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THE STREETS OF KATTEGAT bustled with life. There were so many faces it would be hard to recognise all of them. But, everyone knew who the Ragnarsson's were.
From the colour of their finely made clothes or the how their laughs seemed to drown out everything else. They were famous and they knew it.
On one particularly dim grey afternoon. After many of the children had been sent inside by there parents, mainly out of fear that Thor would take out his anger on their loved ones. The Ragnarsson's sat under the security of an old wooden structure. Plates, pot and skillets crowed the table which they sat around. None of them in the mind set of hunger quite yet.
Although the five brothers fought time and time again, there were still those moments of ease between them. Like they knew whatever happened they would always be brothers. Never to be torn apart.
Hvisterk was the first to speak. Not to the surprise of his brothers. They knew by now that it's almost impossible to keep him quiet during times like these.
"How do you wish to die?" He asked. Reaching for the juiciest bread roll to snack on.
"Not in the same place I was born." Ubbe spoke. He always sounded the wisest even if he hadn't seen all the world could offer.
"I don't want to die." Ivar said. Hvitserk titled his head in agreement. Ubbe smiled knowingly and Sigurd scoffed.
"You chances of survival are low compared to us brother." Sigurd said in amusement. His laughter dying down once he came to realise no one else had joined him.
"Ivar no!" Ubbe's hand flung upwards at an alarming speed. Halting Ivar's muscular arm from stabbing Sigurd with a dull knife.
After a few moments he let go. Ivar's arm slowly lowered, but in a forced manner. Everything was quiet for a moment before a loud clap of thunder caught the attention of the brothers.
They all looked to the sea as lightening littered the once plain skies. Just barely missing the water.
"Do you see that, over there." Hvitserk pointed to the the pier not far from where they sat. A small, tufted up boat was headed towards the docking point, almost as though it had been swept in by the waves.
"Let's go check it out." Ubbe said and stood from the table, the other brothers following close behind.
Ivar leant back in his chair with a sigh. He watched as his brothers secured the boat to the pier, Sigurd offering his hand to help pull someone out.
From what Ivar could see of this person, they were smaller than his brothers and wore a strange looking coat, the colour of white winter rabbits.As they all rushed back to the shelter where Ivar sat, it was then he realised. It's a girl.
Her hands were decorated by jewellery which sparkled in the dim afternoon light. You would need to be at least half as wealthy as the Ragnarsson's to be able to afford such things. Her frame wasn't slender; she obviously hasn't been starved. But, her skin was glowing with health. Once they made it to the shelter she untied a scarf which had been carefully placed on her head. Long locks of black hair fell around her face. Ivar had never seen such a colour.
Ubbe order Sigurd to go fetch a blanket as him and Hvisterk seated the shivering girl. "Where did you come from?" Hvisterk asked.
"No where I wish to be." She said comfortably, as though she had known them for years. Her accent sounded strange to Ivar. Probably because he had never left his home in Kattegat. Sigurd rushed back, placing the blanket around the girls shoulders. She smiled at him kindly, letting out a long breath of icy air.
"I'm Ubbe. These are my brothers: Sigurd, Hvisterk." Ubbe gestured to the two brothers seated next to her. "And Ivar."
As she looked Ivar's way, he felt something strange in his chest. He felt as though he had in fact meet this girl before.
