the way you move could stop a heart (open)

Thora had heard of the feast, of course, but she did not intend to go. Not until her brother Audun showed up, leading a mare round with foal for the sacrifice. She'd tried to explain to him why she didn't want to go but he wouldn't take no for an answer. He'd instead pointed out that he'd traveled all the way from Uddevalla to see her, leading one of his prized breeding mares, and he'd obtained special permission to come see her and go to the feast with her. And just how easy did she think it was to lead a pregnant mare here, all the way from Uddevalla? And so she'd agreed to go.

She stayed back in the crowd beside her brother, only stepping forward to catch the mare's blood in a bowl during the sacrifice. Audun had laughed as they dipped their fingers in the warm crimson liquid and trailed their fingers down their faces, giddy with the scent and the warmth of it. There was nothing in the world like the fresh blood of a sacrifice, except maybe the fresh blood of an enemy on a sword. She listened to Bjorn's speech, stamping and cheering along with the crowd. She may not have wanted to go to the feast in the first place, but it was hard not to get swept along in the excitement of it. When she entered the hall, Thora kept her head bowed low in respect as she walked past the sons of Ragnar, so low only the top of her blond head was visible, and she held her breath nervously.

Thora and her brother wound up somewhere in the middle of the great hall, eating and drinking with the other fighters, laughing boisterously, half-jokingly challenging each other to fights on the training field.This was where she belonged, surrounded by those who stood in the shield-wall. They were quick to fill their cups, these warriors, and Thora felt the ale rising in her like a tide. When a line of dancers twirled past them, her brother shoved her toward them. Laughing, Thora fell easily into step with them. She loved to dance, losing herself in the beat of drums and the sound of lutes, and she was glad her brother had convinced her to come after all.

A sea of people, that was what Kattegat had become. A sea of people, screaming, yelling celebrating. Getting drunk on ale or on their excitement. People from near and far. Faces he recognised and others he didn’t know at all. It was easy to get lost in this excitement. In this powerful spell that seemed to be in the air. It seemed at a haze to him. He didn’t exactly like many feasts. They were too busy and to loud for him. He rather sit alone in the night admire ring the gods all alone. Felt more real to him. These events… Seemed more like a dream to him. And often he would question the day after if they really had happened or not. But that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy himself. Especially when he was with friends, or with strangers. It didn’t matter much to him. They all were just people after all. And on days like these… Who knew who you would meet. You could meet a wife, a friend, an enemy… Though if he was fair to himself. He just had come for one main reason. Hoping that maybe, even if the chance was small. That his brother would have come…
So he moved through the sea of people, trying not to get hit as they screamed and jumped in excitement when the offers were made. The red blood spilling into the bowls and to the ground. The animals that fell to their knees and eventually layed down. Their eyes getting dark as the light of their life got pulled out of them. Horrible to see… But oh so beautiful. Because in return for the life they had offered, he was sure they would get many more lives in their hands. The harvest would make sure that most people would get through winter and he could know. After all he had worked on those fields trying to make sure the crops grew well.
Argneir watched in silent between the cheering people. Listening to the words that got spoken. An admirable speech after all. He wondered how much the sons of Ragnar, looked like Ragnar. Just like he sometimes wondered how much he looked like his. How many years had it been since he last saw them? 7? Not like it mattered anymore. A smirk formed on his lips as he followed the crowd into the great hall. Bowing his head lightly when he passed the princes. He never really liked such formalities. But those everyone soon seemed to forget as they went up in the feast. The food, the ale, the music. Laughs and fights. He placed himself somewhere in the back. Looking over the people and enjoying everything from afar. Though he didn’t ignore those who came to talk to him or to have a laugh. He didn’t say no to the drinks or the food. And then there were the dances. Woman, men, children. Didn’t matter on a day like this. Like Björn had said. Feast like they were in Valhalla.

And soon even he was pulled into the feast deeper then he would have liked in the beginning of it. Soon he found himself trapped in a line of dancers, having to dance along to move forward. Even though he tried to pull away, one of his friends made sure he stayed in the line. Soon he found himself dancing with different people, male and female alike. It was true that he wasn’t the best dancer and soon he found himself dancing with a beautiful young lady. And he was sure she was beautiful and it wasn’t the ale playing on his mind, because he hadn’t that much of it… Jet. ”I am sorry if I step on your toes.” A fair warning. After all some of the laddies here could be fierce and he didn’t feel like getting hit in the face, just because he stomped on a pair of toes. But he could swing her around real well, and with that he made them both go in a few circles. Maybe it couldn’t be counted as dancing, but it was at least a lot of fun.

Thora loved to dance and was glad she'd allowed her brother to push her into the line of dancers. It was one of her favorite things besides fighting--the freedom of it, of letting the music and the line of other people carry her along like a leaf in the wind. She'd been dancing for a while and was thinking of taking a break, just a short one, for another cup of ale before she re-joined the others.Besides, her current dance partner had already stepped on her toes twice and she was looking for an excuse to escape.

They switched partners unexpectedly and Thora found herself face-to-face with a different partner. One look at his face, and she decided another cup of ale could wait. When he apologized for stepping on her toes before they started to dance, she gave him an easy grin. "Don't worry, I'm pretty good at dodging." And she was good at dodging, in the shield wall. Dancing was a different story. It wasn't that she was a great dancer, but nor was she a terrible one. There was just an easy grace in the way she moved, unburdened by sword and shield. Dancing to her was a kind of freedom, the joy of movement without the threat of death. If that made it less exciting than the shield wall, she was willing to overlook that if she had a good partner.

He spun her around a few times, a little faster than she'd been expecting, her long blond hair swirling free and glistening in the firelight. She laughed, gripping his forearms to keep her balance as they twirled. Her light green eyes were glinting with amusement as they met his gaze, and she smiled at him again. "Oh, you're fun." She winked playfully at him, dancing closer to him with a few short steps, her hands on his forearms pushing him backward, then drawing him forward as she went back. Something about the way she moved was a challenge, or maybe it was the way she held herself--the slight tilt of her head,the playful glint in her green eyes. Maybe it was the way she took control, pushing him away and then drawing him a little closer.

"I'm curious about what else you can do." Her tone was somewhere between taunting and playful. She was curious about how he would react to her. She tossed her head, sending her long blond hair behind her shoulder with the movement. The several small, colorful beads braided into her hair clinked together; Thora brought her own kind of music with her wherever she went. She could barely hear them clinking over the noise of the feast though. She stepped closer to her partner again, trying once more to push him back. Challenging him, with her glinting green eyes and wild smile.

He laughed at her comment after he apologised that he might step on her toes. ‘Good at dodging.’ Well he supposed that was what he could expect from a young shield maiden no? If she wasn’t good at dodging or fighting then she wouldn’t be standing here today to dance with him. If you could call it dancing. The spinning around was just for cheer fun. It was the only thing he actually could do well in a ‘dance’ came from the years of experience he had to spin around with his bow and arrow to hit his target. And she was light so it wasn’t too much trouble to do so ether. But her laugh made it clear that she didn’t mind at all. And he started laughing as well on reaction to her laugh. Maybe the ale was starting to get to his head as well. But he could say he was enjoying himself with this young beauty. He gave her a big smile when she said he was fun. As he placed her back down carefully he leaned in to whisper into her ear. ”You should see me when I’m drunk.” He grinned and pulled back to look in her light green eyes. ”You could die of amusment then. And it asn’t a lie. He was well aware of the fact that when he was drunk he started to ether love everyone and make a fool of himself, or get really aggressive. Though most of the time he was the love sick idiot who would do anything to make everyone happy. What already had led to some very… embarrassed moments for him. He could say he was lucky he and most of the people he was around never really remembered much the morning after.
He felt the push backwards and as a good ‘gentleman’ he let the lady lead him into the dance. Following her steps as she intended them to be. But he couldn’t help to think she was ‘playing’. He narrowed his eyes a bit. Just the way she looked at him, the way she held him. Was she…

Was she changeling him? He snickered a bit as he came closer again before pushing him back. Well he couldn’t say no to a challenge. He looked into her eyes as she spoke. A wide smirk coming over his lips. Could he say he liked her? Or more what she was doing. It was amusing to see and it actually made him excited for some reason. Was it because he as a man couldn’t let himself be won over by a woman? Maybe the drink, the light, the music. Or maybe just maybe it was just his partner in front of him. He stared at her letting out a light ‘Oh.’ As she started to push him back again. He leaned in closer to her. ”Well then let me show you.” He wouldn’t say no to her little game. After all it was amusing and that was what they were here for. To feast have fun, get drunk. So he would show her exactly what he was capable of. Maybe this would end up into a dancing fight, and he couldn’t say he wasn’t looking forward to that. After all who wouldn’t want to see a beautiful girl with a fire in her soul dance? Could he say he was happy now that he had come and got pushed into the line of dancers. He snickered and soon had her pulled into him as one of his arms went around her. She was almost pressed against him as he made her move back. Before he took her hand and made her spin around as he stood on his spot. Before pulling her back into him and taking her waist. Soon he had her thrown into the air and spun around before placing her back down. He didn’t know much of dancing, so he was just following his own feeling of what was right. He made her step back again and to the side after. As soon she was back in front of him. One of his hands held hers, the other was still on his waist. He couldn’t help but ask. ”Does that satisfy you?” He looked at her with a amused look. Who knew that dancing with a total stranger ould be this much fun?

Thora could tell he saw right through her to the little game she was playing. Always challenging people, always curious about how they would react to being challenged. Some people hated it, some didn't seem to care either way. But Thora's favorite type of people were the ones who always gave it back to her, who saw her challenge and rose to it. There was nothing malicious in the way she behaved, but Thora knew she was a handful. She'd rolled over and been submissive only once in her life, and it's hadn't exactly worked out in her favor. That was why she challenged people--it was her little way of testing them, trying to see the nature of who they were. If they worked to get to know her, even through her attitude, her half-mocking demeanor, then they were worth her time. If they didn't--if they got impatient or angry, she knew not to waste her time on them. Maybe it was her way of pushing people away. Maybe she just did it to avoid getting hurt again. This had always been a part of her personality--she was the youngest sibling after all, constantly having to stick up for herself from the teasing of her brothers and sister.

And this man didn't shy away from her challenge, stepped right up to meet it and give it back to her. Thora tilted her head as he leaned in to whisper in her ear, and she giggled, raising her eyebrows. "Good thing you're not drunk then, I don't feel like dying." She grinned as he smirked, excitement rising in her. He might not be drunk, but Thora wasn't exactly sober so this promised to be fun. She hadn't been expecting him to pull her as close as he did, and she stiffened for a quick second before relaxing. He was smiling and had shown absolutely no desire to harm her. She reminded herself that not every man would hurt her, and then he was guiding her backward. She allowed him to move her, laughing as he grabbed her hand and spun her. She was still laughing a little as he drew her back to him and snaked his arm around her waist.

His hold on her was loose enough that she could easily break free if she wanted, and that alone was enough to make her feel more relaxed. There was no meanness in his eyes, in that wide smirk that played around his lips. She was surprised when his grip on her waist tightened and she thought for a second that she should break free, but decided to trust him--he'd given her no reason not to.He lifted her into the air and spun, she smirked down at him before he placed her back on her feet. One of his hands held hers and the other rested lightly on her waist. His hand was warm and she squeezed his fingers lightly, a smile lighting up her face. She rests her other hand lightly on his shoulder, guiding him back and to the side before spinning them both around. "Maybe it only makes me more curious." She had no problem with challenging him some more, he'd seemed to enjoy it so far. She guided them a couple more steps down the line, weaving among a few other couples. Then it was her turn to release his shoulder and guide him into a spin while she stayed in her spot. She draws him back and forces him a few steps back. "Mostly I'm curious about why we've never sparred with each other before." She admitted with a small shrug and a grin. "You're a good dancer, so you must be a good fighter." Maybe that logic didn't exactly make sense, but the ale told her it did.

He let her take back over after his little display. He did hope he did not disappointed the lady. But the look in her eyes made sure to tell him she was still enjoying herself. What was good, that was what the feast was for. It should please the gods as well as them. Everyone here. An why wouldn’t they after making so much blood sacrifices? They could scream it out and move around till they would get lost in a gleam of drunkenness and wake up the next morning barely remembering what had happened. But some flashes that would haunt them forever. "Maybe it only makes me more curious." Her words made sure he didn’t lose his attention on her as his eyes moved back over to hers. He chuckled lightly. Even more curious huh. Well there were a few more things he could show her if she wanted. If she wanted to give him even more of a challenge he was happy to participate and not say no to it. After all, here between all those people… Who would pay attention to them. But maybe some jealous guys who wanted to have the honour of dancing with the lady. But somewhere now Arngeir didn’t feel like letting go of her jet. She was fun and maybe that was what he needed in this sea of people. He did imagen it to be pretty boring otherwise. He still followed her steps as her next words reached his ear. "Mostly I'm curious about why we've never sparred with each other before." His brow went up lightly as he let out a light Oh. Well he knew that she was a well-respected Shield maiden. He had heard rumours about her, that he was sure. But he could also explain why they never had sparred. They never had officially met and he did spend most of his time alone on his farm. Unless he was selling things or out hunting, you wouldn’t see him roam around far from his home. He liked the place as it was his own.

"You're a good dancer, so you must be a good fighter." He laughed a bit at those words. Her little theory was quite interesting though. To see a fight as a dance, it made sense. After all it were all just steps they took. Only difference was that it could have a deadly end. But that was what the fun of it was, the trill. The blood, the screams everything about it. Not much different from dancing and one other thing… He looked back at her and leaned in again. ”Maybe you would like to put that theory to the test?” After all it wasn’t unusual to have some fights on a feast like this. It could be fun, even in their state and… ”We would have a crowd watching.” And somewhere the thought of that did make it more appealing. And he was sure the people who would watch would be pleased to see it. He stood back up straight and looked at her with a challenging look. ”Then you can decide for yourself if I am as good of a warrior as I am a dancer.” Though he was surprised she would even think that. Maybe that little bit of ale he had did help his dance moves. He didn’t think much of those. But even if he said it himself he was sure he was a good fighter. After all he had survived and lived up till now because of those skills.

”What do you say shield maiden.” Would she actually take up on this? Or would she rather continue their dance, ether one was fine to him.