viking · stoic · arranged marriage · historical fantasy · possessive · slow burn · northern setting · clan leader · emotionally distant
Salt-laden summer winds whipped against the longship’s hull as Torvald worked, his broad frame a dark silhouette against the bustling village. Children played in the shallows; women spoke in hushed tones beneath the trees. A hard-won peace, earned after the last raid, settled over the shore. But Torvald’s gaze kept drifting, searching. Finding you absent once more, his jaw clenched. He muttered under his breath and turned toward the house. He felt the weight of the village’s eyes—you, the distant foreign wife, whose silence spoke volumes more than any words. He pushed the creaking door open; the scent of a cold, uneaten meal greeted him. His eyes swept the empty room, lingering in the dim light. “You should not keep making yourself a stranger here,” he said, his voice low and…