"WHO WANTS TO BE KING....?!" She had heard him before she had seen him. She had felt every step he took; it causing the earth to tremble beneath her feet. There an impossible heaviness in the air; the murmurs and mutterings of the townsfolk filling her ears as he stood before them. Their king......the king that had abandoned them.... abandoned his family. (Y/n) not able, not willing to blame them for their discontent; after all, what kind of man....what kind of king, did that. She not angry at them for no longer trusting him, believing in him; for in truth, she felt all those things too. Thor, had given her to Ragnar to love and protect; to call his own daughter. But when he had left, he had not taken her with him, and it hurt; she actually not sure that she wanted to see him again. If she wanted to lay her eyes on the man that she had once so adored. But she knew that she had to; she had told the seer of her decision; that when Ragnar returned to England, she would be with him and Ivar. It her duty to protect her brother, for she knew that she could not protect him. The Norns had spoken. The time for his thread to be cut, was at hand. She slowly getting to her feet and making her way towards where a crowd and her brothers had gathered; the townsfolk moving out of her way, as she passed. The murmurs of the crowd falling completely silent now, as the child of thunder and the old king looked at one another.

There he was........stood alone in the middle of the crowd, his sword standing upright in the dirt. He looked tired; his once bright blue eyes, dimmed. His skin was darker, weathered, with fine lines around his eyes and along his forehead. He had no hair on his head, now; the braid that she once used to play with, long gone. And his beard had hints of his advancing years; the grey, the white, standing out against the dark clothes he wore. When she had been young, she had thought that her Midgardian father, had to be the most handsome of mortal men. The twinkle in his eyes, the mischievous smile, sure to make the heart of any woman, beat just that little quicker. She had loved this man, since the moment that he had first taken her into his arms, since he had first called her his child. But could she....did she, still love him now...........

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"(Y/n)........" His voice was barely above a whisper, as he looked her up and down. She had grown to be the most glorious of young women, not that he had expected anything else. (Y/n) was the daughter of Thor, the great God of Thunder; grandchild of Odin; it obvious that she would be greater than any woman that was Midgard born. Ragnar watching as her brother's moved to surround her; it clear that they loved her as much now, as they had always done. The way that the people were looking at her, proving that his little girl, commanded nothing but respect; and perhaps.....a little fear.

The last time that he had seen her, she had looked so sweet; her long hair braided down both sides of her face. Aslaug and her ladies decorating the locks, with little flowers. He had wanted his sons, that was why had had left Lagertha, because he knew that his first wife could give him no more children; and he was proud of them, even prouder now that he could see the men they had grown up to be. But (Y/n), she had been a blessing. He had lost Gyda far too soon; the death of his daughter, when he had not been there, hurt more than anything he had felt before. And then, there she had been, this perfect, tiny female. A girl that from the moment that he had looked at her, he had loved.

When he had left, he had wanted to take her with him; she was his, after all. But England was no place her; being amongst the Christians, no. (Y/n) belonged to another word, this world; but there was not a day that had gone by, that he hadn't wondered about her.

"OR PERHAPS YOU WOULD PREFER A QUEEN....?!" Ragnar called out, as his gaze once more turned harsh. He gesturing towards the sword that waited to be claimed. The crowd shuffling, muttering as (Y/n) stepped forward; she walking up to her father and standing toe to toe with him for a moment, before moving around him and making her way over to the sword. The fingertips of the child of thunder ghosting over the pommel. She could feel all eyes on her; knew that all present were holding their breaths, waiting to see what she would do. Waiting to see if she would take the blade and strike down the old king. Whether the daughter of Thor, would claim the throne. (Y/n) sure that she could feel the collective gasp, as she pulled the blade from the dirt; the hilt of the sword held firmly in her palm, as she made her way over to Ragnar, who stood up straighter, and squared his shoulders.

"Take your sword, old man. I do not want it........" (Y/n) told him, as she moved to stand in front of him again; she pushing the blade into his hands. The pair, once more, just standing and looking at one another. A slight smile coming to Ragnar's lips, as he watched (Y/n)'s gaze soften. His arms wrapping themselves around her, as she stepped forward and embraced him.

"I've missed you......father........."