Only between the umbra of each tree could the two silhouettes be seen frolicking in the dim fall moonlight. Faint shoestring lines of moonlight cascaded down through the evergreen canopy to illuminate the setting dew on everything from blades of grass to hewn logs left to rot or leafy branches of each bush calling the forrest floor home.
Snickering, Ubbe tried without success to grab even a sparse inch of Eleri's cloak to conclude their game of chase.
"Too slow Ragnarsson~" Eleri's teasing coo was accompanied by a glimmer of a smirk when she whirled around, "Vikings are so slow, it's almost cute." Winking to the man catching his breath from the trot over, Eleri side stepped between a row of trees, "Almost that is." A insidious grin and Eleri absconded behind the closest tree.
"Cute huh?" Bent down, propping his palms on his slightly bent knees, Ubbe laughed between slow breathes. The heavy riding boots and shall of skins not very effective in this game that ensued after slinking out of the main streets of Kattegat, "You must have drank quite a bit before I saved you to say such things."
"Taking me for a lightweight again eh?" Eleri's voice echoed around him. Standing erect Ubbe crept towards the tree she'd disappeared behind. Jumping to it the viking expected to see her smiling behind it, there wasn't a trace, "Guess again Ragnarsson~"
Inept to deny the giddiness she instilled in him, even when Ubbe came up empty handed the man couldn't help smile, "Let's make a deal." Speaking out to the night air Ubbe stepped back into the clearing and looked up. Surveying around trying to calculate where the devilish woman may have gone, "I find you, you owe me as many questions as I have."
"And if I win Ragnarsson?" the reverberation of her coy voice came to Ubbe softly through the pine needles.
Pondering that a moment Ubbe reached up and mulled it over while drawing his fingers through his beard, "If you win Varagain, I will let you take any of my pelts, as well as broad sword, when you depart."
"The axe." Eleri's voice answered.
"Axe?" Scrunching his eyebrows Ubbe tried to connect what she meant.
"The axe, near your mother's thrown. Crafted of sterling silver engraved with the blackened raven crest, he is what I want,"
Lifting his head up to the east, where Ubbe thought he'd pinpointed Eleri's voice, the man offered a sassy snort, "The axe? I doubt you could even-"
"I think I'll name him Pax," a hum from the disembodied voice Ubbe sought, "You can have that worn cutlass of mine, I think it even has a bit of your beard left on it." The trickery obvious in her cooing tone.
"Pax? First off you're not even going to win Myf," Astute Ubbe didn't care if Eleri could see his grin in the moonlight as he tracked through the bottom layer of forrest, "Bluffing, it must be the con artist in you Varagain."
Guileful stillness swept through the stand of trees. Hyper aware Ubbe sensed his stance instinctively lower and he turned his ear up towards the branch line above him.
Crack.
Snapping around Ubbe eagerness to seize the woman before she could lay a hand on him ended up being his out doing. Only a falling dead branch from above distracted his attention twenty or so feet ahead of him. A mix up in senses making him too slow to react to the rushing figure hurl its entire body weight into the standing viking.
"Oof!" Grunting the slug knocked all the air out of Ubbe as he was sent to the ground with a heavy thud. A throaty groan from him as Ubbe reeled back too shortly to have a firm pressure on his throat.
"I win Ooo-baa~" Eleri's taunting smirk looming over the thrashed viking laying on the forrest ground, "Ehehe," that snicker sent a minute shiver down Ubbe's spine but helped him focus in on the beaming smile that greeted him. Eleri's right forearm pinned across his neck holding a firm position on her prey.
A simper betwixt Ubbe's blond bearded lips. Gazing up at Eleri's slate eyes the man let his body go limp. Giving into her win to see Eleri lower her guard. Throwing out his right arm, Ubbe succeeded in confounding the woman's balance. Swooping in with his left arm slung around her shoulder's, Ubbe took the courtesy upon himself to flip Eleri off of him onto the damp sod beside him. A simple stroke of his left arm hefted the man's body weight to follow on top of her. Bringing his face close while Ubbe affixed himself above her. Wise to her moves to come out on top.
The grin never ceased. Between either of them they looked on at one another with smirks pulling on their rosy lips, "A draw." Ubbe murmured to her with a smile.
"Fight me for the axe." Eleri lunged up like a snapping turtle, biting his beard smirking.
"The axe for my answers," Ubbe bartered, bearing his teeth down at her playfully.
"Spar me for the axe, riddle me for the questions," Eleri stirred under him. Using not even half the urge to pin her down Ubbe still allotted Eleri's arm to move. Bringing them up she felt the simper fade from her lips the closer her fingertips came to his pale cheek.
Drizzling from his own smiling expression, Ubbe watched fixed on Eleri as her calloused hand came up and grazed his bushy cheek. Sensible of it Ubbe became aware of his torso leaning down slowly to hers. Not even actualizing that what he sought out was the steady stare he held on the Varagain's lips inches away from his.
Abruptly Eleri thrusted her arms out. Ramming her palms into his chest Eleri unsettled his balance and Ubbe snapped out of his daze while he rolled off of the female. Clearing her throat Eleri lurched forward and sprung up to her feet. Padding and brushing off what wet leaves and grass stuck to her. Ubbe stuck on his bum, stumped over what had transpired.
"Where were you taking me anyways viking?" Eleri's tone sharp, "We're in the middle of the forrest, ask your three questions so I may go back and sleep this day off."
Rolling over Ubbe took his time getting back to his feet and padding off what debris stuck to him. Casting a glance over at Eleri, Ubbe tired and true took in a slow breath steadying his thoughts, "Just three?"
"Just three," Eleri stated sternly.
Ruminating over this restriction that still presented itself with some insight, Ubbe scratched his beard weighing his thrumming thoughts.
Tossing a look back over her shoulder Eleri's rigid expression replaced what smiling and laughs they'd produced on the trek into the trees. Unsure what caused the flip in the situation, Ubbe fixed his skins evenly on his shoulders and slowly nodded, "Alright, three.."
Mulish Eleri crossed her arms over her apex and leaned back against a gritty trunk of a tree. No words passed her lips while she looked over at him unyielding. The moonlight only making her grayish blue eyes only more dismal to the viking.
"Are you here to hurt my family?" Ubbe posed his first question. Not moving from where he stood before her.
To that Eleri calmly shook her head, "No....Two."
Dipping his head Ubbe affirmed his usage, "Are you leaving Kattegat when this job is done?"
"I don't know," she contested placid without a change in expression.
"That's not an answer," Ubbe retorted firmly.
"Yes it is," shaking her head Eleri did not budge.
Beginning again Ubbe spoke without thought, "Is this just a-"
"Ah ah ah," Waggling her right index finger at him, Ubbe watched Eleri shake her head, "Last question. Is that what you want to know?"
Halting in his verbal tracks Ubbe almost stumbled on a regret. Acknowledging this Ubbe looked down, rationing what he could possibly ask to quell enough of the questions buzzing in his mind. Pensive Eleri pushed off the tree and took thought out steps towards Ubbe until she was just out of arms reach. Her arms still crossed over her chest and eyes hooked into him without a word.
Gripping the only question that ached in his head and his gut, Ubbe stood up straight with a deep breath, "Why me and not one of my brothers?"
Arching an eyebrow Eleri stood quiet, "...is that your final question?"
Ubbe didn't speak, only nodded.
Exhaling Eleri dropped her gaze with slow closing eyes. The demeanor of the Varagain changed completely. Lax or perhaps tired, Ubbe was not sure. Arms unfolding she shifted from one foot to the other without looking up, "Well, it's not a yes or no answer per say."
Hushed for no other reason than the fear of spoiling her answer, Ubbe withheld his voice but took a step closer studying Eleri's erratic change in moods so easily. Tipping her head back up she now saw how close the man was, instead of backing away Eleri stood her ground.
"...it wasn't supposed to be any of you," fulfilling her answer Eleri's eyes did not falter from Ubbe's. That wasn't enough and even in the dim light she could see his forehead wrinkle into a million folds at her answer, "I...I do this for a living. Different towns. Different dynasties. Different days. Same thing in and out." Her words captivating the viking as he took another step forward sheepishly like she wouldn't notice, "A game, it's all one big game." Eleri sighed and looked up at the sky, "A high paying job, easy or not, still same set of skills. So sometimes I make it more interesting. Pick pocket city dwellers. Move farmers equipment. Sticky fingers on someone's small fortune."
"You were going to steal from my family?" Abashed Ubbe frowned as he shook his head, "You said you weren't-"
"I wasn't going to steal from your mother dumb ass," Eleri barked, unable to keep from rolling her eyes, "It was more fun to toss in some drama amongst a broken hearted Queen's spoiled sons. The way the youngest one acts, what's his name-"
"Ivar," Ubbe filled in, eyeing her strangely.
"Yes, Ivar. Those types are just fun to mess with, stir up anger. Incite a farce," moving her hands as she spoke Eleri's eyes hadn't met back with Ubbe's, "I'm delivering a letter to a wandering old man with bastard children all over the country side. There was nothing to make it exciting. So I sprinkled in my own." Shrugging Eleri validated her malicious intent nonchalantly, "It was just melodrama as always, but you got nosey."
"Me?" Ubbe growled nearly offended, "How am I the butt of this issue?"
"By not keeping your viking nose out of it," Eleri gave him a sneer, "You fell for tricks every single time. The forrest, you literally walked into my game," Baffled by recounting what Eleri saw as the man's idiocy, she ranted on, "Following me after a tiff with your own brother. Breaking into the room I was set up in."
"I did not break in!" Ubbe's voice rose in his offense of Eleri's arrogant list, "Not only is it my own home, the door was unlock!"
"And lock at you, out in the middle of the forrest in the dead of night following stranger for what?!" whipping around to him it was barely kept down as Eleri responded heatedly.
"For what? For what?! To get the answers you won't answer like a normal person!" Ubbe trying to hold down his simmering irritation with Eleri.
"I am literally a hired hit man, what part of that is normal to you?! Are you that sheltered?!" Eleri bolstered herself in front of him, her ability to control her frothing anger less refined than Ubbe. The moment she brashly bumped into him caused Ubbe to stop.
Starring at her he was almost cationic for the moment before a half step back, "...I...I am...I just, I thought I needed to know. I needed to know so I could make sure nothing was going on without my knowledge." Blinking his beryl eyes Ubbe looked down at their duo of feet sunk into the wet fall ground, "...your game, the way you schlepped everything off so easily, how elegantly it all came to you." Coming to a realization Ubbe's face met back up with Eleri's in front of him, "This was a breath of fresh air. I didn't know what was going to happen, I wasn't focussed on what my brothers need, or my mother or my duties." Ubbe blinked, pursing his lips a little as he wetted them down with a swipe of his tongue, "Your freedom you have, I wanted it. I wanted what you could do."
Taken back by what poured out of what Eleri only assumed was a mindless viking looking for the next fight, Ubbe's eyes stayed stuck on her as the Varagain pulled at her bottom lip and tried to advert her eyes, "...you think this is freedom?"
"Yes, going anywhere. Just yourself, your own ideas. Jobs and money. You have it all," Ubbe elaborated on what he saw from her.
"I have nothing!" biting back her harsh tone only restrained part of it. Chewing on her bottom lip Eleri suddenly felt like three questions was too much, "I...I have to go."
"Eleri please," distraught that she saw his words as mean, Ubbe reached out and grabbed for her hand, "I don't mean-"
"You don't mean anything because you're a spoiled son of a spoiled Queen with daddy issues!" the words left her mouth before they really even registered. When Eleri could hear herself, the words already sank into Ubbe, "No- No no no! I don't- I mean I didn't- Not like that I mean-"
"No," Stone cold Ubbe dropped her hand with a sullen nod, "I'm the son of the Queen and of Ragnar Lothbrok. I don't even have to work out a destiny, I could have it all without leaving Kattegat."
Regretful of the splurge that came from her mouth, even Eleri couldn't deny the hurt in his voice.
"That's what I found so alluring about you," Ubbe looked up at her, voice soft as though the trees weren't to hear his secrets, "Mysterious and free. Things I know I can't have with this life."
Unaccustomed sorrow welled up in the pits of the woman's stomach. Bizarre and almost like heartburn Eleri knew standing in the middle of the forrest nearing midnight or past it, she couldn't just choke it down. Though neither had gotten too far out of arms reach, Eleri was still a few feet from Ubbe. Taking the distance away in one large stride. The Varagain crossed to the viking without hesitation to plant her lips firmly against his.
Right hand moving up to writhe in his shall like a hook and the left slipping behind the man to leverage her body closer to him, Eleri kissed the son of Ragnar Lothbrok with nothing but pure earnest intent. Returned with just as much hunger from the viking. Ubbe slipping his arms around her torso and squeezing what little space they had between them out of existence.
Now a third kiss from the man and different each time. Longer now they took the time to savor the taste of one another's lips without question for the sudden display. But taking the pleasure of being secluded to the eyes of no ones but their owns. Gradually when their lips did peel away. Ubbe unmoving and Eleri pressing her forehead to his cold one while her eyes fluttered shut. Arms still slung around one another without question.
"...perhaps, if we go back and I get that actual drink I wanted the very first time," Eleri muttered conservatively to Ubbe as nightfall came in to choke out what minimal light the moon had given, "Perhaps a proper drink...and well...maybe the restrictions on only three questions will be revoked."
About to speak, happy to hear that from the woman, Eleri shook her head and put a finger to his scruffy lips, "Don't talk. Just get me back and get me that drink first."
Blessed with a goofy wrinkly smile, Ubbe knew better than to do it but leaned in and stole another kiss from the Varagain without a word. But as he pulled back Ubbe whispered against her lips, "Of course, anything for Myf." Rewarded with a slug to his well padded gut but still Eleri rolled her eyes and gave into the trek back towards sleeping Kattegat with the meddlesome man she couldn't help indulge in.