Gratulerer med dagen
Fandom: Vikings
Genre: Fluff , Modern AU
Pairing: Harald x Reader
Warning: None
Words: 1785
Summary: You haven’t been feeling well because of a loss and Harald wants to make you feel better for your birthday.
A/N: This is written for my dear @gearhead66 to celebrate her birthday. I’m sorry for the delay, love and I hope you will like it. Huge thanks to my other half here @naaladareia for the wonderful moodboard. Also, I took the liberty to imagine lockdown was over everywhere.
Harald looked at you, sleeping peacefully in the care while he was driving. You needed to rest, this year had been rough enough – and it was only halfway done. Losing your aunt had been hard on you and this broke Harald’s heart every time he read some sadness in your eyes. He knew how it felt to lose someone dear. His parents had died in a car crash when he and Halfdan were teenagers, and they only had one another to rely on. They never really felt at ease with anyone apart from each other and it was still like that today… well, until he met you.
You represented what Harald had craved for his whole life, a woman to love who would love him in return. Right now, he wanted to do everything in his power to keep you happy and satisfied – hence his plans for today to celebrate your very special day. It was a good thing lockdown was over in the USA or everything would have been ruined.
After the funeral, he knew he had to take you far away from your place. He suggested to go and visit his family, meaning Halfdan in Norway.
“What about my dog?” You had exclaimed.
“We will take him, of course.” He smiled. How could he leave behind the fluffy thing that brought them together?
The day you met was still on his mind. You were walking two dogs when he first saw you, smiling and laughing at their antics. He liked you instantly, even more when he got to know you. First, he had invited you for coffee a few times then for dinner when he had tried to cook a nice meal at his place. Trying was the word since their main course had ended up burnt in the oven. You had laughed and promised to teach him a few things. In the meantime, he bought some sweet things for you to enjoy.
It’s been a year now and he had felt it was the right time for you and his brother to meet. Halfdan had always been the odd one but you got along quite well with him. Well enough for you to trust him to take care of your dog for the day while the two of you were away. His brother was good with animals, not with women. Harald could not even count the number of girls he had scared away. He was a free bird, enjoying women from time to time but never committing. So, he often mocked his brother for searching love so frantically. Harald did not care and kept searching. Now, he had finally found the one and he would not let go.
Here he was, driving from Oslo to his secret destination. He had woken you up at dawn this morning and you had not stopped grumbling until he had told you that you looked like the dog you used to take care of. You had struck out your tongue at him and hopped in the car in silence. Then, you had fallen asleep instantly.
The sun was high in the sky when they finally reached Trondheim. Perfect. He parked the car and gently shook you awake. You slowly opened your eyes.
“We’re there, love.”
Rubbing your eyes, you threw a look outside to try and guess where you had stopped.
“We are in Trondheim. Do you want to get a closer look?”
“Why not?” You both exited the car. Harald put his huge backpack on and he gave you yours.
“First stop?”
“Lead the way, Sir.” He kissed you softly and took you by the hand. You stopped in front of a huge cathedral.
“Wow…this is beautiful”. You whispered, in awe.
“It is, isn’t it? This is the Nidaros Cathedral. Want to get inside?”
“Please.” You almost pleaded. The moment you set a foot inside the Cathedral, you were amazed by its architecture, a beautiful mix of Roman and Gothic styles.
“It was built from 1080 to 1300 and had been the place where the Norwegian Kings are crowned since the Middle Ages.”
He knew he had captured your interest, then. You were really fond of history.
“So, Harald V was crowned here?” You asked and he nodded. “I guess it means that you would be crowned in this Cathedral if you ever became Harald VI, King of all Norway.”
Harald rolled his eyes. “You definitely watch this show too much.”
But he liked it as well and the way you would compare his life to the ‘real’ Harald’s life. He did not mind because he was assuredly more in luck than the lonely king you were so fond of.
Harald let you wander around the place and take a lot of pictures. He sometimes added some historical comments to which you listened intently. When you went out, it was noon. Your stomach grumbled loudly.
“What?” You said when you saw he was smiling. “You woke me up really early and I did not have time to eat. I’m hungry.”
“Then I think you will like our next stop.”
To your surprise, Harald did not take the direction of the town center. “Don’t worry.” He explained when he saw your interrogative stare. “I know a better place than here. The town is really nice, and I promise we will come back someday, but it is too noisy for what I have in mind.”
You went back to the car. Harald drove for a few miles before parking in a beautiful green valley full of trees surrounded by a lake.
“Let me introduce you to the Golden Road or as we call it, Gyldne Omvei.”
“Harald, this is breathtaking.” He chuckled lightly and kissed your forehead.
“Let’s go get some lunch.”
You found yourself in front of a nice little restaurant, Gulburet. Inside, it looked like a farm. It was warm and cozy.
A middle-aged plump woman welcomed you. “Hallo, vellkommen.”
You let Harald do the talking then you sat down at a nice wooden table.
“I know it’s not much but I can assure you will like it. The food is really good and they have a lot of Norwegian specialties.”
“My dear, dear King Harald…” You set a comforting hand on his. “I love it. You couldn’t have pleased me more.”
They were served different homemade meals: soup, bread, goat cheese from the local farms and a large piece of Fyrstekake, an almond and cardamom pie. The meal was simple but absolutely delicious.
Afterwards, he watched with a tender smile as you listened to the stories told by the host, giving a good impression of farm life over a 100 years ago. The stories, told in English especially for you, had caught your attention and you were listening to every word that came out of her mouth. It was a relief to see you so enthusiast about something after the troubled times you had to go through.
When the story was finished, you fiercely hugged him. Harald simply hugged you back and you stayed there for a while, enjoying each other’s embraces.
“Ready for more?”
You tilted your head upwards to look him in the eye. “We are not done?”
He shook his head. “Far from it. Brace yourself though because there will be a lot of walking.”
He let go of you and handed you your backpack. “Argh walking?”
“Yes, grumpy girl.” He kissed the tip of your nose. “I promise you won’t regret it though.”
He was right, you did not regret it. Harald took you to Inderøy where you visited two medieval churches and there also was a lot of hiking. It did not bother you. The trails were not that difficult to walk on and the landscape was so beautiful. It was this wonderful mixture of valleys and mountains, green and blue in front of your eyes with every step you took. That could easily make you forget you had been walking for hours.
“And there’s our final stop.”
You lifted your head at Harald’s words. The sun was slowly setting down on the valley, its numerous colors being reflected in the lake downwards.
Lost in the amazing view the Norwegian landscapes were offering, you did not hear Harald coming near you. He circled your waist and set his head on your left shoulder.
“You like that?” He kissed your ear, tickling your skin with his beard.
“It’s wonderful”. You whispered, putting your hands over his. “This day was wonderful…thank you.”
“Everything for you, my sweet…and I’m not quite done yet.”
He made you turn around and you discovered he had set down a whole picnic on a blanket.
You looked at him, amazed.
“So that’s what you’ve been hiding in this huge thing all day.” You exclaimed and lightly punched his shoulder.
“What can I say? I’m a man full of surprises.”
He helped you sit down on the blanket and took place near you. Then he filled two glasses with champagne before giving you one.
“Gratulerer med dagen, my love.” His glass clinked with yours.
You watched him closely, tilting your head on the side. “You just wished me a happy birthday, right?” He nodded. “Harald, thank you for today, for all of this. I didn’t know I needed it but it helped a lot.”
As you took a sip of champagne to fight back the emotions that were invading your heart, Harald squeezed your hand to comfort you.
“You don’t have to thank me. I did it gladly and I would do it again without a hesitation. Losing someone is never easy and it also made me realize how unbearable it would be for me if I lost you. I could not imagine my life without you. In fact, I want to tell the whole world that you are mine as much as I am yours.”
You gasped as Harald pulled a little velvety box from his pocket.
“Harald, are you…?”
He opened the box to reveal a white gold ring set with diamonds. “Y/N, will you marry me?” He asked with his deep hoarse voice that always sent shivers running down your spine.
“Oh…err…of course. Yes! Yes! I will marry you!”
Your half full glass fell on the blanket as you threw yourself in his arms. You exchanged a few kisses, laughing and crying at the same time. Then Harald put the engagement ring on your finger. You admired it, your eyes still full of tears.
You looked at your Northern man before saying “Jeg elsker deg*, my King.” His eyes widened so much you laughed. “Yes, I did some research. I can speak Norwegian too, you know.”
He chuckled. “Jeg elsker deg også**, my Queen.”
* Jeg elsker deg: Je t’aime
** Jeg elsker deg også: Je t’aime aussi
Tagging (tell me if you want to be added or removed): @naaladareia @gearhead66 @therealcalicali @tephi101 @maggiescarborough @peaceisadirtyword @mblaqgi @flowers-in-your-hayr @captstefanbrandt @medievalfangirl @girlonfireice
