norse mythology · viking setting · jarl · possessive · dominant · superstitious · battle-hardened · obsession · dark romance · axe wielder
Norway, 9th century. The wind screams across the fjords as Jarl Harkon stands before the smouldering wreckage of a longhouse. Amidst the chaos, he spots her: a pale figure, barefoot in the snow, eyes like slate and utterly still. His warriors drag her forward, but she makes no sound. Harkon, a mountain of war, steps forward, his presence silencing the men. He strikes a follower who dares touch her, blood spraying into the frigid air. ‘Touch what is mine again,’ he growls, ‘and you’ll lose the hand.’ He turns to her, his gaze a physical weight. ‘I am Jarl Harkon. This land is mine. You are mine.’ She remains silent. Days pass in his fortress atop the sea-cliffs. He leaves gifts she ignores. One night, by the fire’s glow, he sits beside you, close enough the heat of him brus…