The Last Kingdom- Preferences and Imagines | actors + characters

Ragnar- Imagine 1.1

I snuck down the darkly lit passage, as quietly as I could as to not disturb the guards. I came to a door on my right and pushed it open, heading out into the set of cells. Quietly, I opened up the slat on the right one, seeing the man I was looking for sat in the corner of his cell. I pulled the cell open and saw him turn to me, giving me a strange look. I pulled the cloak off my head and let him see my face; I gave him a soft smile to make him more relaxed.
"I, umm, I though you might be hungry." I explained, holding out a folded square of cloth. "I'm sorry it's not much but at least you won't starve." I hold it out for him but he didn't move to take it. I felt the proudness coming off him, so I decided to leave it on the edge of the wooden slat of a bed. I turned away, still smiling and headed for the door. I heard him move to get the food and I stopped and giggled, turning back to him.
"You could have just taken it from me." I stated. He gave me another strange look. "May I ask your name?" I asked.
"Ragnar." He said, coldly, taking a bite of the food I had brought him. "What is yours?"
"Y/N." I said, softly. I turned away again to leave him when he caught me, speaking in a soft and tired voice,
"Thank you, for the food."
"You're welcome."
Morning broke and I had to attend breakfast. My father was talking to one of his generals about the 'Dane' they had imprisoned and my mother, as usual, was preoccupied. This allowed me to slip a few bits of food, some buttered bread and an apple, into a handkerchief. I would sneak them down to Ragnar later, I thought.
By the late afternoon, my mother was praying and my father had left on a hunt. This gave me the opportunity to see the Dane. I put on my dark blue cloak and set out through the back passages that led down to the cells in the basement. I got to the heavy door and pushed it open, checking for any guards, not that there ver was any, before I headed over to the man's cell.
"Good afternoon, Lord." I greeted him. This time, he was more relaxed and looked at me. I held out the food to him and he gladly accepted it. I though about leaving but instead took a seat on the other end of his bed. "What happened for you to end up here?" I asked, softly. He side-eyes me, though his eyes weren't aggressive.
"I was scouting for my people and I ran into them. Ten against one hardly seems fair." He replied, biting into the apple.
"No, it doesn't. My father is not a fair man." I stated.
"Is that what happened to your cheek?" He asked, not looking back at me. My hand flew to my face and I hid the bruise, embarrassed. "I have no respect for a man who beats his wife or children. He is a coward." The blonde stated, throwing the apple core into the corner.
That night, I though about Ragnar. He had told me about his family and the land he came from and it made me think about my family- neither of them bothered about me or loved me and they only wanted me to be married off to whoever would give them a good price. I though about how handsome he was, with his blonde hair and icy blue eyes- though those thoughts left me too flustered to sleep. Instead, I decided to go and see him.
Many nights, for weeks, I spent in his cell talking to him. He was kind and sweet when you broke down the hard demeanour he had built around himself. He was really quite fragile.
"You don't have to continue if you don't want to." I breathed, seeing the tears starting to well in his eyes. He shook his head and took a deep breath.
"My brother and my two sisters and I we- we made it out. Clearly. But my parents, they both- they both burned inside that barn." He choked out. A few tears came from his eyes and I wiped them away. It was the first time I had touched him and his skin was soft. He looked into my eyes before the breath caught in his lungs and he let out a quiet sob.
"Oh, Lord." I sighed, pulling him into my chest. He wrapped his arms around my waist and laid his head on my shoulder as he cried, years of running from feelings finally catching up to him. I ran my hands through his hair and rested my cheek against his head, letting my dress absorbe his sorrow. "It's okay. I promise." I stroked his hair, slowly beginning to calm him. After a few more minutes, he tried to get up, apologising, but I held him tightly.
"Don't go yet." I sighed, seeing his tear-stained cheeks. "You don't need to be sorry, Ragnar." I comforted him. He nodded and laid back between my hips, resting his head on my sternum, letting me play with his hair. And we stayed like that, talking softly between ourselves, until the sunrise.
"Good morning, Mother." I greeted her as I walked to the table. She looked up at me briefly before turning back towards her book, studying the pages while eating. I sighed as my father walked into the room.
"There is going to be a snow storm tonight." He stated. I nodded. "It's a sign winter is approaching." He said dully as he sat down.
Breakfast was the usual quiet affaire that it had been for years in my household since my brother left. My mother was never the same since that day. I slipped some extra food aside for the captured Dane before heading back to my room.
The snow started falling around the evening but by dark it was a full-blown blizzard. The sounds of the wind filled the fortress and the air seemed to be frozen in place. I wrapped myself in some furs before making my usual journey down towards Ragnar. He must be freezing, I thought.
He had been in the cells since autumn and now the winter was arriving and, along with it, the cold. The cells were cold enough as it was, let alone with a snow storm outside.
When I got to his cell, I could see he was cold, though he denied the fact. His skin was paler than usual, an almost blueish tint to it, with the tips of his fingers and face pink.
"Don't go, stay with me a while." He asked. I agreed instantly. I had stayed in his cell with him many times- I had found his heartbeat to be very comforting and it felt nice, safe, to sleep in his arms. Although that night, it felt different. It felt different because he kissed me. It felt different because I gave my heart to him. It felt different because, for the first time, I went to sleep in the arms of somebody who loved me. And I slept right next to his heartbeat, listening to every thump it made as it pulled me towards a soft dream and Ragnar hummed soft words of affection in Danish, although I didn't speak his language well and so couldn't tell most of the words he said.