UPDATED JUNE 2020
**The writing is significantly better and the stories longer after the Author's note. I was on hold for a couple years and came back after quite a bit of practice writing.**
Vikings series one shots, mini stories, and imagines. A...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"What?" I yell harshly, not even bothering to open the door.
"Eira let me in" Ubbe calls back, his voice all too familiar. I roll my eyes and scoff.
I'm left in just my long tunic as I wait for my bath to cool down. I sit on a chair and ignore Ubbe pleading with me outside the door.
"Eira I'm serious. Don't make me take down the door." He says angrily.
I stand up in a huff and storm over to the door, whipping it open. "What do you want Ubbe? Huh? Our conversation is over." I push the door, only for it to be pushed back open. Ubbe nudges past me with his shoulder, stomping his way into my cabin soaking wet. I slam the door behind him and face him, arms crossed. I open my mouth to speak, but he cuts me off.
"This isn't all on me, you know. YOU were the one who started getting all weird when I showed interest in Margrethe. I tried to talk to you about it, but you always found a way to change the subject or leave. I tried, Eira." His eyes bore into mine, pleading.
"Of course I didn't care to hear you pine over a servant! She's all you tried to talk to me about. It's like you stopped being interested in me or anything else." I say coldly.
"What was I supposed to do? I thought... well I thought things were different than they were. I thought you would maybe have something to say, but you didn't. You made it clear."
"Just go, Ubbe. I'm done. I give up." I walk back to the door and hold it open. The rain outside beats down on the ground, echoes of thunder cry out across the sky.
Ubbe strides over to the door and stops just before leaving. His head hangs low and he shifts on his feet. He looks back up at me with desperation in his eyes. His hand reaches out towards my face, and I flinch backwards. He continues moving until his hand cups my cheek, and he stares deeply into my eyes.
"Eira, please. I don't want to go. I know what happens if I go. You'll ice me out. It will never be okay again if I go." Ubbe says just above a whisper.
I can almost feel my heart shatter in my chest as the words leave his mouth. Tears threaten to form in my eyes but I hold them back. My hand drops from the door and rests at my side. Ubbe lets out a breath and closes the door slowly. Our eyes never leave each other's.
"We can talk, okay? Just take your bath." He says, motioning for me to walk back to the other side of the room. I silently oblige, moving past him and towards the tub. I stick a hand in to test the temperature, then begin taking my tunic off. I pause and look back at Ubbe, contemplating whether to tell him to look away or not. I continue anyway. I turn my head back toward the fire and lift the tunic above my head, wincing in pain from the dark bruises forming on my stomach. Ubbe hears my small cry and moves towards me, but pauses at the sight in front of him. I stand naked before him, only my backside exposed to him. I turn my head to the side and look at him over my shoulder. My braid falls down my back. Ubbe's eyes grow wide, and I see him swallow hard. He blinks a few times before continuing forward. He now stands right behind me, his breath fanning over my shoulder.
"Let me get this for you" he says into my ear. His hands brush over my back and move to my hair. His fingers begin working the braid out, letting my hair fall loosely down my back. Once it's all down, his hands linger on my waist. I turn around to face him, and look him in the eyes. One of my hands covers the bruise from his sword on my stomach. I gulp weakly as his eyes rake up and down my body. I stand tall, pretending he doesn't have this overwhelming influence on me. His eyes stop on my hand, and he pushes it out of the way. His fingertips trace over the bruise and he lets out a sigh.
"I did this?" He asks, his hand still on my stomach.
"You did." I say, moving his hand from my stomach.
I step around him and into my bath. I lower myself in slowly, the water still a bit hot. Ubbe watches me intently, staring at my exposed breasts and licking his lips. Once I'm all the way in I look back up at him.
"What about you?" I say, pointing to his ribs.
He removes his leather vest and throws it over a chair by the fire to dry out. He lifts his tunic up on one side, his wet abs glisten in the candle light. A chill runs over my body. A purple bruise forms around his ribs, leaving an imprint from where my sword struck him. I look to the wound then back to his eyes.
"You shouldn't stand around in wet clothes you know. You could catch a fever like Bjorn's wife Siv did. Do you remember that? She barely made it." I absentmindedly twiddle my fingers in the water, creating little splashes. Ubbe looks at me with strained desperation.
"Join me." I finally say, my voice just barely above a whisper.
He nods his head up and down after pausing and thinking to himself. Silently, Ubbe starts removing his clothes. He pulls his tunic over his head, throwing it by the fire. His pants and weapons belt drop shortly after, clanging to the floor. I try not to let him see the hunger in my eyes as I stare at his naked body before me. I turn away as he climbs into the tub, sitting across from me.
