Ivar the Boneless/Alex Høgh Andersen

Two Strangers : This Ship Ain't Ever Gonna Sink (Modern!Ivar)

Children laughed and screeched, while adults mingled, delicious smells from the kitchen caused mouths to water, and thoughts got lost in all of the chaos. You lingered in the kitchen close to your mother, who was busy helping Helga prepare to feed the army of guests.

Both your mother and Helga had continuously tried to ban you, partly because you were in their way, most of their reason had been that this was your party. The guest of honour didn't need to be corralled in the kitchen, you should be out mingling with those who had come to spend the special day with you and Ivar.

As much as you were enjoying the attention and chaos, there was going to be a long period before you invited everybody back. Between Ivar's family and your own, the house was constantly full. Hvitserk and Sigurd had taken most of the pressure off, entertaining people. Ubbe and Margrethe had so graciously taken in your parents, allowing them to stay in the apartment for the duration of their visit, to give you and Ivar a few moments alone now and then.

The house was a fair size, but you had no idea it could hold so many people until this morning. Hvitserk was the first to appear at the door, coffee and a bag of your favourite donuts in hand. A peace offering for sleeping with your maid of honour. You'd been so excited to introduce her to Sigurd, apparently she had other ideas. Next to the door was Helga, grocery bags in hand, demanding Hvitserk stay as far away from the kitchen as possible.

Shortly after, Ubbe and your parents came through the door - Margrethe was working and would be around sometime later. The last person you remembered walking into the house was Bjorn. He'd arrived separately from Torvi and the children, bringing his uncle Rollo and family along.

Love and affection poured from every person who passed by you, yet you found yourself wanting them all gone. In another few hours they would all retreat and you'd be left alone with Ivar. Even Heahmund had other plans for the next few weeks, living with Lagertha and Harald; Bjorn's idea. Explaining that his mother had room for Heahmund to run and it would be similar to home with a big house and only two adults.

Ivar was weary about leaving his new furry shadow behind, at first, until he realized leaving the dog behind was going to be easier than trying to accommodate the golden retriever on your honeymoon. Nobody wanted to be in a confined space with a dog watching their every move. It was creepy.

"Drink?" Sigurd asked catching your attention. Glancing at your empty glass, you smiled and nodded. You hadn't noticed him join the party in the kitchen.

"Thanks." You lean over, kissing his cheek before taking a gulp of the sweet wine. He was truly earning points for best brother in law.

"Big families call for a lot of wine." Sigurd noted with a wink. Helga giggled raising her glass and tipping it at Sigurd indicating more. "Excuse me, the chef is calling."

Filling Helga's glass and making sure your mother's glass was topped off, Sigurd pulled a plastic cup off of the table and began to pour, his hopes of hiding from chaos and Hvitserk were dashed when his aunt came calling.

"Sigurd," Gisla, Rollo's wife, sauntered into the kitchen. You had never saw her looking this ... casual, before. Her jeans and blouse were like sweats to anybody else. "tes frères ont besoin de toi."

"Merci." Sigurd handed his glass of wine off to his aunt, bidding the rest of you farewell and dashing back to the crowd.

"Gisla." You greeted her with a smile. "I'm so glad you guys came."

Rollo had taken the chance to tell everybody that he was partly responsible for this, after all Ivar would have never been on that plane to Paris, if Rollo had flown here like Ubbe wanted. By that standard it would be your late father in law, who was truly responsible for all of this.