"The Mikaelson's borders should be reinforced, as well as the Fenrirsson's and also the Birgerson's," Bonnie ticked off as she perched upon the arm of Bjorn's throne. "I know it's a bit of a stretch, but-,"

"Of course, of course." Bjorn waved her words back at her with a flapping gesture barely sparing her a glance. "Do whatever you believe best."

The skin between Bonnie's brows folded in on itself. She pulled her thoughts from the securing of Kattegat's outposts to settle the entire burden of her scrutiny on her protector. Bjorn sat hunched over on his throne, while casting a vacant stare over the near empty hall. He didn't look as he should. Yet now he held her focus she couldn't remember when last he did. Over the several passing moons he'd loss his lust driven thrill for life. The warrior whose passion once blazed brighter than the burning sun now barely smoldered in his indifference. Despite the impending threat of a falling sky.

No, Bonnie didn't have one psychology credit to the first in her curriculum vitae. Yet even her unqualified antennas couldn't help but catch how Bjorn's behavior gave depressed. From where the depression stemmed? Who could tell? There wasn't one part of her protector's life that couldn't stand for an Iyanla shake down. What she did know was the Russ wouldn't wait for him to get his feelings in check. They would attack near the beginning of next Summer. Coming through like falling sands through the hour glass no matter the state of his emotions.

Done with coddling Bjorn while he self-pity wallowed, Bonnie reached down and grabbed the sides of his face. She forced him to look at her. "Bjorn, gather yourself! The blood of your people will soon paint these shores red if you're not with me. We have to prepare-,"

His hands rose to cover hers. When she attempted to remove them from his grip, his persistent palms held her hands to his face. The shutters he kept over his eyes opened. A front row view to something she believed them both over shimmered bold as shit in his iridescent stare. The raw need which writhed in those electric depths sparked life in an emotion she'd long since reconciled to lay to rest.

In a split moment an auditory hallucination came close to ripping her brain from her skull. Her ear drums throbbed. The metallic tang of blood flirted with the back of her tongue. A brilliant falling sun set fire to an aqua sea, while an oceanic breeze ushered in a fleeting season of happiness.

"I vow to protect you for as long as we both remain upon Midgard. For I treasure you above all, Mystical One."

"Bjorn Ironside, you have my allegiance. My sworn word that I will never stand across from you on a battlefield and also my vow to remain by your side for as long as we both shall live."

Their vow? What did it mean? Bjorn studied her. Had he heard as well? Speechless by what the impromptu peep into the future implied, she could do nothing more than return his bulging stare with a wide-eyed gawk of her own. For several long moments that's how they remained. Locked in a visual purgatory. Loss to the vastness of all the emotions left unresolved between them. When she believed her reckless suicide dive would be a perpetual free fall through his universe the clearing of several different throats snatched them from the other's orbit.

Frustration crumpled Bjorn's brows as he tore his hypnotizing glare from her. "What?!"

Bonnie took one shaky breath after the other. Damn, had the air packed on some pounds? She could barely get any oxygen down. In a clumsy spin she turned to welcome the interruption that more than not saved her from another of her empty headed decisions. At the base of the platform leading up to the thrones stood two of Kattegat's long house warriors. Two other men she vaguely recognized accompanied them. Though the warriors didn't appear familiar she acknowledged what they represented. Canon.

"Who are these men?" Bjorn demanded, his glare darting from the longhouse warrior to the foreigners.

"W-We were sent by King Harald," the shorter of the two men volunteered.

Canon indeed. Let the bullshit fly! She lifted her hand to the guards. They could miss her with King Olaf's uninspiring fiction. "Feed them, water them, and confine them. The king will decide what's to be done with them soon enough."

"Supreme, please!" The taller of the men called out while being dragged away. "King Harald liberated you even when the Gods didn't appear to hold him in favor."

"He also drove a blade threw my chest without a bead of sweat for regret," she called after them. Both men faces dropped. "Fair exchange has been committed here, not a robbery." Bonnie nodded to the guards once more and they continued pushing the men towards the doors.

As the warriors shoved the foreigners from the long house Bjorn spoke, "I don't understand. You've long since forgiven Harald for running you through in Algeciras. Asides, that warrior has the right of it. Harald was prepared to sail for Kattegat even when he believed he'd not be met with triumph."

"I know," she continued to stare at the now closed doors of the hall. "And I have every intention of sailing for Vestfold to aid my brother in law in gaining his freedom. Just not in the way King Olaf will expect."

****

As Bonnie and Guthrum strolled through the marketplace hand in hand they watched Hali and Asa run from table to table. Though peace and contentment embraced her, Bonnie thoughts dwelled with the turbulent times of impending risings. Ready or not change approached accompanied with war and dissonance. With each rise and fall of the sun the irreverent pair bore down on them. Soon all she held close to her breasts would be reduced to nothing more than ashes of an existence she'd once known.

A soft brush against her neck dragged her from her thoughts and dropped her in the bullseye of Guthrum's regard. "You're troubled."

"I'm...bothered," she uttered, resting her head against his arm, while he maneuvered them through a mass of loitering bodies. "The countdown sands have begun to spill. War will be upon us before we know it."

He glanced down, his sapphire blues creeping over her face in a slow crawl. "A verity of which we've been aware of for a while." Slowing to a stop, he turned her to face him. "A verity for which we've prepared."

"Yes, but it's also a verity which will misplace you from my side," she said, pushing a curl from his forehead. "I'm not ready to lose you...to lose us."

Guthrum cradled her cheek in his hand. Her eyes drifted closed as she nuzzled his palm. Damn, no matter how tight she held on to happiness, the state of being continued to curve her grip better than smoke slipping through the splits of her fingers.

"Bonsie?" Asa called out to her.

Bonnie forced her eyes open to peer in the direction of her little charge. Asa stood at a trading table holding up a beautiful navy blue silken cloth. "That's beautiful, Princess."

The little girl flashed her a pleased grin which appeared to be missing more than a couple teeth. "I want to get this for Lagertha so she won't misremember me."

Bonnie tugged Guthrum over to Asa. When they reached the girl, she dropped a gold coin in the merchant's palm. "Though I've no doubts Lagertha will love this scarf, what I do doubt is her need of it to remember you." Kneeling before the little princess, Bonnie took the silken cloth from her and wrapped it about her neck. "You're unforgettable and irreplaceable."

Bonnie kissed the tip of Asa's nose. The little girl giggled, and then skipped off after Hali who stood a few tables down looking over weapons. Her heart swelled to near bursting as she watched them. Each of their paths would guide them to tragic ends if left unchecked. Yet for them, check the hell out of Fate she would! In verity she'd spent the better part of a solstice cycle plotting Katherine Pierce style. Her back up plans had contingency strategies. Rome may have fallen, but Hali and Asa never would. And if she had to son the hell out of the Mistress of Tapestry then she had nothing but time. In fact she had a fucking eternity.

"When will they leave to search out Lagertha's former homestead?" She asked Guthrum not daring to tear her gaze away from the children.

Guthrum moved behind her to wrap her in his embrace. "They sail on first tide the rising after next."

"And you'll eventually have to join them," she said, while suffering under the full weight of his premonition.

"I'm aware," He kissed her temple. "but for now we're together and eventually holds no interest for me."

****

Lagertha, Ubbe, Torvi, and the children sailed as scheduled. Their absence ushered in a dimness where there'd once only shone brilliance. Gone was the dazzling potential of new beginnings. Every decision Bonnie now made lurched her closer to another unavoidable goodbye. An ending her chest didn't have the heart to suffer. Guthrum. He'd soon join Lagertha and the children on her homestead. While she and Bjorn sailed in the opposite direction for the sole purpose of uniting a country.

"If Harald's life is not in peril then why must we involve ourselves in Olaf's ploys?" Bjorn demanded once again.

Bonnie exhaled, and then turned from the window she gazed from to regard Bjorn. One, two, three... For the sixth time she attempted to explain the rationale behind her madness. "Doing so benefits Kattegat." She crossed the private dining area to perch on the edge of the table near where her protector ate second meal. "Olaf means to lure you there for the sole purpose of naming a king of Norway."

"How is this a benefit to Kattegat?" he sneered, slamming his chalice back down. "From what you've seen the crown will go to Harald will it not?"

"Yes." Bonnie's back teeth clenched. She'd already answered that damn question a few dozen times. "But that's not the point."

"Then what is the...point?" He wrenched forward in his seat to subtract the space between them.

Bonnie took several sips of air, before sliding from the table. In a swift move which bordered on supernatural in nature, she rounded his chair. When she stood behind him she began to knead his shoulders. His head drooped forward, while every single taut muscle dedicated to the support of his spine gave way to her touch.

She lowered her face to angle her mouth next to his ear. "The point is a united Norway. This is what we'll need to defeat those who believe they have a claim to this land."

"Perhaps, if the outcome were different," he bit out between groans, "if I were named king of Norway in Harald's place..."

"You know what? I'm done!" She snatched her hands away. She had no time for him to count inches. She'd bet gold to air his was bigger anyway. She and every dockside worker from there to England knew all the Lothbroks were hung like raging bulls. "If you don't wanna go for Harald, then I'll go myself."

He grabbed her wrist, and then tugged her around to stand before him. "You know that's not necessary, Bonnie. If you believe this must happen then of course I shall heed your counsel." She searched his face. Unbridled candidness met her scrutinizing stare. A grin pricked at her lips as she reached down to palm his cheek. He turned his face into her touch to press a kiss to the center of her hand.

"We'll sail for Lagertha's homestead on first tide. If I'm to be away, Ubbe must return to rule in my place," He murmured into the cushion of her palm.

"Thank you." She pulled away to seek out her leave.

"Where are you going?" Bjorn called after her.

Bonnie's vision blurred. "To say goodbye."

****

Bonnie reclined against Guthrum's chest content to secure her eternity to that single moment in time. For the past couple of turns of the hour glass they'd languished together in a bathtub filled with steaming water. In verity they'd spent the better part of a rising locked away in her keep attempting to say goodbye. A concept which neither sat right on the mind, tongue, nor heart. They were slipping away. No amount of words spoken or love made seemed to be enough to make such an inconceivable truth okay.

"Our separation won't be long," Guthrum whispered into her hair, before pressing a kiss to the side of her neck.

She trembled. His lips on her skin still sent jolts through her spine. "That may be so, but I can't help but sense this beginning approaches with an end." She tangled her fingers with his beneath the surface of the water. "Once again change stalks the steadiness of our risings."

She raised their dripping hands from the water to kiss the back of his. Everything she'd grown to cherish over the past solstice cycle attempted to flee her grip.

"It matters not," he spun her so she faced him while straddling his lap, "A thousand summers could separate our walk and when Fate saw fit to bring you back to me my heart would never have faltered a beat in pounding for you."

"Guthrum," she whispered as a familiar burn pricked the corners of her eyes.

He leaned forward to capture her mouth. After damn near melting her face off with a spine arching kiss he pulled away. "For you will always be my favored," he pressed his lips to hers once more in a lingering peck, "and forever girl."

"My Beautiful Awakening," she uttered as saltwater regret liberated itself from the lower barriers of her eyes. "Thank you for bringing me back to life."

Amber flames disturbed the sapphire hue of Guthrum's penetrating stare as he lifted her and eased her down on the swollen most uncompromising part of him. A moan burst from her lips, but he swallowed the cry with his own. Together they ushered in the next rising in each other's arms.

****

The next rising they reached Lagertha's homestead by eve's fall. Soon as they climbed off the ship Asa and Hali bounded into their father's arms. Bonnie looked pass the heart melting sight to regard the modest land. Lagertha had chosen well. With the sea at their backs, mountains to their right, and the forest before them, the land could be defended. This decision would serve her well since peace wouldn't be hers to claim in her final days.

Bonnie's gaze swept back to her protector as he doted on the children. The sheer joy on Bjorn's face spoke much of a priority shift. Could the shift be based on lessons learned? A small forgotten part of her took notice. After Asa and Hali had their fill of their father's attention, they rushed to her. Asa wrapped her tiny arms about Bonnie's waist, while Hali thought to demonstrate the full might of his growth spurt by lifting her in a crushing hug.

"Alright, Yoda!" She laughed as Asa squealed, while clinging to her waist. When he placed her back on her feet she planted her fists on her hips and leveled him with a glare which oozed mock. "I get it, now you're strong enough to lift tumbler sized me," she raised a finger, "yet I fail to see how this newly acquired strength translates to your prowess in the training circle."

Hali lifted his chin. Pride blazed a path across his face. Goddess he really was his father's son. "Ubbe and I have sparred every rising since we've arrived. I'm nigh skilled enough to cross blades with you."

"Yes," she arched a brow as a teasing smile toyed with her lips, "but are you warrior enough to cross blades with Gunnhild?"

Hali's face blazed fire in the hole red. He ducked his head, while Bjorn appeared beat the hell down by confusion. "Why would crossing blades with Gunnhild be more of a feet than crossing blades with Bonnie? She's several times the fighter than Gunnhild."

"Men," Lagertha spat as she entered the gathering and hugged her son, before moving to greet the rest of them. "Supreme," the shieldmaiden uttered when she stood before Bonnie.

"Lagertha, it gladdens me to see you again," she said, knowing once she and Bjorn sailed for Kattegat she'd never sight the former queen again on the living side of the veil.

The thought snatched her back to years ago when she stood before Aslaug for the final time. Though she'd two stepped that dance before, the encore didn't make the impending loss any less soul disturbing.

Lagertha studied her for a moment with the narrowed stare which made one feel as if she could read every thought that skated across one's mind in real time. After a moment resolve relaxed the muscles in the shieldmaiden's face. "And I you, Most High." Her gaze left Bonnie's to move back to Bjorn's. "So let us make this a visit we won't soon misremember."

Torvi's smile deepened. "Agreed."

"Seconded," Bonnie added, before embracing Torvi. Upon contact the spark of life within the smaller woman reached for Bonnie's essence. Stunned, she placed a trembling hand on her friend's still flat stomach. "Torvi, your..."

Torvi covered Bonnie's hand with her own as she dipped her head in a bobbing nod. Multiple emotions dampened her golden eyes. "I believed it to be so, but I wasn't certain."

"Well now you are," Bonnie hugged her once more, and then whispered, "Skol, my friend."

After she let Torvi go, Ubbe pulled her in his arms. Gathering her close to his chest, he rested his forehead on hers. Her eyes slipped closed as she allowed herself a moment to just breathe him. Ubbe would always possess a piece of her in a way no other ever could. When he sailed away to remain true to his path she'd mourn him in the way the old mourned the young. The same way she still grieved Sigurd.

She opened her eyes to lock gazes with his too blue stare, "We need to speak...later when the homestead is at rest."

"In our place?" His hands moved to lock together at the small of her back.

She shook her head. "In this place."

His eyes flared. She knew the gravity of a physical meet between them wouldn't be lost on him. Once her request penetrated his disbelief, he managed to nod.

"Not that I'm not gladdened for both of your visits, but why have you come?" Lagertha questioned.

Bjorn and she exchanged glances. "Come, and we'll discuss my plans over second meal," He tucked an arm in Lagertha's. Turning his mother about, he guided her back towards the small keep sitting a few hundred paces from the shore.

Torvi locked hands with her, while Ubbe slipped an arm around her waist. They followed Bjorn and Lagertha into the keep. Inside the humble home a steaming pot simmered over the hearth, blanketing the air in a pungent mouthwatering scent. The fragrance lent the neat surroundings a homey familial vibe. A vibe reminiscent of what the Gilbert household had often provided for her. Especially, when her own empty home offered nothing more than frozen pizzas and Moesha reruns.

Lagertha lifted the lid from the kettle to stir the fragrant blend. Chunks of indeterminate meat and vegetables bobbed to the surface of the thick brown gravy. The contents appeared to be a stew of sorts. As drool filled her mouth her stomach sat up and took notice. Ubbe led her over to the small wooden table not far from the hearth. After he saw to her, he settled Torvi in a seat next to her. Guthrum claimed the chair to her right, while Bjorn settled across from her.

For the better part of the meal they indulged in light conversation, until Bjorn raised his voice to speak to the table on a whole. "Bonnie and I will be sailing for Vestfold to liberate King Harald."