Circa 986 AD

Norway once again woke up with a slight feeling of dread, and also nausea.

Not again. One child was more than enough. In fact, one child might be more than enough.

Denmark was once again gone, this time kicked out of his bed and house until he "learned a better use for his too-large mouth." Or until he came back for the winter. Whichever came first, although, really, he might come back to the house for the winter, but he would not necessarily be welcomed back to their bed.

Time would tell, he told himself after throwing up everything remotely near his stomach in body-geography. This was going to suck so much.

Perhaps that's why, despite the tug in the back of his mind, he delayed his departure. Or perhaps it was because the bed and hearth was warm, the food plentiful, the neighbors quite kind. Still, he delayed his departure several months after he should have been long gone.

Finally, one summer's day, he could wait no more. The tug that drew him westward would not be ignored.

It's basically the same as it was almost two hundred years earlier, though this time he is rewarded for his efforts with a baby boy. He names him after a man he who has, for all his faults, held a place of honor in Norway's memories: Ragnar Lothbrok. A suitable name for someone who would, one day, be Norway's heir.

Because, unlike his idiotic "brothers-of-the –blood-of-the-covenant", Norway valued preparedness. His empire will live on after him, he's sure of that.

But his brothers? Well…

But that was for another day.

Carrying his second child, a year since he'd first known about the impending birth, he walked up the path to his home. Smoke rose from the chimney, and a tiny, self-satisfied smirk bloomed on Norway's face. A smirk which was quickly wiped away.

"Hey, Norge!"

Oh fuck. The idiot was back.

AND WHY WAS HE TOUCHNG HIS ACTUAL BROTHER?

"Norge, you ok?" Denmark asked.

He took Iceland by the hand and led him inside and promptly shut the door. People were too much. Much too much. Especially those people.

"What the hell, Norge?" Denmark shouted.

"Still hasn't found a good use for that mouth of his, has he?" Norway asked his daughter, who was focused on something very important in a wooden bowl. Abruptly, she overturned it on the floor. "And he still hasn't learned to cook any better, either, I see."

Raising three very small children in the same house as the Dane was going to be very interesting. Especially since the Dane was practically a child anyway.

A/N: A few notes:

If you watch History Channel's Vikings, you're probably familiar with the name Ragnar Lothbrok. Turns out, he was a real person.

I also a reference that most people know as "blood is thicker than water." The full expression is "the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb."

Thirdly, I intend to move all of the stories on this account to one on AO3. I'll let you know more when I have more details.