The faraway boom of adolescent thunder made its way to my ears. Even through the thickness of the trees above us, I could see the dark colored clouds roll into the woods we were in. My eyes traveled along the sky, while his stayed glued to my face.

"If you are done pouting, we might want to get back before we get caught in this." I collected my basket, filled to the brim with Henbane, and turned away. The air around us chilled, and I began to hurry towards the faraway opening in line of trees. The silence behind me caught my attention, and when I turned, I found his form still slumped against the tree.

"Well?" I motioned forward with my basket. He turned his head, crossing his arms and that's when a head of blonde hair came from the same direction Ivar had. Once I was able to get a better look, I realized it was the slave girl, Margrethe. Ivar's eyes grew wide, and he turned back in my direction.

That's when it clicked. Awkwardness filled the chilled air around us and I watched as the girl hurried past us and onto the hidden winding path. Her skirts were gathered in her arms and I watched as her feet scrambled against the dirt. When I turned back to his blood stained face, his eyes were filled with hate. They threw cold glares her way, and I rubbed my hands together.

"Are you coming or not?" Without another word, he crawled away, not looking back. I followed numbly behind him, not sure whether to say anything. I've was never any good with awkward situations. The leaves and fallen branches cracked and groaned underneath my footfalls. The vast cloud above us was growing darker by the second, and we were nowhere near close to Kattegat.

I watched as his face rose up towards the sky and watched the threatening weather. He shook his head and turned around, dragging his legs behind him. I watched with awe as he crawled in the opposite direction we needed to be going. We were rushing for time as it is, without going in the wrong direction.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

"Shut up." His sharp tone caused me to laugh.

"You are even more ignorant than I thought." With that I turned, walking in the direction of Kattegat. I heard him pause and so I turned back around. His eyes were staring me down, a scowl covering the bottom half of his face.

"I'm going back to the cabin. It's closer and we won't make it back to Kattegat in time before the rain." He leaned up against his arms. I scoffed, turning away.

"Cry me a river. What? Is Pretty Boy Prince afraid of getting wet? Afraid you'll melt?"

He stared me down with his cold eyes, and I watched as his jaw flexed.

"Fine. Since you women think you know all, we will keep going."

Next thing I knew, we were both in hypothermic messes in the Great Hall. We'd both been wrapped in a hundred blankets, covered head to toe. Sigurd had walked around Ivar mocking him. Ubbe and the lot of Ragnarssons found us stumbling out of the woods after the storm. It lasted no longer than two hours, but a shit ton of cold weather came barrelling with it. Of course, neither of us knew this, and continued forward in the horrible weather. Ivar was quiet most of the time, except the few time he grumbled about being cold and wet. Heavy footsteps approached us, and when the doors swung open, Ragnar came inside.

His mysterious blue eyes caught our shaking forms sitting side by side, and chuckled.

"Shut up, Old Man." Ragnar simply shook his head, and I kept my mouth shut.

"I have a feeling that both of you are too old to be staying out longer than you need to." I could tell in that instant, if Ivar was wrapped up in blankets, he would've lunged for the man. Seeing as he had no leverage to move his arms, he stayed still and seethed. The situation seemed a bit awkward, and I began to unroll myself from the blankets. Bjorn's farewell party was going to start arriving by the handfuls, so I decided to go see Helga.

"Well, nice talking with the both of you. See you later." Before I could make it passed the door, Ragnar stopped me.

"If you could, I have someone outside that would like to meet you." His blue eyes didn't meet mine, they stayed glued to the creaky, wooden floor beneath us. I tried to maneuver my hazel eyes around him, doing my best to catch a glimpse behind him to see if anyone was there. My eyes only caught the backs of some horses, but nothing else.

"Oh, um sure." He turned quickly, and before I left, I saw Ivar sitting watching our every move. I smiled sheepishly, and with a wink walked away. I was met with a few more horses and some women standing next to them. The blonde woman was surrounded by everyone else, and I heard 'Earl' leave their mouths every other word.

"Lagertha..." Ragnar's voice caught her attention, and she turned. The furs on her shoulders moved discretely in the small breeze, and I caught sight of her small blue eyes. They were wide, and her chin quivered slightly.

"Lagertha, this is Embla." His shaky hands motioned between us, and she nodded. I gave a small nod, and she looked back and forth between Ragnar and I. Her eyes held the thickest of curiosity, and I couldn't help but notice her slightly gesture towards me. Like she was going to pull me in for a hug.

"Well, it was lovely to meet you, but I really must go. I'm sure Helga needs my help with something." I nodded once more in their direction, and hurried away. I've recognized that look before. It was the exact same one that Ragnar had when he first saw me. I must look like someone they know. I can't really say I have 'one of those faces'. The remaining sun was falling below the horizon, beaming off of the water and Floki's boats. The sunset was beautiful, and I wondered how it came after such a nasty storm.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare at the sky like an idiot?" I turned in the direction of Floki's voice, looking him up and down. I scoffed, turning away from him once again and looking at the arrays of oranges and reds that were painted across the sky.

"It's called admiring. You should try it should time. It's calming." With that I walk away, not looking back in the boat builders direction. My feet make crunching sounds on the rocks and when I get close to the house, I see Helga's blonde head flitting around. When her brown eyes land on me, she rushes up and wraps me in her arms. My body immediately stiffens, and she holds me out at arm's length.

"I'm so sorry for sending you out to the woods when that was coming! You're freezing, get inside." Her motherly tone was unfamiliar to me, but I accepted it.

"Floki and I are going to Bjorn's farewell celebration, would you like to come?" I can't help but to think about all of the extra people that will be there. My head swivels around to where the doorway was, wishing that I could just run out and go home. My worried eyes flicked back to Helga, and I nodded meekly.

"Sure. Not sure if I'll stay for long though." I had other plans. There is talk around Kattegat of a Seer. This was a godsend, and it took everything in me not to go running to him right away. Something about the situation seems sneaky, and I hoped to eat away without anyone knowing. This seemed like the perfect time to make my escape.

"Oh, okay. Well, if you plan to stay around here, you better learn to enjoy them. They are a frequent thing here in Kattegat." With a wink, she floated outside to do other things. I highly doubt I will be able to get away from Floki's watchful eye easily. It didn't matter where I went, I could feel the burn of his sapphire eyes.

~

Ships of people began to arrive a few weeks beforehand of the celebration. But on the night of, it seemed like the waters near Kattegat couldn't contain the amount of longships that filled her harbor. They all floated among themselves, almost like their own party. I would've admired the view a bit more if Helga's small hand wouldn't have ripped me from my thoughts.

"Come! We must hurry!" What we were hurrying for I haven't the slightest clue. We ran into Ingrid on the way, and with a scowl she dismissed me quickly. Her and Helga ran ahead and I was left with Floki. He stayed quiet, his long legs striding beside mine.

There had to have been over three hundred people stuffed into this tiny space, but no one seemed to care. I recognized few, everyone mixing together. The boys were in the back all piled up, and that's where I was headed until I was pulled back. Ingrid's arm looped around mine, and she pulled me away. I'm sure confusion was prominent on my face.

"Those men were letting their eyes roam places they shouldn't have been," She said it with a smile, fooling not only me, but the men with prowling eyes. "And they aren't the type you'd want." Her gorgeous blonde hair cascaded down the length of her back, the top part braided into intricate designs. Black surrounded her cobalt eyes, making them sparkle in the dim torch light. She lead me towards the table that was full of Ragnarssons, the one I was trying to reach. Bjorn was the only one missing, seeing as it was a farewell celebration for him and he had to socialise. Ingrid unhooked her arm from mine and sat next to Hvitserk on the bench, behind the table.

"Ah! Embla, join us. Here have a drink!" Ubbe's voice rang around us, causing some to roar in happiness.

"Uh, yeah. Okay." I could smell the dark brew from here, and tried my best not to gag. I could feel a familiar pair of eyes focused my way, and when I looked up, I noticed Ivar's head turning quickly. He took a large drink from his mug, and swallowed with ferocity. Due to his hateful eyes, he was still pissed about what happened earlier. Mostly due to Sigurd relentless mocking in his direction. It had died down some since then, but I could still catch some snide remarks that Sigurd has made throughout the short span of me being here.

"So Hvitserk, are you ready to finally fight with your older brother?" Ingrid's voice overpowered everyone else, and most of our attention had turned towards the flirting pair.

"Of course! It could not have come sooner." He sent a wink in her direction and she slyly sipped a bit of her mead. A warm presence came to sit beside me, and I noticed Ubbe's familiar form beside me. The heat from his body told me that he was close.

"Me and Sigurd have a bet going. Whether they'll come back as lovers. Want to contribute?" My face didn't leave the sight of the potential lovers, and I turned towards Ubbe.

"Sure." It seemed just like a bit of fun, so why not. He chuckled and nudged Sigurds shoulder.

"He says that Hvitserk won't have the courage to do anything with her. Me however, thinks otherwise." Of course Sigurd would think that.

"Well, I'm with you then. It will happen eventually." He smiled widely, and tapped his temple.

"Smart girl." He sent a wink my way, and scooted back over towards Sigurd. Lifting the heavy mug, I went to take a sip from my mead. My brown eyes scoured the audience for anyone to recognize, and that's when I saw Lagertha along with her shieldmaidens and a few others I recognized from Kattegat. Everyone around me seemed to be so carefree, and that's when Aslaug's tall, skinny frame strutted up to Lagertha. They began walking with one another, both of their bodies rigid.

The people around me seemed to be preoccupied with their own matters, and the voice in the back of my head told me now would be the perfect time to escape. Swiftly moving my dress away, I got up, leaving my mug to sit idly. No one seemed to notice, and I held back a small victory dance as I finally made it out of the Hall. My eyes caught the sight of very few outside, most everyone was inside.

Through hearsay, I've heard the Seer is one the other side of Kattegat, and unfortunately I had no clue as to where it was. I guess I'd make my way over there and see. Nervousness creeped into my mind and stomach, letting me know I shouldn't be doing this. But I had to know. I needed to get back home.

It took about thirty minutes to make my way to the east side of the community. The first thing I saw was a small hut on the outskirts of the water, and I knew that it had to be it.

What if he rejects me? This was the only thought in my mind as I made my journey, but what was the worst that could happen? Him say no?

My feet reluctantly made quiet footfalls towards the dark hut, and I finally made it up to the door opening. I raised my shaky hand to knock on the wooden frame, but before I could, a scratchy voice came from inside.

"Come in child." The voice itself made me want to hightail it in the opposite direction, but my curiosity kept me grounded. My brain even managed to take a few steps forward, and that when I saw him. He was hunched over, and covered in dark, worn cloths. His appearance caused me to halt once again, and my eyes to start to dry from their wideness.

"Have a seat." His covered hand motioned to the log in front of him, and I tried to gain enough courage to unfreeze. The only thing that wasn't completely frozen was my rapid heart. I'm sure he could hear it from where he sat, and I tried with everything in me to calm it, but that was a fail. Due to the fear of making an ass of myself, I finally took some steps towards the log. Lowering my butt to it, my knees piled up near my chest.

"What is your question?" A few moments of silence passed between us before I finally got the courage to speak.

"How do I get back to where I came from?"
~
Sorry guys, I haven't had any time recently to write. Plus I've a had a bit of writers block. I won't make you guys wait this long again!
~Ree