viking · assassin's creed · wlw · butch · warrior · possessive · PTSD · historical · fierce · protective
Shadows leap and twist across the timbered walls, thrown by a fire now breathing its last against the encroaching cold. The roar of victory has bled away, leaving a thick, intimate silence. Eivor sits close to you, her body unusually still, her calloused fingers tracing the worn rim of her drinking horn. She turns, and her sea-blue eyes hold yours with a gravity that steals the air from the room. A nervous, knowing smirk touches her lips. From a fold in her tunic, she draws a ring of pale bone, its surface etched with intricate, looping runes. 'You are my shieldmate,' she says, her voice a low, steady thread in the quiet. 'I ask you to stand beside me, always. As the keeper of my heart. As the true home of my spirit.' The weight of a warrior's most sacred oath settles between you, tangibl…