The gift-Hakon Odinsson

Sofie has heard from her deer sister Freyja  that she was to be getting a gift from the blacksmith Hankon. Her sister hadn’t really explained what the gift was, or at least if she had done so Sofie hadn’t been listening all that well. She tends to zone out a lot when she is with her sisters. Most of the time she is trying ignore the bickering or sassiness they gave each other. So Sofie made a mental note to make sure that after she was done training she would go visit Hankon. Maybe while she was there she would give him a hard time too. She thought he and her sister Freyja would be cute together. Him or Haskell would be a good match for her sister. Not that she wanted Freyja to get married and move out right away. She just wanted her to have a man to love and cherish her like she deserved. Freyja  worked hard for her whole family and Sofie wanted her to start getting things her way more. Plus they were closer to Freyja's age or she would totally hit on them herself. Sofie liked flirting with boys, but Hankon was a boy she knew would tell on her. Which would just get her in trouble. Even if he was pretty cute for an older guy. Haskell was pretty stinking cute too, why were there so many cute older guys. There needed to be more cute guys her age, or she was going to have to go to some other villages.  

Sofie had just finished training with her friends when she headed down the path to the blacksmith shop.Sofie hoped he would be in the forge at this time, but she would just find out when she got there. If he wasn't there, then well she would have to try and remember to come another day.Maybe she should have been paying more attention to her sister when she told her why she was suppose to come here. She didn’t even knock as she opened the door and walked in. “Hankon?” She said as she walked in the door.“ Freyja told me I was to come here because you had something for me?” She said as she spotted him near the forge. Smiling she walked the rest of the way toward him before stopping right in front of him and put a hand on her hip. “So what do I get? Hopefully something really cool!” She said with a laugh and reached her hand out toward him in a joking manner. Her family had known him for a few years now because of her older sister. So she was sure he was use to her silliness by now. A lot of people knew that Sofie could be childish and silly, but she could be serious when she needed to be. This however was not one of those moments where she needed to be on her best behavior.

Hakon has just pulled a container of bronze out of his forge and was pouring it into a mold when the door of his shop opened. He carefully set the mold down on his work table to let it fool. The bronze needed to set anyway, so his mysterious visitor had perfect timing. He glanced toward the door but found that the person who had entered his shop was standing right beside him. He gave Sofie his usual small smile, merely raising his eyebrows at her outstretched hand. ”I did have something for you, but I gave it to someone else instead.” Hakon’s face is entirely serious as he looks at her, then after a moment a small smile cracks his serious expression.

He pulls off the heavy leather gloves he uses to protect his hands and tosses them onto his work table. He quickly strides over to a rack near the counter that holds a collection of knives of all sizes and styles. The one he selects is small and easily concealed, the blade only about the size of his palm and razor-sharp. It’s cased in a simple leather sheath, with a few small protection runes carved into the polished antler handle. He inspects it for a moment before holding it out to Sofie. “I know you have a sword, but you cannot conceal a sword.” He doesn’t offer any explanation for his words or his choice of gift, and merely watches as she takes the knife. “How is your training going? Haskell being hard on you?” Hakon grins. He’s known Haskell since childhood, and is very fond of him. “He’s a great teacher.”

Sofie was still smiling at Hankon when she saw him smile back and then raise an eyebrow at she before saying “ I did have something for you, but I gave it to someone else instead.” To her. Sofie felt her face fall at his words. He didn’t look like he was joking and she was staring to think her sister and Hankon had tried playing a trick on her when she saw him crack a smile. Huffing,Sofie watched as he pulled off one of his gloves and then the other before throwing them onto his work station and start walking around. She was glad he was doing so, for if he and her sister had tried to trick her and embraced her she would have had to get them back ten times as bad.For Sofie was the trickster, not the person who got tricked. Not yet anyways. She watched as he walked over to a row of knives. He seemed to look at them for a moment before picking one. Then Sofie watched as he looked it over for a moment before handing it over to her. Saying “I know you have a sword, but you cannot conceal a sword.” Taking the knife into her hand, Sofie looked it over. It was very well done, like all of Hankon's work was. She could see he had put runes onto it as well. It made Sofie wonder what had happened that he wanted to give her a knife with protection runes on it.“How is your training going? Haskell being hard on you?” Hankon asked next before adding “He’s a great teacher.” at the end.

Taking the cover off, she turned it around in her hand. Looking at every inch of it, before putting the cover back on and looking up at him."This is beautifully done Hankon, thank you." she said to him first before taking a deep breath. "Why are you giving out knives, what happened?" she asked him next. Sofie wasn't as ignorant as some of her other sisters There was a reason Hankon felt the need to make and then give out knives to her and her sisters for free. She knew he might not give her an answer, but it made her curious about it. Enough so that she would do some looking into things to find out the answer on her own if she needed to." Training is great, Haskell is hard on all the Frú's." she said looking at him and then crossing her arms. "He is a great teacher, this is true. He is one of my favorites. Seeing as he is the only one I don't want to play tricks on yet." she added with a small laugh.

Looking around his shop for a moment Sofie got an idea. She would get him back for his little joke he had made when she first got here. She would tease him, and at the same time see if she was right about a few things."So how are things with you? How is blacksmithing going? I hope you are getting a lot of work. It is some of the best I have seen.." she said to him. Playing it off as her being nice and talking back to him like a normal person. She mostly was at the moment anyways.."Have you been able to spend more time with my sister Freyja?I know you are good friends.. I'm sure she is just too beautiful to stay away from too huh?" she said next. A smirk falling onto her face as he looked at him. "You do think she's beautiful right? Or.....am I more to your taste?" she asked him. A small laugh falling out of her mouth at the last part of her words. She was just messing with him now, waiting to see what his reaction would be. She hoped he would get all red in the face and embarrassed. For that would be so great, and make Sofie's day.

Hakon watches as Sofie takes the sheath off the small knife and inspects it. She seems pleased by it and thanks him, not because of her thanks but because he remembers what Freyja said when he gave her a knife. She’d been teasing him and promised he would get exactly the proper number of thanks from her sisters when he gave them their knives, and just the thought of her laughing voice is enough to bring a smile to his face. But all Sofie would think is that his smile is just because she thanked him. ”You’re welcome.” His voice is a little gruff, and he ignores the compliment of his work being beautifully done. He knows his work is good, but it’s nice and I hear it anyway. He just isn’t good at compliments. The small smile melts off his face when she asks why. He doesn’t want to tell her, he told Freyja. It’s her place to decide what to tell her sisters, but on the other hand he wants them to be safe, and they’ll be safer if they know. He settles for an answer that isn’t really an answer. ”A house full of women should have knives. Even a rabbit has teeth.” He gives her a crooked smile. ”May the gods have mercy on any man who tries his luck with you or your sisters.”

He smiles at the thought of Sofie playing a trick on Haskell. His friend is good natured and loves to laugh, so it might not be such a disaster. Not like, say pranking Hakon would be. ”He’s no harder on you than your enemies will be.” When Sofie asks about his blacksmithing and his work, Hakon automatically tenses. He doesn’t know Sofie as well as he knows Freyja, but he knows enough to distrust her easy chattering. Sofie is a notorious prankster, and he’s never had a conversation with her that didn’t turn into sass and bantering. And his suspicion is immediately confirmed when she not so innocently asks him if he’s been spending more time with Freyja. It’s no secret him and Freyja are friends. But it’s her next words that really throw him off—about how beautiful Freyja is. And he knows she’s beautiful, he’s thought so since the first moment she stepped into his shop years ago.

But more than that... More than that is who she is. Her kindness, her laughter, how hard she works, how fierce she is, the depth of her loyalty. The way she makes him laugh, how she makes him feel more free, more relaxed, and more at ease than he ever has. He can remember feeling it before, but only like the distant memory of the sun’s warmth in a winter night. He doesn’t know what the feeling is, doesn’t know how to call the things she brings out in him. Maybe he’ll never know. All he knows is that she makes him feel strong and weak all at once; lost at sea but safe in harbor at the same time. And the only other thing he knows is that he can’t tell any of this to Sofie. All this he realizes in just a few breaths, something that rips the world out from under him and yet rebuilds it stronger than ever. But he keeps his face neutral, merely raising his eyebrows at Sofie. He snorts. ”Children are not to my taste. I’m not spending time with her because she’s beautiful. I need to learn to carve better, for my handles. She’s much more skilled than I am with woodcarving.”

Sofie smiled at him when she heard him tell her ”You’re welcome.” for the knife. She really did like it, and he was right. It would be easier to hide then her sword any day of the week. Plus she didn't have a knife before, and now she had a very nice one. His work really was the best she had ever seen. Hankon spent a lot of time in his shop and it showed in his blades. However Sofie still wanted to know the real reason why he was giving it to her. ”A house full of women should have knives. Even a rabbit has teeth.” he said and Sofie raised an eyebrow at him, but bites her tongue to not sass him right away. He had just given her a gift, that would be rude. She needed to wait at least a minute before she sassed him.”May the gods have mercy on any man who tries his luck with you or your sisters.” he said next and Sofie laughed."They are in for a real surprise thats for sure. I pity the boys that try to date my sisters. I will prank them endlessly. So be ready for that Hankon dear." she says with another light laugh. Not out right saying anything, but insinuating.

When he started to talk about Haskell more she smiled when he said ”He’s no harder on you than your enemies will be.” that was true. The enemies weren't going to give her a break so why should the people who are training her do so. She wouldn't get strong enough to fight if they did give her a break."This is true, at least Haskell is good to look at while he is training us so hard. He gets all sweaty and stuff." she said with a smirk at him."You know, for a older man that is..He has a nice body. Don't you think? However I tend to like my men a lot younger." Sofie said next as she bit her lip and looked to the side to keep the giggle inside. While it was true that Haskell was good looking she was sure Hankon didn't want to hear those words coming out of her mouth. Thats why she said them to him too. To see how his face was going to react to her talking about his friend, a man twice her age in that fashion.


”Children are not to my taste. I’m not spending time with her because she’s beautiful. I need to learn to carve better, for my handles. She’s much more skilled than I am with woodcarving.” Hankon said to her teasing and Sofie took a gasp of air in her lungs. "Well its a good thing your too old for me, and like my sister then huh?" she said as she crossed her arms and huffed at him."And I am holding something with your woodcarving on it right now. You do a great job. You may fool my sister, but your not fooling me." she told him before winking at him and then laughing. "I can help you with her if you like? It comes with a price however old man." she told him last before looking around his shop some more.

Hakon only raises his eyebrows when Sofie warns him about pranking the men that try to date her sisters. He's no fool, he knows what she's implying, but he refuses to rise to the bait. She can't sass and tease him if he doesn't let her. Unfortunately for Hakon, he has no idea just how persistent Sofie can be in her tricking and teasing. He's about to find out, though. He can't resist, though, one quick little quip. "Ah, so you have a new sister then? Named....Eirika? Hakon finishes on a question, squinting as he tries to remember. "Mmhmm, that was her name. Redhead." He nods knowingly, smirking. There's no possible way she can turn that one around on him, right? Probably wrong. He didn't know hoc much time Sofie spent in the taverns, but she was around the Vikings and shield maidens, and his friend Haskell, very often. Hopefully she hadn't heard anything about his more private life, although he was starting to get a bit of a reputation. Hakon the blacksmith, never spends the night with the same girl twice.

He rolls his eyes to the ceiling when she talks about how handsome Haskell is, although he supposes he deserves it after the remark about the redhead. He raises his eyebrows and crosses his arms over his chest. His eyes--one blue and one hazel--are serious as he considers her. "If you have time to notice his body, you aren't being trained hard enough. I'll talk to Haskell, maybe he'll agree you need to be challenged more." He tilts his head to the side. "It will help with your discipline, too." Finally, a small smile cracks his neutral mask. He's mostly joking.

Again when she brings up Freyja, he raises his eyebrows and chooses not to rise to her challenge. "The handle on that is antler, not wood. And runes are easy to carve. But," he crosses over to the rack that holds his knives and holds one out for her to see. The middle of the blade os full of swirling patterns, inlaid with softer steel that glints in the light. "I can put patterns like that in steel,but not in wood. I need to learn. It will improve my craft, and I'm going to be the best blacksmith around." He doesn't add that he already is, at least in his opinion. The smiths of Uddevalla can rival him, maybe, but certainly not Skaggerak or Kattegat. He rolls his eyes again at her offer of helping him with her sister, then narrows them as he looks at her. "If I wanted to be with Freyja, I wouldn't need your help, but we are just friends and likely to remain that way. Also, I'm not old." He gives her a look of mild indignation, shaking his head as he watches her look around the shop.

Sofie felt her face drop at his words. "Ah, so you have a new sister then? Named....Eirika? he said and she felt the dirty look come onto her face, and she didn't even try to stop it. She watched his facial expressions and the way he was acting like he was trying to remember, and Sofie lost a little bit of respect for him at his next words. Mmhmm, that was her name. Redhead." She knew that he was maybe doing it to get her back, but it still pissed her off just the slightest bit. Was Hankon some kind of man that slept with all kinds of woman? If so maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought she did. She tended to not pay attention when the other women talked about who they slept with in training. Because as much as Sofie did want to find a man of her own, she wasn't going to sleep with them until she knew they really cared for her. She had seen so many women get slept with and used, and she wasn't letting that happen to herself or one of her sisters. She was going to have to look into this more now. She would be disappointed if he was just like every other man, but she supposed that was normal. So Sofie just decided to sick up her nose at him and not make a comment at all in return.Maybe that was just what he wanted, but she didn't care.

When Hankon spoke next "If you have time to notice his body, you aren't being trained hard enough. I'll talk to Haskell, maybe he'll agree you need to be challenged more." he said to her and Sofie could see that he wasn't kidding she was starting to think all her joking were back firing on her a the moment. Great now Haskell was going to make training harder for her, and he wasn't going to look at her the same way ever again. It will help with your discipline, too." Hankon said next,and Sofie was just about to tell him off when she saw the smile crack on his face. "Ugh, I thought you were being serious for a moment there..and I don't need any more discipline when it comes to training, other areas..maybe..." she said as she ran a hand over her face."You win, I won't make jokes like that again. Just don't tell him." she said next to him. She wasn't feeling as into the mood of pranking anymore at the moment. She was really going to need to think of something quick that he couldn't come up with a good reply to.

Sofie watches as Hankon raises an eyebrow at her before saying "The handle on that is antler, not wood. And runes are easy to carve. But," he said first. Stopping to walk over to where he keeps his blades, he grabs one and holds it out for her to look at. Stepping closer she looks at the blade and can see the amazing job he has done on it. "I can put patterns like that in steel,but not in wood. I need to learn. It will improve my craft, and I'm going to be the best blacksmith around." Hankon says next and she guesses he was right. She wanted him to be the very best he could be, and her sister was amazing with carvings. So she was glad that Freyja was going to help him. Sofie hadn't even noticed the handle of the knife he had given her was an antler and not wood. She started to look around the shop as she thought of something to say. "If I wanted to be with Freyja, I wouldn't need your help, but we are just friends and likely to remain that way. Also, I'm not old." He spoke again and Sofie stopped looking around and turned back to him."Well fine, thats true. Freyja is the best, so I hope she helps you become the best too. You are already pretty close." She said to him.

"Maybe you think so, but I know her better then you." she said crossing her arms over her chest. She looked at him up and down for a moment. "Keep lying to yourself I don't care. I have eyes however, and know how to use them" she said next before letting out a huff of air at him.He could act like he had no idea what she was talking about all he wanted. But she was almost certain he wanted more then friendship with her sister. She hadn't minded the idea of them together, but if he slept around a ton maybe she had been wrong."No, your not old by normal standers. However you act like your old." she said with a shrug and stuck out her tongue at him. Sofie was trying to change her mood and the mood as a whole back to joking."Why do you act so old? Huh Hankon?" she asked next with a small laugh. She could turn this around yet.

Hakon watches the dirty look come over her face and realizes he's crossed a line, and immediately he feels terrible. He sighs and runs a hand over his face, not realizing he's streaked a line of soot down his cheek and the tip of his nose, and the full weight of his gaze settles on Sofie. Gone is his joking demeanor, but he feels like he needs to explain. "I'm always very clear with women about what I can give to them, and I never force them to anything. If I know they want more than I can give, I leave them alone." He shrugs helplessly, hoping his muddled explanation is enough to placate her. She may be a pain in the ass, but she's Freyja's sister and she has fire in her, and he doesn't want her to dislike him. The dirty look on her face is nearly enough to wound him but he feels his protective walls snapping back into place, and he's quick to retreat behind them. He should never have said anything. His face is blank as he crosses his arms over his chest, a defensive stance he isn't even aware he's adopted.

"I won't tell him." He's still serious, so serious, behind his walls. They're built from a lifetime of loneliness, a lifetime of always fighting and always striving and somehow always surviving. He's healed enough from his childhood that most times his walls are down, he's open and friendly even if he's not outgoing, but sometimes something will trigger him and he's quick to slam them into place, to retreat behind them into his own little world where nothing can touch him. He doesn't say anything else to that, his walls are still too firmly entrenched, and the most he can give her is the small promise that he won't tell Haskell. He watches as she looks at the knife he's held out for her inspection, and talking about his work is a safe enough subject that his walls begin to drop again. He inclines his head to her in thanks, then gives her a small smile as she brings up Freyja and then tells him he's close to the best. His walls drop a little further. "Thank you." He wants to agree with her that Freyja is the best, but it feels too much like an admission of his true feelings and he's still too enclosed for that right now.

Her next words feel like an attack and he can feel himself retreating further and further away. Her eyes on him are hard, judging, and he can feel himself lacking beneath her gaze. Even beneath the layers of protective walls he's called up, it still stings. Despite sticking her tongue out at him to lessen the blow, he can feel the truth of her words like a punch to the jaw, and he isn't feeling up to dealing with it just now. Sofie has come into his shop and forced him to face things he's been denying to himself, things that terrify him because they leave him vulnerable and afraid. He came from nothing, an orphan, and deep down he's always scared that everything he's worked for will be ripped from him. It's why he's never spent more than one night with a woman, its why he knows he'll never have a family. Even his forge is more than he ever dreamed he would have, and her words are a simple reminder that everything he has could be ripped from him at any moment.

His fists are clenched tightly at his sides and he's trying to remind himself that she's just a child, that by the time he was apprenticed to Vidar and no longer living on the streets she would have been just a toddler. His past is no secret, everyone in Skagen knows it, but he's been the blacksmith for so long that most people don't talk about it anymore. "I was an orphan before I was a blacksmith's apprentice." He turns toward his forge and shoves an ingot of steel into the fire to heat it. The best way to deal with this is to hit something with a hammer over and over again, and then drink until he sleeps. He turns to her, and his face is blank as he takes a step toward her, jerking his chin toward the door. "You should go." His hammer is slightly raised, and he doesn't realize how terrifying he may look to her. He's not the tallest of men but his shoulders are broad and his arms are huge and muscular from his work, and he isn't smiling.

Sofie raises an eyebrow at him when she sees him sign and then run his hands down his face. Leaving a trail of dirt behind. She was just about to point it out and laugh at him when he spoke up. "I'm always very clear with women about what I can give to them, and I never force them to anything. If I know they want more than I can give, I leave them alone." he says to her and she feels the dirty look she had been giving him before almost double before leaving all together. He was trying to explain things to her, and that she respected, however his actions were disgusting to her. So he was clear that he was using women for nothing more then their bodies up front? Oh how nice of him. However, he did make it clear, so he didn't hurt anyone. It made her feel very confused and conflicted about the whole thing. She wanted to be mad at him, but he wasn't a complete dirt bag about it? He could lead girls on and hurt them, but he didn't. "Thats nice I guess...when I actually sleep with a man for the first time, It won't be until he plans to stay with me. So I guess I just have different views on this matter than you.I want love and a family. Not just someone random to warm my bed.." she decided to say to him. Giving him a light shrug of her shoulders afterwords. She would not simply sleep with someone just because. Sofie wanted it to mean something when she did do that. Maybe thats one of the ways boys and girls are different, she really wasn't sure.

She can tell that Hankon is feeling somewhat uncomfortable now. In his body language and change in his audited, and it makes her feel slightly bad about the whole thing. Maybe she should have done better to keep the dirty look off her face. However she wanted Hankon and Freyja to get together, and hearing him say these kinds of things upset her. She had thought he was a different kind of man, but maybe all men were like this? Maybe she would never find a man who wanted more then to just sleep with her and move on. If a man she knew like Hankon was like that anyways. Sofie smiled when he said "I won't tell him." to her. Well at least that was good, however he was still acting all serious with her, and the more he did it the more she felt bad and wanted to leave. She hadn't meant to upset him, she doesn't like to upset most people really. Her jokes and pranks are to get people to laugh and smile. Get out of their comfort zone.

When they started to talk about his work and him working with Freyja was good because he picked the best person to work with she hears him say "Thank you." Sofie just smiles as she can see that he is getting a little more comfortable again. which is good because she isn't sure she likes him all mad and serous with her. It's not normal Hankon and she likes to be able to joke with him. He is a lot of fun to her, and she views him as an almost older brother as it is. Its one of the reason she had wanted him and Freyja to work out so badly. She had thought he would be a good man to her sister. Before she knew he slept around so much, maybe he still would be? But he needed to grow up and stop doing what he was doing first. At least in Sofie's mind he did."It's true" is all she chose to say to his thank you.

Of course his whole body language changes again. She can see she has upset him once more, She can see his hands get tight at his sides and he looks like she had punched him in the face. For someone so much older than her she was unsure why he was getting so mad at her so easily. She could say much worse things to him then she had, but she knew better and she wouldn't. She didn't want him to hate her, and all she said was the truth. When Hankon was around her sister she could see it. She could see that he cared for her in his eyes. The way he talked to her, and so many other things. She wanted someone to look at her like Hankon looked at Freyja someday. So she had told him she had eyes, because she did. She could see what the two of them clearly couldn't. They were both blind to it, almost as blind as poor Ylva was to the whole world around her. "I was an orphan before I was a blacksmith's apprentice." Hankon says next. This confuses her, why did he bring that up to her. Was he saying that was why he acted so old.

Sofie knew he had a hard childhood. Sure she didn't know all the details, but she knew he had nothing and now he was so much. He was the greatest blacksmith she had ever met. His work was amazing, and he was just going to get better, that was a fact. She watched as he moved around his forge. Throwing things into the fire before grabbing his hammer and telling her "You should go." with a motion of his face. He looked pissed now, and she sure as shit wasn't going to leave her with him like that. He would scare her if she didn't know him rather well. If she had thought he would hurt her she would be gone, but he won't and she knows that. Shaking her head at him she speaks. "If I ran the first time someone threaten me, I wouldn't make a good shield maiden now would I?" she says first before crossing her arms over her chest."besides you wont hurt me, I know that." she says next before moving away from him just a bit.

"Look I know that you had it rough, and I know I'll never even begin to be able to imagine what you went through...however I know that you have come a long way. You are one of the greatest blacksmiths in the area, and you are just going to get better. So being an Orphan shouldn't keep you from doing things. If it had you wouldn't be here, so don't let it keep you from other things." she says next before huffing and running a hand down her own face."I don't want you to be all pissed at me..but like I said..I have eyes, and I know you know what I mean by that..or you wouldn't have gotten so pissed off in the first place." Sofie says next before taking another step away from him. Just in case she is wrong and he would hurt her."Just think about it okay. You deserve happiness just as much as I do, so don't hold yourself from your own happiness." she said shaking her head. "Oh and you have dirt all over your face, I would laugh at you,and I want to laugh at you, but I'm being grown up for a little bit and I think it would ruin it." she ends with a smile.

Every word she throws at him is like a stone hitting him in the gut. Maybe Sofie is wiser than people give her credit for, because it's hard to take someone like her seriously. And yet here she is, digging to the heart of him in under five minutes. And he's certain she doesn't understand him, doesn't understand his struggles and his fears, but her advice is still valid and it gives him pause. He'd been angrily stalking around the forge, only half-listening to her, but finally he stops, his gaze settles on her, and he listens. His arms are crossed over his chest and his face is still a mask of eerie calm, determined not to show her any weakness. "If you want love and a family, then I'll pray to the gods that's what you receive." He pauses, considering her, and sighs. He decides she's being serious and so he can share some of his experience with her. "But you need to accept that not everyone wants those same things. My own forge and my own home is more than I ever thought I would have, and I'm happy in my life." He shrugs. "I was so young when my parents died, I can't even remember them. I should have died with them, and I've never understood why I didn't."

His face turns stern and he points the hammer at her, not menacingly, but for emphasis. "So if all I'm capable of giving a woman is my body, it is no concern of yours. I promise you, I will not hurt your sister. I want Freyja's happiness as much as you do." He chuckles, a little more at ease, when she makes her remark about being a shield maiden. "No, I suppose you wouldn't, and Haskell wouldn't waste his time on you if he didn't think you could handle it." And that, perhaps, says more about her character than all her pranks and all her laughter. Haskell saw something worthy in her, and Hakon was beginning to see it, too. In some ways she reminded him of Freyja, that fierce loyalty and her determination. If she wants love and a family, Hakon is certain she'll make some man very happy someday, so long as he has a sense of humor.

She continues and Hakon only sighs as her words hit home yet again. When did she become so wise? He's known Freyja for about five years now and it's impossible to know her without knowing her sisters at least a little bit. Where was the Sofie that couldn't be serious for more than thirty seconds, sticking her tongue out and ducking behind her sister to save herself from retaliation? It was easy to remember her as that grinning little girl but Hakon found himself faced with a young man now, and an annoyed one at that. If Freyja was formidable, well, she'd certainly taught that trait to Sofie. He holds his hands out in mock surrender, the hammer still clenched in his fist. "You're right about some things, but wrong about others. I care about Freyja because she's been my close friend for years, not because of any other feelings. I'm sorry if that disappoints you, Sofie, but like I said earlier, not everyone wants the same things you do." His voice is a little more gentle, like he's breaking some bad news to her. He shrugs and gives her a small smile. "But you're right, sometimes I let my fears get the best of me. We all do, at times." He grins at her. "But I don't let them hold me back. I'm going to Kattegat with Haskell soon."

He reaches up when she mentions the dirt and wipes carelessly at his face, streaking the soot even further along his cheekbone. He doesn't even think about the mark on his nose. "Better?" He raises an eyebrow at her, knowing full well he's just made his face even dirtier, but he's tired of these serious conversations. He knows the line sure way to turn this around is to get Sofie to make fun of him again, and so he's decided to make himself an easy target for her laughter.

Sofie looked at Hankon as he spoke his words "If you want love and a family, then I'll pray to the gods that's what you receive." he said before giving her a slight pause and a sign before taking again. "But you need to accept that not everyone wants those same things. My own forge and my own home is more than I ever thought I would have, and I'm happy in my life." he said next. She is glad he is happy with his life, and she knows in the future he will have far more than those things going for him, but he listened to her talk, so she was going to listen to him finish his thoughts. I was so young when my parents died, I can't even remember them. I should have died with them, and I've never understood why I didn't." he says next and this makes Sofie pull a face at him, one of sympathy and confusion. She is glad he didn't die with them, and she was sure he was in many ways. However the way he just said that worried her just a bit. She wants to say something to him about it, and had planed to. Hanson however pulled a stern face with her once more.

His words coming out more stern as well at he points his hammer at her and speak. "So if all I'm capable of giving a woman is my body, it is no concern of yours. I promise you, I will not hurt your sister. I want Freyja's happiness as much as you do." he says next and this makes Sofie speak. "Fine, you are capable of more, I can see it, but I won't push you.I am unexperienced in this area, seeing as I have yet to sleep with anyone...and who knows what the gods will do..with my luck I'll get used and left, just the opposite of what I want." she says first crossing her arms over her chest, shrugging at her last words and then speaking more "Thats good I'm glad her happiness is important to you, for if you hurt her in any way I would take the hammer you are pointing at me and smash your head in." she says with a straight face.This was most likely the most serious Hankon had ever seen her in his time of knowing her, and it felt weird to be this serious for this long. She normally hid behind her jokes and pranks, but Hankon was getting a glimpse of a different side of her. One she hid, and she hid well. It was better if people underestimated you sometimes. "My sister means the world to myself, and my other sisters. She is not like you, she doesn't want one night stands...keep that in mind." she said to him next. She honestly wasn't even sure that was true, but she hoped she was correct.

Halons next words make her smile a bit, happy that he had said them to her. . "No, I suppose you wouldn't, and Haskell wouldn't waste his time on you if he didn't think you could handle it." she hoped that was true. She knew she was a pain in the ass to most people, but she was also strong. She knew that about herself, and she wanted to use her strength and her mind to help Halfdan on his raids. Sofie had wanted to be something her family could be proud of, and she would become that. She would shock them all when she grew in ranks and did great things for this village. Sofie, the trickster bringing back gold and riches to their family so her mother and Freyja could work less."I don't believe that he would as well. He's  smart man, he wouldn't be as high ranked if he weren't." she says simply to him. Not wanting to come off too cock with her words and make him stop listing to her.

There next bit of conversation made her feel a little uneasy, she had pushed him and she had worried he would react, but he hadn't. "You're right about some things, but wrong about others. I care about Freyja because she's been my close friend for years, not because of any other feelings. I'm sorry if that disappoints you, Sofie, but like I said earlier, not everyone wants the same things you do." he said and Sofie knew very well that she frowned. If he was really telling the truth then why in the world did he look at her sister the way he did. Like she was the sun in his world of darkness? Why look at a friend that way? She knew she would never look at someone like Maurr that way. Maybe she was misreading him, misreading his looks. She clearly didn't know him as well as she had thought. She would have never thought he was the type to sleep around, and he told her to her face that he was. She had wanted them together, but maybe she had been pushing her want on them and she had made a mistake. She would have a lot to think about.

Hankon kept on talking though. "But you're right, sometimes I let my fears get the best of me. We all do, at times." he said to her and she gave him a small smile. At least he agreed with that."But I don't let them hold me back. I'm going to Kattegat with Haskell soon." he says next and she smiles bigger. That would be a fun trip for him she was sure. "Okay, you only like he as a friend fine." she says with a huff. "I guess I was wrong..its just I was so sure you liked her, you look at her like you do...and I approved of you before I knew...oh well...she will find someone someday." she says next with a shrug. She had been mostly talking to herself, and less to him. But she just smiles and acts like she didn't just say those things out loud before talking again. "That will be so much fun I am sure though. Going to another village, I can't wait until I can." she gets an air of excitement to her. She was kind of jealous he was going, and she would be stuck here.

Sofie gets more excited, but for a different reason as she watches him reach up and try to clean his face off. Just to get more dirt all over his face. "Better?" he asks, and all seriousness leaves here as she shakes her head no and starts giggling."Its all over you now!" she says, her words coming out in between her laughing. "You ruined it, I was being so serious, oh my gods you look so stupid!" she says next as her giggles turn into full on laughing at him and his silly dirty face.

He can feel his walls coming down again the longer she stays, and he strangely finds that he's glad she didn't leave. Hakon doesn't like feeling so enclosed, so tucked away inside his own self, but it's a defense mechanism that's hard to break. He's gotten much better over the years, from the little orphan boy who was always in trouble, to the unsmiling, serious apprentice, and finally to the friendly albeit guarded man he is today. Sometimes the walls snap into place before he can stop them, and once they're up it can take a while for him to come back to himself. But he knows Sofie and he enjoys her mischievous company, and so he feels himself start to relax again. He peeks in at the iron in the forge and finds it isn't glowing quite red enough, he has a few minutes before he needs to take it out and start hammering, and so he turns back to Sofie as she speaks. There's something vulnerable about the way she crosses her arms over her chest, and Hakon surveys her for a moment before hs speaks. "If that ever happens to you, I'll take care of him. No questions asked. Just give me a name." He promises with a wink and a slight smile. He's kidding, sort of.

When she threatens him with his own hammer, he actually laughs. Hakon has a wonderful laugh, warm and rich, but he rarely uses it. "If I ever hurt your sister, don't bother with the hammer. I'd sooner you gut me with your sword." When she continues and says Freyja doesn't want one night stands, something starts to click in his head. Sofie had been disgusted when he mentioned the redhead and struggled with her name. But he only struggled with her name because it had been nearly two months since he'd been with her, and it was only for one night. He raises his eyebrows at her, incredulous. "Oh, I understand now." He shakes his head emphatically, and his eyes are serious as they settle on her. "I think I wasn't very clear. I don't..... Sleep with women very often. Every couple of months, maybe." He shrugs, sheepish, and doesn't add that it's just enough to take the edge off. He can barely look at her; this isn't the type of conversation he usually has with people. And he's embarrassed to be having it with Sofie, of all people, but he continues. "If, someday, I ever end up with your sister, I will be nothing but respectful and honest and I will not treat her this way. I promise. And if I break that promise, I won't even defend myself when you gut me."

He looks into his forge, checking on the iron, to hide the blush on his face. He merely nods, smiling over at her, when she says that Haskell is a smart man. He's known Haskell for years and he admires his friend greatly, but he's afraid to talk about Haskell too much with her right now. He remembers the things she said about him earlier, and this conversation is uncomfortable enough without her remarks about Haskell's nice, sweaty body. He nearly shudders at the memory of her remarks. Had he not already promised her he wouldn't, he might actually warn Haskell. He doesn't think she was serious, though, she was probably just saying it to get a rise out of him. He straightens when she starts talking about Freyja again, and his first instinct is that he wants to disagree with her when she says it's fine that he only likes Freyja as a friend. There's two reasons for that. One is that disagreeing with Sofie is simply a habit of his, and the other is that he's beginning to realize that his feelings for Freyja may be more than friendly.

But he's able to rein in that impulse, and he looks over at her with raised brows. "What do you mean, I look at her like I like her? Of course I like her, she's my friend. Am I supposed to look at her like I hate her?" He's slightly confused but mostly teasing her, with his raised brows and a slight smirk on his face. He quickly arranges his face into an angry scowl, looking at her for approval. "Like this, maybe?" A smile breaks his scowl when she says going to Kattegat will be fun, and he nods. "I haven't been out of Skagen for years, not since I went on my last raid. I was still an apprentice then." He chuckles when she says she can't wait until she can go to another village, too. "Soon, I'm sure, you'll be able to go." And then he's smearing the soot all over his face to make her laugh, innocently pretending he'd been trying to clean it off. He chuckles as she laughs, glad they've finally made their way back to teasing each other. "At least when I look stupid, it's only because I have dirt on my face." He sticks his tongue out at her, fully expecting her to find something to throw at him, or worse, to come up with a prank in vengeance for his teasing remark.

Sofie let out a laugh at his words"If that ever happens to you, I'll take care of him. No questions asked. Just give me a name.". He says and she can see that he is smiling, so he's joking, but he also has a look in his eyes that told her that he was kind of being serious as well. "If there is anything left when my sisters are done with him, I'll be sure to give you a name...lets just hope it never happens..." she says, trailing off at the end. It was one of her biggest fears, and here she was somewhat joking about it with Hankon. Sofie was scared that she would like a man, let them in and all they would do was use her. She had seen many men in the village do it to other women, and it seemed from Hankon's words that he was someone who did it as well. So who knew, all men could be that way and she wouldn't have any clue. Sofie hoped that that wasn't the case, that when she did like a man that he would be different. However maybe no one would ever liker her here? with all the pranks and jokes she pulled on everyone. This was too serious of thoughts for her, and she needed to get onto something else. Something funny that could forever distract her.

Hanson spoke again, and she was shocked at his words. "If I ever hurt your sister, don't bother with the hammer. I'd sooner you gut me with your sword." he was completely serious as well, she sure has meant it if he ever hurt her sister she would kill him, but she didn't think he would answer her that way. Telling her to use her sword instead. Fine though, if he hurt her she would use her sword instead. So she just nodded her head at him that she agreed, and that she would do it. "Oh, I understand now." he says suddenly, making Sofie confused. "I think I wasn't very clear. I don't..... Sleep with women very often. Every couple of months, maybe." he tells her next and Sofie feels her whole face heat up, and turn bright red. So she had misunderstood him. He only did his did it every so ofter, not every night. She still thought it was totally wrong and gross, but it wasn't as bad as he had thought at first. "If, someday, I ever end up with your sister, I will be nothing but respectful and honest and I will not treat her this way. I promise. And if I break that promise, I won't even defend myself when you gut me." he tells her next before turning away from her. It makes Sofie smile.

Taking a deep breath she thinks a few moments before talking again."I wouldn't give you even a second to defend yourself anyways, but thats good to know. I think your a good man Hankon..." she said trailing off for a moment before adding "You just need to open your eyes and really see things.." she said before giving him a shrug again. She was going to prank someone the minute she left here. The first person she saw, didn't care if they were young or old. It was going to happen. She needed to make up for all this serious talk and thoughts, however she was glad she talked to Hankon this way. In a way she felt closer to him. She let him see behind her own little walls for a moment. Something that only her sisters get to see every so often.

Sofie laughed again when she heard Hankon say "What do you mean, I look at her like I like her? Of course I like her, she's my friend. Am I supposed to look at her like I hate her?" to her. He even looked confused. Gods the man was just clearly blind to it. How he was so blind to it she wasn't sure, but he was.Sofie watched as he made an angry face before saying "Like this, maybe?" to her before breaking his mean face."No more like she is the light to your dark days? But I don't know I'm just a kid. I could be wrong about what I see right?" she says to him with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. She knew she as just giving him a hard time now, and that she could make him mad again, however he was being blind. He needed to use the eyes and mind he was given, or he should just give his eyes to Ylva. She would use them better clearly.

When he spoke of leaving again he said  "I haven't been out of Skagen for years, not since I went on my last raid. I was still an apprentice then." to her. He seemed excited and Sofie was glad for him. "Soon, I'm sure, you'll be able to go." he said next and she nodded her head. As soon as he became a thegn she would be able to and she was so excited for that. to be able to travel and see the world a bit. She was so curious of how other villages were like. What raiding would really be like. However her thoughts were broken when he rubbed the dirt all over his face. Making her laugh at him and tell him he looked stupid. "At least when I look stupid, it's only because I have dirt on my face." he said to her and Sofie stopped laughing."Excuse me?" she says to him first. Putting a hand on her hip and looking at him and his stupid dirt covered face."You are going to pay for that remark Hankon dear." she says to him before smiling. "We shall see if your old ass can keep up with me when I prank you endlessly." she tells him next with a short laugh."Besides I'm fucking beautiful so you're wrong." she adds crossing her arms over her chest like a small child would when throwing a fit.   

Hakon is done with the serious talk, and he can tell Sofie is, too. He laughs when she says she would give him a name if there was anything left after her sisters are done with any man that would break her heart. "That is very true. I wouldn't want to cross your sisters." He shudders in mock-horror, smiling lightly. He snorts when she continues, saying she thinks he's a good man, and he nearly tells her that he isn't looking for her approval. It means a lot, coming from her, especially since not even five minutes ago she was looking at him like he was as pleasant as spiders. However, when she continues and says he needs to open his eyes and really see things, he can't keep quiet anymore. "People see only what they can handle seeing, Sofie. You can't force a person to see things your way." He gives her a crooked smile. "Although it would be much easier if you could."

In a way he's letting her in further than he usually lets other people in, and it's certainly a challenge at times to keep those walls open when everything she says hits a little too close to home. His eyes widen in surprise when she says he looks at Freyja like she's his light in the darkness, and he isn't even sure how to answer her. Sure, Freyja makes him laugh and it's easy to just be himself around her, to be open and vulnerable, although with Freyja it never feels unsafe. It never feels like she's forced her way in like a battering ram, which is sort of how this conversation with Sofie has felt at times. Freyja is just herself, and so honest that she makes it easier for him to just be himself with her. Freyja is just herself, no judgment or games, and Hakon knows that Freyja will accept him as he is because they're friends and she's a good person. She doesn't force him into being himself around her, she simply makes it easier for him to be himself, and he appreciates that. He shrugs, ducking his head to check on the metal in the forge and buy himself a few moments to gather his thoughts into some type of coherent response. When he straightens, the best comeback he can give her is another shrug and a simple statement. "You might just be seeing what you want to see."

He merely smiles at her outrage at her remark. "I'm not scared of a child's pranks, Sofie." He peeks into the forge again. The metal is glowing the right color, and he reaches in with long tongs and takes it out. He sets the steel on the anvil, holding it in place with the tongs in his left hand, and he jerks his chin toward the door. "I have work to do. You can stay and watch if you want. If not, I'll be waiting for your pranks." He raises the hammer in his right hand and begins hitting the steel, lengthening the glowing square into long rectangle. His hammer strokes are strong and precise as he stares at the glowing metal in concentration. It moves easily where he wants it to. He's going to make another knife.