Ruby had known Ivar his entire life. He'd been barely a week old the first time the vampire had seen him and she'd know immediately that, of Ragnar's sons, Ivar was the most special, a true gift from the gods if there ever had been one. She'd helped Aslaug manage his pain as a simple merchant of the city and had more or less stayed in the shadows.
When he killed for the first time, the shift was obvious and Ruby knew that he'd turn just as his father and eldest brother had before him, just as the others would when they finally took their first life. She'd watched him grow and blossom, watched him suffer and grieve. Watched him prove himself over and over only to remain seen as less because of his brittle bones and crippled legs. She'd taken many lives over the years from those who would speak so little of him, secreting away the evidence so no one knew.
Before long, Ivar was a man and she'd never been more proud of her decision to stand with him from the shadows as he was crowned king of Kattegat.
Over the years, she kept an eye on him even when it was far from needed, never willing to lose him completely but preferring that the choice be his to come to her.
Ivar had known Ruby ever since he could remember. She’d been a constant presence in his life, not quite as close as the elevated status that Floki had when he’d become an honorary uncle, but she was a close confidant to the boy. And perhaps his only friend.
The changes had been painful and frightening for a young boy to deal with. Ragnar had done his best but his father had only been there for brief moments before he’d disappeared entirely from Ivar’s life. Ivar had relied on his rage and anger to sustain him in both human and wolf forms. By the time he’d become king, he’d mastered them both.
Now that his wife was pregnant, he felt like he had everything he’d ever wanted. But still….the old fears remained. So he went to Ruby, returning her smile with one of his own. “Hello, Ruby. Do you have a moment?”
"For you Ivar, I have several." Her tone is light and teasing as she stands from her seat, dragging another one over to the fire pit for Ivar to sit in. Her home is small, settled off away from the main drag of Kattegat to allow her the privacy she desires, keeping her away from prying eyes.
She's fairly certain more than a few of them think she's some kind of witch. "Come and sit with me, tell me what's on your mind."
Ivar limped over and sat down on a bundle of furs, removing the painful leg braces he had on. They were so tight upon them that he was lucky they hadn’t already cut into his skin. He rubbed them for a brief moment, the wasted muscles beneath his pants aching and sore even from such a short trip.
“It’s just….” He thought for a moment of how to begin before he went on. “....It is just that nothing good ever lasts for me. Things are alright now but I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I feel it’s inevitable. Is that a terrible way to feel?”
Before Ruby joins him at the table, she gets them both a drink. The wine isn't something they could usually find here, another secret of Ruby's that she held close to her chest. There's no subtlety when Ruby picks up a knife and nicks the tip of her thumb, letting a couple small drops fall into his glass.
"This will help with your pain, Ivar." She offers him a glass and sits down, lets him tell her what's on his mind. "There's nothing terrible about it at all, Ivar. You've experienced so much in such a short time that it's to be expected that you expect the worst. I wish I could promise you that everything will be okay, but I've never lied to you before and I never will.
"But I can promise that you will never be alone, regardless of how things turn out."
Ivar has long since stopped being suspicious about anything Ruby has to offer him which can ease his pain. She’s always been around since he was a child and anything unusual about her he’s always chalked up to just her mysterious ways. But she is looking awful good for someone who should at least be in their early forties by now…
He takes the glass and drinks, waiting for some of his pain to abate. “Thank you, Ruby.” It’s as much for the wise words as the wine he’s drinking. She’s always been there to help subtly guide him down the right path.
“I just hope my son doesn’t end up turning early the way I did. That’s a hard life for any child to have.” Ivar had only really gotten through his childhood by sheer ferocity and strength of will. Early changes for werewolf pups weren’t easy, especially with his father so often not around to guide him the way he wished Ragnar would.
The trust Ivar has in her has always warmed her heart and she knows it started with Aslaug and her unwavering faith that Ruby always meant no harm to her youngest son. That woman had been a warrior in her own way and Ruby still missed her, even now. She doesn't let her sadness consume her though, focusing instead on Ivar and what he needs in the moment.
"I remember the first time. I remember your fear, your confusion. I would not wish it upon your son. But I would not change it for you. You were always strong, destined to be so, but what you endured as a boy only made you more so." She offers a soft smile. "As for your son, I do not believe you have reason to fear. After all, he has you as a father and I cannot think of anyone better suited."
Hearing Ruby's wise words make Ivar smile in relief. "You always know just what to say to soothe my mind. How did you become so wise?" Ivar asks as he sips his wine, letting his pain start to trickle away with the help of Ruby's blood.
"You know, most in Kattegat say you are a witch." Really, being someone who could perform magic would have explained so much about the woman and her strange ways but Ivar didn't believe it. She may have been mystical but Ruby was also grounded in a way he hadn't really found with someone like, say, the Seer.
"I am glad I can offer you comfort, Ivar. As for my wisdom? It's from eating my vegetables." There's a tease to her tone and she smiles around the rim of her glass, sipping her drink slowly.
While the words themselves aren't surprising -she's heard the accusation before, usually with a hint of venom in the tone- they catch her off guard for a brief second. Ivar had never broached the subject before -a curious thing- and she hadn't even seen it coming now. Still, the same soft smile.
"And what do you think? Do you believe I am a witch?"
Ivar chuckles softly at Ruby's teasing tone. She's often like this with him, though not with everyone. He's seen her put grown men like Bjorn in their place with nothing more than a few scathing well-placed words.
Ivar tilts his head, watching Ruby closely as he often does when he is trying to figure out how to read a person, like she is a puzzle he is putting together in his head. "No," he says finally. "You're no witch. But I do wonder if you were sent by the gods." One of their messengers who reported everything back to Asgard, amusing the gods with tales of the mortals.
‘Sent by the gods’ was not one she’d heard before. Most insisted she existed in a darkness that others would wish to avoid, a place of magic and witchcraft where people dared not go lest they earn themselves a curse.
Or whatever nonsense they whispered about, believing she couldn’t hear them.
“I would tell you, if you asked. But I am not sure you would believe me. I can assure you that I am no witch, however.”
Ivar leans forward just a little, the interest gleaming in his bright ice-blue eyes. He's heard some of the rumors around Kattegat and has dismissed them all as just the mutterings of ignorant peasants. Granted, they also talked about how the royal family could all shapeshift into savage beasts, so sometimes they got things right, but Ivar had never seen any truth to what they said about Ruby.
"I'd like to think I'd believe you, so long as you didn't try to deceive me." Not that Ruby ever had. The Viking probably trusted her more than he did most of his own brothers. Plus there was the fact Ivar can easily see through almost any lie when someone tries to feed him one.
Ruby leans forward to meet him, wine glass dangling loosely between her fingers as she meets his eyes and smiles softly at him.
"I like to think you'd believe me as well. I think if anyone would, it would be you." And his brothers, of course, all of whom were more than human just as she was, even if they were different species of supernatural. "I would never lie to you."
"No. You never have." That gives Ivar a lot of comfort, knowing there was at least one person in his life who gave him complete honesty, even if he isn't always able to reciprocate. Ivar isn't able to be truthful with a lot of people, but he finds it's more of a defensive mechanism for him than anything else.
His eyes gleam again for a moment. "Enough with the suspense. So tell me then."
"And I never will." She had no reason to but also because she valued his trust too much to ever sacrifice it for the sake of her comfort. It didn't matter to her that he couldn't always reciprocate; the world had been harsh to him and there would always be a price for that.
Taking another sip of her wine, Ruby leans back in her chair, deciding to start at the beginning.
"I was born a long time ago. Long before you were born, before your father even. I was not born into a kind world, not for people like me, anyway. I was caught out and I was left for dead." Another sip of her wine. "I was approached that night, while I lay dying in the street and I was offered a chance to be who I am supposed to be. At a cost.
"I'm not a witch but I'm not human either. I sacrificed my humanity and became something more. Some people would call me demon, others would call me vampir. Vampire. It's why my blood helps you and it's why I knew you were special. It's also why I don't age."
Ivar laced his fingers together and propped them under his chin as he listened to Ruby's tale. Whatever he'd been expecting her to tell him, it hadn't quite been something so extraordinary and remarkable, but he also didn't feel repulsed or like he needed to push her away. He still felt he could trust Ruby with his life.
"Well--" He said, pausing for another sip of the drink. "--You're an old lady," Ivar teased lightly. Much like Ragnar, he covered up a lot of what he felt with humor. "Is that why you were attracted to my family? Because we are different like you are, being varúlfur?"
At his tease regarding her age, Ruby lets out a soft laugh. "I am. I'm probably older than your father's father." Maybe even older still, despite her appearance.
"I won't deny that I was intrigued by the fact that your father and uncle weren't human like the men and women they fought alongside but my true interest came with you. Your mother protected you and loved you so fiercely despite the fact that she had been told that putting you out of your misery would be better for you. You were special. So I offered her my assistance in helping to ease your pain and I decided then that I would do whatever I had to to keep you safe until you were able to do it yourself.
"I didn't stay in Kattegat for your family. I stay for you."
"Yes, definitely an old, old lady. You must have been around when the Seer was a boy." If the old prophet's words are true, he's supposedly hundreds of years old. One can never tell with the gods' mouthpiece if he's being serious or just trying to teach his subjects a lesson.
The fact that Ruby was like the precious few others including Ragnar, Aslaug, and Freydis who had seen greatness within Ivar despite his disability made Ivar's heart swell with joy. Really, throughout the course of his life, that's all he's ever wanted to hear. It shows as his ice-blue eyes light up as Ruby tells him why she's stayed so long in Kattegat.
"Well then." He swallows down most of his emotions before he can form a proper response. "I hope I have given you reason to confirm the decision you have made."
"Careful. Hasn't anyone ever taught you to respect your elders?" Ruby laughs softly, finishing her drink and placing the cup down on the table. "Perhaps. I travelled for a long while before settling here." Something she'd only done when she'd come across Ragnar Lothbrok and his brother.
Reaching out, Ruby rests a hand on Ivar's knee gently. "You have far exceeded all my hopes for you."
"Nope. They taught me to kill my elders for being too slow to keep up with me any longer," Ivar says cheerfully. Really, he'd rather stay young forever than grow old and decrepit. He'd seen what that had done to his father and wishes to avoid a similar fate.
At that, Ivar flat-out blushes. "I only ever tried to not only be the equal of all those around me but to exceed what even they could do." So many Norsemen were given so much, like his brothers, and yet were content with mediocrity. Ivar would never understand it. All he's ever wanted was to be just like anyone else, and when he finally got there, he decided he wanted to be better then all of them as well.
"Lucky for me, I'll never have the issue of keeping up." Ruby winks, expression smug and teasing. It's not a dig at his disability and she hopes he doesn't take it as such; she was probably the only living person who didn't see it as a weakness. Floki, she supposed. One of two, then.
Ruby can smell the shift in blood before his cheeks colour and she knows he appreciates he honestly. "If you were not a wolf, Ivar, I'd have turned you. I'd have selfishly kept you and everything you are to myself.
Ivar smiles when she says she would have changed him. "I imagine that's not something that you offer to many people." It seems like becoming a vampire would be a great honor and also very much a burden.
"We shall then. As a wolf, nothing can get close to harming or touching me. And with you by my side, we can be invincible." Already, Ivar's dreaming of bigger and better conquests than just what he's done so far. He'll end up ruling over all that he's ever dreamed of one way or another.
"I've never offered it to anyone." Thankfully, that had never been part of the deal that she made; she was welcome to, of course but there was no obligation to make more.
"As a human, nothing can get close to harming or touching you. I'd kill anyone who tried before they even had a chance to raise their weapon." Ivar had never seen Ruby at her full power and maybe it was time to show him what she was capable of doing. "Together, we could rule the world."
"Well, I do so love being special," Ivar confesses. Really, he does. Knowing that Ruby saw him as being worthy of her gift was something that warmed Ivar's two-sizes-too-small little heart.
"Then you'll need to accompany me the next time I'm on the battlefield," Ivar says. Ruby has always had the propensity for nothing being able to touch her and now he knows why. He's already eager to see what she could do once she really let loose.
"The world?" Ivar echoes. He isn't sure how to even picture that. His worldview has always been limited to where Vikings have already roamed but he knows that's not all there is to what actually makes up the world. To think about going where no Norseman has gone before and having it all for the taking sounds like the achievement of all he's wanted to accomplish.
"You always have been in my eyes." Cupping his cheek, Ruby smiles. "And your mother's. I've never known anyone to love anyone the way she loved you."
Ruby had always been fond of Aslaug; there'd just been something about her that was good and the way she'd entrusted her most favoured son with someone like her had always meant the world to her. "I don't think your worshippers are ready to see someone like me on the battlefield. But perhaps I could just show you one day."
She nods. "The world." Ruby had travelled further than any of the Vikings had ever dreamed of, knew places they'd never imagined and she wanted to show it all to Ivar. "Especially with my ability to make us an army."
Ivar's eyes drop down and his face falls as Ruby mentions Aslaug. Even now, the pain of missing his mother will creep up and sting him in the heart when he's least expecting it. Even Ruby's company can't soothe that entirely from his mind.
"Then that is a day I will gladly look forward to," Ivar says with all earnestness. He really would love to see Ruby tearing through his enemies as though they are made of wet paper.
"Someday, when I am ready, we shall." He's not quite there yet, still coming into his own in terms of his fighting ability and strategic analysis. But someday sooner rather than later he will be and then....well, then the world will be their's for the taking.
Running a hand through Ivar's hair, Ruby presses a soft kiss to his head and sighs. She knows exactly what it does to him, to think of his mother but she also knows that she's the only one who can speak of her true feelings towards her youngest son.
"One day soon, I promise.
"You'll be ready before you know it, Ivar. You've come so far, so quickly."
He leans into the touch of Ruby as she kisses him. So few people show him kindness these days. Ivar appreciates the moments when someone shows him love or a soft nature to him since both of them are so rare in his life.
"The moment I think I am ready for it, I will tell you. Then we shall wage a war on the whole world." A very unhinged.
With another soft smile, Ruby pours them both another drink and reclaims her chair, crossing her legs and leaning back, beaming with pride.
"You will be ready before you even know it, my darling boy. And then we'll take this world by storm. Show them the true might of Ivar the Boneless, son of Ragnar Lothbrok."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I've Known You Your Whole Life
When he killed for the first time, the shift was obvious and Ruby knew that he'd turn just as his father and eldest brother had before him, just as the others would when they finally took their first life. She'd watched him grow and blossom, watched him suffer and grieve. Watched him prove himself over and over only to remain seen as less because of his brittle bones and crippled legs. She'd taken many lives over the years from those who would speak so little of him, secreting away the evidence so no one knew.
Before long, Ivar was a man and she'd never been more proud of her decision to stand with him from the shadows as he was crowned king of Kattegat.
Over the years, she kept an eye on him even when it was far from needed, never willing to lose him completely but preferring that the choice be his to come to her.
And he had, eventually.
Ruby smiles when she sees him.
"Hello Ivar."
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Ivar had known Ruby ever since he could remember. She’d been a constant presence in his life, not quite as close as the elevated status that Floki had when he’d become an honorary uncle, but she was a close confidant to the boy. And perhaps his only friend.
The changes had been painful and frightening for a young boy to deal with. Ragnar had done his best but his father had only been there for brief moments before he’d disappeared entirely from Ivar’s life. Ivar had relied on his rage and anger to sustain him in both human and wolf forms. By the time he’d become king, he’d mastered them both.
Now that his wife was pregnant, he felt like he had everything he’d ever wanted. But still….the old fears remained. So he went to Ruby, returning her smile with one of his own. “Hello, Ruby. Do you have a moment?”
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She's fairly certain more than a few of them think she's some kind of witch. "Come and sit with me, tell me what's on your mind."
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“It’s just….” He thought for a moment of how to begin before he went on. “....It is just that nothing good ever lasts for me. Things are alright now but I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I feel it’s inevitable. Is that a terrible way to feel?”
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"This will help with your pain, Ivar." She offers him a glass and sits down, lets him tell her what's on his mind. "There's nothing terrible about it at all, Ivar. You've experienced so much in such a short time that it's to be expected that you expect the worst. I wish I could promise you that everything will be okay, but I've never lied to you before and I never will.
"But I can promise that you will never be alone, regardless of how things turn out."
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He takes the glass and drinks, waiting for some of his pain to abate. “Thank you, Ruby.” It’s as much for the wise words as the wine he’s drinking. She’s always been there to help subtly guide him down the right path.
“I just hope my son doesn’t end up turning early the way I did. That’s a hard life for any child to have.” Ivar had only really gotten through his childhood by sheer ferocity and strength of will. Early changes for werewolf pups weren’t easy, especially with his father so often not around to guide him the way he wished Ragnar would.
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"I remember the first time. I remember your fear, your confusion. I would not wish it upon your son. But I would not change it for you. You were always strong, destined to be so, but what you endured as a boy only made you more so." She offers a soft smile. "As for your son, I do not believe you have reason to fear. After all, he has you as a father and I cannot think of anyone better suited."
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"You know, most in Kattegat say you are a witch." Really, being someone who could perform magic would have explained so much about the woman and her strange ways but Ivar didn't believe it. She may have been mystical but Ruby was also grounded in a way he hadn't really found with someone like, say, the Seer.
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While the words themselves aren't surprising -she's heard the accusation before, usually with a hint of venom in the tone- they catch her off guard for a brief second. Ivar had never broached the subject before -a curious thing- and she hadn't even seen it coming now. Still, the same soft smile.
"And what do you think? Do you believe I am a witch?"
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Ivar tilts his head, watching Ruby closely as he often does when he is trying to figure out how to read a person, like she is a puzzle he is putting together in his head. "No," he says finally. "You're no witch. But I do wonder if you were sent by the gods." One of their messengers who reported everything back to Asgard, amusing the gods with tales of the mortals.
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Or whatever nonsense they whispered about, believing she couldn’t hear them.
“I would tell you, if you asked. But I am not sure you would believe me. I can assure you that I am no witch, however.”
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"I'd like to think I'd believe you, so long as you didn't try to deceive me." Not that Ruby ever had. The Viking probably trusted her more than he did most of his own brothers. Plus there was the fact Ivar can easily see through almost any lie when someone tries to feed him one.
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"I like to think you'd believe me as well. I think if anyone would, it would be you." And his brothers, of course, all of whom were more than human just as she was, even if they were different species of supernatural. "I would never lie to you."
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His eyes gleam again for a moment. "Enough with the suspense. So tell me then."
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Taking another sip of her wine, Ruby leans back in her chair, deciding to start at the beginning.
"I was born a long time ago. Long before you were born, before your father even. I was not born into a kind world, not for people like me, anyway. I was caught out and I was left for dead." Another sip of her wine. "I was approached that night, while I lay dying in the street and I was offered a chance to be who I am supposed to be. At a cost.
"I'm not a witch but I'm not human either. I sacrificed my humanity and became something more. Some people would call me demon, others would call me vampir. Vampire. It's why my blood helps you and it's why I knew you were special. It's also why I don't age."
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"Well--" He said, pausing for another sip of the drink. "--You're an old lady," Ivar teased lightly. Much like Ragnar, he covered up a lot of what he felt with humor. "Is that why you were attracted to my family? Because we are different like you are, being varúlfur?"
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"I won't deny that I was intrigued by the fact that your father and uncle weren't human like the men and women they fought alongside but my true interest came with you. Your mother protected you and loved you so fiercely despite the fact that she had been told that putting you out of your misery would be better for you. You were special. So I offered her my assistance in helping to ease your pain and I decided then that I would do whatever I had to to keep you safe until you were able to do it yourself.
"I didn't stay in Kattegat for your family. I stay for you."
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The fact that Ruby was like the precious few others including Ragnar, Aslaug, and Freydis who had seen greatness within Ivar despite his disability made Ivar's heart swell with joy. Really, throughout the course of his life, that's all he's ever wanted to hear. It shows as his ice-blue eyes light up as Ruby tells him why she's stayed so long in Kattegat.
"Well then." He swallows down most of his emotions before he can form a proper response. "I hope I have given you reason to confirm the decision you have made."
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Reaching out, Ruby rests a hand on Ivar's knee gently. "You have far exceeded all my hopes for you."
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At that, Ivar flat-out blushes. "I only ever tried to not only be the equal of all those around me but to exceed what even they could do." So many Norsemen were given so much, like his brothers, and yet were content with mediocrity. Ivar would never understand it. All he's ever wanted was to be just like anyone else, and when he finally got there, he decided he wanted to be better then all of them as well.
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Ruby can smell the shift in blood before his cheeks colour and she knows he appreciates he honestly. "If you were not a wolf, Ivar, I'd have turned you. I'd have selfishly kept you and everything you are to myself.
"We could be formidable."
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"We shall then. As a wolf, nothing can get close to harming or touching me. And with you by my side, we can be invincible." Already, Ivar's dreaming of bigger and better conquests than just what he's done so far. He'll end up ruling over all that he's ever dreamed of one way or another.
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"As a human, nothing can get close to harming or touching you. I'd kill anyone who tried before they even had a chance to raise their weapon." Ivar had never seen Ruby at her full power and maybe it was time to show him what she was capable of doing. "Together, we could rule the world."
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"Then you'll need to accompany me the next time I'm on the battlefield," Ivar says. Ruby has always had the propensity for nothing being able to touch her and now he knows why. He's already eager to see what she could do once she really let loose.
"The world?" Ivar echoes. He isn't sure how to even picture that. His worldview has always been limited to where Vikings have already roamed but he knows that's not all there is to what actually makes up the world. To think about going where no Norseman has gone before and having it all for the taking sounds like the achievement of all he's wanted to accomplish.
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Ruby had always been fond of Aslaug; there'd just been something about her that was good and the way she'd entrusted her most favoured son with someone like her had always meant the world to her. "I don't think your worshippers are ready to see someone like me on the battlefield. But perhaps I could just show you one day."
She nods. "The world." Ruby had travelled further than any of the Vikings had ever dreamed of, knew places they'd never imagined and she wanted to show it all to Ivar. "Especially with my ability to make us an army."
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"Then that is a day I will gladly look forward to," Ivar says with all earnestness. He really would love to see Ruby tearing through his enemies as though they are made of wet paper.
"Someday, when I am ready, we shall." He's not quite there yet, still coming into his own in terms of his fighting ability and strategic analysis. But someday sooner rather than later he will be and then....well, then the world will be their's for the taking.
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"One day soon, I promise.
"You'll be ready before you know it, Ivar. You've come so far, so quickly."
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"The moment I think I am ready for it, I will tell you. Then we shall wage a war on the whole world." A very unhinged.
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"You will be ready before you even know it, my darling boy. And then we'll take this world by storm. Show them the true might of Ivar the Boneless, son of Ragnar Lothbrok."