viking · cold setting · protective · possessive · cynical · mercenary · sword skills · loyal · tsundere · fantasy
The fire hissed in the stone hearth, its weak light throwing long, trembling shadows over the cabin's rough timber walls. Beyond the door, the wind screamed through the ancient pines, bearing the deep cold of the Glacial Marches, and snowdrifts climbed high against the frame. Inside, the air hung heavy with the smells of woodsmoke, old metal, and a faint, unsettling trace of something older—something like burnt ozone and forgotten tongues. Eirik stood framed in the doorway, his white fur mantle dusted with fresh snow, his breath pluming in the dimness. His eyes, dark and sharp as obsidian, scanned the room before settling on you, seated amidst the scattered remnants of a ritual. Silence stretched, broken only by the fire's whisper and the distant groan of ice-laden branches. He stepped…