╚════════*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*════════╝

"How is he?" Gene turned around from her place in the mud, completely naked with no other purpose than to tease him. She saw Ragnar leaning against a tree, his trademark smirk visible in the moonlight, with his arms crossed against his bare chest. She rolled her eyes as she turned back to the concoction of mud, mushrooms, and other items. She grinned softly when she felt his hands slide on her shoulders, his breath ghosting the scars on her back. Healed but still sensitive to the touch. She still couldn't believe how quickly time had passed, a year, and yet it was the only time in her life she felt true freedom. 

"He's giving up. I have to meet him in the land of the dreams, it seems." She answered the two were growing more worried as she had to visit him more and he grew weaker each time. She could feel his hopelessness and hated that she understood the feeling on a personal level.

Ragnar laid his bearded chin on her shoulder and glanced up at her in worry, his fingers trailing up her arms soothingly, leaving behind chills. She turned to him and pulled him close by his beard, giving him a tender kiss, and pushed him away from her with a light laugh.

"How's Brida?" She teased, the Dane in question knew of their fling but had yet to stop them.

Even though the two were happily enjoying living in a tent searching for Uhtred, the king despised the idea, hating that he couldn't keep Ragnar in arms reach. So he often sends for the blond Dane twice a month to be updated and during his brief stay, he would visit his other woman. The loyal but violent Saxon-Dane girl.

"Bloodthirsty, she still wants to kill the King. But then again, so do you."

"It is the way, no?" She asked curiously. She had been under the impression that most people wanted the king dead or at the very least tortured.

The moment he made to answer blood trickled from her nose, and her vision grew dark as Uhtred drew her into his dream world once more. She gasped quietly as she gripped the edge of a boat, she was beginning to hate the things, they held nothing but bad memories for her, and now Uhtred too. She held her breath to stop panicking and looked out to the sea, it was usually calm here. A silent blessing. And she could smell the air and feel it in her hair as if it was herself living the scenario. She hated it.

Pathetic.

She feared no man and yet the sight of a boat surrounded by seawater made her hesitate. She slowly walked over to the huddled form that often was wrapped in a ripped and ragged cloth. His hair was tangled and dirty, his lips dry and cracked, and yet, despite his awful appearance she could still see his beauty underneath. She crouched in front of him and slowly reached for his hand, as if he were a frightened child, and watched as he hissed at the sting that followed from the blistered skin.

His eyes fluttered for a moment before he opened his eyes, his grip tightened on her palm and weakly pulled her closer. She could hear him wheezing and frowning as he flinched with every inhale. She shushed him softly as she caressed his face.

"It's you, again, my sweet Valkyrie." He whispered, she smiled sadly at the Saxton-Dane. No matter what she said he continued to claim she was his very own Valkyrie, and maybe in a way she was. Because she swore to rip the souls of all those who harmed him, especially the men who tore his back open with the whips. She guided his head onto her lap where he curled up instinctively, one of his hands refused to let go of her own and pulled it to his chest.

Carefully, avoiding his torn back and shoulders she reached over to move his hair from his face and gently worked to untangle the mane of hair. She glared at nothing when she felt him sigh, his body finally letting the tension go.

"That feels nice." He mumbled, as she started to softly hum a tune and he started falling into a rarity that was a peaceful slumber, she wasn't sure how long she stayed there but she hoped long enough for him to gain some strength.

Then suddenly, she gasped as she was ripped from the dream and inhaled deeply, grasping Ragnar's shoulders as he held her to his chest, his eyes showed poorly concealed pain. He held her as his eyes raked over her face and buried his own in her hair.

She wasn't sure why he was so shaken up this time but she knew it couldn't be good.

"Ragnar?"

"You died, Gene. I held you in my arms and you stopped breathing, I don't want to lose you. I can't lose you both. Don't leave me." He whispered, she turned his face to her and wiped his tears away.

She wasn't surprised when he wouldn't let her go for the rest of the night, holding her and refusing to sleep until his body forced itself to. Almost as if, he feared she would be gone from him if he woke the following morning. But sleep was not her friend, so she gently moved his head to her chest when he dozed off, feeling content and safe in his arms.

She knew her soul was bound with Uhtred's but she wasn't sure how much it truly was until now.

"I won't leave you, my darling." She confessed, and she meant it. For the first time in her life, she knew what it was to love and be loved. Because she knew she loved Ragnar and Uhtred with her heart and soul, and she knew if it came down to it, she would die for them.