His Shieldmaiden *Vikings/Hvitserk Ragnarsson/Halfdan The Black*

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"Mother, please do not go back to Hedeby." Kara whispered, hands bunched in Lagertha's as the woman knelt down in front of her daughter, a smile on her lips as she kissed Kara's cheek.

"I must go back. I am his wife and I have my duties as a wife, you will understand this when you have a husband one day." Lagertha sighed, patting Kara's cheek before she tied the strings to Kara's cloak. Bjorn stood beside the door, his arms crossed as he watched his mother and sister, a grim look on his face. "Here in Kattegat you and your brother will be safe. Ragnar will protect you both, your brother will teach you how to fight, and maybe Floki can help you with your carving. He seems to have taken a liking towards you, Helga as well." Lagertha stated, smiling lightly as Kara shook her head.

"I had a dream, Mother." Lagertha looked up at her daughter, frowning at the look of fear in her daughter's face. "Sigvard, he will be angry at you for leaving Hedeby. He will be angry at you for leaving me and Bjorn here in Kattegat." She whispered, looking down at her feet. Lagertha glanced at Bjorn, her son looking concerned as he listened to what Kara was telling their mother before Lagertha stood.

"Kara, I can handle Sigvard. What I need for you to do is look after yourself." Kara looked at her mother and sighed, nodding before she followed her mother to the door. Bjorn took her hand and they followed Lagertha through Kattegat until they came to the Great Hall, walking behind their mother as people cleared a path to let her pass. Ragnar looked at Lagertha, his eyes moving over Bjorn and down to Kara as he took in their expressions. 

"What is wrong?" He asked from where he sat across the fire.

"I have something important to say." Lagertha said, standing straight as she looked at Ragnar. He moved closer towards his ex wife and glanced around, tilting his head.

"Should it be said in private?" Ragnar asked in a hopeful tone.

"No, I want to say it before everyone." She said in a clear voice, looking around at the people in the hall.

"Then say what you have to say." Ragnar walked back to his chair beside his wife, Ubbe sitting on the floor beside him. Lagertha walked around the fire and stood where he had been standing before, standing in front of Bjorn and Kara now.

"I have come to a decision." She said loudly. "I am aware my son, Bjorn, wants nothing in the world but to stay with his father, and who could blame him? If you had a father like Ragnar Lothbrok, would you not want to stay? My daughter, Kara, wishes to stay with Bjorn and train to be a shieldmaiden here, in Kattegat. I happily give my permission for my beloved and only son to remain here, with his half-sister, to be with his father and his half brothers." She turned and looked at Ragnar, his eyes stayed on her and Kara clutched Bjorn's hand as Lagertha's eyes teared up. "As for me, I must go back to my husband. I have a duty, I am a responsible person. But I leave my children in your good hands." She looked at the people, she turned and looked at the Earl. "Look after them Ragnar. Bjorn and Kara, they are all I have left." She whispered, Kara's eyes shifted to Ragnar as he nodded before Lagertha turned and left the hall. Bjorn and Kara followed behind her, walking up to their mother's mare as she began to check over the horse.

"I'm going to miss you." Kara murmured when Lagertha knelt in front of her, the woman smiling as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, taking her daughter's hand. She placed an object in it and the girl looked down, her eyes landing on a pendant of Mjölnir in her palm. Lagertha kissed Kara's cheek before Kara slipped the necklace over her head, the hammer laying just over the pendant given to her by her brother.

"We will see each other again, I know it in my heart." She whispered, Kara nodded and kissed her mother on the cheek before she stepped back, watching as Bjorn helped their mother onto the mare before Lagertha turned, leaving Kattegat without looking back.

It had been three days since Lagertha left and Kara had stayed in Bjorn's new home, both of the siblings sharing the hut. Kara's days now consisted of practicing with her brother, learning basic fighting skills that she had been forbidden to learn by Sigvard. Floki also always found time to kidnap the young girl, bringing her to the home he shared with Helga deep in the woods. Kara loved spending time with the pair, enjoying talking to them about the gods, learning things about wood and carving from Floki, and she even learned combat skills from the lanky boat builder as well.

Some days, however, were hard for Kara. This day happened to be one of those hard days so she mainly kept to herself, staring at the sea mostly until Bjorn came to get her for food since she hadn't eaten. Now they sat in their new home, Bjorn watching Kara as she played with the pendant Lagertha had given her, her eyes on the fire as she was lost in thought. He moved closer to his little sister and nudged her leg, smiling as she looked up at him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, knowing that his sister had a dream the night before. He had woken when she left the hut, following her to see that she had walked to sit on the beach.

"I think something happened to our mother." Kara whispered as she leaned her head onto his shoulder, Bjorn stroked her head as he looked over the fire.

"What do you mean?" He asked gently, Kara closed her eyes and wrapped her fingers around the pendant.

"I had a dream that Sigvard sent men to beat her. It was for coming here and leaving us behind." Bjorn tensed at Kara's reply, frowning deeply. "You know of my dreams, brother. They are always true." She sighed, he nodded before letting out a frustrated noise. Bjorn stood and grabbed more fire wood, shaking his head again as he fed the fire.

"A five year old should know nothing of this." He grumbled as he sat back down, the girl in front of him shrugged and pulled the pendant over her head and let it fall onto her chest.

"Take it up with the Gods, brother. I have no control over my dreams, you know this." She stood as he watched her, his body still looming over her as she stood.

"Where are you going?" He asked, looked at her over his shoulder as she walked to the door.

"I am going to visit Floki, he is helping me with my carvings." She said, smiling as she grabbed her cloak. Bjorn handed her a bag filled with things she was carving, watching as his sister walked to the door. "Bjorn, do not worry." She called over her shoulder, looking at him one last time before she ran to the edge of the woods to make her way to Floki and Helga's home.