We sat on the floor with the wedding dinner, looking at the fire cracking in the fireplace. I was leaning against my husband and he had his arm around my shoulders, gently running his fingers over my arm. I tipped my head up and smiled at him. He met my gaze and smiled back.

“We’re married,” I said, loving how it felt saying it.

“Yes. I like that.” He placed a kiss in my hair, inhaling sharply.

“Let me see it again,” I murmured, earning a chuckle from him.

He held his arm out to me, letting me run my fingers over his tattoo. His tattoo of my name written in my runes. The runes of my home. Of Dania. He had gotten it done without my knowledge, done it himself in the middle of day when I had been asleep. And I loved it.

“Is it bad I want more?” Xipe murmured into my hair.

“Not at all,” I chuckled and trailed my fingers over his soft stomach. “I could make some on you. For protection.”

“I’d love that,” he breathed slowly, making the hairs on the back of my neck rise. I got the shivers and he chuckled again, bringing me closer to his bare chest.

We had pulled the long, soft tablecloth off the table and draped it around us so we wouldn’t get cold. But it was warm here on the soft rug, in front of the fire.

“I could make vegvísir.” I turned my arm, so the inside was up, showing off the round eight-armed symbol. “With this on you, you can never get lost. I got it tattooed so I could find my way to Fólkvangr after I died.”

“I’d like that. I’ve...” he hesitated and ran his finger over the runic symbol. “I’ve felt so lost, Frej.”

I was about to pull away so I could see him better, but he tightened his arm around me.

“Before you, I… I just… I kept searching for something. I’ve been searching for decades. If I had just known I was looking for you all this time I wouldn’t have… Done so many things. I’d do a lot of things differently.” He sighed deeply and was quiet for a bit, the flames reflecting in his dark eyes. He blinked and clenched his arm around me again.

“I’d love to get vegvísir done by you.” His voice sounded as soft as the velvet tablecloth felt against my naked skin. It crept right through my chest and wrapped itself around my heart. My husband had the most lovely voice.

He moved his head down and kissed me softly before going back to his original position again.

“I love you, Fakkel.”

“I love you too, Xipe,” I murmured back and kissed the side of his neck.