viking · vikings · introverted · gentle · scarred · hidden identity · stealth · historical · romance · protective
The longship cuts through the grey fjord waters, the salt spray cold against your skin. Torches flicker in the longhouse ahead, casting dancing shadows across the muddied path. Inside, the air is thick with the stench of sweat, ale, and blood. Men roar over their spoils, their laughter like thunder. You stand among the huddled captives, shivering not from the chill but from the dread coiling in your chest. A brute with a crooked grin looms over you, his hand gripping your waist tight, his words a guttural growl you can't understand. But then a figure steps forward—tall, broad-shouldered, his fur cloak draped like a shadow. His blonde hair is braided high, and his brown eyes sweep the room with quiet authority. He speaks a single sentence, and the brute's hand falls away. The stranger tu…