Wait to start the song.

Waking up in Scandinavia was disorienting. Tyler was used to sharing a bed with his brothers, but the arm wrapped around him didn't belong to a little kid. Not to mention, the chest his head was resting on belonged to a woman. His heart slammed against his ribcage as he slowly looked up at the woman sleeping serenely beside him. Then his eyes dragged over to the large bearded man fast asleep with an arm around the both of them.

It hadn't been a dream then. He really had spent countless days on a Viking ship, being carried away to a strange and unfamiliar place. His eyes widened when the man grunted in his sleep, pulling Tyler closer to him. Josva nuzzled his face into Tyler's hair before relaxing again.

The great wooden door across the room opened then, and the three children from the throne room ran in, making a great deal of noise as they excitedly blundered onto the bed. Einar had to lift little Ellinor on because her legs were too small to reach on her own.

The two Vikings sleeping beside Tyler awoke with a start, laughing as their children leapt upon them, giggling madly all the while. Einar and Ellinor climbed up Josva as he sat up, making him bellow out a deep laugh. Rasmus sleepily plopped down in his mother's lap, resting his head calmly against her breast and closing his eyes instantly.

Once again, Tyler was surrounded by people speaking a language he didn't understand. The children spoke excitedly to their parents, laughing as they were showered in hugs and kisses. Tyler felt extremely anxious and out of place.

"Mine små babyer," Josva laughed out as he reached around Tyler to stroke Rasmus's hair despite the toddler and young boy bouncing around him excitedly. [My tiny babies.]

"Jeg er ikke en baby, far," Einar argued, folding his arms grumpily. [I am not a baby, father.]

Josva hugged the small boy, nuzzling the top of his head like he had to Tyler's while he was sleeping. "Giv mig et par år før du forsøger at være voksen." [Give me a couple of years before trying to be an adult.]

Jenna laughed, stroking Tyler's cheek without looking away from her children. "Du vil altid være vores babyer." [You will always be our babies.]

The door opened again, and one of the large men who had assisted in the raid at Tyler's home came in. Tyler stiffened, feeling Josva's hand soothe along his spine.

"Kong Josva, du har besøgende i den store hall. Det er presserende," he announced. [King Joshua, you have a visitor in the great hall. It's urgent.]

Tyler didn't know why Josva groaned, burying his face against the younger man's shoulder. "Giv mig et øjeblik," he muttered. The man nodded, leaving the room. [Give me a moment.]

Finally, Jenna spoke to explain to Tyler what was going on. "Josva needs to listen to a problem with a member of our tribe. It's part of his role as king."

Tyler nodded, still entirely overwhelmed by all of this. Josva set Ellinor in Tyler's lap as he climbed out of bed. She blinked up at him with wide brown eyes.

"Papa?" She asked fearfully.

"Han er familie. Vær ikke bange, killing," Josva soothed. [He is family. Do not be afraid.]

"You are from England, ja?" Einar asked Tyler, his small voice just as accented as that of his parents.

"Yes," Tyler replied quietly.

"Are you a king too?" Rasmus asked shyly.

"No. I'm not anybody really," Tyler replied, feeling embarrassed by that as well.

Einar grinned, but Jenna frowned. "You talk funny," the small boy told Tyler.

"So do you," Tyler found himself replying.

Josva laughed as he pulled a shirt on. "Be nice to little one, Einar."

"Papa!" Ellinor whined when Josva went to leave.

He smiled. "Come then."

Jenna smiled. "Tag også Tyler. Lad ham lære." [Take Tyler too. Let him learn.]

Tyler was surprised to hear his own name. The Norseman glanced at him before pulling more clothes out of his drawer. "Little one too small for Josva clothes. We find little clothes soon."

Before Tyler knew it, he was being lifted out of bed again. This time, Josva set him down upon his feet, allowing him to dress himself in the borrowed clothes. They swamped him. His cheeks burned red when the children laughed.

"Opføre sig!" Jenna demanded, making her children all quiet down. She smiled softly at Tyler then. "I will make you new clothes today. Do not worry. You will wear my husband's clothes for only one day. If anyone laughs at you, Josva will defend you. You are ours now. No one can bother you." [Behave!]

"Thank you," he told her quietly.

She lifted Rasmus out of her lap then, crawling over to the edge of the bed before pulling Josva down and kissing him gently. Her face was hard though when she spoke to him.

"Beskyt ham. Hvis nogen gør ondt i denne mand, vil jeg holde dig ansvarlig. Forstår du?" She asked in a stern voice. [Protect him. If anyone hurts this man, I will hold you responsible. Do you understand?]

"Ja," Josva replied. He kissed her again, carefully balancing his daughter on his hip. "Kiss little one. We go now."

Jenna smiled before pulling Tyler down by the front of his shirt and kissing him softly. Tyler glanced anxiously at the children, who watched curiously.

"Be brave today, little one. You are a Viking now," she told him quietly. "You belong to a king and queen. You may not be married to us, but you are a part of this family. This is your home now, Tyler. You are safe here."

This didn't feel like home. This was all so foreign. Tyler didn't understand any of this. Why would a man willingly let another man into bed with him and his wife? Josva had kissed Tyler's skin just as many times as his wife had. Was that not a sin to their gods? Tyler had so many questions, but Josva didn't understand them, and he felt strange asking Jenna.

He felt even more strange when Josva took his hand with the one not holding Ellinor. The Viking led him out of the bedroom and away from the only sanctuary Tyler had. Einar hopped off of the bed, following them into the great hall.

Start the song. It's Keep the Streets Empty by Fever Ray.
**There will be mention of rape here, but there will be no details.**

The great hall was filled with people-laughing, shouting, singing, crying. They all fell silent, though, when Josva entered. Tyler was extremely unsure of what was happening as he was led through the massive hall.

Josva released Tyler's hand before sitting in the largest throne, sitting his daughter in his lap. Tyler was surprised when Josva motioned for him to sit in the second largest. This was Jenna's. She'd been sitting in it last night. Why was it being offered to him? Einar took the much smaller seat beside Tyler's.

Josva greeted the great hoard of people in their language. He said something that made them all laugh before gesturing to Tyler.

"Dette er Tyler. Han tilhører min familie. Du vil respektere ham. Forstår du?" He said loudly, sounding more serious than Tyler had ever heard him. [This is Tyler. He belongs to my family. You will respect him. Do you understand?]

Shouts of affirmation rang through the room. "Er din kone afrejse?" Asked a small woman at the front of the room. [Is your wife leaving?]

Josva smiled. "Nej. Vi deler ham." [No. We are sharing him.]

Whatever Josva said then, it seemed to appease the people. They fell into a respectful silence, allowing Josva to speak to them. Tyler sat uncomfortably as he listened to each and every problem the lower members of the tribe presented to their king. He didn't understand a word they said. It wasn't until a woman with a black eye and shaky hands came forward that Einar straightened up.

"This is the real meeting," he whispered to Tyler. He translated as the woman explained her case. "She is accusing her husband of rape. He was punishing her for infidelity. Both are crimes."

Josva looked angry though when he spoke, and a red-headed man stepped forward. Whatever it was Josva was saying to the man was making his face turn bright red, and Tyler glanced to Einar in the hopes of another translation.

"Papa is mad at her husband. He says the man made her wait to come forward until now so that the only judge would be another man. He thought he could find brotherhood in Papa, but he is wrong. Papa is angry," Einar whispered.

Josva looked to a large man with a beard and an ugly scar through his right cheek. "Find min kone og bring hende ind," he told the man angrily. [Find my wife and bring her in.]

The man bowed to Josva before leaving the room quickly. The red-haired man looked uneasy as his king glared at him, cradling his daughter closer. It was clear that the woman was terrified to stand beside her husband. Josva said something to her, and she immediately hurried up the steps to the thrones and stood beside him instead.

"Han vil ikke skade dig igen. Jeg ved, du er uskyldig," Josva told her in a soft voice. [He will not hurt you again. I know you are innocent.]

The woman sobbed as she nodded, taking his hand when he held it out to her. Moments later, Jenna came in. She looked beautiful, her hair held off of her face in complex braids and her dress a dark blue. Rasmus was sat upon her hip as she carried him in, surprising Tyler more than anyone when she sat Rasmus down in a throne before sitting in the Englishman's lap.

It took only a moment of Josva explaining the situation to her for her usually kind face to turn to steel. She stood, walking over to hold the hand of the woman. Quietly, she spoke to the woman before turning to the man.

"Hun bestemmer din straf. Hun er en fri kvinde nu. Du er ikke hendes mand længere," Jenna told him.

"My mama says that the woman is to pick the punishment. Their marriage is over. She's no longer tied to him," Einar whispered to Tyler.

"She picks his punishment? What kind of punishment?" Tyler whispered back.

The woman whispered something to Josva, who smirked at the man. He stood, announcing loudly to all who could hear exactly what punishment this man would receive. The crowd erupted into cheers as it was spoken. The man's face drained of colour. Tyler looked to Einar for a translation, but he just shrugged.

Jenna sat back down in Tyler's lap though. "She has elected to castrate him so he may never hurt another woman again," Jenna whispered to Tyler.

Tyler's eyes widened. "What?"

"Josva has already approved. Justice has been served according to our laws." Jenna soothed her fingers through Tyler's hair. "Do all Englishmen have such short hair?"

"I...yeah. I think so," Tyler replied, still trying to understand how castration could be justice.

"I could not braid this if I tried," she said disappointedly.

"Who will castrate him?" Tyler asked her curiously, not focusing on her small talk.

Jenna smiled. "The woman. He forgot that man and woman are equals in marriage. He must be reminded. After this, he will never marry again. No woman can be treated this way so long as Freya is watching over us. My husband knows that. He is a man of the gods."

Tyler watched as Josva handed the woman a knife before gesturing to his guards. They came to the man, one grabbing each arm as they carried him out of the building. The woman followed. It wasn't five minutes before she returned, handing Josva the bloodied knife and smiling. She bowed deeply.

"Tak, Kong Josva," she said quietly. [Thank you, King Joshua.]

"Tak gudene," he replied. [Thank the gods.]

She bowed again before leaving the hall. Tyler looked at Josva in amazement. What kind of justice system allowed this? The Norseman met his eyes, smiling and reaching over to take his hand.

"Woman not less. Woman be treated better. He break our laws. He break the gods' laws," Josva explained.

It was amazing how quickly the people of Josva's tribe had accepted Tyler's presence. They didn't mind their queen sitting in a foreign man's lap or their king holding his hand. Whatever Josva had told them about this had been enough justification for them. Even when Josva kissed each of his knuckles softly, none of the people said a word, some already having left or moved on to different conversations amongst themselves.

"Does the wife not belong to the man?" Tyler asked curiously. "That is the way in England."

Josva laughed, and Jenna did too. "No, little one. Woman is not cattle. Man come from gods. Woman come from goddesses. Both is equal. Summer not less or more to Winter. Woman not less or more to man. Equal," the king explained.

"And your gods would allow a marriage to end without death?" Tyler asked curiously.

"That woman was not safe, and not in love. The marriage had already ended in the eyes of the gods. It was only up to us to tell her that. Where there is no love, there is no marriage," Jenna explained to him.

Josva nodded before smiling at his wife adoringly. "Jeg elsker dig, min elskede," he told her softly. [I love you, my beloved.]

"Og jeg elsker også dig, min baby," she replied lovingly. [And I love you too, my baby.]

Then Jenna nuzzled Tyler's nose with hers. "And we adore you, little one. You are precious to us."

"Du er vores største skat," Josva agreed, something incredibly tender in his voice as he spoke to Tyler. [You are our greatest treasure.]

"Thank you," Tyler replied quietly, not really sure how he could be precious to them when they barely knew him.

His eyes widened slightly when Josva leaned over and kissed his forehead softly. In a room full of people, Josva still was not ashamed to kiss his skin. Jenna rubbed his thigh softly as Josva sat back down, looking back at his people.

"The gods blessed us greatly when they gave us our little one," Jenna told Josva. Her arms wrapped around Tyler's neck as she peppered his face with kisses.

Josva smiled. "Tak gudene," he replied easily. [Thank the gods.]

It was still unclear to Tyler as to why he'd been taken. Since arriving, he'd been kissed, coddled, presented as a gift, and deemed family. What did they want with him? He'd always thought that those captured by the Norse became slaves or were slaughtered. No one had hurt him though, and they were adamant that no harm come upon him. Why had they taken him then?

Music and voices filled the hall, and it seemed as though everyone had returned to business as usual. Maybe that was why Jenna decided now was the right time to start asking him for personal information.

"Tyler, have you ever kissed a woman? She asked him, twirling the hairs at the nape of his neck.

"Just you," he replied quietly.

She smiled. "A man?"

"No. That's a sin," Tyler replied quietly.

"The gods do not care, Tyler. Many of them have taken partners of their same sex. So long as they further their bloodline first, no god will punish their people for finding love and pleasure," she told him in a soft and velvety voice.

That was definitely not what Tyler was used to. He'd seen what happened to homosexuals who were discovered in England, and it never ended well.

"That's interesting," he replied quietly.

She smiled, brushing his hair back with her fingers before kissing his lips softly. "Little one, have you ever taken a woman to bed?"

Tyler's eyes widened. "No. I'm not married. That...That would be a sin."

"A sin?" Josva asked before laughing.

"Our gods do not think so, little one. Our gods tell us that sex is a gift. Would you not agree?" She asked him quietly.

Josva's thumb absent-mindedly rubbed circles on the back of Tyler's hand, but he wasn't paying attention anymore. He was laughing with a group of men that had gathered at the foot of the throne. Tyler recognized them from the ship.

"I don't know," he told Jenna finally.

She nodded, kissing his forehead. "It is your decision to make, little one. Nothing you do here should be against your will."

That made very little sense to Tyler, given that being here was against his will in general. He didn't want to live in a place where no one understood him and he knew no one. He didn't want to be trapped far from his family. He didn't want a new family either.

"Pas på vores lille mand. Jeg tager babyerne til at spille," Jenna said to Josva, who nodded. [Take care of our little man. I am taking the babies to play.]

"Tak fordi du kom for at hjælpe. Jeg elsker dig," Josva told her. [Thank you for coming to help. I love you.]

She pressed a lingering kiss to Josva's lips before picking up Ellinor. Rasmus and Einar followed obediently. Just as she always did, she stroked Josva's bearded cheek gently, smiling adoringly at him.

Tyler had always been told that the Pagans didn't feel love. He'd been told that they had mindless sex with everyone and loved to kill. From what he'd seen here, that wasn't the case. Never in his life had he seen a couple more in love than Josva and Jenna. In fact, being that in love was frowned upon in England. Public displays of affection were deemed sinful, yet the pair of Vikings had even been showering him with affection. Perhaps he really was precious to them in some way.

He wasn't sure if he was to stay or to leave when Jenna and the children left the great hall. The only indication that he was to remain in his seat was Josva's steadfast grip on his hand. Anxiety tugged at Tyler's insides. Josva rarely understood what he was trying to tell him, and even Einar, his little translator, had gone.

Several more people came forward, presenting crimes and grievances to Josva, but Tyler had no idea what anyone was saying. The only comfort he received came from Josva's thumb rubbing the back of his hand.

This seemed to go on for ages before-finally-there was no one else stepping forward. As soon as the lag occurred, Josva stood up.

"Det er alt for nu!" He announced. [That is all for now.]

Tyler stood as well, seeing as his hand was still in the larger man's grip. He trailed after Josva uncertainly as they left the great hall, leaving the building entirely. Snow was still falling, and Tyler shivered instantly. The Viking noticed, but didn't stop walking.

"Josva furs too big for little one. Little one need furs," Josva explained.

"Okay," Tyler replied shyly. "Joshua, may I ask you a question?"

"Question?" Josva asked, clearly not understanding the word.

"Why am I here?" Tyler asked, deciding against explaining the word. It didn't matter.

The Norseman glanced at him. "For Jenna."

"Why does she need me here?" Tyler asked curiously. "Why me?"

His captor sighed. "Josva leave for raids. Jenna og babies alone. Jenna need you so not be alone." [and]

"I'm here for companionship then? Can't she get a dog?" Tyler asked, making Josva laugh.

"No. Jenna not need dog. Jenna need husband," he tried to explain.

"You're her husband, Joshua. I'm not," Tyler replied, his eyebrows furrowing together in confusion.

Josva led him past a great stall filled with goats and sheep. Everywhere Tyler looked, eyes were watching them. All of the eyes seemed to light up when they saw Josva.

"Tyler be little one. Not husband. Little one help Jenna if husband gone. If Josva go to Valhalla, little one keep Jenna," Josva told him as he opened a thick wooden door and led Tyler into a wooden building.

"What's Valhalla?" Tyler asked, looking around at all of the different furs hanging on the walls in this building. Everything smelled a bit musky, but that was to be expected in a room full of animal pelts.

Josva's eyes scanned Tyler's body before he was looking through the pelts. Three young women sat upon stools in the room, blushing whenever Tyler glanced at them. They were closer to his age than Jenna and Josva, who had to be in their mid-twenties.

"Valhalla where Josva go if dies in battle. Gods feast with Josva. Every day new battle, then feast with gods. All warrior go if Odin allows. It is honour," Josva explained, pulling out a thick grey and white wolf pelt before wrapping it around Tyler. "Tyler fur?" He asked.

Tyler looked down at it. It was very warm, blocking out the piercing cold of Scandinavia. He nodded, making Josva smile.

"So you want me here to take your wife if anything were to happen to you," he restated.

Josva nodded. "Ja."

"And I must do that? I can never go home?" Tyler asked anxiously.

"Little one are home," Josva told him as he dropped a handful of silver into one of the girls' hands.

"I can't even go back to England to visit?" He asked sadly.

It was then that Josva seemed to realize he was genuinely upset about this. Tears were filling his eyes as he thought about never seeing his family again. Josva sighed.

"Josva teach little one to be warrior. Little one raid with Josva. Josva promise," he said softly.

As much as Tyler didn't want to go witness what had happened to his village being done to another, he nodded. He wanted to go home, and he'd do anything to get there. Although he allowed Josva to kiss his forehead, he wasn't clinging to the comfort anymore. His comfort came from the hope of escape. As soon as the Vikings raided again, he would be able to go home.

Knowing he couldn't give himself away before the time came, Tyler went up on his tiptoes to kiss Josva's cheek. "Thank you, Joshua."

Josva smiled, stroking Tyler's cheek before wrapping an arm around him and leading him through the village. "Selv tak." [You're welcome.]