihtric were waiting for your next instruction. It was like the effects of the tea had them under your thrall.

"You can undress," you said simply, wandering slowly back towards them both.

Never before had you see them both move so fast. Clothes quickly strewn in their surrounding area. Seeing the soft sheen of sweat on their bodies as inch after inch was revealed. For the first time, you truly felt like you were in control, with two powerful men at your heel.

With slow steps, you returned to them. Both men had stood to strip themselves of their clothing, so now the bed was yours to lounge on. And so you did. Letting the full length of your body be put on show for your soon to be lovers and you could almost feel their gaze roaming every dip and curve on your body.

You positioned yourself at the far side, just enough room around you for both men to join you on the bed. Your hand rested on the pile of furs, patting the empty spot beside you. In perfect sync, Uhtred and Sihtric climbed into the spaces around you. Heat radiated off them, but they again waited for your next instruction.

Your hands reached out, fingers trailing over their burning skin. Both of them instantly shivering under the gentleness of your touch. You could see their hands twitching, aching to touch you in return.

But it was like your skin meeting theirs made the fire in your veins burn even hotter. A simmering need turning into a burning desperation. A small nod of your head was all it took for them. Large hands roaming your body like it was all they needed to survive.

You let yourself lay back, silent permission for the two to move and touch as they please. You simply needed their touch. It was like sparks were being left in their wake, your skin branded with every pass of their fingers.

Sihtric was the first to lean in, pressing gentle kisses to your neck and shoulders as your hand reached up to tangle in his hair. Uhtred was lower down the bed, shifting to lie on his stomach. Hands spreading your legs with a gentle touch.

His eyes found yours, silently asking for permission to touch you more. Your other hand tangled into his hair, whispering in affirmation. His kisses were as soft against your thighs as Sihtric's were against your neck.

But where you expected Uhtred's mouth to find its way to your core, but roughened fingers began to gently rub against your slick folds. The circles were painfully slow, but it was more than enough to add fuel to your already burning desire.

Sihtric's hand had moved to palm at your breast, his lips soon joining and sucking faint marks into your skin. His other skimming down the length of your body and back again, simply letting you feel the pass of his skin over yours.

What you didn't see, was a look between the two. Though neither knew what was making you all feel like this, you were all desperately chasing the same end. For Uhtred and Sihtric, however, it was simply a choice of who would feel sated first.

Whatever was flowing through each of your veins wasn't going to be sated quickly.

You could hear their low whispers though your focus found it hard to stay on what they were saying.

"Have her first, lord, I am sure we will have all night…" Sihtric's voice vibrated against the flesh of your chest.

Uhtred only hummed in agreement, dragging himself up your body and kneeling between your legs. Piercing eyes on yours as he slowly stroked a hand up and down his length. Your eyes instinctively shifting to watch the tantalisingly slow movement.

"Do you want that, both of us, one after the other?" Uhtred almost growled the words, taking back just a little bit of control as he kneeled over your bare form.

The hand tangled in Sihtric's hair tightened, making the Dane smirk into the crook of your neck.

"Yes…"

It didn't matter who, what or where. All three of you simply craved release in whatever form you could get. Sihtric's hands continued to roam your body, shifting to reach the curve of your hips and thighs. Uhtred groaned low as he lined himself up with your entrance, Sihtric's hand gripping the back of your thigh and lifting your leg back to open you up to the lord even further.

The sweet sounds that slipped from your lips as Uhtred pushed inch by inch inside had a shiver running down both of their spines. Your heat enveloping him so perfectly, Uhtred could have sworn you were built just for him.

It took every ounce of restraint not to set a brutal pace immediately. He wanted to savour this, to burn the feel of you around him on to his skin and mind. Sihtric's lips continued to travel over your body, all while holding you as Uhtred set a steady yet somehow gentle pace.

Your body was already hurtling towards the precipice of pleasure just on the effects of whatever was flowing through your veins, but the dual sensations had your mind spinning. Your hands grabbing wherever you could to keep yourself centred. One hand gripping Sihtric's arm tight while the other tangled into the furs below.

Low grunts left Uhtred, a thin sheen of sweat on his skin, his hair loose and hanging down. Some strands managing to tickle at your bare skin. Sihtric's hand continued to palm at your breast, adding even more stimulation that sent your mind into overdrive.

It was like your bodies were working in tandem, a hive mind of pleasure and desire. Uhtred's pace began to pick up, no longer concerned with savouring the feel of you but propelled solely by primal need.

"Hold her steady," he grunted out, Sihtric knowing immediately the words were directed at him.

His large hand tightened on your thigh, lifting your leg further than you thought it would go. Allowing Uhtred to deepen his thrusts until your eyes rolled back in your head. Sihtric continued to pepper your skin with kisses, alternating between soft nips that added high pitched yelps into your already pleasured gasps and moans.

Uhtred's name was the only thing on your lips as your body began to arch off the bed. A hand moving to pull at Sihtric's hair, your free leg hooked around Uhtred's waist. His own hand holding you tight as his pace turned almost punishing.

Your whole body shaking with the sheer power behind his thrusts. Whatever was fuelling your desires now burned like magma in your veins, fogging your mind to anything except pleasure. Uhtred fared no better, grabbing your other leg from Sihtric's hold to wrap it around him. His hands on your waist, using the leverage to slam his cock into your warmth.

Nothing but the steady sound of skin on skin, the sound of Sihtric's kisses mixing with your chanting moans and Uhtred's low grunts echoed off the walls of the cabin. Likely out to the rest of the camp, but the three of you truly could care less.

Uhtred's hips began to lose their rhythm, focused only on your release and his own. Yours hit first, your body fully arched from the bed as you blindly gripped at your two lovers. Your peak felt so much more intense than you were used to. Every inch of you was on fire as stars played in front of your eyes.

You could feel Uhtred slow, savouring the feeling of his spend painting the warm core of your body. The bed shifted as he rolled to the side, chest heaving as his breath tried to slow down.

"By the gods…" he muttered, a hand running over his face and wiping away the sweat that dripped down his brow.

Sihtric's eyes trailed over your body, desire pulsing in his belly and making his cock twitch against your leg. He needed to experience that euphoria for himself, his body feeling like it was burning from the inside out in sheer anticipation.

Your hand instinctively reached out for him, his lips finding yours as Uhtred rested his head against your shoulder. Sihtric's kiss was slow, ignoring how Uhtred huffed at the loss of contact as he rolled to have you straddled him.

"My turn?" he asked, his voice a low grunt as he fought off the lust in his veins.

His hands settled on your hips, guiding you still pulsing core to slide down onto his waiting member. Your skin still slick from your own release and Uhtred's, a fact Sihtric couldn't have cared less for in this very moment.

Your hands planted on his chest, as his own began to set your rhythm. You were so sensitive, every push and pass of his cock between your folds. Sihtric's entire body tensed to hold himself back, letting you adjust even if his body was desperate for more. Letting you take control of the speed, minute by minute watching pleasure take over your body yet again.

But as your head fell back, nails digging into his chest…he just couldn't hold back any longer. It was like some unseen force drove his body, holding you tight as he planted his feet down onto the bed below. His grip on your hips giving him all the leverage he needed to pound up into your waiting body.

Your eyes fluttered closed, lost in pleasure as you felt another set of hands on your body. Uhtred positioned himself behind you, hands cupping your breasts and letting you rest back against him. Sihtric's pace was a brutal as Uhtred's had been, your body almost limp in his hold as your second release thundered through your body.

Not even Uhtred's hold was enough to keep you upright. Their combined grip stopping you from folding completely as pleasure overtook your body. A whining moan leaving you as Sihtric gave a final thrust into your overstimulated core.

Uhtred kissed over your shoulders and Sihtric rubbed his hands up and down your sides. Slowly, you lay forward, your head buried into Sihtric's neck as Uhtred returned to lie beside you.

The silence was comfortable. The insistent pleasure in your veins slowly dissipating at the tea's effects ebbed away. Sihtric rolled you to lie between them, the heat of the two men making you relax even further.

But a question began to nag at the three of you. What had even caused this? Both men knew you were most likely to know. Your eyes were still closed as you uttered the only explanation you had.

"The tea," you whispered, "it's the only thing that make sense, I…must have picked the wrong plant…"

You could still feel the lingering pleasure in your veins, but it was more like a whisper compared to the scream it had been before. But the accidental plant wouldn't have been enough to make those feelings so intense. Aphrodisiacs, in your limited knowledge of them, could not create feelings that didn't already exist. Whatever had just happened, had laid dormat somewhere in the three of you and simply needed a push.

The two men hummed in agreement, surprising you as they curled into you almost in synchronisation. Their arms sliding across your stomach and caging you between them.

"Plant or not, I believe we all quite enjoyed ourselves," Uhtred smiled, kissing the column of your neck.

Sihtric's lips matched Uhtred's on the opposite side, puntuating his words with soft kisses.

"Hopefully, we can do so again."

You smiled, relaxing fully into the furs below. Your voice barely higher than a whisper as you spoke your combined feelings into the room.

"Without tea based persuasion, perhaps."

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You were certain something had changed that day, even if you couldn’t name what it was.

Miraak no longer prevented himself from staying close to you. Whenever you were traveling, he walked at your side. He was more…willing to do what you asked of him now. Something about him, or at least the being he had become, had melted away into something human.

Over night, it seemed you had been interwoven into his very being. And over several weeks, he had been interwoven into yours.

“Are you aware you speak backwards at times?” he asked you as the two of you stepped away from one of the market stalls.

“I do not,” you said indignantly.

This week, the two of you were in Riften. You had heard rumors of vampire hunters hanging around while looking for recruits. With Alduin defeated, and Miraak now at your side, you found yourself growing bored. The growing vampire problem seemed the perfect solution.

Finding the recruiter had been easy enough. They seemed so desperate for bodies that he merely approached anyone who entered the town for days. You had to refill on supplies, which allowed for a moment of familiarity between the two of you. It was no longer unusual. Now his voice was welcomed by you.

“Perhaps that is not the best phrasing,” he said after a moment. “There are times though where I do not think you mean what you say.”

“Such as?” you asked with a raised eyebrow. Your feet stopped their movements, your gaze instinctively finding his face.

“Sometimes you will say yes when I ask if you are hurt, though there is little evidence that you are,” he pointed out.

You couldn't help the snort of a laugh you let out. His only response was a confused look at you. “I know we can't all be large, beefy Nord men like you but some of us do feel the effects of a fight. Pardon me for being a little confused after successfully not having three people murder me at once.”

Miraak chuckled before muttering something under his breath, the words so low you almost missed the fact he was speaking completely. The laughter continued for a moment when he saw the confused look on your own face. You could imagine your face turned to a look of displeasure as soon the laughter completely died from him.

“It would not be proper to repeat myself here,” he said quietly.

“It can't be that awful if you said it the first time,” you pointed out.

If looks could kill, you would drop dead this very moment. It was like he could not quite believe the idea that he was truly about to say it to you. Yet, there was no further argument. Where he once fought every request or command, he could not dream of denying you now.

Even still, he needed some sort of way to protect you. To make sure nobody could think you compromised, however much of an antiquated concept that was now. Miraak moved you away from the market to the small alleyway between The Bee and Barb and the Prawned Pawn. You were now afforded more privacy that you were used to achieving outside of your properties and still it was not enough. His body loomed over yours, pressing you firmly against the wall, while he bent down and placed his lips next to your ear.

“I said I wonder if I could fuck you as stupid as a fight makes you,” he said quietly.

Silence overcame you. His breath was hot as it fanned against your skin. It was a different heat than what you were used to receiving from people. It was the heat from a hearthfire, comforting and inviting. It was dragonfire, dangerous and demanding. Mostly, it was like another piece of you.

You had a connection no other two people could share. The first Dragonborn and the Last. He was part of your story as much as you were part of his. Sagas of heroes and villains began and ended in the space between you two. History would remember you in equal measure.

The fire of his eyes reflected the fire of your soul. It was not the dragon's soul that kept it burning. Instead, it was him. You tried to maintain your hatred of him, by the Nine you wished for it. You did not hate many, wanted to hate fewer, but you wanted so much to hate him. But, to hate him felt like hating a part of your own heart.

“I am not so delusional to think you,” he began, his ever present confidence wavering with a tremble of his voice.

“I do,” you whispered to him before kissing him.

Nassau was still weeks away, but Sihtric felt the most at home at sea.

If anyone had told him when he was younger that he would leave life as a warrior of the land behind to sail the seas, he’d have laughed at them. But now, nothing pleased him more than the smell of salty air and the cool rush of the wind as he sailed.

Though the life of a law-abiding sailor had soon lost some of its charm – the lack of coin didn’t help much in that regard. Sihtric would never call himself a pirate, that word felt wrong in his mouth somehow. But he knew he couldn’t call himself a sailor now either.

Whatever title people would give him, all that mattered was that Sihtric enjoyed the freedom of the sea.

The warm waters around the islands were her home. Hidden from hunting eyes, humans always seemed to want to hurt what they didn’t understand.

Not that she was innocent. Their ships invaded the home of her and her kin. Disrupting their waters, scattering their colonies. Sailors were so easy to lure, their minds already wandering in the hypnotising expanse of the open sea.

All it took was a song.

No song ever sounded the same. Though only the listener would know what they heard. All that anyone else knew, was once it was heard, they were lost forever to the beautiful melodies.

The nights were Sihtric’s favourite on the ship. The air was cooler, everything always seemed so much quieter. Calmer almost, on the sea that is. Aside from the watch shift above whilst they would anchor, Sihtric and his shipmates would spend a good couple of hours drinking and eating. If they could, celebrating their latest finds.

The weeks past had been much the same.

By day, living true to their monikers as pirates, though Sihtric was very particular about what ships or treasures they claimed as their own. Nights passed filled with ale and food, the ship’s hull filled with songs and chatter.

Some were quieter, when they would want nothing more than to relax and simply listen to the sea around them.

Tonight was one of those nights. The journey home was a long one, many of the men had people waiting for them at home. No one was in the mood to sing, though ale still passed freely.

Soon, some of them wandered to their beds. A few more ours passed and Sihtric was the last one below, when he heard it.

It was soft, carried across the water on the wind. One of the sweetest melodies they had ever heard. Superstition was rife among sailors of all conscience and the stories of sirens were spun like thread on a loom.

Men at sea were told to be wary. To never follow music that came from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Sihtric knew these stories all too well. But they seemed to leave his mind in this very moment.

It was like honey dripping into his ears. It washed over him like a warm bath. Made his mind swirl and his thoughts focus only on the song.

Nothing else mattered, other than finding its source.

She had seen the ship in the distance. The shadowed mass rocking against the waves. Ships meant sailors. Sailors meant prey. All she had to do…was sing.

Her song began soft, barely travelling over the winds. She would know when she found an audience, it would feel like someone pulling on a thread from afar. And when she felt that pull, she would make her move. Cutting through the water like a knife, finding a perch on a nearby rock or hovering in the waves.

Before long, she felt that pull.

Just one thread to follow. Almost shining as she followed it. Her song getting more intense as she closed in. Finding a large rock, sliding onto the rough surface and focusing entirely on the ship ahead.

She didn’t need to be seen; she just needed to be listened to. And the longer she sang, the more enticing the melody became.

Sihtric stood at the side of the ship, almost leaning over the side as he searched the expanse of water for the source of the music. It seemed louder now, ringing so loud in his mind hat he couldn’t focus on anything else.

It wasn’t long before he saw it. Or should he say her? Until now, he’d laughed off the stories of such creatures, thinking it nothing more than a myth.

Sirens.

That was what they were called. Something Sihtric had always thought had simply been a scary story to scare away young sailors.

There was no denying it now.

But the figure didn’t seem to move. She only sang one of the sweetest songs he had ever heard. He could barely see more than her shape, hair flowing in the sea winds and what he was sure was a tail curled over the rock she perched upon.

He couldn’t understand any words she sang, if there were words to understand. But the melody was hypnotising. Keeping him frozen in his spot, his eyes never moving from her.

Sihtric had no idea how long he stood there. He hardly noticed the sky beginning to brighten with the promise of a sunrise. But it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered other than her and her song.

But just as the sun began to peek over the horizon, the song slowed. The haunting melody continued, but…there were words. A softly spoke voice, almost like several voices overlapping as she spoke to him.

“Sail to the inlet, my sweet sailor. It is a week’s sail from here.”

How was he supposed to answer? Would she hear him if he answered allowed? Maybe he should think it?

But as he mulled his answer over, she spoke to him again.

“I will wait. If you come, you come.”

And then, the song was gone. Her silhouette disappeared from the rock, the flick of a tail the last thing he saw of her before she sunk beneath the still waters.

His mind felt empty, not even his own thoughts enough to spill the space she left.

Sihtric scoured the maps for the inlet she spoke of. He had no intention to make a mistake and deny himself a chance to hear that song again. He kept it all to himself, though explaining to his men that anchoring next in an inlet would be safer than open waters for their next rest.

If they had questions, they kept them to themselves. Some of them had dreamed of a song the same night Sihtric had heard it, but none of them were as entranced as he was.

But they also couldn’t fight his logic. Resting in open water every time was certainly a risk. Though why Sihtric was determined for it to be an inlet and nowhere else, was curious. But again, they said nothing. They trusted Sihtric and would continue to unless they were shown a reason not to.

A week, that was how long it should take him to get there. Wherever there was. All he had to do, was sail.

He spent all that night check and double checking his maps. No mistakes, none at all. A week might seem long, but once he set sail, one wrong turn could set him back anything from hours to days.

From the moment the ship set sail, Sihtric was hyper-focused on his destination. As days passed, his crew became increasingly concerned. Whenever they asked where they were sailing, Sihtric would palm them off with a half answer. Simply saying he had found safer harbour closer to home.

There was something about his tone at each answer that soon stopped the questions coming. Sihtric would watch the sunsets and rises, keeping track of the days with a fervent intensity.

Two days past, then three. Five days soon came, and he was back to studying his maps. Making sure he was as close as he thought he should be.

As he found sleep that night, a familiar melody found his mind. Winding its way into his dreams. But it was no longer just a song. And he was closer than he thought he was.

His mind was now filled with what felt like waves. Washing over his feet, as he soon found himself stood on a beach. The scent of sea air filled his nostrils, and a cool wind whipped at his hair. Sihtric was sure he even recognised the beach, but something seemed to remind him that he was still dreaming.

Soon, the song filled his mind again. But it was closer this time, slowly getting louder as he saw a figure swimming quickly through the water. He was transfixed even as the figure reached the shallower waters. Frozen where he stood as the figure rose from the water, scales shimmering away as a tail had been replaced with legs.

His eyes followed her as she walked closer, dark hair waved down to her waist as something akin to a dress hung from her body. Only when she reached him, did Sihtric even dare blink.

“My sweet sailor,” she whispered, her voice as entrancing as her song.

Her hand found his cheek, a thumb stroking softly over his cheek. He could smell the sea on her skin, though his focus was on her face. Eyes that seemed endless, like the depths of the ocean itself. Sihtric could hardly tear his gaze away.

He knew he should say something, but nothing that crossed his mind felt like enough. And what did slip from his lips, he instantly regretted.

“This is a dream, is it not?” he mumbled, and she laughed softly.

Her hand cupped his jaw, bringing his face closer. Her nose brushing barely against his.

“If it is, does it matter?”

Her lips ghosted over his, and now he could taste the sea salt on her skin. But she was right. Dream or not, she felt real. He had no need to try and understand a siren’s power. He only needed to enjoy its consequences.

Slowly, Sihtric brought his hand to her waist. Her dress smooth beneath his hand, almost like it was part of her body. He brought himself closer, her free hand now resting on his chest.

She leaned in again, but this time, her kiss was more insistent. Her grip on his jaw tighter before it moved to hold him by the back of his neck. Sihtric pulled her closer, moulding their bodies as one as the kiss intensified. His mind lost to the taste of her, the feel of her body beneath his hand, the coolness of her chest against his own.

Nothing beyond that mattered as he held onto her like she would disappear into the air if he let go. Not that he had any plans to.

The kiss grew hungrier by the second, the hands on her waist soon moving to lift her from the sand. As if the dream was moulding to his needs, most likely with his siren’s influence, there was a flattened expanse of rock off to their left.

Sihtric was almost sure she could feel his desires and was feeding off them with an infinite hunger.

Her back hit the rock as his body hovered above her. His hands planted beside her head as he leaned in. His face burying itself in the crook of her neck as he peppered kisses over her skin.

Her hands splayed over his back, nails digging into the fabric of his shirt. Legs now wrapped around his waist as his kisses trailed lower. A hand coming down to tug at her dress, as her body arched into his touch.

“Do as you please, my sweet, this is your dream after all…”

Sihtric continued his path of hungry kisses, tugging her dress away as he moved. Baring her skin to his demanding touch. He mapped every dip and curve with his hands and lips, until she was entirely bare.

His own shirt followed, and her hands took their own path, stroking idle patterns over his chest and back. But she did nothing else except wait for his next move.

His mind whirred with the possibilities of what he could do. But he kept the fact he was dreaming in the back of his mind. That at any moment he could wake, and she would be lost to his touch.

Sihtric’s hand held one of her thighs as the other fumbled with the ties to his trousers. Tearing them from their holdings in his urgency. He soon followed with a few deft strokes to her pearl, relishing the soft keens that left her.

His hips angled, hand gripping his heavy length at her entrance. So, close he could almost feel the warmth of her core emanating from her…

…And then he woke up.

The sound of his name being called broke his trance as he shot upright in his bed. One of his crew barrelled through his door, still calling his name with urgency.

“What is it?” Sihtric barked, aggressively pulling on his shirt in frustration, his boots soon following.

The man simply motioned him forward to the deck, the sun almost blinding him as he escaped the darkness below.

As his eyes adjusted, he saw it. The inlet coming into view as the ship followed the slow flow of the sea. Sihtric blinked a few times as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. But something told him that he needed to wait.

“Get as close to the shore as we can,” Sihtric called, as the men around him scrambled to prepare for anchor.

“We have earned a few safe nights rest. If we anchor here, we will be hidden from prying eyes.”

The men closest to him nodded, unable to argue with his logic. The ship made its way into the inlet, which was thankfully large enough for them to sail close enough for a safe harbour.

As the ship stilled, all Sihtric needed to do was wait. The frustration of his lost dream in the back of his mind with the promise of seeing his siren in the flesh.

He told the men to use the next few nights to do as they pleased. In the distance, a small town could be seen. Some of the men suggested a night away from their ship, swapped with another group the night after.

But Sihtric…he declined that offer. A captain remained with his ship, was all said. One of the few times he acknowledged his station.

Night began to fall. A handful of men remained on deck, simply enjoying the night air. Sihtric however, walked the sands. Waiting for the sky to finally darken, and for his siren to appear, for real this time.

There was something oddly familiar about the beach. The more he walked, the more he realised he had been here before. Only last night, in fact. It had been his own dream, as Sihtric had suspected, but his siren’s influence had dug deep.

He soon found himself stood on a familiar shore. Familiar waves lapping at his feet as he kicked off his boots. Letting the warm water wash over his skin. His hair loosened around his shoulders, only a linen shirt and his trousers clothing him now.

And he waited.

The air cooled, moonlight replacing the sun. Sihtric’s eyes trained out on the sea, waiting for any sign of her. He had no idea how long passed before he saw a head bob above the water. Something told him she had waited below the waves for the right time.

And just like the dream, she rose from the water. Even more beautiful bathed in the pale moonlight. Almost shimmering as she walked on to the shore. The same dress clinging to her body. Inky hair in waves as it dried in the night air.

No dream could have ever done her justice.

“You came,” she smiled, cupping his cheek as she had in his dream.

Sihtric returned her smile, stroking a hand through her hair.

“And you waited.”

His siren wasted no time, pulling his face to hers and pressing a heated kiss to his lips. Sihtric groaned at the taste of her, the sweet yet salty flavour of her lips surpassing his dream.

As they broke for air, Sihtric pressed his forehead to hers. A tension lingered between them. Should he be cautious, yes. Sirens were not mortal or human. They didn’t live as humans did.

But Sihtric hadn’t felt like this for the longest time. His heart racing, stomach fluttering in anticipation. Even if it was just for a moment, he was going to enjoy what he had.

His siren’s hands smoothed down his shirt, curling beneath his collar. Another kiss, gentler this time, pressed to the corner of his mouth.

“Shall we finish that dream, my sweet sailor?”

Sihtric Taglist:

@legitalicat @foxyanon @thenameswinter99 @multyfangirl

@sihtricsafin @alexagirlie @gemini-mama @towriteloveontheirarms

You had been stood up by a man you had met on a dating app. You got ghosted all the while you had been waiting at a table set for two, at the cute and cosy coffee shop downtown. For over an hour you had anxiously checked your phone for any texts or missed calls from your date, before you realised no one was coming to see you, and no notifications ever appeared. Another date gone wrong, and you were done. You deleted the app off your phone as you stomped through the narrow street, passing the crowded shops and bakeries. Your hands trembled with anger and your cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

'They should all be damned,' you continued to curse quietly, shoved your phone in your purse, and your hands in your coat pockets. 'They should all be damned to hell. All those who toy with our hearts as if we are nothing. Useless creatures men are, all of them.'

This wasn't the first time you were stood up by a guy, but it was the last thing you needed to happen after a string of miserable dates. It was February and, with valentine's day lurking around the corner, you groaned upon seeing all the lovey dovey ads in every store window and billboard as you walked through the city centre. You wanted to get home immediately, desperately wanted a shower to wash away the shame and anger you felt after thinking maybe this date could be "the one". It was your favourite bookstore that made you stop your pace and turn, after you had stormed past the entrance already. If anything, you weren't going to let some stupid guy ruin your whole day. He had ruined a good hour of your day already, and that was enough. Some book browsing never harmed you, and you needed the comfort that came with the store. It always embraced you warmly with the scent of books and freshly brewed tea and coffee from the little bar in the back of the shop, and today was no different.

You calmed down while your eyes darted over the numerous books in front of you. The thoughts and memories of your failing love life were drowned out slowly, making room for the interesting covers and titles that caught your attention, yet none interesting enough to reach for and flip through. You sighed at the second disappointment of the day, sometimes even the book store couldn't please you. You turned to leave the store after a little while, but then you stumbled upon a table that held various books about spirituality and witchcraft. You snorted at first, not being one who indulges in those topics unless it came in the form of a spicy romantasy book. And yet there was one title that caught your eye and drew you closer.

Your feet moved to the table as if they had a will of their own, and you picked up a book called Love Spells. Your fingers traced the golden letters printed upon the black cover, before you flipped to the index page. Your eyes landed on a vast variety of rituals, which would supposedly give you everlasting love. You rolled your eyes at the nonsense, yet couldn't stop yourself from turning page after page, until you saw one ritual that was so odd you simply couldn't look away and ignore it.

Bonding ritual

What you'll need:

Rose petals (fresh or dried): 

Rose petals are a symbol of love, lust and passion.

1 red candle

2 drops of blood (your own)

Blood is vital to love and life. It makes the ritual more powerful, intimate and personal.

Graveyard dirt (one tablespoon)

They say "'till death do us part" for a reason, adding some graveyard dirt will guarantee you to have a love that will last even after death!

You made a face; a mixture of amusement and disgust. No way that this could work. Or could it? That split second of hesitation caught you entirely off guard, and you closed the book as you turned on your heels. Once again it felt as if something took control over your feet as you made way to the cashier. You didn't know what came over you at that very moment, but something told you that you had to try the ritual. Your love life was a disaster already anyway. So what's the worst thing that could happen?

February 9th

Days after your book purchase you pondered about the ritual. Chances of it failing and being absolute nonsense, as you suspected, were high. But that tiny chance of success and finding the love you so desired kept gnawing at you. You had two of the main ingredients already: the dried rose petals and your own blood, naturally. You only needed to obtain the ridiculous component that was graveyard dirt. You refused to be seen scooping up dirt in the public graveyard, just outside of town, so you had to come up with a different place if you really were going to do this. 

You paced around and wanted to fling the book into the trash bin next to your desk. But just when you wanted to give up on the ridiculous idea of doing the ritual, you suddenly remembered the old and abandoned castle which stood on the hill and overlooked your small town. Surely that place had a graveyard. You had a vague memory from when you were a child, of the rusty gates and half broken tombstones that sat at the back of the old castle, and you figured that the dirt had to be considered graveyard dirt too. It seemed ridiculous and it was a half hour drive, but if you were going to do something as grotesque as this ritual, you might as well go all in.

The castle had been forsaken for centuries. At least that's how the tale went. For once a powerful and important nobleman lived there and ruled over what was then a small village. The previously small village was a small town now, your town, and the castle was merely kept as a reminder of the history in which a lot of blood had been shed. But another story which had been spread over time said the castle was still there because it was haunted. Some believed that the spirit of the man who once lived and ruled there was still roaming the corridors, and tearing the building down would unleash a curse so great it was said to destroy the whole town. And nobody was ever brave enough to fact check that.

The old grey building was a haunting image from every angle, with its turrets and overall gothic architecture. It was eerily quiet when you stepped through the rusty old gate that was left ajar. Up ahead was a massive wooden door, but you followed the small trail that led around the gigantic castle, to the private graveyard you remembered from your childhood memories. You kneeled down at one of the half shattered headstones. The nobleman's last name was only half visible due to the cracks and crumbled stone, but you knew the man who was supposedly buried beneath your dirty sneakers went by the name of Sihtric Kjartansson. 

You were not one to be scared easily, but the absence of any sound made you hurry. There was no distant noise coming from traffic or birds, not even the wind was heard and the high tops of the massive trees stood completely still.

'Sorry if this is considered desecration of a grave,' you mumbled and scooped a tablespoon of dirt in a plastic cup, sealed it with its lid, and then made haste back to your car without looking back.

February 13th, the night before Valentine's day.

You chuckled to yourself as you sat on the floor, in the middle of your darkened bedroom. You held the black book of love spells in one hand and lit the red candle in front of you with a match.

'What am I doing?' you mumbled and shook your head, then sighed. 'Well, here goes nothing.'

You grabbed the dried rose petals and crushed them in your hand as you read the words on the page out loud.

'With these petals I open up my heart and mind for unconditional love,' you said, a little uncertain, and you dropped the petals in the candle's flame, 'come to me.'

'With this dirt,' you continued and held the cup of graveyard dirt, 'I invite my yet unknown lover to love me in life and after death. Come to me.'

You sprinkled the sand carefully around the flame, to avoid extinguishing it by accident. You then took the small knife that was on the floor next to you and put the book down.

'And with my blood,' you said and hissed softly as you made a small cut in your ring finger, 'I bound myself to my yet unknown lover, forever and in eternity. Come to me.'

After your blood had mixed with the petals and dirt in the wax, you were quick to put a bandaid on the small wound and picked the book back up again.

'And now,' you continued to read out loud, 'I demand my love to come to me, to find me, to own me. This is my will, so it shall be.'

You took a deep breath and felt oddly powerful. You sat in silence for a few long seconds and then made a disappointed face. Your room remained quiet, and even though you had just done your first ever ritual, it seemed as if nothing had changed. And it was underwhelming.

'That's it?' you furrowed your brow, 'really?'

You felt a little disappointed as you looked at the burning candle. No great flames shot out from the candle, no howling wind rattled your doors, and no demonic creature took over your body. Nothing happened, absolutely nothing. Only your white curtains danced very faintly in front of your open window, the pale moonlight shining through the fabric as you just sat there.

You then shrugged and got up to close the window, and carefully placed the burning candle in the window sill so it could burn out safely, just like the book had instructed, and after that you simply went to bed.

'Another failed way of finding love,' you sighed and turned under the sheets, 'but at least no one witnessed this embarrassment, unlike being stood up in public.'

You tossed and turned for a few hours, and it was only right before you fell asleep that the hairs on your body stood up. It suddenly felt as if a colossal shadow was watching you, from the dark corner of your bedroom, but a heavy sleep pulled you under before you could blink again.

A restless night followed. Dreams that transformed into nightmares pestered you in your sleep, and it felt all too real. Images of the castle's graveyard, clouded with thick fog, made you toss and turn in bed. You wandered barefoot through the fogged up and muddy graveyard, towards the grand entrance of the ominous looking castle, and the way your feet touched the cold wet cobblestone floor as you explored the dark building made you shiver.

An open and empty casket stood in a dark stone hall, which made you whimper softly as you slept. It felt so real. The sight of the large, dark and open coffin, its lid thrown on the floor, made you stop and stare, as if you were completely frozen for what felt like hours. It was only the sudden howling of wolves and the sight of the great black predators emerging from the shadows behind the casket that made you turn and run. You ran out of the darkened hall and into a large room, which was lit by flames dancing in the hearth, and there you were abruptly stopped as you ran into a large dark figure.

The figure stepped into the moonlight, revealing to be a bare and breathtaking man, with his dark curls half shaved and his pale muscular torso gravely scarred. The stranger stepped towards you, but you felt no fear. You were only mesmerized and enchanted by his looks. You believed that if you could shape the man of your dreams, he would look exactly like the man in front of you. You looked at him in awe for a moment. But the handsome man suddenly grew ugly as you stepped closer, his face began to fall apart and bugs crawled out of his rotten flesh and cracked skull. Bats and rats emerged from the shadows as the man seemed to dissolve of sorts, and you ran again as fast as you could. 

But you never made it out of the castle, not that you could remember at least. You jolted awake and sat up in your own bed, trying to catch your breath from the night terror you had just awoken from.

'It was just a dream,' you whispered to yourself, while the sun started to appear outside your window. 'It was just a stupid dream,' you scoffed, 'that's what you get for doing a stupid ritual before bed.'

It had just been a nightmare, that was all. Except when you got out of bed, you found your feet were covered with dried mud. You looked at your window sill and found the candle had burnt out overnight, just as intended. You figured that the dirt on your feet was merely some accidentally spilled graveyard dirt from your ritual, which you had stepped into before going to bed. And you took a shower to rinse yourself of the haunting feeling that lingered.

But your confusion didn't end there. It continued when you heard a knock on your door, hours later, and were surprised with a delivery. Two dozens of red roses were left on your doorstep, with no messenger in sight. Snow drizzled down as you picked up the flowers and closed the door. You inspected the flowers as you stood in your kitchen, and found an envelope tucked away which was sealed with red wax. Inside was a letter, handwritten in black ink:

Centuries I have waited to be awoken from my slumber.

You, my darling, have called upon me and given me life again. 

We are bound to one another. I will love and cherish you in ways you can not foresee.

I am yours and you are mine. I will act accordingly to preserve what belongs to me. 

I shall be eagerly awaiting our next meeting.

Yours for eternity,

Sihtric Kjartansson

'What the fuck?' you mumbled, then snorted as you looked for any clue that would reveal this was a joke. But when you found nothing, you looked at the letter again. 'Wait, next meeting?' you frowned as you read the letter over and over again, but nothing made any sense.

You placed the enormous bouquet of fresh flowers in a vase and sat back, staring at the roses on your kitchen table while you tried to piece together what was happening. It was ridiculous, but the timing of delivery made you wonder if the ritual had actually worked. You laughed dryly at the thought, and then felt a mild panic take over as your fingers traced the letter you still held in your hands. Either your ritual had worked, or someone was somehow aware of the ritual you had done and played a sick joke on you. You weren't sure which was worse. The idea that someone you had seemingly summoned was here to love you forever, or that someone was probably spying on you. Because how else would anyone know what you had done? For a brief moment you wanted to believe that the guy who had stood you up the other day felt bad about it and apologised. But that didn't make sense either, since his name was Aethelred, and not Sihtric. And although both names sounded ancient, you quickly discarded the idea, because you were pretty sure Aethelred didn't know where you lived.

You went over the night before and your haunting dream multiple times, and you couldn't forget the handsome man you had seen in your nightmare. Against better judgement you allowed a fantasy to settle in your mind. Could the man from your disturbing dream be the sender of the roses? Was he really the Sihtric Kjartansson whose graveyard dirt you had used? 

You had a hard time believing the flowers were really a gift from an ancient corpse, because that was not possible. Right? No, it surely wasn't possible. And yet you felt strangely excited for the first time in a while, despite not understanding where these flowers truly came from, or why the letter was signed by the man who had died so long ago. But regardless, the smile on your face was set for the rest of the day, as it seemed you finally had found yourself an admirer on valentine's day. 

A somewhat secret and mysterious admirer nonetheless.

Your curiosity had gotten the best of you, and only a few hours after the strange delivery you decided to grab your coat and jump in your car. You wanted to curse yourself for going back to the castle, but something inside you simply called to you. You had to go there.

The snow had started to fall heavier with thick flakes while on your way, almost making it seem like the city which the castle overlooked had completely vanished from the world behind a curtain of white and grey. The old building looked isolated from the world, and the wind howled loudly. You zipped up your coat and got out of your car, arms wrapped around yourself to keep warm while you walked to the massive wooden door.

You raised a fist to knock but found the door slightly ajar, as if it had never been locked. You hesitated for a moment, then gave the heavy door a shove and slipped inside the castle. The place was dark and quiet, but not cold like you had expected. It seemed the thick walls made for great isolation against the harsh winters. You remained silent as you carefully shuffled through the dark hallway, using your hands to guide you along the cool wall and into a grand hall. A huge stone stairway spiraled up along the walls, faintly lit by a handful of glassless windows which followed alongside the stairs, through which snow twirled in. The stairs were blanketed with a thin layer of the white powder the wind had carried inside. A massive old and rusty chandelier swung lightly, mounted on the ceiling high above you.

You took a deep breath and walked past the stairs, towards another heavy door which was also left open, as if it was a trail you were to follow. Anyone else would think this was a bad idea. And it's not that you believed it was a great idea, there was just something inside you that kept… calling you. You followed the magnetic pull until you found yourself in a large room, where a fire was burning brightly in the hearth. The room was empty, apart from a huge dining table with only two chairs, and one other grand chair which stood alone and faced the fireplace at the opposite side of the room. The chair's back was turned to you, and suddenly you saw a dark clothed arm resting on the armrest, fingers decorated with rings  that glistened in the dancing flames. You cautiously walked over, just like you felt you were called to do, but froze when you heard a heavy exhale come from whoever sat in the chair.

'You came,' a low voice almost whispered, 'I called, and you came, my darling.'

You stood nailed to the ground as the man in the chair slowly turned his head to you, revealing his devastatingly beautiful face. The perfect face you had dreamt of. The hauntingly pale skin you had seen while you had slept. The mismatched eyes you had seen roll out of his skull. The curly dark, half shaved haircut you had seen turned into a dusty grey, before his skin rotted from his bones and everything death and decay took over. His scent of amber was pleasant, but it reminded you how the stench of rotten flesh had taken over abruptly in your dream.

The man smiled at you, warm and lazily, as if he had been expecting you all along. He then stood up and came closer, his dark fur cloak draped over his large and broad frame. He towered over you and looked into your eyes, while his tattooed fingers reached to briefly toy with a strand of your hair. He was breathtakingly handsome, a man that could bedazzle anyone with a mere glimpse of him.

He inhaled you deeply as his eyes darted over your face, and a low hum sounded from his chest. He then said, slowly, 'I… take… that you liked… my flowers?'

'Y-you?' you stammered, and a deep feeling of terror took over.

'See it as… a small gift… a thank you,' he breathed, 'for waking me… from my slumber.'

You swallowed hard, but your mouth and throat were dry. Everything suddenly clicked, and you then knew for sure that what you earlier thought was the unthinkable, was actually your new reality. Your ritual had worked. And somehow… you had called upon and woken a dead man in the process.

You triple-checked your doors and windows before you jumped in bed and buried yourself under the covers. Your encounter that afternoon had spooked you beyond words.

You had run as fast as you were able to in order to leave the castle, then literally jumped in your car and almost drove off the icy road as you speeded away without looking back. You tried to tell yourself none of it was real. But you knew there was no denying the warmth and electricity you had felt when Sihtric, who was supposed to be dead, had loomed over you in his castle. Still, you tried to convince yourself it was a dream, but you knew damn well you had been very awake and it had been very real. You had the scrapes on your body to prove it. You had earned the bruises on your hands after you ran from Sihtric, into the dark hallway, where you had used your hands to guide you back to the main entrance in panic. And your slightly bruised knees were the result of slipping on ice before you reached the door of your car.

But it had been hours since the encounter, so a part of you believed that this Sihtric guy wasn't out to hurt you, because surely he would've done so already if he wanted to. He even knew where you lived. Yet, he still scared the hell out of you though, because it wasn't natural for someone to be that perfect. Nor was the fact that he had returned from the actual freaking dead.

The vase of roses stood untouched in your kitchen. You were too afraid to touch them, let alone throw them out, so you had just closed the kitchen door instead before you had run to your bedroom. Maybe if you pretended the flowers weren't there, they'd disappear eventually. 

You felt tired and hungry, but you were too exhausted and spooked to eat after everything, and it was already late in the evening by the time you heard your stomach growl louder than the racing thoughts you had all day. Instead of going to the kitchen and facing the roses, you turned in bed and hid deeper under the sheets. This was all a nightmare, tomorrow you'd wake up and laugh about it. Or so you hoped. But before you dozed off, it once again felt as if a dark presence lurked from the dark corner of your room, and then sleep pulled you under within seconds.

You floated through the dark night sky, high above your sleeping city, like a white feather being carried upon a cloud of darkness. You silky nightgown danced in the cool breeze. Snow had finally stopped falling as you drifted towards Sihtric's castle. 

Unlike last time you had faced him, you now felt calm and safe in his presence. His strong arms were secured tightly around your waist as he held you from behind, his amber scent was comforting while his warm lips grazed your ear each time he spoke with his low and soothing voice. You sat in his lap, upon the grey furs that covered the old cobble stone floor, in front of the burning hearth.

'I don't understand any of this,' you murmured, sleepily. 'And I… I am scared.'

'Please, do not be frightened of me. I am not here to hurt you, my darling,' Sihtric whispered calmly. 'But… you called upon me. Woke me from centuries of lonely sleep. My mere purpose is to serve you, to give you everything your heart desires. To love you with everything I am, with everything I own. You asked for unconditional love, you asked to be bound to someone who would love you unlike you have ever been loved before. So here I am, my love. I am all for you. But,' he paused and took a slow, deep breath as he squeezed his arms tighter around you, 'forget not, my angel, you are mine as much as I am yours.'

'Are you real?' you asked, still drunk on sleep.

'I am as real as you are,' Sihtric chuckled softly, then brushed his lips over your cheek and kissed your neck softly. His tongue stroked slowly across your pulse point, then he said, 'I am as real as the blood in your veins, my love.'

You gasped softly and leaned into his touch. The feeling of his lips on your skin was like fire, a roaring heat spread through your body while you surrendered to him. He was, afterall, the man of your dreams. Irresistible. Your head spun as he kissed down to your shoulders, hooked his fingers under the thin straps of your gown and slid them down your arms. You turned in his lap, locked eyes, and kissed him as if something had taken over you. You got lost in his touch, his kiss and his scent. You allowed him to undress you, and in return you unclasped his heavy cloak and let it pool around him. You broke the kiss and took off his dark tunic, then admired his scarred and muscular body for a moment before your mouth was back on his again. He truly was perfect, and you couldn't seem to get enough. You wanted him. Needed him. Every part of him.

As if he could read your mind, Sihtric flipped you on your back and straddled your body with his. He kissed you hard and passionately, drawing blood from your lips and tongue as he bit you in between wet, open mouthed kisses. You moaned into his mouth as you felt your own heat pool between your thighs, while his rough hands trailed over your naked body as he kissed you greedily. You welcomed his hard length with ease as he took you roughly on the furs, in front of the fire, making love to and fucking you for hours until you came and screamed his name.

It was after your climax that you jolted awake in bed, blinded by sunlight as it shone through your open bedroom window. You swore you had everything closed before you had dozed off the night before, but relief quickly took over when you remembered the dream you had woken up from. Yet, a mild feeling of disappointment settled in too. Because the dream had felt so real, and a part of you wished it had been real. As a part of you longed to be with him again.

'It was just a dream,' you murmured, 'just a damn dream.'

Your curtains danced in the cool morning breeze, and you got out of bed to close the window. But when you looked down at your body, you found yourself naked and covered in scratch marks.

Before you could panic, you heard a knock on your door that made you jump. You quickly grabbed your robe and ran to the door, confused and frightened, while also feeling strangely complete and… happy. You opened the door forcefully and were greeted with snow and a cold wind. Again, not a messenger in sight, but there was another envelope delivered on your doorstep. You grabbed it with trembling hands and made your way to the kitchen, where you eyed the roses which had clearly not disappeared overnight. You sat down and opened the red wax seal on the envelope. Immediately a necklace fell out and onto the table as you pulled out another handwritten letter.

My blood is as real as the blood in your veins.

Hold me close, my love, the way I hold you close when we are not near.

Yours, forever,

Sihtric.

Your eyes nearly bulged out of your head, and you looked at the necklace. It was a thin metal chain, from which a small bottle with red liquid dangled as you held it up. You squinted to try and figure out what exactly you were looking at, and your breathing stopped for a few long seconds once you realised what it was.

My blood is as real as the blood in your veins.

Blood. 

The necklace was a vial of blood. 

Sihtric's blood.

You spent your free hours researching the ritual you had done and every possible outcome known. You learned you hadn't been the only desperate soul to perform a stupid ritual to find true love, only to end up more or less accidentally binding yourself to some kind of spirit. The stories you read were terrifying, the only consolation being that whatever you had bound yourself to didn't seem malicious or violent. Sure, your arms and legs were covered in scratches, but you weren't in pain or had ever felt unsafe in Sihtric's presence. Strangely enough, despite not really knowing what was a dream and what was reality anymore, you never felt threatened. You were frightened in a way, but not scared of the man who claimed he had been waiting for you for centuries. If anything, it was kind of comforting that someone finally longed for you.

You researched all kinds of demons and spirits, and at the end of the day you were fairly certain that Sihtric wasn't a demon. Because all you read about demons was how awfully violent and disgusting they were. And that sounded nothing like Sihtric. So, eventually you accepted the fact that he was most likely a spirit of sorts. A spirit you had summoned during your ritual, all thanks to the specific graveyard dirt you had used. You cursed yourself, but deep inside your heart you felt happiness. Because you had finally found your own undying love, who came in the form of a perfectly beautiful man and seemed to be obsessed with you in ways you only ever read about in your romantasy books. 

You knew you should be scared, but you couldn't help thinking of him fondly throughout the day. You wore the vial necklace around your neck and absentmindedly stroked it with your fingers. Whether everything had been a dream or not, you longed for him. And every hour away from him only made your need for him stronger, made the pull to go to him more powerful.

You left for the castle again just before midnight, after you had paced for nearly an hour in your living room. Your need to be with Sihtric was stronger than your rational mind, which was begging you to stay away from him. But you refused to listen and decided to only follow your heart.

You leaped into his arms once you met him again. He had waited for you in the dead of night, standing in the door of his castle like a statue. He wrapped his arms and cloak around you, sheltered you from the cold winter night as he kissed you, and then led you inside the warmth of his gothic home. It didn't take long before you kissed him as desperately as you had done in your dream the night before, if it had been a dream at all. You completely surrendered to him without hesitation. You relished in the feeling of him inside you, and you kissed passionately while you made love like feral beasts, on the furs in front of the burning hearth. Only afterwards did you engage in conversation, as Sihtric held you tightly in his arms, both still naked and half covered with his cloak.

'Why did you give me this vial?' you asked as your fingers trailed over the bottle of blood around your neck again.

'You gave me your blood when you did the ritual,' Sihtric murmured in your ear, 'so I gave you mine in return.'

You smiled at that and closed your eyes, sinking deeper into his arms.

'Are you… alive?' you asked.

'Yes and no,' he answered, 'yes, I am living in the sense that I am capable of everything the living can do. I bleed when hurt, I grieve in case of death, and I love without boundaries. But I am dead in other ways. I can breathe, but I don't have to. And unlike you, my love, I have no beating heart inside my chest.'

'How is that possible?' you whispered your thoughts out loud.

'I am a vampire,' Sihtric revealed, 'and your ritual woke me. I can take on many shapes, and this is the shape you wished for me to have, even if you were unaware. You see me exactly the way you want to see me, my love.'

You chuckled and turned in his arms.

'And you are perfect,' you whispered and kissed his lips. 'You really look like a vampire, you know?' you smiled, 'those sharp fangs, your pale skin,' your eyes wandered over his face, 'too perfect to not be a vampire.'

'Because I am a vampire,' Sihtric smiled, 'does that not scare you?'

'No,' you said after a few seconds, 'you do not scare me.'

'Good.'

'So… you really are a vampire?' you asked as he remained serious.

'Of sorts,' he said and kissed the tip of your nose.

'How… how old are you?' you swallowed hard.

'Are you asking how old this human form you gave me is? Or how old my soul is?'

'Both.'

'My human form is somewhere in his thirties,' Sihtric said softly, 'my soul, well, I'm not sure you really want to know, darling.'

'I do. Tell me.' You pressed your forehead against his, your hand resting on the nape of his neck while his arms were still wrapped around you.

'Three-hundredth and eighty six years old.'

You gasped, and Sihtric closed his eyes with a soft sigh.

'Please, do not run,' he whispered as he held you a little tighter.

'I won't,' you reassured him, 'but… you don't age, do you?'

'Not really, no.'

'But I will,' you said, sadly, 'over time, I will grow old…'

'My love,' Sihtric smiled and softly nudged your nose with his before he kissed your lips, 'you know nothing of growing old. That is nothing you ever have to worry about, I promise.'

And after those words, you fell asleep in his arms. Only to wake up in your own bed again the next morning, after a loud knocking on your door had pulled you from your dreams.

Another gift was left on your doorstep. This time you found a beautiful red dress inside the massive box, and another handwritten note.

Tonight we will become one.

Yours, forever.

Sihtric.

You smiled at the cryptic message and didn't hesitate to try on the dress. It looked as if it was made for you, the way the velvet fabric fitted your body perfectly. Butterflies fluttered in your stomach when you met Sihtric again at his castle that night. He was dressed in a dark suit with red accents that matched your dress, and he kissed the back of your hand before he led you inside. You wondered about the effort to dress up, as you expected this night to be the same as any other, and thought you'd end up naked in a matter of minutes. But this night was different. This night you danced to the sounds of an invisible orchestra, in the middle of his grand room where the fire burned brightly in the hearth again. 

Sihtric kissed you gently, patiently, as he held you tenderly in his arms. The violins slowed their tune, the melody becoming hauntingly sorrowful as Sihtric slowed his steps. You came to a halt, and he leaned in carefully, with one hand on your lower back as the other cradled the back of your head.

'Do not fear me, my love,' Sihtric whispered. A sharp fang grazed your ear before his grip on you tightened. 'The ritual is almost complete. But in order for us to be together, as you intended,' he paused to place a gentle kiss on your neck, 'you will need to die first.'

You gasped at his words, and it dawned on you what was about to happen before he could sink his teeth into your flesh. You shoved him away, your sudden move startled him and made him release you as he stumbled backwards.

'No!' you said with a cry, 'you… you can't kill me! That is not,' you gasped for air, 'that is not what I wanted! I asked for love, not to die and become some kind of creature!'

'My love,' Sihtric said, his voice unsettingly calm, 'do you not understand what you have done? Hm? Do you not understand what you have asked for?'

'What do you mean?' you asked, heart pounding out of your chest.

'You bound yourself to me with your blood,' the hungry vampire growled, 'and your blood I shall have. You will never know true love, the love you so desire, if you do not complete the ritual with me.'

'Meaning I have to die to complete it?! I never agreed to that!' you shouted, 'I never agreed to become a monster! Or to be with a monster!'

'A monster?' Sihtric chuckled without a trace of humour, 'you demanded me to come to you!' he barked and stepped closer. His tall and threatening figure towered over you as he continued, 'you demanded a love for eternity! You opened up and gave your heart and mind to me!'

'No,' you cried, 'no, not like this.' You hiked up your skirt and ran for the door. 'I do not want to be with someone like you! And I will not die for love!'

'No!' Sihtric's deep voice echoed louder than humanly possible, and he chased after you with ease. 

'Stay away from me!' you screamed.

Sihtric grabbed your arm before you could run out the door, and he hissed, 'I warned you before that you are mine as much as I am yours! You can run, little thing,' he grinned devilishly, 'but remember that you. Are. Mine. Wherever you may run to, I will find you. And I will have you.'

'You promised you would never hurt me!' you spat and tore yourself out of his grip, 'and you will never have me, you demon!'

'You! Are! Mine!' Sihtric shouted after you, and his dark voice followed you in the night as you ran, while thunder rolled over the city. 'You can never hide from me!' he snarled, lightning flashed as he spoke. 'We are already bound! And you… you will come back to me willingly, my love! But until then, I shall tear out the hearts of any man who dares to look upon you with lustful gaze! I will rip out every tongue of those who dare to speak to you! And I will feast on the hearts of those who think they could win yours! You belong to me, my enchantress!'

July 13th

Your life had turned back to normal long after the disastrous ritual you had done the night before valentine's day. At least, somewhat back to normal. It had taken you months to understand, accept, and get over what had happened between you and Sihtric. You mourned the loss of your dark love as if you had been together for years. You felt hollow ever since you last saw him, and you had thrown away everything he had gifted you the same night you last ran from him. The roses, the dress, all the handwritten notes and their envelopes ended up in the trash. Everything… except the vial of Sihtric's blood. Because somewhere, deep inside your cursed little heart, you still loved him and couldn't pretend he never existed or never meant anything to you. You still longed for him in ways you knew you would never long for anyone else. But you couldn't allow yourself to die for him, no matter how much you loved him.

It hadn't been easy to pick up your life again, for it always felt as if Sihtric lurked from the shadows in the night, no matter where you went, no matter how much time passed. For months on end you woke in the night and swore you heard him call for you. His voice most nights was a mere whisper in the wind, but some nights it was as violent as a clap of thunder. But you never acted on it, no matter how hard it was to ignore him. No matter how sweet he sounded or how scary, you never gave in. It was painful, physically and mentally. Your whole body ached to be with him, as if you had a constant fever for months. But you also learned that the more you ignored his invisible presence, the more he slowly seemed to vanish from your life over time. 

And when summer arrived, you finally felt free and alive again.

You picked up a new job and even decided to start dating again. You truly believed all was well for a little while. But you found out in gruesome ways, after your first date, that nothing would ever be well in your world again.

Each and every man you went on a date with was brutally slaughtered by the end of the night, as he walked you home, by the vampire who you had bound yourself to months ago. Each and every man would scream in terror upon seeing Sihtric emerge from the shadows of a dark and empty alley. And no matter what you did or said, nothing could stop Sihtric from killing those who thought they could take you away from him. He feasted on their blood while they prayed to their gods or called for their mothers. Some men called you a "witch" before they died, as if you had lured them to the creature of night. And all men called Sihtric a "hideous creature", "a beast from hell", "a rotting corpse", and "Satan incarnated". 

You never understood why those men used their dying breaths to try and insult their killer. Because to you, despite his bloodlust and extreme possessiveness of you, Sihtric was still the most beautiful man you had ever seen.

Yet each time you witnessed his brutal nature, you ran and hid from him. You knew you could never fully escape him, but you couldn't be near him either. He was a relentless killer, and you continued to try and push him away, dating even more men who were strong and powerful, and you hoped they would be able to perhaps fight Sihtric. But it was all to no avail, as so much blood was shed in the span of a few weeks. And the amount of innocent men who lost their lives because they came in touch with you was something you didn't know you could really live with. Every lost soul was one too many, a fate none of them deserved. All had been kind and respectful to you, yet they all died after that one date. 

You had witnessed most deaths, and at one point you hoped that maybe you could deceive Sihtric. Maybe if he never saw a man walk you home, he would never figure out you had gone on a date. Or maybe if you didn't go out on a public date, he would never find who you had met up with.

But the newspaper headlines told you Sihtric was always watching, and no man you came in contact with would ever be safe. They all died by the hands of a monster you had unleashed upon the city. And after every single murder, you would find a handwritten note left on your doorstep.

"Mine."

"My forever."

"My eternity."

"You belong to me."

"You are mine."

"Come to me."

And after a while it didn't even matter if you had gone on a date, or simply had smiled at a random guy in the grocery store, or even thanked a lady who held open a door for you. They all wound up dead in the night one way or another, and then realization dawned on you; Sihtric would kill everyone around you until there would be no one left. He would slaughter a whole town if it meant you would come back to him and hold up your end of the deal.

You belonged to him. You were bound to him.

And no man or woman would ever be safe from Sihtric, unless you surrendered and allowed him to take your life. And he was right all along, you realised, because you eventually returned to him willingly. Because you needed to put an end to this horror.

July 30th

'You found your way back, my love,' Sihtric murmured as he held you in his arms, 'you returned to me, like I always knew you would.'

You silenced a whimper when you felt his lips kiss your shoulder, his arms wrapped tightly around you from behind, caging you against his strong body. You wanted nothing more than to run, because you knew how vile this perfect looking man could be. You had seen the horrors he had committed without remorse, and you knew he would never let you go. He couldn't. Because of your ritual, nothing would ever stop Sihtric from having you. The only way to keep him from murdering every single person in your small town, was to leave behind everything you ever had and give your life to him. Only the sacrifice of your heart and blood would put an end to the accidental curse you had bestowed upon yourself and your town. 

So, yes, you had returned willingly, but only because there was no other way. Only because your life was not worth more than the dozens of innocent people who had already died at your lover's hands. But you couldn't tell Sihtric that. Not when you turned and looked up into his beautiful mismatched eyes. Not when you inhaled his pleasant scent. Not when you traced the scars on his perfect face. And not when you raked your fingers through his soft curls. Your heart was still beating for him only, and you hadn't felt this alive anymore ever since that last night you had escaped his castle.

'I had to learn for myself I couldn't live without you,' you half lied, lips brushing against his, 'I had to see for myself how devoted you were to me.'

You knew that you loved him so deeply, you truly wouldn't be able to live without him. But your rational mind also knew you wouldn't be happy after being turned into a vampire.

'I killed all those people for you, my love,' Sihtric murmured as he rested his forehead against yours, 'I knew you would eventually understand how much I love you. That I would do anything for you, because you are mine.'

'And you are mine,' you whispered, then softly kissed his lips.

The kiss deepened gradually, and Sihtric lowered you onto the rugs in front of the burning hearth. His cloak draped over you both while you devoured each other, and you allowed yourself to enjoy the feeling of someone truly wanting and loving you unconditionally, before it would all be over.

'Sihtric,' you whispered, 'I want to be with you, forever.'

You carefully took the vial of blood from your neck and held it up.

'Turn me.'

'Are you sure, my love?' Sihtric asked in awe.

'Yes,' you smiled. Because you will not stop until you have my life.

You tipped your head to the side, staring into the flames as you exposed your neck to him. A deep growl sounded from his chest, and he kissed your neck lovingly before his teeth pierced your skin. Sihtric gulped your blood like a starved animal, and he only withdrew his fangs when you became weak in his arms.

'My darling,' he breathed, your blood dripping down his chin, 'now drink me.'

Sihtric unscrewed the vial and held you up as his blood dripped on your tongue. And it was then that you finally understood what those dying men had been so afraid of. Because it was then that you saw the hideous, rotting corpse Sihtric actually was. Not the perfect man you imagined him to be, no, that was just another one of his demonic tricks to draw you in. You had summoned and unleashed an actual demon, and you were going to kill him.

A single tear slid down your face while you smiled up at him, no longer seeing the beautiful face he wore for you, but seeing the disturbing figure from the very first night you had dreamt of him. His flesh was torn and rotten, and bugs crawled out from his cloudy eyes.

'You,' you whispered, fighting to get any air in your lungs while your heart was seconds away from taking its last beat, 'You…'

'Tell me, my love,' Sihtric whispered as he held you close.

'You… will… never… have me.'

Sihtric froze at your words, and you then used your last strength and final breath to slide your bare feet under his cloak and kick it into the roaring flames beside you. The fire spread within seconds, setting the room and everything in it ablaze. Including you and your demon. The fire burned you both to ashes, and you were freed of the curse you had called upon yourself. Free from the demon who had claimed you. Free from the man of your dreams you had woken from the afterlife. Free from a love that was never true, but had only been a diabolical force of a dark ritual you had performed.

And the castle would crumble down in the flames, and become one with the ancient burial ground. And the ashes of you and Sihtric would be scattered in the howling wind, carried far away from the town you had saved from its lurking evil.

@thenameswinter99 @chubbgal @cheesesandwichsanto @leftoverp1zza @rick133

@alexagirlie @viridian-dagger @jasminecosmic99 @grlwtskulltattoo @gemini-mama

Your daughter Astra had grown. She now stood nearly as tall as you at fourteen years of age. Every day, she reminded you of Sihtric just as she reminded him of you. You were grateful her blood did not win out in the determination of who she was. She was far gentler than her blood, smarter. A near perfect flower, thankfully only knowing the love of Sihtric as a father.

Ten years had passed since your marriage. It was a good time. Your husband did not settle with his age, as some thought would happen, yet you did not wish him to. Watching him be just as excitable now as the day you met him, just as much a warrior, was everything you had hoped.

In your marriage to Sihtric, you had welcomed four more children. Twin boys, Bjorn and Finn, were birthed in the first year of your marriage. They were near perfect replicas of Sihtric physically, Finn even having heterochromia like his father, but you thank the gods every day they were calmer than he was. Four years after that, you welcomed another girl, who you named Frida. She was a perfect mixture of you and Sihtric, though she fully embodied his spirit. And just half a year ago, you welcomed a baby boy you named Aksel. Sihtric told you he looked a lot like his own mother, and he was by far your easiest babe.

Sihtric was a doting father. His relationship with Astra never wavered, even as their family grew. When the twins came, he determined that each child had to have time with him alone. They all spent moments together as a family, of course. Though he could not ever let his children think they were not everything to him. With Frida’s arrival, he dedicated more time to spending with them instead of taking time away from them for her. With Aksel, while the boy was much too small to do what the older children do, he would make sure that every he would take as much of his care on that he physically could.

Astra was at an age where she liked spending some time alone, especially when Sihtric was off on raids. You did not push as she would come to you when she felt like it. And with the little ones, you knew it could be a bit overwhelming. It seemed that just allowing her this freedom made her want to spend time with you all instead of withdrawing more.

You had taken your boys and Frida just past the tree line. Berries were plentiful, and Finn especially loved to pick them. For every three, he would toss one. He said it was a gift for the birds. Bjorn would toss one in his mouth for every two berries he picked, saying it was a gift for him. You watched as Frida started to pick berries only to start watching the butterflies.

It was a good life, truly. While you had been a warrior, and one day would be again, your heart was contented by taking care of your family. Your soul felt contented when you got to see your husband’s return.

As if the gods themselves were listening to your thoughts, the bell signaling the warriors returning rang through the distance. Bjorn and Finn immediately stopped what they were doing and began running back into town. Frida giggled as she stood up and walked over to you to take your hand. Forgetting the baskets, you took your two youngest excitedly into town.

When in the center of town, you saw Astra hugging Sihtric tightly around the middle as he lifted Bjorn into the air and Finn wrapped himself around Sihtric’s leg. Choruses of the twins gleefully telling their da about their days nearly drowned out every other person. Frida pulled desperately against your hand and you let her go so she could run to him.

Sihtric’s laugh when Frida wrapped around the other leg wafted through the air like the most beautiful melody. He loved his children so much that it was enough to make one ache. If he hadn’t been so insistent on you needing breaks between children, you’re sure you would have given him more. If for no other reason than because he seemed happiest with them.

“Alright, my precious kits, line up for me,” he said with a laugh before putting Bjorn on the ground.

You stood off a bit to the side, giving him his moment with them. He had always allowed them to greet him however they wished. It was the best way to feel their love for him, he said. And after a few moments, he would like them up and greet them individually, so they could feel his love for them.

“Little one,” he said as he hugged Astra. He had tried once a few years ago to change her nickname to something different, something more fitting. But she wouldn’t allow it, taking pride in the nickname.

“I missed you, papa,” she said, hugging him back just as tightly.

In your eyes, their relationship was so special. He never looked at her differently once the twins were born. She was his just as the children of his blood. At times, you almost forgot that she wasn’t. Sihtric was quick to remind everyone at any opportunity that she was his.

“Just as I missed you, little one,” he said quietly. He kissed the top of her head before pulling away and kneeling down in front of Finn. “My fierce little warrior, you must have grown a foot in my absence.”

Finn wrapped his arms tightly around Sihtric’s neck and laughed. “I eat what ma tells me to so I can be strong like you, da,” Finn told him. “I made sure to protect everyone.”

Sihtric chuckled at his words. Finn, having been just a few moments older than his brother, took it upon himself to be the man of the house when Sihtric was gone. Despite Astra being able to hold him at bay with the handle of her axe, Finn insisted he was the strongest warrior in Coccham. He took his job seriously, too, circling the house at night just as Sihtric does, at least once, to make sure there were no surprises. Your husband only indulged these thoughts, assuring him he would one day join the raiding party with himself, Osferth, Uhtred, and Finan.

“I have no doubts,” Sihtric said. He planted a kiss on top of Finn’s head, making the boy giggle before he pulled back and turning to Bjorn. “The slyest fox in all of Wessex, you have grown too,” he said happily, taking Bjorn into his arms.

“Ma said I can have berries when we pick them,” Bjorn said defensively, hugging Sihtric back nonetheless.

Sihtric always thought Bjorn was the most mischievous of the children. Sometimes he would hide for a while just because he found it funny. Other times, he would sneak a roll or sweet when he thought nobody was looking.

Your eyes shifted for a moment to see Astra and Finn greeting their uncles. Astra took great comfort in having all of them home. She said it was when she felt safest. Finn, sensing his sister’s ease, would also calm down a bit and be a bit more playful. With a small smile, you looked back to your husband.

“And I am certain you take all you can get,” Sihtric laughed. A kiss to the top of the head and he pulled away, letting Bjorn join his siblings with their uncles. He then turned to Frida. “Butterfly, oh I almost did not recognize you, you grow more fearsome.”

Frida giggled and hugged him. He stood, lifting her up in his arms. Frida did not say much, always being quiet and more reserved. She was merely contented in being held by him.

Then Sihtric looked up at you. His still wide smile softened. The love he had for you was just as evident now as it was the day you married. To him, you were perfect and beautiful. A fearsome woman, of course, but a treasure worthy of the gods. He kissed Frida’s head and handed her to Osferth, arguably her favorite uncle, before walking up to you.

“My littlest kit,” he said softly, kissing Aksel’s forehead.

“And just as sweet as the oldest,” you commented, smiling up at him.

He rested his forehead against yours, still looking down at the babe in your arms. Your heart felt as though it grew three times in size as you leaned into him. Just as his love had never waned for you, yours never had for him.

“I missed you,” he said softly as pulled back to look at you.

“I missed you,” you told him. “We all did.”

Sihtric chuckled softly. “Seeing you all rush to greet me after the journey we had, I do not doubt it.”

“I could not hope to contain them if they know you approach. A testament to you as their father,” you said to him.

“And the fact you come just the same?” he asked you.

You chuckled quietly. Uhtred came over to you both, giving you a quick greeting, before wordlessly asked for Aksel. All you did was smile and handed him the small boy to Uhtred. He walked away, leaving you alone with your husband.

It was perfect, to be beside him. A wonderful feeling deep in your soul. It was a feeling shared between you both. One that had been forged long ago, from the death of Sigefrid that had brought you peace.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you,” you whispered.

He turned to look back, making sure all the children were taken care of. When he counted each of them, he turned to you with a sly little smirk on his face. Then without a moment, he lifted you over his shoulder and started carrying you towards your home. Your laughs echoed down the street, your heart heavy with how much love you had. Your life was truly perfect.

Sigefrid Thurglison, rather quickly upon marrying you, decided his family’s wealth and power would be found in England. So, you sailed along with him and his brother to find this for yourselves. You, the dutiful wife, who knows your fate would be worse had you denied your father’s arrangement. You, who disappointed your father from birth by just being a daughter, who he could only use as a piece in his games but never actually respect. You, who married a man just like him.

You knew what you were. A bargaining chip, a prize. Something akin to a crown, symbolizing power. With your own father being a man who bargained in fear rather than respect, you weren’t surprised when your husband was the same.

You remained silent throughout. You played your part well, perhaps too well. Your name was used as a way to remind men of the force your husband could bring upon England. Even if they weren’t directly familiar with your father, they remembered the tales their fathers spoke to them, and they bowed at Sigefrid and Erik’s feet.

Until they met a man by the name of Uhtred. You couldn’t tell if he wanted to die or if he was just too stupid to realize that death was a very real possibility. But he was quick to anger your husband and his brother through way of opposition. And, apparently, Uhtred did not heed warnings well. He was unconcerned with the possibility of your father showing up.

“If he wanted England, he would be here,” said a voice from behind Uhtred upon your first meeting. You looked for the source. When you saw the man, you were certain your heart stopped for a moment.

You had seen beauty before. Land, sky, men, women, all of which held a certain captivating air about them. And yet there had been nothing as beautiful as the man who stood before you. You heard Uhtred refer to him as Sihtric, and your eyes made their way over his form. From his brown hair, to his striking yet mismatched eyes, over the angles of his face, and the swell of his muscles that already could be seen straining against the silver bands he wore, there was no part of him you felt was not hand crafted by Freyja herself to be the perfect embodiment of everything she represented.

And Sihtric noticed you. By the gods, did he notice you. You were pretty, prettier than any woman he had ever seen. He couldn’t tell what started swelling faster when he saw you looking back at him and smile: his cock or his heart.

That was the day he swore he would have you.

When he saw you again, it had been over three years. He hadn’t gone a day without thinking of you if he were honest. He was waiting so he could have his chance with you. Those few moments of seeing you was what carried him through the years. You were the face he saw with every victory and every stroke of his cock.

He only wishes it were under better circumstances.

You still resided in the fortress after Sigefrid laid dead on the ground. You knew the only way any of this would end would be if Sigefrid died. And you knew, as you listened to the herd of feet approach the room you were hidden in, that he had.

Sihtric was the first in the room. He knew that Sigefrid would never leave you far behind. It was unfortunate such a man had the honor of being your first husband. Sihtric, though, was perfectly fine being your last.

A feeling that did not waver when he saw you holding a small child close to your body. There was a fear in both of you, but you had the rage of a mother in your eyes. He could see it, and he wanted you more for it.

“He is dead?” you asked Sihtric as others, Uhtred and another you vaguely recognized, came into the room.

Despite having only seen him once, you knew Sihtric could be trusted. You couldn’t explain why. Maybe it was lust clouding your judgement. Perhaps it was a sign. Or maybe you were being stupid and crazy and you would only end up right back where you have been your whole life.

But, his eyes made you feel like that would never be the case again.

“Aye,” he said to you. “How old?” He nodded towards your child, your daughter, who looked at him in fear. He held up his arm, wordlessly keeping Uhtred and the other man from coming any closer.

“Four. She was born here, before we were sent away,” you told him truthfully.

“Her name?” he asked you. He continuously looked between your faces, barely capable of holding himself in place and not taking you in his arms.

“Astra.”

He said nothing else to you for the moment, instead crouching down to be on the same level as your daughter. She clung to you tightly.

“Hello, Astra. Are you hurt?” he said quietly to her. In silence, she shook her head. “Is your mother?”

“Mama is safe, I am safe,” she whispered.

It caused your heart to ache when you heard her repeat the words you told her when everything got quiet. Had you never left England, you would’ve been able to leave Sigefrid. You knew you would have had somewhere to take Astra to keep her safe from him. But when your husband was banished, he swore he would return with your father, and you knew better than to wait around for that. Your only saving grace now was that your father had died before you got back to Norway.

“Would you like to leave here? You and your ma can come with me, if you would like.”

Astra looked up at you, tears in her eyes as they had been all day. You knew that while Sigefrid had never touched either of you, he had given you both more than enough reason to be fearful. And you wanted so badly to make sure she never had to live with this fear again.

Your daughter looked to him and nodded silently. He extended his arms towards her slowly.

“Come then, little one. I will get you out of here,” he said softly. Astra, who had never trusted anyone but you, walked directly into his arms.

The sight of his arms wrapping themselves around her small body caused your heart to ache. It was something you had never thought to wish for, your daughter being in the arms of someone but you. Now you could only pray that this was her new normal.

“I’ve got you little one,” he whispered and stood up, holding her close. “I want you to close your eyes tight and put your forehead against my cheek until I tell you. Can you do that for me?”

She nodded. You watched as she squeezed her eyes shut, her whole face squinting up. Her forehead rested perfectly against his cheek, her brown hair matching his in a shocking way. It almost felt as she was made of him.

“You are as pretty as your ma, brave just like her too,” he told her. You were surprised when you heard her giggle. He looked to you. “Take my arm, Lady. “

You did as he said, stepping closer to him and holding tightly to his arm. He made sure you were not questioned or stopped as he led you out of the fortress. He already had stepped in as your protector and you barely knew him.

When you were outside the walls and far from the carnage, Sihtric finally stopped. You watched as he sat Astra down to stand on her own. He told her it was safe to open her eyes, and she looked relieved when she opened them and saw you.

“Lord,” Sihtric said as he saw Uhtred approach. He instinctually moved to stand between you both.

“Are more men following him?” Uhtred asked you, looking at you over Sihtric’s shoulder. His hand remained on his axe, though he did not unsheathe it.

“He was the last of them,” you told him. And that was the truth. Any men that hadn’t abandoned him before this battle laid dead.

“Do you have anywhere to go?” he asked.

You knew the truth of what he was asking. You were a widow now. Your husband’s family were meant to take care of you now, and your daughter. But Sigefrid was the last of his family, having killed his own brother during his last rampage. Their father had long since been dead and had no living brothers.

“No, Lord,” you told him. “He had no surviving family. And my own father died two winters ago. I was the only child.”

He looked past you to Astra. You could see in his eyes he did not trust you. And you did not trust him. You could not find it in you to trust anyone but Sihtric. But good men, which you ultimately believed Uhtred to be, did not harm little girls.

“You may come with me and my men, then. Until you find other…arrangements,” he said gruffly.

It was three and a half months when you began to worry about your future. You thought of Astra and worried endlessly for her. Her father’s reputation would stain her future forever, you feared. You had no way to provide for her truly. Should your fears be proven true, you wouldn’t even be able to arrange a proper marriage for her when the time would come.

But, you thought perhaps you were worrying too much for Astra. You stood in Uhtred’s hall, watching as Sihtric, Osferth, Finan, and Uhtred spoke, Astra settled peacefully on Sihtric’s lap. She was loved so deeply by Sihtric, and by extension the men he fought beside, one could be forgiven for thinking he was her father. Interestingly enough, she looked more like Sihtric than she ever did Sigefrid.

Uhtred looked to you and nodded, having noticed your presence for the first time. You two had a somewhat uneasy trust in each other now. Well, trust that if either of you betrayed Sihtric, or the others, the other would respond with a blade. And that seemed to make you friends.

Sihtric noticed you, immediately lighting up when he looked at you. He beckoned you to him, to Astra, the both of them holding your whole heart.

You were insane, you knew it. But from the moment you saw him those years ago, you loved him. He was obvious. You would burn down all of England for him if he were to ask.

He had never done anything but protected you and Astra from the very first moment. The day Sigefrid died, it could’ve been so much worse for her. But Sihtric was the one to make sure that no bad ever touched her since he met her.

It was one of many ways that everyone knew you two would find your way to each other. Sihtric would give everything for and to you. As far as he was concerned, the universe began and ended in you and at your feet he would worship. And there had never been a moment in which you doubted his devotion to you or Astra.

“Go say hello to your ma, little one,” Sihtric said softly to Astra.

“Okay, papa,” she giggled as she crawled off his lap while you knelt down.

It was not the first time she had referred to him as such, but it touched your soul every time you heard it. Sihtric looked to you immediately to make sure you did not think to correct her. He was not deluding himself into thinking his presence in Astra’s life could erase all the bad. But he knew, without a doubt, that she was his. From the moment he first held her in his arms, she was his girl and there was no argument he would listen to.

Your darling girl ran into your waiting arms. She was giggling, as she had done since your arrival in Coccham. She was happier than she had ever been. She felt more peaceful.

“Mama, mama, papa is making me an axe,” she told you excitedly.

“Oh is he?” you asked, raising an eyebrow as you looked up to Sihtric. He blushed brightly, especially when Uhtred and Finan began to tease him for being in trouble.

“M-my love, I only,” he said, beginning to attempt an explanation.

“She will need an axe if she is going to be on my shield wall one day,” Uhtred told you, grinning from ear to ear. He stood from his seat, drumming a bit on the table, before he jogged over to you and Astra. “And if there is one thing my Little Star will be it is an excellent warrior.”

You watched as Uhtred picked her up and put her on his shoulders. She squealed and giggled until she was settled on her perch.

“If you are teaching her, then I consider myself lucky to have such a warrior in my home,” you said, standing, while grinning ear to ear. “Perhaps she will be knowledgeable enough to teach our next child.” You looked directly at Sihtric as you said ‘our’.

“Our next ten,” he said back to you. He was still blushing a bit, but he enjoyed these moments.

“And you shall birth them all? If it is up to me, you get five,” you said to him.

“You would give me five more children?” he asked excitedly. You could practically see him buzzing.

“Should you decide to take me as your wife,” you said nonchalantly, shrugging to him as you walked over to the table he sat at.

Once you were in his reach, his arm wrapped around you, hand resting on your hip. There was no hesitation from either of you as Sihtric pulled you onto his lap and you wrapped your arms around him.

At first, you had withheld from such public affection. You were only a few months a widow, you felt as though there was some need to respect your loss. But, when your husband had been so cruel to everyone around him and Sihtric was such a soft presence, you lasted perhaps a week before you made your affections clear.

“You honor me, my love,” he said softly. “To think you have already blessed me with one, and are willing to bless me with more. One would be a fool to deny the chance to be your husband.”

You kissed his cheek. It was truly simple with him. There was no darkness. Only love and warmth flowed between you both.

“You will make sure she is careful?” you asked him, bringing the conversation back to the idea of Astra getting an axe.

“Of course, my love,” he confirmed to you. “You know nothing means more to me than the safety of my girls.”

It was less than a month later that you were married. Sihtric made sure it was everything you dreamt of it, everything you were not afforded the first time around. He was watching as you danced with Astra. He loved both of you more than anyone had loved two people.

“Congratulations,” Uhtred said as he sat next to Sihtric. “You will make a fine husband.”

“Thank you, Lord,” he said, smiling. His eyes went between you and Uhtred rapidly, wanting to make sure you never disappeared.

“I see our Little Star got a hold of your hair,” Uhtred smirked as he grabbed a drink. Sihtric’s hand moved to his head, where there was a tiny braid in his hair.

“There is no finer braider in all of England,” he said. “Finan has offered to keep her tonight.”

“Did he tell you Osferth and I were asked to come too?” Uhtred chuckled.

“He did, Lord,” Sihtric laughed, taking a drink of his ale. He sat the cup down, looking to his Lord, his friend. “I want her to be mine.”

“She already is,” Uhtred said. “Nobody will deny that.”

“No, I mean....I want Astra to be just as the children of my blood. I want her to inherit, I want to be responsible for her. Entirely. And should she and my wife allow, I want to give her my name,” Sihtric said.

Uhtred could see a determination on his friend’s face that he had not quite seen before. It shone through in a burning heat. He lived for the family he had with you now. No oath superseded his oath to the two of you, and none ever would.

“Should they wish it, it is done. I will make it known Astra is to be no different than any child of your blood,” he promised his friend. “Now, go dance with your wife. Take her to bed. We will keep our Little Star.”

With a clap on the shoulder, Sihtric stood from the table and began to work his way through crowd to you. You were twirling Astra around, making her laugh and laugh. He could not imagine a more perfect life for himself.

Sihtric chuckled when Astra noticed him and ran into his legs. He knew she was his. She was meant to be his daughter. He could not be bothered by something as trivial as blood. He, of all people, knew family was not limited to blood. Family was created by love, and he loved her enough to create a universe.

Then there was you, his dear wife. He thought you looked stunning in your dress, the deep red color feeling like the physical representation of his love for you. You were more than he could have ever dreamed of. All of his life, he wanted to be what his father wasn’t. A good, honorable man who stayed for his family and loved his wife. A man worthy of love and respect.

And he realized that’s exactly how you saw him.

“Hello, my love,” you said to him when you saw him.

“Are you talking to me?” he asked teasingly, picking Astra up when she stopped dancing.

“Yes, my love. Though, perhaps you would much prefer my husband,” you said, smirking.

“Aye. After all, I will never call you anything but my wife again,” he said and rubbed his nose against Astra’s cheek.

“Hehe papa,” she said as she hugged him tightly. “I love you.”

Sihtric could feel his heart skip a beat. She had called him papa for months at this point, that was no surprise. But, Astra had not told him she loved him. And there was something so precious about hearing it.

“I love you, little one,” he said softly, pressing his lips against her forehead.

You smiled at the two of them. You wanted to hold this moment in your mind for the rest of your life. Capture it, freeze it for all of eternity, something you could hold onto and remember love.

“Now little one, Uncle Finan is excited to start your time together. Your ma and I will see you in the morning,” he told her as he sat her down.

“UNCLE FINAN I AM COMING!” Astra shouted as she ran off through the crowd.

Every person parted to let her through, allowing your eyes to follow her path to Finan. She was loved by most any in town. Her personality was loud and bright enough so that everyone knew her. Of course, it helped that she was always right by your side, and you were always close to Sihtric.

And you knew, at least within the confines of the town walls, she was safe to move about. Most everyone would agree that harming a child is egregious. Everyone agreed that harming your child was the fastest way to ensure a brutal death by the hands of Sihtric, and a quick one by Uhtred and Finan. Even Osferth, sweet Osferth, would pray for his God’s forgiveness as he took the life of anyone who would lay a finger on Astra. She was loved, she was safe. For the first time in her life she did not flinch when she was more than an inch from your skirts.

“Being my wife suits you,” Sihtric told you, drawing your eyes from Finan and Astra to him.

He looked at you with pure adoration. He worshipped you. Made certain that he loved you enough to make the bad parts of your life feel like another lifetime.

“Just as being my husband suits you,” you said to him, wrapping your arms around his neck.

His arms wrapped around your middle, pulling you tightly to him. He breathed you in, feeling overwhelmed by you. Everything about you was intoxicating to him. From your beauty, the way you smelled, the way your body pressed against his own, there was nothing that could dampen his desire of you.

“Then it seems we are in agreement,” he said.

“That it does,” you said softly, leaning forward slightly. Your lips hovered next to his ear. “And I think I would like to feel my husband.”

You felt him shudder with your words, the unmistakable hardness of his erection beginning to dig into you. It had not been difficult to get him excited these last months. Even after both of you had agreed to wait until you were married, you had enjoyed riling him up before he returned to his own home.

“I have dreamt of this night for years,” he muttered to you. “From the moment I first saw you, I knew you were mine. I dreamt of my cock sinking deep into you for hours on end.”

It was your turn now for a shiver down your spine. There was no part of you that could deny dreaming of the same thing for just as long. In the years trying to exist outside of England, the nights where you went to bed amidst yells and cheers during another fight to the death for Sigefrid’s amusement, you dreamt of his mismatched eyes. Of his sharp beauty. Of a life you now got to share with him.

You weren’t sure who broke away first between the two of you, but it wasn’t long before you were walking down the streets to his, no your, home. The home you would grow old together in, gods be good. And the two of you couldn’t keep from stopping every few feet, pulling the other for a deep, passionate kiss.

When you finally arrived at the house, he picked you up and carried you over the threshold. In fact, he did not put you down until he could place you on the bed. You had barely recognized that you were laying on it before he was hovering over you, repeatedly kissing your neck.

“Such a pretty wife,” he muttered with every kiss. You put your head back to expose more of your sensitive skin. “Have been blessed, haven’t I? Blessed by the gods to be given such a pretty wife.”

You placed a hand on the bag of his head and gripped his hair firmly. Despite the pull on his hair, you only brought him closer into you. You could feel him starting to grind himself against your thigh, desperately looking for some relief.

“Fuck, Sihtric,” you moaned out. But when his name left your lips, he nipped at your neck quickly. It took you by surprise, causing a quiet squeak to escape you.

“Be a good, pretty wife and do not use my name tonight,” he whispered in your ear.

“Such a demanding husband I have,” you teased. “So desperate to fuck me he has to rut against me like an animal.”

He groaned into your neck at your words, his right hand beginning to fumble with the fastenings of your dress. You ignored the shaking of your own hands, your need of Sihtric outweighing your nerves. This was meant to be, after all. And you had faith it would be perfect.

“Use your mouth for better things and perhaps I will let you fuck a child into me tonight,” you told him. This time it was not a groan, but a quiet whimper, that left his lips. His fingers struggled with undressing you, the way it was held to your body being more complicated than he had thought.

He pulled back entirely, sitting up on his knees as he began reaching for the knife he carried. He cut the fabric of your dress away from your body. You stared at him, eyes heavy with lust.

“Nothing but a dress, you can replace it,” he told you. You could only nod at him as he helped remove the material away completely. After a moment, the tattered remains of the dress and his knife fell together to the floor, just as quickly forgotten.

He stared at your naked form. He could not help it, truly. Everything about you was perfect for him. He leaned forward and kissed you once more, before his lips started trailing down your body. Along your jawline, down your neck, over your collarbone. He only took pause when he got to your breasts. Sihtric’s left hand began pawing at one while his lips wrapped around your nipple.

You moaned quietly as he sucked while massaging your soft flesh. Your eyes fluttered shut, whimpering every time he decided to graze your nipple with his teeth. You wanted to beg him to give you more, to pleasure your aching cunt.

He groaned to himself before pulling away from your breasts entirely, muttering a promise he would play with them more. You almost started to laugh, only for it to catch in your throat when his fingers found your slick. He smirked down at you.

“You must really enjoy this, wife,” he whispered teasingly. His fingers ran up and down your folds, deliberate in their light touching of your pearl.

“Of course, I have only dreamt of you as my husband a few dozen times now,” you told him. Your thighs trembled a bit as you resisted the urge to buck your hips into his hand.

He hummed quietly as he allowed his finger to sink into you. While you became a whimpering mess, he just slowly thrust his finger in and out. Never had you known such bliss. His finger felt thicker than you had anticipated.

“What is it, pretty wife? Cannot think through your pleasure?” he asked you, looking directly into your eyes.

Your resolve finally broke. With a moan, you allowed your hips to move to meet his hand. All you could think of was chasing your pleasure with him.

“You say I am demanding, but you are so needy,” he cooed. He pushed another finger into you, curling his fingers slightly with every thrust of them. His touch was perfectly focused on the spongy spot inside you.

“Love, my love, please, fuck, please,” you moaned. You couldn’t finish a single thought as you felt a band tightening behind your navel.

You had only experienced such a feeling with yourself. Pleasure had never been at the forefront of your life. Until now, at least, since Sihtric seemed determined to make you reach that point. He increased the speed of his fingers movements.

“Cum for me,” he practically demanded of you. His voice was quiet, meant only for your ears, but forceful in nature. “And then I’ll give you my cock. Such a good girl, you deserve it. Don’t you, my love?”

“Y-yes,” you whispered. You gripped the furs under you tightly, the edges of your vision going fuzzy.

“Deserve my cock, deserve my love. You have both, entirely, you understand?” he asked you, his thumb barely ghosting against your pearl.

“Yes, fuck, my love, my husband,” you whined pathetically. It seemed to please him, at least enough.

His thumb finally rested against the bundle of nerves, rubbing circles in time with every thrust of his fingers. The band finally snapped as you cried out, back arching off the bed. A jumbled mess of his name, husband, love, and expletives left your tongue.

You were able to watch as Sihtric removed his touch from you entirely. He brought his fingers to his lips before he sucked them clean, earning another whimper from you. And then you got to watch him undress, his shirt and pants being flung away in a matter of moments.

You weren’t entirely sure which of the gods had blessed you, but you thanked everyone of them when Sihtric stood naked before you. His toned chest and stomach was near flawless, save for a few scars earned in battle. The Thor’s hammer pendant rested against his taut chest. Your gaze washed over the grooves of his form, able to count each muscle, until they finally landed on his cock.

He was blessed even then. His heavy cock bobbed with need. When his eyes caught yours, he smirked at your hungry gaze. He was long and thick enough to make you question just how exactly you were meant to take him in entirely.

Sihtric couldn’t hide his smirk when he grabbed you by the hips and pulled your body closer to his. He groaned softly as his cock now rested against you, already collecting your slick.

“I love you,” he said to you, his voice softer than the cocky look etched on his face would have you expect.

You tried to stutter out some response before he started rubbing himself against you. Anytime the head brushed against your pearl, the feeling stole your words and sent shockwaves through your body. There was a pride he felt at already having you responding like this before having even fucked you.

“I love…fuck, fuck me, fuck I love you,” you finally managed to get out.

“Good girl, using your words,” he cooed. He moved his cock to start pressing against your entrance. “Are you going to keep being a good girl, love?”

“Yes,” you said weakly and nodded

He smiled at you. He grabbed your leg gently, hooking it on his arm, as he leaned down to bring his face closer to you. Your knee pressed against your chest while he kissed you. You melted into his kiss, your hands releasing the furs you laid up on to hold his face gently.

Your kiss only ended on account of the way he couldn’t hold back his whines and whimpers when he pushed into you. He couldn’t help the way your name left him when you took half of him without issue.

He pulled himself away to look down at your face. After a moment, he looked between your bodies and groaned when he saw you impaled on his cock.

“Fuck, such a pretty wife I have,” he muttered. “You ready for more, my love?” he asked when he reconnected your gaze.

“Yes,” you told him, nodding eagerly.

He groaned as he moved his hips forward. It was pure bliss for both of you. His cock throbbed with every thrust, your walls clenching tightly around him. Every nerve ending in both of you felt like it was on fire as your connection only grew. Sihtric watched you every second, trying to make sure it was as mind blowing for you as it was for him.

His speed increased desperately. He needed more, you needed more. Your hands roamed his body, your moans filling his ears like a beautiful song. The head of his cock kept moving against the spongy spot inside, making your thighs tremble once again.

You watched him as he thrust into you. His pendant and your breasts moved in time with his thrusts, captivating him. You could see him teetering the line of control and instinct. He wanted this to be sweet for you, to be perfect, everything you deserved. He has heard enough stories of your life to know you deserved more than to once again be used for someone else’s pleasure.

“Such a good husband already,” you told him, gripping his biceps. His gaze softened when you spoke, his hips stuttering a bit. “We have all our lives for you to make me scream your name in pleasure, do we not? “

He nodded wordlessly. His cock never once stilled in you as he watched you. He kept grunting under his breath, every noise ending in what sounded like a whine.

“Then I say tonight, I want you to finish inside of me until there is no doubt that come morning I am carrying your child,” you commanded.

His mouth hung open, his hips slowing a bit as he stared down at you. You could see him searching for any uncertainty on your face. Yet, he could search for his entire life and never find in you any doubt of him.

You couldn’t help yourself. You leaned up and took his pendant of Thor’s hammer in between your teeth before looking directly into his eyes. His thrusts picked up in speed, going harder and deeper than before.

He closed the gap between you, his lips coming next to your ear as he finally released your leg. On one side all you could hear a symphony of skin slapping against skin as he fucked you at an almost bruising intensity. In the other, he began to whimper and whine for you.

“Pretty wife, amazing mother,” he whispered in your ear, punctuating each word with a thrust of his hips. He was throbbing inside you and you could feel just how close he was. The way he twitched and pushed against you, his weight pressing into your chest, the band started to tighten again.

“Already a desperate man for you,” he grunted. You were incapable of getting any sound to leave your mouth. All you could do was focus on his word, his sounds, his movements. He was all you knew to be true in this moment.

“Can’t wait to see you pregnant. Probably prettier, round with child and tits swollen with milk. Fuck,” he said to you as his hips started stuttering more frequently.

Your orgasm overcame you finally, causing you to cry out his name. You were barely aware of his whisperings still in your ear.

“That’s a good girl, fuck, yes, my pretty wife,” he practically growled in your ear. Finally, his thrusts stopped, his cock buried inside you as he released ropes of hot cum into you. Sihtric let out a sound with every throb.

You were trembling when he pulled himself from you, breathing heavily. Carefully, he maneuvered the furs out from under your body before carefully covering you both. You moved closer to him and laid your head on his chest. His arm wrapped around you, holding you as though he was terrified of you walking out the door.

You laid there in silence for several moments, basking in the way you felt. With being given from your father to Sigefrid, you had never known much of love or safety. You had never really known kindness. You had feared for so long that the violence and chaos both of them had brought into their lives and halls would haunt you forever.

Yet, laying here in Sihtric’s arms, you almost couldn’t remember how they made you feel. He made you feel so powerful, so loved, so worshipped beyond belief that you would now go days without thinking of the horrors of your past. Even Astra seemed to feel nothing but safety and love.

You turned your face to look at him. He was looking happily down at you, a cheesy, lazy little grin splashed on his face. You were certain nothing could get better than this.

“I love you,” you said softly. “Especially your eyes.”

He rolled them, yet the smile never faded. “Which is your favorite?” he asked.

“Oh no, that is like trying to choose a favorite mountain, or snowflake. Each so unique, so special, one would be an ignorant fool to pick a favorite,” you told him, smiling up at him. “Luckily, I do not have to. I get to enjoy them until I die.”

“Oh? And if I die before you?” he teased, kissing your forehead.

“You are not allowed. I cannot let you walk into Valhalla without me there to greet you, even if that means I will need to pick up an axe again,” you said simply. It was your truth. “I have spent my entire life waiting for the love you give me. You are not allowed to ever make me live without it again, husband.”

Sihtric tried to hide it, but you could see him wiggle just a bit, his smile spread further, when you addressed him as husband. In the moments past, he was too distracted by lust. But now it was sinking in, for both of you, and you felt just as joyful as him.

“Of course, wife. I would not dare leave you to raise our ten children alone,” he said, smirking as you laughed.

“I believe I said five more,” you told him, raising an eyebrow.

“I believe Freyja will bless us with a small army, as much as I plan to bury my cock in you,” he told you, kissing your forehead. “Speaking of.”

Sihtric smirked before kissing you again, pulling you on top of him. You felt your laugh rumble in your chest as you couldn’t help but kiss him back.

You were finally no longer a bargaining chip.