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Which I don’t expect to write, for many reasons including not actually being that into writing fanfic with genderswap and anyway, I’m not actually feeling inspired. But I like the bunny, so I thought I’d let it out to roam the internet.
Anyway, here goes:
In this story, Athelstan would not be, well, male - strictly speaking. Athelstan is a monk at Lindisfarne, but, well - and I don’t know if he’s about 1200 years ahead of his time and actually identifies as male or if she’s merely following in the proud tradition of women-in-disguise-in-all-male-institutions. Whichever it is, biologically speaking, Athelstan is a woman.
Then the vikings came and carried off the monks and now Athelstan is Ragnar’s slave - and absolutely terrified of being found out, probably convinced that a slave girl will inevitably end up raped and worse. And it definitely isn’t easy to keep secret, inbetween invitations to join Ragnar and Lagertha in bed and living among people who are a lot less body-shy than a monastery full of monks and make a point out of bathing at least once a week. Still, Athelstan tries - and prays.
In the meantime, Ragnar isn’t sure what he’s doing wrong with his new slave girl. Oh, he’s happy he picked her - she’s bright and useful and obedient and - now that her hair is growing out and that ridiculous bald spot disappearing - prettier than ever - in short, he likes her. Just as importantly, Lagertha likes her, and has given her consent to Ragnar taking the girl as his official frille.
Problem is, well, he’s polite to the girl. Respectful. Addresses Athelstan as would be appropriate to her rank and does not mock her god. Invites her into his bed instead of demanding and respects her refusals. Goes raiding with Lagertha and leaves Athelstan with the keys of the house, the symbol of the female head of a household. In short, he’s doing everything short of just sitting down and telling the girl that he’d really like her as his frille, that he’d like to offer her a respectable, safe position as a proper member of his family.
And still the girl will shy away from him.
Of course, for this story to work, Athelstan’s grasp of the Norse tongue would have to be, well, not as good as it is in the show, to avoid Athelstan realizing that Ragnar - being from a non-Christian culture and consequently without the ingrained assumption that anyone dressed as a monk must be a man - that Ragnar knows. I suppose whatever word they’re using for “Priest” might be either gender-neutral or maybe Athelstan just doesn’t quite have that much skill at Norse. Anyway. Like I said, I’m not going to write this, but I do kinda like the plot bunny, so…
Anyway, here goes:
In this story, Athelstan would not be, well, male - strictly speaking. Athelstan is a monk at Lindisfarne, but, well - and I don’t know if he’s about 1200 years ahead of his time and actually identifies as male or if she’s merely following in the proud tradition of women-in-disguise-in-all-male-institutions. Whichever it is, biologically speaking, Athelstan is a woman.
Then the vikings came and carried off the monks and now Athelstan is Ragnar’s slave - and absolutely terrified of being found out, probably convinced that a slave girl will inevitably end up raped and worse. And it definitely isn’t easy to keep secret, inbetween invitations to join Ragnar and Lagertha in bed and living among people who are a lot less body-shy than a monastery full of monks and make a point out of bathing at least once a week. Still, Athelstan tries - and prays.
In the meantime, Ragnar isn’t sure what he’s doing wrong with his new slave girl. Oh, he’s happy he picked her - she’s bright and useful and obedient and - now that her hair is growing out and that ridiculous bald spot disappearing - prettier than ever - in short, he likes her. Just as importantly, Lagertha likes her, and has given her consent to Ragnar taking the girl as his official frille.
Problem is, well, he’s polite to the girl. Respectful. Addresses Athelstan as would be appropriate to her rank and does not mock her god. Invites her into his bed instead of demanding and respects her refusals. Goes raiding with Lagertha and leaves Athelstan with the keys of the house, the symbol of the female head of a household. In short, he’s doing everything short of just sitting down and telling the girl that he’d really like her as his frille, that he’d like to offer her a respectable, safe position as a proper member of his family.
And still the girl will shy away from him.
Of course, for this story to work, Athelstan’s grasp of the Norse tongue would have to be, well, not as good as it is in the show, to avoid Athelstan realizing that Ragnar - being from a non-Christian culture and consequently without the ingrained assumption that anyone dressed as a monk must be a man - that Ragnar knows. I suppose whatever word they’re using for “Priest” might be either gender-neutral or maybe Athelstan just doesn’t quite have that much skill at Norse. Anyway. Like I said, I’m not going to write this, but I do kinda like the plot bunny, so…