Runaway - Halfdan Imagine
Pairing: Halfdan the Black x Reader
Warnings: References to a sexual situation, but no actual smut. Also vague references to past abuse, and the anxiety that comes with it.
Requested: @dreamcatchercouture (This is my first full length imagine request, so I hope it’s okay. Also, sorry that it is days later than I planned for it to be posted.)
Summary: The reader has run away from an abusive marriage and finds themselves in Kattegat where they meet Halfdan. Halfdan takes an interest in them.
It had been days since you had ventured into any towns, trying to scavenge food from the woods, but you were no hunter and the lack of proper nourishment was starting to weigh on you. You promised yourself that the next town you passed you would stop to find real food. You had run from your home to save yourself, and you were not going to let fear force you to starve to death.
Late the next day you stumbled into a seaside village bustling with people. You waited at the edge of the forest, observing and trying to place where you were as the sun began to set. You had never been here before, but from what you could tell it was the town of Kattegat, one of the biggest ports in Norway. There was a chance you might run into an associate of your ex-husband here, but since the only people you knew that had been to Kattegat were traveling traders, the risk was lessened. You pulled your hood up further over your head, in an effort to cover your face and quietly made your way into town. You stuck to the shadows listening to conversations and trying to piece together a little more about where you were and figure out how to get food.
A little while later a conversation about a feast caught your ear. Apparently some men from the city had recently returned from raiding and there was going to be a feast in the great hall to celebrate. You decided it might be a good place to sneak some food away, you could use the crowd to disguise yourself. You followed the pair that had been discussing the feast, walking at a distance behind them and hoping they were headed to the hall. Soon they reached it and you slipped in behind them.
The hall was full of men and women drinking, eating, and dancing. The stench of burnt meat and ale caught your nose and suddenly you were gripped with anxiety. You had not prepared yourself for being surrounded by this many unfamiliar people. You swallowed hard and forced yourself to take a few deep breaths to calm down. Realizing that your hood was probably suspicious you pulled it down and let your hair your hair fall forward in hopes that it could conceal yourself your face enough for no one to recognize you. After a few more deep breaths you forced yourself to move. Once again sticking to the shadows as you moved through the hall. You took in your surroundings and started to look for plates that had been abandoned, hoping that everyone around was too focused on their own merriment to notice you. You slipped by a few tables swiping a few bits from here or there and tucking them into the pouch on your belt. You managed to snag a few pieces of bread and meat, even an untouched but also unfamiliar fruit. Suddenly a dark haired man appeared at your side and thrust a horn of ale into your empty hand. You were about to panic and run, but as fast as he had appeared he was walking away.
“No one goes without ale tonight!” He called out behind him as he moved on to find someone else without ale to bestow with a horn. You let yourself breath again, looking down at the horn in your hand before taking sip. You let the warm liquid sink in and allowed the familiar burn to calm your nerves just the slightest bit.
What you had yet to notice that night though, was the man across the hall who had spotted you the moment you entered. Halfdan watched as you had made your way around the tables. He did not recognize you, but your strange behavior had intrigued him so he observed from afar, catching the fear that had crossed your face when the man with the ale had suddenly appeared at you side, and the relief when he had continued on his way leaving you alone again. He watched as after that you had continued to sneak around sipping ale and sneaking food from around the tables. He watched as you placed the empty horn down on a random table before slipping out of the hall as quickly as you had entered.
You had decided to leave quickly before anyone else noticed you slipping into the night. AS the cold chill of the night air hit you though you changed your mind about returning to the woods. Instead you opted to stay into, hiding in the concealed corner of someone’s barn so that the walls could protect from the chill of the wind that had picked up while you were inside.
The next morning Halfdan found himself thinking about you. He thought about your strange behavior at the feast and he could help himself from wondering who you were, where you had come from, and most of all what caused you to hide in such a way. Without realizing what he was doing he found himself wondering through Kattegat, keeping an eye out for you as he went. As he walked he ended up near the edge of the town, which is where he stumbled across you.
After spending the night in a strangers barn you were eager to leave town, but did not want to raise any suspicion. You had walked through the town, slowly making your way to the edge of it so that you could slip into the forest unnoticed. Your hopes of going unseen immediately shattered when you a heard a voice call out not far from where you were.
“Hey, you there!” You heard a man call from behind you. No one else was around so you knew that he was addressing you. You turned and tried to remain calm as Halfdan approached you. You did not know who he was so somewhere in your mind you thought that maybe he was a friend of you ex-husband about to try and drag you back home. He came to a stop in front of you, a little too close for your liking.
“What is your name?” He asked in a surprisingly calm manner. Still, the question caught you off guard and your brow furrowed in confusion. When you did not answer immediately he repeated the question, this time more sternly. “What is your name?”
“Uhh…it’s..(Y/N)” You stuttered out, answering honestly because you could not come up with a lie.” You felt your blood run cold in fear.
“I saw you (Y/N), last night at the feast. I am Halfdan, brother of king Harald Finehair.” The introduction coming almost as an afterthought and you felt fear take an even tighter hold on you. “You were sneaking around, like you were hiding. So tell me (Y/N), who are you hiding from?” He waited for your answer, genuine curiosity in his eyes. You thought about your answer wondering if the truth would cause you anymore trouble and racking your brain for a believable lie. Eventually you found yourself blurting out the truth again, or at least part of it.
“Asmund, earl Asmund…” You let yourself trail off before you accidentally revealed any more of the story. Making a mental note that you would need to become a better liar. At your confession Halfdan had eased up, his posture becoming more laid back and relaxed.
“Asmund, I’ve heard of him. He has no friends here in Kattegat.” He responded, hiding the relief he felt that your enemy was not a prominent figure in the town. Maybe you would be able to stay, maybe he would get the chance to know you better.
“Are you sure?” You ask, barely more than a whisper, feeling yourself lean in slightly. Curiosity overtook you, maybe this could be a more permanent hide away for you, if you were out of your ex-husband’s reach.
“Yes, so it would appear you do not have to slip away in secret after all. Though if you do stay I would recommend finding another way to get food, we don’t have feasts here every night.” He tried to put a playful tone in his voice so he would seem less threatening to you, it did not really work.
The two of you stood there in awkward silence for a moment before he gave you curt nod and walked off leaving you to decide on your next move. Would you stay in a town where you might be safe or run away again to put even more distance between you and the past?
It had been a few days since Halfdan’s encounter with you as you tried to leave Kattegat. He had not seen you since, believing that you had left the city like you intended. The thought weighed on his mind making him worry that he would never see you again. Which is why he was surprised when he found himself staring at you on the beach one day. He had been checking with one of the men that was making repairs to one of his brother’s boats when he looked over and saw you sitting on the beach. You were with a few other people, what appeared a to be a fishing net in your lap, you were fiddling with its strings. It was not until a long moment later, when the man he had been talking with turned back to his work that Halfdan realized he had been staring at you with a smile on his face. His conversation now over Halfdan made his way towards you, not really knowing what he planned on saying, just that he was happy to find you still in Kattegat.
“(Y/N),” he called out to you as he approached. You turned to see him walking your way and then said something to the people you were working with before standing and walking over to meet him.
“Halfdan,” You addressed him. He came to a stop standing in front of you, the pair of you a few paces away from the others.
“It’s been a few days since I have seen you I thought maybe you had left Kattegat.” He said as he raised an eyebrow.
“I had thought about it, but after a lot of consideration I decided to stay.” Halfdan mulled over your response.
“And you have decided to help with the fishing?” He asked.
“Well, I required food and shelter and I found a family willing to provide me with both if helped with the work.” You tried to give a, not entirely convincing, smile as you spoke. Halfdan nodded and smiled back at you. It was the first time you had seen him smile and you found it almost comforting. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by someone else calling his name.
“Halfdan, come on brother we have preparations to make!” A man with dark hair shouted from a little ways away. Halfdan turned and saw his brother standing there.
“Just a moment,” he called back. Then he turned back to you. “My apologies, I have to go, my brother Harald.” He gestured towards the man behind him. You nodded in understanding.
“No need for an apology, I should return to my work as well.” You both nodded awkwardly at each other, not really knowing what else to do, before going your separate ways. You returned to the fishing net you were repairing and Halfdan walked off with his brother.
Halfdan ended up on your mind almost constantly for the next few days. You found yourself looking for him pretty much wherever you went , you even wandered around the great hall unintentionally hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Eventually you did manage to see him. He was standing outside the hall talking with his brother. Neither of them caught you as you watched them.
The two of them were deep in conversation. You could not hear what they were saying, but it seemed like Halfdan was telling his brother something. What he was talking about had brought a smile to his face and it seemed to amuse his brother as well. The two talked for quite a while before finally turning back to the hall and heading back inside. Once the two of them were out of sight you started to move away from the hall, not wanting to be seen as an eavesdropper. As you were walking away though, Harald exited the hall once more behind you.
“(Y/N),” He called out. You turned at the sudden sound of your name surprised at sight of Halfdan’s brother, the king. “It is (Y/n), right?” He asked, and you nodded nervously. “Nice to meet you, I am Harald.”
“The pleasure is mine.” You replied, still unsure of where this conversation was going.
“It is fortunate that I have found you here, as I was on my way to find you.” This brought you only confusion.
“I wanted to let you know that there is a feast being held in the hall tonight and I wanted to make sure that you would attend.” Your brow furrowed. “My brother, it seems, has become fond of you.” He added with a smile. You noticed yourself smiling as well. “So you will come?”
“I… I will think about it.” You knew that you wanted to go tonight, but you could not promise that you would, as you did not know if you would have the courage to later.
“Well I hope to see you there, as we will not be around much longer. The feast is to celebrate before we head off to England.” He let you know that he was serious with a stern look before he headed off toward the beach.
You had finally decided to go to the feast and made your way up to the hall, where things were already in full swing. You approached carefully, a little nervous about being back in the crowded hall again. You quietly stepped in to the hall and stuck to the edge of the room as looked around for the two brothers. Unbeknownst to you Harald had seen you the moment you walked into the hall. He smiled to himself before tapping his brother on the shoulder. Once he had Halfdan’s attention he pointed to you, clearly looking around the hall.
“It seems your friend is here.” He said, sending a cheeky grin in his brother’s direction. Halfdan waved him off with slightly embarrassed laugh before heading in your direction. You spotted Halfdan as he walked towards you. You smiled at him and gave you one on return.
“(Y/N), I was not expecting to see you here tonight.”
“Your brother invited me.” You both looked in Harald’s direction and as he met your gaze he raised his horn in your direction, before away.
“Of course he did.” Halfdan commented as he turned back to you. You both laughed somewhat nervously, Halfdan shifting his weight from one foot to the other. After a short moment Halfdan gestured to nearby table. “Would like to sit?” You nodded. The of you took a seat next to each other, awkwardly trying to figure out where to start talking.
After some nervous small talk, he started to tell about his ventures with his brother. You two then started to exchange stories from your adolescence. Things became more comfortable as you both enjoyed one another’s company. As you spoke you leaned in closer to one another, and you were comfortable by his side. Eventually, though, he reached the dreaded subject that you had been avoiding.
“I don’t want to pry, but, may I ask you why it is you are running from earl Asmund?” You could tell he was nervous to ask the question and you sucked in your own nervous breath.
“It is a long story.” You looked at him and he waited for you to continue. Sighing, you began to tell him. “The short version is that we were married.” Halfdan looked at you in surprise. “It was not by my choice, or even his I think. It was necessary though, no matter how much I hated the idea. I was stuck with him and I was miserable.” You forced yourself to swallow the tears you felt as you spoke. “I wanted to leave, but even though he did not want me as his wife Asmund would have taken offense to me divorcing him. So I knew I would have to run away, and I waited for the perfect moment before leaving my town as fast as I could. I knew he would send some of his men after me and he did. I escaped them, but I was worried that maybe they would be searching nearby towns. That is why I was so nervous to be in Kattegat.” Halfdan nodded in understanding. You felt bad not telling him the whole story, not telling him exactly what kind of monster your ex-husband was, but you could not bring yourself to say the word out loud; to tell him how Asmund had hurt you.
Sensing your discomfort on the subject of your past Halfdan changed the subject by talking about the plans for setting sail to England. You were relieved to move on from the topic and even more glad that it seemed Halfdan had not been put off by your confession. The two of you were once again caught up in pleasant conversation as he told of his plans for battle against the Saxons. You were enraptured by his tales of battle and his courage.
The two of you were so absorbed in your conversation, or really in each other’s presence, you had almost forgotten about the hall full of people that were dancing around you. Until one man in his merriment tripped, falling into Halfdan and almost spilling a horn of ale onto him. The movement surprised you, the shock causing memories and the anxiety they brought with them to flood through you. Meanwhile Halfdan was helping the poor fellow back onto to his feet, laughing off the moment and sending the man back to his friends with a pat on the back. Halfdan turned back to you with an amused smile on his face, one which you tried to return. He caught the hint of fear in your eyes, the same fear he had seen before whenever he had startled you.
“Perhaps, it is time for us to go somewhere where we will not be surrounded by so many drunken fools?” Halfdan asked and you nodded, the hall had begun to feel much smaller leaving you wanting to practically flee from it. Halfdan smiled and held out his hand for you. “Walk with me?” With little hesitation you took his hand and allowed him to pull you from your seat, leading you out of the hall. Once outside you found yourself breathing a small sigh of relief as you took in the night air. Halfdan released your hand and paused standing in front of you.
“A bit more relaxed out here?” His question was asked with a slight tone of amusement, but for the second time that night you saw concern written across his face.
“Yes, it is,” you gave him a small smile. “There is certainly more room to breathe.” You comment, and he chuckles. He nods to his left and starts walking in that direction and you follow. As you stroll through the town a strange but not entirely uncomfortable silence falls over you. Eventually, it starts to become gradually more uncomfortable as you can see in Halfdan’s eyes that he is about to ask you a question you do not want to answer.
“You did not tell me the whole truth, back in the hall, about why you left your husband, did you?” You immediately felt a lump form in throat as he asked the question, the one you both already knew the answer to. Swallowing, you both continued walking side-by-side, not making eye contact, as you thought about how to respond.
“No, I admit I did not tell you the whole story, like many it is a story that is hard to tell and I fear I am not quite ready to tell it.” You took in a deep breath, hoping he might not press any further. He nodded slowly taking in what you had said. The two continued walking slowly forward in a moment of silence as he decided how to respond, your apprehensiveness growing.
“Well, regardless of the reason, I am glad you found your way to Kattegat.” He said and turned to give you a small, but genuine smile. You found yourself releasing a breath in relief that he did not press the subject any further and joy at his admission.
“I am glad to have found my way here as well.” You smiled at him as he paused in front of you. The two of you were standing close and he reached forward to place a hand on your waist. When you did not push him away he took his other hand and cupped your jaw pulling you face ever so slightly closer to his. He took a moment to look into your eyes, watching for any sign of discomfort or fear. When he saw none he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours.
Anyone would have expected his kiss to be rough and harsh, but he was surprisingly tender. You found yourself pulling closer to him, not wanting him to let you go. You felt comfortable in his arms and his lips pressed against seemed to light a fire somewhere within you. As warmth spread through you, you fisted your hands in his shirt using your grip on it to pull him closer. Far too soon for your liking he pulled away, but only slightly.
“This way.” He whispered with excitement. Taking your hand once more he lead you in-between the surrounding cottages until he reached the one that he was staying in and pulled you inside. Once inside his lips were pressed against yours again, this time with more yearning and desire present. Soon his started to hungrily make his way across your jaw and down your neck as you both clumsily traveled in the direction of his bed. You found yourself impatiently tugging at his shirt. He pulled back pausing for a moment as he reached for the hem of his own shirt. His eyes met yours in moment of seriousness.
“Are you sure?” He asked. You nodded without hesitation.
“Yes.” In a flash Halfdan had pulled his shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him into another fevered kiss. Just then the back of his knees hit the bed and the two fell in a mess onto it. You playfully laughed into your kiss as you continued without care for the rest of the night.
As the warm sun peaked in through the window the next morning it brought you out of your slumber. Blinking away some of the tiredness from eyes you yawned before stretching an arm out in front of yourself. As you moved you felt the heavy presence of someone lying next to you, their arm tucked around your body. In your early morning grogginess you had forgotten where you were and you heart began to speed up in panic before you quickly turned to see the figure next to you. Your heart began to calm as you realized it was Halfdan lying beside you and the events of the night before came back to you. The thoughts brought a smile to your face and rolled over so that you could face him, leaning into his warmth as he pulled you in closer in his sleep.
A few moments later you felt him begin to stir beside you, moving slightly but causing you no discomfort. He turned his head and yawned into the morning air before turning back to you.
“Good morning.” He whispered, a crooked smile on his face and his voice still hoarse from sleep. He began to run his hand lightly, up and down your back in a soothing motion.
“Morning,” you whispered back. You laid there for another few minutes, enjoying the comfort of being in Halfdan’s arms. “I should go, I have work to do.” You moved in an effort to get up, but Halfdan tightened his hold on you.
“Stay.” He said simply. You thought about it, knowing that he really did not want you to leave and that you did not want to leave him either.
“I have to go.” You put your hand on his cheek. “I wish I could stay, but as you pointed out a few days ago, I can’t always rely on a feast to get something to eat.” You both chuckled quietly at the comment.
“Well, if you stay with me you don’t have to worry about that.” He smiled hoping that your response would be positive.
“Halfdan, you are going to England tomorrow.” If you were being honest you wanted to be with him, but the idea of starting something serious terrified you and him running off the England was just an excuse.
“Then come with me.” He paused looking in your eyes, silently begging you to say yes. “Come with me, stay in the camp while we are in battle and by night we will be by each other side.” You thought about it, allowing yourself to fantasize for a moment about going off with him. “You are thinking about it, I can see it in your eyes.” You nodded.
“I would be happy to be with you, and I would be very far from my past, but..,” you trailed off.
“You are nervous to begin something new, with me.” He stated his voice carried a hint of sadness. “I understand.” You took a breath and made a decision, one that terrified you.
“I will go with you though.” Hafdan’s face lit up as he heard. “I cannot let fear get in the way of my future.” Halfdan let out a joyous laugh and leaned in to press a happy kiss to your lips.
“I promise to make you happy for the rest of your life.” He said and you silently made another promise to yourself; that you would not let the memory of your ex-husband ruin your life and that when you were ready you would tell Halfdan the real reason you had run away, finally being completely honest with him.
