The hunting game [Thora]

Subject: The hunting game [Thora] Mon Jul 17, 2017 9:45 pm

Don't fear death if it comes, embrace it as if you lying down next to a beautifull woman. Don't look back to what you had but look forward to what you can achieve, in that way the Gods can gift you with beauty that even a woman doesn't have.

Ubbe mostly was surrounded by the business from Kattegat but for now he was at the cabin, looking over the field while his fingers stroke the sharpe edged of his knife over the wooden tip. He blow on the wood, while he turned it around under the sun, overlooking his own work. It wasn’t much, being alone for some time. With Ragnar already years away the pressure came on his shoulders. When he was young and Ragnar just left he didn’t realized it, he just enjoyed his childhood. But now, his mother was pressuring him to do the things Ragnar did. Ubbe hardly listened, there was still Björn so he really didn’t care what would happen to Kattegat. What he did care for were his brothers, giving that Hvitserk was the easiest, he had still Sigurd and Ivar and those two … let’s say he was glad with the little rest he had here, so far away, on the edge of the forest, all by himself in the hunting cabin the brothers often where. His blue eyes looked away from the spear he was sharpening towards a sudden nose. He squeezed his eyes towards the tree line, smiling when he saw the deer walking in between the trees. He jumped from his seat and slowly grabbed his bow and arrow, jumping over the little wooden fence before walking into the forest.

He needed to search a little but when he found that deer again he rested against a tree looking how the animal walked between the trees. Somewhere he hated it, shooting this kind of beauty, but at the other hand, if he brought that back home surly he would get a brother or two jealous about it. And that was the little bit of boy trailing behind his body, wanting to be the best, competing in a hunt with his brothers. So he laid his arrow on his bow, walking very softly over to the next tree to find. He pulled his bow up, focusing his gaze on the deer. And just when he wanted to lose that arrow a sound scared the deer and it jumped away between the trees. Ubbe let his head rest against the tree, almost guessing that it was one of his brothers. ‘Hvitserk, if that is you, I will kill you.’ He shouted into the woods, not meaning a word from what he was saying. His eyes started to scout the forest, for that deer and for whoever scared it away …

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Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Tue Jul 18, 2017 9:42 pm

Thora was but newly come to Kattegat and so she often found herself exploring the town and it's surrounding area. So far the forest was a particular favorite of hers: it was always quiet, tranquil, with only the wild beasts and singing birds for company. She was not a solitary woman by nature but had grown that way from life on an isolated farm with only her family and their animals for company. It was when she started training for the shield wall that she discovered the joy of interacting with other people. But even still, even after all these years it was a challenge for her sometimes to talk to others. Even after fighting in the shield wall, seeing the importance of cameraderie, the way it could mean life or death on the battlefield. That was part of the reason she had decided to leave her home, start a new life here in Kattegat.

Walking in the woods, she saw the man drawing back a bow; saw the deer he aimed for. A large beast, majestic, beautiful and blissfully unaware of the death that was soon to be hurtling his way. She looked down, purposely stepping on a large stick, and watched in satisfaction as the deer bolted away. She wasn't sure whether she'd frightened the animal away simply to save its life, or if there was some piece of her that wanted to thwart the man with the bow. Perhaps she would never know.

But then he called out to someone named Hvitserk, threatening death to the one who'd wasted his shot, and she couldn't help but smirk faintly. He hadn't seen her yet; she could simply slip away through the shadows of the trees, the muted colors of her clothing blending, and he would never find her. But what would be the fun in that? She stepped from the gloom, purposefully rustling leaves so she catch the man unawares. Her hair flowed loose around her shoulders, glinting gold in the sunlight, some thin braids framing her face and containing about a dozen smallish beads of varying colors and sizes. She carried a bow and a quiver of arrows herself slung across her back, a small throwing-ax resting comfortably on her hip. Despite ruining the man's hunt, she herself was dressed for one.

Had she been in Kattegat longer, she might have known she faced a prince, as it was, she was unaware of her present company. "No one called Hvitserk here, friend. Sorry to scare away your kill." But even as she said it, the corners of her lips turned up just a little, a mischievous twinkle in her large, light green eyes. She said she was sorry, but did she really mean it? She almost dared him to challenge her with that defiant tilt of her head, the way her arms crossed over her chest.

Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Wed Jul 19, 2017 10:42 pm

Don't fear death if it comes, embrace it as if you lying down next to a beautifull woman. Don't look back to what you had but look forward to what you can achieve, in that way the Gods can gift you with beauty that even a woman doesn't have.

That deer run on the sound of a small crack, nothing more, nothing less. Ubbe let his head hang for a moment, looking how it swiftly jumped between the trees out of his sight. But out of the sight didn’t immediately mean he wasn’t able to track it down again. But before he could do that he had to know what interrupted his moment on triumph by shooting that animal. And he presumed it was Hvitserk and if it wasn’t Hvitserk it was Sigurd. Giving the time he and Hvitserk spend most of the day together it also meant that they taunt each other half of that time. So it was logic that Ubbe thought it was one of his brothers. Who else would come to these woods? If it was a hunter he should know better, if it was a slave … not a good place to be alone. It was a little while walking back to Kattegat so whoever came here was here for a reason or not at all.

His eyes already followed the marks of the deer over the ground while he shouted out to his brother. There wasn’t an reaction, or at least not the one that he expected. When he turned around to scout his surrounding he found something entirely different, not close to Hvitserk. It was a young woman and Ubbe just had to give that a place in his mind, certainly because he didn’t recognize her. So he stood there a little frozen on the spot while he looked at her. He held his eyes polite up for now. Although he couldn’t ignore the fact that she wore more weapons than he had on this moment. He left his sword and axe at the cabin … something, after looking at her, was worth rethinking the next time. When she started to speak he straitened his back a little, squeezing his eyes together. ‘I’m already your friend?’ He said, a little with a titled head. If she could lift the corner of her mouth of for sure he could do that to. His eyes traveled shortly in de way the deer ran before he pointed the tip of his arrow her way. ‘You’re not sorry,’ he guessed the sparkle in her eyes. ‘and you are certainly not a slave by the looks of it.’ And there he went, trailing his eyes down over her body in one fast examining look. In some way she was challenging him, that body, her attitude screamed a challenging. ‘Why did you scare it away? The deer?’ He asked, looking down his arrow. ‘Wanted to do the honors yourself?’ His eyes trailed up from the arrow with that small smile on his lips. If she thought she could so easily bent his purpose of coming here, she didn’t knew Ubbe yet.

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Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Thu Jul 20, 2017 3:57 pm

Thora relaxed, dropping her arms from her chest to hang at her side. She couldn't help it, chuckling a little at his first statement. He seemed kind enough, and she liked that he called her out on her nonsense. The corners of her green eyes crinkled as she smiled, a full, genuine smile this time, not a smirk. "If I meet an armed stranger in the woods, I like to try to start off as friends, rather than enemies." She tilted her head a little, pausing, her smile becoming rueful. "Although scaring off a man's kill is maybe not the best way to make friends."

She looked him over quickly. He carried himself well, with the easy confidence of a warrior, and she could guess by the clothing he wore that he was high-born; certainly higher born than she was. Despite that, despite his confidence, he didn't seem to think himself greater than other men, although he very well could be. She liked that immensely. It was a hard balance to find, between confidence and humility, but based off their interaction so far, this man seems to have struck it. She could see him eying her, sizing him up the same way she was doing to him. He took in the amount of weapons she had. Almost sheepish, Thora reached for the ax at her hip. She tossed it to the side; it sank itself into a nearby tree with a satisfying thud. "Equally armed now, see?" It was a gesture of good faith in the man, showing her own peaceful intentions.

For all that, he might still decide to attack her should her initial assessment of him prove false. Thora was not the most confident in her ability to assess the character of a stranger, and she hoped she hadn't made a foolish choice. She considered his next words, shrugging lightly. The lack of her ax made her feel vulnerable, a little less cheeky than she'd been before. "He was a lovely creature; I didn't want to watch him die today. Strange impulse for someone who stands in a shield wall, isn't it?" She hoped that by just dropping that bit of information in the conversation, it could prevent him from attacking her if he wanted to. After all, he was larger than her, for sure he was stronger, but she was a trained fighter, fast, and no weakling herself. "I'm Thora."

Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Thu Jul 20, 2017 7:51 pm

Don't fear death if it comes, embrace it as if you lying down next to a beautifull woman. Don't look back to what you had but look forward to what you can achieve, in that way the Gods can gift you with beauty that even a woman doesn't have.

He let his body rest against a tree, showing in a way he wasn’t a treat in any way. Ubbe wasn’t a treat and even if he wanted to be he couldn’t pull it off. Not like his youngest brother could do it. Giving the deer that ran off, this was quite an interesting turn of events. Here thinking he had to deal with his brother, showed a young woman up, and what kind of one. He was a man; men look although he held is quite polite. The smile spreading open over her lips pulled his eyes right at it, causing to replicate on his own lips while he listened to her words. ‘Wise.’ He agreed on her own words. He wasn’t judging, she could be more than she let on but none the less, he was the prince of Kattegat, if she wanted him to be an enemy she had more than one. ‘You own me a deer then,’ he tilted his head, pointing towards the way that deer run off to. ‘if you want to be my friend.’ He stated, playfully. He turned the arrow around through his fingers, looking over to her with that cocked up smile, enjoying himself in the presents of a beautiful woman.

It wasn’t that he could look aside it, the weapons. He had to admit, a woman that could fight was in so many ways something he found worth to admire. And by the look of her weapons she knew how to do it, or she was a skilled hunter. Not that he really believed the last one, why scaring his deer otherwise. She grabbed her axe in a way that showed all her innocents before she tossed it to a tree. Ubbe followed the axe, approving of the way she did it before he looked back to her. He chuckled, pushing away from the tree to walk over. ‘Safe to approach.’ He reacted, still playing with the arrow that was meant for that deer. His steps were careful, calculated and he stopped his body on a safe appropriate distant from hers. When he asked why she scared the deer away her answer was what he expected to be. ‘I already imagined him above a fire,’ he felt silent by those last words. His eyes sunk over her body again. ‘Explains a lot,’ he pointed out to the axe with his arrow before he pointed over her body. ‘A shield maiden.’ And in which way he said it, he admired the female part of the raid, they were fierce, flawless. ‘You can’t be from Kattegat, never saw you before.’ He noticed. He was a lot among the Vikings and shield maidens although he wasn’t one himself, not yet. So she needed to be from somewhere else, was didn’t meet he wouldn’t treat her differently. Like his father always said, it was what you did that represented your name, not from where you came. ‘Thora.’ He repeated her name when she introduced herself. ‘Ubbe.’ He bowed, like she was some kind of a queen. He didn't say who he was or the fact he was a prince. He wasn't Ivar, it didn't matter that hard for him. ‘Nice meeting you here, so all by yourself.’ He turned his finger around to the environment. ‘If it wasn’t to hunt, what were you doing here?’ He asked curious. What was a shield maiden like her doing so far from the village. Not that he was complaining.

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Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Fri Jul 21, 2017 2:17 am

Thora could tell by the way he leaned against the tree, then from the way he approached, stopping at a respectful distance from her, that he was trying to tell her he was no threat. She appreciated that, although she hadn't realized she had been radiating that much tension. But then, she wasn't from Kattegat, didn't know too many people here yet. Really, she had only herself. Not that she should be nervous because of that. She'd fought in the shield wall of Uddevalla, and had never flinched. Put her alone with a solitary man in the middle of the woods, though, that was a different story. Even after all this time, being alone with a man--even a kind one--still made her feel vulnerable. She smiled at his words, relaxing even further. He couldn't be mad, not with a smile like that, that playfulness plain in his eyes. "Well then, I suppose I'll have to find you a deer. Not that one, though. One less majestic."

She threw her head back with laughter when he bowed to her like she was some highborn lady, the motion causing a few of the beads braided in her hair to clink together. Had she known who was bowing to her, she probably would have been mortified, not thought it funny. "No sense in bowing to me, Ubbe. I may be a shieldmaiden but I was still born on a farm." Her green eyes glinted merrily as she looked at him, still smiling. His easy playfulness had completely erased her tension. She stood relaxed before him, considering him. Ubbe. Wolf. For all that he was kind, for all that he tried to put her at ease, she found the name strangely fitting. It was too easy to envision him drenched in an enemy's blood in her head, and the thought made her heart beat faster for just a moment.

"Ah so you know all the shieldmaidens in Kattegat, Ubbe?" She teased, voice edged with laughter before she bowed her head slightly in acknowledgement of his being correct. "I'm from Uddevalla. I only recently came to Kattegat. I'm not hunting today, I'm exploring. Although I may end up hunting today, since I owe you a deer." She watched him twirl the arrow in his strong fingers, admiring the graceful way they moved. He was obviously familiar with a bow and arrows, at least. "Although you may be a better shot than I am, from the way you handle that arrow."

Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Thu Jul 27, 2017 11:31 am

Don't fear death if it comes, embrace it as if you lying down next to a beautifull woman. Don't look back to what you had but look forward to what you can achieve, in that way the Gods can gift you with beauty that even a woman doesn't have.

It couldn’t be something else … she was new. He would recognize her if she wasn’t new around here. Just like always he couldn’t hold it back to think how good looking she was. He and Hvitserk did it all the time, drinking ale, sitting on the steps of the great hall, lurking over every slave and woman that passed by. In this case it was only Ubbe and maybe for the better, Hvitserk would already have approached her on a different way. Ubbe just liked to be more mannered, friendly, not to direct. He smiled with her words, looking into the forest for a moment. She wanted to be a friend. In some way he wanted to say she could make it up in other ways but he behaved as the prince he should need to be. ‘One less majestic could turn out equally as majestic as the one you didn’t let me shoot, if you would give it a couple of years.’ He smiled. He was teasing her, he shook his head smiling. ‘You don’t own me anything.’ He followed, relieving her from her duty to shoot one down. She could consider this already a friendship if she wanted it to be.

Her laughter radiated the hollowness of this forest. It echoed even through the tree and all he could do is look at the smile on her face. He laid her words to ease by shaking his head. ‘Every woman fighting for her king deserves to be bowed for. Besides, it’s fun to do for a change.’ He winked. In some way he was used that people did it for him, not that he wanted it to but it was an appropriate way of greeting. She had no idea who he was and in some way he liked that, he was treated an equal for a change and he enjoyed that.

When they started about shield maidens he at least owned her an explanation. ‘I fight to, Kattegat doesn’t have much shield maidens, they all gather behind Lagertha,’ he looked down to the arrow, squeezing his eyes together on the thoughts. ‘So yes, I’m know them all.’ He followed on a light tone. The tension Kattegat had now Ragnar was away made everybody doubt his position. Lagertha and Björn had an interest and here Ubbe stood defending his mother in the best ways he could. It wasn’t easy, luckily he didn’t do it alone. ‘Uddevalla.’ He repeated, nodding while looking over her again. ‘Father always told me they have the finest weapons there.’ He said, looking over to the axe that still sat carved in the tree. When she started about the hunting again he chuckled, shaking his head. ‘I wasn’t hunting either, it was an opportunity and now it’s gone.’ He pushed himself away from the tree, grabbed the axe out of the tree and examining it with his blue eyes. ‘I have a hunting cabin not far of here, was making some arrows. If you want I can answer all your questions.’ He bowed again, teasingly before offering her that axe again.

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Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Fri Jul 28, 2017 3:32 am

Thora was surprised to find she was enjoying herself in Ubbe's company, but just something about his playfulness, his kindness, put her at ease. It certainly didn't hurt that he was attractive too, with those bright blue eyes and easy smile. She raised her eyebrows when he said she didn't owe him a deer anymore."Can we still be friends if I don't get you a deer?" Her tone was playful; she was enjoying their friendly banter. He seemed to be a good man, this Ubbe, and she was grateful he was so good-natured. It had perhaps been a risk to frighten away his deer and then throw her ax into the tree, but so far her judgment of his character had been correct.

That wink distracted her for a moment; why did he have to be so charming? But then the implication of his statement hit her. Her bright green eyes narrowed slightly at his words, that it was nice to bow for a change. Was he someone that people bowed to? She racked her brain for a moment, and bit her lower lip to stop herself from gasping in shock. Thora had grown up listening to tales of the great Ragnar Lothbrok. Not much was said of his sons yet--they were young--but she had heard their names since coming to Kattegat. And one, the eldest of his sons with Queen Aslaug, was named Ubbe. But that couldn't be the man before her, could it? Thora had never met a prince before, but she was fairly certain they were not so.... Kind. So humble. Her eyes raked over him again, quickly, and she mentally cursed herself for being so dense. What were the odds she would scare away the kill of a prince of Kattegat?

She kept her tone light and neutral, trying to declare her allegiance without giving too much of herself away. She hated word games, but had heard rumors of tension in Kattegat. She was too new to the town to really know the details, though. "Ah well, Lagertha is a mighty warrior in her own right. I fought beside many shieldmaidens in Uddevalla that admired her greatly." She shrugged one shoulder. "But I grew up listening to stories of the great King Ragnar. It may be silly, but that is part of the reason I came here. I know he isn't here now, but surely his sons are destined for equal greatness." She offered him a small smile. "It seems you'd better add my name to the list of shieldmaidens you know, then."

She watched him inspecting her ax and felt a hint of pride. It was a fine weapon, made in Uddevalla by one of their very talented blacksmiths. It was perfectly balanced and beautifully worked, knotwork engraved along the back of it. "Maybe that opportunity had to leave for another to present itself." She suggested with a grin, wagging her eyebrows. She couldn't resist being playful and a little coy with him, even if he was possibly a prince. He grew serious for a moment as he spoke, before bowing to her again as he presented the ax to her. She laughed at the bow, accepting the ax with a roll of her eyes and sliding it into its holder at her hip. Thora couldn't resist a small, teasing note to her voice as she answered. "Well, it seems we are indeed already friends, if you're going to answer all my questions. A very generous offer. In return, I'll answer any questions you may have about me." She looked him over again, green eyes going serious as she bit her lip before adding, "I'm intrigued by you, Ubbe." The words were quiet, almost shy, and she looked away from him for a moment before meeting his gaze again.

Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Sat Jul 29, 2017 7:47 pm

Don't fear death if it comes, embrace it as if you lying down next to a beautifull woman. Don't look back to what you had but look forward to what you can achieve, in that way the Gods can gift you with beauty that even a woman doesn't have.

Could they still be friend if she didn’t get him the deer. He did like he really needed to think hard about that, tilting his head a little, squeezing one eye closer and looking up to the sky. ‘I don’t know,’ he began, playfully thinking before he looked back to her. ‘Can I get something else then?’ He teased her with that question. To be honest, having her company was better than that deer ever would taste, but that didn’t she needed to know … yet. Besides, he was the prince of Kattegat, if he wanted something he simple could ask. But that was more Ivar his department, Ubbe hardly asked for something, or demanded something other than others being equally happy around him. ‘We can be friends.’ He concluded after a little time, giving her a smile as proof that he meant it.

He didn’t only know the shield maidens, he know basically everybody around in Kattegat. From when he was old enough to walk he followed his parents or the other woman in the great hall everywhere. People greeted him as the little prince and Ubbe was always proud if he did something that gained him some loyalty or a good name. He needed that, he wasn’t expecting to be a king soon, not with his mother and Björn, or Ivar for that matter but he kept his connection in the town, speaking to the people, thanking them for their work. Aslaug didn’t do it so somebody had to. When Thora started talking about Lagertha he looked at the tree, pinching his fingers in the curves. ‘Who doesn’t.’ He just said. His mother wasn’t a fighter, neither a good leader so when he saw Lagertha pace by on the rare occasions that he did he couldn’t help himself to show some admiration. But when Thora started about Ragnar Ubbe his eyes traveled back to her, squeezing them a little together while suppressing a smile. ‘The great Ragnar,’ he agreed on her words. ‘I bet if you knew those sons you wouldn’t be talking that relaxed,’ he smiled, pointing his arrow to her chest. ‘You want to fight for Ragnar? For his sons?’ He asked curious. Surly she would be a fierce addition to the army they had here. When she spoke about adding her name he chuckled, pointing the arrowhead against his temple. ‘Already did.’ He smiled.

While he studies that axe she spoke about opportunities and his blue eyes just drifted back to hers. What was she doing? The corner of his mouth came up. ‘It sure did.’ He noticed, looking back over her body. ‘I’m doubting what is better, the deer or,’ he felt silent knowing she would be able to finish that sentence herself while he gave her axe back. Spoken about friendship, her words made him laugh until she said he could ask her anything back, than he was more interested, in a joyful way. ‘Do I have a lot of questions.’ He said, pulling his eyebrows two times up. But then she got all serious and Ubbe leaned against the tree again, tilting his head on her gaze. The quiet words didn’t left room for a joke or teasing. ’You have no idea.’ He murmured for his own, taking a breath before speaking up. ‘That goes both ways Thora.’ He just answered, holding on to her gaze before he pushed himself away from the tree. ‘Come on, we go to the hunting cabin before somebody,’ he pointed around with his arrow. ‘Starts hunting us.’ He smiled, showing her the way to the hunting cabin.

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Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Mon Jul 31, 2017 3:40 pm

Could he get something else? She raised one eyebrow at the teasing question, shooting back an automatic answer before she could stop herself. "That depends on what you ask for." She grinned at him. It had been a long time since Thora had felt this relaxed, but she wasn't going to question it, just enjoy it. Warmth filled her at his next statement--they could be friends. "That makes you my first friend since I've come to Kattegat. That's lucky for me, I think."

Then he was talking about Ragnar and his sons. She tilted her head to the side, pretending to consider his question very carefully. She thought maybe it was a silly question--why would she come to Kattegat if she didn't want to fight for Ragnar and his sons? When she was a girl listening to her father's stories, he'd always said King Ragnar sounded like a man he would like to fight for. But then he would shake his head, rueful, and shrug the shoulder he could still move without pain. His sword-arm was all but useless, the muscles and tendons below the shoulder severed in a raid before Thora was born. It was some sort of tribute to her father that drove her here, maybe. Some belief that if she fought for Ragnar, it meant that in some way, her father had served him, too. That wasn't the case, obviously. But her father had certainly admired Ragnar's exploits, his cunning and his strength.

That wasn't anything she was going to tell Ubbe, not right now at least. "Why would I not be talking this relaxed if I knew those sons? Are the sons of King Ragnar so hard to please?" She dropped the playful tone for her next statement. "I will fight for him--for his sons--if they will have me." She watched him point to his temple with the arrow, smiling. He handled it with such ease, such familiarity, she almost regretted scaring his deer away. Surely watching him kill the beast would have been pleasant in its own way. While the deer had been a lovely creature, Thora couldn't deny that there was a part of her that enjoyed the sight of spilled blood. Blame it on her birthplace--Uddevalla bred hard people, trained them from a young age to love the thrill of fighting, the rush of spilling blood. She liked that Ubbe was a fighter, too, liked the thought of him covered in blood.

She had been being playful with him, teasing him a little, but she felt a warm blush creeping up her cheeks when she saw him looking her over. His next words drew a smile across her face and she relaxed again, her momentary embarrassment forgotten. When did she become so shy? Considering the character of her former husband, actually, maybe her unease around men, this shyness she'd never possessed before him, wasn't surprising. [/i]"I'll do my best to answer them all, but I promise my life has been generally boring."[/i] She laughed. The thought that he was intrigued by her left her breath short for a moment, but then she raised her brows at his next words. "My first question is, how often do people hunt you, Ubbe?" She began following him back to his cabin, looking around in open curiosity. She'd never been in this part of the woods before.

Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Wed Aug 02, 2017 11:14 am

Don't fear death if it comes, embrace it as if you lying down next to a beautifull woman. Don't look back to what you had but look forward to what you can achieve, in that way the Gods can gift you with beauty that even a woman doesn't have.

What would he ask … Ubbe could ask a lot, things she probably was more willing to do then other things. But giving she was new here he let it slip, said to her that being friends didn’t acquired her to get something for him. They would stand aside each other in battle one day and he had rather a friend battling with him then somebody entirely different. Somewhere he was curious to what she was capable of, she had the typical woman body and he knew that it only hide their talents underneath that certain innocents. He was glad to meet her, better than hunting a deer.

A lot of people came to Kattegat for Ragnar and a lot of people knew already from his disappearance. The main talk was Ragnar, for weeks for months and that laid pressure on the sons of Ragnar. With Björn often with his mother that burden came on Ubbe his shoulders. But Thora didn’t know that, or she was playing a pretty good game in hiding it. Ubbe wasn’t out on being recognized, he loved the attention, certainly from the female part of this village but it wasn’t that he was looking for making a name. In that way he couldn’t compete with his father or Björn. When she spoke his eyes shifted from the arrowhead back to her and a very slow smile came on his lips. ‘Some.’ He answered. If it was Ivar or Sigurd her before her she wouldn’t have it that easy. Hvitserk would already set his mind on other things and Ubbe … well he stood here and she was totally relaxed. The playfulness in her voice made it so hard for him to keep a serious. But when she got further it wasn’t that hard anymore. He looked at her and nodded. ‘They will have you, I’m sure of that.’ He smiled, still not giving away that he was one of those sons. Hearing how much devotion she putted in her words made it almost certain that she would be a fierce fighter, a respectful warrior. ‘And if they don’t want you well,’ He felt silent, looking down to his own arrow again. ‘I certainly would want you.’ He winked. His own shield maiden, how would that be?

For a moment he saw something red slipping up her cheeks and that was enough to know she wasn’t protect for his words, or look, or charm for that matter. When she stated that her life was pretty boring he shook his head in disagreement. ‘How can the life of a fine looking shield maiden that travels to Kattegat be boring?’ He asked her right back. He wasn’t planning on demanding her full life experience, he wasn’t even serious when he said he had a lot of questions. He pushed away from the three and pointed towards the hunting cabin that you couldn’t see from behind all those trees. He started walking, to immediately stop when she asked him a question. He slowly turned around to her. ‘Are we hunting?’ He asked amused, pointing his arrow in between the two of them. ‘Each other?’ He tilted his head, pulling up that appealing smile again before he started walking again. He was certainly hunting her, who wouldn’t. ‘It is a little to see what you mean by it, is the positive way often, in the negative, still standing here so I think it is a good thing.’ He chuckled. He pushed away some branches and let her as a good man he was, let her first. When she passed him and she was hardly inches away from him he fired the question back. ‘You? You often hunted down?’ He said a little low voice, pointing out the obvious, he wasn’t asking because she was bad looking of seemed like a target. They came on a little field with a cabin in the middle, at least that was better than standing between the trees.

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Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Thu Aug 03, 2017 2:15 am

Thora had all but forgotten her earlier suspicion about Ubbe, distracted as she was by their playful banter. Had she known she stood before one of the sons of Ragnar, her easy relaxation may have vanished in an instant. What would a prince be doing alone this deep in the woods, anyway? Thora tended to think more of royals as distant figures, some, like Ragnar, were nearly mythical in her mind. It made them almost less like real people to her, and more like concepts, because royals and beliefs were both things she fought for. She had fought for the king of Uddevalla, the same as she fought for glory. She would fight for Ragnar and his sons just as she fought for the ones in the shield wall beside her--for their safety, to keep them alive. Thora had never met anyone of royal blood before, and so to her they were somehow loftier than other mortals, closer to the gods. The fact that Ubbe was so kind, so playful, so mortal like herself, was what had finally convinced her that it was just a coincidence that he shared his name with Ragnar's son.

A chuckle escaped her at his statement, that if the sons of Ragnar rejected her, he would take her. She grinned at his wink, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes at him. "Well, it's reassuring to know I have options in case the sons of Ragnar won't take me. I need to get to the practice field more, mostly I've been trying to learn the area." She paused a moment, tilting her head as she regarded him with thoughtful green eyes. Her tone was a little more serious when she continued. "I would gladly be a shield at your side." She returned his wink with one of her own.

She followed him as he started walking toward the cabin, and nearly ran into him when he stopped to answer her question. Her hands reflexively reached forward, palms landing on his back to steady herself. She drew them back quickly once her balance was restored. She raised one eyebrow at his question. Were they hunting each other? That's an answer even she was uncertain of right now. "Are we?" She challenged him right back, a touch of defiance in her voice. She watched the arrow point between them, biting her lip as he continued. "Well, it seems the ones who've hunted you aren't very skilled." She wanted to look away when he asked if she was hunted down often, instead she forced herself to meet his gaze. "I've been prey a little too often, I think." Forcing the weakness back with determination, she continued, "But even a cornered rabbit can scratch."

Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Sun Aug 06, 2017 12:51 pm

Don't fear death if it comes, embrace it as if you lying down next to a beautifull woman. Don't look back to what you had but look forward to what you can achieve, in that way the Gods can gift you with beauty that even a woman doesn't have.

In all the tales she heard from the great Ragnar Lothbrok there wasn’t any that mention the names of the sons, or she forgot it, or she just didn’t made the connection. But he loved this, what was going on, for more than one reason aside her stunning outcome. He loved the playfulness, the fact she didn’t knew he was a Ragnarsson. She treated him like everybody else and that was in some way a reassuring. People who knew him always were in some kind different, to much respect or to polite and sometimes he hated that. He had to do more effort to get them at ease. So with Thora it felt different and he just loved it, in more possible ways than she probably thought. Maybe she wouldn’t found out until maybe the next day when somebody told her. One way or another, he wasn’t planning on telling her, she had to find it out of her own, that was the game.

When she said she took it as a certain comfort that she would have a place if the sons didn’t want her he smiled at her, listening to the rest she said. ‘I can show you the trainings field tomorrow, if you still want me around by then.’ He felt silent and his eyes lowered to her belt and her axe. ‘Dying to see what that body of yours is capable of.’ He followed. He wanted to know, he wanted to see her fight, it probably would be flawless, like a dance. When she stated that she would love to be a shield at his side and she winked he tilted his head, smiling like an idiot. ‘Good, I would gladly be the sword to help protect you.’ It was teasing in a way. Although Ubbe always had the urge to protect all females … even if they were capable to fight for their own.

He walked before her, leading her the way back to the cabin. When he all the sudden stopped she laid her hands against his back to keep her balance, he smirked while turning around to her. Where they? He titled his head when she fired the question right back. ‘Maybe.’ He answered, letting that hang in the air for as long as they wanted. He had always a feeling of hunting, although it wasn’t an animal but a good looking shield maiden. He chuckled on her words, holding her eyes for as long as she let them hold them. She was determent in her words and his smile slinked to a small grin. ‘I like you.’ He ticked the arrowhead against her shoulder before walking on. What she wanted to do with those words was entirely up to her. He walked the way to the cabin and laid the arrow with the others, resting his bow aside it. ‘This is my father’s hunting cabin, come her quite often.’ He said as he walked inside. ‘I would say make yourself at home, it isn’t often that somebody else is her aside me or my bothers.’ He said from inside, grabbing two cups and the ale he brought. He walked back out and placed it on a piece of wood, looking at her a little challenging. ‘I hope you are thirsty.’ He said, pouring himself already a cup.

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Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Mon Aug 07, 2017 3:44 pm

She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows at his statement, and her sneaking suspicion about his identity pushed itself to the front of her mind again. She reassured herself again that it was only a coincidence he shared a name with Ragnar's eldest son, nothing more. It was not such an uncommon name that only one person in all Kattegat would be called Ubbe. His next sentence drove those thoughts from her mind anyway, and she grinned. Thora had been born to fight; she was from Uddevalla. "You can show me the training field only if you're willing to fight me." Her smile was a little wild, a challenge in the stubborn set of her jaw. "I want to see what a man from Kattegat can do."

She listened as he continued. He had a nice smile, and she returned it with a wide grin of her own. "Then it's decided. We fight side by side." There was a light, almost teasing tone to her voice as she continued. "If you can keep up with me." She didn't doubt his fighting ability. She could practically see him in her mind's eye, covered in blood, fighting fierce as the gods themselves. He was tall and lean, strong. His fighting would be graceful, lethal, beautiful and terrible to see--she was almost certain of that. Still she couldn't have resisted teasing him like that; she was enjoying their game too much.

She snorted at his answer, his arrogant little smirk. It was a good look on his face, though, that playful little expression as he tickled her with the arrowhead. She laughed. "I guess it's a good thing I like you too, hmm?" she answered him as he started walking away. She followed him to the cabin, watched as he set his bow and arrows aside. She set hers down beside his before taking off the belt that held her ax and setting that beside her bow and arrows. "Your father doesn't use it anymore, then? How many brothers do you have?"

She realized that was two questions in a row that he could easily refuse to answer, or would ask her two in return, but she was curious. As hard as she tried to ignore the suspicious voice in her head and just enjoy herself in Ubbe's company, sometimes it was hard to ignore. She grinned when he returned with ale. That would help silence the annoying little voice. "I am always thirsty." She poured herself a cup of ale once he was done, then held her cup out toward his in a half-mocking toast. "To strangers that become friends."

Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Mon Aug 07, 2017 9:41 pm

Don't fear death if it comes, embrace it as if you lying down next to a beautifull woman. Don't look back to what you had but look forward to what you can achieve, in that way the Gods can gift you with beauty that even a woman doesn't have.

Fighting … if there was something Ubbe loves aside the sight of a good looking woman then it was giving himself in a fight. He was Viking, fighting was his life, it was hers because she fight a long way for her place in a shield wall. Despite Ubbe was young, he had the certain knowledge, but he hadn’t that much experience, fighting your brothers wasn’t the same as fighting in a raid. He didn’t know that so she would be better in a way, despite he had the tricks from his father, the lessons. It seemed like so long ago when his father give him the last lesson. Thora pulled him out of those thoughts by challenging him to a fight. ‘More than willing.’ He smirked playful, knowing it would more an amusement than a fight. Surly Ivar would enjoy seeing this, all his brothers would. If it was something, a men shouldn’t loose from a woman, it would hunt him to the end of days if he did. He chuckled at her statement and looked over his shoulder. ‘Can’t promise you anything.’ He said a little amused.

Fighting side by side, it was intriguing. ‘I’m looking forward to a raid all of the sudden.’ He joked, looking back to her. But when she got further he looked at her offended. ‘I can keep up with you.’ He followed, looking over her body for a moment. ‘I can keep up.’ He petted his arrow against her shoulder again, widening the smile around his lips. By the gods, he loved that taunting of her. And it tickled, to fight her right here and now but where would be the fun in that. He looked at her as he said he liked her and she fired those words right back. He chuckled and started walking again, enjoying that stupid little walk to the cabin.

With her question he looked over his shoulder and then back to the cabin. It were the vivid memories he and his brothers shared here. He didn’t get here much with his father, his childhood memories were a mess sometimes. ‘No, he left it, for us.’ He answered her first question, throwing his things aside. Before he walked in he lingered at the door. ‘Three brothers, four, if you count my half-brother in it.’ He answered her second question. He looked at her, curiously, would she get it now? Three brothers, Ivar, Hvitserk, Sigurd and Björn, his half-brother. Why keep it a secret, he could her almost see thinking from this distant before he walked in and took the two cups and the ale. ‘Do you have brothers? Or sisters?’ He asked curious, walking back out to join her. When she said she was always thirsty he chuckled. ‘Makes two of us.’ He smiled, pouring himself a cup. He sat down on a tree stump against the shed. When she lifted hers he pushed his against her. ‘To strangers becoming friends. Welcome in Kattegat Thora.’ He smiled, like he greeted her for the first time before he placed the cup against his lips and drank …

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Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Tue Aug 08, 2017 4:19 am

"You'll have to prove you can keep up with me, then." She grinned at him, seeing Ubbe assessing her body. He seemed to find her lacking, if his next statement was any indication, and then it was her turn to be offended. She jabbed one finger into the center of his chest as he tickled her with the arrowhead again, her light green eyes narrowing in indignation. She tried to keep her face serious as his playful smile widened, but she couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from curling up into a smile to match his. "We'll see. I bet I'll surprise you." She dropped her hand back to her side, still smiling. "Do you not always look forward to a raid? What kind of Viking are you? If he could tease her, she could give it right back. She was grinning, green eyes glinting with laughter as they reached the cabin. Thora couldn't remember the last time she'd had such fun--not in a few years, at least. She sent a quick, silent thanks to the gods for leading her to the woods today, for putting the deer to scare in her path.

When she asked about his family, about his father and brothers, he was swift with her answers. And then he looked at her like he was waiting for her to figure something out. That little voice started up again, and this time she found she couldn't ignore it any longer. "Two brothers, Audun and Eirik, and a sister, Jorunn, all older than me." She answered as she poured the ale into her cup.

She smiled at him over the cups as they pressed together, watching him sitting on the stump, and drained her cup quickly. The ale settled warm in her belly, bracing her, encouraging the impulsive thoughts half-formed in her brain. She perched next to Ubbe on the stump although there was hardly room for two people, finger curled around her empty cup. More than likely, if things continued the way they did, one of them would playfully shove the other off the stump within a few minutes anyway. But for now, Thora settled herself comfortably beside Ubbe, pressing her side against his due to the lack of space, and turned her head to face him. She forced herself to ignore the warmth radiating off him, green eyes meeting his, keeping her voice light and playful. Even though she was curious, her suspicion impossible to ignore now, she couldn't give up their easy, playful banter. Were they hunting each other? Maybe, and she was unwilling to give up the game just yet. "Four brothers, a father who is gone, and that name, Ubbe." She paused, tilting her head. "You seem to have a lot in common with a son of Ragnar."

Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Tue Aug 08, 2017 9:48 pm

Don't fear death if it comes, embrace it as if you lying down next to a beautifull woman. Don't look back to what you had but look forward to what you can achieve, in that way the Gods can gift you with beauty that even a woman doesn't have.

Prove … He needed to prove that he was worth it. He needed to prove that he could keep up. Whole his life stood under that, every day he needed to prove Kattegat that he was a worthy son of Ragnar. Not only he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, he needed it to be, just as Björn did it. Taking care of his brothers was nothing, proving who he was, who his father was, was something totally difference. So proving himself to her, it was a different way of proving but one he certainly was willing to do. ‘Won’t be a problem.’ He said with a confident tone in his voice. His eyes lowered to her finger against his chest before he slowly looked back up. First to the playful smile around her lips before he looked back into those green eyes. ‘I’m sure you will, what would it be without surprises.’ He smiled, narrowing his eyes on her next words. He pushed his head closer to hers. ‘A real one.’ He whispered, smiling before he slowly pulled back, giving her that typical look before turning around, starting to walk again.

When she told about her brothers and sister he was leaning against the door, looking how she made it herself comfortable by untying her belt and weapons. ‘The youngest, how is that?’ He asked walking in for the ale. His youngest brother … well you couldn’t really relate … Ivar wasn’t the typical kind of brother, even when he was the youngest. He looked how she poured herself a cup and drank it all out after toasting. He drank his halfway and rested his head against the wood of the house behind him, looking over the plane field in front of them. There were some dried skins hanging on a piece of wooden fence, it was peaceful. Their bodies had slightly contact, a feeling he didn’t ignore. When she turned her head he did the same thing, looking in her so green eyes. This would get very hard if there wasn’t a word changed and only gazing at one another.

But when she talked, he looked away, laughing. ‘You got it all figured out.’ He smiled, turning his head back to her. He looked over her face before smiling again. ‘Yes, it’s quite strange, isn’t it?’ He shook his head and looked back over the plane field. ‘What can I say, playing a game of hunt with a lovely woman is far more fun than being the prince of Kattegat.’ He confessed, turned his head back to her. ‘Guess the hunting is over now.’ He smiled in the same playful as earlier. There were no arguments more against her statement, he was Ubbe Ragnarsson. He brought his cup up and drank the rest of his ale.

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Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Wed Aug 09, 2017 2:38 pm

How was it to be the youngest? Thora bit her lip thoughtfully, trying to figure out how to word it. How could she ever explain the feeling of safety she got in the presence of her brothers? The easy giggles shared with her sister? The fights, hair-pulling and name-calling, startling their father's horses when they tackled each other into the dirt. Audun teaching her to fight, encouraging her to dodge faster, to put more force into her blows? Eirik laughing, taunting her as he leaned against the fence, knowing how well anger drove her sometimes. Her father watching, useless sword-arm hanging by his side, correcting the mistakes she made that Audun didn't notice. "It means I grew up with two older brothers teaching me how to ride horses and fight, and a sister who taught me to weave."

She was comfortable on the stump next to him, the ale warm in her belly as she voiced her suspicion. When Ubbe confirmed his identity, she let her head fall back against the wall behind her with a dull thud. Head still resting against the wall, she turned to watch him. He was watching her too, probably looking for her reaction. In that moment, something in Thora's world had shifted. She had always fought for royals merely as concepts, not because they were someone she actually knew, and especially not because they were people she liked. She wanted to be angry at him, wanted to accuse him of deceiving her, but it was his playful smile that stopped her. How could she be angry at someone so kind?

She stood suddenly, taking Ubbe's cup from him without a word, and went to pour them more ale. She took her time, biting the inside of her cheek as she collected her thoughts. She took her time pouring the ale, occasionally looking thoughtfully at Ubbe. Finally she settled beside him on the stump again, their sides touching as before, and held his cup out to him. She took a quick sip of her ale before she finally turned the full force of her light green eyes to Ubbe, raising her eyebrows. "Who says the game has to be over?" A playful smile lit up her face as she continued. "Tomorrow on the training field, I will swear to always fight by the side of Ubbe Ragnarsson, if he will have me. And tomorrow, you can be Ubbe Ragnarsson, Prince of Kattegat. But how often do you just get to be Ubbe, drinking ale in the woods with a friend?" She nudged him lightly with her shoulder. "Because I'll still be your friend even if you sort of tricked me about who you are. I scared away your deer first, so I guess that evens the score."

Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Thu Aug 10, 2017 9:08 pm

Don't fear death if it comes, embrace it as if you lying down next to a beautifull woman. Don't look back to what you had but look forward to what you can achieve, in that way the Gods can gift you with beauty that even a woman doesn't have.

Being the eldest was taking care of the younger once, being the eldest means in that way learning them things. Ubbe did a terrible job at it, certainly without Ragnar around. Sigurd and Ivar were always arguing and he had no way to stop both of those two hot headed. But he did the best he could, it wasn’t easy … he needed to be a brother and a father on the same time for they hadn’t a father anymore. Since Ragnar left the opinions were divided. Thora was the youngest, had all the perks of learning from the elder once. He asked himself if Ivar ever learned something from him being the eldest brother. He looked aside to her when she told him all the perks of having elder siblings. ‘The perfect woman.’ He stated with promising smile. Wasn’t it, she could fight, ride horses and being a woman all on the same time. That had to count for something.

He confessing was the joy of looking at her reaction. She rested her head against the wood, something he already had done. When she turned her head to look at him his eyes traveled over her facing, taking in every little detail there was to see while he watched her reaction on his confession. It wasn’t much, she was just looking, like he was looking at her. She was thinking how to react on it and he slowly started smiling, knowing she wouldn’t get angry, he was nothing more than friendly, charming and playful, who could ignore that.

When she stood all of the sudden, his eyes traveled up, an eyebrow cocked up when she grabbed his cup and went for a fresh cup of ale for both. He let his head tilt to the left while he looked at her moving, filling those cups. She looked at him and every time she did the corner of his lip went a little up before she came back. He didn’t even hide his gazing anymore. She sat back down and offered him his cup back. He took it, still looking at her. He raised his eyebrows with her before the first words came out and he chuckled on the playfulness in it. He kicked his cup softly against hers. ‘To that.’ He said before drinking. He loved a good game, she was his game on the moment and he was eager on playing it. When she started talking he rested his cup on his leg, looking aside to her. Her smiled on the words, but in another way, more serious. He appreciated those words. ‘I will have you even if Björn doesn’t want you. He is the boss.’ He replied on the first part of her words. Björn had a big say, just as his mother did, but she hardly cared about the armies Kattegat had. When she told him how often he could be just Ubbe he looked back in front of him, sinking in his own thoughts. ‘Not that much.’ He confessed, looking up again, forcing a smile on his lips before looking back when she got further. He laughed softly. ‘Yes you did chase away my deer.’ He just had to point it out a last single time. ‘But we are even.’ He nodded, bringing his cup back to his lips to drink. ‘Other questions you are dying to have an answer on,’ he felt silent, looking aside to her. ‘my friend.’ He winked.

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Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Fri Aug 11, 2017 2:18 am

She brought the cup to her lips and drank after he clicked their cups together, meeting his eyes with a mischevious smile. She laughed, a light flush from the ale beginning to creep up her cheeks. Her green eyes were shining when she looked at him, and she dropped her head to rest against his shoulder for a moment before picking it back up and meeting his blue eyes again. "Every time I see your brother he's glaring at me like he's thinking of killing me." She shrugged lightly, grinning again. "Do you think he'll hate me less if I beat you tomorrow?" She couldn't resist the teasing of him.

She caught the slight but sudden shift in his mood as he sank into his thoughts at her question, and she shook her head so hard a few of the beads braided in her long blond hair clacked together. "Well then whenever you want to be just Ubbe, come find me." It was a half-serious promise. Thora liked Ubbe, just Ubbe. She had yet to see him acting as a prince yet, but she already knew he was a man she could serve faithfully, and she could be his friend, too. She could let him just be him if he needed to, she could let him relax, protect him if he needed to let his guard down. But she knew she was just a shieldmaiden, and new to Kattegat, and there were probably others he would go to before her. But the offer of her company was there, whenever he wanted it.

"I was thinking since our score is even on that game, it is time for a new one." She smirked at him, tilting her head in thought. "I have a dagger hidden somewhere on my body. If you can guess where it is in three tries, you win a prize." She wasn't sure what she would offer him if he guessed the location of her dagger, besides the dagger itself. It was one of several that she owned. A leather belt, lined with a piece of sheepskin on the side pressed against her flesh. The belt wrapped around the curve of her waist, holding the small dagger against the middle of her back. All she had to do was bend her arm and it was hidden there, just in case she ever needed it.

Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Wed Aug 16, 2017 9:14 pm

Don't fear death if it comes, embrace it as if you lying down next to a beautifull woman. Don't look back to what you had but look forward to what you can achieve, in that way the Gods can gift you with beauty that even a woman doesn't have.

If ale made it better, for him it was already better. Better than catching that deer, now he could catch her in a certain way and that was quite amusing. Here they sat, shoulder against shoulder, side against side, drinking. She rested her head against his shoulder for a moment and Ubbe tried to look at her, what didn’t work. When she looked back up and she started speaking his eyebrows got up. There was only one person gazing at people like they want to kill them and it was Ivar. ‘It’s not a good sign when he is glaring at you.’ He said it in some kind of a joke but somewhere deep down he knew that when Ivar put an interest in something, he was capable in doing much. When she went further on it he started to laugh. ‘First of, he doesn’t hate you. Second,’ he felt silent and brought his head a little closer to her. ‘Who says you gonna beat me?’ He asked with that smug confident grin on his face. ‘Beside, if Ivar is looking at you, you best look for some protection to keep you safe, he doesn’t scare away from sneaking up to you at night.’ Ubbe followed, deadly serious, but that didn’t held long enough. He couldn’t lose that fight, not with his brothers watching. But Thora seemed quite determined in proving him or them wrong.

Although his thoughts slipped away from a moment, Thora brought him with ease back in the conversation. Ubbe looked in front of him, listening how she suggested he always could go find her. ‘Depends a little what you have to offer Thora.’ He said back, giving her a promising look. Maybe next time she shouldn’t scare away his deer, he would like her even more than … not that it was a big difference, he liked her already enough. Some moments he was along he, like today, if he wanted to be just Ubbe, it cleared his head. Sharing those moments with a woman wasn’t something he would throw away.

He had his cup already up again when she suggested a new game. He looked a little bit before him before he turned a few inches on his seat towards her. ‘Do tell.’ He gestured with a curious look. When she spoke of a dagger hidden somewhere on her body his eyes automatically lowered to her waist, looking for it while he listened to what she had to say. ‘Which prize?’ He asked, looking back up to her. ‘That suggests it isn’t at your side, where usually daggers are kept.’ He said, lowering his eyes again, scanning her body. ‘So I would guess, your ankle?’ He had seen it before, although it wasn’t easy for fighting, not if you needed it so badly. ‘But you are smarter than that.’ He followed on a soft voice, eyes gazing intensely in hers. There weren’t much places you could hide a dagger. ‘Your back?’ He followed, one eye a little squeezed together. She was a woman, swift reach, easy to use …

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Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Wed Aug 16, 2017 9:55 pm

There was much Thora didn't know about Kattegat or its inhabitants, that much was obvious when she'd scared off the deer hunted by one of the princes. But one thing she did know was Bjorn Ironside, to a certain extent. He was the eldest son of Ragnar, famous in his own right, and his nickname came because he was nearly untouchable in battle. Even in Uddevalla, where men were the best fighters around, they spoke of the Prince of Kattegat with respect. Here was a son who lived up to his famous father, a worthy heir to his legacy. Thora had known when she left for Kattegat that Ragnar himself wasn't there, but his sons were. Most of the sons were young, unproven in combat yet, and their names were known only because of their father. That was not the case with Bjorn, and so Thora had known that in coming to Kattegat, at least one of the sons of Ragnar would probably be a good commander.

Thora had never spoken to Bjorn yet, but a few times on the training field she had felt a hateful glare upon her, powerful enough to raise the hair on the back of her neck. Every time she turned, it was always the same man. She'd asked one of the other Vikings who he was, and he'd looked at her like she was crazy when he'd said that man was Bjorn Ironside. For the life of her, Thora couldn't figure out what she had done to earn such hatred, and she was almost afraid to ask.

She listens to Ubbe speaking about his brother, and she couldn't help but grin as he brought his head closer to hers, asking who said she was going to beat him. "I say I'm going to beat you, of course." Her green eyes dipped down to his mouth, to that confident grin he wore when he taunted her. It quickly faded, though, as he continued. Ivar? She had not met that brother, at least not to her knowledge. "I haven't met Ivar yet. It's your other brother that hates me. Bjorn. On the training field I sometimes see him looking at me like he's thinking about sinking his sword into my belly." She shudders lightly, able to almost feel the weight of his cold glower even in the calm of the forest.

She raised her eyebrows over her light green eyes as he asked what she had to offer if he were to come find her. She tilted her head a little to the side, considering him, before smiling. "The chance to play more games. You seem to be enjoying this one." And then when she suggested the next game he turned and she turned to mirror him, putting what little distance between them the stump would allow so he could inspect her a little more easily. The he asked the question: what prize? And of course Thora hadn't thought that far ahead, although maybe the dagger or one of her axes could be given if he wanted them. They were from Uddevalla, beautiful and deadly, and surely nothing so fine came from the forges of Kattegat? Although he was a prince, and all his weapons could easily be much finer than hers.

She shook her head at the guess of her ankle, watching him as he scanned her body. Then his eyes came up to meet hers and the intensity of his gaze was almost enough to make her catch her breath. His voice was soft as he continued, but they sat close enough she could hear it easily. A small smile turned up the corners of her lips as he guessed again, and the hand not holding her cup darted quickly up behind her, beneath the hem of her tunic. She pulled the knife free of its sheath and set it on the stump between them without breaking eye contact with him."You win. You can keep the dagger if you like, and the sheath that goes with it, pick another prize." She grinned up at him, shrugging lightly. "I didn't really think this far ahead." Thora admitted, bringing her ale to her lips and drinking again.

Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Sat Aug 19, 2017 3:31 pm

Don't fear death if it comes, embrace it as if you lying down next to a beautifull woman. Don't look back to what you had but look forward to what you can achieve, in that way the Gods can gift you with beauty that even a woman doesn't have.

She was pretty confident about herself, she should be. No Viking ever doubted his own skills, not even a shield maiden. You would never survive a battle if you did doubt yourself. But if he said he would beat her and she said she would beat him there was that conflict they both needed to get out of the way. He didn’t say anything on her words, he just threw her a amusing looking, stating his unsaid words … he wanted to beat her to. Fighting was always easier if nobody was looking. He could fight her right here and now, defeat would be easier to take. But fighting when eyes were looking … if he would lose his brothers would haunt him forever. Hvitserk would probably follow her until he get what he wanted. Sigurd would make fun of him and Ivar, you couldn’t tell what he would, going for her or annoying him. In that thought he just knew he needed to win, he needed to prove himself against an older and more experienced warrior, even if that was a woman.

But when she stated she didn’t met Ivar he got confused. The smile faded on his lips and his eyebrows came confused together. Normally Ivar was the annoying one, the one you didn’t want to be on his blacklist, the one that stalked you all the way to Valhalla. But she wasn’t talking about Ivar. And when she talked further, stating Björn as being the one that hated her his eyes grew a little bigger. ‘Björn.’ He repeated, totally confused by the matter. In which universe would Björn hate somebody. ‘Why would he,’ he felt silent, looking at her before drawing the link between one and the other. ‘Ohh, now I know.’ He whispered for his own. Although he was still very young, he remembered Porunn, little Siggy that died because of his mother’s necklet. It wasn’t his place to discuss that so he just looked aside to her, shaking his head. ‘It isn’t your fault, you just remind him of somebody.’ Ubbe explained. More he wasn’t going to say about the subject, it wasn’t fair in a way. That Björn treated her like this. But who was he to judge?

If there would be another time to see each other there would be more games. Off course he loved them, his smile didn’t held that kind of information back. ‘Playing games with a Beautifull new shield maiden like you is far more interesting than catching up with a scared of deer.’ He was at a point he hardly cared about stating the obvious, there would be day he would get her, one way or another. So what was the point to held behind the proper words. Her game practically invited him to look at her. His eyes trailed her body, noticing she was already a little closer he guessed wrong with his first attempt. Looking at each other really didn’t helped the cause of the game. Ubbe guessed a second time and her hand went to her back, dragging out a dagger. She placed it on the stump and Ubbe looked at her, tilting his head with a joyful smirk because he won. He looked down to the dagger when she offered it to him as a price. He fold his fingers around it and pulled it loose, looking over the surface of that smooth blade. ‘You don’t want me to pick prizes Thora.’ He said without looking away from the dagger. ‘It could get you in other places and situations.’ He followed, looking aside the dagger to her. He turned it, carefully taking the tip while he handed it her over. ‘You will pay me back later, when I need you.’ He challenged her to take the dagger bad. He could pick his prize on a better time as this. If that was a good thing … depended of the situation offcourse.

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Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Sat Aug 19, 2017 10:11 pm

Of course she was confident in herself, in her skill. She had stood unflinchingly in the shield wall of Uddevalla, bore a scar like a badge of honor on her arm, rimmed in knotwork tattoos. She rubbed it absently through her sleeve, almost feeling again the slice of steel in her flesh, but pushed the memory down when Ubbe started talking. He was confused about why Bjorn would hate her, his blue eyes growing wider with it. She returned his look of wide-eyes confusion with one of her own, nodding slightly. And then Ubbe continued, saying it wasn't her fault, and she looked off to the side for a minute before returning her gaze to him. She found it challenging to hold his eyes for too long when they sat this close. "Well at least it's nothing I did directly, then." She sighed, rolling her head to stretch her neck.

She watched him inspect the dagger after she set it on the stump, and she took advantage of the momentary loss of his attention to grab the jug of ale and refill their cups. She brought hers to her lips and took a small sip as he turned his attention to her, holding the dagger out to her by the tip. She took it with an exaggerated sigh, then turned her light green eyes--serious, for a change,to look into his blue ones. "You can keep it anyway, if you want it. You will have enemies someday. You should have hidden weapons, if you don't already." She tossed the dagger into the air, watching it twirl and glint in the sun, before catching it easily by the hilt. It was a practiced movement, one she'd clearly done before. She'd cut her hands quite a few times learning to do it, but now she could have almost done it in her sleep.

When he said she didn't want him to pick the prizes she smirked at him, that challenging look back in her green eyes, and moved her head closer to his, just like he'd done to her before. "What if I do want you to pick, hmm?" I am not afraid. And then he spoke again, saying she would pay him back when he needed her, and she couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. "Of course I will be there when you need me, I promised you so before I even knew who you were. Your identity does not change my earlier promise. It's not a prize if it's already yours." Her words were somewhere between a challenge and a serious statement, even she wasn't sure at this point. She brought the cup to her lips and took another sip--probably not the smartest idea. The ale in her empty stomach, being this close to Ubbe, close to those bright blue eyes and confident smile, made her feel strangely on edge. She tossed the dagger in the air again, restless, needing to move, to do something.

"We could fight right now." She suddenly blurted out, jaw set stubbornly, a challenging tilt to her head.

Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora] Sun Aug 20, 2017 11:20 am

Don't fear death if it comes, embrace it as if you lying down next to a beautifull woman. Don't look back to what you had but look forward to what you can achieve, in that way the Gods can gift you with beauty that even a woman doesn't have.

He hadn’t made the connection, between her and Björn, thinking it was always Ivar annoying or hating others it was Björn for a change. And in a way he understood that but was it good to hate an innocent for what a lover once did? Thora had no part in that story, she just had that resembling look. It wasn’t Ubbe his place to tell her that story, about the boy falling in love with the girl, baring a child, losing part of her in battle before she left. But he had at least give some kind of a comfort, reassuring Thora it wasn’t her fault. ‘No, it’s not.’ He agreed on her words. She had done nothing wrong. Maybe Ubbe should talk to his brother but knowing Björn, well, he wasn’t always the easiest one to talk with.

Her dagger was in a way different. You could see the Uddevalla details in it, just as Kattegat had his detailed weapons. Uddevalla was well known for their masterwork in weapons, just like Kattegat was the place to be if you wanted to raid or trade. How eager he was to hold a weapon and go into a raid, in that way Björn held his younger brothers back, although Ubbe felt ready. She took it back, but still she suggested that he could keep it. Ubbe reached for his cup and swallowed some ale before pointing his attention back to her. He would have enemies indeed … he was the son of Ragnar Lothbrok, he would have probably more enemies than others would have. ‘I will indeed.’ He nodded on her words, looking ho she tossed that dagger in the air. He looked to the way she swiftly caught it again, without hurting herself in the progress. He didn’t had hidden weapons, he just held the surprises in his head. That was what Ragnar always said, thinking with the head. ‘I won’t take a woman’s hidden weapon.’ He said with a smile, teasing her like without that dagger she would be lost in some kind.

The ale wouldn’t work in their advantage. He looked how se handled the dagger in her skillful hands and it really enjoyed him for a moment. When she spoke his eyes shifted up, a slow smile crossing his lips again. ‘I see that, shame if a shield maiden would be afraid of a,’ he chuckled, not saying the word ‘prince’. When she got further his eyes became more intense while he listened, watched in those green eyes of hers. It wasn’t more a challenge than it was a serious statement. ‘What are you saying Thora,’ he began, bringing his head a little closer, still looking at her. ‘that I own you? Or at least the shield maiden in you.’ He nodded with a quick look over her body. He looked how she took a new sip from her ale, which wouldn’t work out good for her if she kept challenging him. When she tossed the dagger back up he backed away, not wanting to get something sharp scouring his skin. And then she suggested that they could fight right here and know. His eyebrows crawled up very slowly, laughing with amusement because of the restlessness in her body. ‘You sure, I can hold my liquor better than you, don’t want you to lose that confident because you drank to much.’ He taunted her, grabbing that dagger out of the air when she threw it up again. ‘But sure, if you are so eager.’ He smiled, drinking the rest of his ale before getting up, not without sliding that dagger back in that hiding place of her. His fingers scoured her body when he pulled back. ‘You better keep that, then you have at least something to defend you with if you are on the verge of loosing.’ He winked, getting away from her with that confident cocky smile of his. Let’s see what this pretty good looking shield maiden had hidden in her body.

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Subject: Re: The hunting game [Thora]

» Closed - Going on a hunting trip.
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