"I'm unbuttoning my shirt, painting the circle over my heart, please... just shoot straight."

chapter I, act II ✧ 𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒔

, Ubbe, Sigurd, and Nero each held a side of Ivar's stretcher.

Barely halfway towards the clearing, they were all panting, "For a boy without legs you sure are heavy."

Ivar guessed that Nero had walked away because he was no longer giving her his full attention. He said nothing, knowing full-well the girl could never stay mad at him for long. And when they finally reached the training grounds, she was nearly sobering up.

The torches and the smell that came from the dead animals communicated to her primal side. The boys helped Ivar settle on the practicing camp for archery. Nero had nothing against the sport, but she would rather see the pain in her enemy from up close when she attacked. Her usual hazel eyes reflecting crimson.

Hvitserk looked at her, challenging, opening his arms and she smiled, grabbing an axe. She wouldn't train with knives, things tended to get out of control quickly when she did.

Vit unsheathed his sword and they began clashing weapons.

Her strikes were calculating, yet she bore a smile on her face. The Ragnarsson was focused, his expression cold as he tried to block her countless attempts.

When fighting they were raw to their opponents, Hvitserk watched all her movements, trying to predict what was next, but having trained with Floki, the wolf was anything but predictable.

Ivar's eyes didn't leave the girl, not for a mere moment. His breath caught in his throat every time his brother's weapon got anywhere close to the girl. His hands itched around his bow, arrow ready to pierce through his own kin if he injured Nero even in the slightest.

Sigurd and Ubbe engaged in a fight next to the two, distracting Ivar from his warrior.

The Ragnarsson who fought with the wolf wouldn't lie, he knew she was a better fighter than him. He knew she was a better fighter than most of his brothers. She was mad, and that's what excited him to no end, Vit could never be bored around her.

He had tactic but she had passion, her eyes blazed with excitement when Vit finally managed to get some leverage, she bit her lip in concentration, the second that she did so was enough for him to lose focus and for her to be smirking with her axe on his neck.

"Gunnolf wins yet again," she teased, chuckling, he smiled at her before ducking under her weapon and grabbing the girl's waist, hoisting her over his shoulder, "that does not make you a winner of any sort, Vit."

"Quit bragging, wolf," he laughed, the girl's axe dropping from her hands as he walked around, her weight feeling almost like nothing to him as he had gotten used to such position with her.

With one hand secured around her waist, he grabbed a knife and began target practicing, pretending she wasn't there.

She raised her head to be met by lovely blue, stormy orbs. She didn't realize Vit had brought her this close to Ivar. She rolled her eyes, still annoyed, not at him but at the girl who tried flirting with him, "What is wrong, pup?"

"For one, your brother is a sore loser now he carries me on his back like his shield," Nero explained, trying to do anything but speak to Ivar. She was still partially inebriated and the fact that he was so close to her face wasn't helping. The beauty of his features striking her.

"I carry you because you are my weapon, not shield," Hvitserk reasoned, still throwing knives as she giggled at his sweet words.

"You know that's not what I am talking about," he continued, ignoring his brother's comment, he leaned forward his breath fanning her face. She smirked at their closeness before being awfully reminded that she was annoyed.

"Next time you want to flirt with a whore Ivar, you don't have to it in front of me," she snarled, only for him to hear as her voice was drowned out by the grunts and groans of Ubbe's and Sigurd's fight.

In perfect timing, Hvitserk put her down, she stood in front of him, a fake smile stamped awkwardly over her features.

His kind eyes looked at her almost as if knowing something was off, but he decided not to question it, "Where do you want to test your skills now, Vit?"

The gods smiled at her jealousy. Ivar's intensity was just the same.

"Wolf. Archery," Ubbe called, her eyes lit up at the challenge, she smiled devilishly. Dares from Ubbe were always the hardest. Before she could even accept, Ivar and Hvitserk were already battling, Ivar fought with cold and merciless eyes, Hvitserk was more lighthearted about it. Her skin shivered with the idea that one day those two could fight for their father's title.

Grabbing Ivar's bow, she smiled at Ubbe, "Sons of Ragnar and their desire to lose to me."

Ubbe laughed at her taunts, looking at her straight in the eye before releasing his arrow, it pierced the animal's forehead perfectly, she smirked, looking at her target before shooting her arrow, puncturing the dead deer's chest, slightly off the middle.

The Ragnarsson laughed, "Lose to you, I see."

"You claim victory too early Ubbe," she clicked her tongue in disapproval, grinning.

Ivar had stopped battling Hvitserk after having won, the two brothers now watched the interaction.

Nero walked towards the creature, unsheathing the knife in her boot before opening the animal from top to bottom, its guts falling to the floor, except for the one organ the arrow had reached. The dead animal's heart, "I suppose we can call it a tie."

He cursed her abilities with a smile, she had a tough life but had certainly been blessed in war. None of the brothers were amused, they expected no less from her. Ivar however, Ivar looked proud, incredibly proud, much like the gods.

The girl tried to pull her arrow out of the animal's ribcage as Ubbe served Ivar a cup of mead, just as Ivar was about to reach for it, Sigurd threw his axe, ripping the cup out of his brother's reach.

The weapon flew dangerously close to Nero's leg, making her jump in surprise.

Ubbe sent the boy an amused look, Hvitserk was staring at the wolf for injuries, and Ivar, well, Ivar was murderous.

His eyes searched the girl quickly before snapping to his brother, carrying a storm. Without second-guessing, his hands grabbed the axe Nero had left next to him, hurling it dangerously close to Sigurd's scalp.

"I guess I will allow a Ragnarsson to win next time," the girl joked, walking back to the group, arrow in hand. Dripping blood adorned her friend's forehead, but he still managed to smile at her.

The mood instantly lightened, her lighthearted presence settling Ivar's nerves.

Though the blonde boy's eyes gleamed with fear and anger, he found the will in him to follow with her joke, "You are stripping us of our pride."

"Well... children, it is quite late. I'll be heading home," she chuckled, throwing the arrow at Sigurd playfully, he grinned at her. She tightened her braided ponytail before waving them a small goodbye and entering the thick forest.

"It's dangerous to walk alone in the woods at night," Nero rolled her eyes, Ubbe, always the big brother.

"Alright, I will go with her," she heard Hvitserk sigh, pretending to not want to perform such task. He loved walking her home after their training sessions.

"Woah, Hvitserk, now I am the one who doesn't want your company," she screamed so the boys could hear, faint laughs boomed from where she had previously been and the sound of rustling made her squeal and fasten her pace.

"Stop running, Nerow."

"Stop chasing me!" she taunted back, smiling at the way he had said her name. He was way faster than her. Vit quickly neared her and as expected, threw her over his shoulder, "Oh and then he dares to be dismissive of my person."

"I am never dismissive of you!" he teased, his grip on her waist tightening. It was no use for her to try and release herself, and in all honesty, she enjoyed it. As one of her hands undid the tight braids on her head, the other slapped Hvitserk's butt, making him groan in annoyance, "Maybe I should reciprocate."

She giggled, knowing he wouldn't, "How was your day, prince?"

He smiled to himself remembering how he had, for the first time in his life, been with a woman, but decided to keep the information to himself. Coughing awkwardly, his mind wandered to his father, "Ragnar wanted you to go to England with him."

Her head snapped up, in pure curiosity and excitement. She would love to fight alongside her king once more, she felt incredibly honored, "I would love to!"

"Well... Björn, Sigurd, and I... we didn't want you to go. So we refused."

"What do you mean you refused? Wasn't the offer for me?" she snarled dangerously and his body tensed up under hers, she knew he was scared, he feared that part of her to no end, the part that was not friendly and loving.

"You had already promised to sail with to the Mediterranean and Ivar is already not happy with that. Ragnar said that you would join him, and Björn said that we would not allow it," he reasoned, Ironside was the soon to be king, no matter what was said, no matter what was done, his word was the final, his word was above Ragnar's.

"That bear and his thick skull!" she groaned, hitting her hands against his back in frustration, she would love to fight for her king once again, but she couldn't take back the promise she made to fight by Björn, as much as she regretted it.

He laughed at her annoyance, finding it somewhat cute, he knew that once he put her down she would have that adorable pout plastered on her face. The sound of waves calmed her nerves as the two reached the shore where she resided.

Vit put the wolf down, they walked side by side inside the dark tent, finding Ragnar sleeping in her hammock.

His wrinkles were softened and the damage the sun had caused to his skin wasn't as apparent. He was strong, she admired him to no end.

She smiled at how peaceful her king looked, how for a moment he didn't seem so broken. Vit smiled at her smile.

Nero didn't have to look behind her to know Floki stood there, ready to scare the girl and the prince, "Father."

"Yes, Freki?" he giggled, using yet another nickname he had for her.

When she was younger, she used to follow Ragnar all around, thinking that she was meant to serve him at all times for allowing Floki to adopt her, and thus why she earned the name of one of Odin's loyal wolves.

"She can sleep with us, Floki," Hvitserk offered, knowing there was no comfortable place for the girl to sleep in the shores. It was nothing out of the ordinary for her to sleep with them, Aslaug treated the girl like any of her sons.

When they were younger, it was a common occurrence for Ubbe to carry her to bed after their training sessions, the girl grew tired fast, they shared the space, no malice or menace in the act, Ubbe and Björn were much like her own family.

Floki nodded, and she hugged him, it had been so long since she had last hugged him. He hugged her back, and she knew his eyes sparkled with life because their king was back, and he loved their king.

They walked to the princes' house in silence, the girl was completely drained. It had been a long day.

Once she walked in, the boys looked at her, their eyes lighting up at the sight of the girl, "So... your dad took my bed."

They laughed, Hvitserk grabbed a random long shirt and threw it to her, she went outside and changed quickly, yawning as she entered the room again. Ubbe looked at her, a pout on his face as she sat on Vit's bed, "I thought we always slept together!"

She smiled at him, "Ubbe, you barely fit on the bed by yourself!"

Sigurd laughed and threw a pillow at her, she frowned before standing up from Vit's bed and pouncing on him, tickling the boy, he flipped the two over, making them both fall on the floor as Hvitserk cheered, throwing occasional pillows at them. Her back hit the ground and Sigurd's fall was cushioned by her body.

Ivar looked at the girl, anger boiling inside of him as he watched how both his younger brothers looked at her in lust. He was unable to say anything on the matter, the girl had been avoiding him, yet both of them knew that by morning she would have forgotten whatever upset her.

"Okay... Sig, you win this round," she sighed, smiling and the boy grinned like crazy, no one ever won when competing with Nero, he had extreme bragging rights against his brothers now.

Vit helped his brother off the girl, her chest rising and falling quickly with effort. She stood up and settled on Hvitserk's bed, not bothering to look at the Viking's reaction.

The boy laid in bed with her, meaning no harm. The wolf turned to face him, loose strands of her hair framing her face as she settled her head on his chest comfortably and felt the sharp breath he took at her closeness.

Soon he grew comfortable with the girl's presence, and soon she fell asleep, he pulled up the furs so they covered her back and neck, worrying she would feel cold through the night.