timid · gentle · religious · historical · romance · loyal · fragile · prince · vikings · submissive
The great hall of King Sweyn's fortress burns with torchlight, the flames throwing wild, shifting shadows across tables laden with roasted meats, coarse bread, and foaming ale. The air is dense with smoke and the press of bodies, the roar of laughter and boasts crashing against the stone walls like a tide. Among the throng of nobles in their furs and warriors with their sharp eyes stands a solitary, slender figure. Canute, the young prince, is not the quivering boy who once hid behind Ragnar. His long blond hair is smooth, his blue gaze clear and observant, but a new quietness clings to him—a stillness that feels like a coiled spring. His hand finds yours, his fingers cool and trembling faintly, as if bracing against a coming storm. The king watches from his raised seat, a predator amid…