King Askild was done conversing with Rolf and wanted to see what his wife had in store for him.
Askild, who had just been unfaithful to her, walked into the bedroom with a blanket on her.
She was covered from her upper cleavage down, and Askild could tell she was naked beneath.
"Liv, are you cold?" Askild asked as he went to freshen up, he had not had a shower in days so it was only fair because he stunk up the place.
Askild did not know what Liv was up to but he was going to ruffle her feathers, he has been married to her for years so he knew how to push her buttons and that was exactly what he intended to do.
Liv remained quiet as her husband sat in a wooden bath that was filled with water, that was where he scrubbed himself clean.
Askild pondered what he wanted to do, he wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt and believe she had changed.
Askild was done with his shower and walked out of the tub with Liv waiting for him with a towel.
Askild squinted his eyes because what his wife wore was something transparent.
He could not help the boner that followed, this was a sight of his wife that he missed.
Askild wanted her to make the first move otherwise he might come on as forceful.
Liv noticed the erection of her husband and it was no surprise that he found her attractive.
She kept fit, she did not let her body go as it served as a constant reminder of what Askild could not have.
Askild felt her warm soft hands around his body, he missed this.
No one came close to his wife but Askild broke away from her because he needed to be honest with her about what he did in Iceland.
Even if their marriage was falling apart, he was unfaithful and Liv's reaction would tell him if she still cared about him. The eyes, they never lied and this was one thing that Askild was good at reading.
"Liv, I need to tell you something," Askild said and Liv was curious what this was considering the sexual tension in the air. Askild had no problems lying to her for years or was it safe to say she never asked the right questions?
"What is it?" Liv questioned, voice full of curiosity.
"I have forsaken your honour, I have given myself to other women," Askild said bluntly, but he was focused on his wife's reaction rather than the gravity of his confession.
He did not necessarily care that he cheated but he wanted to see if she cared enough to feel any sort of genuine emotion.
Years of hatred do not disappear overnight so he did not expect this to be the case with his wife but for a moment, he saw Liv flinch.
For a split second, before she put her mask back on, Askild saw the disappointment in her eyes.
This made his heart drop, it showed that Liv still loved him to an extent despite all he had done.
"T-That is fine, I am sorry for neglecting your need," Liv responded with a forced smile.
"No, it is not… I am not the only one suffering and yet you remain faithful to me," Askild said, grabbing her hand.
"I have been thinking, Liv…" Askild said and Liv's attention peaked.
"I think it is time I set you free," Askild said and Liv was shocked by this.
The reason she did not leave Askild was because he would not let her go and this is what he vowed even before her father died.
"F-Free?" Liv stuttered and she stumbled backward in shock, Askild meant these words.
"Yes Liv, my darling wife. You have been nothing but perfect to me and I do not want to burden you anymore with this. You have honoured me…" Askild said as her eyes teared up.
She felt her husband's hand on her cheek, wiping away the tears.
"I did things that would make me unlovable and yet only you stood by me. I am very sorry… I was a terrible husband." Askild said and these were not just words, he meant everything that left his lips.
"I can only apologize and I promise you, I will make Kattegat as great as your father wished it, everyone will hear of our Kingdom and I will do anything to make it happen. Everything I do, I do for our home but I lost sight of what was important to me in the process…" Askild said; Liv could not control her tears because she never knew that this man could still bring out such emotions in her.
"... I lost sight of you… I took your love, loyalty and dedication to me for granted. I neglected you but no more. You are free to do as you please now Liv and I promise you, you will uphold the power your father once held. You are from a powerful family! You are not Liv, the wife of Askild. You are Liv Vilulf! A powerful strong woman that can finally live outside of her father's shadow and not just his, mine as well…" Askild said, letting go of her face.
Liv was frozen in place, this man before her reminded her of the man she fell in love with.
The kind and gentle Askild, the vulnerable Askild that protected her and put her above all else.
Liv now had the free pass to leave, this was something she craved for years but there was a problem now.
She doubted her decision, what if Askild could be fixed and she was the only one that could do so? What if her leaving was the one thing that pushed Askild past the point of no return?
"I-I.." Liv stuttered; she could not finish her sentence and Askild turned away and began walking away from her but he felt an embrace behind him.
"I choose to stay with you, my love," Liv said and the emotion behind her voice was packed with love, she meant it.
ƥandasnovel·ƈom Askild heaved a sigh of relief because now, Liv was no longer a hostage but more so because his gamble worked.
Liv was there because she wanted to be and a gentle smile cracked Askild's face.
"I will make it up to you, I swear Liv," Askild said, and he was glad he had gotten his wife back but he wanted to know why she tried to seduce him even when her heart was not in it.
Askild wanted to know what happened in Kattegat while he was away and now that he had his loyal wife back on his side.
Everything she discussed with Bjorn, she was about to brief her husband about it and by everything, I mean everything.
-
Bjorn had not yet seen Magnus since returning, Magnus had locked himself inside his estate because he could not face the Vikings outside.
When he saw them, what he saw were monks being disembowelled and killed in such gruesome ways. This was known as shell shock.
Bjorn knew he needed to have this experience to decide the path he would take, this was the only way for him to know where he stood.
"Bjorn Ironside," A voice called out and it was Reider. Reider was not with Ulrik and his demeanour was different.
"What is it?" Bjorn asked bluntly, he had no plans of having small talk with him because time was something that he could not waste.
"I need to talk to you about something very important but I need you to give me your word that it will not leave your lips…" Reidar said; Bjorn was surprised by the shift in demeanour.
"You have my word, Reidar…" Bjorn reassured him and this was enough for Reidar to trust Bjorn.
Bjorn was a man of his word and Reidar grabbed him by the arm and led him somewhere else.
They went somewhere quiet and away from sight so it would be easier for them to talk about it.
Bjorn's radar went up, his hand subconsciously reached for the hilt of his sword because he knew that Reidar was once allied with Birger and he knew nothing about him outside of that.
Reidar took a deep breath and his callous body language changed and his eyes focused on the man before him, that was Bjorn Ironside.
"Do you know who I am?" Reidar asked and Bjorn found this question strange.
"Is this a joke?" Bjorn asked, he did not understand the point of this stupid question.
He clarified the moment he saw the look of confusion on his Commander's face.
"Erik The Berserker was the only one who knew but there is something you need to know because of who you are," Reidar said and Bjorn's curiosity peaked.
He wanted to hear what this man wanted to say even more now.
"This is my story, Bjorn Ironside…"
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