Chapter Three
I awoke with the sun and found that Elsie was still fast asleep, exhausted from the travel and the trauma.
My nose still ached and was swollen horribly, my head continuing to pound.
Throwing back the covers, I felt a tug on my heart as I gazed upon Elsie's sleeping form. Her lips were parted, her eyelashes fluttering against the pale, creamy skin of her cheeks. The dark, rich brown of her hair was a tangled mess around her head. I smiled at the affection I already felt for her, despite the damage she had inflicted on my face.
On the other side of the longhouse, my mother was preparing the morning meal and my father was sitting near her side, cleaning the blade of his favorite knife.
"Good morning," I said and sat by the fire, poking a stick into the flames to distract myself from the strained silence between me and my mother.
She glanced up at me, and one side of her mouth lifted up in a small smile. "Morning, love." My mother was not a woman to hold a grudge and had taught me and my sister to forgive quickly from a young age.
I reached out to her and took one of her hands in mine, stroking it with my thumb. Looking right into her eyes, I said, "Forgive me, mother. I know you are disappointed in me, but let me prove myself."
Her blue eyes misted over and she blinked several times before she leaned down to press a soft kiss to my forehead. "Of course, Toki. You have a kind, gentle heart and the whole village knows that."
We settled in for our meal and ate quietly. There was no noise from Elsie.
Once finished, my father and I went out to the barn and fed and milked the animals. While we worked, my father helped me learn a bit of English, so I could eventually communicate with my new woman.
When I returned to the longhouse, Elsie was awake and tugging against the ropes that bound her hands.
Offering her a smile, I held up my hands as I approached her. "Calm, little one. No one will harm you."
She nodded to me urgently and winced, hopping a bit as if she couldn't stand to be still. A string of hasty words left her mouth but I couldn't understand her, and my father was off to attend to being a Chieftain, so no one could translate for me.
Her face was flushed red and she yanked viciously on the rope.
"What ails you?" I asked with a frown, knowing I could not receive an answer.
She groaned and suddenly wetness appeared on the front of her dress and between her legs, pooling at her feet.
My own face flushed. Oh. I felt like slapping myself on the forehead for not understanding and humiliating her in such a way. Of course, she had needed to relieve herself.
Untying the end of the rope that was attached to my bed-frame, I discreetly led her out of the house and through a back path in the woods till we reached the river.
She stared at the water with squinted eyes than glanced at me, cocking an eyebrow. She gestured to her soiled gown.
Damn it, I had forgotten another thing. A change of clothes. Not only that, but I would have to keep an eye on her while she bathed.
But she would just have to cope with it. It wasn't my fault that she had poor control over her bladder. It was unfair of me, as who knew how long it had been since the girl was able to relieve herself, but it was the truth.
I mentioned for her to strip.
Her mouth opened in shock and a spark flickered in her eyes, but she was anxious to remove her soaked dress. She struggled to remove it with her tied hands, and I had to untie her to pull it off her arms. Once she was naked, I quickly retied her wrists.
Though I tried my best to keep my eyes respectfully off her, I was a man and could hardly help but take a glance. She keep her back to me as she stepped into the water. Her skin was pale to the point of looking sickly, and the bones of her spine and ribs stuck out in a way that was not healthful at all. It was clear she had not been eating well for quite some time. Her hips were narrow, but she did have some curves, and her ass was attractive, even though it was a bit small.
But despite her unhealthy thinness and lack of roundness, I found her to be quite beautiful.
Having taken in my fill of her, I knelt a ways down the river and washed out her dress, then spread it over some bushes.
I drew faces in the mud with a twig, all the while keeping Elsie in the corner of my eye. She finished bathing and strode toward me, one arm draped to cover her breasts, the other hand hiding her sex from my view.
Her whole body was flushed with embarrassment and shame, tears glistening in her dark eyes.
I took pity on her and stripped off my shirt, and handed it to her with downcast eyes. She slipped it on, and it covered her to mid-thigh.
I kept my eyes on her face and touched a cool hand to her hot cheek. She tilted her head, and gazed into my eyes.
It amazed me, the way she looked at me. There was no malice or anger. Instead I saw curiosity and inquiry. Slowly she reached out and touched gentle fingertips to my swollen, painful nose.
Pulling back from her caress, I tied the rope around her wrists again and led her back toward the longhouse. On our way, my father fell into step beside me and threw an arm across my shoulders.
"How are things going, my son?" He asked and grinned down at me with sparkling eyes.
But before I could speak, Elsie spoke in her own language.
"She wants to know why you saw her naked and chose not to touch her," my father translated with a smirk, than raised his eyebrows at me, as if I was insane to not lie a hand on my naked wife.
"I..I...I...uh...I was re...respecting her honor," I stuttered, my face hot. "I meant only good will. It is not that I don't find her undesirable."
My father translated, laughter in his voice. I glanced back at Elsie, whose face was blank as she nodded to my father's words.
We returned to the longhouse, where Elsie ate heartily and almost greedily. I watched her wolf down the food with a smile, eager to see her fill out a bit.
I yearned to know why she was being so compliant. Of course she had kicked me in the face last night, but that was her only real act of defiance.
But while my new wife was eating, my father took my aside and spoke quietly with me.
"Be careful, Toki. Who knows why she is acting so sweet. She may be deceiving you to believe that she is willing to be here, all the while planning to escape. Trust me, Toki, she feels nothing but hate and rage toward you at the moment."
I nodded, but was hardly listening. Elsie was different from other women and I had seen that instant I laid eyes on her.
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My mother insisted on looking after Elsie and shooed me out of the house.
With nothing better to do, I mounted my horse and rode along the beach, close enough to the water to feel it's cool spray on my face.
As the horse's hoof-beats vibrated through me, I pondered my plan of action.
At some point I hoped to seduce my wife and gain her love. But how would I go about doing that?
It made me angry, that both Elsie and I were forced into our current situation. She had no hopes of escaping her fate, and I had the choice of either bringing her home with me, or raping her.
But I was already feeling affection for her, and so perhaps she could learn to feel the same for me.
Before I returned home, I stopped at the forge and bought a silver ring made to fit a woman's finger. I would give it to Elsie as a token of my affection and to show the world that I have claimed her as my own.
Once the sun was making it's decent behind the horizon, I returned to the longhouse to find the evening meal prepared and ready to eat, Elsie helping my mother serve it out.
My father was leaning against one wall, watching my mother with desire written all over his face. I rolled my eyes at their amour and met my wife's eyes.
She gazed at me for a moment with the same curious expression she had earlier, before glancing away. It intrigued me, and I had to force myself not to stare at her as we took our meal.
We finished, and I stood, holding out my hand to Elsie.
"Toki, let her help me with the cleaning up," my mother insisted, but I shook my head and gently gripped my wife's arm.
"Another time," I murmured and led her behind my curtain, leaving us in privacy. Elsie went to her little make-shift bed and sat down, trying to work the tangles out of her hair. She glanced up at me, but there was no fear in her dark eyes.
I took a comb from my bedside table and held it up for her to see, coming toward her slowly. She reached out for the comb and made a pleading sound.
I shook my head and held it just out of her reach until I sat down behind her, placing my legs on either side of her. I gently gathered her hair so it laid smoothly down her back.
With gentle hands, I worked the knots out of her hair. While it was rich in color, it lacked the gleam and shine of health, which went hand in hand with the thinness of her body.
She whimpered a few times as I had to tug through a few tangles, but mostly heard soft sighs as I touched her hair.
But then she remembered herself and jerked away from me, tossing a glare over her shoulder. She lifted a finger and shook it in my face, frowning deeply.
Frustration set in and I stood, stalking back to my bed. She folded her arms over her chest and glared at me.
I copied her posture and glared back.
A few tense heartbeats went by until finally Elsie laid on her side and closed her eyes.
I decided to let her sleep and went out to sit with my parents before the fire.
"Teach me more of her language," I asked my father and he nodded.
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Late that night, even after my mother had gone to bed, my father and I stayed up late. I was determined to learn her language.
Thanks for reading! I'm updating early because I won't be able to tomorrow. What do you think? Leave me a review, they help motivate me to write. ;) xoxo - Em
