Fate Rebellion

Rurik entered a period of slow recovery. During this time, it was mostly Maria caring for him. At first, Elisiv tried to share the burden with her, but Maria was very persistent, and she had Rurik's support.

It's not that Rurik had anything against his mother, but Maria was far easier to manipulate into following his instructions, rather than those of the royal herbalist.

The royal herbalist was a woman trained in healing arts of this time, who worked directly for the royal family. She wasn't bad at her job, but Rurik's modern knowledge on proper wound maintenance was simply superior to hers. His knowledge also ensured the splint was re-set properly every time the wound had to be cleaned, to prevent excessive problems with alignment.

Fortunately, his knowledge and Maria's diligent care was enough to prevent any major infection, and after a month of slow healing, all his wounds were closed. Of course, he wasn't off the hook yet. It just meant he wasn't actively leaking important fluids anymore.

The skin was still tender, and his wounds could easily reopen if he stressed them. Now, he had to wait for scar tissue to form. Plus, his fracture was still healing as well.

In total, Rurik was almost completely bed-ridden for a mind-numbingly boring three months. Yet, he refused to risk his recovery, knowing what the consequences could be in this day and age. This was another thing where his disciplined adult mind came in play.

During this time, he grew increasingly closer to Maria. She may only be a child compared to him, but she was surprisingly intuitive and bright. She managed to make his time much more bearable.

Plus, she helped him manage the small spy network he'd build up since the awakening of his memories. At first, she was confused about what her brother was doing, but it wasn't long before she started enjoying her role as secret messenger.

Another important event happening in these months was during one of his father's visits, in the last few weeks of his recovery.

Rurik was currently sitting straight on his bed, arm resting in a sling of his own making. The fracture had already healed by this time, seemingly without any major deformations, but the scar tissue hadn't stabilized yet, and he hadn't been able to test his range of movement yet, so Rurik took no chances.

Meanwhile, Harald was crouching next to his bed and looked at him solemnly. "You look good, Son," he nodded in greeting. "You cannot imagine my relief at how well you're healing."

Rurik chuckled slightly, "It probably matches my own, Father."

To be honest, Rurik liked and respected Harald quite a bit. He saw many of his own traits in the man, which was interesting, and almost made him wonder if Harald had perhaps been a distant ancestor in his previous life.

Regardless, it didn't mean he actually saw Harald as his father, but he didn't think it mattered much. He felt a sense of loyalty and respect towards him either way, so the difference was likely minimal. But, regardless of his feelings, he did have to continue pretending.

"Fair enough," Harald grinned proudly. "Anyway, you should know that tales of 'Rurik Wolfscar, the child warrior' are already traveling far and wide. You made quite an impression on our guests at the hunt!"

There was respect and pride in his eyes as he looked at Rurik. The event with those wolves had taken root deep inside him, and he already viewed his son as a powerful warrior in the making.

"Wolfscar, huh?" Rurik muttered as he raised an eyebrow. "I like it."

Harald laughed loudly and shook his head, "It wouldn't matter if you didn't, Son! These things take on a life of their own. Do you think I had a choice in being named 'Hardrada'?"

Rurik happily laughed with him. His father was a gregarious man, even if it was drawn over a layer of cunning, and it was easy to get along with him.

"But enough about that," Harald finally continued as he waved his hand and became solemn again. "Listen… Maria told me what exactly went down that night."

"Well, not exactly," he then raised a curious eyebrow. "She refused to say what made her so angry at you, but I assume it was just a woman or child thing."

"Anyway," he sighed with a hint of disappointment. "She was scared to face me and the others crying as she was, so she ran into the woods without thinking much. Honestly, I'm glad you don't blame her for what happened, as I'm not sure I could have forgiven her in your stead."

Rurik listen calmly, keeping his thoughts to himself.

"But I'm not here to rehash what happened," Harald said, shaking his head, before pointing at Rurik with a solemn frown. "You acted like a real man, and a big brother should. Perhaps it would have been smarter to warn us, but I fully realize we probably would have arrived too late to save her if you had."

"So, Rurik," he finally finished. "What would you like as a reward, for saving the life of my daughter?"

Rurik blinked. He hadn't really expected such a blunt offer for a reward. He figured he would have to leverage a little first. Just because he didn't save Maria for this reason, didn't mean he couldn't take advantage of his father's generosity, after all.

Of course, he didn't mind it this way.

Slowly, a grin spread across his lips. "Actually, I have two things I want, but they're both easy things for you to grant."

This time, it was Harald's turn to be surprised as his eyebrows shot up. Then, he started chuckling in his deep voice, "Hehehe, here I was afraid you'd start spewing some nonsense about not needing a reward. Instead, you ask for two! I can appreciate the guts, so fine, boy, speak!"

"First of all," Rurik began confidently. "I'd like to be given permission to take care of Maria's education. I want to train her as a warrior." He'd heard Maria's words when she fell asleep by his side a few months ago, and wanted to see if he could make it a reality.

Instantly, Harald frowned unwillingly. "Rurik… everyone has a role to fulfil. As men, it is our duty to fight and protect, while women like Maria tend the hearth and care for the children. Besides, she has a duty to our family, to create alliances through marriage."

Inwardly, Rurik rolled his eyes. He wasn't some kind of social justice warrior, but he knew powerful and talented women in his past life. Not to mention that he'd pity any fool who dared underestimate Luna. Regardless, that wasn't the argument that would convince his father. Instead, he aimed at Viking culture.

"You know as well as I do the sagas of women who fought side by side with men, Father," Rurik reminded him solemnly. "Women like Lagertha, Hervor, and Freydís, all fought as shieldmaidens. I want the chance to prove Maria can become one such woman."

Then, he shrugged, "Plus, you can't tell me there aren't any men who'd be interested in having a warrior for a wife."

Technically, Rurik was already baulking slightly at the idea of Maria being married off to anyone, but he knew his father was a practical man who wouldn't easily give up on her value in that way.

Harald frowned thoughtfully, and remained silent for a moment. Finally, he nodded. "Alright, Rurik… you can give it a shot," he grumbled in a slightly frustrated tone, before he raised an eyebrow. "But I'm warning you: if she doesn't make sufficient progress, I'm putting an end to it, understood?"

Victoriously, Rurik smirked and nodded, "Understood!"

His father scoffed, "Hmpf, you promised these would be easy to grand, you little rascal, but this wasn't so easy at all!" He narrowed his eyes, "Your second request better be truly easy, or you can forget it, no matter how generous I feel right now!"

Still grinning, Rurik nodded, "It is!"