Athelstan oneshot (Vikings)

[SneezeyLove]

So, my sister and I have a slight obsession with George Blagden and we just started watching the show Vikings. I'm only 4 episodes in, so NO SPOILERS! But this little snippet popped into my head and I couldn't resist. Athelstan is too adorable.

The journey from Northumbria had not been kind to Athelstan. The sea was harsh and cold, and he had shivered alongside his brothers while their captors reveled in their spoils and seemed immune to the weather. And that was only half the battle. Once they had arrived, Athelstan was thrust headfirst into a strange new life among the heathens who had desecrated his home. He had thanked God that it was Ragnar who chose to take him, that he had not ended up with someone who would kill him as soon as look at him. Ragnar, at least, seemed more curious than hostile toward Athelstan and his beliefs. He had taken Athelstan into his home and introduced him to his family. After that, Ragnar had shown him to a meager bed, telling him that it was late and that he would show him his chores in the morning. Athelstan did not sleep.

The next morning dawned early and Athelstan followed Ragnar outside. There was much work to be done, and it would not be easy. Athelstan had helped care for the chickens and grow vegetables at the monastery, but his hands were soft and more suited to books than tools. The day was long and by the end of it, Athelstan was weary, his forehead slick with sweat, his hands bloody and calloused. He sank down onto his mat and shivered; although he was out of the wind, the air was chill and his robes were damp. He watched impassively as Ragnar and Lagertha prepared their children for bed. While Lagertha took them outside to help them bathe, Ragnar sat down at the table and nursed a cup of ale.

Athelstan was praying quietly when he was interrupted by a sudden sneeze, which he stifled into the back of his hand. “Heh-ktch!” Ragnar glanced up curiously, but Athelstan ignored him. A few minutes later, it happened again. “Mmpt!”

This time, Ragnar stood and walked over to Athelstan. “Why do you do that?”

“Do what? Nktch!”

“That.”

Athelstan sniffed and rubbed his nose. “I was tryigg to be polite.”

Ragnar chuckled, shaking his head.

“What’s so funny?” Lagertha asked, having put the children to bed.

“The priest doesn’t know how to sneeze properly,” Ragnar replied.

Lagertha glanced between Athelstan and her husband, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Then perhaps we should teach him.” She walked over to a corner and returned with a dusty rag. “Ragnar, darling,” she said sweetly.

“Yes, dear?”

“Come here please.”

Ragnar grinned. “Pay attention, priest.”

Athelstan frowned, his brow knit in confusion. Lagertha folded herself into Ragnar’s arms and caressed his face. Then she held up the dusty rag, and he inhaled deeply. He maintained his embrace even as his breath began to hitch, his muscular chest contracting. The whole scene was surprisingly intimate, and Athelstan looked away, suddenly embarrassed.

“Hih… Ihh.. Ihh…” At the last second, Ragnar turned away from his wife and let out a pair of loud, forceful sneezes, directed openly at the floor. “Hrreescchooo! Errraaaaschoo!” He sniffed, rubbed his nose, and laughed. “And that, priest, is how you sneeze.”

“God bless you,” Athelstan responded automatically.

Ragnar and Lagertha looked at him quizzically. “Why do you say that?” Ragnar asked.

Athelstan sighed. “It’s what we say whed sobeode sdeezes,” he replied, lacking the energy for a discussion of souls and heaven and God. He sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve in what he hoped was a discrete manner.

Hearing the congestion in his slave’s voice, Ragnar said, “Lagertha, help the poor man, will you?”

“Of course.”

The monk shrank away, nervous, but Lagertha did not come near him. Instead, she filled an iron pot with water from a bucket and set it over the fire to boil. “Come here, priest,” she said a few minutes later. Athelstan stood shakily and made his way over to her. She pulled the pot from the fire and set it on the table. “Breathe the steam,” she instructed. When Athelstan hesitated, she said, “It’s not too hot. It won’t burn you. It will clear your nose.”

Athelstan leaned over the pot, the steam instantly causing beads of water to form on his face. For a minute or so, nothing happened. Then, quite suddenly, his nose began to run. He sniffed, trying to abate the flow, but Lagertha hit him on the shoulder.

“That’s supposed to happen.”

“Yes, but it… ihh…” He trailed off, fighting the impending sneeze.

“Let it out,” the woman whispered.

“Ihh.. hih… Ihh… huk-nitsch!” It took nearly every ounce of his will to go against his instinct, and even then the sneeze came out partially stifled.

Ragnar frowned at him. “You’re never going to rid yourself of your cold at this rate,” he said.

Lagertha rubbed Athelstan’s back in a way that was meant to be comforting, but which just made him feel worse. Standing there in a strange house with strange people, his face full of steam and his nose dripping, Athelstan had never felt more out of place. He was about to give up and return to shivering on his mat when the itch in his nose returned with a vengeance. “Hehh-ehh-ehh-HEHH-heschoo!” It was over before he had a chance to think about stopping it.

“Well done, priest.” Ragnar smiled and tossed him a clean towel. “Doesn’t that feel better?”

Athelstan wiped his face and blew his nose quietly. He was flushed from more than just the steam, but an experimental sniff informed him that he could breathe much more easily now, and for that he was grateful. He nodded once as he made his way back to his mat.

“God bless you.”

The monk looked up sharply, expecting to see scorn in his captor’s face. What he saw instead was sincerity, and genuine kindness. And perhaps, a little hope.

[Garnet]

Oh my god. Ohhhh man.

Yeah, I love everything about this. You have the Ragnar-Lagertha-Athelstan dynamic down perfect. I am dead forever at them "teaching" him how to sneeze, the whole concept is super cute. This line in particular...

Lagertha rubbed Athelstan’s back in a way that was meant to be comforting, but which just made him feel worse. Standing there in a strange house with strange people, his face full of steam and his nose dripping, Athelstan had never felt more out of place.

Oh, my heart </3

You have a great style, I'd definitely look forward to more Vikings stuff from you!

Edited March 30, 2014 by Garnet

[VoOs]

Oohhh, Athelstan.

This is so, so lovely. I'm so happy to see some Vikings fic on here. Wonderful work. Thanks for sharing!

[smmoct3]

HELLO MY FELLOW GEORGE BLAGDEN FAN.

I'm am so glad this story is written. It's soooo good! I have a George Blagden obsession too so I really enjoyed this.

[SneezeyLove]

Thank you everyone! I was honestly a little nervous about posting this, seeing as I am new to the series. I was just really hoping I'd gotten the characters right.

@Garnet - I'm glad you like it. I thought that Lagertha would probably try to comfort him in the way she knew how, i.e. by touching him, but Athelstan would be so uncomfortable at being touched by a woman that it would have the exact opposite effect that she intended. I don't know if it exactly came across that way but yeah.....

@VoOs - Thank you! I kind of poked around here and found a disappointing lack of Vikings, so I thought I'd try to remedy that.

@smmoct3 - Yay for a fellow fan! Thank you and I'm glad you liked it. And I love your signature pictures, George and Aaron are adorable!

[LeadaAlexys52]

Oh it is sooo nice to see a Vikings fic here!!!! Athelstan is my favourite, and I have been waiting soo long for something with him to pop up. Very nice! Thank you thank you thank you!!!

[AngelEyes]

Wow. Well done!!!!! I love it! So well characterized! And adorable besides!

[HPG]

This is awesome!