You lifted your sword and pointed it towards his chest, giving a little smile while doing it. He slowly shook his head from on the tree stump he sat on, tensing his fingers around his own sword, not even looking away from you for a second. You drown in that gaze of his, those sea blue eyes challenging you, admiring you for picking up a sword. You didn't do it to raid, to conquer; you did it to protect your family. He lifted his sword, ticking its tip against yours before you pulled back and really started fighting him. Ivar was well known for his balanced sword skills, certainly because he fought in a different way. And you were so adapted to it, devoted in protecting everything what was yours. Your foot work was lighted, not as strong is your arms as you were fast in your body. The concentrated frown in your eyebrows made him smile while he parried your sweep with the sword and twirled his sword around it, kicking it right out of your hand. The sword flew to the ground and Ivar turned back with that famously smug grin, missing offcourse the fact that you grabbed for a dagger, throwing it up before catching it at the tip and aiming it to him. He ducked away, giving you that dangerous look for you almost had hit him there. You froze in your movements before you saw that slowly proud smile coming back.

'You could have killed me.' He stated, dropping his sword as you walked over to him.

'Your enemy can be as unpredictable as I am.'

'Yes, I like you unpredictable.' He reacted while grabbing you around your waist. You smiled, laying your hand on the back of his head, stroking over his braids.

'I wouldn't harm you if I knew you couldn't take it.'

'Hmmm.' He pulled you in and you smiled, tilting your head a little before kissing him. You felt his hand move from your waist, to the small of your back down over your ass. It was then that you felt that familiar little thing. You pulled back.

'Somebody is watching.' You stated, looking aside to the little girl that was watching from in the doorway. You smiled for her curious look and let go of Ivar.

'If that isn't my most fearless little shield maiden.' He said. You looked back to Ivar, grabbing his chin.

'Don't encourage her that much.'

'I can do with her as I please, just as I can do with you as I please.' He protested with an airy command.

'Good luck with that. I'm not your army of heathens.' You warned him while walking back towards your daughter.

'No, you are not.' You heard him say, proud.

Ivar had a very serious meeting, you laid your daughter to sleep in the back of the great hall before you walked back in to serve them all with food and ale. Yes, you were his wife, a queen, but you hardly acted like it, in that way you leveled with Ivar his rule, making the people love you for they didn't always love him. He hardly looked at you, his blue eyes gazed concentrated to the map in the middle of the table. They were with more than ten men, his brothers, other earls, preparing on going back to England for much bigger planes.

'When did you ever saw me ask something nicely brother?' Ivar snapped. You looked up from the ale you were pouring in to the frustration in his gaze, what was going on for minutes now.

'I'm just saying, barging in there won't help the cause.' Hvitserk reacted calmly. Ubbe didn't even react on it. Others nodded slowly, the one a little more than the other.

'I'm not there to ask politely, I'm there to take over. I have an heathen army on my back, you think they will challenge that?' He pushed his finger on the table, challenging his men on getting in on that.

'Father?' You startled up out of your gazing towards his anger, looking for her tiny little body somewhere around. When you saw her you placed the ale down and started walking back.

'You should be in bed.' You softly said, looking aside to all the earls looking at her.

'The monsters are back.' She muttered, walking towards her father. Every bit of anger slowly fading from his face. You wanted to take her back to bed but she insisted on her father.

'Did you feed them?' He asked. You took a deep breath, looking aside to Hvitserk and Ubbe who were smiling on the sight of Ivar interacting with his daughter.

'Yes.'

'Did you shout at them? To stay away?' He asked with a low voice. You stood still beside Ubbe his chair, looking over the heads who were enjoying this soft side of Ivar.

'Can't you shout?' She asked. Ivar couldn't resist a smile and she took that as an opportunity to crawl onto his lap.

'Maybe you should ask politely?' You suggested, hinting back to the previous conversation not much earlier. Ivar looked at you for a moment and you gave him a motherly look.

'They won't go away if you ask nicely, you need to be stronger, fierce, you need to make clear that you are the boss and you don't play their games.' Ivar whispered as she curled up in his arms. It was a image not much of those people got to see, this picture of Ivar, as a father, with his daughter into his lap while he stroke an strand of hair away. 'We can do it together.' He promised, noticing the fear in her vivid blue eyes.

'They will listen to you.' She muttered nodding, yawning before snuggling her head against his chest and closing her eyes. Ivar slowly looked up from her to you, gazing in each other's eyes for a moment while the rest of the great hall was quiet. You formed the words with your lips; you're a good father ... without saying it out loud.

'Now you can't yell at us again.' Hvitserk joked, aiming a piece of nut into his mouth. No he couldn't ... but he wasn't caring for that anymore, the only thing he cared for was the feeling of her sleeping body in his arms.