Page 66 of Alien Viking's Passion

“Ragnhildros Fried Chicken,” Chen suggested. “Except they don’t have chicken.”

“They have thosehons,”Celeste said. “Those are pretty tasty. Almost like chicken.”

Chloe got up without a word and walked inside the house, closing the door hard behind her.

Celeste scratched her chin. “Was it something I said?”

“Some of us had a really good life back on Earth,” Josie said mildly. “And it’s only natural to want to get back there. I think its easy for Chloe to get frustrated when we talk about making things better for ourselveshere.”

“Hey, we want to go home too,” Rafaela pointed out. “But while we wait, why not make life comfortable for ourselves?”

“It might make this place feel less like a prison,” Aretha said. “Prisoners can’t influence their lives much. But nobody here is stopping us from doing pretty much exactly what we want. The Vikings are bending over backwards for us. Why not use it?”

“Does it still feel like a prison to you, Ari?” Chen asked.

“It really doesn’t,” she admitted. “I feel more free here than anywhere I’ve ever been.”

“Do you think it helps that you’re married to the ruler of a country?” Josie deadpanned evilly.

“No! That has nothing to do with it and I resent the suggestion. Yes, of course it helps! I’m being ridiculous, aren’t I? Sorry, it’s just, I’ve never been loved like this and I feel like it’s a dream.”

Chen reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “Thats totally cool, girl. We’re just jealous. Oh, here come the rulers.” She looked across the yard, where Bragr and Craxon were sauntering towards them, deep in conversation.

“So when’s the coronation, again?” Celeste asked. “Fifteen days, right?”

“Sixteen,” Josie told them. “It’s a random date, but we can’t postpone it anymore. You all will be VIPs. You’ll stay until then, right, Aretha?”

Aretha followed Craxon with her eyes. He moved like a tiger. “That’s the plan. The Ragnhildroses were really happy that Craxon was back. And that we dealt with Kofraks. They got their fancy wedding, too. So we’ll both be on honeymoon here until the day after you become queen. Then we’ll go back to Rag.”

Rafaela narrowed her eyes. “Rag?Does Craxon know you’ve reduced his principality to a washcloth?”

“He calls it that, too,” Aretha laughed, “when nobody else can hear.”

The two Vikings split up, and Bragr walked towards the pier while Craxon came over to the girls.

“This looks nice,” he rumbled. “Drinking horns with myod and juice. Fruits and snacks. And deep talks with friends.”

“Take a seat,” Chen invited, having clearly practiced her Garda. “Join the deep talks.”

“Oh, I shall,” Craxon said. “At a later time. For now, I need my wife for some even deeper…talks.” He smirked and bent down to kiss Aretha’s lips.

“I don’t think he means they’ll talk,” Celeste whispered conspiratorially in English. “I think he means naughty stuff. You know, hanky-panky.”

The girls chuckled.

Aretha got up, smiling. “No, no. We talk a lot all the time when we’re alone. That’s all we do. About economics and shipbuilding and... uh… lawn care. Its all perfectly innocent. And then we have sex.”

The girls laughed and Aretha walked with Craxon towards the house where they stayed while at the jarlagard.Eira Einherjawas tied to the pier, along with two others ships that Craxon’s entourage had come on. There was no chaperone among them now, and Tyra had asked to be allowed to stay at her farmstead in Ragnhildros. Signe the Soothsayer had also needed time to recover. Apparently, her showdown with Kofraks had entailed much more than the simple kiss it looked like to Aretha and Craxon. She had also confronted the draugr in some mysterious realm nobody else could see, and it had taken a great toll on her.

“Bragr has a house,” Craxon said, “down the coast. Countess Josie knows about it, I think. It’s nice and undisturbed. He has offered us the use of it for as long as we want.”

“That’s very nice of him. But is there an alien screen in the ceiling of this house?”

“I don’t know. I know there’s a bedroom.”

“All right, I’m convinced. Let’s just go. Once I’m done with the deep talks- oh hey!”

Sonic the not-porcupine came trotting towards them, stopping at their feet and sniffing.

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