Hvitserk woke up to a bed empty of Rhiannon. He looked around the room and thought maybe she had gone down to break fast or return to her own chambers. But it was still rather early for that. He lifted himself up and put on his riding gear. He looked out the window of his room.

'It looks like a fine morning for a ride.'

He led Sigurd out of the castle gates and into the townsquare where he was greeted by his folk, he tossed a few coins to some beggars and children he passed by. He rode out into the fields and through the forest where he proceeded to take his horse on a slow trot to a nearby stream.

He suddenly heard something from a distance, instinctively reaching for his sword, until he got a clearer listen. It was someone singing, a woman. Both the tune and the voice were eerily familiar to Hvitserk. He dismounted from Sigurd and patted him on the neck, tying his reins to a nearby tree. He approached the sound, getting louder with each step. He had a feeling he knew who it was but the thought seemed to fade away when his eyes glimpsed the figure that stood on the edge of a small waterfall. Her lower half was submerged in the water, she was wringing her hair while mindlessly singing,

"Cúíg cinn de bhealaí a cheanglaíonn thú

Ceithre cinn de ghaotha a bheannaíonn thú

Trí cinn de chloigne a phógann thú"

It was her, it was his wife. He came closer to the body of water, shielding himself beside a tree, he watched her in a trance-like state. His heart was lulled into such a peace he hadn't felt for a while. As he admired her voice, his eyes traveled the length of her naked back--she had a tattoo of a tribe Hvitserk was not familiar with, starting from the ball of her shoulder blade and leading all the way down to the side of her body where it disappeared beneath the waters, like a static serpent. It was beautiful. It reminded him of the markings of his people. He squinted slightly and saw a series of criss-crossed lines that appeared to be scars, they looked like beating marks. He balled his hand into a fist and felt a sudden bizarre rage boiling in him. It was unnatural to feel this way by now. He shifted his foot slightly and took a step back. It landed on a twig that cracked under his weight.

Rhiannon instantly swirled around in the water. Reaching for her bow she pulled back an arrow, not caring to cover her breasts. Her mouth was set in a hard line and she took on a look that Hvitserk had never seen on her--she looked like a warrior. Her arms were muscular but still womanly, her bosom hung deliciously above her ribs, which led his gaze down to her toned torso and her dark thatch of hair. She looked around her and found her stalker.

Hvitserk knew his mouth was hanging open, agape. He probably looked a damn fool. Rhiannon dropped her weapon onto the earth and got out of the water. He thought she would pick up her clothing but instead she walked towards him, in all her naked glory.

He had his back to a tree and there was no escape, he didn't want to anyway. She closed the distance between them, not tearing her eyes from his. Hvitserk watched her lazily, letting his gaze skim over her breasts, nipples now hidden behind strands of wet hair.

'She is a goddess,' he thought.

She reached a hand up to stroke the side of his face, "an bhfuil aithne agam ort?", she spoke in her mother tongue.

He didn't seem to hear her words let alone understand them. He wasted no time. He caught her hand in his and pressed it into his face, kissing her palm and tickling it with the scruff on his jaw. He closed his eyes and breathed in her scent.

'This is a dream,' he thought, 'a dream I shall cherish for an eternity.'

A small whisper of a breath escaped her, turning Hvitserk's attention back to her face. It was filled with wonder and apprehension. He dared himself to pull her closer to him, pressing her naked body against the length of him. He stared longingly into the grey waters of her soul, tilted her chin up and began to kiss her.

Rhiannon had always felt most liberated in the forest, ensconced in the presence of nature. Her inhibitions to the wind, her walls down, surrendering to the wonder of the natural world. Which is precisely what she let herself do when Athelstan arrived at the waterfall. She forgot her worries and allowed herself to be one with her husband in nature, entangled in an act so primal, sacred.

Athelstan removed his cloak and laid it on the ground before proceeding to lay Rhiannon down upon it. He continued to kiss her plump lips, and she found herself returning them with much fervor and urgency. She could feel the hardness between his legs press up against her thigh and she pushed up into it ever so gently.

He groaned and let his mouth travel down her neck to her collarbone to her bosoms, taking them in both his hands, pushing them together and planting kisses on each breast, one after the other. His lips covered one of her nipples and sucked, his tongue swirling around it, making her arch her back in response. She took his face in her hands and found his lips again, slipping her tongue into his mouth, as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. He, on the other hand, had found his way south to the centre of her lust, slick with anticipation. He slid a finger down her mound of hair and into her waiting opening, stopping right above it to draw circles around the tender nub that appeared to be the very heart of a woman's pleasure. She gasped at his touch, her body tensing slightly. Rhiannon tore away from their kiss to look at her husband. He was grinning, baring a hint of white teeth as his fingers went to work.

"Hvitserk!" she moaned, her head lolling to the side. He stopped at the sound of his Viking name and looked at her, his brow furrowed.

"That is also your name, is it not?" She said breathlessly, her face turning a shade of crimson. "You are not only Athelstan, you are also Hvitserk." She caressed his face. "I did not mean to offend you."

Her husband's face softened, "I just haven't heard anyone call me that in a while." He began lifting his tunic up. "But I like it when you call me that." He smiled, lifted himself and removed his shirt before promptly propping himself back beside her, looking down into her face lustfully.

She felt like she could be free to explore this act with him, with Hvitserk. So she pushed him on his back and mounted him. He chuckled heartily at her enthusiasm. She kissed a trail from his lips down to his muscular chest where one of his tattoos was. Letting her arms take the lead, she groped her way down his firm stomach. Her fingers unlaced his breeches, his breathing accelerating with every kiss she planted on his body.

Her head went lower and lower as her fingers finished untying Hvitserk's breeches. She pulled them down and let loose his…

"Gods!" Rhiannon sucked in a breath as she processed the size of his jutting member, the smooth shape of it etched with pulsing veins, a patch of thick dark blonde hair enmeshed at its base.

Hvitserk laughed boyishly, "What is it, my dear? Have you never had the pleasure of a Vik--unhh"

She bowed her head to kiss the tip of his manhood, the thick bulbous head, and looked up at him with a coy smile that had just a touch of shyness to it. He let out a long breath, staring at her like he knew she would not be walking properly after he had his way with her.

She went on to plant more kisses and this time, she opened her mouth, tongue out, and licked the entire length of him. When she reached the summit, she engulfed him with her mouth, taking him deep, deep into her throat.

She could hear him calling out her name in between moans of ecstasy. She loved this feeling, of having control over a man, even if it was just for the duration of intercourse. For the first time in a long time, she was not being violated. For the first time, she wanted it freely.

--

Hvitserk was losing all sense of time and control. He wondered if he still had the luck of the gods with him--to have found and wedded such a woman, desirable by every measure, with a quick wit and a free, fighting spirit. She was an other-worldly presence, even more so in the blanket of the wild.

She was wild. He could barely contain his urge to explode as she carried on sucking his prick with zeal and ardour. He propped himself up on his elbows to get a better look at her, admiring her ability to make his cock disappear inside her mouth. He would like to see it disappear elsewhere.

He flipped her over so she was the one on her back. After stealing a kiss from her lips, he skimmed his mouth and tongue over her belly, lifting the backs of her knees to tilt up her hips. He was face to face with her glistening womanhood.

He met her eyes, "Praise the Lords." He dove in.

"Oh!" She moaned loudly, "Hvitserk, please." He stopped the task at hand to look up at her in reassurance. "Trust me, my songbird. I think you will enjoy this." He flicked his tongue over the sensitive nub and watched as her eyes rolled back and she bit her lip to stifle a long moan. He continued this for a while, sucking and licking shapes around her opening, until he started to feel her body tense. The sensation he was giving her was consuming her entire being in waves of pleasure. Her pitch rose and stopped all at once, her mouth left open in a silent scream. Then Hvitserk lifted his face from her groin and replaced his tongue with his fingers, finding once again that sweet spot. He straightened up and grabbed the back of her head and cradled it while her fingernails dug into his arm. She let out a cry, extended as Hvitserk drew her closer to the point of climax. They looked into each other's eyes in that moment, before Rhiannon shut hers, her head falling back, her legs and hips twitching, writhing. When it was over, she opened her eyes to see Hvitserk grinning at her like a delighted youth who just witnessed a work of magic.

He kissed her gently on the lips, "Did you like that?", he then went on to lick the moisture she left on his fingers.

She nodded, "Yes," still breathless. "I want to feel you in me now."

He didn't need to be told twice. Kneeling, he grasped his member and positioned himself between her legs, caressing her thighs and her bottom as he lifted her hips to meet his. She stared at him in wonder, dropping her gaze to peer at the sight of his meaty serpent about to penetrate her core. She was drenched, which made slipping inside of her a little easier. He pushed himself into her, eyeing his sex as it entered hers. He heard her let out a sharp gasp and felt her body flinch in response. He lowered his body so their faces were almost touching, he whispered, "Tell me when to stop. I don't want to hurt you."

Still facing each other, Rhiannon wrapped her legs around him and pulled him into her, until he was buried to the hilt. She screamed in shock at first, but then laughed in relief and pleasure and started to girate her hips against his. It was pure bliss for him, and he hoped she felt it too. He proceeded to pound into her, pouring all the pent-up desire he'd held for her since the day he'd laid eyes on her. For several minutes they remained that way--panting, arching, moaning. Between kisses and gropes, Rhiannon suddenly felt the same urge as before washing over her, it was coming faster this time and with more force.

She looked into her husband's face, a look of sated delirium, "Hvitserk…" she said almost in a whimper. "Don't sto--ahhh!"

He bit into her shoulder as he too felt like he was about to reach his breaking point, but not yet. He watched as she climaxed again, never ceasing his pace. In fact, he made sure his pace matched his long strokes--occasionally thrusting into her harder, burying himself further inside her. She shook under the weight of him, digging her nails into his back. He thrust even harder this time, conscious of his own incoming orgasm. He had thought that Rhiannon was fully satiated until she exclaimed, "It's happening again," after which, he felt her convulse in pleasure under him and released a guttural moan. She went limp for a brief moment, before reaching behind Hvitserk to cup his firm buttocks, grabbing it and pulling him closer to her. His heart racing, he got one last look at Rhiannon's smiling, eager face and then--everything went black as he shut his eyes, stars dancing behind his closed lids. He pumped into her and let out a long primal groan, releasing his seed and even then continued to move in her.

They looked at each other, still entwined in a sweat-stained embrace.

"We should get clean and return home." Rhiannon said, playing with the strands of Hivtserk's hair that escaped its tie.

Hvitserk smiled and kissed her sweet lips, "As you wish, my goddess."