Kari let out a sigh as she listened to the two neighbors fight over a boat, the most trivial of things.

Her golden crown weighed heavy on her head and her rings were digging into the flesh of her fingers. She wanted nothing more than to hold her son in her arms yet such were her duties as a queen.

Some time had passed since she had given birth to Eric but her need to be with him did not waver in any way.

He was the perfect infant, barely waking her up in the middle of the night and he was well-behaved when she had to leave him in the care of one of the servants during the times she had to address certain issues in Vestfold.

Knowing that this would not be ending any time soon if she allowed the two neighbors to continue, she opened her mouth to interrupt them when suddenly the sound of warning horns blared from outside.

Kari's eyes widened, sitting straighter upon her throne and reaching for the weapon she kept beside her. Her warriors entered the hall with wide eyes, clearly surprised.

"What is it?" Kari asked, looking to one of them for answers as the horns continued to sound.

Her first thought was one she welcomed and despised herself for thinking so. It could be the husband who had abandoned her, finally returning after raiding and supposedly finding himself in England.

She wanted to kiss him but at the same time, she wanted to push him off the dock and hold him down underwater. Thankfully, she had no need to address such violent tendencies when one of her warriors answered.

"Ships, Queen Kari. Ships bearing an army." One of the warriors spoke up, looking disconcerted.

"Whose ships? Who's leading them?" Kari questioned, tightening her hold on her weapon.

"They bear the flags of the kingdom of Ringerike, my queen." The warrior answered, looking around before continuing. "Shall we prepare to attack?"

Kari thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No. Be on the defensive but let them dock. Have their leaders brought to me. We shall see what they want then."

"Yes, my queen." The warriors nodded, exiting the great hall with hasty steps.

Kari sheathed the blade at her side, keeping it close as she waited for her warriors to return. Ringerike. She was unfamiliar with the ruling kings of the many kingdoms, what with all the raids and attacks. The leadership of many kingdoms changed with the wind.

It was why she was so defensive of Vestfold. Nevertheless, it seemed foolish now not to remember who the king of Ringerike was. She never had to deal with visiting kingdoms from the time Harald left.

In fact, as she looked back on it, only their kingdom's jarls visited over that time. Bringing gifts, telling stories, regaling tales of adventure, or simply for want of company. Of course, she welcomed them all even though all they wished to talk about were themselves.

She could only hope and pray that this King or Queen of Ringerike was a person who sought an alliance and not to conquer. Since they had not docked into Tamdrup with rains of arrows and fire, there was a great chance of the former.

It seemed only a few moments had passed when that same warrior entered the great hall, a relieved expression on her face. "They are outside, Your Majesty."

"Send them in." Kari gestured with her hand, sitting up straighter on her throne with a stoic expression on her face.

The doors to the great hall opened, and two Vikings walked in. One of them was a stranger, an aged man with fierce eyes and a proud gait. The other was a familiar face, a young man with a lithe figure and a grin on his face.

Still, Kari kept up her serious facade, hiding a giddy smile internally. "What brings you to Tamdrup?"

The young man raised a brow, almost as if he were challenging her. "I must say, I was hoping for a warmer welcome."

She returned his tone. "Oh? Why is that?"

Hvitserk grinned widely, stepping forward and opening his arms to her. "Surely you owe your favorite brother that much."

Kari let out a short laugh, standing from her throne and greeting her brother with an embrace. "I have missed you, Hvitserk!"

It had been some time since she had seen any of her brothers. Ever since she had left Kattegat with Harald, she had not seen Ivar and Hvitserk. Her other brothers disappeared after the war, rumors say to England.

Seeing Hvitserk was a gift. After all, it was no exaggeration that he could be her favorite brother since he had been the only one to keep in contact with her, writing letters and sending small gifts. He reminded her that she was not alone despite her circumstances.

Hvitserk chuckled, squeezing her once before looking down at her fondly. "And I have missed you too, my dearest sister. I hope you have recovered well."

"I have. Thank you." She laughed, her eyes falling on the older man behind them, watching them curiously. "I suppose this isn't a familial visit."

"I'm afraid not." He sighed, wrapping an arm around her as he introduced the other man. "Kari, this is King Olaf, king of Ringerike."

"It is an honor to finally meet you, Queen Kari. I have heard many stories of your wisdom, as well as your beauty." King Olaf stepped forward, tilting his head toward her respectfully.

Kari nodded in return. "I am glad to welcome you into my kingdom, seeing as you are accompanied by my brother. However, I must ask, what brings you here?"

Hvitserk spoke, his expression turning grave as he remembered the reason for their coming there. "Kari, it is of great importance we must speak to you."

"About what?" Kari asked, confused about what it was that was so important.

It was King Olaf who answered, her blood running cold at his words. The legacy she almost died for. The kingdom where she almost lost her life and her child, where she lost a friend. The reason she lost so much.

It was as if the nightmare had come back to haunt her. The past reached its dark claws to conquer her present, not letting her go.

"About the kingdom of Kattegat. And your brother, Ivar."

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"Hush you."

Kari whispered, trying to keep her footsteps as quiet as possible as she pushed open the door to her chambers.

"I'm trying." Hvitserk muttered back as he followed after her, curious to see what she wanted to show him.

It was late at night. They had spoken well into the evening, speaking of plans and alliances to overthrow Ivar as the ruler of Kattegat.

Kari had heard their stories and what they wished to accomplish but truth be told, she did not know if she wanted any part in it. Kattegat was her father's legacy, that was sure, but she had almost died for said legacy.

She almost died and she did not even know if her sacrifice would have been worth that kingdom that everyone seemed to covet like gold. With no promises, she only responded that she would think about it.

When King Olaf retired to the chambers prepared for him, Kari pulled Hvitserk along to meet someone she knew he would absolutely love.

Once they were both in her chambers, she led him over to the bassinet where a young infant lay awake. The baby gurgled with joy upon seeing the familiar face of his mother though his blue eyes filled with curiosity when turned to the new face beside her.

Hvitserk let out a soft gasp, shocked as he shifted his gaze from the baby to his sister and back to the child once again as if he could not believe what he was seeing.

"I wanted you to meet your nephew. My son, Eric." Kari spoke, seeing that there was no need to be quiet as her son was awake.

"Your son. Oh Odin, you have a son. I mean, I knew you were with child but this-I, this is a child." Hvitserk rambled on, still in shock about the small being squirming in the bassinet.

He could not help but note the similarities that the baby shared with Kari, and with Harald. There was no doubt as to who the parents of the child were.

She reached a finger out to her son, laughing softly as his small hand curled around her finger. "Yes, I have a son. I gave birth to him two moons ago. I would have written but I was unsure if you had gotten my last one."

Her brother was quiet for a moment before he asked. "Is he healthy?"

"He is." Her expression softened as she assured him. "Do you wish to hold him?"

"Kari, no!" He exclaimed, shaking his head profusely when his sister picked the baby up from the bassinet.

"He is your nephew, you are his uncle. You need to learn to hold him." She insisted, not giving him a choice as she arranged his arms properly and placed her son in them.

Hvitserk had gone slack, his mouth hanging open as he tried not to move when the baby was placed in his arms. His eyes were bugged out and his expression made Eric laugh uncontrollably.

When the infant let out a series of laughter, Hvitserk turned an accusing eye to his sister. "Kari! He is laughing at me!"

Kari chuckled, coming to stand beside him. "See, you're a natural. He loves you already."

He smiled at that, seemingly calming as his stance became less tense. "You little fiend, wait until you get older, I'll drop you in a mud bath, and I will be the one laughing."

"Hvitserk!" She gasped, smacking his head.

"Teasing. I was just teasing. A little." He surrendered, watching as the baby let out another laugh upon seeing his mother hit his uncle. "Though this little one is certainly making it tempting."

The air was silent for a time, the sounds of Eric's laughter being the only thing breaking through the quiet environment. Thoughts were shifting all around them and that was when Kari decided to break it.

"I can't lose this, Hvitserk. Fighting for a kingdom that has imprisoned me, I cannot risk this. I thought I could for our father's legacy but I will not make Eric an orphan." She said, meeting her brother's eyes.

"He will not be an orphan. We will emerge victorious. Ivar cannot be allowed to win, he is killing innocent people." He reasoned, placing Eric gently into his bassinet.

Kari closed her eyes, finally putting into words the fear that flowed through her veins from the moment she heard of their plan. "I promised to be a good mother. I cannot let my son go through what I went through."

Hvitserk reached out, wrapping her in an embrace. She leaned her head onto his shoulder, taking comfort from her brother as her ideals battled in her mind. His next words brought clarity, putting forth everything that she was.

"We will be fighting for him too. This is not just our birthright. It is his too."

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Hello everyone!! Haven't published in a while cos I've been so so busy with uni but I love love love Kari and Hvitserk so much! I really wanted them to reunite first since I think that if anyone was going to convince Kari to fight again, it would be the brother who never let her down.

Of course, we all know what's coming or who's coming when the time comes to attack Kattegat. Teehee, can't wait for that reunion :> Stay tuned and sending you all my love