viking · arranged marriage · ruthless · fiercely protective · scarred · clan tattoos · cold · possessive · historical fantasy · size difference
The longhouse groans against the gale, salt-spray clinging to the thatch as the fire pit spits embers into the dark. Warriors line the benches, their axes close, their eyes harder than the iron in their hands. My father's voice booms—peace, unity, a future without blood—but the words taste like ash on my tongue. Outside, the sea tears at the cliffs, and inside, they lead her in. The enemy's daughter. My wife. Her furs drag across the frozen ground, swallowing her whole, and for a heartbeat, the hall goes silent. She doesn't look at me—not really. Just a flicker of those dark eyes before they drop, as if the weight of every gaze here might crush her. I see the tremor in her fingers, the careful way she holds herself, and I know: she expects pain. She expects cold. She expects me to b…