Summary: Set during season 2. Athelstan chose Ragnar over the Christian king. Ragnar missed his priest and they reunite while Aslaug embraces her feelings towards Ragnar and Athelstan's relationship.

Choice

Aslaug watched her husband and the priest with knowing eyes. She knew many things with her gifts granted by the Gods but she could admit that when she first came to Kattegat she did not understand the relationship Ragnar had with the then slave. Athelstan was a Christian priest and was a slave but yet Ragnar treated him better than he treated her. She had been angry at first and proceeded to take her anger out on the dark haired Englishman but then he had surprised her by taking it without a word. She felt presence beside her and turned to face Siggy.

"It is a strange relationship that he has with the priest," Siggy spoke giving her a knowing look.

"Yes it is. I remember being angry about it when I first came here. I know that Ragnar does not love me like a man should love his wife and at first I was angry about thinking that the reason was because of the Englishman but watching him take it made me wonder. He took every abuse I gave him never speaking ill of me not even to Ragnar and he always showed me kindness. By the Gods I found myself growing to like the priest and respecting him. I have come to see that out of everyone I have to share my husband with Athelstan is the one I do not mind sharing him with," Aslaug said wisely.

"You have grown wiser," the other woman noted.

"I knew when I came here that many would not like me and despite the relationship he has with Lagartha, Athelstan has shown me respect so I will show him the same. I prayed to the Gods and they have shown me that he is important but he means no harm to my children or I so I will abide by their ruling and wisdom," Aslaug explained.

Aslaug turned to see her husband and Athelstan disappear from the party and instead of being angry she found herself smiling. When she had first came to Kattegat she had tried to push for Ragnar to be with both her and Lagartha but the shield maiden had not accepted it. She had thought that would be the end of it and that if she had to share her husband with another woman she should at least approve of her. She had soon learned through her knowing sight and the Gods that it was not a woman that she would share Ragnar with and found herself angry. Anger soon turned to a sort of alliance between the two and then finally friendship and understanding settled between them. Aslaug knew though that the real understanding settled when Aslaug had to watch her husband grieve for Athelstan when she thought him to be dead. She knew that like her and the children Athelstan would always have a place in Ragnar's life because the Gods have demanded it and who was she to go against them.

~Choice~

Ragnar led his priest to their private room praying to the Gods that they would not be interrupted. He had not believed King Horick when the man had told him that Athelstan betrayed him and was dead. The Gods would not be that cruel to take what was his away from him without warning but his fear did not go away when he learned that his friend was alive. He had seen the way that the king in Wessex looked at what was his and it took all his strength not to kill the man. He chose to use wisdom instead and allied himself with the king to help a princess get her lands back. He did not care for that king in Wessex though or that princess of Mercia but instead only cared about his priest.

"You chose to come back to Kattegat," Ragnar spoke softly watching the priest move around his room.

"Did you doubt I would?" he asked giving him a knowing look making Ragnar wonder how somebody could have so much wisdom in his eyes.

"I saw the way that the king in Wessex looked at you," the Earl told him stepping closer like a man stalking his prey.

"King Ecbert gave me friendship when everyone else would have me dead. If it was not for him I would be dead but he is not where my home is," Athelstan told this strong man limping closer to him.

"The Gods took you away from me only to give you back. I think they were trying to test us both but I know I cannot lose you," Ragnar spoke harshness to his voice.

Athelstan smiled when rough hands grabbed his scarred ones and traced the marks left behind. So long ago when he had been enslaved he had never thought that he would ever develop feelings for this man, the Northman that had killed his people and taken him away from everything he has known. Athelstan soon found himself facing emotions and other things that he did not think possible. When Lagartha had left he thought he would lose his place only to find his relationship with Ragnar changing. He had stayed with King Horrick to try to prove himself worthy and strong only instead he had unknowingly betrayed his friend, a choice he would not make again.

"The Gods did not take me away. I was foolish in leaving in the first place and there was not a day I did not think of you," he admitted reassuring his Earl.

"The Gods will have to kill me before I let you be taken from me again priest. Now the time for talking is over," Ragnar demanded taking his priest into his arms.

The kiss was soft at first another thing that surprised Athelstan. He had expected Ragnar to be rough and just take what was his but instead he was gentle at first building up and even when he was rough he was not cruel at least to him. Athelstan moved his arms to grip at Ragnar's shoulder's hating that his hands could not grip as hard as he use to but he could only hope that the strength would come back. He was pushed back to lie down on the furs as his clothing was removed. He opened his eyes moving to sit up to help Ragnar remove his own only to find himself being stopped.

"Tonight is about you priest," Ragnar told him with a smirk.

"As you wish Earl Ragnar," Athelstan spoke lying back with a smile on his face.

Ragnar looked at the beauty lying beneath him and smirked thankful to the Gods for the gift they have given him. He had lost his priest once already he was not going to lose him again. This time he was not letting his priest out of his sight especially while in battle and Gods help anyone who tried to stop him. He smirked as his hands ran over the familiar body mapping out new scars and old ones with his hands. He saw the scars from the crucifixation and wanted to go back to Wessex to kill those that had hurt what was his. Instead he turned his anger elsewhere his lips following the trail his hands led making sure that his priest knew who he belonged to. Ragnar growled at the tight heat he was met with and the moans of Athelstan spurred him on. It had been so long that gentleness had nothing to do with their reunion as the Earl roughly reclaimed what was rightfully his losing himself in the familiar heat. The Gods could do nothing to stop the reunion of the two souls nor could they do anything to separate them.

I chose to put in the stuff with Aslaug because it seemed that at first she didn't like Athelstan but then she seemed to start to like and respect him so I felt that this needed that part in it. If you have any Ragnar/Athelstan prompts send them my way please.