Kari needed to get away from here.

Her wrist still burned furiously from his touch, a reminder of just how much he affected her. That was the only thought running through her head as she pulled out a small leather satchel from within her mattress.

She had snagged it from one of the servants. It was a mere woolen cloth fastened closed with a string. It was small but it would have to do if she was to leave.

The idea of leaving had been an idea that came to her one of these nights. She thought she would not have to entertain it once again but today had been awful enough for her to consider it.

And she had to. She could not stay here.

Of course, the people were kind and welcoming. She certainly didn't feel as if she was being ogled at by all the residents, instead, she truly felt as if she could live and thrive here.

She could spend her days walking through the dock, to the sound of greetings and laughter. She could certainly lend her skills and help in any way that she can. She could smile and laugh without a care in the world.

She could be happy. Finally.

Yet there was only one issue remaining. Kari could not stay here while the people's favored king was here to stay as well. King Harald Finehair.

Avoiding him had worked well enough for the past few days but seeing him, his hand reaching out for her, reminded her that she needed to be somewhere where no one knew who her father was to get a semblance of the life that she wanted to live.

If anything, it was dangerous to stay here. Every moment that she stayed in Harald's presence, she could feel a part of her wall breaking down. He alone had the ability to render her completely defenseless.

She had even spoken of her mother. The mother she could not bear to mention lest she would reveal much of her fears.

That was enough for her to reach her breaking point.

As she pulled the wooden chest and crammed the jewels from it into her satchel, she found herself pausing. Her hands fumbled and shook before she gave up, sinking onto the floor.

The thing was, she didn't want to leave. For years, she had been running and she was tired. She didn't want to run anymore. Not when she had found the place she had wanted to be. The place that made her happy.

The place being ruled by the man she loved.

At the thought that crossed her mind, Kari's eyes widened. Fuck, this could not be happening to her.

No, she could not be in love with him. He was reckless, hasty, and petty. He was a fool at times, but he means well. He was violent and vicious, but he was also kind, devoted, and passionate.

By the gods, she could not love him. Not like this. Not when he only wanted her to fulfill a dream he had promised to accomplish for another girl.

After what she had just said to him, she could not believe that she had gone and fallen in love with a viking. Her mother would be rolling in her grave if she heard all of this.

Her heart may tell her to forgive him, to stay but her head was still very much in control and her head was telling her to run as far as she could. Forgetting all that had happened.

The events in Northumbria, in Wessex, in Kattegat. Memories of her brothers, of Halfdan. Memories of Harald. Their meeting, their conversations, their playful banter, their kiss. They could be left to rot in the past.

Kari found herself looking down at the dagger Harald had given her. It was the first gift she had ever received from anyone. Perhaps it was the first moment she had begun to start feeling things for him.

Not the bejeweled dagger he gave her from the raid of Wessex but the dagger he gave her when they first met. When she had been scared and lost but he made her feel something other than those feelings.

Closing her eyes, she pushed it from her mind. She was the only one feeling this way and if she were to leave, Harald would just find another way to become king of all Norway.

A treacherous tear fell from her eyes as she thought of all she was to be leaving behind. A newfound home that she was to depart from. A life that she thought she could live with, now to slip from her fingertips.

Armed with resolve, Kari knew what needed to be done. With the remainder of her determination, she closed the satchel and pushed the wooden chest back under her bed.

She shut her eyes, pressing her lips against the dagger and placing it upon the bed that she would not be sleeping in tonight.

Tomorrow, she would run. But tonight, she would mourn. Not as she did her mother.

Mourn the life she could've had. The days she could've spent being happy without a thought for anything else.

The life she could've chosen if the viking she loved felt the same way. Alast he didn't.

Or so she thought.

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Harald was regretting every single decision he had ever made.

After a night of drinking and voicing out his feelings to the drunk vikings of Tamdrup, he knew that he was, beyond any words, an idiot.

Just as Kari believed him to be.

But he was not an idiot that gave up easily and he'd be damned if he lost her over something as simple as a crown.

Fine, she did not wish to marry him. He would court her and woo her with the grandest gifts and the most beautiful words if that was what it took.

Not so he could have Ragnar Lothbrok's daughter for a wife but so that he could have her. Kari. The woman who had bested him many times and had stolen his heart since then.

Even from their time together, he had already known that he could not stay in this world for a moment longer if she hated him.

That was the only thought in his mind when he woke at the crack of dawn, dragged himself out of bed, and proceeded to knock on Kari's door. "Trouble, please. It's me. Open the door."

When there was no response, Harald tried again, knocking furiously to ensure that she heard him. Even so, she still did not answer.

"I know you're angry at me and rightfully so. I was an idiot and I'm sorry. Please, at least give me the chance to apologize properly." He spoke through the door, closing his eyes and hoping that she would at least let him look at her.

Opening his eyes, Harald realized that no sound emerged from the room. Not even a peep. Had something happened to Kari? Maybe she was hurt or worse, what if something had happened to her?

Pushing aside all his inhibitions, he pushed open the door, worried that he would see that something had happened to his Kari. Only to see nothing. No blood, no destruction, and no Kari.

Harald's eyes widened, looking around the rest of the room to see that no one was there. He ripped across the empty space, looking for something. Anything. A sign that she had been here.

When he pulled the furs off the bed, something clattered onto the floor loudly. He scrambled on his knees to pick it up. His heart fell as he saw what it was.

The dagger he had given her. It had been a shabby old thing but with her, its blade shone and its leather scabbard looked new.

Looking at it brought him back to the start. He had been empty, dead on the inside. He relied on raiding and fighting to fulfill his being. Meeting her had brought new life to him and without her, he would descend back to the empty husk of a person he had been.

Now, she had gone and with her, she took his heart. His grip tightened upon the leather handle, his resolve strengthening.

Kari had gone but she couldn't have gone far.

His eyes drifted to the open window to see the first droplets of rain patter upon the rooftops of nearby houses. A storm was coming.

He couldn't let her go. Not even if there was something in him saying that he should let her go. His head may argue that she was better off but his heart was stubborn.

By the gods, he would not let her leave. Not when he had just begun to realize the extent of his feelings for her. He had only found her now. He could not lose her. Not like this.

Not when she was the only thing keeping him sane.

Come hell or high water, he would get her back. To stay. With him.

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Of course, it will be raining because what can I say? I love the dramatic effect. Stay tuned and sending you all my love