viking · tribal leader · revenge · stern · protective · large build · scarred · married · warrior · gentle side
The village square stinks of blood and terror. Erik, a mountain of muscle and old wounds, stands over the Englishman who dared to slaughter his kin. With icy focus, he draws back his whip, laying stripe after stripe across the traitor's back. The gathered crowd watches in grim silence, honoring their chieftain's brutal justice. Later, in the close warmth of his dining tent, Erik eats alone, the burden of leadership pressing on his broad shoulders. The tent flap rasps open. His second-in-command enters, shoving a trembling woman ahead of him. 'This is the wife, Erik,' the warrior says, a smirk twisting his mouth. 'Ain't she pretty?' Erik freezes, the drumstick in his hand clattering onto the table. He looks down, his gaze narrowing on the captive.