As soon as Ratonhnhaké:ton stepped into his home, Aveline charged towards him. He didn't stand a chance avoiding the swift hand that struck his face. Ratonhnhaké:ton froze as a resounding slap echoed through the hut. His ears ringed from the blow. His hand went to his jaw and he checked to make sure everything was in place. Damn she could hit. He did not want to experience that ever again.

He slowly turned to look at her. Anger burned in his dark eyes as he glared at her. The bite mark of his forearm slightly throbbed and he still hadn't calmed down from the rage he felt when she bit him. The look in his dark gaze could not be described in words. Aveline returned his glare. Her green eyes were also filled with rage. She'd never been so humiliated in all her life. He actually struck in such a manner. She was an upper-class lady, not a child!

"How could you humiliate me in front of all those people!"

Ratonhnhaké:ton didn't speak. His ears were still faintly ringing from her slap from hell. He gazed down at her. Her dark hair was tousled from all her fighting. Her green eyes were watered with tears and there was a red tint in her cheeks. He felt that she should've been more embarrassed of her behavior.

"I barely touched you." Ratonhnhaké:ton lifted his arm, showing her the teeth marks imprinted in his skin. "You bit me like a rabid dog and threw a tantrum like a child. Children are often punished for such behavior."

Aveline de Grandpré nearly went mad went rage. He actually compared her to a child, even worse, an animal! She raised her hand to strike him again. This time he was prepared and grabbed her slender wrist in mid-air. He did not want to experience her slap ever again. He glared down at her, holding her hand steady as she struggled to free herself from his grasp.

"Let go of me!"

"I swear if you strike me again I will –"

Ratonhnhaké:ton pointed his finger at her and wanted to lecture her. He quickly drew his finger back as she moved to bite him again.

"Release me now!" With her free hand, Aveline began to swing at him. Ratonhnhaké:ton managed to grab both of her wrists and hold her steady. To his surprise, she moved her head closer to him, ready to bite him again. "I want to leave this place!"

"Biting will not solve your problem!" Ratonhnhaké:ton backed up from her, trying to avoid her mouth. As he moved away from her he knocked some things from his table. He wanted to subdue her but he didn't know what to do to avoid causing her too much damage. She was still injured and he was sure his brother roughed her up a bit as well. He wanted to be as gentle as possible but his patience was as thin as a spider's web. He had a long day and he wanted to rest. "Stop this behavior now, Aveline!"

"Not until you release me! I have somewhere to be!" Aveline knew her behavior was very unbecoming. She only wanted to leave the village and she was irritated that he prevented her from doing so. Leaving the village was the only way she could assure the safety of the villagers. She didn't want to be found here and she didn't want to involve innocent bystanders in her circumstances. She was getting frustrated as she fought him. He was so aggravating and his large stature made it harder for her to fight him. "Damn you! Let me go you bastard!"

"You are not leaving!" The more she fought him the more he wanted to do everything in his power to keep her subdued. People listened when he spoke and she would do the same. Things would fall into place as he wanted and she would not disrupt his order. Moreover, if she were to leave, she may discover some things about himself that he wanted to keep secret. Keeping her around gave him peace of mind but also caused him distress as well. "Be still!"

She used an interesting choice of words in both English and French as she continued to fight him. The wound at her side ached fiercely but she would continue to fight. She was almost as stubborn as he was. Ratonhnhaké:ton was at lost with what to do with such a fierce woman. He didn't want to strike her but he was running out of options.

"You act like a child!" Ratonhnhaké:ton released her, pushing the attacking woman away from him. Aveline was running out of energy. Her chest heaved up and down. Some of the buttons of her shirt popped off during their skirmish and her cleavage peered from under the top. She fixed tousled hair with her hands as she tried to catch her breath.

"I am not a child!" Aveline breathed as she glared at him. Ratonhnhaké:ton couldn't help his eyes wandered down to her cleavage as she yelled. Even as he was odds with her, he was still distracted by her looks. When he looked back into her glowering green eyes, he was no longer distracted and his anger slowly returned. "I only wish to leave, Ratonhn…Ratohn…" Aveline was frustrated that she still could not pronounce his name.

"Ratonhnhaké:ton.". His hands moved as he slowly pronounced his name, patronizing her.

Aveline de Grandpré narrowed her eyes as she glared at him and ran her tongue over her bottom lip. As if by magic, her energy had returned to her and it took everything in her not to slap him again. "Fine, Ratonhnhaké:ton." She spat back at him.

"Since we have that settled, go to sleep. We will talk in the morning." Ratonhnhaké:ton turned away from her and began to pick his belongings off the floor of the hut. His house was mess but at least she had enough reason to hold a conversation. At least she wasn't completely mad. He sighed. All he wanted to do was rest.

"I am not going to sleep!" Aveline yelled. Her voice was loud and she was unrelenting. She crossed her arms under her ample breasts and glared at him. "Why do you insist that I stay here? I told you I have somewhere to be!"

"Look." Ratonhnhaké:ton all but slammed his belongings he picked off the floor on the table. He paused for a bit with his back towards her, trying to keep himself under control. "I need rest. If you want to continue to fight, do so in the morning. But I will warn you now…" He turned around and stepped towards her. "You will not leave this place tonight."

"I will leave." Aveline bit back as she took a step towards him. She wanted to stand on the tips of her feet to try and match his height as he towered above her. They remained like this for a moment. His dark eyes glared down at her. Aveline looked back into his eyes, returning his glare.

Words would not work with this woman. Ratonhnhaké:ton was usually a patient and calm man but this woman was bringing out the worse in him. He slightly tilted his head as he glared down at her, challenging her.

"You could try."

Aveline de Grandpré gave Ratonhnhaké:ton a final glare before she turned around, taking him up on his challenge. Her hair swished behind her as she turned and Ratonhnhaké:ton had the pleasure of smelling the fragrant scent that came from her raven locks. He was a bit pleased that the women tended to her just as he asked them to. While distracted by the scent of her hair, he hardly noticed her walking towards the door of the hut.

Ratonhnhaké:ton sighed as he followed her. He scrubbed his face with his hand, trying to erase the exhaustion in his eyes.

"Here we go again…"

It was getting later into the night and Aveline still fought with Ratonhnhaké:ton. The village was quiet other than the occasional loud bang when the objects Aveline threw at Ratonhnhaké:ton hit the wall of the hut. Ratonhnhaké:ton was past his limit of exhaustion and wanted to sleep. He grew tired of fighting and wanted her to calm down. He pinched the nose bridge as he stood at the door of his hut, blocking the entrance from the Aveline. Ratonhnhaké:ton wanted to stop this foolishness and sleep.

"Is this how you treat the person who saved your life?" Ratonhnhaké:ton voice was low as he sighed. He tired and furious. As she continued to fight and attempted to escape the hut, Aveline could tell that he was getting a bit rougher with her. He hadn't struck her again but he did use more force when he dragged her back into the hut. She was tired as well but she had to escape. "After everything I have done for you…" Ratonhnhaké:ton continued as he wondered what lead him to carry the injured woman through the snow and into his home.

At first it was pity, but then when Ratonhnhaké:ton saw what she did for his people he felt he should repay her for her kindness. After a few days of watching her rest in his home, a strange feeling overcame him and it was if she belonged. It also didn't help that he had to protect her from his brothers. But now that he identified her as a member of the Creed, he had to keep her around. At least until he felt that it was fine for her to leave. For now, she had to stay.

"I didn't ask to be saved!" She yelled. Aveline didn't want to be pitied or helped. "I didn't ask for you to bring me here, Ratonhnhaké:ton!" Tears were starting to sting her eyes as guilt slowly crept into her conscious. She looked at the clothes and medicine the women left for her. She returned their gracious kindness by attempting to escape. She felt bad for giving the man who saved her a hard time but she needed to get away. She'd been so frustrated with the journey here and him. Damn him! She didn't want to say the name. Saying the name made her recollect memories she would give anything to forget. "I didn't ask for any of this!"

"So you will continue to fight?"

Aveline looked at Ratonhnhaké:ton. His eyes darkened as he glared at her. She knew he was exhausted but she had no other choice.

"I will fight until you let me go."

Ratonhnhaké:ton sighed as he walked towards her, flexing the muscles in his back. Aveline looked at him, a bit worried what he would do next. From the way she behaved, Aveline knew that she deserved to be speared and beaten. She prepared herself for any attack as he walked towards her. Wordlessly, Ratonhnhaké:ton took the small bowl of liquid that was placed near the pile of clothes the Native women wanted her to wear. He tilted his head back, taking the medicine in his mouth as he walked towards her.

"What are you doing…?"

Before she could escape, Ratonhnhaké:ton had her tight in his grasp and somehow managed to pin her down on the fur bed. Panic flood through Aveline as she noted that he was much stronger than before. He didn't use his full strength when he handled her earlier. Aveline tried to push the wolfish Native man off of her but he pressed his weight against her, pinning her to the fur bed. His strong hand gently squeezed her jaw, slightly parting her mouth open as he pressed his lips against hers.

"No!"

Memories of him flooded through her mind like water bursting through a dam. Although there was no hand moving up her thigh, he restrained her slender wrists with his free hand. When she opened her mouth to protest, Ratonhnhaké:ton pressed his lips against hers, moving the liquid from his mouth to her full parted lips. Before she could spit out the medicine, he clasped a hand over her mouth and tilted her head back, forcing her to swallow.

Aveline sputtered and coughed when she was forced to drink bitter liquid. With no fight left in her, she pushed Ratonhnhaké:ton away and closed a hand over her mouth. She bit her lip, still feeling the sensation of lips that were pressed against hers. Ratonhnhaké:ton was gentle but from her memories she could only feel him. She closed her eyes and could feel his tongue in her mouth. She could feel his rough hands touching her. Aveline moved her hands over her ears as she tried to erase the memories.

Ratonhnhaké:ton lie next to her on the bed. Her back was turned towards him but he knew he could see fear in her green eyes. It worried him that a woman who fought him so fiercely was suddenly reduced to being a scared little girl. His body was bruised from her blows from earlier, but he was worried that he was too rough with her. He didn't mean to cause her any harm. He only wanted her to take the medicine but he was sure that she would have slapped it out of his hand if he had asked her to drink it. Ratonhnhaké:ton could feel her trembling beside him and was reminded of the times she whimpered in her sleep when he first brought her to the village.

Now that Ratonhnhaké:ton saw her true colors and witness her fury, he hesitated to comfort her. As she gently wept, Ratonhnhaké:ton covered her with the fur blankets. He left the bed and stoked the fire. He glanced over at her every so often but Aveline kept her gaze pinned on the fire. She stopped weeping but tears still ran from her green orbs. He sat near the fire until the medicine took its effect on her and Aveline fell asleep. He went to her and gently grazed her cheeks with the back of his hand. After he was sure Aveline was sleeping, Ratonhnhaké:ton left the hut.

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