Harald chewed on a piece of meat quite aggressively, his teeth gnashing on bone angrily.

"I think you've eaten every piece of meat from that bone, brother." Halfdan clasped his shoulder good-naturedly before murmuring under his breath. "If you haven't yet eaten its soul."

"What was that?" Harald huffed.

Halfdan opened his mouth to reply but his eyes drifted elsewhere, causing his mouth to drop fully open.

Harald rolled his eyes and turned around, only to be met by an amused smirk and mesmerizing blue eyes.

She was...striking. Stunning. Remarkable. Extraordinary. Staggering. Astonishi-

Harald shook himself from his stupor, clearing his throat and ignoring the audacious looks coming from his brother.

He thought of saying one of the words that came to his mind. Unfortunately, his mouth did not seem to get the message.

"You look," Harald cleared his throat. "better."

Kari raised a brow in apprehension, the silence stretching uncomfortably. "Er..am I supposed to thank you for that compliment?"

Halfdan choked on a laugh, finally deciding to help his brother. "Are you hungry, Kari?"

"Yes, thank you." She smiled, accepting the plate of meat and cup of mead from Halfdan.

Harald glared at his brother with unexplainable emotion. How could he make her smile so easily? After all, it was him not his brother who complimented her.

At least, he tried to.

Halfdan scooted over to make room for her so that she may sit with the two of them.

Kari complied, sitting beside Halfdan, placing her right in front of Harald's intense gaze.

She met his eyes with a challenge before picking up a chicken leg and chewing on it calmly.

He refused to look away and apparently, she had the same idea. May it be plain stubbornness or perhaps it had something to do with the tension between them.

She had paused in her movements, merely just looking at him at that point, more curious than calculating. As if she couldn't believe that a man like him existed.

The feeling was certainly mutual. He just didn't know if it was a good thing yet.

Something about the flamelight being reflected in her golden hair stirred something within him. They were like the molten gold that the dwarves in Niðavellir value so much.

Harald did not want to look away, he couldn't even if he tried. It was as if those pale blue eyes, the exact same shade of a frozen lake, pulled him and dragged him into its depths. If he were truly drowning in them, he didn't think he would ever want to be saved.

Unfortunately, someone pulled him out from his reverie as he heard someone cough, almost exaggeratedly.

Both he and Kari turned to look at Halfdan, who only had a smirk on his face, with a somewhat uncomfortable glint in his eyes.

Harald glared at him before turning back to Kari whose eyes had gone elsewhere as she continued to eat.

"Who are those men?" Kari spoke up, looking over to a small group of men huddled around a fire of their own.

Unlike the others, who were raucous and loud, this group composed of five young men was quiet and brooding.

No one seemed to want to approach them as if there were spirits prohibiting them from going any closer. None of them showed signs of caring though, only talking amongst themselves.

Of what, she did not know.

"Those men are the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok," Harald answered, his eyes flickering in their direction but not staying for too long.

"Ragnar Lothbrok? The viking you came to avenge?" Kari asked, trying to compose herself.

Her father. Those men were her half-brothers, but her brothers by blood nonetheless. The only family she had left.

Harald blinked, wondering why she was looking at Ragnar's sons with such despair but choosing not to comment on it. "You know of him?"

"Of course I do." She turned back to face him, feeling a sense of pride. "People say he is the greatest viking to ever walk in Midgard. I doubt anyone would ever forget his name."

He laughed so loud, attracting looks from everyone around the camp. Harald Finehair was anything but subtle.

"What is so funny that you must laugh like a goat?" Kari demanded, her eyes raging. After all, why should he laugh at her? Isn't it true that Ragnar is the greatest viking?

Harald stopped laughing then, placing both hands on the table and leveling her with a look. "Listen here, Trouble, Ragnar Lothbrok may be the most famous viking but I assure you, he is not the greatest viking."

She scoffed. "Oh really?"

"Yes." He raised an eyebrow.

"Then why did all the vikings join together to avenge his death?" Kari crossed her arms, smirking.

Harald cleared his throat. "You may have a point bu-"

At that, Halfdan choked on what he was drinking, coughing as laughs emerged from his throat. "She's got you there, brother."

She laughed as Halfdan clasped her on the shoulder, both of them enjoying the way that Harald seemed to turn redder by the second.

Harald took a long swig of ale, before speaking gruffly. "If you would just let me finish, I would have told you that Ragnar Lothbrok may have gained his fame exploring lands but I will be known as the first king of all Norway."

Kari turned to Halfdan, who nodded in agreement with his brother.

"Are you king of Norway?" She questioned, her mirth disappearing.

Harald grinned. "Do you believe in the gods, Kari?"

"Of course I do." She replied.

He looked at her intensely then. "I was a king of a small kingdom, a couple of years ago. Slowly but surely, the gods have begun to bless me and my kingdom has expanded. The whole world will soon forget the name of raiders but they will never forget the name of the first king of all Norway."

"Do the gods still favor you then?" Kari asked, no longer mischievous, more serious.

"I believe they do." Harald answered.

"How do you know?"

"They brought you to me, didn't they?"

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