"For the last time, why an I here? I can't even fight." Charles breaks the silence as the group walks through the forest.

Max had decided that teaching Charles hunting and survival skills in the woods would benefit him some day in the future. Which Charles doubts since he can barely even care for himself in that manner. He can cook, clean, sew and look pretty. But that's it!

The group that Max took out for hunting consists of Max, of course, Pierre, Daniel, Carlos, Alex and Checo. If you don't count Charles along with them. The others didn't have to come, Lando, who is pregnant most definitely didn't, but George, Lance, Esteban and his brothers didn't have to come along. Since they were all more weaker and housewives then fighters.

"You're the chief's intended, it's customs here to know how to fight yourself. Mostly in a country like this. What if you winder around on a walk, suddenly! You see a bear, you will need to know what to do." Pierre tells his friend.

Charles sighs but looks in front of him, he did find out that he can swing a sword fairly well. Not good enough for combat but Max did tell him that it was good enough to protect himself. Which was all that Charles needed to know.

Ange happily skips around them, enjoying the morning air of the forest and disappears here and there between the trees. Only to jump back up from underneath a massive pile of snow. Being a very happy wolf, which makes Charles happy himself.

Percival or how Charles had nicknamed the tiny wolf, Percy. He had been too small and young to come along on any of these trips. Max allows the wolf pup to come along in town and stuff like that but he keeps his wolf strictly inside for safety.

"But I'm destined to be a pretty face. I'm destined to have babies, not learn how to hunt. I can't even kill an animal!" Charles whines out in disbelief.

Max falls into step with his lover, grabbing his hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. Charles learned how affectionate Max is over the last five days, always checking up on him and showing him he loves him. Max still sleeps on Charles his stomach and wrapping his arms around the prince's waist.

"Doesn't matter who or what you are, destiny doesn't control your life. You do, so only you get to decide your destiny. And at this moment, we're not teaching you how to hunt, just to survive and see where your skills in all of this are. Everyone is good at something. Maybe sword fighting isn't your speciality. Mine is archery." Max says calmly, leading the group through the forest.

"But you can hit a speeding bird!" Charles cries out before huffing.

He feels powerless, like he can't decide if he is gonna know this or not. He doesn't even like being stealthy, or finding the need to kill animal. He can't even kill a spider in their own home for crying out loud! How does Max want him to learn hunting.

"You don't know how many years of practice went over that. I choose to master every weapon, so I feel stronger and know I can protect my people. But I'm far more skilled with a sword. Maybe archery is your thing, but you will never know unless you give it a try. Trust me, I have no intentions to teach you how to hunt. You suck at killing animals, but that doesn't mean that this isn't a good experience and exercise to teach you how to protect yourself. For when you're alone and no one else can. What if you're alone and come face to face with the enemy. I would feel better if you could protect yourself so I don't have to worry about needing to have you by my side twenty-four seven." Max tells the Monegasque.

"Fine. But only how to protect myself, no teaching me hunting or any of that." Charles says pointing his free finger at the Viking.

Max nods his head and smiles before taking him further down the narrowing pathway. Charles had in the beginning been told that the forest was off limits before it turned in, don't wonder off the roads. Now Max had no rules for him anymore. Which frightened and yet excited Charles.

Despite having no rules or restrictions from the viking, he did always stay on the roads because he wouldn't know how to navigate himself home. Which at first he didn't realise was a too bad thing, until he found himself lost in the woods with no one to come to him. Luckily Jos went to search for him.

It was in the time that they thought Max was dead. When Jos came to his aid and had a fairly long speech slash screaming match at Charles for not taking Ange with him and wondering off the paths if he doesn't know how to get back home.

"I wouldn't dream of it, schat." Max says smugly before letting go and leaving his intended walking behind him.

"He's getting cocky." Charles says to Pierre while pointing to the viking in front of them.

Charles sighs as Pierre only laughs at him, not seeming to care at all. The group walks down the path into the snow covered hillside. Charles looks around for a second to see that they're leaving the trail to go off road. This will be hell.

———

"Are we done yet?" Charles whines for the hundredth time.

They had been walking for hours, none of these string male seem to be affected by the weather and the cold. Nor the fact that they have to walk for hours now. The blistering cold had made Charles shiver under his two layered fur. Still after wearing two bear furs draped over his shoulders is he still really cold.

In the time span of what they can all all morning from sun rise to the sun setting in the distance at this very moment. Had Charles been whining about having to walk so much. All his limbs hurt beyond belief.

"You do realise that we are walking back right?" Max suddenly pops up out of nowhere, scaring the poor Monegasque prince out of his skin.

"God! You scared me." Charles says with his hand on his heart.

Max snickers before taking off his fur, he drapes it around Charles his shaking shoulders. Warming the prince up in a way that makes him think that Max doesn't care about freezing as long as Charles is warm and fine. The viking gives him a smile before snaking his arm under the fur's of Charles and around his waist.

"I'm sorry we didn't see anything that you could practice at. If we don't count your fear of hurting animals." Max snickers amusedly.

"Well I'm sorry they stare in my soul with these big, sad eyes of theirs. Do you know how hard it is to watch them get shoot down by your own intended?" Charles asks annoyed.

He hates to go out hunting, the way that these viking shoot down their prey without mercy is beyond Charles. The lack of remorse and guilt for shooting down those poor unfortunate creatures. It makes Charles angry, it makes him feel guilty for them to get shot down like that.

"Schatje?" Max asks, having the prince look at him. "Bunnies, deer and other animals that aren't predators that we shoot down. Get a thanks for their sacrifice. We're vikings, not barbarians." Max says before showing Charles something.

Max holds his hand over his heart, before using his index and middle finger to point up to the sky. While the other fingers are balled up and mutters a word in Hollandian.

"You guys have a ritual?" Charles asks sounding surprised.

"Of course, we live and breathe nature. You can hear owls at night and wolves under the moon. The stars guide us home while the nordic lights dance above our heads to show us the gods are feasting on their own. Wolves are our companions while bears are our enemies. Bunnies are the innocence of the forest while the deer are the runners. Boars are the cleaners. We all have our part, we only contribute by protecting what's given us by the gods. For every tree we cut for a house, a new one gets planted. If we need new homes, we cut the trees and place new ones in a different clearing. We bathe in our homes and not in the lakes. We may be vikings but we love and protect what is ours, even the nature that is within our borders." Max tells the prince.

Charles had never realised just how much they care about their nature. But then again, he had never seen so many trees. Big and small ones, green and luscious. Animals seem not to care about a viking within their space. Some even had wondered on occasion into the village and kids would feed it.

"Had it always been that way?" Charles asks, he had never taken a proper look at the forest. He always knew it was beautiful and unlike any other country.

"Yes, our gods punish us if we don't." Max says with a snicker.

Charles raises an eyebrow in curiosity. Do their gods really care that much about their nature? That would be an one hell of a good gods. He wonders if the god from his culture cares about anything because wishing upon the god that he used to believe him never worked, the gods of the viking had listened and got his viking back home.

"We once about two hundred years ago tore down a part of the woods on the north side of the square, two hours later, a huge blizzard locked us all in our homes for two months, half the town died in that blizzard from starvation. We promised after that to never do that again and care for our nature. It never happened again, we had huge blizzards but we would have breaks so we could go hunt and feed ourselves but back them it was nonstop." Max tells Charles with passion.

"Wow, any other ways your gods showed they cared?" Charles asks intrigued.

He wants to be officially apart of this culture, he had never a big connection with his god from his culture and for some reason he had never really fit in their society of rules as he had wanted freedom and do things he liked. Max has showed him that you can rule and have fun, throw feasts with all your people and not have to worry. Nor does Max tax his people at all, they only have to pay for things like labour and materials. A blacksmith or a merchant.

"One time about three years ago, there was this pandemic in Whales and Hamilton. It came to here by boat, it was really and for the youth under the age of twenty. I was seventeen, my sisters nineteen and fifteen, we all got sick. Most of us got sick and at some point we all gathered in the square and prayed all together. My father had offered to give the gods food for Valhalla and what not. The morning after the praying of the people who were healthy or healthy enough to get out of bed, most of us got better, still coughing and had splitting headaches but we all could get out of bed and chat with others. We all threw a feast in gratitude of our gods. None of us had died from that. While it killed half the population of the ill in Whales and Hamilton." Max says with a smile on his face.

"How does one get in your culture's believe system?" Charles asks, he wants to be loved by his god too.

Max chuckles, he kisses the side of Charles his face. He shakes his head but understands why Charles wants to be fully emerged into this culture. It's a wonderful one, the gods really love all their children, if they're born into it or not.

"Then we will have to travel to Odin's bloed kristal meer." Max tells Charles.

"Where is that?" He asks with curiosity.

Max chuckles, the excitement that comes off Charles is something that Max had only seen once before. When Lando wanted to get fully part of the culture he had come to. It wasn't too long ago but still about three years ago. Just before the pandemic that hit.

"We'll go soon, okay?" Max promises before Charles suddenly realises that they're completely alone. "huh. Well I guess we can learn you how to shoot then." Max chuckles.

Charles rolls his eyes, Max gets a bow and arrow out of nowhere. The two stand in a big clearing with a little stream of crystal water running through the snow field. Max hands them to Charles before grabbing something like paint from a satchel on his belt.

Max draws three circles within each other but smaller on a tree. Before he walks towards Charles but seeming to count his steps back before using his feet to make a line where they have to stand. Charles wonders if he really should know how to shoot. Maybe it is a new way of being royal. But oh well.

"Okay, I will show you once before I guide you once and then you will do it alone, good?" Max asks, sounding really serious.

Charles nods his head before handing the bow and arrow to Max. Who puts an arrow to the string, pulling it with two fingers back. From where Charles is standing he can see Max concentrating on the circles. His fingers let go of the string, the arrow releases from the bow and shoots away, precisely on the centre of the tiniest circle does it lodge itself in the bark of the tree.

"Wow. That's so amazing." Charles compliments Max.

"Thanks." Max says before handing the bow to Charles.

Charles inspects the bow and pulls on the string. He has never held something like this before. He holds up the bow, as if he is shooting an arrow and directs it at Max. Who gives him a raised brow with a half smile on his lips. Charles pretends to shoot an arrow.

Which Max pretends to be hit with, holding his hand up to his chest. He staggers back and falls with his back into a pile of snow. Overdramatise groaning and moaning as if he really is dying. Charles shoots out laughing, not being able to hold back.

Max sits up laughing himself, before he gets onto his feet and wraps his cold arms around the three layered with fur prince. Kissing the top of his head with a smile, before Max lays his chin on the top of Charles his head. Staying like that for a while, just enjoying each other for a moment.

"I love you so much, Max." Charles mumbles into the warm chest of the viking.

"Ik hou zo veel meer van jou, schatje, zo veel." Max mumbles back in his native tongue. (I love you so much more, love, so much.)

Charles giggles, he loves it when Max talks to him in his own language. It has something sexy to it, it makes something stir within him. What does this language have that makes Charles so hot and bothered all the time? He might never know.

"I love it when you talk Hollandish to me." Charles mumbles like a love sick puppy to Max.

Max snickers before kissing Charles his head again. "You make me so fucking horny when you speak Monegasque to me. It makes me want to fuck you on our bed so badly." Max says in a deep hoarse voice.

Charles turns bright red, his private parts down in his underwear start to tingle in delight, in need to have his viking do that to him. His dreams had so many times now showed him images of Max bending him over the table. He knows it's against the rules of his society and the way he has grown up.

"Max!" Charles cries out. Which has the viking laugh harder. "We can't! We're not married!"

"Let's get married then." Max says in a joking manner.

Which has Charles his heart race in his chest. He knows that Max only said that in a joking way, but that doesn't mean that Charles doesn't fantasises about it. He gas been thinking the last couple of days of spending the rest of his life together with Max, he really wants to get married to him.

"Can we?" Charles hears himself ask. Max hums not understanding what Charles had meant. "Cab we get married?" Charles repeats his question.

"Shouldn't I be getting on one knee then? With a nice ring? Or isn't that the customs of your culture?" Max asks suddenly sounding dead serious, his voice leaving no room for jokes.

Max had never thought he would ever think about marriage or having kids. He never thought he would want to get married to anyone and share his bed or life with someone for the rest of his life with. He never thought he would want to have children and watch them grow up, get early out of bed to take care of an helpless little bundle of joy.

"I don't care about a ring, I just want to get married. Spend the rest of my life together you know." Charles says, snuggling closer to his viking.

"I'll do it traditionally, according to the costumes of our countries, alright? But I promise we'll get married." Max says before kissing the top of Charles his head again.

The two part from one another and Max picks up the archery bow and arrows. Charles takes the bow from Max and gives him a pair of puppy eyes before he takes a single arrow too.

He puts it to the string before pulling it back, max drops his stuff before standing behind Charles. Placing his hands over that of Charles, helping the prince guide and whispering softly to him how to use the bow and arrow.

Charles let go of the arrow as it flies through the air. It lodges in the bark of the tree, Charles can't believe his eyes at it is in bulls eye. It was mostly Because of Max that it got there.

"Now on your own, I showed you how it works." Max says before handing him another arrow.

Charles feels his hands shake as he takes the arrow in his. He gives Max a nod before putting the arrow to the string, pulling it back. He looks at the other arrow still in the bark of the tree. He takes a deep breath, letting it go before releasing the arrow from the bow.

It shoots through the sky, with a swoosh does it fly passed Charles his face. He lowers the bow as the arrow hits the bark of the tree. His jaw drops, had he just done that? Him? A sheltered, isolated prince that has no physic?

"Told you." Is all the Max says before walking up to the tree.

"I know." Charles says blushing as he looks at the two arrows stuck against each other.

Charles had almost penetrated the other arrow but narrowly missed the previous one and it hit the bark next to the other. He is proud of himself for being good at something. Something in a way like this, physical.

For the first time he can rub it in his brothers faces for being better at something sportive then them. He can finally show his parents that he isn't just a pretty face with lots of knowledge despite his parents saying that being smart isn't bad either.

"Let's get a bath and go to the feast." Max says as he walks back over to the prince.

Charles bods his head before Max places his hand on Charles his lower back as they walk back home. The sun is barely peaking over the horizon as the last sun rays hit the tall tree tops. Charles is glad to go back home.