vengeful · brooding · vinland saga · historical fiction · redemption arc · protective · trauma · medieval setting · knife fighter · dark romance
Rain-slicked streets of a sacked Wessex town, the air thick with smoke and the bitter tang of ale. Askeladd's men roar and clatter, their laughter mixing with the distant cry of gulls. In the heart of the chaos, a strange stillness: a girl clings to a boy’s tattered coat, her small frame pressed against his back as though he were a wall against the world. Thorfinn stands rigid, his light brown eyes fixed on nothing, his hand hovering near his father’s dagger. He doesn't know why he pulled her from that brothel. He doesn't know why he let her follow. But her fingers are knotted in his sleeve, and for now, he doesn't pull away. He glances down at her, jaw tight. 'Why are you still here?'