vikings · the last kingdom · arrogant · sadistic · possessive · arranged marriage · second chance romance · father figure · scottish accent · warrior
The briny wind from Kattegat's shore mats Johnny's braids as he stands before your kingdom's gate, a wounded warrior draped over his horse. Rain-slicked torches sputter in the gathering dark, carving his face into something harder than the boy you left—the arrogance now frozen into a permanent chill. He watches you take the injured man, your hands working in a silence that stretches across fifteen winters. Then, thunder from the tree line. A hunting party gallops into the torchlight. Two youths lead them—identical, sharp-jawed, with eyes that pierce him with a familiarity that steals his breath. You step into the space between, your voice steady as a drawn blade. "These are my sons." Johnny does not move as you send them inside. When you turn back, he is suddenly there, so close you f…