Page 32 of The Viking in the Vault
I blink, my stomach doing a weird little flip. “A soul bond?”
Ves nods. “Yeah. It’s…romantic, I guess, but also kind of outdated. Most Skoll don’t believe in it anymore. Life’s too complicated for something so absolute. Plus, there’s like…absolutely no scientific foundation for it, right? Just superstition.”
I watch Ragnar in the distance, his broad shoulders and powerful frame standing out even among the other Skoll in the park. The way he moves is both graceful and commanding, like he’s entirely in his element.
And he was obsessed with saying that word to me…fenvarra.
The thought of him being bound to me makes my heart race.
“But…you don’t think it’s real?” I ask, trying to sound casual.
Ves shrugs again. “Who’s to say? Maybe it was something our ancestors made up to explain their feelings. Or maybe it’s real,and we’ve just lost touch with it. Either way, it’s not something you should worry about.”
I frown. “Ragnar would never hurt me.”
“That’s not the problem,” Ves says, turning to look at me directly. “Ragnar isn’t just a normal Skoll. He’s really, really alien. My people were a lot different four thousand years ago…they had different ideas about gender and the role of wives and like…having babies and stuff. I don’t know if it’s something you want to get mixed up in.”
“Um…” I continue trying to stay calm, embarrassed at how defensive I’m getting about Ragnar. “Care to explain…?”
They shrug. “He used a term to refer to me yesterday–velraen?–it’s not really used anymore because it made non-binary Skoll seem like another like…kind of person, I guess. Resulted in a lot of bad stuff for a few hundred years. We just wanted to be normal and they thought we were all psychics because we could balance the genders…it’s stupid.”
Now it’s Ves I’m feeling defensive of. “Did he say something rude?” I ask. “I’m so sorry–”
“No,” they shake their head. “I’m just trying to make it clear that he’s really from a different world. And he…”
They trail off.
“What?” I ask.
“He’s used that word to refer to you, right? Fenvarra, I mean.”
I freeze, my grip tightening on the tea as the words sink in. Ves watches me carefully, their expression unreadable but their tone almost gentle when they speak again.
“It’s not something to panic about,” Ves says. “Like I said, it’s an old concept. Outdated. But…yeah, if he’s been calling you fenvarra, it probably means something to him.”
I swallow hard, my thoughts racing. “But…what does it mean to him? If it’s outdated now, then?—”
“It’s not outdated to him,” Ves interrupts softly. “Ragnar doesn’t know the world you live in. To him, the idea of a soul bond–of fate–is still real. It’s…everything. It’s not just a term. It’s a vow. A purpose. Like…yesterday, when we were all at the library, I honestly didn’t know if he was going to lash out and hurt someone when they tried to separate you two.”
I blink, struggling to process that. “But why me? I barely know him. How could he possibly?—”
“It doesn’t work like that,” Ves says, cutting me off again. Their voice is calm, but there’s a weight to it now. “Fenvarra isn’t about time or getting to know someone. It’s instinct. Connection. If Ragnar believes you’re his fenvarra, then in his mind, it’s already decided. And he’ll do anything to protect you. To…be with you.”
I stare at Ragnar in the distance, my chest tightening. He’s crouched low again, wrestling the stick from Fenrik, his laughter echoing through the park. He looks so carefree in this moment, so normal, but the idea of him seeing me as some kind of…destiny is overwhelming.
“He’s never said anything outright,” I murmur, mostly to myself. “I mean, he’s intense, sure, but…I thought that was just who he is.”
“It is,” Ves agrees. “But if he thinks you’re his fenvarra, then that intensity? It’s not going to go away. If anything, it’s going to get stronger.”
I frown, my tea forgotten as I process Ves’s words. “So…what am I supposed to do with that?”
Ves exhales, their breath visible in the cold air. “That’s up to you. But you need to be careful, Elena. This isn’t just about you. It’s about him, too. Ragnar’s been through hell. He’s lost his family, his people, his world. If you’re his fenvarra, you’re the only thing he has left to hold onto. That’s…a lot of responsibility, especially when I know how much your research means to you.”
I look down at the steaming cup in my hands, my thoughts spinning. Ves’s words hit hard, and I don’t know what to feel.
Guilt? Fear?
Something else entirely?
