when Halfdan the Black finds love in an unexpected being, and when he goes against the odds of all his people. the gods are with him, just as they are with his brother, and with the power they give him- he won't let his life, or his love, go to wast...
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"Paris will be guarded, the walls will be high, the warriors will be ready," he watched her speak, listened to the softness of her voice. He gently grabbed her hand when he noticed she reached for him, feeling the tingling in the tips of his fingers as he craved to touch anything of her.
The two were gathered in the Great Hall with the others, including her family and those of Ragnar's reinforcements, accompanied by the rest of his men with Harald. Mehtyo stood tall and broading down the table facing Ragnar who stood at the head of the table, staring intently as if he was reading the great viking king. Halfdan had never been one to be astonished or interested, he'd always been reticent at first, and he wasn't especially fond of Ragnar. Yes, he held respect for the farmer king, but he wouldn't fall to his knees for him.
"My daughter speaks truth," the being deeply announced, "and your wife would be better off staring at the ground, not glaring at my children." The entire hall noticeably cringed at his words, all knowing of the hateful gaze given by the eyes of Ragnar's snake of a wife. "If you want to be saved, I understand," he straightened his posture, locking his gaze with the King and Queen. "But if you want to be respected, then earn it."
The Hall was plagued with a deathly silence that felt everlasting, never-ending, until Harald decided to break the tension, quickly glancing at Halfdan and A'Tanasey. The younger knew he needed aid, he wouldn't deny him that, but he also wouldn't let Mehtyo's words be overlooked or ignored.
"Why don't we discuss the attack, yeah," Harald implied, Halfdan watching as his brother took a gulp of mead as he slumped back in his seat at the table, linking his fingers together.
"He knows the lands of Paris better than any of us," Halfdan spoke up, tightening his grasp on A'Tanasey's hand as he moved to sit beside her. "Let him find the way in, and let us invade," he provided a start, an idea for the intense group.
Reaching out, he grabbed ahold of Harald's shoulder, signing to the older that he still stood by him. "Though I must say, a king is a king— but a god is a god. There are three honorable kings here in this Great Hall of Kattegat, however," he paused, glancing over all the people gathered around, "one of them is a god, too," he rasped lowly, glancing to Mehtyo before he continued speaking. "It is not hard to show respect. He is not here to hurt you, or kill you— if he was, then he would have when he arrived."
His voice was low, but it was hard and it demanded attention to those who had and hadn't been listening, his eyes flickering from his usual dark brown to the bright amber shade he obtained from his change. He only calmed when he felt her soft palm press to the back of his head, sending a gentle glance towards Mehtyo who in turn deeply nodded towards him.
After the air had shifted from tense to only slightly uneasy, the crowd gathered in the Great Hall spent nearly the entire rest of the day planning and preparing the next raid on Paris, organising different ships and fleets of warriors from the borders to the sea. It was only when the servants began piling in through the large wooden doors that their arrangements came to a halt, questioning what the king and queen wanted prepared for the quaint dinner that quiet evening.
And whilst Aslaug requested what she wanted for her and her children, Halfdan slowly pushed himself off of his seat before reaching down for A'Tanasey's hand. He closed his fingers when he felt her palm meet his own, and carefully led her through the bodies mindlessly standing within the Great Hall as they witnessed the events regarding the plans of the second siege of Paris. When they reached the large doors of the gathering place, they were stopped by the voice of the king, his tone distant yet curious as it was mocking.
"And where do you little lovebirds run off to," Ragnar questioned, his voice light in a teasing, almost taunting manner. His icy blue eyes shot up to those of Halfdan, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lip as the king stared upon the pair, "hm?"
No one could understand the fire burning in the depths of Halfdan's chest, no one but A'Tanasey. He felt as though he would go into a blank rage as he imagined ripping out the farmer king's throat with his teeth, feasting on him instead of the animals he and his mate were about to hunt. It didn't help that it was his first encounter with the feeding rituals that came along with A'Tanasey and her kind, and it really didn't help that he was often ruthless and very dangerous to those that stood in his way of something that he loves or wants.
All the anger that brewed in his stomach overflowed, and it came up like bubbling magma in his system as he just about leapt across the large table in hopes to reach the near delusional king in the mighty grasps of his godly hands. But before he could manage a step forward, a large hand planted itself in the centre of his chest, his eyes flitting upward to meet those of Mehtyo.
"Calm yourself, peyhqo," he spoke, gently shoving him back into A'Tanasey's awaiting arms as the otherworldly being threw a cold and harsh glance above and behind his broad shoulder, daring the farmer king to speak within the silence. "We have our traditions, as you have yours; don't make your questions a habit, human."
The title was an insult to the man that sat upon the king, and when Halfdan heard it as he wrapped his mate up in his arms, the two couldn't stop the breathy laughter that escaped their near touching lips. While Mehtyo handled the disrespect, he turned his attention to the woman he dearly cherished as he leaned down to capture her in a breathtaking kiss. He circled his arm around her waist as the other trailed up the span of her back until he reached up to grip her neck.
Pulling her up against him, he slipped his tongue passed her lips, catching her breathy moans with his mouth as he listened to her thundering heartbeat and inhaled the sweet scent of her arousal that was beginning to pool within his warmest home between her legs. They only stopped when they heard Mehtyo hiss as he bore his large teeth, the markings of his skin appearing to those around them as A'Tanasey and her people took a stance before and beside him in regards to protect. Halfdan was in front of her as a deep growl resonated through his trachea, glaring at Ragnar's men as they unsheathed their weapons.
"Llaehko," they suddenly heard, A'Tanasey out of her trance as she intently listened to the pounding hooves of the horses quickly approaching. "They're in your woods," she breathed, her ears perking at every sound she heard. Halfdan glanced all around, his eyes taking in all of his surroundings as he protectively wrapped his arm around her waist. "They will ravage you and your home, King Ragnar of Kattegat," she solemnly spoke, her eyes in a gentle daze as she shifted her gaze to him where he leaned on the table.
Silence prevailed for countless moments as Halfdan quietly watched him closely, tightening his hold around A'Tanasey. Nobody spoke for what felt like an eternity, until Halfdan watched as Ragnar lifted his eyes to meet those of his mate, worry pooling in his oceans.
"I know," he said quietly, defeat dripping from his words as concern coated his dry tongue, casting his gaze downwards until Mehtyo asked something of the crazed king.
