You always looked up to those shielmaiden, joining those viking males into battle and raiding. Not that it presented much now, it was a mission that the Earl gave, raiding a small village on the egde of the ocean. It took only a small group of man and you where among them, more in concerne of who would get wounded ... or for Ragnar. Your eyes traveled up to his muscled back that walked in front of the small group. He liked to take the reins in missions like this, the earl didn't approve of it. He saw Ragnar as a real treat, or at least as somebody who would get further in his life. And that was something you looked up to, Rangar, so young and already leaving marks on the world. Like he knew you where watching him he looked over his shoulder, a cocky grinn on his face. You smiled softly, looking down to the ground again, blushing by the fact he really gave about you. You weren't some fearless shieldmaiden, you were just ... you. A girl who cared about the world, a healer who helped Kattegat, a farmer who supported life. And that was something he admired about you. Not your lack in fightingskills but your strenght in helping others. Althrought he never wanted your help personal, he loved to see you work with others. It was like just the beginning, this love, but it warmed you. Brutal, confident and young Ragnar Lothbrok, falling for somebody like you ...

The village looked so harmless. You saw some farmers working on the fields and you didn't really understand why the earl gave his men this kind of mission. 'You stay here at camp.' Ragnar said to you. He wasn't looking to you, he was studying his axe with that smug grinn on his face. Besides you there were two others girls, young woman more.

'Be safe.' You reacted. He looked up, eyes with that kind of bleu and green you could watch forever in.

'Safe isn't the viking way.'

'You know what I mean Ragnar.' You smiled uncertain. You really didn't liked the whole violence thing, that was what maked you so different from the others. Killing people you only did when their wounds were to bad and even than it was a hard call to make. He grabbed your throat, pushing your back and head against a tree.

'If the gods want me to die so be it. But my time isn't there, it feels as if I have to take a lot of adventures first.' That was his way of saying that he would be safe in his raid on this village. He squeezed your throat, placing his lips on yours in a long fearless kiss. You felt your body react on the pleassure of his lips and his hand around your throat.

'Ragnar! We go.' Somebody yelled, pulling the two of you right out the moment. He pulled back, hardly inches and looked down on you with that wild smile again.

'Be safe.' You whispered for the last time.

'Always.' He winked before running of to his fellow vikings. You breathed slowly out, walking over to the egde of the forest, looking down on the village. It was so peacefull ... and that peacefull just became less peacefull when those vikings ran in. On that point you decided not to watch any longer and walked back to the camp you maked, getting a fire started for when they should come back.

It was some time around midnight when they came back. You refuses to sleep and stayed by the fire, keeping your hands up so you could ingore the cold biting your body. Their laughter said enough, they won and probably they drank already enough in the village to be knocked out within this and a small hour. You looked for Ragnar, not seeing him gave the cold a change to cover your body in goosebumbs. The relief was just so big when you finally saw him. You jumped up and walked over to him. 'Are you alright?' You asked worried, seeing the blood covering his clothes nearby his shoulder.

'It's not mine.' The darkness took away a lot of your sight on him. His smile said enough and you breathed out, relaxing your body now you knew he was alright.

'Hurt somewhere?' You asked, looking over his body to be sure. He grabbed the back of your head and pulled you closer, pressing a kiss on your forehead.

'Rollo needs some help.' He nodded towards his brother when he let loose of you. You looked back at him, studied his face in the dark, he looked tired ...

'Okay, you sure?'

'Yes Y/n, just go you stubborn woman.' He smacked you on the ass and you ran of to his brother.

Rollo didn't need much care. So when you came back Ragnar was already sleeping. What wasn't really his thing. Normally he would stay up all night long, singing songs for the gods and drinking ale. But now, he was far away. He didn't waked up when you layed aside him on the ground. You studied his pale face for a while before you slowly fell asleep yourself. But he kept you awake on moments, always talking to himself, restless in his own body. With the crack of dawn you couldn't take it anymore and you sat up, looking at his pale face. Now that the sunlight hitted the surrounding you saw a lot more details. The soft layer of sweat on his forehead, his braid slightly blooded and the ground ... you looked over his body to the other side of him, the ground soacked with blood. Your eyes traveled to that shoulder again. He said it wasn't his but it shouldn't soack in to the ground if it wasn't his. You carefully stood up. He laid on his side so you walked around him, crouching down on his back side. You took the top of his shirt and tried to look under it to his shoulder. 'It's a scratch y/n.' He murmured. For a second you thought he said that in his sleep.

'You don't look good Ragnar, let me take a look?' You asked him generaly concerned. He pushed himself up, his left arm hardly worked while he sat up against the tree. When his eyes met yours he still looked tired. You brought your hand up, pressing it against his forehead. 'You are burning up, Ragnar what are you not telling me?' You asked in disbelief. Was his proud bigger than his own life? He carefully took you wrist, causing your hand to stroke over his temple, cheek, jawline. He pressed a kiss on the inside of your hand and pulled you closer, on to his lap.

'That you are the most gorgeous woman?' He said innocent. You tilted you head a little, smiling tender.

'That wasn't the answer I wanted.'

'You get nothing else.' He teased you. You narrowed your eyes a little, still concerned and he only laughed about it. 'I like it when you get all serious over me.' His hand sneaked around your waist, pulling you a little closer, chest against chest.

'I don't like it when you don't answer.' You murmured in protest before he placed his lips on yours. It wasn't the kind of hungry kiss you were just to from his. It had a certain tenderness. You layed your hand over his shoulder, causing him to groarn in pain. 'Ragnar.' You whispered, your forehead resting against his.

'Let's go home.' He suggested. You sighned, not protesting against his stubborness.

'Will you let me look at you then?'

'Maybe.' He smiled almost devilish, placing a fast kiss on your lips before he pushed you off, taking his axe like he was ready to fight again. And you ... you just saw that he needed some care, he only didn't let you.

The whole way back, luckely it was just a day travelling, Ragnar was bad. And he got worser the closer the company got to Kattegat. Sweat dripped from his forehead, his arm pressed against his body, blood still fresh on his clothes. As soon the both of you arrived on that farm you rushed over to him. 'Let me look.' You insisted. Pushing him on a chair before he could even protest, and he even didn't. Said enough. You untied his shirt and helped him out of it, uncovering his naked chest you loved so much. But the backside was a lot worse. 'Ragnar, this could kill you.' You panicked, seeing the large cut in his shoulderblade. It was a deep cup, needed stitches at the least. But it also got infected, causing him to get a fever.

'I told you,'

'Yes, you have many adventures ahead. I would kill you myself right now.' You reacted, rushing over to the small medical suply you had laying around. You took a bucket from that icecold water outside placed it on the table aside him. 'This will hurt like hell.' You warned him. He only nodded, half away in his own fever. You took a fabric, pulled it under in the water before pressing it on the wound. He groaned and you swallowed away your empathie. 'Did the man causing this suffer?' You asked, trying to keep him away.

'Yes, very much.'

'Good, I was willing to go back for him.' You reacted. Not that you were capabel of murdering somebody, it maked him laugh, what sounded more as a wounded animal. Stitching his shoulder was impossible because of the infection so you just bandaged it after putting some healing herbs in the wound. When you were ready you turned to the front of him, laying your hand on his forehead again. 'And now you need rest.' You advised him, already helping him up.

'You're an amazing woman, you know that?'

'I know a lot and if you don't shut up right now I will maybe need to drag you to that bedroom of yours.' You insisted him on walking on.

'I really wanna kiss you y/n.'

'Tomorrow, if you feel better you can kiss me as much as you like.'

'Really?' He looked at you, like a little boy that got his viking bracelet from the earl.

'Really, I'll stay around.' You promised him. He didn't said much further, sleeping as soon as he landed on the bed.