Ayana's Pov
The first week, wasn't as truly as bad as I was expecting, very light hearted all the brothers trying to teach the kids and my own family their culture, even Ivar teaching the kids how to speak Old Norse.
Telling them about the gods and Valhalla it was always so interesting for me to hear. Odd enough Bjorn always wanted me to be around, he was so invested in learning about the traditions and aspects of my home that it felt me with a little bit of happiness.
Around lunch time here I was giving Rúne her usually run down lesson. Mom... Can I be a shieldmaiden and still be queen?" I was at first taken back by the question, I then grinned.
"Of course, did you know there was a queen of Kattegat she was very strong and fierce, she also was a shieldmaiden one of the most famous ones to be alive." Rúne looked to be in awe.
"Wow! What was she like?" I shut the book down for just a second. Ranking those thoughts of the tales I heard of Lagertha.
"Very soft spoken and wise, looked very scary from first glance, gave the best advice, my mother was." I turned my head back around to see Bjorn making his way to stand behind me his arms wrapped around my shoulders swaying me slightly.
"She was your mother uncle Bjorn!" She exclaimed with a wide grin. Bjorn faintly let his chuckles out.
"That she was, she treated everyone kindly as she could, and always cared about her people it's what a true queen does, like your mother is." I rolled my eyes playfully feeling his arm now resting on my head.
"You just like to flatter me that's all." His loud laughter sounded out throughout the great hall, before he was hugging me a bit.
"All the praises deserved."
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Ivar's Pov
"You two, come here for a second." The sun felt quite amazing on my skin, the tension of what felt like a thousands years slowly leaving my body. I wanted nothing more then to get out of Kattegat, just for a bit it was what I needed.
All the relaxation just being able to leave me. My children seeing them after so long just placed a weight on me, it hit me that age was slowly catching up to me and Ayana, and that our legacy would be able to continue through our children, and then their children after that.
Ivar the boneless truly would never fade from history. Yet my eyes weren't stupid, it couldn't take much of an idiot to see what he was doing.
At first Frye ignored my request and was still playing with his wooden toy yet left Freyr to stand up making his way towards me in the grass sitting down with me.
"Yeah dad? What's the matter?" He questioned to me a bit, I pulled him close into my side for a hug feeling him return it.
"Where's your mother?" I questioned to him seeing his eyes looking around like he was in deep thought.
"I think mom was showing uncle Bjorn the markets." I scowled deeply, the breeze traveling through my brown hair flowing back.
"I need you and your brother to do a very big favor, think you can understand that?" I asked him, he gave me a firm nod looking interested like.
"I wanna bring your mother back home with me... It's where she belongs, father made a really idiotic mistake. But she belongs by my side with no other man, don't you guys want us back together?" I questioned my eyes growing soft.
"Well of course we do dad, you two are funny when you talk to one another but don't you have another." His small whines made me totally forget that for a second Kari was still back at Kattegat, very crazy like.
"No, no other woman is your mother, that's why Bjorn can't be alone with her." I was very stern as I said it it was the selfish part of me coming out.
"I sort of get it, you want us to be with mom all the time right dad, so she can only get our attention." I smiled nodding my head a couple times.
"Exactly like that young one." I breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't quite question much but ran off to inform his brother.
"You wanna win mom back that's not the way to do it?" I snapped my head back quick relaxing with a small scowl glad it wasn't Ayana, seeing Rúne.
"Of course I do, I wouldn't be spending all this time here if I didn't." She made her way to sit next to me, tucking the dress under her as she stared at me. Both our blue eyes met with a small stare down. She was the female embodiment of me, the eyes, the glance, her pretty tan skin.
"What? Don't gimme that look." I told her. She blinked once and then twice but her soft laughter sounded out quietly.
"Father you are jealous of uncle Bjorn because you believe he could win mother's heart, but I don't think you know mom." I scoffed with a small chuckle gazing at her more.
"I knew her long before you young one." She opened her mouth, to speak a bit then dropped it.
"Okay, okay that may be true but you don't know her like we do. You've been a way for a while, and perhaps it's your fault or both who knows, mom doesn't easily fall in love I've seen it." I stared at Rúne even more.
"I've heard all the tales of you and for a while, I did think you were just this cruel, evil cripple man." I glared at her as she then quickly spoke.
"But you are my father none the less, you wanna get my mom to love you again, you say you have changed, show her you have changed." My expression twisted in a matter of seconds from, annoyance to softness.
"I have changed... I would think that I have changed young one."
"Then show that to her, don't speak it, act it."