The Heart Of The Warrior (Rollo Lothbrok x OFC)

Chapter 26

Waking up to a warm touch at the ache in her side, a hot wet cloth cleaned the wound that gaped across her hip. Looking around the tent she saw Helga and Floki, he was fussing about something before he stormed off, clearly upset. Kari searched the room for Rollo, there was no sight of him. "He's with Ragnar" Helga said, going back to her work cleaning the wound on Kari side. Once she was clean and bound to keep the wound clean she ignored any orders to lay down and rest and made her way out of the tent. Gasping as her side stung she held it firmly and walked toward the other tent where Ragnar was staying. Rollo was busy talking about a new plan to continue the attack when he saw Kari over his brothers shoulder.  Kari wore remains of her armour, leather pants and boots, her lace up chest piece had to be removed to get at her wound leaving her only in her chest wrap. The wound on her side already seemed to bleed through the bindings. Rollo's heart sank seeing her like this. Walking over he reached out his hand, taking hers in his, he lead her outside and towards his tent, he'd force her to listen to him and rest. 

"What are you doing up, you should be resting" he said in a impatient voice as he lead her through the surrounding camp, everyone was sitting around the camps and feeling the loss that had just occurred. This was not the outcome anyone had anticipated. Kari sighed "I'll be fine, I just wanted to make sure you were okay?" she asked, Rollo sighed at her lack of self care "I'm okay, but you shouldn't worry about me, you need to rest" he smiled a half smile, the defeat was a disappointment but Rollo didn't see it as time to quit. "When I saw you get pulled from the water unconscious I felt my whole heart sink, like I was the one down there drowning." he stopped walking and faced her, her firey hair was a matted mess of braids. Running his thumb across her cheek he kissed her forehead. His other hand gliding down her back, favouring the side which was not injured. "I'm okay, really, I've survived through worse" Kari insisted, smiling sweetly at him. "I've put you through worse" Rollo's voice was horse as if he was struggling to swallow, his words choking him. Kari's ocean blue eyes locked with Rollo's, her hand reaching up and cupping his jaw as she kissed him softly, she was about to speak when she began to feel faint. Her vision blurred and she began to fall limp in Rollo's arms. Rollo held her up, doing his best to pick her up without putting pressure on her side he carried her hurriedly towards his tent. 

Kari felt herself shivering as a scene crossed her vision, she was soaked, hardly dressed, lips blue. She was curled up on a beach. Screams could be heard but nobody was around, she was alone. She did not recognise the place. From the shoreline she saw a figure appear. A black smudge in her vision moved closer, only one blue eye visible from the figure as it glowed in the distance. A feeling of dread overtook her as she began to feel herself sinking into the sand. Before she felt herself suffocate in the sand her eyes shot open and she saw Rollo sitting beside her panicked. Whatever she saw was so vague she could hardly understand what it must mean. One thing was certain. She saw Odin, he was trying to tell her something, trying to guide her. The only thing she could be certain of was that the path she was destined to take was going to leave her feeling absolutely devastated.

"D-did you see something?" Rollo broke the silence "Yes, just a beach... and, and I think I saw Odin" Kari said, her breath short. Rollo seemed concerned "You were shaking uncontrollably, I had to hold you down. You were crying too..." he mumbled "did I do something bad?" he asked, Kari frowned "No no... It was just me. I was on a beach with him and he was coming towards me" Kari insisted. "Then why were you so upset" he asked confused "I have no idea..." she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. Rollo noticed her wound completely soaked through her bindings, he was sure he was going to have to redress it, burning the wound shut would also help. "I'm going to get Helga and Floki, I want to take care of that wound, before it get infected" he said leaning down leaving a soft kiss on her forehead.    

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A few days turned into a few weeks and Ragnar was falling ill, any attempt to breach the walls of Paris hadn't been greatly successful. Kari was beginning to feel better but was having dreams every night of the beach, the same over and over, as if it was foreshadowing what was to come. 

Rollo had been distant since the visions, thinking Kari was hiding something from him, he had started to get quiet and she was worried. He began to feel even more confused at the thought that his brother might not make it. He had always had such a strange relationship with his brother. Things were never easy, he was always in Ragnar's shadow, he had betrayed his brother many times and all in the pursuit of an ambitious title. But soon things could be over for his brother and he was unsure of how to make sure things ended on good terms. If they had to end, that was. 

Kari was worried also for her friend Floki, who had been acting very strangely since the attack on Paris, he had blamed himself for the attacks failure, and he had begun to think perhaps the gods were punishing him, but he could not come up with a reason as to why, other than his betrayal of Ragnar, after killing Athelstan. Kari had spent many days at his side trying to insist that the gods would  not care about a christian, even if Kari was upset with Floki when he killed Athelstan. Floki had fallen deeper and deeper into his own mind punishing himself, Kari began to feel torn between trying to help her friend and her... Rollo. She wasn't even sure what to call Rollo. Her partner? was he? 

Times were growing darker as Ragnar fell more and more ill, everyone was certain of his fate but too scared to say the words. The Franks had began to feel uneasy at the northmans presence and curious as the why they weren't moving on, they had sent a convey to the camp to discuss this a few days prior and preparations were put into place in case the untimely event of Ragnar's death did in fact take place. Kari could hardly believe what was happening the day it finally happened, sat outside with a few friends, Bjorn emerged from Ragnar's tent and gave the final announcement. Disbelief fell over the camp, and now it would come, the christian funeral for Ragnar Lothbrok...