Author's note: I do NOT own anything of Vikings! It is a Television Drama created and written by Michael Hirst. The only thing that I claim as mine is my OC, that is all!

Chapter 8

His call for her was drowned out by the thunder cracking in the distance and the lightning that lit the darkening skies as the arrow was let loose.

The sudden crack of thunder startled Eira's attention, her eyes catching sight of something, or someone, far too late. The sudden impact that rippled a sharp pain through her chest. The rippling pain took her breath from her very body.

Arms wrapped around her, stopping her from hitting the ground. Her ears were deaf to the screams of those around her.

The man had tried to run, only to be knocked down by Rollo and nearly beaten to death. His horror came to him when he felt himself being drug across the field.

Rollo had every intention of handing the man to Lagertha and Ragnar, but Bjorn had taken him instantly and repeatedly slammed him into the ground, bloodying him more before taking his Axe and repeatedly hacking at the man. He may as well have not been considered a human being after Bjorn had finished the assault.

Bjorn had lost his composer, his eyesight, his hearing, everything had gone dark and mute upon hearing Eira say the one thing he feared the most before her eyes had gone blank. It was a name that he had on constant repeat.

"Gyda,"

Lagertha held her daughter in her arms as she wailed her pain to the skies.

Ragnar's arms held Lagertha to him as his ex-wife screamed, his hand resting upon Eira's bleeding chest. The Arrow was too deep in her chest cavity. There was no saving her.

She was already gone.

Falling to his knees, Rollo gently closed his niece's beautiful eyes.

However, their screams of painful loss had not ended there. Their return to the Farmhouse that added to their already butchered hearts.

Aslaug and the others that could have killed anyone with the loss of pain when Ragnar had walked in with Eira in his arms, tears in his eyes. Aslaug's blood chilling scream of horror and unbelievable heart ache at seeing her daughter dead in her husband's arms, the tears that poured from her had Lagertha catching the woman in her arms while Helga and Siggy held onto one another in Floki's and Rollo's arms.

Lagertha may not have cared for Aslaug, but she had been there for her daughter, she'd loved her daughter. Lagertha may have given birth to Eira and raised her for eleven years, but Aslaug had raised her the last five years. She too had lost a daughter.

Their daughter.

Bjorn had taken the crying boys to the back rooms and held them and baby Sigurd. That day had been a victory, now it was filled with heart aching pain.

Harald and Halfdan had hid themselves in a corner, their own eyes falling with the crying skies and Eira's loved ones.

It had not stopped raining since she had died. To make this worse, this day was the day of Eira's birth. She should have had a happy day of birth after sixteen summers.

Thunder cracked violently close to their Safe Haven as the sun went to bed and the moon came out. The rain heavy and cold like their sorrow filled hearts. No one had said a word.

Yet the hooded figure which suddenly appeared at their door had them startled, covered in a black tattered cloak and a walking stick as the wanderer hunched and walked in, likely to keep his identity hidden by his hood. Upon everyone's weapon being drawn the stranger held his hand up, thunder and lightning lit the skies once more and it shook the very Farmhouse. "Bring her, Ragnar Lothbrok. Bring your sleeping daughter and follow." His aged voice demanded. While old and cracking in his throat, his voice held a powerful tone, the air still and electric to their very beings as they stared wide eyed at the stranger.

Ragnar's brow scrunched with confusion and disbelief, "Sleeping? She is not -"

"If you so say it, then so shall it be, Ragnar Lothbrok. Follow. Or sleep forever shall she remain." He said then walked out, waiting in the rain.

His eyes wide and Ragnar looked to Floki and Bjorn then his younger sons, Lagertha and Aslaug, before running into the back room to gather up his daughter's body, wrapping her in a blanket and walked out. "Rollo, Floki… Halfdan, Harald? You will come as well?" Ragnar asked with nervousness. He did not want to be caught off guard, nor tricked.

Nodding, the brothers of Vestfold prepared themselves. "Everyone else stay alert and remain here to guard those unarmed. Bjorn come, hurry!" Ragnar shouted with shocked order as he rushed out after the wanderer. The short journey was nerve rattling. Ragnar had no idea what to do, least of all what was happening as they arrived at a small spring hidden in the forest. "Who are you?" Ragnar asked.

"Hand her to your son," The Traveler said, ignoring the grieving father's question.

Holding his growing irritation, Ragnar handed his daughter to Bjorn and Ragnar felt his heart clench with grief, placing a kiss to her brow.

"Bjorn… Into the spring, completely under." The Traveler ordered. He grinned the entire time as Bjorn did as told. The Traveler stood at the small overlook of the spring. Raising his arms up towards the crying skies and the crackling thunder and lightning which threatened to strike the ground.

Ragnar's heart nearly leapt from his body as a lightning bolt came down and struck the spring which his son and daughter were in.

While those silently panicked above the water, Bjorn was completely unaware of the lightning's direct strike. His eyes were entirely focused on the woman in his arms. Watching Eira with heart aching loss, but he was shocked beyond measures as he thought he saw her blond hair mold into snow white and silver tresses. He thought to himself that he had to be seeing things, it had to be the water playing tricks on him with the lighting above them lighting the skies. Curious, Bjorn pulled the crease of her shirt down to look at the wound, but once again his eyes must have been playing tricks on him.

The wound was sealing closed. Stitching together as if tiny invisible needles mended the torn flesh of her wound.

"How is this possible! Magic? A curse?!"

Bjorn knew if this was right then she'd be waking up soon, hopefully, and she'd need air, not water to go into her body, but he stayed a little longer. Something felt wrong with coming up just yet. Until he saw something in the water with them. A beautiful woman clothed in soft white, her dark brown hair flowing in the water, her sweet smile as she held her palm flat towards them, but her eyes were the things that had Bjorn staring with shock. Deep, royal blue and shocking to the person seeing such eyes. She held the same eyes as his sister had, only darker and Eira's eyes never gave off a soft glow I the night. It was a little unnerving. But she seemed to be no harm to them, in fact Bjorn felt awake, his sore muscles felt less sore, his own injury from the arrow he'd first taken that day felt less painful, like it was disappearing, almost like the injury had never happened.

Seeing her begin to motion for him, Bjorn watched as her lips moved under the water, "Come," He heard the woman whisper. Without thinking twice Bjorn broke the surface and pulled them out of the Spring, Eira safely tucked away in his arms. "Father! There was a woman in the spring, she just vanished, but her wound, Eira's wound is gone!" Bjorn quickly called to his father with fear and confusion.

Shocked, Ragnar rushed to them to look for himself, and the wound was indeed gone. Nothing but a scar was left behind. The arrow had hit her dead center over her heart. Yet the wound was closed, "The arrowhead was still in her body," He said with disbelief and fear of the arrow still being inside his daughter, it could cause more damage if she were alive.

With no words, the Traveler walked by them and held his hand out to the two, an object resting in his hand with blood pooling in his palm around the object.

Bjorn and Ragnar were bewildered. There, resting in the Traveler's very palm, was the arrow's head which Ragnar himself had broken off from the shaft of the arrow. And with the next thunder and lightning that continued to crack together as one, the Traveler was gone, the arrowhead dropping to the wet ground and Eira awakened with a gasp, shooting up right like the dead had risen.

Her lungs burned with being deprived of air as she gasped. Looking around with confusion at the surroundings she glanced to her father and brother, "Bjorn?" She asked.

All were relieved but baffled, but they would not question this, both men grabbed a hold of one another and held onto her. Her father kissed her head as he cried. "You're alive! Thank the gods you're alive!" He called up to the skies, the rain slowly coming to a stop. "Odin,"

Floki and Rollo laughed with relief as the Carpenter fell to his knees and hugged her tight, "The gods have blessed you surely." He whispered to her before moving from her side as her father kissed her head once more.

"Come, let us get you home, Eira." Ragnar said, a smile of relief and joy of having his daughter back.

Bjorn lifted her up into his arms and began their short journey back to the farmhouse. He'd set her gently back on her own two feet upon returning to the Farmhouse, knowing she would no doubt wish to walk in on her own.

Ragnar walked into the Farmhouse first, arms empty of the body and he saw the distressed and fearful look on both the mothers and that of Helga and Siggy. Moving aside from the door, Floki and Rollo followed his lead and moved aside to reveal a living and breathing Eira. And now they could all see the change that had transpired. Her blonde hair had indeed melted away into snow white and silver tresses of tight curls and waves from the braids her hair had previously been in.

Standing from their seated places Lagertha and Aslaug rushed the woman with bright smiles and tears. "How is this possible?" Lagertha questioned with happiness.

"The traveler -"

"Odin" Eira interrupted her father softly, "It was Odin, and the goddess Eir was the woman Bjorn saw in the Spring with us. I heared her voice." She continued to say upon everyone's silence, her royal blue eyes looking to every single person in the room. Though they landed on the brothers before looking to Aslaug, "Mother, you were right, about it all. The arrow still hit Bjorn, but I saw it as well. I saw them both. But I didn't move, I didn't listen. Death was my punishment." She explained.

"What do you mean, you saw them both? Both of what?" Lagertha asked with confusion. It seemed everyone was confused aside from Aslaug and her daughter.

With a shaken breath drawn in, Aslaug remained as calm as she possibly could, "Eira has a few gifts, like me, she sees things." Aslaug said softly, a smile of pride on her lips and she kissed her daughter's brow. "You are no longer a child sweet girl. It is time your father and your mothers begin to treat you as the woman you are." She spoke sadly.

Not wishing to believe this was happening, Ragnar knew Aslaug was right, even Lagertha hated the idea. Walking to his daughter, Ragnar hugged Eira and kissed the top of her head. "You'll always be my little girl Eira, no matter how old you get." He sighed. Giving Lagertha her own moment, Aslaug and Ragnar gave them space.

Sniffing back her tears of sadness and relief her daughter was alive, Lagertha couldn't help the desire to mess with Eira's hair a bit, "Your hair has changed. But that is not all. I wish I could have seen you grow. I am sorry. But Princess Aslaug is correct. You are a woman. Sixteen. I will always love you, Eira. My precious daughter." She said sadly, hugging the woman in a tight hold before releasing her, her image of her daughter as a child melted away slowly, now before the three parents stood a woman.

It was time they let her go and grow.

Turning to the brothers, Eira smiled, "Will you stay?" She asked with hope.

Wishing they could, Harald sighed in defeat and a small shake of his head, "I wish we could, but we have been here long enough, we must return home. However, we will help you all return home. But we must leave after that." He explained. He couldn't be away from his lands long, and he had been away long enough. He had to be happy though that his and Halfdan's identity had in fact stayed safe, even Eira had not revealed who they were to her family.

Nodded her understanding, Eira sighed, her smile never dropping for a moment. She was glad they had helped. Thankful they had stayed. "Then let us go home and have a feast."

Smiling with some pride, Ragnar wrapped an arm around his daughter, "With what food we have since we did burn the grain houses. Come, we go to reclaim our home. Aslaug, Siggy gather the children." Glancing to Floki and Helga, Ragnar released his daughter and moved to the lovely blonde in his friends' arms. Gently grabbing a hold of the lovely woman's face in his calloused hands and kissed her forehead and hugged his dear friend, "I owe you much Helga, both of you, thank you."

Making their way to their village Eira hung back with the brother's, giggling and horsing around with the two, though Bjorn's eyes continued to watch his sister. They'd lost her, she had been dead, but she was alive now, whatever had happened had brought her back. Their father had the very arrowhead that was impossible to have been dug out without not only damaging her flesh and causing more pain, it would have killed her without the chance of any form of recovery. Her wound was healed leaving a scar behind and her heart was beating. However, her closeness with the brothers bothered him, she had changed upon being returned to them. She had an air of destiny to her now. And he feared it involved those brothers.

The feast, even with little there, was still wonderful. Harald and Halfdan had agreed to stay for a few nights, allowing half their men the chance to return to the boat, preparing for their leave back home to bring the ship around to the Docks in Kattegat from Helga's and Floki's place.

The night before the brother's left they had not expected the visit they got. A visit in the shape of a woman cloaked in a dark wool cloak at their hut Ragnar had allowed them to use. A small couple's home who'd been killed when Jarl Borg had raided.

Many homes had been left empty at the deaths. Grinning at the possibilities of having another woman in their beds, Harald allowed her into the hut, unknowing as to who she was, until the door closed and her hood uncovered her identity.

"Brother, who is it?" Halfdan asked, walking out from a sectioned off part of the hut. Stopping in his steps at the woman in their presence. She truly had changed after being returned to life.

Her silver white hair was braided back in a beautiful design and rested over her left shoulder leaving the right side of neck and collar bone exposed. Her gown was a lovely blue.

Halfdan had not returned the charm he'd won from her. It still rested against his skin tied around his wrist, it was the only idea he had as to why she was there at this late hour.

Staring at Halfdan with a pleased smirk and lust in her eyes as she looked him up and down, from boots to face and tattoos. Looking over her shoulder to Harald, her eyes shining with playful mischief and lust to both brothers. "If she so chooses, could she not have both brother's like both would have chosen to share any other woman? Was that what I had said that day?" She said, turning to face Harald.

The corner of his lips ticked upwards at the memory before he began to smirk and silently chuckle to himself, slowly stalking his way towards her, her blue eyes watching him, a gentle blush on her cheeks, "Yes, I believe the conversation was something like that." Within inches of her, Harald lent forward, his face merely two inches from her own as they stared at one another, "What are you doing here, Eira?"

Her chest rising and falling with a sharp intake of breath, she felt her smile falter just a little, "I came to find a man, or two." She had been unable to get them both out of her mind, especially Halfdan. And no matter what she did to distract herself both brothers' plagued her mind. She had flirted and still they had walked off with a woman who was not her to their beds each night. It was becoming tiresome and she had become jealous.

Her mothers, Lagertha and Aslaug, had seen her reactions these different nights and had given her some advice she was taking now.

She was going to them herself.

Feeling irritated at the interaction between his brother and Eira, Halfdan moved to leave, but his brother's sudden recognition of his presence stopped him. "Halfdan, no need to leave brother. The lady has asked for two men's presence. However, I wonder why she comes to us when there are clearly other men she could easily find in her own home." Harald asked with a smirk.

Taking a deep breath inward, Eira looked back to Halfdan then back to Harald, he was the one directing the questions after all, it was only polite she look at him while answering. "The men here do not interest me the way you and Halfdan do, Harald. You both seemed to have found your way to plague my mind constantly since I have met you both. However, since neither of you seemed to have noticed my attempts, or simply brushed them off, I have come to you both in hopes of getting answers myself. You said yourself that neither of you would take me by force, which I am glad to know, however, what if I decided to come to you willingly?"

The brothers were shocked by her forthcoming, it was definitely a shift, "Did death start some form of storm inside of you?" Halfdan asked, a grin on his lips that would have normally scared the person on the receiving end of it, but it had Eira shivering with delight.

Her core becoming hot and wet at seeing his grinning smile as he stalked his way to them slowly, his eyes staring intensely at her short form, her nose came just at the beginning part of his throat, she was short, like her mother, yet with Harald's added height over his own brother she would have stood to the center of the elder brother's chest.

Her words had started a fire in Halfdan he was unable to truly control. She was coming to them willingly? For what? Well, he had a general idea of what she was there for, however he wanted her to say it, he needed to hear her say it. But words were not what he received, but the warmth of her soft hands grasping his face and her warm lips claiming his own in a heated kiss full of desire, lust, and with all her being. It was hard to not kiss her back with equal fierceness, a hand tangling in her soft hair messing up the loose braid, the other grasping the fabric at her low back of her rear under her cloak holding her flush against his own body, the heat from their bodies lit each other up like the warmth of the sun or the heat of their hot springs in the mountains.

Her insides burned with want, but with little knowledge of this kind of intimacy she was going off from what she'd heard the other woman speak of. However, kissing seemed to come natural to her, maybe sex may also. Feeling a shiver run up her spine, Eira smiled as she pulled back, ghosting a few kisses lightly against his lips, licking playfully at his lips and opened mouth and catching his tongue a bit with her own as he came inward for more and laughed a bit as he captured her lips. Her hands holding his neck, she pulled herself further into him. Her lower stomach against Halfdan's growing desires caused her to blush at the foreign contact, she'd never done this before, and her bravery was fleeing. Maybe sex would not come naturally to her like kissing had. Her body now tense at the idea and the images that flooded her mind at having two men in the bed with her, she was a virgin still and no experience. How was she going to do that?

Feeling her tension now present, Halfdan grinned and lightened up on his fierceness of their kiss before ending it, resting his mouth against her cheek then forehead he glanced over head to his smirking brother, but he couldn't help but feel the need to just make her leave, no matter how painful his balls would be in the morning, her tension told him she was becoming scared. "I think you've had enough of me, sweet Eira. However, as much as I desire more than anything to be inside you, I do not believe this is the time you should be exploring with two men who are not gentle by any means. Allow us to escort you -"

Feeling nervous and more scared at being turned away like a scolded child, Eria softly smiled as she closed her eyes and shook her head gently at him. She felt just a little dirty at her actions as she allowed them to turn her away after this, she desired them both, but she had no experience. He was right, right now, no matter how badly she wanted to be with them, was not the right time to be with two men who were not gentle by any means.

A sudden slap to herself as a thought struck her mind, they liked women with vastly more experience than herself. They had said so drunkenly at the feast just the other night before they had both vanished into the night with a laughing woman. "A woman with experience and knows what she wants, any man's dreams could come true."

Sighing with humiliation and shame she stepped aside from his hold and from Harald's reach behind her to compose herself, "Never mind, I think you might be right. I apologize for the intrusion, I think I may be out of my mind, have a good night. Forget I ever came here tonight…. Please." Eira had completely humiliated herself to the two of them, gently bowing her head in apology she rushed out the door into the darkness of the night and heavy rain, quickly walking her way back to her home.

Her father had gifted her a hut just a little way into the forest, but not too far inward, it was a start for her to begin her journey on her own as a woman, and the hut had been vacant for some time. The home needed some attention that she was willing to give it.

Rushing into her hut as fast as she could, Eira clasped the lock on her hut door and ripped her cloak from her body and violently hung it near the lightly burning fire pit before adding wood to the pit to heat up the hut. It was cold and she was soaked through her clothes and shoes. Grabbing a cloth towel to dry herself with she stripped from her wet clothes and pulled a dry cotton dress over her chilled skin and began to squeeze her long-wet hair dry, muttering angrily to herself while her royal blue eyes watered with tears of humiliation, her cheeks burning alongside with her humiliation and self-aggravation she had caused herself. "Such a fool you are Eira Rangardatter! How foolish - I cannot believe I did such a thing…. Like a cat in heat! To act like such a -"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A hard and firm bang came from her door from the fierce beating the door was clearly taking, her self-scolding was interrupted by the sudden noise that startled her. Curious as to who in the worlds that could be at this hour, Eira grabbed the dagger and walked to the door, unlatched the knob that kept her door closed and secure and opened it just a little. The strong wind rushing in with rain to see who it could possibly be, but the face that stood before her shocked her more than ever, even more so at the small number of men who stood behind him, "Hello Eira… I see you've grown quite a bit since I last saw you… A woman indeed." His soothing voice stated calmly as he forced his way into her home, his men walking in behind him.

"Jarl Borg,"

Eira's heart slammed into her stomach with dread as the man stood there in the rain, soaked through with a grin on his face of amusement at her fear. She jolted as his large hand slammed against her wood door and pushed it open fully and entered with wide, slow predator strides as he and his three warriors entered her hut.

Jarl Borg watched her stepping back from him as much as she possible could, however she found herself trapped by the center beam of her home. When she'd tried to slide around the beam to run for her sword, Borg grabbed her cotton dress and pulled her back around, the fabric tore at the back of her dress showing her smooth shoulders and part of her back, her wet hair was long and covered the exposed skin, however the ripping of her dress had Borg wincing at the sound, he'd not come here to make her fear him, not like this. And having three men warriors and himself and the sound of her dress ripping he only feared what she assumed would happen. Shoving her back against the beam Borg captured her throat in a firm hold, "I did not come here to harm you Eira, frighting you, yes, but not harm you. I came to give you a warning. Please, listen to me."

"And why should she listen to you. Your actions now clearly show otherwise." A man's husked and angry voice asked from the opened door.

Their heads turning to the door, Eira blinked her eyes in believing she was seeing things. She had left them in their hut. They'd had no reason to be here, though she was glad they were. "Harald? Halfdan?" Eira whispered under her breath, her voice was soft with fear. The last thing she wanted to happen was more death. Least of all one of their lives to be the cost.

Hearing the men's names, Borg's eyes narrowed on them, "Harald Finehair? As in King Harald of Vestfold?" Borg asked curiously. Watching as the man grinned to him as his eyes glanced to the clearly pissed off man beside him, his grip tight around his Axe at his waist, "And you, I can only naturally assume would be his brother, the Blackheart." Borg stated that as if it were fact.

Smirking to the man with fury burning in his eyes that glanced to the hand holding Eira against the beam at her throat before looking back to Jarl Borg, "Jarl Borg is what we will obviously obverse."

"You are correct, I understandably see why you'd naturally assume I came here with harmful intentions. But I can assure you I did not."

"Then a show of good faith, release her and we will stand down." Harald told Jarl Borg, a grin on his face as he slowly stalked further into the small hut. It was enough for the six of them to move around comfortably. Watching Jarl Borg's three men ready in case a fight broke out he chuckled at them before looking to Borg.

A bit unnerved by the King's behavior, Jarl Borg looked between the two brothers' suspiciously then grinned with a soft shake of his head to Harald. With a soft sigh, Jarl Borg eased Eira from the beam and held her between himself, Harald and Halfdan. "You know I can't do that. Because the moment I release her, she runs to you and your brother kills me. I'll make you a deal, King Harald. Would you care to hear my proposal?" Jarl Borg said casually, his arms wrapped around Eira, keeping her in place against him.

At the King's silence and watching his eyes glance down to Eira, Jarl Borg grinned. "She's pretty, isn't she? For a girl that was previously dead. Yes?" He said, taking a strand of drying hair and began curly it around his fingers. Smirking as Harald began to glare death at him, Borg sighed and bent his head, placing a kiss to the top of her head and slowly slipped his arms from around her, allowing Eira to rush from him and into Harald's arms. Borg watched with a soft smile as Harald's arms wrapped around her tightly, his hand brushing back her drying hair as he kissed the top of her head before leveling a glare back to Jarl Borg. "What was that Proposal Jarl Borg?" He asked looking back up to the man. He felt Eira tense at his words to Jarl Borg.

Tense with fear that he was actually about to make a deal with Jarl Borg, the man that had caused her family trouble, however, he'd also been the one who had been the reason her mother and brother had returned to her. But she couldn't take the chance of the brother's getting caught in his scheming. If they pissed him off then Jarl Borg could very well turn on them. Looking up to him, Eira shook her head to him, "Harald, you can't -" She was shocked into silence when Harald grabbed her face and kissed her before ushering her off to Halfdan who immediately pulled her to him for safe keeping.

"To answer your first question, no, she is not simply pretty." Harald said with a grin of amusement as h slowly approached Borg and leaned in towards him, "She's much more," He whispered to Jarl Borg with slim aggravation, however he was relieved the man had released her otherwise Halfdan would have buried his axe in the man's scalp. "And not yours to be touching." Walking from Jarl Borg, Harald stood beside his brother, keeping himself between Jarl Borg's vison of Eira, "Now, that proposition you wanted to speak of. You have one minute."

"Let my men walk out of here alive." He said with full sincerity.

Harald had to smirk at that, the man was trying to be honorable for his men with him, "Thy knew what they were doing when the followed you Jarl Borg. What would Jarl Ragnar think if he found you came here, to his daughter's home in the middle of the night."

Smirking, Borg looked between both Harald and Halfdan, the way they guarded her, the way the King had kissed the girl, and the way she clung to them both, the way she feared for them. "What would Jarl Ragnar think if he happened to get wind that his precious daughter has been wooed by two Viking men that are bloodthirsty and has lied to him about who they are." Borg pressed back. That seemed to swipe the smirk of Harald's face. "Another deal then. Allow my men and I to leave unharmed, and Ragnar won't know how his precious daughter has whored herself out to you both, nor will he know who you both really are, yet, and I will tell you something I happened to come across in regards to King Horik's plans for Kattegat, as well as little Eira you hold ever so close in your arms. No doubt she'll be abused before the year is up if Horik has his way." Jarl Borg told offered them.

His fists clenching in anger at the man, Harald looked over his shoulder to the burning rage in Halfdan and the fear on Eira he clearly saw. "You have your deal. But to be clear, Eira has not been touched by us."

"No, but someone has, a little birdy has given me word that it was a certain Prince." Jarl Borg said softly with a grin as soon as he saw her reaction. Her blue eyes wide with terror and a flash of the memory flooded her eyes and mind. Though he wasn't happy or amused that she was remembering, he was relieved he had been right. Though he felt terrible for bringing this up in front of them. "The pest rapped her shortly before they sailed out for the first raid before she left on that trip that was supposed to be a short one, but I assume it was the longer one. Is that how she met you brothers? To be honest after what that monster has done to her I'm surprised she's even drawn to a man." He said honestly.

They had to of known that he, as well as Horik, would have been listening and looking for anything to use against their family. Even something like this. "You didn't think I knew that, did you little one…"

Her body began to burn with more humiliation and the remembrance of that night. No one had been home. Her mother had been with Helga and Siggy and the boys had been with the women. "Jarl Borg you are no better than that filth!" Eira snapped, her eyes burning with furious tears. So, it had been him. She should have known better than to not suspect him.

Both men were stunned with shock. Filling rage all over again, one brother huffed while the other stiffened, his arms around Eira as she screamed at the older man. Harald stepped froward, his hand now on grasping the hilt of his sword. "You, Jarl Borg, will watch what you say." Halfdan growled.

Seeing he wasn't getting anywhere with that, Jarl Borg sighed, "Very well, King Horik is planning to unit both houses of Lothbrok and Sigfrid by marrying Eira to his eldest son. Eira, if Horik makes the proposal, say no, at any cost. And if you have to, kill the boy."

"So, you came here to not only frighten her, but insult her, anger her and remind her of a past that she did all in her power to forget about it then to leave with a warning?" Halfdan questioned, one arm around Eira and the other hand wrapped around his Axe.

"I've done what I've come to do, other than offend the girl. So, shall you move aside for my men and I to leave? Or will you go back on your word like Horik and Ragnar have done to me already?" Borg questioned the two men, his tone told them he fully expected them to kill them all, to go back on their deal. They watched his slight shock and his pure expression of thanks to them when the two brothers stepped aside, allowing the men and Jarl Borg to leave with their weapons and their lives.

But as soon as the men and Jarl Borg were gone form Eira's hut, Harald grabbed the young woman by her arm and ushered her back over to the standing fireplace of her hut, looked over to make sure she was otherwise unharmed other than her white cotton underdress she'd changed into. But Harald was just getting started.

Grabbing her arms in a tight hold, Harald took a deep heavy breath to control his aggravation, "No one knew this? How could no one have been told of what happened to you? And how in Odin's name does that man know this?" Harald demanded in question. By every right someone should be angry that the two ladies had not spoke of this event to anyone, least of all Eira's mother, Aslaug.

Sucking in a breath of disgust at the memory, her blue eyes burning with tears, "Because we did not know how to tell anyone. I was held down nearly suffocated, so I told Hild and she hid me for three days from everyone, claimed that I had fallen ill once more, she stayed with me, claiming it was safer for my mother and the rest of my family that she care for me in their place. We hid it all, from everyone. I could hardly walk Harald, I felt ill for days because the memory wouldn't go away. I had nightmares that would not go away. Until I saw you and Halfdan in the market. I hadn't had a nightmare since the moment I met you both. I don't know how, I don't know why, but it was like it had never happened. Like it was only a bad dream that had haunted me. I am sorry…" Eira cried, she didn't know why she was apologizing to them. Her past was not their business. And it wasn't like she'd lied to them before, she had never been with someone, willingly that was. And she would not count her rape as being with someone, even if it had taken her virtue, he had not taken her will. Eira had fought him as much as she had and in the process she had almost been suffocated.

Releasing her arms Harald sighed, his eyes glancing over to his brother who was sitting at the small table near the fireplace and the standing wood screen made to separate the bedroom from the cooking area. Halfdan's eyes were burning with anger, mostly likely not towards Eira, but he figured his brother was staying silent for a reason. "I believe I should give you both some privacy." Harlad told them, looking at the young woman once more he saw what the memory was doing to her, what it had already done to her. And now he partially understood why she'd wanted them.

They gave her comfort in some way. Made her want to feel the truth of being with someone, of being with a man that actually cared about her and wanted her for herself. And Harald knew that both he and Halfdan cared for her. But as he walked out of the hut, Harald hoped, prayed to the gods that this wouldn't shatter her, that she did not give up hope in the lust of being touched. That no matter how badly the brothers fought themselves, that she did not begin to believe they did not desire her. They truly desired her, desired to touch her, to feel her soft skin, the smooth of her hair, the heat of her body, to hear the sound of her voice moaning in their ears and into the night as they touched her.

But they both knew that it wasn't right just yet, they felt they should respect her more than they had previous woman. Like he was respecting Princess Ellisif. Now he felt conflicted. Should they give her what she wished for, the touch of a man who wanted her for herself, to purify her tainted image of what it was to couple with another? Or should they continue to wait?

But tonight, his brother and Eira would make that decision for the three of them.

*** Thank you for reading, I hope you've all enjoyed, reviews are very welcomed, I always look forward to reading your thoughts. Is it too much? not enough? Is it predictable? Good or bad? What else you'd look forward in thinking, thoughts of what you think may happen next? Stuff like that? Have a wonderful Day/Night!