12 Days of Yule

Of Shields And Bones

Ivarr the Boneless. Son of Ragnar Lothbrok. King Killer.

Ivarr was many things, he was known and feared all throughout England and Eivor had no doubt that he would be remembered for centuries to come.
But there was a side to the Dane that no one would ever know.
They would never hear of the love he had for his family and those he cared about, would never see how gentle he was with animals when he thought no one was watching.
They would not know of the fear that ruled his life, of the sorrow that still haunted him or of the pain that kept him awake at night.

For the longest time Eivor hadn't known either because even after all this time they had spent together he still couldn't find it in himself to trust the Norse with his secret.
At first Eivor had been hurt when he found that the other had been hiding something like this from him but with time he understood.
And then he scolded himself for not noticing earlier.

He remembered the first time he had met Ivarr in Repton.
Maybe back then he had just been too distracted by the Dane's appearance to even notice his limp when he walked.
He remembered noticing it sometime later when Ivarr had wanted him to drink with him but even then he had just easily forgotten about it the next day.

And over time the limp had seemed to disappear or had at least grown more unnoticable.
It wasn't until much later that he learned of the cause.
Ivarr and Eivor were often separated, with Ivarr staying with his brother in Repton while Eivor traveled throughout the whole of England but sometimes the Dane would decide to tag along, sometimes with and sometimes without his limp.

Yes, Eivor really should have noticed earlier.

To this day he was glad that Ubbe had been with them when it had happened.
They had been fighting, Ivarr by his side and Ubbe somewhere nearby, when Ivarr had gone down.
Eivor hadn't thought much of it then, Ivarr's fighting style had always been original.
But when Ubbe had pushed him in Ivarr's direction, screaming at him to give Ivarr his shield, Eivor had noticed that the Dane hadn't gotten back up.

Eivor had jumped into action imidiately, putting himself in between Ivarr and their enemies even if he didn't understand what had happened.

Later that night after the battle had been won, Ubbe had told him of Ivarr's curse.

"Why did you never tell me?", Eivor had asked once the Dane had woken from his sleep.
Ivarr had looked up at him tiredly, already knowing what the Norse was referring to.
"Because I quite enjoy your company, Wolf-Kissed."
Eivor had gotten angry at those words.
"And you thought that I'd leave you just because you break your bones sometimes?"
Ivarr, proud, confident Ivarr had never looked so self conscious before.
"I wouldn't blame you."

Eivor hadn't left.
Instead he had learned to deal with Ivarr's condition.
He could recognize the subtle signs and did his best to support him whenever he could.
He'd have Ubbe tell him when Ivarr had broken a bone again and then he'd come to Repton just to be by his lover's side until he had fully recovered.
The rare times that it happened in battle, Eivor stood close, using his shield to protect the Dane from as many attacks as he could.

The Dane was forced to learn to accept the comfort without protest and Eivor found that sometimes it seemed as though Ivarr was even starting to enjoy the extra care.
What he knew for certain though was that Ivarr wouldn't admit it even if that were the case.

This time the two of them had been together when it had happened.
They were out hunting when Ivarr's steps had faltered.
But despite the pain he must've been in, Ivarr made no sound, something that Eivor had always admired.

He remembered breaking his hand once, after he had fallen off a tree, a pain that he would certainly never forget.
He couldn't even dream to understand why Ivarr insisted on continuing the hunt but Eivor was having none of it either way. He'd be damned if he let his lover walk around on a broken leg, much less in the high snow of his homeland.

And so they found themselves back in their home soon after, Ivarr tucked into bed with his head pillowed on Eivor's thigh so the taller man could stroke his hair.
The Norse had made a fire to keep them warm and its soft cackling filled the silence.
Eivor had learned that when Ivarr was like this he often struggled to fall asleep as a result of the pain as well as the vulnerability he felt.
The first few few times that they had been in this situation Ivarr would try to walk, proofing Eivor's theory that he was stubborn enough to do just about anything.
The Dane knew had fist had that he had nothing to prove to his lover or anyone for that matter.
Eivor had seen him fight off two fully grown men without getting up from the ground and while that didn't mean that Eivor didn't worry about Ivarr, he knew very well that the Dane didn't need him.

But just because he didn't need him didn't mean that Eivor wouldn't do anything in his power to make the other feel even a little better.
Ivarr yawned, glancing up at Eivor.
"You don't have to stay up, Wolf-Kissed. I'm fine."
"Shut up and close your eyes"
Ivarr smiled slightly, yawning again before he followed Eivor's command for once without any snarky remarks.