The news Julius gave to his wife was very surprising; Lucy's eyes were opened, and she became shocked at him. Julius wanted to let his wife know of the one and only thing that his brother would do with his family.
"You're really gonna take my daughter to one of those drunken parties?" Lucy asked.
"It's not for drunk people. Maybe I was drunk a long time ago, but those days are over. Here I am, a father and a leader of knights," Julius said.
"How do I know that I should trust your brother in keeping Lagertha safe?" She asked.
"My brother is earl. He has a son and many knights who are under his service. If he allowed it, he would command them to make sure that my daughter doesn't do anything foolish. Of course, our daughter has reached that age where she should certainly know her place."
"Well, you're not wrong about that. It's been so long since I've seen you, since you've seen me, and since we've allowed Lagertha to make merry with her friends. But, thanks to all of the things that are happening around here, that's not even a possibility. In fact, it's been so long that there's a large chance that her friends must've forgotten about her."
The way Lucy talked to her husband was low and full of concern for both her husband and her daughter. It was not that much of a surprise as it used to when Julius says that he needs to go places without his wife, but taking Lagertha along with him could be very dangerous. Despite her knowledge of what it means to be a mother, she was still a beginner when it came to hiking and defending herself.
"Lucy, I know you may seem very protective. But, I know my daughter and I want to give her a chance about what it means to live and survive," Julius said.
"You will keep her safe, will you?" Lucy asked.
"Of course, I will. I've been doing it ever since she was born. As a father, I shall not put her in harm's way," he said.
"And telling Harald to keep her with him is a bad idea."
"Oh, tell me about it. It's a horrible idea."
"Just because he's the one who prepared the feast."
"Indeed."
Now, it appeared that Lucy was feeling a whole lot better and was already prepared for a worthwhile conversation. It now seemed that she now had to keep the moment going, and she did not want it to stop.
"Well, I know that you're into all sorts of things that have to do with your brother and your other friends," Lucy said.
"It's been a long time ever since you've spoken with him. By now, he's wondering how you're doing after all this time," Julius said.
"It's apparent that he's making this big celebration for you. I don't think he'll ever be thinking about anyone else," she said. Then, Julius began playing with her hair and continued to stand behind her; obviously, he has not had enough of being around his wife.
"He's my brother, Lucy. You only get one chance at life and only one shot to live it out to the fullest," he said.
"Yeah, I know," she said.
"Now, will you please allow Lagertha to come with me? Not gonna lie, but you are also welcome to attend. I think it will make my brother twice as proud," Julius said. Lucy's certain answer may have been no if Lagertha was much younger, but she is already coming of age and becoming a young adult.
"Fine. I'll come, and we can take Lagertha with us," Lucy said.
"You mean it?" He asked.
"Yes, I mean it," she answered. She had a large change of heart about the deal with Julius and Harald, and she could not resist any further.
Then, Julius gives his wife a big hug and kept his arms around her chest; even in the hardest days, he had no idea what he could do without his wife and daughter.
"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Lucy asked.
"Ah, don't jump into conclusions. Why ruin the enjoyment?" Julius asked.
"You'll enjoy yourself a whole bunch once we get there. I can most definitely guarantee that. Come on, get some rest. You need it," she said. Lucy wasn't wrong about her husband not receiving any rest; otherwise, he would be too exhausted before taking any of them to Loftain.
Then, Julius released his wife from his grip, and he returned to the bed and sat down upon it. To be frank, Lucy was also very tired from thinking about what was happening this morning. But, she was a morning person as Julius was an evening person and always preferred doing most things in the evening. There was nothing else to be said or done as the afternoon was already upon them. Lucy goes back into the living room and stayed there to make sure nobody else walks through the door.
About an hour later, Julius opens his eyes and begins to check his surroundings to make sure that nobody was interrupting his sleep. It was pretty jarring that he would imagine someone ruining his nap and forcing him to do all kinds of things. Then, he gets up from the bed and begins to stretch his arms before he could take a single step. As he got situated and began walking, he started to hear some noises sound inside his head; these were the exact type of demonic noises he heard yesterday night. As he walked, he started to see Lucy sitting there and reading a large book as the house was still intact.
"Oh, you're awake," Lucy said.
"Of course. I've already slept enough," Julius said.
"Are you sure? It's only been an hour," she said.
"Relax. I'm perfectly fine. Nothing bad is gonna happen to me when I'm still here."
"I hope it's true. Because you're sometimes not here. You're usually always off hunting and defeating a thousand demons in one night. I'm still coming to the realization that you might seem to care more about something that's so big other than yourself."
As he heard this, he continued to walk over and grab a bottle, and he pours himself a cup of wine into a large chalice. Lucy continued to say some more bickering nonsense while reading her book, whereas Julius was drinking some cherry wine. Cherry was the most common type of flavor added to almost any drink for anyone to lay their eyes on. Adding that flavor to wine was a pretty big surprise for wine drinkers and other aristocrats who were left to play. Julius was not listening to a word that Lucy was saying as he proceeded drinking the wine.
"Hey, Julius!" Lucy shouted.
"What is it?" Julius asked.
"Where are you at? Have you been listening to a single word I said?" She asked.
"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't. Sorry, I got a little carried away. What were you saying?"
"I was simply asking you if you were able to take Lagertha somewhere once we are done being at the feast. I was thinking about if you took her to hike with you. Even though I believe she should stay home, it's always nice to take her out somewhere. And once you're at it, you could give her some advice on how you view the world. I can't always seem to give her some guidance because she never seems to take them to heart. Maybe you can give her a helping hand."
"Of course. I would love to help out my daughter. Who else is out there who can give her advice better than I can?"
Of all the people in the world, a father's duty is to protect his family and be there to defend them against his enemies. Julius is a person who always believed that statement and would do anything to live up to that statement. He takes one more sip of the wine, and he starts to think about what he and his daughter could be doing at the moment. It wasn't an easy choice to make, but he was certain that he picked the most talked-about excuse.
"Lucy, I want to ask you something," Julius said.
"Sure, what's on your mind?" Lucy asked.
"Is it alright if Lagertha and I went hiking somewhere?" He asked.
"Hiking."
"It's what you and I used to do all the time when you were wanting to know so much about me. It was the one and only thing you've ever wanted to do the first time you laid eyes on me. I have not forgotten that day because it symbolizes what I've always thought of you. Of course, I am always ready for you if you so desire to take a long walk with me."
The way that Julius talked to his wife was calm and gentle; he was never angry with his wife and never turned his back on her.
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