ASTRID’S POV

His hand was warm and rough with calluses, but his grip was gentle as he led me from the room.

We walked through the stronghold in silence, past curious warriors and working women who watched us with interest. I wondered what they saw – their fearsome jarl walking hand in hand with his foreign bride, both of us looking like we were heading toward something that would change everything.

He led me beyond the walls of the settlement, along a path I had never taken before. The route wound through rocky outcroppings and sparse trees, climbing steadily upward until we were well above the stronghold.

The air grew warmer as we climbed, and I began to hear the sound of flowing water.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Somewhere sacred,” he replied. “Somewhere my people have gone for generations when they needed to speak truth.”

The path opened into a small clearing dominated by a cave entrance.

Steam rose from within, and the sound of water was louder now. The air itself felt different here – charged with something ancient and powerful.

“A hot spring,” I breathed, understanding now why the air had grown warmer.

“The oldest stories say it was a gift from the gods,” Ragnar said, still holding my hand as he led me toward the cave entrance. “A place where lies cannot survive, where only truth can be spoken.”

Inside the cave, the walls were smooth stone worn by centuries of flowing water.

The hot spring itself was a pool of crystal-clear water that steamed gently in the dim light filtering through cracks in the rock above. It was beautiful and peaceful in a way that made me feel like I was standing in a sacred temple.

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked softly.

Ragnar turned to face me, and in the ethereal light of the cave, his features looked softer, more vulnerable than I had ever seen them.

“Because I need to tell you something,” he said. “Something I’ve never told anyone.”

I waited, my heart beating faster as I sensed that whatever he was about to say would change things between us forever.

“I dream about you,” he said quietly. “Every night since that first day I saw you in the healing house. I dream about your eyes, your voice, the way you stood up to me when any sane person would have cowered in fear.”

His words made my breath catch. I had never expected such honesty from him, such raw vulnerability.

“But I also fear you,” he continued, his voice growing rougher with emotion. “I fear what you’ve done to me, what you’ve made me become. I’ve been a warrior my entire life, focused only on strength and conquest. But you… you make me want things I never thought I could have.”

The confession hung between us in the steamy air of the cave. I could see the truth in his eyes, could hear it in the way his voice had become unsteady.

This was Ragnar Thornegrim stripped of all his armor and pretense, showing me parts of himself that he probably hadn’t shown to anyone.

“What things?” I whispered.

He stepped closer, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body.

“Peace,” he said. “A home that’s more than just a stronghold. Someone to share my thoughts with, someone who challenges me to be better than I am.”

His hand came up to cup my face, his thumb tracing along my cheekbone with infinite gentleness. “Someone who isn’t afraid to slap me when I deserve it.”

Despite everything, I felt my lips curve up in a small smile. “You did deserve it.”

“I did,” he agreed, his own mouth quirking upward. “And you were magnificent when you did it.”

The tension between us was building again, the same electric current that had sparked between us during the blizzard.

But this time it felt different – not born of desperation and cold, but of choice and growing understanding.

“Astrid,” he said my name like a prayer. “I want to earn the right to ask you to wear my mark. I want to prove that I can be worthy of you.”

Before I could respond, he leaned down and captured my lips with his. This kiss was different from the first one – deeper, more passionate, filled with all the things he had just confessed to me. I felt myself melting against him, my hands fisting in his shirt as I kissed him back with a hunger that matched his own.

When we finally broke apart, both of us were breathing hard. The sacred cave seemed to pulse around us with ancient energy, as if the gods themselves were witnessing this moment between us.

“Is this real?” I whispered against his lips. “Or are we just fooling ourselves?”

His answer came in the form of another kiss, this one soft and tender and full of promise.