#vernalvikings

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The weather was ideal for them to go on a hunt for easter eggs and Aslaug had made it harder for her over-eager boys. She knew Hvitserk and Ubbe were quick to find all the nests she hid away and so she made the rule that they could only take those with their names on it and have to leave those that don’t. She was sitting on the porch, a tea in hand as she watched them spread out in their yard. Hvitserk was already stomping around in frustration, because he’d found Ivar’s and Sigurd’s nests, but not his own. Ubbe had sat down near a tree instead of looking for his nest and Aslaug was inclined to ask, but with him it was most likely to keep the pressure off his brothers. Last year Ivar had had a fit when he couldn’t find a single egg, so much so that in his rage he managed to topple over in his wheelchair. Neither Aslaug nor Ubbe were allowed to get near to help though. 

She was positive that Hvitserk and Ubbe finding the hidden eggs after five minutes didn’t help the cause. Even Sigurd had managed to swallow his jokes when he saw the fury in his brother’s eyes. 

Her youngest had refused to use his wheelchair this time though and was crawling around in the grass, possibly staining his jeans a bright green where they brushed over the ground. Ivar was also very close to the forest that started exactly where their yard ended. And also as far away as possible from any easter treat Aslaug had planted. She took a sip of her tea and continued watching what would unfold. 

“Mister bunny!” Ivar called out all of a sudden, halting his brother’s in their search. “He’s here!” he was pointing towards the forest and Aslaug frowned, before getting up. She did not want him to crawl around the underbrush of the forest. She’d already been against him doing that in their yard, but there was no way of arguing with an Ivar who had an opinion. Even though she swore herself not to intervene, this did the trick to cause her to walk over. 

“It’s easter bunny!” Hvitserk corrected him. “And you didn’t see him.” he added, his skinny arms folded and a scowl on his cute little face. There was a reason why Hvitserk didn’t believe Ivar and Aslaug knew that it had a lot to do with Ubbe telling his brother that the Easter Bunny wasn’t real. And neither was Santa. Thankfully it didn’t stop Hvitserk from loving the presents and treats and he kept his mouth shut about it towards Sigurd and Ivar.

Although, Aslaug was sure he was holding that revelation back until the very moment one of them pissed him off. He’d done it before with a secret not meant for little ears and Aslaug couldn’t tell if he picked that trait up from her or Ragnar. Or possibly Ubbe. 

“Yes, it was!” Ivar argues, already red in the face. “It’s mister bunny,” he said with confidence and Aslaug had to smile. Ivar did not like to be corrected and he seemed to have a special hatred for Hvitserk correcting him, though Aslaug hadn’t found out why yet. He was fine when Ubbe did it. “He will show me…” Aslaug barely caught that part before she saw Ubbe stand up to follow his little brother who was already disappearing into the forest. 

“Ivar!” she called out, halting him in his movements. “The easter bunny did not hide your nest in the forest, come back here!” Her quick stride brought her to the end of the yard where her boys had started to huddle. “Now.” Aslaug insisted, leaving no room for discussions. 

When Ivar emerged from the higher grass, he sported a pout so big he deserved a place in the book of world records for that expression. Ubbe wasn't far behind him. “But I saw him, mom!” Ivar insisted, “Mister bunny has my nest!” he whined so pitiful Aslaug had to resist picking him up. She knew he hated coddling, but sometimes she couldn't help herself. “Believe me.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Aslaug replied. “I saw him this morning, hiding all your nests.” When she dared to look Hvitserk’s way, the eyebrow raise caught her a bit off-guard. At this moment he looked surprisingly like his father. “Come with me, you’ll find yours closer to the house.” 

The boys continued their search, this time even Ubbe acted like he was genuinely looking as Ivar followed her back. “You don’t believe me…” she heard her youngest say, a sadness in his voice that tore at her heartstrings. 

“I do believe you saw a hare,” Aslaug replied. “But the easter bunny wears a bow around its neck,” she lied. “Did yours have a bow on its neck?” Aslaug wanted to know, looking down at her son who had started poking through the flowers. Still nowhere near the place she stashed his nest. And here she’d thought she made it easy for him…

Ivar shook his head, the pout back on his face. “HAH!” she heard Hvitserk exclaim and knew he finally got the nest that was meant for him. A quick look back and she saw how Ubbe avoided looking at her as he rubbed his neck. She was positive he helped him somehow, but being distracted meant she couldn’t prove it. 

“Why don’t you look over there?” Aslaug suggested, pointing in the direction where she hid Ivar’s easter eggs. “I think I saw him near the lavender.” With a look of concentration, Ivar crawled towards the huge bush of flowers. With her help he managed to find his nest before Sigurd found his own and Aslaug knew that meant a lot less screaming in the afternoon. 

When she sat back in her chair, her boys busy picking through their chocolate eggs and small gifts she placed in those nests, she watched how Sigurd and Ivar compared theirs to make sure neither one was favored. On the other end of the brother spectrum she saw Ubbe and Hvitserk exchange treats they liked best and wondered why she even bothered giving those two their own. 

A heavy sigh escaped her and she turned her gaze towards the forest, only to notice the hare Ivar must’ve spotted earlier. “Well, hello there, mister bunny.” she said quietly and more to herself than anyone else. 

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No matter how often Ubbe insisted on showing Hvitserk how to hunt properly, he wiggled his way out of it each time. Today Ubbe was relentless though and dragged him into the woods. His brother usually left him in the Great Hall, because Hvitserk tended to stomp through the woods and make it impossible for Ubbe to show him how to hunt– since all the game would be long gone. 

Hvitserk sighed heavily and Ubbe shot him a warning look over his shoulder. 

They went deeper than usual and he tried to match his older brother’s gait to be as silent as possible. Hvitserk didn’t want to be a disappointment again. He had his bow and arrows with him, just like Ubbe told him and he already knew how to shoot them straight. Although his aim was a little bit off sometimes- Hvitserk made the twitchy limbs responsible for that. Ubbe had told him that was a Hvitserk thing and had no idea what he spoke of when Hvitserk explained to his brother how sometimes Hvitserk’s leg would twitch when he tried to stay as still as possible. Ubbe didn’t have those issues. Ubbe could stay still for hours. 

Hvitserk sniffed and heard his brother grunt in annoyance. He hadn’t even glanced back this time. 

That was, until he spotted something that Hvitserk couldn’t immediately see. Ubbe pushed him back and behind a tree. Then he slowly pointed out what he’d noticed right away. Hvitserk still had to squint his eyes to make out what was in that direction. A deer, mostly hidden behind the bushes and many trees ahead. “Stay here and watch,” Ubbe commanded and Hvitserk tightened the grip on his bow. “Shoot only when it’s closer to you.” his brother warned him. 

Hvitserk hid further behind the tree and watched his brother tiptoe around the deer that was none the wiser as it nibbled on the flowers. The problem with Ubbe leaving him alone was that Hvitserk would get bored pretty quickly and the assignment of watching was soon forgotten as he studied the plant growing right next to the tree. He could swear he’d seen their mother use it in an ailment– or was it a poison? Just as he’d reached out for it, Hvitserk retracted his hand again. Better not touch. 

As he leaned against the bark he watched a butterfly dancing in the sunlight that was shining through the tree crowns. Hvitserk was about to whistle a tune, when he remembered why he was in the woods in the first place and quickly pressed his lips together. Ubbe wouldn’t be too happy if Hvitserk spooked the deer with his tune. He sniffed and then rubbed his nose, it had been runny the past few days and he couldn’t stand it. Ivar wasn’t a fan of his sniffing either as it was more than usual. 

With a heavy breath he looked to the side, only to be met by the deer his brother had wanted to shoot. It was curiously sniffing in Hvitserk’s direction, who tried to stay as still as possible. Clearly not satisfied with this superficial inspection, the deer got closer and closer until its wet nose met Hvitserk’s cheek. It tickled, but Hvitserk held back the laugh that was bubbling up his chest, even when the deer started licking his cheek with its rough tongue. Only when it moved on to nibble at his hair did he lose it, his laugh echoing through the otherwise deadly silent woods– effectively spooking the deer. 

“Oh no…” Hvitserk cursed at himself, sinking further into the mossy ground when Ubbe came back to him wearing a disappointed glare. “I’m sorry-” he didn’t get far in his apology.

“It was so close to you, why didn’t you kill it?” Ubbe wanted to know, crossing his arms to fully embody their mother when she wasn’t particularly happy with them. The thought caused Hvitserk to smile, which he quickly bit down on. Ubbe heaved a sigh instead of lecturing him, “Let’s see if the traps caught anything…”

They were walking through the woods the same way they’d come earlier and Ubbe went off the trail a couple times to check the traps. “It licked me,” Hvitserk said eventually, rubbing his cheek. His brother raised a brow in question. “The deer.” he specified. Ubbe didn't look impressed and Hvitserk found a stick to bat against the lower branches of the trees to distract himself, “I’m glad you didn’t kill it.”

“How so?” Ubbe asked, moving the hares he’d gotten out his snares from one shoulder to the other. 

Hvitserk shrugged, “It was too big for us to carry…” he said, but avoided his brother’s eyes. He could feel his gaze on him regardless and the longer he watched Hvitserk, the worse his self consciousness about his every move grew. “And it looked cute.” Hvitserk pursed his lips and tried to walk past his brother. As he did so, Ubbe reached out and ruffled his hair with a laugh. 

The Initiation by @underragingwaves

The Language of Birds by @underragingwaves

Curiousity killed the Cat, but not the Deer by @therealvikingstrash

Dawntreaders by @underragingwaves

The Hollow Place by @underragingwaves

The Ritual by @therealvikingstrash

Gaze like Petals, Crushed by @underragingwaves

Gifts by @underragingwaves

Words of Advice by @therealvikingstrash

Mister Bunny by @therealvikingstrash

Gunnhild stared back at Amma’s still body. So many had lost their lives when they fought the Rus, and hadn’t she given enough? Her unborn child, her love, her husband– now her best friend. A seeress told her she could see Amma on her way to Valhalla and while she was joyous, there was endless sadness about the ones she left behind. 

It was old magic, forbidden even, but Gunnhild didn’t want to be without her trusted friend and she couldn’t abandon Kattegat. So she prayed and spoke banished words as she rubbed the herbal oils into Amma’s cold limbs. Every touch with the intention to rub life into them. 

The place she’d taken her was far away from Kattegat, a holy place that Gunnhild might taint if the ritual wouldn’t work as intended. The seeress had told her no one else had the ties to bring Amma back; would risk the wrath of the Gods for taking one of their shieldmaiden back. 

As the sun was setting and light dwindled, so was Gunnhild’s hope of her friend returning.

Even with only the moonlight above and the small fire beside her, Gunnhild continued to pray. It was once the moon shone its silvery light upon them, that Amma’s ghostly form began to move. Her wound healed, but her eyes had a faraway look. 

Back in Kattegat, it took several days for Amma to speak again and upon finding out she wasn’t in Valhalla she turned silent once more. Gunnhild could hear her cry each night, even from her spot next to Harald and Ingrid and she had to promise Amma another battle to fight for her to stop. 

They left with Harald and the Ragnarssons to once again fight the Saxons.

Amma held her hand out for Gunnhild to take before they neared the battlefield. “Will you join me this time?” she asked, eyes pleading. The queen of Kattegat overlooked their fellow warriors and shieldmaiden. Who was Gunnhild to deny her?