viper tongue

The Viper for HelvegenHQ

[hugormprince]

svalarisbergthediva​:

.

Svala froze and processed his words. Again, she felt warmth align her cheeks and spread to her ears. Her mouth flopped open in seer disbelief before she was able to speak again. “Th… that’s not it… I only have my siblings to go on when it concerns warriors. I’m no warrior or I would probably understand myself.” 

Upon hearing him say that he thought she had more fire than that caused Svala to pause and her shoulders became straighter. A small smirk fought and won over her face as she looked over to him. “I am sure you are mistaken with that,” the smirk now remained despite her words. “As for my siblings, they are children of warriors and it’s made them proud. I mean no offence by it, but it is just what I have seen in two individuals. They grew up believing they knew best and I feel that I am often left behind as I have no idea what they mean when such arguments occur.”

.

"Sounds quite unpleasant." Unpleasant wasn't the right word. Maddening was likely a better term for it since Arvid couldn't imagine a conversation where he didn't understand what the people involved in it meant - it would drive him simply insane not to. Of course, his ego often meant that he didn't think those around him were capable of having a conversation that was beyond his grasp, but at least Arvid had the manners not to say such a thing out loud.

Perhaps he would make points with the lady if he said her siblings didn't make any sense to her because they weren't sensible as people, but no need to risk it. "Being able to fight doesn't mean you always know what's best. There's a reason not all fighters are leaders." In terms of brute strength, Arvid could think of people who were stronger than he was, his brother among them, but that didn't make them leaders. Again, he included his brother in that. "But they should be proud of being warriors, and being the children of warriors. Are you proud of it?"

[hugormprince]

svalarisbergthediva​:

.

As soon as he spoke, Svala felt a lump in her throat and a heat rush to her cheeks. She hadn’t expected to bump into him of all people. Whilst she had no opinion of the current Jarl, she just didn’t want to interact with them. It was more out of not wanting to say some inappropriate around them, just like she had just done. Just as she had done… 

“Of… of course not,” she began in a flutter, her head bowed to avoid his gaze and conceal her embarrassment. “I… I shouldn’t have swore as I did either,” she apologised, her voice still soft and shaky. She hesitated before continuing, “I thought the crowd would - I don’t know - keep me from my siblings and take my mind off… I don’t know why I’m explaining myself… I am sorry, I’ll just get out of your way.” Svala bit her lip as she turned on her heel to move herself out of his way.

.

"Do you think that's the worst I've heard?" Amusement curled around Arvid's words, a genuine emotion instead of something put on for the sake of manipulation. "You must not think me much of a warrior if you think all it takes is a bump and a few ungracious words to rattle me."

It wasn't about that and Arvid knew it, it was about respecting his station, but it was clear from her behavior she hadn't meant any sort of slight and really, it wasn't like she knocked him over, his pride was without wound. "No need to run away, stay. I'm sure you have more fire than that." She certainly talked as if she did before realizing who she bumped into. Besides, there were people around, no reason to give off a bad impression to anyone that might be watching... There was always someone watching. "I'm not a stranger to fights with siblings."  

[hugormprince]

blom-idum​:

Idum just counts their coins absentmindedly as the prince talks. When they fell to the mortal realm they had no respect for the kings and chiefs. Still in their mind a god the prospect of bending a knee– of holding their tongue, was laughable. But one too many times Idum found themselves beaten for speaking ill of the wrong man. So instead they treated Arvid… fine. Treated him as a mortal man and nothing more. “Popular? Me? You mean my wares.” They slipped their coins back into a leather pouch and tied it round their belt. “There’s quite a difference.” Idum didn’t want to get into the customers who came to just gawk at them. 

“I see plenty of people each day. You were right. My fruit is good, fresher and plumper than anyone else’s.” Idum humbled themselves, thinking it was just their former life as a god that lead their harvest to be so bountiful and ripe. But in fact it was the long and lonesome mortal life that taught them when best to pluck berries from the bush and apples from the tree. To acknowledge such a thing, felt like heresy. “My turn for a question, why do you ask, Prince?” Mortals always liked titles. 

.

"We are defined by our actions, aren't we? Some are warriors, some are fruit sellers. You have fruit, if it's popular, then so are you." Arvid explained with a flick of his wrist as if laying out his evidence before reaching for another berry. They really were the best, but gods only knew just how the other was lucky enough to pull such quality off every time. To him, there wasn't a difference at all - he wasn't saying that Ibbe was liked as much as the fruit, if that's where the confusion came from, but you generally got more out of a person by not insulting them.

Was it his friendliness that put the other so on guard? Possibly, as Arvid knew that he couldn't be the only one with a suspicious nature and anything he believes himself capable of, he generally allowed that everyone around him was capable of trying to attempt the same. "Because I'm interested in what goes on in Hedeby," He answered without hesitation, no need to lie to hide for that particular question. "I care about what happens in this town and to its people. What better way to find out than to ask?"

[hugormprince]

frelsdottir​:

@hugormprince​

“Have you no one else to pester?” At this point the line between whether he was intentionally pestering her or simply breathing was nonexistent. In fact, the two were a complete circle – one did not exist without the other. Still, she couldn’t help but grind her teeth as she shooed away the child she’d been speaking to about the life cycle of a plant, which the youngling had at least found mildly interesting. 

She hated to send anyone away too quickly, save for the arrogant idiot man now standing before her, but she had little trust in her heart for a man who so closely resembled a god of mischief. Should she have worried that her words were insulting? Yes. Would she ever care enough to hold her tongue in his presence? No. She might have even preferred cutting it out entirely than biting back her words. “Surely you can find something worth your time besides wasting precious air.”

.

As a rule, Arvid tried to know a little something about everyone there was to encounter in Hedeby and when it came to the woman before him, Arvid knew two things beyond question. The first was that she seemed to like children, and the second was that for some reason, she certainly didn't like him. She wasn't the only one, of course, and Arvid didn't require everyone to like him, but he wasn't certain just how he'd offended her in the first place. "Is that why you sent the child away? So I could pester you in peace?"

Although she certainly didn't seem eager for Arvid to stick around, judging by her words. Really, Arvid was beginning to think she wanted to fight with him, which made it oddly pleasing to deny her. "And is that something you offer lessons on? After all, I can't tell if I'm wasting it by talking or merely by breathing, but I'm sure you could tell me." Perhaps others would have lost their temper, but Arvid's tone was placid as he extended his arms, as if offering her a go at him.

[hugormprince]

@blom-idum​

"I have to admit, fruit always seems to taste better when it comes from you," Arvid confessed as he bit into another red berry, the sharp taste exploding in his mouth and juice running down his fingers. "It must make you incredibly popular." Perhaps Ibbe wasn't the only fruit farmer around, but their fruit was fantastic, and amazingly enough, Arvid was capable of acknowledging when someone was good at something. After all, the skills of the residents all aided to the glory of Hedeby and if you knew anything of Arvid, it should have been his pride and devotion when it came to Hedeby.

He wasn't there simply to stroke Ibbe's ego, but for another task - conversation, or more specifically the sharing of overheard gossip. There were some people that easily faded into the background, some situations where people would chat while accomplishing some task, not thinking about who might overhear them speaking. "Have you seen many people lately?" He asked, still sounding so idly curious, throwing the rest of the berry in his mouth.

[hugormprince]

ofmortem​:

.

Ingrid wouldn’t entirely say that she had found a road with too many paths… Meaning having many different options. She had a choice, and only one path she had to take. Picking one path would strip her away from the other path and all what Ingrid wanted to do is try to find a way in the middle in each other. Unfortunately, the middle of each paths were dark, muddy, and full of trees that she couldn’t see through. So what did she do? How did she choose? She allowed another to make the decision for her. 

“Well, in a sense. I wouldn’t necessary say too many paths. More like one or the other, but can’t have both despite wanting both.” Ingrid replied, shrugging her shoulders before whipping her hands on the cloth that was wrapped around her waist. “Is that how you felt when you left your wife?” She asked, knowing how boldly it was to ask the Prince. But it was something she had questioned all this time, along with others. Not that she knew his ex-wife personally at all, but Ingrid never saw Arvid as the marrying type, let alone loving type. Finding out he was getting married, Ingrid thought it was a sick joke created by his brother. 

.

Raising his eyebrow, Arvid resisted the urge to snort and point out that for those who suffered an indecision mind, two paths did happen to be too many. But snark wasn't the way to pull information from everyone - oh, certainly there were some that you could enrage into telling you things by mocking them or intentionally getting facts wrong, but that wasn't the view that he held of Ingrid. "That's an unexpected question." The only reason he told the truth was to buy himself time to think of how to spin things because he was hardly going to inform Ingrid that he didn't understand how the situations were similar at all. Would appearing to struggle with the question make him look sympathetic? Perhaps, and so Arvid allowed his head to fall back as he sighed.

"For me, there is ultimately only one path that's true and that's what's best for Hedeby. Other paths are... false trails that lead nowhere. Perhaps they're pretty, but they end without anything to show for it." Head rolling to one side, Arvid regarded Ingrid shrewdly. "And betrayal isn't something to be taken lightly." Did he mean his wife's faked betrayal, or some theoretical betrayal he would have made against Hedeby by staying with her? Let Ingrid puzzle that one out. "Perhaps sometimes it hurts to continue walking down a path, but the gods reward us for having the strength to continue, don't you think?"

[rphelperblog]

Vikings Quote Rp Meme

inspired by @all-is-fair-in-love-and-war​ and @xdestinyisall​

“We live to fight another day”

“In my mind, I wish I had never left the farm.”

“A Viking never gives up on his revenge. This is who we are.”

“You give the Gods too much credit”

“I’ve asked for a sign. You have given me a sign. You’ve answered my prayers. I was blind, but now I see. I was dead, but… I’m reborn.”

“When the spring comes, and my blood heats up, I want nothing more than to raid and fight.”

“I would worry less about the gods and more about the fury of a patient man.”

“I was hoping that I could cheat the fates.”

“Power is only given to those who are prepared to lower themselves to pick it up.”

“We fight. That is how we win, and that is how we die.”

“I have had a sign. A sign that blood must be spilled, a sacrifice be made. I have waited a long time for such a sign. And now my purpose is clear.”

“Don’t waste your time looking back you are not going that way”

“It is the Gods that have woven our destinies, not ourselves”

“You can all say whatever you want, but he was a human. People started to talk as if he was a god. He was not a god,he was a man! A man with many dreams and many failings.”

“There is nothing more beautiful than a mother.”

“We have one life… so go and live it.”

“Axe time! Sword time! Shields are splintered!”

You will die on the day that the blind man sees you.”

“Force is only necessary against one’s enemies.”

“Possession is the opposite of love.”

“I feel trapped, in all this happiness.”

“You don’t need a title to be a leader.”

“Someone needs to control what, apparently, you cannot.”

“The gods are here. They’re watching.”

“In my world, I am constantly torn between killing myself or everyone around me.”

“Always remember to finish off your opponent, if you can. No man ever ran away with his entrails hanging to his knees, or his head cut off.”

“The fly always follows the dead meat.”

: “Dark shapes come to me at night. Monstrous forms. When I wake, they skulk in the shadows, shapeless, but no sooner am I asleep than they creep forward again.”

“No man can walk through life without things happening to him.”

“When your time comes, you must lead with your head, not with your heart.”

“In my world, you must have a life worth living before you can even consider death.”

“We should not wash our dirty clothes in front of others.”

“Don’t die stupidly.”

“Power is always dangerous. It attracts the worst. And corrupts the best.”

“Gods blessed upon a sea of corpses.

You Couldn’t Kill Me If You Tried For A Hundred Years

“It Is Always A Strength To Know The Weakness Of Your Friends.”

It Is All The Same With We Women. We Just Give Birth To The Slaughtered.”

The Truth Can Be A Bad Choice For A Wise Man.”

How The Little Piggies Will Grunt When They Hear How The Old Boar Suffered.”

Always Remember To Finish Off Your Opponent If You Can.

The Future Is Open. Trust In The Gods. Live For Each Moment.”

Power Is Always Dangerous. It Attracts The Worst And Corrupts The Best.”

I’ve Been Told Your God Is A Carpenter. And Guess What? So Am I.

What Is It About The Word ‘King’ That Makes Even Reasonable People Behave Like Idiots?”

Yes, I Have Made Mistakes. Life Didn’t Come With Instructions.”

Fame Won’t Make Your Small Kingdom Any Bigger.”

[hugormprince]

ofmortem​:

.

“You shouldn’t,” Ingrid replied with a rise to her brow. A small jestering smile formed at the edge of her lips, hinting that she was only just teasing him with her words. “It is obvious of my poor sense of judgment on men anyway,” It was a small jab with the gossip he has probably heard about Ingrid regarding ruining the happiness of Rune, and leaving him for another man that was very much so within the same group of people they’ve grown up with. 

Ingrid is a very religious woman, often seeking the Gods approval and advice. It was them that she had blamed for giving her family unique gifts, that she sees more as a curse than a blessing. An ordinary life was all that she had asked for. But it was her family’s secret that was now after many centuries, coming to full light. She didn’t want to hide who she was. Even if she tried… 

On some days, speaking with Arvid made her work days go faster. Spending hours talking while she worked made it all seem easier. Even when she wished she could just take a seat and rest her feet for only a few short seconds. In both hands, she held a few plates stacked together and cleaned around it, getting ready for the evening’s feast. It was the very first one since the Saxon invasion… Though, everyone was beginning to realize that it wasn’t the Saxons that raided their beloved home. “Which Gods? Vör, considering she is the goddess of wisdom. I could use some guidance,” 

.

While it wasn't common knowledge, Arvid was responsible for orchestrating the downfall of his once wife and while he might have been surprised by rumors circulating of Ingrid and Rune, it wasn't because of the rumors themselves, but more because he didn't understand the motivation. What was there to gain? It eluded him, but knowing the mind of a woman could be a difficult thing. Getting them to talk, however? Was generally far simpler.

And perhaps he had his own selfish motivations, a desire to understand Ingrid's state of mind in the moment and to keep his own mind away from the lingering scars Hedeby wore after the raid. Denial was nothing more than the act of blinding yourself for the enemy and Arvid refused to do such a foolish thing, but thing, seeing how Ingrid was fairing and perhaps understanding her, it was important. You didn't bet on a champion if they were wounded.

"Found a road with too many paths?" He inquired, not asking if she wanted to talk or if she wanted his advice. If he offered guidance, well. It would be far too easy for her to claim that he wasn't in a position to give it, now wouldn't it? He was partially surprised that she hadn't sought out the seer for advice, and that was simply one surprise too many from Ingrid for his taste (Fine. Perhaps any surprise was too much.), but if it left her off balance enough to answer to his gentle hunt for answers, that was all the better.

[hugormprince]

@ofmortem​ asked: “  I prefer the company of the gods to stupid men. ”

"I'll choose not to take that personally." Reaching up to touch at the steadily darkening bruise on his temple, Arvid didn't wince despite the tenderness of his skin. The blood had mostly remained inside, nothing to complain about. "But if I were to take it personally, I might ask which gods."

Praying wasn't a strange concept and the idea of actions being influenced by the gods wasn't unheard of, and Arvid may not have pried if it wasn't for what he knew of Ingrid's mother - what everyone knew of Ingrid's mother. It wasn't a particularly subtle dig or even one that he expected to bring fruition in terms of interesting come backs, but it was harmless enough, an easy quip to call a joke.

Was Odin a better companion than a childhood companion? What of Loki? Heimdall? Thor? It would be easy to excuse.

But if she did say something interesting, or react oddly, well, that was good, too. Recent events had certainly been questionable enough, could Arvid be blamed for questioning those around him?

He shouldn't be. Knowledge was power, after all, and sometimes the pursuit of power came paired with a smile instead of a sword - it didn't make it any safer.

[vezely-a]

Netflix’s The Last Kingdom Sentence Starters

“  Fear can be expelled with knowledge.  ”

“  Courage without the sword is the more difficult path. It must, in time, become the only path. ”

“  A country is its history, the sum of all its stories, we are what our fathers made us. ”

“  Fear is within all of us. As is strength. ”

“  Being kind is not a pastime, not a choice, but a duty. ”

“  Whatever I discover about my enemy is written down. ”

“  Revenge will not bring you peace, only death. ”

“  To see is to be wise. ”

“  I would rather be on top of a hill than on the flat. ”

“  Fighting is expected. Disobedience is not. ”

“  You cannot invite a serpent into the garden and be surprised when it slithers on the ground. ”

“  When one side seeks to destroy the other, you must choose in order to survive. ”

“  The future is fate. It won’t change. ”

“  Courage is finding the will to overcome your fear, nothing more. ”

“  Land and silver is what all men desire and I’m no different. ”

“  There’s no justice here. Only the church. ”

“  I do not seek battles. Battles just seem to seek me. ”

“  Every lord is the hero of his own songs. ”

“  Battle does not always bring reward. This much I have learned. ”

“  A village can be rebuilt. A warrior can die only once. ”

“  Not every sword stroke is a kill! A kill is something you must fashion. ”

“  What binds a man to his land? What power within allows him to give his life to preserve his land and the lives of the families who work it? It can only be love. ”

“  The preachers tell us that pride is a great sin. But the preachers are wrong! Pride makes a man. It drives him, it is the shield wall around his reputation. Men die. But reputation does not die. ”

“  I need this revenge like I need water. ”

“  You will never be rid of me. Accept it. Accept me. ”

“  The truth of a man lies not in the land of his birth but in his heart. ”

“  One path looks like another. ”

“  If you want wealth, you take it. You can’t ignore what’s true. ”

“  Nothing finishes an evening in an alehouse so well as a fight. ”

“  You do not shit at your own table. ”

“  You let them take the lead, they reveal who their true leaders are. And then you take those men first. ”

“  Men who take orders from the gods are unpredictable. ”

“  Men won’t follow a woman for long. They’re too stupid. ”

“  I prefer the company of the gods to stupid men. ”

“  Not everybody enjoys a fool. ”

“  I’m thinking that you have a turd where there’s supposed to be a mind. ”

[hugormprince]

svalarisbergthediva​:

BLINKING AWAY THE STING OF WETNESS, Svala glanced around the yard and took in the stillness of the warm - yet wet - of the afternoon that had claimed the village. She passed numerous villagers who were ignorant to her misery and everybody else’s itchiness to travel once more. She had the pleasure to witness the argument between her older siblings that very morning. It was very rare that the two agreed on subject these days, often choosing to avoid one another until they forgot that they ever fought. She had found it both ridiculous and tiresome, but also glad to not be dragged into the stupidity of it all. She decided long ago to remain mutual when it came to her family. How could she decide such matters?

Besides, she couldn’t wrap her head around politics especially when she had her own troubles. Thinking on that, Svala took another around herself, this time being cautious as she did so. There was another reason why she chose this route for a walk. The crowd, a way to blend in. The blonde was content in avoiding the Seer with every fibre of her being, even if it killed her.

“Who?” She almost screamed, when she accidentally slammed into someone. A string of curses left her lips, thinking that she had bumped into someone she was avoiding.

.

While not born as a prince, Arvid loved Hedeby fully and considered it his self-appointed task to keep track of what went on within it's borders, even if it wasn't considered important enough for his rank to know. Perhaps especially then, as Arvid's purpose wasn't only to know how Hedeby was evolving, but how it's people felt and how deep their loyalty lie. The support of the people could be as tricky as a frozen river, ice cracking and splitting into frozen knives and how could Arvid not be away of how fickle loyalty was, when his own father came to rule because of a man's inattentiveness?

The crowd around him was loud, bartering taking place just as much as arguing and sometimes there was the cry of livestock to add to it. There was an energy that came from seeing Hedeby thrive, but despite the joy it brought, it wasn't something that engendered trust. At the feeling of a body crashing into him, there was some instinct quickly smothered that said to grab a blade as he turned to find the culprit.

"No need for all that, I hardly knocked you into the mud." Arvid said in response to her swearing, nose crinkling. He wasn't the one to knock into her in the first place, so she only had herself to blame. "A crowd isn't the place to be so distracted."

[hugormprince]

stoneheartstealedbladexox​:

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE AGNES WOULD VISIT THE DOCKS AND CLIMB UP THE BROUGH OF A SHIP TO ALLOW THE WIND TO BLOW THROUGH HER BLONDE LOCKS. She closed her eyes as the coolness of the breeze stroked her cheeks and a smile of contentment aligned her lips. It was a rarity that such an expression adorned her face but there was a beautiful and youthful glow that radiated from her once it did. This was the snatch of peace that she often craved and renewed her for another day. That was Agnes’ secret to keep going and to put up with her brother’s stupidity. Nothing could spoil it for her, even her sibling’s whims.

“Isn’t cool breeze just wonderful?” She opened her eyes to glance over to the person who was nearby. Her tone was dreamlike as she spoke, an indication of her bliss.

There was something compelling about the docks and looking over the water, something that reminded him of how boundless the world was and how much to claim as their own, wonders still hidden beyond ice and mountains. It was a place that filled Arvid with yearning, but not a place where he expected solitude, so the blonde hair blowing in the wind from  the bough of a ship wasn't a surprise, but her remark was.

"I view a breeze as an invitation to explore what lies beyond home, encouragement to seek out all that waits for us." Arvid admitted with a short nod, noting that she seemed almost distracted, perhaps caught in a daydream of some sort. "Sometimes the feeling of the wind on my face is enough to feel as though I'm far away. Is it the same for you?"