"Do you remember how we met?"

Kari chuckled softly, both amused by the question and feeling tickled by the feel of his fingers on her face as he trailed paint across her cheeks. "What an odd question. I could never forget the day we met. You changed my life that day."

Harald grinned, his thumb tracing her eye carefully as he meticulously applied the blue paint. "You changed my life, Trouble. I can still remember you, so scrawny yet so beautiful, looking up at me angrily. Gods, I thought that you were some sort of chained deity."

"I was terrified beyond belief. It took everything in me not to start crying then and there when I saw you." She admitted, recalling how it felt to see him and his company.

He laughed at her admission, filling in the spots he had missed out on. "It was not obvious. You were brave and I remembered thinking to myself that I needed to have you."

"You did not even know who I was then. I was merely some stranger to you yet you helped me." She said, looking at her reflection to observe the work he did on her face while he wiped his hands clean.

"I just knew. Somehow I knew that you were going to be very important to me." He answered, his eyes glued onto her as he sat in front of her.

"As you are to me." She whispered, placing her hand on top of his, tethering her strength with his. Even now, when both of them were feeling particularly vulnerable, their courage came from each other.

They were mere hours away from the battle, hours from the battle that would decide their fate and the fate of all Vikings in Norway. The fear did not lessen just because they had plenty of men and soldiers on their side.

Kari knew that winning or losing this battle would be the end of it. Nothing more would come after for the land of Kattegat. Neither side would be able to stomach such a loss. It would be a tragedy, no matter which side wins or loses.

For all their talks of what was right and wrong, it still did not change that many warriors will be welcomed into Valhalla today. No one knew who would be left behind when the dust settles, if the people they care about will be one of those people left standing.

Unconsciously, one of Kari's hands slipped to her abdomen, pressing against the flat surface. She would not be fighting for just one today, she would be fighting for her and her child. If she were less of a woman, she would tell Harald the truth and opt to stay behind.

But she couldn't. If he was fighting, then so was she. Although if she was fighting, she would not be able to tell him the truth about her condition. If she were to fall in battle, she would rather he not know and not try to blame himself for allowing her to fight.

It may be selfish of her to have that sort of thinking but the last thing she wanted to do was leave Harald in despair and regret. She could carry the burden of the choice, choosing to fight like this, but she refused to let him carry such a burden when he needed to focus on staying alive.

She hated that she would have to hide such a thing from him but after the fighting, she would tell him. After all of this, he would hear it from her own lips, and together, they would decide on the next step they would take as husband and wife.

"Here." Harald spoke, disrupting her thoughts as one of his hands offered her a small dagger.

A smile formed on her lips as she recalled the other two daggers he had given her, already strapped to her waist. "Haven't you already given me enough daggers?"

He smiled, not at all dissuaded by her words as his hand remained outstretched. "I want you to cut my hair."

Her mouth fell open in shock, not registering his words at first. Her eyes shifted from looking at the dagger then looking at him. "What? I thought-"

He cut her off gently, placing the dagger in her hand. "I once said that I would cut my hair once the woman that I loved married me. You have."

Tears began to pool in her eyes as she saw what he was trying to do. Not knowing what else to say, she spoke softly. "B-but I love your hair. I don't want to cut it. It's i-important to you and it's important to me too."

She could tell that he was trying to say farewell, in his own memorable and heartbreaking way, and she refused to accept it. She did not want to say goodbye. She could not bear to say goodbye.

"It will grow back." He answered gently, his hands on her cheeks as he pleaded. "My wife, my love, my Trouble, cut my hair. Please. I want you to."

At the gentleness of his words, she finally broke down into tears. Soft sobs escaped her lips no matter how hard she tried to suppress them. Still, even with her vision blurred, she somehow found herself standing up.

Wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, she took a deep breath before beginning to cut through the thick locks of Harald's hair. She forced her hands to steady as she watched each strand being cut away.

It was funny, how something as trivial as hair could result in her becoming a blubbering mess. It was just that she knew how important his hair was to him and the fact that he was asking her to cut his strands short spoke volumes of how much she meant to him.

When she had first met him, she thought him to be someone so vain, with his countless ivory combs and how much he obsessed over his hair. Over time, she had come to realize that his hair was a promise and she had come to cherish it too.

As the final locks of hair were cut short, she held the cut hair in her hands and found herself tearing up once more.

Harald, noticing the shaking of her shoulders, snaked his arm around her nape and pulled her into his chest. "Shh, it's alright. Don't cry."

Kari hiccuped, her fist clenching around his cut hair as she sobbed into him, frustration blooming within her. She wished she didn't have to do this, didn't have to resort to such means just in case there was no after to come back to. "I can't help it."

He stroked her back gently, allowing her to let everything out, running his fingers through her hair until her breathing evened out.

"It will grow back, I promise. No need to make your face all red and blotchy over my hair." He assured, hoping that it would make her smile.

She only buried her face deeper into his chest, remaining silent for fear that once she starts speaking, she would be reduced to tears once again. She savored his scent, taking comfort in being with him.

When she had mustered enough strength, she pushed back from him and reached for her necklace. She slipped it over her head before transferring it to his neck, watching the metal pendant stand out from his leather armor.

It had been hers for as long as she could remember and never in her life had she wanted to part with it. It had been her only connection to who her father was and for some time, she considered it her good luck charm.

"I want you to have it. It's always protected me and I want it to protect you." Kari spoke, cradling his cheek as she looked down at the pendant of the wind god.

"I don't need protecting. I can protect us both without it. It is yours." Harald shook his head, moving to take the necklace off.

"You protect me. I protect you. We keep each other safe." She stopped him, making sure that the necklace stayed around his neck. In a spur of the moment, she found herself opening her mouth to say that she loved him, just in case.

In the event that she doesn't get to tell him later, she wanted to say it now. It might be the last time she could ever tell him.

Surprisingly, he stopped her from saying more. He pressed his forehead against hers, connecting his lips with hers for a second. "Don't. Don't treat this as a goodbye. This isn't goodbye. Tell me afterward, alright? Promise me."

Not letting her negative thoughts take over, she nodded, closing her eyes and hoping that her promise would not make a liar out of her. "I promise to tell you afterward."

"Good."

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There was a point in every person's life where they would wonder what they had done to bring them to that point.

It could be when they found themselves at a fork in the road, unsure of which path to take. It could be when they had seen the consequences of their actions or felt the change that they had created.

For Kari, it happened in the midst of her clashing blades with another Viking. Her teeth clanged with the force of the blow as she fought to keep her hand steady. As she was pushed back a few steps, she looked up at the man before running him through with her blade.

The moment that her blade met flesh and her eyes looked into the fearful eyes of the man, she found herself shaken. The force of the thought of where she was made her stumble backward. She was in battle. Her first battle.

She had been numb from the moment she left Harald's side to lead her own group of warriors up to the present. It had not hit her in the first moment nor did it hit her when she killed a man, she had already killed many prior to that moment.

It only hit her now. Where she was. What she was doing. Looking around, she saw strangers. Faces filled with violence, rage, and fear. All were emotions she was certainly feeling herself, her heart pounding aggressively in her chest.

The idea of where she was and what she was doing slammed into her in the most inopportune moment. Without even a single second to recover, she was immersed back into the fight. Another and then another. An endless wave of warriors to fight off to survive.

It felt like hours yet it could also be that only mere minutes had passed. Kari found herself getting more and more exhausted with each second. Everywhere she looked, there were signs of carnage and death.

No matter how hard she tried, she could not find Harald or Hvitserk. They had attacked around the same time that she did but now, she had lost them. Every single one of them was alone in the fight.

From time to time, she thought she would spot a familiar face in the fighting only to be pulled back into fighting for her own survival once more.

There is an advantage to attacking with more warriors but attacking Vikings who looked similar to her own soldiers is what made it more difficult. It was difficult to tell who was a friend from a foe.

Another then another, one by one, she managed to fell soldiers or injure them enough to stop them from fighting. She had tried looking out for familiar faces but the face that she saw was not one she welcomed.

"Tell me, is this what you wanted? The legacy your father created to be torn apart?" Lagertha demanded, clutching the hilt of her sword threateningly.

"My father's legacy is not the Kattegat you rule. His legacy lives on in his children." Kari countered, getting into a defensive stance herself.

"I never thought I would be the cause of the demise of one of Ragnar's children but I suppose it was meant to happen." Lagertha tutted, brandishing her blade.

"You can try." Kari smirked before raising her sword to defend as the other woman attacked.

Their swords met aggressively as one sought to defend, the other to maim. Both seemed to be skilled warriors in their own way. Lagertha had the strength and the time to hone her skills but Kari was quick on her feet and strategic in knowing what to do next.

Kari knew that she would not be able to defeat the other woman if she kept trying to meet each blow with her blade so she resorted to picking which ones to block and which ones to avoid. The strategy proved to be effective as Lagertha began to slow in her attacks.

Once the older woman had grown sufficiently tired, Kari began attacks of her own, attacks that were almost far too quick for the other woman to deflect. She could tell that Lagertha was growing increasingly agitated with her games and she knew that she had to succeed in what she was planning to do.

When Lagertha tried to strike towards her right, Kari feigned going in the same direction, only to duck down and sweep the woman's leg, causing her to fall on her back.

Not allowing a single second to go to waste, Kari stood above Lagertha with her sword raised, intending to kill the other woman. For Harald, for Ivar, for her people, and most especially, for herself.

A voice called out from behind her, distracting her momentarily. "Kari, no!"

"Bjorn?" Kari's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, startled upon seeing her brother, his hand outstretched toward her.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Lagertha grabbed one of the daggers strapped to Kari's belt, plunging it deep into her shoulder. Kari let out a cry of pain and shock as she felt the blade embed into her skin, falling backward.

A gasp left her lips as her body fell upon the cold wet soil, her shoulder burning with agony. Every other part of her was freezing but the place where she was stabbed was burning. She could not explain it but she could feel the cold metal underneath her skin, feel it tear her flesh apart.

Her eyes were blown out wide as she tried to catch her breath but that seemed to be a waste. No matter how much she tried, all she could feel was the pain. She blinked, spots filling her vision as it became harder to focus, harder to see.

Lagertha's voice cut through her haze, the woman holding a sword above her. "And now you will die."

Kari kept her eyes open, not having it in herself to close her eyes as she faced her imminent demise. She kept her gaze on the woman though her mind was elsewhere. She did not want to die yet it seems that she would have no choice in the matter.

She could not help but think of her brothers, her people, and Harald. Gods, Harald, she could not help but mourn for him and for the time that they did not have together. If she had been less hard-headed, maybe they could have spent more time together.

Not enough. Everything they shared was not enough for her. She wanted to rule with him, to kiss him, to raise children with him, and to love him without limit. She wanted the life she had imagined for herself. Not just the ruling or the traveling, she wanted the gentle mornings and the mischievous laughter.

She wanted the family she never had as a child. For a brief moment, when she found out that she was with child, she had thought that there was a chance for that life. The only solace she had was that at least Harald would only have to mourn one person.

Before she could attack, Bjorn blocked the blade, commanding his mother. "Lagertha, stop! She is my sister!"

Lagertha glared evenly, moving to attack a second time but Bjorn saw her intentions, disarming her quickly. Her sword fell to the ground beside Kari though she paid it no mind.

Knowing that he would not allow her to finish what she started, Lagertha leaned over to hiss. "I do not need to kill you. You are already dead anyway."

Without another word, Lagertha moved to leave, to return back to the fighting. On the other hand, Bjorn rushed over to his sister's side, pulling out the dagger. Kari let out a scream of pain, drowned out by the rush of battle.

"Why d-did you do that? I-I thought y-you hated me." Kari managed to stutter out, accepting the cloth from Bjorn to put pressure on the wound that was bleeding without pause.

Bjorn did not answer, only guiding her hand to compress her wound before getting to his feet. "Stay alive, sister."

Kari watched as he left in the direction of where his mother had gone. During that time being, she watched as soldiers and Vikings fell. The truth of it all was that she was getting tired and it was getting much more difficult to breathe.

Her hand was slick with blood and she could feel the soil around her shoulder begin to damp as she lost more and more blood. Her chest ached and her eyelids quivered to stay open. The last thing she remembered was the call for retreat and a cry of victory.

As her eyes shut, she saw Harald's face, smiling and laughing as he often did when he was with her, and she prayed to all the gods that he would be alright, that they would keep the man she loves safe, especially now when she would not be able to protect him.

Kari hoped that one day he could forgive her. She tried to keep her promise to him. Truly, she tried. She had never broken a promise before. She had always committed herself to stay true to her word.

This would be the first time she would break a promise.

And the last time.

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Hello everyone!! I'm sorry but this had to be done but not to worry, this book is not yet over. There are still a lot more tears that have yet to fall. Esp when Harald finds out.

Do you think Kari is still alive? Well, you'll have to wait and see :