Wife Of A Berserker

Bath Time

~Five months later~

"Oh my gods what were you rolling in?" Kari asked when Dagur walked into the house smelling like he had been rolling in a mix of dragon, yak and sheep dung.

"Fresh wet soil with some herbs and some rabbit droppings." Dagur said rubbing his dirty hand on his cheek. "It's  a tradition that we Berserkers do on our twenty third birthday."

"I don't even want to know what you do to the little ones on their first birthday." Kari said wrinkling her nose in disgust. "What is your sister going to say when she sees you coming into the feast hall and smelling like that?"

"Heather would understand it's tradition."

Two months after Kari's return, some villagers had been telling Heather that she looked very similar to Dagur's late mother only with Oswald's dark hair. And when she admitted to Kari that the people who were her parents were her foster family and the horn she carried was the only thing from her long forgotten childhood along with some foggy memories.

And seeing Berk's crest on the side of it got them both wondering if Heather was actually born a Berkian. They had flown to Berk and showed the horn to Valka who told them that Stoick had given the horn to Oswald's newborn daughter was was born a few months before the Haddock twins. And when they headed back to Berserker island and told Aria about it since she was trying to help them, the elder soon revealed that Heather was indeed Oswald's daughter who disappeared when she was around the age of three. Dagur was the first person to give Heather a bone crushing hug and a big kiss on the cheek before welcoming her properly into the family.

"Heather doesn't give a hoot about these birthday traditions, and I do not want our son to take part in them at all."

"Not even his coming of age one? That just gets him his tattoos to show he has entered adulthood." Dagur asked as he walked forward but stopped when Kari blocked the stairs. "Oh come on hon, I'm just gonna go upstairs and change my clothes and go to the feast hall."

"You're filthy." Kari responded, noticing the smudges of dirt on his face, arms and clothes. "I am not letting you go into our room smelling like that, you're going to take a nice hot bath."

"I'm fine woman!" Dagur protested as his wife grabbed his arm and dragged him to the washroom. "It's not so bad!"

"You stink almost as bad as Gobber and he hasn't bathed since our wedding!" Kari said walking back to the door and pointed at the filled tub. "I expect you to be undressed and sitting in that till I come back with some water. I'll be scouring you till your skin is as pink as Stoick's."

"Gods your worst than my aunt Angelina when I became chief!" Dagur groaned as she shut the door to give him privacy.

"My mum was just as bad apparently!" He heard her yell back. "Now undress before I do it myself with a knife!"

Ten minutes later, Kari came back with six buckets of hot water she had drawn from the well that she had been boiling earlier. She had been meaning to give herself and Stoick a bath but she felt as if Dagur needed it more then them. When she entered with two of the buckets, she was pleased to see her husband sitting in the tub looking angry as a wet cat.

"Oh stop looking so sour love, you know you needed a good bath." Kari said as she walked over to the tub and grabbed a soap bar. "At least it's me who's bathing you and not your aunt."

"You really gotta understand our birthday traditions on this island." Dagur said sourly.

"Oh hush you, be glad that I didn't get Elysia to dump you in the lake. Instead you are getting a nice warm bath." Kari said as she grabbed a bottle of sweet smelling oil and poured it on his head before she started to scrub it in. "I was going to give the baby a bath and then give myself one but were letting you have the water instead."

"We can just boil more water for him, this one feels a little too warm for him." Dagur said as he plugged his nose before his wife dumped a bucket of water over his head.

"I was thinking of doing that but you know how much water I tend to waste when I bathe." Kari said as she grabbed a comb and began to gently rake it through his hair. Dagur's hair was now much longer than it was when Kari first saw him after six years. He had grown it down to his shoulders and allowed her to braid it back so his neck wouldn't feel sweaty.

"You know we can share the water or I got fetch your water and you can use the clean water that's leftover." Dagur suggested, turning his head a bit to look at her. "This wouldn't be the first time we tried the first option."

"You did that to help me bathe when Stoick was getting bigger in my belly." Kari said when she finished combing his hair. "No lice so far, that's good but I wish you took at least a few baths when I was gone."

"Didn't feel like having one." Dagur replied with a shrug.

"Baths prevent infection and disease." Kari said whacking him with the comb. "Didn't think I'd be doing this tonight huh?"

"I'll check for lice in your hair if you don't stop." Dagur warned, earning himself another whack with the comb.

"I don't even have a trace of lice in my hair because I bathe every other day." Kari said when she placed the comb on the floor and grabbed the bar of soap and a sponge.

"Know what I'll do this myself, you go get some more water to give the baby his bath." Dagur said grabbing the soap bar from her and nearly dropping it.

"I guess I should." Kari said standing up and stretched. "When I come back you better be done with the soap or trying to rinse yourself with whatever water is left."

She walked out trying to massage the soreness in her legs as she made her way to the kitchen where the pot was still sitting over the firepit. She poured the hot water back into an empty bucket half ways before pouring some colder water into it to cool it down. As she was doing the same with the second bucket, she heard the sound of Stoick crying upstairs.

"I'm coming sweetie! Just let me get this water to your father!" Kari yelled as she grabbed both buckets and tried not to spill the hot water as she ran to the stairs. "Hang on Stoick, mum is coming!"

She used her shoulder to open the door and was relieved to find Dagur still sitting in the tub but with some soap suds still on him. She quickly placed the buckets next to the tub and rushed out to attend to her crying son.

'My poor wife, always running left and right to do something and never seems to have spare time anymore.' Dagur thought as he grabbed a bucket and poured it over himself. 'Perhaps I should skip the feast to take care of Stoick and try to get his mother to take a rest.'

"I'm back!" Kari gasped as she stumbled into the room. "He just soiled himself a bit, I don't think mashed beets are doing well with him."

"Same here, when I was a baby beets never agreed with me either so I was pretty gassy with them." Dagur chuckled as Kari tossed him a towel and started to undo her hair. "You know the two of us never spend time together the way we used to before we were married and the days after we did."

"Well you had your duties as a chief and I have mine now as a mother to your first heir who is coming close to completing a year old soon." Kari replied as she removed her tunic. "Are you done drying yourself? I need to take mine as well before I give Stoick his bath."

"I'll go dry off in the room and dress, you bathe and I'll give Stoick his bath, take as much time as you need." Dagur said wrapping himself up and motioned to the tub. "There's still some good water and I only used one bucket."

Kari gave him a nod and proceed in undressing as Dagur walked out. He went into the nursery to check on Stoick who had fallen back and sleep before walking back to the bedroom to dress.

'Know what, I'm definitely going to spend this birthday with my wife and just her.' Dagur thought as he dressed in some clean clothes. 'Just me and her with only our dragons for company out on the fields with some food.'