He finished the first braid, teasing the end to make sure it would stay. He started in on the second one, creating a rope braid that stayed close to the head by bringing in small bits of hair from either side. He split this one into a three-strand braid, but at the end of this one, he held the outer two strands, and pushed up the middle one to create a snake braid, all curled up and twisted. Then he continued to braid downwards for the remaining length.
"I used to watch my mother every morning. Sometimes, she'd have her slaves help her, but mostly, she did it herself. She was very proud of her hair." Ivar didn't often speak of his mother. Even two years after Aslaug had died, it still hurt much of the time to think of her.
Alfred knows mostly all that had happened with Aslaug. He’d heard it from Ubbe more than Ivar who didn’t seem eager to talk about the past most days and Alfred didn’t tend to push him on it. He knows that he has had an easy life in comparison to Ivar’s. His mother might be intolerable at times but she was alive and she was always good to him and his brother. And he had grown up with a father even if it wasn’t his real one.
“I think that is something common between all women,” he smiles slightly and glances up at Ivar.
"I wonder what she would have thought of this marriage." Probably shocked at first, Ivar thought, but also happy that he'd found someone. He'd known one of her unvoiced fears was that Ivar would never find anyone to hare his life with.
"Turn your head," Ivar said, gently pushing Alfred's head by the chin until the other side was visible. He started in on the side braids on this side, formed almost the same as on the first, small twisted rope braids that were turned into two three-strand snake braids.
Alfred let’s the others pushing guide how he turned his head. “It feels odd,” he says, having never had his hair styled in any similar fashion. His fingers searched out skin as he stayed still otherwise, drawing idle patterns on Ivar’s side.
He twisted the two snake braids together, creating a very textured looking rope braid. Then he tied them together at the end with a bit of leather cord lying about.
With all the little detailed braids done, he starts on the top section, creating a lace braid that moves across Alfred's head, teasing the hair a little bit as he does so to give it some fluff and stand up on his own. He takes large chunks of hair to create a thick braid as it goes all the way down.
"Almost done," he said. He leans over, feeling around on the ground until he finds a blunt needle and thread. Once he has those, he sews the large braid and the small three strand braid he hadn't turned into a snake braid together. At the end, he tied them off.
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"I used to watch my mother every morning. Sometimes, she'd have her slaves help her, but mostly, she did it herself. She was very proud of her hair." Ivar didn't often speak of his mother. Even two years after Aslaug had died, it still hurt much of the time to think of her.
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“I think that is something common between all women,” he smiles slightly and glances up at Ivar.
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"Turn your head," Ivar said, gently pushing Alfred's head by the chin until the other side was visible. He started in on the side braids on this side, formed almost the same as on the first, small twisted rope braids that were turned into two three-strand snake braids.
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With all the little detailed braids done, he starts on the top section, creating a lace braid that moves across Alfred's head, teasing the hair a little bit as he does so to give it some fluff and stand up on his own. He takes large chunks of hair to create a thick braid as it goes all the way down.
"Almost done," he said. He leans over, feeling around on the ground until he finds a blunt needle and thread. Once he has those, he sews the large braid and the small three strand braid he hadn't turned into a snake braid together. At the end, he tied them off.