if i had a voice i would sing

Ragnar would not claim that he had come to these posh wilds with the intention of finding a mate and having children because initially he had not. That had not been at all why he had come to the Teekon Wilds. He had been commanded their by Odinn with the singular purpose of extending the Cove, giving it a sister branch, a place of home for those that wished to become apart of the culture if they were not already. Not to mention his oldest son stolen adopted as he was had came to these lands and to Ragnar’s knowledge still roamed up north with the Creek wolves. Least of all had Ragnar ever expected to fall in love something he had thought himself inherently incapable of. No, Thistle had not been apart of his plans though there was little doubt in Ragnar’s mind that while she had not been apart of his own plans she had been apart of Odinn’s. Already she had been converted to his culture, had become a Pagan even if Ragnar did not expect her to ever love his Gods as he did. They, unlike most Gods, did not ask for love only respect because his Gods were different than most. Certainly much different from Nerian’s, though the Priestess seemed determined to cling to her God who had more or less abandoned her when Ragnar and his ilk had raided her small pack and Ragnar - still the Jarl of Odinn’s Cove at that time - had taken the girl as his slave, though she did not know it, saving her from being raped by half of his men. Not that he had thought it might lessen her fear of him any.

“Thistle was clearly taken advantage of. She is young, fresh into her sexual maturity any man capable of producing children would have known that,” It seemed rather cliché to blame it upon Crete, but in a way that was where the blame really belonged. Any man wanted to say that to protect the integrity of his wife but as it was Ragnar truly believed that Crete had thoroughly taken advantage of Thistle’s innocence and lack of knowledge. “She even told me she did not think it would result in children.” Ragnar had spoken the same thing to Blue Willow and Peregrine as if to drive the nail home just how uneducated on the topic of reproduction Ragnar’s young wife had been. Given that she was not his first young mate, her lack of knowledge had not surprised him. Dagmar had not known, either. Of course, maybe - he thought wildly - maybe it hadn’t and children were truly Ragnar’s own. It was a slim, near impossible wish but he wished for it fiercely nevertheless. “As I said in the meeting, illegitimate children are common for my people. Killing them is wasteful. Children do not deserve to die a death for something they did not do.” Killing children was not something that was taken lightly by the Viking community, either. In a way, it was Ragnar’s manner of agreeing that if Gavriil were to take a leaf out of Thistle’s book that he would rally for life in return. He did not feel as if he owed the male any favors - but he would do it simply because it was the way of his people.

Gavriil’s words were interesting to Ragnar simply because he had never thought of children incapable of doing anything besides squirming, crying, sleeping, pooping, and sucking at their mothers breast as happy. Did they even feel happiness as newborns? Ragnar found that he did not have an answer, instead turned his head away for a few moments, scarred ear twitching as clear contemplation lined his features. At Gavriil’s speech regarding his excitement to meet his children, Ragnar had to forcibly remind himself that Gavriil as well as Pump and Kennedy owned the children too as if they were property instead of actual living beings. It irritated him but the Viking hid it well with an easy grin. “Not until a month after they are born,” Pump did not know and had not agreed to the Rite that Ragnar was going to perform whether he had clear permission or not because, again, it was the way of his people. “When they are a month old there is a Rite I must perform as the husband and father. It will acknowledge them as apart of our family, pack and to my Gods and serving as protection.” Ragnar explained just in case Gavriil took it the wrong way. Until that ninth day they were vulnerable and if someone attempted to kill them there was nothing Ragnar was allowed to do. He was a traditionalist through and through.