Sword and Spice (Askeladd x OC)(Vinland Saga)

4. (Apr 1002) The Ambush

In the dim glow of my study, where silence was a welcoming reprieve from my hectic life, my brother's voice suddenly pierced through the solitude. "Skipping the family shindig, huh?" he remarked, his tone heavy, a note that was unlike his usual jovial way of speaking. I hadn't heard him enter, but it didn't surprise me to see him at my residence. He was allowed to enter and leave when he pleased.

However, I didn't bother turning in my office chair to face him; the click-clack of my keyboard drowning out his presence as I wrote my next dissertation. "Why bother?" I sighed, the words escaping like a defeated exhale. "I'm the odd one out."

"Susie wanted to see you, Liv," he prodded gently, his words a soft plea against the steady rhythm of my keyboard. It was the only two sounds heard in my empty home.

I offered no response, my focus locked on the screen before me.

"Seriously, Liv, are you just going to bury yourself in work like the rest of us don't exist?" His voice held a note of frustration, but there was an unmistakable undertone of concern in his words. This was a dance we've performed before, but tonight I was in no mood for it.

It wasn't like I had much of a choice. Ever since Dad and the almost-step-monster had me chasing academic accolades all throughout my childhood and pre-adult life, it was like I had been on this non-stop treadmill of achievements. Even then, in my thirties, stepping away felt like abandoning the only life I had ever known. Otherwise, I wouldn't be acknowledged within the family.

At the time, I didn't know that was the purpose of my solitude. How my monster of a step-mother tried to control me.

"You're aware that's not my intent. I have commitments, Gregory, a concept that you obviously don't grasp," I asserted, knowing his privileged upbringing had shielded him from certain realities.

"Are your 'commitments' truly more vital than family? When was the last time you visited Susie?" His voice rose with every word, his frustration evident. But I didn't care.

"Why does it matter? She has you and your wife. My presence isn't required."

"But you are needed, Liv! Susie loves you. I love you!" His words hung in the air, punctuated by an exasperated sigh. "I can't keep doing this, Liv. I can't keep chasing you. If you don't want to be part of my family, just say it. Don't just ghost us like this."

His words halted me in my tracks, and I turned in my chair to look at him. Behind me stood Gregory, my half-brother. A man who harbored resentment toward me during our upbringing, fueled by his mother's animosity. Yet, as he matured into his late teens, he recognized the injustice of it all. Over the following decade and into the next, he had made efforts to mend our relationship. I went along, but there were limits to what I was willing to offer.

After all, I was busy trying to obtain my next PhD.

As I gazed at him, he appeared older than my memory served. Resembling our father with his slate-gray eyes, fair complexion, neatly cropped dark brown hair framing an angular jawline, he bore a striking resemblance. Yet, he inherited his mother's petite ears and slender frame, a stark departure from our paternal lineage of tall and broad shouldered men. And then there was I, a reflection of my mother's luminance-tall, with sun-kissed skin and flowing golden locks-stood in stark contrast. The only shared trait between us were our gray eyes.