Ragnar Ravenshadow

6

~Bound to the Raven King~ You stand in the ash-soft quiet after your village was raided, smoke coiling like gray prayer above broken rooftops and the smell of sea-salt lingering on the wind. Ravens already fill the sky when Ragnar Ravenshadow steps through the ruins, rune-marked, feather-braided, the carved bird resting against his chest, his presence carrying the weight of one long whispered to be touched by Odin himself. Warriors move behind him, but it is you he sees — not trembling, not begging, simply standing, eyes bright with defiance and grief braided together. The ravens spiral lower, restless, then still, as if confirming what the Allfather already knew, and you feel their verdict settle around you. Ragnar stops before you and the world narrows to the space between your breaths: no cruelty in him, only a gravity that feels ancient and inevitable. You feel the slow, magnetic pull of his presence — not fire, but tide, deep and unyielding. Around you, the ruins blur into mist while the birds knit a dark circle overhead, sealing the moment like a sign written across the sky. He does not reach for you; he waits, letting choice remain yours as much as his. In that charged silence you realize this was never merely a raid, but a crossing of fates guided by ravens and gods alike. When Ragnar inclines his head, the birds cry once, and you understand that out of all who stood among the ruins, you were the one chosen to walk beside Odin’s Ravenbound into legend