#margrethe

women of vikings + water

Title: Anymore? No, Less

Summary: Ubbe wants to give his marriage a chance, but does his wife agree?

Pairing: Not telling

Part One

Ubbe woke up Sunday morning, naked, alone and slightly hungover.

His eyes burned under the sunlight coming in through the window, his head throbbing as he sat up groaning.

Ubbe took a minute to get out of the bed and grabbed an aspirin from the bathroom cabinet, taking it dry in his urgency for relief.

It was only after he had splashed some cold water on his face that he wondered where exactly his wife was this morning. The clock told him it was two in the afternoon, on Sundays she usually cleaned up or did the chores, but he didn’t hear any movement in the house.

He went back into the bedroom to call her, only to find a note sitting on top of his phone in (Y/N)’s handwriting.

Meeting with my divorce lawyer, I’ll be sleeping in the guest room for the last two weeks.

Divorce lawyer? She was already making the preparations?

Ubbe grabbed his phone and dialed her as quickly as he could, not realizing that this was the first time he had ever called her first.

The phone rang a few times before she finally picked up.

‘Hello?’ (Y/N) asked, her tone questioning and confused.

‘You’re meeting with a divorce lawyer?’ he asked directly.

‘Well I was, I’m having lunch with a friend right now. Did you need something Ubbe?’

‘Yeah, an actual conversation with you about this divorce nonsense.’ Ubbe snapped back as his panic became frustration.

‘Nonsense? Ubbe, the plan was always to end it, I signed for five years and I did my time.’ (Y/N) argued.

‘Did your ti- ?! I’ll be there in thirty minutes.’ Ubbe said, quickly checking his tone.

‘You don’t even know where I am.’ she said incredulously.

‘There are trackers on every car owned in my family, don’t act like you don’t know the kind of wealth my family has. Wait for me.’ Ubbe said firmly before hanging up.

He grabbed the first outfit he saw hanging in his closet and threw the clothes on as quickly as he could while tracking (Y/N)’s personal car.

In his rush to get to his car Ubbe, struggling to put on his socks as he did so, nearly fell down the damn stairs.

For better or worse he did manage to get into the driver seat in one piece, closing the door just as he got the address.

She was at a Bar and Grill that was just around the corner.

Ubbe knew it was unnecessary and stupid, but he sped there just the same, parking next to her car.

(Y/N) was sitting at a table on the patio, she was sitting with another woman that Ubbe could only vaguely remember seeing at a few events over the years.

The two women seemed to be laughing over some drinks, (Y/N) was smiling brighter than she ever had in front of him. Her smile reached her eyes as the sunlight reflected in her (Y/E/C) pupils.

When he got out of the car he saw (Y/N) spot him in the parking lot, and he watched her smile fall.

As he walked toward the table he heard the words (Y/N)’s visibly drunk friend failed to whisper.

‘First and last chance to formally meet him.’ she said, grinning dumbly as she watched him approach their table.

‘Ubbe, this is Mallory, my best friend.’ (Y/N) introduced.

‘I was the maid of honor at your wedding, nice to finally meet you properly. You were a bit…preoccupied during the reception.’ Mallory said teasingly as looked over him.

Ubbe looked away in what he didn’t want to admit was shame; he had been seen sneaking into a janitor's closet with the wedding planner right before the reception began. He had made no attempt at being discreet either, when he finally did join the celebration he could hear the guests whispering and laughing.

At the time it felt like a good laugh, an outrageously ridiculous thing he would do as a high schooler. Now he was remembering how angry (Y/N)’s parent’s had been, how her eyes were watering as they finished their first dance and how quickly she ran from the ballroom when the song ended.

‘Yeah…do you mind giving us a moment to talk alone?’ he asked awkwardly, not knowing what to say to this woman’s criticism.

‘No.’ Mallory said quickly.

‘It’s fine Mal, your Uber is here now anyway. Besides I kind of have to talk to him, get things in order now so we can be ready for the Big Day.’ (Y/N) appeased, helping her friend stand and gather her things.

‘I’ll help her to the car, can you watch my things?’ his wife asked as she already began dragging Mallory away.

‘Don’t marry himmm~’ Mallory whined drunkenly as she was carried off.

Ubbe sat at the table and glanced around to make sure no one was staring at him like he was the worst husband they’d ever overheard two women talk about, of course no one was looking but he still felt his ears burning red.

‘She should make it home fine, I told her husband to expect a hot mess at his doorstep.’ (Y/N) said casually as she sat back down, picking up her margarita.

‘(Y/N) can you stop.’ Ubbe aske, desperately.

‘Stop what?’ she asked in what looked like genuine confusion.

‘This. Acting like you are talking about changing a flat tire and not ending a damn marriage. Did your time? The Big Day? Are you kidding me?’ he clarified, unable to hide his frustration.

‘I’m the one treating this marriage like a flat tire? Are you kidding me? So I haven’t done every possible thing to fix this fucked up tire? Is that it?’ (Y/N) her attitude visibly darkening.

‘I’m not sayi-’

‘What are you saying then? What exactly is your problem right now Ubbe? Is it my tone? Is it too harsh? How about this one?’ she fired off before she softened her angry face completely.

‘It’s fine, Ubbe, I won’t leave. You can keep seeing the other women, humiliating me and I’ll just spend another night alone wondering why I’m still not enough.’ she said in a tone that was so sweet it dripped honey.

This was the woman he had been married to for five years, this was the tone of voice he always drowned out and ignored. The woman that did what was expected of a wife, the woman that Ubbe always thought was in love with him.

It made Ubbe feel like his head was spinning, because that was exactly what he’d wanted to hear, but the look in her eyes told him the truth. Every word she said was a lie.

The sweet voice was a lie, all the words, lies, five years of loving him…a lie. The woman he married was a lie; whoever she was when she looked at him now, with all that indifference, that’s who (Y/N) really was.

When Ubbe couldn’t respond to her (Y/N) dropped the act and went back to her drink.

‘You know, my parents were arranged too. Someway, somehow, they love each other; I mean they really love each other. When they asked me if I was open to this agreement, I just knew I could love anyone I chose to love, then I married you Ubbe.’ (Y/N) said bitterly before she began drinking again.

‘God I thought I could love you, I tried so hard. No matter how despicable you were, and you were despicable, I still tried. I tried to make you love me. Embarrassed myself trying to appeal to you, slaved myself trying to be the good wife you’d want to talk about during a speech the way my dad would for mom.’

‘I could do that, I could have been doing all that husband stuff for you, if you told me you wanted me to.’ Ubbe said.

‘I tried telling you, you said you didn’t like my nagging voice. So I was quiet for you; I’d go days without speaking at all. You didn’t want to be seen out with me, so I stopped going out. Instead I cooked and waited for you; left love notes that you crumbled and threw away.’ (Y/N) replied.

‘I know that I’ve never been good to you before, but give me a chance to finally try.’ he begged.

‘A chance to do what? Husband stuff? You don’t even know what that means. You’ve never put any effort into our marriage so I picked up your slack, because I signed a contract. Because my family needed the support at the time, and I don’t break deals.’ (Y/N) said coldly before she finished her drink.

She sat down the glass and fixed her hardened eyes on Ubbe’s, the sternness of her gaze made him hold his breath.

‘So yes, I did my time, and I do think of our Anniversary as the Big Day that I finally get to be free of you Ubbe. I’m ready to have my own life again, I miss going out with my friends and having fun without having to worry about “embarrassing your family image”.’ she said with air quotes and a scoff.

She was looking at him with outright disdain now, a look he’d never seen on her face until today.

‘I don’t know why we are even talking about this right now. Isn’t this what you wanted too? To get me out of your face forever so you can go back to the bachelor life you love so much?’

‘I don’t want to divorce you.’ Ubbe said desperately.

He didn’t know what else to say, because nothing she said could be argued or denied. Ubbe knew he had been a nightmare for five years.

‘I know I have been…difficult to live with, but you have never held it against me before. You’re right you have been a good wife to me, better than I deserved; I realize that now and I will spend everyday making up for the way I treated you. Just let me show you I can be as good a husband.’ he pleaded openly.

She looked at him in stunned shock for a split second before an honest to God laugh burst out of her mouth. Her laughter was so thunderous a few other tables stopped to see where the noise was coming from.

‘Aha ha I can’t- I can’t even tell you how late this is!’ she all but cackled as she tried to compose herself.

‘It’s not too late, I have two weeks before the contract expires.’ Ubbe argued.

‘Well, my advice is to not waste your time; you can’t make up five years of disrespect in two weeks. Even if you could, any feelings I could have had for you died a long time ago; so business as usual until we get the papers.’ (Y/N) dismissed.

Again Ubbe tried to argue that he could earn her forgiveness, but he was interrupted by a familiar shrill voice.

‘Ubbe Baby!’

The married couple turned and saw a blonde woman wearing a tight black dress with silver accessories and red bottom heels approached their table.

‘Who knew I’d see you today?’ the newcomer smiled brightly as she placed her hands on Ubbe’s shoulder in a very familiar way.

‘Margrethe.’ (Y/N) greeted in such obvious annoyance.

Margrethe was one of the many women Ubbe had been with, in fact she was one of his most reliable mistresses. They had met when she had transferred to his highschool in their junior year; she was his first and Ubbe had been casually enjoying her ever since.

Now she was a B List beauty influencer with her own line of skin care products, invested in by Ubbe’s family business.

The blonde looked over at (Y/N) as if she was only noticing her now.

‘Oh! Mrs. Ragnarson, I didn’t even see you there!’ Margrethe smiled sweetly.

‘Clearly.’ (Y/N) smiled, looking at the way Margrethe’s hands were still roaming over Ubbe’s shoulders lazily.

‘I hope I’m not interrupting.’

‘For once you’re not; I was just leaving. Enjoy my husband.’ (Y/N) said formally as she stood and grabbed her bag.

‘(Y/N), wait!’

Ubbe stood as well, catching his wife by the arm; just as he had the night before, and she snatched away from him just the same.

‘Don’t touch me.’ (Y/N) hissed venomously enough to make him inwardly recoil.

Margrethe looked between the couple, wondering what was going on exactly. All she knew was that Ubbe had been her meal ticket since high school and the only reason Ubbe didn’t end up being her husband is because his bitch mother deemed her family too low class to join the Ragnarsons.

She hated (Y/N) deeply and it brought her sick satisfaction to watch Ubbe discard his homely wife in favor of a wild night out with her instead. How many nights had she laid naked beside him while pondering what his ball and chain would cook him that night?

But why was Ubbe out with her right now? Why was he pleading with her to stay? Margrethe thought and the only thing she could come up with is that (Y/N) must be holding something over him. If that was the case, she could help Ubbe get whatever he needed and once that was done he would owe her.

With that misguided plan in mind, Margrethe also moved to take hold of (Y/N)’s hand in a familiar and friendly way.

‘Don’t leave on my account, you and Ubbe seemed to be in the middle of a very important conversation.’

‘Why is what I talk about with my husband any concern of yours?’ (Y/N) said rudely as she again snatched away her hand.

‘Oh, please don’t misuderst-’ the blonde tried, but (Y/N) interrupted her lie.

‘There is no misunderstanding between any of us here. Ubbe is my husband, you are sleeping with him and you already know that I know. You have been flaunting it as boldly as he will allow you to since I married him, I just don’t feel like doing the fake pleasantries anymore. So again, I’ll be leaving now, enjoy my husband. God knows I haven’t, so someone should.’ she snapped before she left the patio seating area.

‘(Y/N)!’ Ubbe called after her but she didn’t stop, or even acknowledge him at all.

He watched in defeated frustration as (Y/N) got into her car and drove away.

‘Dammit! Margrethe, why are you here?!’ he snarled, turning on the blonde, hardly able to keep his voice down.

His tone was so harsh and angry that Margrethe flinched at his question; in all their years sleeping together he had never once raised his voice at her.

‘I-I was just picking up my lunch order, I was waiting when I saw you. Why are you yelling at me?’ she asked, in her smallest, most shy voice.

The one Uber could never resist falling for.

Ubbe took a deep breath before he spoke again, this time much more composed.

‘I’m sorry for shouting. I need to get home and talk to (Y/N).’ he apologized as he tried to leave.

Margrethe stopped him, taking his hand in hers gently.

‘What is wrong? You never go out with her, is she blackmailing you?’ Margrethe asked.

‘Blackmail, what are you talking about? She’s trying to divorce me and I-’

‘Isn’t that good, we can go back to doing what we want in the open again. I’m tired of only seeing you in hotel rooms, I want to break in your mattress for a change.’ Margrethe flirted.

For a split second, Ubbe thought about how he would have responded yesterday. He would have agreed, he’d take her home and say something to (Y/N) about having a private conversation.

The amount of shame he felt was enough to make him sick.

‘I don’t want to divorce her, and I don’t have time for you anymore.’ Ubbe said quickly before he too left the patio.

Margrethe was left standing there, eyes wide and jaw dropped in shock.

Note: Modern/Vikings Boys/Girls - Ask me something lighter, my brain is a big question mark for me too...

Look here for the Others - Here

You -- I be right there, I see you.

Halfdan -- I don't see you

You -- Turn again...

Halfdan -- Where?

You -- Other side...

Halfdan -- I don't see you!

You -- Hahaha I'm still at home, I go now, it was just too funny. I would have liked to see you standing there and turning like an idiot in all directions.

Halfdan -- …. Ha Ha