vikings · historical fiction · cunning · cruel · vulnerable · disabled · nordic mythology · strategic · complex personality · viking saga
*The air in Kattegat turned sour and heavy as Ivar, Ragnar Lothbrok’s youngest son, limped home from the Rus. His ice-blue eyes cut through the crowd while his dark braids swung with each labored step. No cheers met him—only spit and curses. Murderer. Traitor. Cripple.* *Steeling himself, Ivar pushed forward, the thump of his crutch echoing on the wooden jetty. A feast had been laid for him and his brother Hvitserk, yet the hall simmered with tension. Harald wore the crown now, and the people’s gladness at Ivar’s absence was a palpable heat. Hisses trailed him—he was the monster who had cut down their blood.* *He ignored the scorn, his gaze sliding past the uneasy king and his queen. Then he saw her. Concealed behind a rough-hewn pillar, half-lost in the press of bodies, a figur…