Summary: When Ubbe follows Floki's trails to the new land, he finds more than he expected: you.

Slight AU, Ubbe's not with Torvi.

The tall grass caresses your hands softly. The seagulls dance in the sky. A shiver runs through your body, the sea breeze is cold, especially at the peak of the cliff. From your position, you have visibility over the coast. Waves crash on the rocks to your left, and at your right, a vast sandy beach extends. You have been here for hours, it is your favorite spot. You love the land that you live in, even if recently there have been certain curious developments to your routine. Some time ago, from this same cliff, you were the first one who spotted him. The crazy man that spoke another language and crafted wood. He was in bad shape, malnourished, when he arrived at the shores in a tiny boat. You had taken him to your mother, Pekitaulet. Despite the cautiousness, your people welcomed him. Nevertheless, all of you were a bit on edge, he could not have been alone, could he? So you waited for the rest of his people to arrive. Waited and waited, until one day, another boat docked.

The first few days, your tribe was careful. They left the newcomers alone, just to see what they would do. They were less than you, after all. You could defend yourselves if something were to happen. Your mother, knowing how curious you were, forbade you to go near them. She did not want you to make the same rash decision you did with Floki, the mad man. It certainly took all of you not to approach them, but you managed. However, you could not help looking at them from afar. Just like Floki, they were fascinating. They wore so different clothing and acted even more so. You wanted to learn more about them. Still, that interest in their culture was nothing compared to what made you feel specifically one of them. You saw him in your first illicit exploration, he carried himself as the leader. Tall, with broad shoulders, light hair, and eyes a color you have only seen on Floki. Yet, they were a different shade, much brighter. Blue eyes. Your mother had told you before that blue eyes meant danger. But what a beautiful danger he was. You were so utterly entranced by him that he almost caught you once. You swear that he saw you; your eyes connecting with his. But then he left. Maybe he did not see you after all.

It was a few days later when they found your camp. They were following the traces your people placed for them, and they bought it. You still remember the wary look in their eyes when they saw your people. You still remember the look in Ubbe's (you learned his name then) eyes when he saw you. He was smitten. You knew then that he had indeed seen you before. You wanted to question why he did not say anything, but you could barely understand him. That would be something for you to ask once you could communicate more.

To be honest, that first meeting was a little tense, both groups expecting attacks. It was until the little girl pulled the old man's facial hair that everyone laughed and ate. You could barely take your eyes off Ubbe. Not that he was doing a better job at concealing his interest in you. After they left, your mother chastised you. She wanted you to be friendly with them, but to be careful.

The second meeting went smoother. Their people invited you back to their camp and showed you around. You sat with your sister-in-law, Nikani, and a woman named Torvi, while you braided your hair. Torvi appraised you once you finished, though the result was a poor attempt to duplicate her hairstyle. On the other side of the camp, you saw your brothers Peminuit and We'jitu have an aim contest with Ubbe and the other men. Shortly after that, Ubbe sat with you by the fire. He wanted to tell you something, but just like you, he did not know how to express himself without words. Yet, he was stubborn. He looked you in the eyes and murmured, "du er vakker." You smiled, although you had no idea what he meant. However, it was like no words were necessary to express each other's feelings because, after that, he rarely parted from you. That evening, you took his people to Floki's house.

Slowly, you learned the way of his people and he learned yours. You would dry fur for him to wear and sew beads for necklaces. He accepted all of your gifts happily and returned some. He gave you meat he hunted and a beautiful fluffy fur he brought along with him. Languages were exchanged, and you began to understand better what he said. One of those times, when Torvi was teaching you a few words, you asked what 'vakker' meant. Knowingly, she responded that it was 'beautiful'. You blushed, remembering all the times Ubbe had called you that. Even so, the relationships between tribes were still fragile when one of them killed your brother We'jitu. Your family was devastated. For a moment, you thought everything accomplished would be lost. That you would have to forget about Ubbe and whatever blossoming relationship you had. Luckily, Pekitaulet was wise and wanted no war. She granted the foreigners a chance to redeem the loss. But even when they killed the murderer, everything remained tense. During the punishment and funeral, you were not able to look at Ubbe in the eyes. You were too lost in grief. And even after that, it took a while for things to settle down, for you to spend time with him again. Once you did, though, you realized him coming here was destined.

"Are you still up here?" a voice calls you softly from behind. You glance back, your husband is making his way towards you. His blue eyes shine bright in the sun. He smiles charmingly. "I thought Pekitaulet told you to be careful and not to climb the cliff for a while."

Your guilty laugh echoes through the abyss, "I'm feeling much better now, don't worry. Why don't you sit beside me for a bit?" Ubbe hums but does as requested. Once settled, he takes you in his arms in a gentle embrace, placing you between his thighs.

It took more than you would have liked to learn the Norse tongue. In fact, Ubbe learned faster your language. Nevertheless, that was no barrier for your love to thrive. Steadily, the two of you became closer. You would often exchange lingering gazes, smiles, and soft touches. Everyone could see the love blossoming between the Viking and you. Soon, he asked your mother for your hand in marriage. Despite past events with his people that lead to the death of We'jitu, Pekitaulet recognized that Ubbe was a good man. She blessed the union and you became one heart.

"So," Ubbe murmurs into your hair. He places a sweet kiss in your temple and continues, "are you going to tell me what are you doing up here?"

A few days ago, you started to feel lightheaded while in the woods. You took a nasty fall because of it, managing to injure your ankle. The healer warned you about going out until it was healed. She was about to leave when your mother requested to know the cause of your dizziness. It was no surprise what the healer responded. In fact, it was more than welcomed news. You have not told Ubbe yet. As far as he is concerned, your ankle has not healed yet.

"I just wanted to see the sundown, it is a beautiful time of the day, is it not?" You respond, gazing lovingly into your husband's eyes.

He stares back and smiles at you. "You are beautiful." You blush, making his smirk grow wider. He inclines and captures your lips in a small kiss. "Tell me what is it, wife of mine," he says once he parts from you, "I know you now well enough to notice that there is something you are keeping from me. And it is not the beauty of the sundown."

You exhale, well, it seems like you won't be able to keep it a secret much longer. The only ones that know so far are your mother, Nikani, and Torvi (whom you befriended). You place your hand on his, softly tailing his wrist tattoos. "First, I would like to ask you something that I never had the chance to do before." He regards you curiously, but nods. "The first time that you saw me, it was not in my camp, was it?"

Ubbe looks away sheepishly. "No. I saw you first in the woods." He seems embarrassed, "I know you saw me too, we locked gazes."

"Then why you say nothing to your people?" You ask.

A faint blush colors Ubbe's cheekbones as he responds, "We had just landed, we were thirsty, and there you were, in the middle of greenery nature, all gorgeous, like a true goddess." He peers back at you, and confidently admits, "I thought I was seeing things, losing my mind." The hand that is not encased by yours lifts and caresses your jaw. "When I saw you again at the camp and I realized you were real..." He leaves the sentence incomplete, but you know what he means. You know too well, after all, you felt it the first time you saw him.

His utter honesty must be compensated. He needs to know the secret. "My love," his eyes shine at the nickname, "you are right, there is something you should know." You bring his hand slowly to your lower belly and place it there with a light squeeze. The breeze plays with your hair. You smile shyly, looking at him through your eyelashes. Ubbe inhales sharply. There is no need for words to be said, he knows what you mean, just like he always knew what you wanted to say even when you could not speak his language nor his yours. And yet, you want to say it because it is the best news ever. "Jeg er gravid." And you know, by the look in his eyes and the smile on his face, that it is indeed the best news. He places both hands in your face to bring you closer. This time, the kiss is full of hope, love, and happiness. You can swear, to his gods or yours, that this moment, right here, was destined.