Amber Curse

by TSValing

In a time of gods and giants, there was no escaping the fate woven by the Norns. A young woman with a mysterious heritage flees an oppressive Jarl, only to find herself in the possession of another. But is the Berserker truly as cruel as the man she's hiding from? Rated for violence, gore, and sexual content. Kid x Nami. One-sided Arlong x Nami.

20. Chapter 20

Warnings: Violence, gore, minor sexual content.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.

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Paths

Dawn came and Kid was as awake as he had been the night before when the sun vanished over the horizon. Sleep continued to allude him and not because of the dangers that came out in the open.

His shoulder and side ached in a way that made lying down impossible. The pressure was uncomfortable, and the chances of rising again were low as his limbs grew stiff. He was forced to sit against the trunk of a tree and endure the knots and cramps that formed in his neck the longer he slumped there. He wanted to be in his bed of furs, drunk on wine or ale or mead or whatever concoction Heat might make to knock him free of his senses, but no, he had to seek his vengeance and flee the only other comfort he desired beyond sleep.

It was strange to feel lonely when he was surrounded by his companions. Any conversation he deigned to have with them felt hollow. He didn't care about anything they had to say, gave no comment on whatever tales they told. Killer was the only one there he would care enough to talk to, but his cousin was as silent as ever. Though the frowns and withering glares he sent said more than any words ever could.

Kid was being a fool. Utterly pathetic as he sat in his silent despondency. He succumbed to temptation and blamed her for it. Then ran away before he could fall any further, only to leave himself miserable and angry. He wanted nothing more than to go back to camp, sneak into her bed, and find solace in her arms. Assuming she would still let him in her bed. He might have already lost the intimacy they had by shunning her again.

His life seemed to have turned into a convoluted mess in the matter of a single night. But the world never changed so abruptly. No, what seemed like a sudden, unforeseen change was rooted in seemingly insignificant moments, unconscious thoughts, forgettable decisions. Where did it all begin? When did he start on this path that had led him to desire nothing but her smile and affection?

Was it all because of the nights he peeked at her nudity? Was it only lust that inspired him? No. They lit a flame in him, but he was already soft to her, filled with a warm affection he spared for no one else. Was it the night they sat on the beach after he bared a piece of his soul to her, told her a part of his life he would not speak of to anyone else? Or later that night, during the pre-dawn twilight, when he cradled her on the beach as she broke down in front of him and let him see the burden she alone carried? Possibly, though he wondered if it was even long before that night he had found his path. Did it go back to the night he found her, starving and feverish, brought to him by the gods for a task he couldn't allow himself to turn away from?

He had fled the camp in the hopes his errand would clear his turbulent mind, but the distance only left him riddled with more thoughts than before. It would have been maddening if he hadn't found one thought to cling to, a simple question he wanted to know the answer to.

What was she doing?

He wondered how she was faring while he was gone. Was she sleeping better than he was? Was her wounded shoulder bringing her the same pain he endured? Was she reading that book? Was she drawing a map? Was she studying her runes? Tending the injured? Grieving her losses? He found more comfort thinking about what she might be doing without him there, than thinking on the hollow pit growing in his chest with every day he was away and how that strange feeling came to exist inside him in the first place.

"Kid, we're ready to go," Killer said, breaking him from his circling thoughts. His cousin stood above him, lips set in another scowl that told him he knew where his mind was. He said nothing on the matter, but Kid wondered how much longer he would remain silent to it.

Killer held out a hand to pull him to his feet and helped steady him when his hip cramped the second he was up. He seemed to be getting worse rather than better. He probably should have taken one more day of rest before seeking Urouge out, but he was too stubborn to listen to sense after that night with Nami. And now, because of his impatience and temper, he wouldn't even be able to fight the Saxon lord himself. If he lived long enough, and Lucci didn't kill the bastard, Kid would return to make his own challenge. He would keep his word and leave the citizens alone, but he wanted to prove himself against that giant, as well as the flower loving, half-berserker knight to the south.

Kid waited for the others to mount their horses and waved for them to go ahead of him. Climbing onto his horse was going to be a pain with his shoulder throbbing, he didn't want them to witness his folly if he struggled. Only Killer stayed behind, but he would never mock Kid for any show of weakness. And he could honestly use the help. It took three tries to pull himself up and swing his leg over the saddle. Killer held the horse steady, but to Kid's relief, he didn't need more assistance than that.

"You're going to be bed-ridden for a month at the pace you're going," Killer commented as he easily climbed into his saddle. He kicked his horse into a canter, ignoring Kid's glare. "Then again, after what I saw the other night, you might not mind so much. Assuming Nami joins you."

Kid hissed as he followed Killer. "That won't happen again."

"You say that now…"

"It won't," Kid growled.

"You looked far more comfortable on top of her than you do your horse right now," Killer idly pointed out. "Mounting her might have been easier, too."

Kid snarled at his cousin. He might agree with Killer's crude remark, but he didn't appreciate hearing it aloud. He was miserable enough as it was. Thinking of how soft Nami's body was beneath him, how warm her lips were against his, how sweetly she moaned, and how good it would have felt to sink inside her and bask in ecstasy with her, was only making things worse for him. He didn't want to regret his decision to stop before he crossed that line any further, nor his decision to never cross it again.

"If it were any other woman, I might believe you when you say that you won't be in such a position with her again. But this is Nami - you won't be able to restrain yourself," Killer added.

"And why the fuck not? What makes you think she's so special?" Kid asked, his tone snide and biting. He knew the answer, but he refused to admit that she was special. And not because of her family. Maybe if he sank further into denial then the feelings would go away.

Killer sent him a look that said he knew those questions were nothing but a farce. When Kid refused to give in, Killer turned forward with a long sigh. "Because you care for her."

"So? I care for a lot of people…" Kid stubbornly muttered. Killer shot him another disbelieving look and Kid glared back. "I do. I care for my men. I care for you."

"It's not the same. Though, your care for me might be comparable. You confide in her as much as you do with me, and you welcome her own confidences. But you haven't pinned me down and groped my breast, so I think it's safe to say your fondness for her is a touch different," Killer argued.

"That was just lust," Kid huffed. "Lust means nothing. I feel lust plenty of the time, for plenty of people. I can ignore lust."

"Not toward a woman you can't take your eyes from. Not toward a woman you would bend the will of the gods for if it would make her smile just a little brighter. Not toward a woman who brings peace to your heart rather than rage, even in the worst throes of an argument with her. You've wanted her since the moment you first saw her, and that desire has only grown stronger with every day she's been in your company."

Kid hissed, unable to refute him. He had wanted her then, but it had been a passing thought easily shoved aside when she clearly would not want him. Could not want him. And he knew that he couldn't want her, that he wasn't supposed to want her.

"You've hardly eaten since we left camp. Hardly slept. You're miserable without her and it's only been a few days," Killer pointed out. "There is more to what you feel than lust, and that is why it will be impossible for you to resist her again."

"Then take my head now," Kid grumbled. "If you believe that I can't control myself with her, then end it before I can hurt her."

"No," Killer said bluntly. "You would never hurt her," he added. "No matter how mad you might become, you could never stand the sight of her blood on your hands. Even the slightest hint of fear in her eyes upon looking at you would drive you away before you could give reason for it. And that's assuming you go mad in the first place. I have my doubts about that, too."

Kid's brow rose. "How so?" he asked, unsure whether to give thought to the hope blooming inside him. He felt like he was going to lose his mind every time he restrained himself. He could safely say battling against his own urges had proved the toughest fight he had known in his life.

"You become miserable and angry only when you push her away. If you give in, enjoy whatever feelings have blossomed between you two, I can only see you being happier than you've ever been."

"If I give in, and Nami gives in, it might provide comfort for a brief time, but it won't last. I'm not meant to have her. No one is," Kid argued. "Even if we are victorious in the battle against her giant and I survive, I can't possibly keep her. She'll want to enjoy her freedom. She'll want to see the world like she always dreamed. She won't want to stay with me."

"Why not?" Killer asked. "Why can't you sail with her? You mean to be a king in legend, to journey to other lands and bring back their treasures, why not take her with you? Give her something truly priceless to her, and I imagine she would happily stay by your side."

"It's still forbidden by our gods," Kid reminded. "She's not to be claimed by any man. If I took her, I would have to be separated from her."

"Is it truly forbidden, though?" Killer mused. "We were not given any rules when Eir left her with us. Odin sent no messengers. Nor Freyja or Hnoss. All we were told came from Nami, from the tales she was told. And even those tales only speak of unworthy men who claimed her foremothers as slaves to be possessed. I do not believe you would claim her as anything less than a lover… Or maybe a wife."

Kid's head snapped around to glare incredulously at his cousin. Killer merely chuckled as he wore a knowing smile, and the look made Kid's cheeks warm against his will.

"She wouldn't marry me," he insisted. "Even if I desired it. I'm not worthy of her any more than those men were worthy of her foremothers. Even if I don't go mad, even if I don't try to turn her into a slave for my own uses, I'm still no good for her. I'll just bring her misery."

"You haven't brought her anything of the sort." Killer snorted. "And I'd say you're the worthiest man that I know. You bear the spirit of Odin within you. How can you be anything but worthy?"

"What are you getting at with this conversation?" Kid growled. "If you mean to get my hopes up, to push me to action, then it won't work. I've made my decision. I won't touch her again."

Killer released a long sigh. "You are a blind fool."

"What was that?" Kid growled.

Killer didn't balk at his anger. "You're a fool," he repeated firmly. "You know the story of Nami's heritage far better than I, but what I do know is that you would surely live up to that family's standards. If Frejya could not only marry Odr, a god as prone to frenzy as Odin, but even love him so dearly that she cries tears of gold in his absence, then I have no doubt that she would give her blessing to any union that might reflect her own. If Nami is truly destined to be the end of this lineage and curse, then surely that means she is destined to live her life however she pleases, with whomever she desires, free of the burden of her mothers. Don't cast that possibility aside just because you're an idiot… And afraid."

"I ain't afraid," he said lowly, glaring at Killer.

Killer snorted. "Yes, you are. You're utterly terrified and have no idea what to do about it." Kid made to argue his statement again, but Killer leveled him with a stare that said he had no choice but to sit there and listen to his opinion. He slumped in his saddle with a stifled growl and sneered at his cousin. "You aren't afraid of dying for her. You've never feared the thought of dying in battle, especially if it means protecting anyone who depends on you. You aren't even afraid of this supposed curse. I think your worries about going mad are just an excuse to drive yourself away from her. The only thing that scares you is the possibility of her rejection."

Kid's annoyance left him as he thought on that. Killer was correct about what he didn't fear. Agreeing to take Nami under his protection had been an easy decision, even with the knowledge that it would lead to his death. He had only known her for a day and he felt no unease about the danger that could be brought to him or his men. He would protect her, without question, without hesitation. The glory he would likely receive for his sacrifice was an afterthought, not even a conscious part of his decision. The only thought that drove him to that path was the desire not to let the spark of fire inside her burn out.

He hadn't given much consideration to her rejection, though he would admit it was inevitable. She had her own burdens to bear. Gaining her freedom was most important to her, and once she had that, even if he survived, there would be no holding her back from going wherever she desired. He might be able to persuade her to stay with the promise of taking her out to sea to explore the world, but she would eventually grow weary of his warring. Her pleas for mercy would continue to go unheeded and she would get fed up with a man as violent as the man who usurped her former jarl. His home, his crew, was not a place she would desire to remain if given a choice. And if he refused to give her a choice, he didn't know what would come of them. She would resent him. A wedge would form between them. She would leave him without question.

If he were honest with himself, the thought of how he might react to that did scare him.

"You're cynical by nature," Killer continued. "Nami seems to care greatly for you, but I'm sure you have your doubts. You were tricked into believing that your father felt a warm regard for you, while the people who did genuinely care for you didn't ply you with overly kind words and gestures. You were taught to doubt a person's intentions when they came to you with flattery or friendship."

"Nami hardly ever flatters me," Kid pointed out. "And her friendship comes with plenty of sharp barbs to counter whatever kindnesses she shows me."

"Yet you still doubt her affections. You said so yourself. You don't believe she'll willingly remain with us in Drafn, you believe that she will leave as soon as she is able. And when you catch yourself believing that she does care, you immediately tarnish the thought by proclaiming yourself unworthy of her. You have your father's mockery echoing in your ears when you think that way. You remember him saying that you weren't worthy of being recognized as a son, that you weren't even worthy of being recognized as the dog shit under his boot, and you decide that he was right, or that Nami thinks the very same as he did and is merely using you for her own security." Killer sighed as they spied the others waiting ahead in the field, the Saxon lord already standing ready to battle at the entrance of his village. "I doubt Nami means to use you. She was adamant about leaving us before she could bring about your downfall, and her grief over Finn's death was genuine enough for me to believe she would not risk our lives if she could avoid it. She might not always be honest, but I don't think she's misleading you with any of this. Though, I doubt she's even fully aware of what's happening between you two, either. At least she wasn't until you made it abundantly clear that there is something other than friendship tying you two together. And she might be as ready to run from it as you are, but that doesn't mean she thinks less of you. It just means she's scared, too."

Killer turned to him with a confident smile. "My last advice for you - if there's something you desire, you shouldn't let anything stop you from attaining it. Not even the gods. You are stronger than their curse. Nami is, too, and she's growing stronger by the day now that she's resolved to bring her foremother's prophecy to fruition. Together, I have faith that you two can overcome any obstacle that stands in your way."

He trotted away as Kid sank into thought. Could it be possible? Could he prove his worth to her? Could he break the curse that destroyed her clan? He had his doubts, but he wanted to hope. The thought of having her made the gnawing ache in his chest lessen. He felt a little stronger, a little better, a little less heavy with fatigue. He wanted to finish his task and race back to camp to see her, to be greeted by her smile and laughter, to see her eyes sparkle with happiness. He'd even happily take on her fiery anger and listen to her rebuke him for pushing her away again. He didn't even care if she hit him, so long as he could hold her and kiss her until she forgave him.

"You certainly took your time," Urouge bellowed across the field once Kid was near.

He pushed his thoughts aside. He could address them when they were finished with the lord. "Are you in such a rush to reach your grave?" Kid called back, forcing a grin. "I didn't think you would mind living a few minutes longer."

Urouge's laughter echoed loud enough to spook some of the horses. He didn't appear concerned in the least. Either he didn't fear death, or he was that certain of his own victory. Maybe it was both.

Kid slipped off his horse and handed the reins to Killer. Lucci joined him as Kid limped toward the Saxon, his hand flexing around the sword on his hip. He had pulled his hair back into a tight tail and shed his shirt to bear the cat-like spots tattooed on his back. His eyes held a feral glint, his lips twitched with a slight smirk. He was ready to prove himself in a real battle. Even if he fell on that field, he would fight with everything he had.

The bird he had befriended sat on his shoulder until they came to a halt. Lucci flicked a finger at the bird's feet and it flew off to watch with the horses.

Kid introduced Lucci and reaffirmed his promise that this battle would settle the score, that he would leave the village alone no matter the outcome. Urouge held his hand out, and Kid took it to seal the agreement with a firm handshake. He managed to keep his expression neutral, even when he felt his hand crack from the Saxon's grip. He was certain that something broke, but he refused to slacken his own grip, and didn't show his pain as he let his hand fall limp at his side.

"No armor?" Urouge asked, his grin as joyful as it was when Kid left him the day before.

Lucci's smirk grew. "I have no need for it."

Urouge set his long sword aside and tugged at the leather strings of his light armor. "Then neither do I," he explained. One of his men rushed toward him to take the armor he threw aside, as well as the brown tunic he shed. Kid didn't know what to think when he appeared even bigger without the extra layers on his torso. His frame was built with rippling muscles that looked hard enough to break a man's fist on. Dark blue tattoos wrapped around his upper arms like curling ribbons of fire stretching downward. He truly could have passed for one of their giants. Maybe even one of their gods.

Kid desperately wished he could be the one to fight him. He even hoped the Saxon defeated his ally just so he would be guaranteed his own chance to battle him in the future. He couldn't sway Lucci from his battle, and there was no persuading him to go easy on Urouge. That would be an insult to both men. Instead, he turned to Lucci with a grin.

"Try not to kill him too quickly," he said quietly and headed back to watch with the others. He was grateful to see that the men gathered near an outcropping of rocks. He eased himself down onto one that sat high enough for him to have a good view of the field and wouldn't be too difficult to stand from.

The fighters stood ten paces apart as Urouge's men and the bolder villagers came to watch the fight as if it were one of their tournaments. Most of the Saxons avoided the rocks he and his men sat on. They wore bandages that reminded them never to trust the Norsemen who brought nothing but war and misery to their lands. Their bravery likely came from the giant that ruled over them. They had faith he and his soldiers would protect them if anything went awry. But Kid noticed a few of the younger boys slip closer, creeping around the rocks as they eyed them with the same curiosity they might a stray dog. Some were halted with sharp calls from a parent, but others were heedless to the danger and received no rebuke from the adults. They were likely orphans, or perhaps from families that didn't care what they got up to. Kid grinned at one that dared to sit on a rock just within his reach. The boy jumped in surprise when he took notice of Kid's gaze on him and nearly fell from his perch before Kid caught him by the arm, righting him with a hard tug. He held a finger to his lips to signal his silence, then pointed toward the clearing as Urouge and Lucci began to circle, their swords ready to strike at the first opening.

Kid was curious how this match would play out. He knew Lucci was stronger than his lithe frame appeared, but Urouge was undoubtedly stronger. Kid's swelling hand was proof of that. Perhaps Urouge's size would prove his downfall. Large men like him don't always carry the same speed and endurance as someone of Lucci's stature. He might tire out if Lucci whittled at him, took his time, and waited for the best opening to strike the final blow. But Kid had seen that man land a crushing blow to Killer's chest, and his cousin was by no means slow in a fight. He had been flitting around the man, striking and retreating, over and over, before he was caught. He had crumpled to the ground with one solid hit. That might be all it took.

The battle began when Lucci shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. His sword was angled at his side, prepared to slash at Urouge as he sprinted by. The Saxon shifted to block with his long sword. The movement appeared slow compared to Lucci, and Kid wasn't surprised to see Lucci adjust to strike at the side Urouge left open in his block. But Urouge had expected that too and jumped back to avoid a cut, then lifted his sword to block another slash. His bellowing laughter rang out louder than the clash of their swords.

Kid leaned forward, eagerly watching as the Saxon fought on the defense. He smacked away one blow after another while he backed from Lucci's rapid advance. The ring of steel against steel grew louder with each block. Urouge was putting all his strength into batting away Lucci's sword, searching for his own opening. When Lucci's sword was shoved away with enough force to completely open his stance, Urouge took advantage, pushing forward to cut into Lucci's side. He drew blood, but Lucci leaped away before the slash could turn fatal.

He didn't appear fazed in the least as he matched Urouge's grin with his own and launched forward for another round.

They went back and forth, trading blows and slashes until both bore their share of cuts on their torsos. Lucci managed to get behind Urouge at one point to leave a deep slash over the man's back. The Saxon returned the strike with a slash at Lucci's neck that came dangerously close to ending the fight. The miss brought the first look of annoyance to Urouge's face that morning, but hardly deterred him as he caught Lucci's next assault and tangled their swords together.

Kid could see the sweat on Urouge's brow as he locked his sword with Lucci's and pushed at the smaller man with all his might. Lucci braced against the giant, his jaw clenched as he struggled to hold his ground. Urouge pushed him back two steps before Lucci could replant his feet for a firmer stance. He twisted his sword until Lucci's was pinned beneath his. As soon as the steel touched the ground, Urouge took a large step forward and stomped on the flat of the sword to hold it down.

That single step was enough to bend the steel as if it were nothing more than ribbon.

Urouge had a large advantage with Lucci so close. With the sword pinned under his foot, Urouge was free to lift his own sword to slash at Lucci. He first threw his elbow into Lucci's face to disorient him. Kid heard the crushing blow from where he sat and watched Lucci's head fall back, his nose bloody and broken from that single hit. Kid thought it was over as Urouge brought his sword arcing around in a path that would slice Lucci's head off. He held his breath, anticipating the end.

Lucci let his momentum take him back, ducking the arc of the blade over his head as he fell to the ground. He had no sword to fight with or block as Urouge adjusted and brought his sword down toward him, so all he could do was roll away from the strike, and then roll again when Urouge stepped toward him with the intent of pinning the man just as he had the sword. When he rolled to his stomach, he found his feet and leaped up with the grace of a cat, dodging another strike as he did. Kid caught his quick glance toward his bent sword. The weapon would hold little value to him as it was, but he could see Lucci thinking as he continued to retreat from Urouge's assaults.

Urouge was tiring, just as Kid thought he would. He was panting for air, but appeared no less determined to end the fight. He had a near taste of victory and he needed more. Lucci would not be so easy to take down, even weaponless he had not yet lost. In a burst of speed, he got behind the giant again and then leaped up onto the man's back. Urouge thrashed with his sword as Lucci wrapped an arm around his thick neck and held on tight. His free hand fumbled at his belt until he found his slender hunting knife.

He struck viciously with his knife, aiming for Urouge's neck. The Saxon reacted before he could be killed and cried out as the blade sank deep into his palm. Lucci tried to pull it free and make for another attack, but Urouge wrapped his hand around Lucci's to hold the blade there and spun them toward the rocks.

Kid's eyes widened as he watched them stumble back toward the outcropping he sat on. The men scattered and Kid reacted without thinking as he snatched the Saxon boy's arm and dragged him against his side. A second later, Urouge slammed Lucci's back into the rock the boy had been sitting on. They watched as Lucci was crushed against the stone until his hold slackened on Urouge's neck. Urouge freed himself and spun to slash his sword down on Lucci, hopefully for the last time.

Lucci rolled away and the sword struck the rock with enough force to shatter the metal. Kid ducked the shards that flew toward him and used his thick furs to catch the ones that nearly struck the boy.

Urouge was weaponless. Lucci was down to a knife that wouldn't do him any good unless he got in close to the giant. They each stumbled away from the rocks, panting for air as they stared each other down. The fight wouldn't last much longer now, and they both knew it.

Lucci lunged first again. Urouge moved to the side and threw a punch. It was dodged and Lucci took advantage of the opening to slam his knife into the Saxon's side. Urouge only spared a pained grimace, a stifled shout. He didn't waste a second in taking his own advantage of Lucci's proximity and grabbed him by the arm before he could leap away.

The Saxon boy hidden in his furs flinched at the audible crack of Lucci's arm breaking. Even Kid felt his gut roil at the sound, but he didn't show his discomfort so openly.

Lucci showed no sign of the break hurting him. For the entire battle, the man showed no pain, no matter how viciously he was cut or struck. Kid wondered if he felt pain at all.

Lucci clung to Urouge's arm, agilely flipping up to slam his heel into Urouge's face. The Saxon staggered back, blood flowing from his mouth to clot in his thick beard. Lucci fell to his feet and jumped back a step. His right arm hung limp at his side, and his knife was still embedded in Urouge, but that didn't deter him as he pushed off to lunge again. Urouge spat out a thick glob of blood and met Lucci's next strike with a vicious grin. Lucci was poised to tackle him at the waist. Urouge bent down to catch him, but Lucci went lower and led with his feet, tripping the Saxon and forcing him to crash onto his back. Lucci was up again to strike the man while he was down and slammed his knee into Urouge's chest hard enough to knock the wind out of him. He threw a punch, and another, and another, fast and relentless. The villagers around them held their collective breath as their lord was beaten to a bloody pulp.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kid watched Kaku step forward, ready to drag his friend off the lord, but froze when Urouge captured Lucci's wrists. His face was swollen and slick with blood, unrecognizable, but Kid could see the white gleam of his teeth as he once again grinned.

The fight was over when his head smashed into Lucci's and another crack rang out through the field. Lucci struggled to hold his consciousness as he swayed above Urouge. The Saxon lord dared to release one of his hands, but Lucci was too disoriented to do more than slowly lift his fist. Urouge's strike reached Lucci first, knocking him out cold with one last punch. He fell limp to the ground, shoved aside by his opponent, and the field remained silent for one heartbeat.

The villagers erupted into cheers while his men sat in stunned silence, all of them gaping at the loss they just witnessed. All except for Kid. He was too thrilled at witnessing the battle to care that his ally lost.

The village's celebration was abruptly cut off when he stood from his perch, a firm grip on the Saxon boy's shoulder. No one had noticed him up until that point, but now that the battle was complete, they all realized the danger the child was in and cried out in alarm. Kid didn't release him as he took a step toward the Saxon lord, shoving the boy along as a convenient hostage. Urouge's soldiers took up their arms while the villagers began to stagger back, their courage leaving them as their lord remained prone on the ground. He was in no condition to save the child, or any of them.

Kaku followed him at a distance as they approached the downed fighters. The soldiers shifted forward, wary and uncertain, but Urouge slowly lifted a bloody hand to wave them off. He groaned in pain as he turned to look at Kid through one eye, the other swollen shut. His smile was lopsided thanks to a split lip. Cuts littered his face. His deep brown skin was mottled with purple and blue, stained red with more blood. But despite his myriad injuries he managed to force out a choked laugh.

"Thank you for protecting the boy," he said.

That single statement broke the tension in his soldiers. They sheathed their swords, backing down to let Kaku check on Lucci while Kid came to stand beside Urouge.

"He wasn't afraid to get close. I like brats that show a little back-bone, they make for decent fighters when they grow up. Figured it would be a waste to see him crushed by his own lord while watching such an entertaining battle," Kid explained. He released the boy's shoulder to grab him by the head, shaking it around playfully as he struggled in his grip. "He got a family?"

"Bastard child orphaned at birth. Father was a mercenary working for a Danish king; from Svealand, I believe. Vanished shortly after he was conceived, and the mother's family wanted nothing to do with her or the boy, so they refused him when his mother died in childbirth," Urouge said, eyeing the child. "He's kept at the church, under the priest's supervision. Performs whatever chores they need of him while learning his scripture and letters to one day be of service to our Lord. Why do you ask?"

Kid chuckled. "I'm known for collecting strays, got a hall full of 'em. Your men killed some of them, including a young man the lady of my hall happened to be fond of. I might be thinking to bring her back a new stray to fawn over. She's good with kids."

Urouge's grin vanished. "You will only take that boy as a slave over my dead body."

Kid laughed, crouching down with an arm around the now frightened child fighting to escape his hold. "You're already half-dead, maybe more. Not much of a threat there. And I never said I'd take him as a slave. I won't have him doing any more than your church makes him do. Even if I wanted to treat him like shit, doubt my lady would let me. She'd beat my ass to a bloodier pulp than your face is right now. Then beat me again just for the hell of it. Might make me sleep in the stables, too, that way the horses can beat me some more. The brat would be nothing but doted on by her."

Urouge laughed with him a moment, then broke it off to groan as he clutched the knife still wedged in his side. "As reassuring as that is, I still can't hand over one of our children. My people would never forgive me if I just let one of you heathens take off with him. Orphaned bastard or not, he's still one of us."

"Tsh, fine," Kid grumbled, shoving the boy away. He watched the child sprint off toward the village where he was stopped by a man dressed in the plain brown robes of a monk. He was snagged by the arm and dragged off while receiving a lecture. Kid felt a moment of pity for the poor boy as he glanced back over his shoulder at the field. He obviously didn't want to be lectured. Kid could relate.

"I suppose I owe you answers to the questions you have," Urouge said. "But I need my injuries tended, as does your ally."

Kid glanced over his shoulder to where Lucci lay. His chest rose and fell with labored breaths. His nose was broken and his whole face swollen. His torso was as bruised and bloody as Urouge's. And his broken forearm sat at an unnatural angle, though Kaku was already attempting to reset it.

"I can see you mean to keep your word not to harm my people, if you did not, that boy would likely be dead," Urouge said. Kid looked back at him with a glare. Even he wouldn't kill an innocent boy, at least not without provocation to give him good reason. His simmering annoyance was ignored as Urouge waved his men over to help him up. "Since our score is settled and you mean to be peaceful visitors to my territory from here on out, I see no reason not to invite you and a few of your men as my guests. My healer can see to Lucci, and we can discuss the matter of that false monk over a very strong wine."

Kid snorted. "You're willingly offering me drink after what I did to your people?"

"None of them died, and I'm not a man to hold a grudge unnecessarily. I'm sure those soldiers you returned perished from their injuries, nothing more." Urouge's one good eye glinted to give away the lie he knew he was telling. If Kid wished to join him inside his home, to question him about the monk that sent them after Nami, then he would be wise not to claim any knowledge of the sacrifices he made of those soldiers. "I know your people are not so dishonorable as to betray the trust given as a guest in another household, even if your concept of civility is poorly lacking compared to ours. You will abide by the same rules all men do when given food and shelter. If you do not, then I have just cause to see you all hanged. And I know you would rather avoid that."

Kid couldn't argue, and he had been desperate for some wine. Shrugging his acquiescence, he stood and waved at the others while Urouge's men got him sorted. He sent half the men back to their camp to wait. Before they went, he hollered for them to grab one of Urouge's soldiers, a hostage to see that Urouge did not contemplate killing those that entered his hall, lest he lose another man. Urouge waved at the soldiers that thought to fight when they saw their peer taken, reassuring them that he would be returned as soon as Kid and his men left his home.

They were escorted into the village by Urouge and his men, all ignoring the tension simmering around them. Kid led his companions as they followed the soldiers carrying the lord toward his home. Kaku and one of Franky's men had Lucci slung over their shoulders, dragging him along behind them. The only sign of life that came from the man was the odd groan when a foot was dragged roughly over a rock and the ragged, wet breaths he struggled to take in. Kid was confident he would survive, but he likely wouldn't regain consciousness anytime soon, and getting him back to Álasund was not going to be pleasant.

The fortress Urouge and his men led them to was larger than the knight's manor to the south, and far simpler in its design, lacking the decorative engravings of Cavendish's home. It was built to protect the people within its buttressed walls, not to look pretty. A heavy wooden gate opened for them to pass between guard towers. Kid was wary of the narrow slits high above and watched for any sign of archers inside. He spotted the guards moving around, but none of them thought to attack their party.

Within the safety of the wall, a courtyard spread out in front of them that Kid imagined was large enough to fit all the people of the village within. Servants milled about, completing their chores rather than attend the battle in the field. To one end of the courtyard stood a church built with stone and wood. Small crosses were cut into the outer door in a latticework pattern. A red and yellow stained window could be seen on one side of the structure, but Kid could not make out what image was created with the glass from where he stood. The church's roof vaulted with a stone cross set just above the door that cast a shadow over part of the yard.

As they walked by, Kid noticed a garden beside the church and spotted the boy from earlier hunched over with a spade in hand. The monk that had grabbed him was still in the middle of a lecture as he set the boy to work on the weeds. The child glanced their way and gave Kid a pleading look that made him laugh. He could only guess how desperate that boy was to get out of his chores if he thought he would be saved by the heathen who had terrorized the villagers only two days before. Desperate or dumb.

They were greeted by three women as soon as they entered Urouge's home. They descended onto their lord with a mixture of worry and frustration, prompting the man to laugh as they scolded him for getting so injured. Urouge demanded they fetch 'the old man' and enough wine to make them all forget their aches, then waved for Kid and the rest to settle in his main hall. Servants came in to lay down straw and blankets for them to place Lucci on while Urouge lowered himself into a chair at the head of a grand table.

Kid took a seat at the table with Killer beside him. The women that greeted them returned with supplies and an old man with the same dark brown skin as the lord. He was much smaller than the nobleman, though. His skin was wrinkled with age, his beard coarse and grey, and he walked with a hunch in his shoulders as he leaned on a wooden cane. He tutted at Urouge in a language Kid couldn't even guess at, but he could understand the tone well enough to know he was scolding his lord, too. Urouge waved him off, grumbled orders in that same strange language, and gestured toward Lucci's prone body on the floor. The sight of the unconscious man earned even more ire from the old man, but he grudgingly went to him, a servant trailing behind, all while muttering more complaints.

"My great-uncle," Urouge explained as the women descended on him with water and bandages. "My mother's Muslim family held a great deal of knowledge in medicine and anatomy, nothing like what our Christian physicians practice here. My father arranged to have them brought with my mother after they married. They've been acting as our family's doctors since."

"I spoke with Cavendish's headsman about you. He mentioned you had Moorish family," Kid said as he accepted a cup of wine from a servant. "As well as family from my people's lands."

Urouge snorted before taking a deep quaff of wine. "Did Cavendish rant and rave to you about my filthy blood?"

"He was unconscious, but I heard plenty about my own evils from him. His headsman did tell me you weren't looked upon favorably by him, though. Do others vilify you as he does?"

"Some, but I've earned enough respect that most are wise enough to keep their prejudices to themselves." He angled his head to allow his healers to blot at a gash on his temple. He clenched his teeth with a grimace, but didn't shrink away from their treatment. "My father's heritage holds far less contempt than my mother's. It is true some of his family comes from Svealand, but they were at least Christians, and worked diligently to spread our faith and bring more of you pagans into the light of our God."

Kid snorted a laugh into his wine. Urouge glowered at him. "Your people may have converted some, but I know many that only take up your cross to avoid losing their heads. They still believe in our gods and mask their worship so their new Christian kings leave them in peace."

Urouge hummed. "I do not doubt that some converted under duress, but they still converted rather than delve into a war they could not win."

"I heard your father's family faced plenty of people willing to war with them," Kid said.

Urouge sighed. "They did. Once. There was a clan of women said to be born of a sea goddess, or some such, with a matriarchal lineage filled with the greatest witches and seers known to their people. They were revered as sacred creatures to the gods and refused to forsake their beliefs and the status they knew because of them. Their proximity to Birka created tension between their most devote and our own. They had allies among some of the oldest Birka families, too, one of which held a generations old alliance with them to provide many of their shieldmaidens. That family had been the one that stirred the most animosity against the Christian congregation in Birka when they first began to convert the pagans of the region. This family proclaimed themselves to be the thorn that would protect their northern rose, that they were the hammer of the gods and that they would be the ones to protect the old ways from the outsiders that would condemn them to die for their beliefs, that their fates were deeply intertwined with the women in Västerås.

"Many of the men in that family attempted to court the high priestess of each generation, and eventually one, despite being married to another, managed to father a daughter with the head priestess at that time. He then returned home to his wife and proceeded to go mad, attempted to slaughter all the Christians in Birka, and sent the region headlong into war before he was killed by the very priestess he had once laid with.

"My father's family left shortly after peace was forged with the Västerås clan and their devotees. Despite their continued refusals to give up their gods, the high priestess allied with the people of Birka, Christian and pagan alike, and sent her personal guard to deal with the uprising. She had said it was their duty to end the madness that they had caused, and that she did not wish to see so much innocent blood shed. The family that caused the uprising was exiled from the region. Even the shieldmaidens that had fought against their own kin in the war were cast out and shamed. Peace was restored. I understand generations passed without any further conflict between the pagan faction and the Christians." Urouge sank back with a thoughtful frown as he took another sip of wine. "I have not heard any news from Svealand in years. I wonder if they are still at peace."

Kid glowered into his cup. "That clan died eighteen years ago."

Urouge's good eye widened. "The whole clan? How?"

"They were slaughtered by Christians," Kid said bluntly. "I cannot say if the people of Birka were involved. I know that at least one was from Normandy, the rest probably were, too." He held Urouge's gaze. "Only one girl survived."

Urouge stared at him in silence, weighing the news. With a deep sigh, he bowed his head. "I see. I am not fond of you or your false gods, but those women had only desired peace. They saw no fault in any that held a different faith, so long as they were left to their own gods. I am saddened to hear they met such a tragic end."

Kid grunted as he took a deep swallow from his wine.

"You said one girl survived… Was she the daughter of the priestess?" Urouge asked. Kid merely paused in his drink and glared at the lord from the corner of his eye. His glare deepened when Urouge smiled in response and leaned forward with a quiet chuckle. "I understand your ire with me now. Please extend my most heartfelt apologies and deepest condolences to your lady."

Kid grunted and finished off his wine. He didn't want to discuss Nami's family any further, it would only make him think of their fate and the curse that had plagued her since birth. And that would only make him angry again.

"You said your mother's family is not as well received as your father's," Kid said, glancing over at the old man binding Lucci's broken arm in a splint. "I've heard of the conflicts between Muslims and Christians. I'm surprised your father even married a Muslim woman."

Urouge chuckled. "In the eyes of the church, my mother was Christian, but she was raised in a house of mixed faith. Her mother had been Muslim before converting when she married my Norman grandfather, but she continued to practice her faith as she had been taught from birth, and my mother learned much from her. When my father married her, he saw no reason to change her preferred practice and felt the prejudices of others were unfounded and ignorant. We all worship the same God, the God of Abraham, all that differs is what book we take our faith from, which man we call Messiah and Savior. He believed, as did my mother, that they held the same God in their heart, and He is the one who bound them in matrimony, to bring union and understanding between their faiths, and to hopefully one day fulfill a higher purpose for Him. What anyone outside of our family thinks of their union matters not to this household."

He let out a jolly laugh that forced his nursemaids to pause in their treatment as his shaking messed up their efforts to bandage him. "As for Cavendish's own prejudices toward any of us, they are horribly inconsistent."

"How so?" Kid asked.

"There is a knight further south, around the region of Wales who is married to a woman that Cavendish is quite fond of, despite the fact she is in no way of Saxon blood. Her mother was a Rus, and her father was a Muslim scholar. She, herself, studied with many of her father's contemporaries and is remarkably brilliant. Knows more languages than I even knew existed. Cavendish bears no contempt for her, and I believe she frequently visits his manor to tour his rose garden," Urouge explained.

Kaku leaned forward from the spot he took near Lucci. "The Rus woman, is her family name Nico, by chance?"

Kid glanced over his shoulder with his brow raised in confusion. What did her name matter to him?

"I believe it is. Have you heard of her?" Urouge shared Kid's confusion as he tried to furrow his brows despite the swelling of his face.

Kaku smiled. "I've heard tales of her in Francia, that the scholars she studied under were considered heretics by Muslims and Christians alike, and that they were all to be put to death. The stories claim that a Norman man betrayed the Frankish king, helped her flee, and was then executed in her place."

"So they say." Urouge's smile was insincere, a warning held in the narrowing of his good eye. He said nothing more on the woman and turned back to Kid. "But you are not here to discuss my family, or any other. You wish to know about the monk that sent me to you. Unfortunately, I do not believe I can give you more information than you already received from my soldier."

"Can you at least describe his face?" Kid growled.

Urouge shook his head solemnly. "He kept his face hidden in shadows. He was covered head to toe in his robes and even wore black gloves so I could not see his hands."

"And he didn't speak once?"

"Not once. Everything he had to say was written down. I can tell you he has a very messy scrawl. Looking back on that, I should have doubted him from his poor script alone. If he was truly a man of the church, he would have very careful and tidy script. The monks are tasked with painstakingly copying sacred texts. Their letters are immaculate."

Kid growled. "I don't give a shit about his letters. I just need to know what sort of man he is, who to watch out for."

Urouge sank back in his chair, humming thoughtfully. "He was rude, as far as I could gather. I invited him to break bread with me, but he refused. He kept himself apart from me and my men unless given no choice." The lord scratched at his beard. "I did hear him chuckle once. It was quiet and raspy, so I suppose if he spoke it would carry the same quality."

"What of his name? Dumah? You don't recognize it?"

Urouge chuckled. "I recognize it well enough to know it cannot be his true name." Kid cocked his head to the side, encouraging him to explain. "Dumah is a name from Hebrew lore. It is the name of an angel, one of silence and death. I will confess, not many Christians study the old text, even fewer are familiar with Hebrew folklore. For this man to know that name and its meaning, I suspect he has undergone a great deal of study, and not just from the Christian church."

Kid slouched in his seat, grumbling at the lack of answers he received. All he knew was this man lacked manners and gave a false name.

"I do not wish to give credence to your gods, but I feel this man is a trickster, or the agent of one," Urouge continued, rubbing at his beard as he struggled with his thoughts. "My father's family told many stories of their old gods. They said that Odin traveled the world and was known to many by different names, that the gods of other faiths may very well be one and the same. While I have my doubts that your Odin is comparable to our God, I can believe that your trickster Loki is comparable to the demons of our lore. He is an agent of chaos, a monster that throws the world into unrest, and one day will bring a war that will render our world to ashes. The man I met was cunning and kept his motives to himself. He used our faith to his advantage and abandoned us when it was not enough to attain what he wanted. His allegiance is unpredictable, just as Loki's can be. If you should ever meet a man as sly as Loki, I would keep a watchful eye on him."

Kid grunted his understanding. He had suspected Loki might have a hand in the camp's misfortune. Loki had been behind the misfortune that befell Hnoss. His motives for meddling with that family were as clouded as they ever were and Kid doubted he would ever understand what interest he had in their fate. He was an ally to their gods when it suited him, but he was never to be trusted.

"I did ask him about his intentions with your lady," Urouge added, his brows furrowed. "As strange as his desire to capture her is, I do not believe he has any malicious intentions toward her. He claimed her to be an angel so that we would take her alive and unharmed, and I have no doubt that he would have carried her off before we could learn that she is in fact a witch. Perhaps it was all an elaborate ruse to stir up trouble and war, nothing more. Perhaps his interest was feigned and now that we have warred, he has no further need of her. You might have no reason to fear for her safety."

"No. He will try to take her again," Kid growled. His instincts told him that the false monk was a threat to Nami, that they would see him again. If Loki was connected to him in any way, then he would cross their paths once more.

Anxiety roiled in his gut as he wondered how soon he might come for her again. He hadn't felt any unease when he left camp, and Nami had not told him of any new dreams that might warn of another attack, but that monk was still lurking about. What if he did come for her while he was gone on this errand? What if the men he left behind weren't enough to protect her against the next army that came for her? Even if there was no cruelty in the man's motives, he still meant to take her from him. Kid would not allow any man to take her from him, least of all a trickster hiding in the shadows.

"We can't linger here long," he said quietly to Killer. He spared a short glance to Lucci. He was covered in bandages and the old man appeared to be nearly done mending Lucci's broken nose. He turned his attention back to Urouge. "We have a long trek back to our camp, and I don't want to overstay our welcome."

"You worry for your people. I understand." Urouge nodded. "I would appreciate having my soldier returned soon, too. If I happen to see that false monk again, I will deal with him. He made blasphemous claims, after all. I cannot forgive his deceit any more than you can."

Kid grunted and gave a short nod as he unsteadily pushed himself from his chair. He would not count on Urouge seeing that man again. He wished he could, it would help him sleep better at night if he thought the monk was dead. But he was too certain that this was only the beginning of his schemes. If Loki was truly behind his appearance, then he would not be deterred by one failure.

"Is he well enough to be moved?" Kid gestured toward Lucci.

Urouge called to the man tending to him, asked him something in the tongue Kid didn't understand. The old man nodded, but then made some strange gesture as he spoke. Kid looked to the lord for an explanation.

"His injuries are severe. He can be moved, but you need to take great care." Urouge turned to one of the servant women. "Find them something to lay him on so they can carry him" he ordered them before turning back to Kid. "If he recovers well, I hope I never see him again. He was tenacious in battle. There were a few times I feared my defeat."

Kid snorted. "You don't appear to be close to dying any time soon. And if you fear the possibility of battling him again, why not just kill him?"

Kaku tensed at the question, but Urouge held up a hand to reassure the Norman. "That would be dishonorable. I agreed to single combat and the terms called for a defeat. He could no longer fight me therefore he was defeated. Anything more is unnecessary. And it was his terms that kept you from attacking my people again. I owe him my gratitude for that show of mercy."

The women returned with a tattered blanket draped over two slender pieces of wood. Kaku stood to help move Lucci onto the cloth, then he and one of the other men took the ends of the wood to carefully lift Lucci from the floor. He groaned at the movement and shifted, but settled once they had him steady.

"I can't promise that he won't return," Kid said as he led them toward the door. "But once I'm well enough, I can assure you that I'll visit you again. As satisfying as your battle was to watch, I still want to see you defeated for hurting my woman." He waved back at Urouge. "I'll keep my word and leave your people out of it, but I will have your head someday."

Urouge's bellowing laughter echoed through the hall as he walked out. "I'll look forward to it. Try not to leave your woman without any regrets next time, and enjoy your time with her to the fullest."

Kid barked a short laugh. If he was fortunate enough to have a second chance at battling Urouge, he would not leave Nami with a single regret. If he was destined to leave their realm, to leave her behind, he would make the most of every moment he had with her.

They walked out of the village just as they entered it – with soldiers prepared for the worst and the villagers' wary eyes following them until they had gathered their horses and headed toward the woods. He watched the villagers just as carefully until they were well away. He didn't trust that they wouldn't put an arrow in his back, and he continue to be mindful of his surroundings even after they entered the forest. Urouge might have acted honorably, sought civil discussion over a common thorn in their sides, but there was no telling what orders he whispered to his soldiers while they carried him inside. They might very well be walking into an ambush.

It was still early in the day, so Kid decided they would pack up their meager camp and begin the journey back to the main camp. It was slow going to reach the other men. Kid and Killer led their extra horses while the rest took turns carrying Lucci over uneven ground behind them. Every so often Kid looked back to make sure they hadn't gotten too far ahead of those on foot, and check that they were not being followed by any soldiers. For most of the trek he saw no one behind them, but as he rounded a bend he noticed movement near a tree.

"Killer," he grunted and steered his horse to the side, waving for the others to walk ahead of him. Killer slowed and tugged his horse to the other side as he glanced back to see what had stolen Kid's attention. "We're being followed. I'll keep an eye on 'em, you ride ahead and meet with the others first. Tell them to pack their things and make a decent bed for Lucci in the cart. I don't want to have to carry his ass back with that blanket. It'll take twice as long and we don't have that kind of time to waste."

Killer said nothing as he kicked his horse into a gallop and took off to heed his commands. Kaku handed Lucci off to one of the other men and mounted his horse to take the lead, allowing Kid to slowly amble behind them. He let the others get further ahead of him before he looked back one more time. He caught a messy tuft of dirty blond hair disappear behind a bush and snorted in amusement.

There was no need to fear their little stalker, but he would keep an eye on him to see how far he thought to trail them. So long as he was ignored, he would surely give up and go home.

When they reached the camp, he found everything loaded in the cart with a bed prepared for Lucci to rest in. Kaku climbed into the cart with his friend to watch over him while one of the other men took the bench to drive the cart. Kid let his horse graze as the others finished securing their saddles and continued to watch the forest. The little stalker had fallen behind, but Kid spotted him just before they set off to the east.

"What are you thinking?" Killer asked as he fell in beside him. He glanced over his shoulder and frowned when he caught sight of the pursuer. "I'm surprised he's still following."

Kid snorted. "Dumb or desperate," he mused. "We'll stop before nightfall. If he doesn't find some sense and turn back around before then, I'll deal with him."

"Kid…" Killer said with an unspoken warning in his tone.

Kid waved him off. "I know. I'll be nice."

The others slowly took notice of who was trailing far behind them as the afternoon wore on. They hadn't known what to expect when they heard that they had someone following, but once they saw him, they all had a good laugh. It became a game after that. Franky's men would take turns riding back, hollering or screaming or blowing into a horn, swinging an axe or fist. The stalker would shout in alarm, run, and then hide behind a tree or rock until the rider returned to the group. Despite all of their attempts to scare him off, he would always slip out of his hiding spot once they put distance between them again, and continue to follow.

After six attempts to scare him off, the game turned old for Kid. The other men were still chuckling, but Kid could find nothing amusing about the situation.

"He must be hungry by now," Killer mused as they trailed further behind the rest of their group.

"If he was foolish enough to leave the village without food, then that's his problem, not mine. I don't know what he thinks to accomplish following us, anyway. He's better off turning back," Kid grumbled stubbornly.

Killer cast a look over his shoulder and Kid couldn't help but follow his gaze. Their stalker no longer tried to hide when they glimpsed back, he looked too exhausted to make the effort. His head hung low, his shoulders hunched and dejected. He tripped over a root and toppled to the ground with a shout, and Kid turned his gaze forward with an annoyed hiss.

"He'll get lost if he turns back now, assuming he isn't already lost," Killer reasoned.

"Not my problem," Kid growled, but still he slowed his horse to give the idiot a chance to keep up.

Killer reached for his saddlebag with a sigh. He pulled out a small pouch of his rations and tossed it to the ground behind them. Kid peeked back to see their follower take notice of the bag. He perked up and scrambled to his feet, finding the energy to run toward the food and snatch it up. Kid glowered at his cousin for the gesture of charity before kicking his horse to canter ahead and catch up to their group.

He would give him another hour to give up. If he was still there when they stopped for the night, then Kid would make his decision.

One of the men at the lead called out to the group that he could see a stream up ahead. They decided to rest there for the night to fill their skins and let their horses drink. Three of the men took to the stream to fish, others gathered wood for a fire, and Kaku stayed with Lucci to clean and rebandage his wounds. The Norman hadn't stirred more than a couple of times since they put him in the cart, and each had been little more than an annoyed groan when the cart jostled him around, but once they stopped, Kid could hear him muttering to Kaku in a garbled Norman tongue while his friend tried to help him drink.

While the others were busy with their tasks, Kid slipped his pouch of dried meats from his pack and limped toward the edge of camp. A whole day in the saddle had left him stiff, but the wine Urouge gave them earlier helped take a slight edge from his pains. And the prospect of returning to Nami soon helped him endure the tightness in his side without complaint. He could hold out another day or two in the saddle.

He settled onto the ground beneath a hearty ash tree, waving Killer away when his cousin thought to help him sit. His friend rolled his eyes and sat on a gnarled root beside him. He held a skin of fresh water, but took no drink.

They sat in silence as Kid pulled out a strip of meat. He took no bite as he listened to the rustle of the trees and the scuff of their stalker's footsteps. He had slowed considerably over the last hour, tripping his way behind them. He made fewer sounds of pain when he fell, didn't run as far when the men thought to chase him again. He was too determined to keep up, or too stubborn to realize he was going the wrong way.

When Kid spotted the boy stumble around a tree, looking as dejected and exhausted as he had earlier, he leaned forward and tore his strip of meat in half while whistling to get the boy's attention. His head shot up and he froze where he stood, startled to find them waiting for him. He looked around in a panic, like a deer cornered by a pack of wolves, but didn't flee in the other direction like he should have.

"I remember something your old man once said to me," he said to Killer in English, loud enough for the boy to hear. "He said that there's a fine line between being a brave man and being a stupid one. I think I finally understand what he meant."

Killer snorted in response while Kid waved the chunk of meat in front of him, tempting the boy to come closer. The boy took a wary step toward them, but panicked at a round of raucous laughter from the camp.

"Get over here already," Kid barked, his patience wearing thin after a day of watching the boy make a fool of himself. It was embarrassing to see him follow them, heedless of the danger he was in the further he got from his home.

The boy shrieked in response but stumbled over to them. He tripped into the dirt at their feet and Kid tossed the scrap of food to the ground in front of him.

"Why are you following us?" Kid asked as the boy greedily devoured the meat. He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice was lost to a croak that turned into a dry cough, so Kid gestured for Killer to give him the water. They watched the boy guzzle the drink, Kid doing his best to restrain his temper as he waited.

"Thank you," the boy finally whispered once he finished his drink and handed the nearly empty skin to Killer.

"So? What idiot idea came into your mind that made you follow us this far?" Kid prompted as the boy slumped onto the ground with an exhausted sigh. "Your lord made it clear you couldn't come with us. He'll have my head if he finds you with me. I gave my word that I'd leave his people alone, that included not taking any of you without his leave. Life in the church that awful?"

The boy shook his head solemnly, but said nothing else. Kid let a frustrated growl rumble in his throat as he smacked the side of the boy's head. The boy shouted, his head shot up with a glare, and he rubbed a hand through his filthy, tangled nest of blond hair where he had been struck.

"If your life ain't that bad, then why the hell are you here? You do know we're your peoples' enemy, don't you?" Kid growled at him. "You're a fool if you think you can have better with us."

The boy pouted. "They said my father was one of you."

Kid laughed, the sound wry and exhausted. "Not one of us," he said, gesturing around he and the men in the camp. "I know I never got a Saxon woman with my child. Pretty certain that Killer never did, either." He looked at his cousin to see him shake his head. "Your lord said it was a svear mercenary working for a Danish king. If he was in these lands to help them war, and never came to find you, he's probably long dead and in Valhol. You won't find him with any of us."

"I know he's dead," the boy said, his frown deepening. "But he was still one of you."

Kid groaned. "And? You think that makes you one of us?"

"That's what they say I am," he muttered. His head fell and he dug his fingers into the dirt. "They say I don't belong here."

Kid snorted. "Who said that? Urouge made it plainly clear you belonged in his lands, in his church, not with us."

"The old priest used to say it. He said my mother was punished for her sins when she died, and that I only lived so that I could repent for her," the boy explained. "He sent me to live with Lord Urouge's priests when I grew too big, but I still don't feel right with them. I've heard the old women whisper that my mother laid with the devil and that someday the demons would come to take me back."

Kid shifted as an uncomfortable weight settled in his chest. He supposed after his display in the field the other night, those old ladies might think their prophecies were true. It was foolish of them to say that of a child. It wasn't his fault he was born. It wasn't his fault that his mother laid with a mercenary. He was just a child.

He studied the boy closely. He was tall and thin, looked to be decently fed. He was filthy and stunk like a wild animal, but he had spent the day trailing through woods and fields without much rest. His blond hair needed a good wash and combing. Through the grime clinging to his skin, Kid could make out a ruddy complexion. And he had startling green eyes, as rich as the leaves they sat beneath.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"My father's name was Sindri, so they took to calling me Sind," he answered.

Kid's brow rose at the name, but he didn't comment on it. "How old are you?"

"Eight, I believe."

Kid's jaw fell open. He would have surmised the boy was nearly twelve or thirteen by his height, certainly no older than Finn had been when he first met him. He was just as tall as he had been. "You can't be eight," he huffed, snatching the boy by the arm to drag him back to his feet. He forced himself to stand to compare heights, and sure enough the boy came to his hip. "You're too tall."

"That's what they say." The boy frowned as he twisted his arm from Kid's grip. "But I swear it."

Kid laughed. "Your father must have been a giant! His parents must have had a good sense of humor to name him for a dwarf. You might even grow taller than me when you're older." He grasped the boy under his arms to lift him, ignoring the stabbing pain in his back that protested the move. He grinned at the squirming child. "You're still scrawny. Like a twig. I could break you in half. Doubt you'd survive one winter in Noreg. Not enough meat on your bones to keep you warm."

Sind kicked his feet, trying to escape Kid's hold. Kid dropped him to the ground without ceremony and continued to laugh as the boy tried to glare up at him while wiping a clump of dirt off his cheek.

"Go home, brat," he said as his laughter eased. It made his already aching side hurt even more, but it had been a good laugh. He settled back down on the ground, grinning wide. "Your father might have been from Svealand, but that doesn't make you a Northman. And why would you want to be? Surely, you've heard what we do to your people? We're the ones who started the fire in the field just the other night. You really want to live with a bunch of pagans who don't care one whit for the people who have been caring for you? You're better off with your priests."

Sind puffed his cheeks with a stubborn pout and slumped over. "I'm not. I don't want to stay with them. They make me pull weeds all day."

Kid barked a loud laugh at the childish complaint. Killer snorted beside him. "You're young, you don't know better. What do you think we do back in Noreg? Do you think we just lounge about with our hoards all day? Fight each other? We have to pull weeds. We have to build ships. We have to tend farms. We have to wash and mend and do all sorts of work. You come with us, your life won't change. You'll just be digging weeds in a different garden."

Sind fidgeted in place. "I still want to go."

Kid fell back against the trunk of the tree with an exasperated sigh. "I feel this is my fault. Shouldn't of made that joke about taking you in. If I knew you were that desperate to leave your home, I wouldn't have said anything." With a groan, he sat up and leveled a hard stare on the boy. He only had one other option left. "What stories have your priests told of us and our gods? They tell you that we're demons, that we worship false gods, that we make sacrifices to them. They tell you we're cruel, vicious monsters who lust for blood and gold and sex, that we hold no Christian virtues. What if I tell you that everything they say is true? Do you still wish to come with us?"

The boy pursed his lips in thought. "Some of it might be true, but I don't think you're as evil as they say." Kid's brow rose as the boy fidgeted nervously. "They always said that my mother's greatest sin was loving my father, but why would it be a sin to love someone? And if he was so evil, then how could anyone come to love him?" Sind sniffled, his head falling to hide his pained expression. "I used to dream that my father was still alive, and that one day he would come for me. If he loved my mother as much as she was said to have loved him, I thought that meant he would want to take me from this place, to his home, and make me his son. But he never came and they told me he was dead, that he would never come. I just want to go home."

Kid groaned, even more frustrated with the dilemma before him. He could hear Nami's voice in the back of his head, urging him to take pity on the child. His heart twisted with sympathy he wished he could ignore. It didn't matter if he felt sorry for the boy or not, his desires were foolhardy, his life would not be better in different lands, with different people. Even Nami, no matter how much pity she might feel, would see that.

But she would probably still want to help the child.

"Do you know any Norse?" Kid asked through another groan as he ran his hands over his face. Sind shook his head in answer. Kid sighed. "You better start learning fast. I don't want to go around translating for you all the time." The boy's eyes lit up and his back straighten, eager and excited. Shouting from the camp stole Kid's attention for a minute. He glanced over his shoulder at the men as they came to the fire with a decent catch that would feed all of them that night. He looked back to Sind. "You like fish?"

The boy's excitement waned with a disgusted curl of his lip. Kid snorted at the look.

"Well, get used to it. We eat a lot of fish in the north." He reached out to roughly tousle the boy's hair and then shoved him toward the camp. "Go sit by the fire and get some rest. We leave before dawn."

---

After three days of riding north, Hróarr made the decision that they turn back for the camp. Nami wished that she could keep riding, follow the coast up into the highlands of the Scots, and then make her way back down the western coast. She wanted to map it all, but they didn't have the time. She would have to be content with only mapping the sliver of eastern coast she saw. One day she would return and hopefully have all the time she needed to travel over all the isles.

They had found a farm belonging to an old Norse-woman and her family on the fourth night and were fortunate to be welcomed into the home. Nami volunteered to help with their chores to repay their kindness, as well as keep herself distracted from the last vision she had. She had tried to meditate on the images the night they came to her, to conjure them from her mind so she could explore them better, but she had no luck. Even her sleep had been dreamless that night, leaving her with no new answers.

Working around the farmhouse brought a pang of homesickness to her that night. Her longing for Tingstad was always at the back of her mind, buried within her heart. She couldn't go back yet, not until she knew it was safe. She could only hope that Nojiko and Genzo did not suffer too horribly in her absence. If they held on, just a little longer, then maybe she would find some way to free them.

Her work didn't just remind her of the simpler days, before Arlong came along, it also reminded her of the home she had found in Drafn. She had never expected to find a new home in Kid's hall, but he and the people he ruled over had given back a piece of her life she had missed, a bit of the freedom she had longed for within Arlong's hall. Now she was as eager to return to all of them as she would be to return to those she left behind in Tingstad. She feared losing them, even more so now after seeing one vision come to pass, but she held just as much hope and determination that she would not let them down.

She wanted to return to the camp. She wanted to see Kid again. She wanted to go home, her new home, and enjoy the freedom she had. She might not have it for long. If she failed and lost Kid, then she would be back in Arlong's hall, a prisoner to his ambitions once more. She wanted to enjoy her freedom for as long as she could. And she wanted to continue on her path to find a way to keep her freedom and help her family regain their own.

They left the farmhouse with extra scraps of food and a small cask of ale the owner gave to her for the mending she and Gunda did. It had saved the old lady two days of work, and as they ate their hot supper with her, she had been able to hear news of her homeland. She had left for Britain when she was a teen and newly married. She hadn't seen her homelands since and relied on the occasional raider or new settler to bring her word of the people she left behind. Any gossip on who was claiming to be king or on which people were warring over worthless land was greatly appreciated.

They had been gone for nearly six whole days when Nami spied the masts of their ships in the distance, their flags snapping in the wind off the coast. They had eaten the food they received from the farm, and hardly had anything left of their own provisions. The cask was still full, at least. Nami decided to save that for when they reached the camp. If Kid returned before they did, she would need the ale to soothe his rage.

She could make out the grey pillars of smoke from the campfires when she heard a horn bellow from a tree. They slowed their horses to search for their scout, noticed the branches of a tree rustle and snap as someone made their way down to the ground. Nami grinned when she saw Halle duck out from under the boughs of an oak. The older man waved excitedly as they steered toward him.

"Finally," he called out, snagging the reins of her mare once she was in reach. "Axel can stop panicking now. I swear, he was ready to make a sacrifice and beg the gods to make you return soon."

Nami's brow rose. "Did Kid come back?"

"Fortunately, no, he's not returned yet," Halle said with a long sigh. He waved for her to scoot forward in her saddle and then climbed up behind her. He took hold of her reins and kicked her horse into a canter, urging them to hurry toward the camp. "Axel was thinking to send scouts out to search for you both if you didn't return by tonight. With you here now, that is one worry off his back."

Nami frowned at the news that Kid had yet to return. They were hoping to reach the camp before he did, but she was still worried for him with how injured he was.

"Wire said not to worry about Jarl Eustass since he has Killer with him. Killer will keep him out of trouble," Halle said as they headed down the slope toward the camp.

"That's true. Still, it wouldn't be a bad idea to send a few out in search of them if they aren't back by tonight. How far did they say this lord's home was?" Nami asked, glancing over her shoulder at Halle.

"About two days with the cart they were taking."

"Assuming they didn't find a reason to delay, then they should be returning any day now." Nami breathed out a sigh. "I don't think we have any reason to worry just yet."

"Even less now that you're here," Halle said with a snort of laughter when the camp came into view and they spotted Axel waiting at the entrance. He threw his hands up and fell to his knees in an exaggerated show of gratitude. "I think he was prepared to take up the Christian God, too. Just in case our gods couldn't hear him in Christian lands."

"It was the Christians that tried to take Lady Nami from us in the first place," Axel called when he heard Halle's comment. "I wouldn't take up their God, even if they put a sword to my neck." He spat to show his contempt for them. "But it wouldn't hurt to appeal to Him, just in case."

Nami laughed as Axel steadied her horse. "You were needlessly worried," she said while slipping out of the saddle with Halle's aide. "Has anything happened here while we were away?"

Halle shook his head. "Peaceful and utterly boring. Nearly had a skirmish on our hands when a few of Franky's men wanted to pass the time with another raid. Fortunately, he dealt with them before they ran off and got themselves killed. The rest of us are just eager to set sail with our treasure."

Wire came toward them with a large grin and greeted Nami with a solid pat on her head. Heat wasn't far behind him, stifling a yawn before opening an arm to invite her in for a lazy hug.

"I've had the men at work preparing the ships to leave," Wire said. "Most of the treasure is loaded. All we're waiting on now is for Jarl Kid to return with the others, then we can load the rest and leave."

"Halle was telling me that you all considered sending out scouts to search for him," Nami said.

Wire shrugged. "He'll be back in a day or two. I have no doubt about that. If it will set you at ease, we can send someone out. We already have Stig watching from the trees to the west for him, just as Halle was watching for you. I'd rather not risk letting anyone else wander off when we're so close to leaving, though."

"I suppose that's true." Nami sighed, trying not to worry for Kid. If Wire wasn't worried, she saw no reason to be. He knew the jarl better than she did. "How are the injured?" Nami asked, glancing up at Heat.

"All are doing well. Complaining that we don't have much to ease their pains, but they're alive," Heat said.

"And Kalifa?"

"Better. The dizzy spells have lessened and she's able to keep more of her meals down." Heat tugged at the sleeve of her tunic. "And how is your shoulder faring?"

"Well." She smiled and turned to let him inspect the wound. It still ached and the flesh was tender to the touch, but she had no fever or rot like her last injury. She had noticed it less and less with every passing day.

"Good," Heat said as he slipped her tunic back into place. "And your visions?" he asked, voice lowered to a hush.

Nami sighed. "I had one, but I haven't been able to decipher it and my meditations haven't helped conjure it again."

Heat hummed, glowering at her thoughtfully.

"Her vision came in the middle of a storm," Gunda spoke up as she hefted Nami's pack off her horse. "We had taken shelter beneath an oak. I've been wondering if Thor might have tried to call to her, send her a warning of something on the horizon."

Nami nodded her agreement. "Much of the vision came with the flashes of lightning."

"Did it scare you like the others?" Heat asked.

Nami shook her head.

"She was playing in the rain," Hróarr added. "Fearless of the lightning. Even after her vision came she continued to stare up at the sky as if searching for an answer in the clouds. Nothing like her last one."

Heat hummed one more time, then came to a decision with the nod. "If Thor is trying to warn you of a hardship, then we should focus on invoking him."

"I already gathered acorns from the tree we sheltered beneath that night," Nami agreed. "I just wasn't sure which runes to carve into them." She fidgeted nervously. "I've heard warnings to be careful with thurisaz. I didn't want to carve it and invoke something I wasn't prepared for."

"If Thor is calling your attention to a danger, then there is no better rune. I feel you are safe in invoking that rune's magic. He will not let harm come to you," Heat reassured before nudging her toward the camp fires. "First, you should rest. And I want to hear about your journey."

Nami spent the afternoon resting with Gunda and Hróarr while they told the others about all that they saw. She fell back into her normal routine by supper when Franky returned from a hunt with his men that helped quell their own restlessness. She helped Kalifa clean and prepare the deer they brought back, setting aside strips to smoke and dry before they sailed back to Noreg so they would have extra provisions out at sea.

After their meal, Heat guided her to the shore to see if they could conjure her last vision. He handed her a stick and told her to draw a circle with all the runes written around it, then within that circle, she would draw five more, each holding a rune he wanted her to concentrate on. He picked eihwaz and raidho for the top two circles since her last two visions had come through her meditations on them. The bottom two circles held nauthiz, the cross-like rune meant to invoke her need for answers in the confusion of her vision, and the kenaz rune to cast light upon her vision and bring her a revelation. Last, he had her draw out thurisaz, the thorn rune, in the center circle to focus on the hardships to come.

"Remember that this rune holds not only the power of the ice giants," Heat said as he set a handful of acorns in the center circle, "but also the might of Thor's hammer to defeat those giants. It is powerful and can bring destruction to those who use it unwisely, but have faith that the gods will protect you, that your family will guide you as they have." He pointed to the eihwaz rune. "Focus on this rune first. You have a solid link with Yggdrasil and the Norns, they will help you see what you do not understand. When you feel comfortable in the boughs of the world tree, then remember the storm, the way it felt to your spirit, and trust that it will not harm you."

Nami felt a moment of wariness as she wondered what she would see if this worked. Her vision while concentrating on eihwaz had been disturbing in its detail, and her dream of the Norns had brought her physical pain. Her vision in the storm hadn't scared her as the others had, but the imagery she had seen was still enough to make her anxious of their meaning.

She took a deep breath and released it in a slow, steady rush. She sat down in front of the circle and took another deep breath to ease her nerves, then shut her eyes as she exhaled.

She listened to Heat walk away to take a seat further behind her where Axel and Gunda sat to watch over her. Halle was standing guard on the path that night. He wasn't as close as the others, but she could still hear him humming to himself. The lilting sound of his voice stole her attention, but helped her relax, set her mind at ease. The song he hummed flowed with the waves rolling into the shore in front of her, melded with the wind that teased through her hair.

She caught the rich scent of burning wood from the campfires and breathed in deep. When she exhaled, she felt her world fall away.

She opened her eyes to find herself sitting in Yggdrasil's branches once more. She sat on a limb where it grew from the trunk of the great tree, far higher than she had sat before. She couldn't see the wells below, only an endless sea of wood and evergreen leaves. She gripped the trunk as she stood and tried to peer out from the boughs but the world outside the tree was lost within the branches.

The tree's bark was rough beneath her fingertips, gouged out with the fates of the nine realms. Sap oozed from the marks, its warm, heady aroma soothing to her. It stuck to her fingers as she ran them over the runes and her hand came away slick with the orange liquid. She rubbed over the thickening sap with her thumb and watched as it hardened and collected in tiny specks of amber that joined and grew into jagged, raw stones.

Twenty-four stones sat in her palm, each no bigger than a fingernail.

Before she could contemplate the meaning of the stones, the distant rumble of thunder stole her attention. She turned to search through the thick branches, hoping to find the storm she foresaw, or at least a hint to the images. When she saw nothing but the boughs, she took a deep breath and stepped away from the trunk. Instinct told her to stay close to the main stem of the tree, but she knew better than to fear the branches. Yggdrasil would not let her fall.

The branch she balanced on was wide and thick, sturdy enough to bear her weight. It creaked and groaned and dipped as she walked further out, but did not crack or break. When the branch began to narrow, the canopy of evergreen opened and she sucked in a deep breath at the endless expanse that stretched out before her.

She could barely make out the blue of the well's water and the roots running through it. Beyond that, she saw nothing and everything, all the worlds, all the realms, and yet she could not fathom their existence as resolutely as she could the tree she stood upon. They were distant and formless, but at the same time right in front of her very eyes, rich with detail.

The tree shifted as she stared out, the branches moving as though they had a mind of their own, and revealed to her distant mountain peaks covered with eternal ice. Black clouds gathered and swirled over the white caps. Lightning flashed. It was the storm she saw, but it was far away, out of her reach.

She heard the creak of another branch above her own. She looked up and to the left where the sound came from and stared in awe at the form of a man walking over the branch as she had. His back was straight, his head held high. He held a golden staff that firmly struck the wood beneath him with every step. He looked as one would strolling through the forest, or along a gentle path, not venturing out onto Yggdrasil's branches. He was fearless where he stood. He had stood there many times before. He was at home there.

She couldn't make the figure out perfectly, but he was clad in gold arm rings, earrings, and anklets. Even his belt was decorated with gold. The distant lightning was bright enough to make the precious metal he wore gleam and flash as if it were imbued with the very same energy.

He was the man in her vision.

She didn't question her own body's judgement when she unconsciously took a step back. He hadn't seen her, and she had a feeling that she wouldn't want him to see her there. She had to remain hidden.

But she was curious of this man staring out at the worlds around them, watching the same storm that caught her attention. She wondered what he saw, what he knew. Could he see as she did? Did he understand this world, these realms? What sort of visions came to him? What answers did he seek?

She sat down upon her branch where she could watch the man's back. She watched and wondered, awestruck by the ease of his presence upon that tree. He truly belonged there and she envied him for it.

He took a step forward and she sucked in a breath as he balanced on a thin twig at the end of the branch. She wanted to call out in alarm, instinct nearly pushed her to her feet. She restrained herself as he pushed off from the branch, leaping out into the void around the tree. She clung to her branch and scurried forward to catch his descent. He was little more than a speck when she spotted him, her stomach dropping and head spinning as she peered toward the distant ground. And then he vanished as quickly as he appeared. There was no splash in the well, no bone crushing crash upon a root. He was just gone.

She crawled back to the safety of the trunk and took a deep breath. Her head spun just imagining that drop and she had to will her hands to cease their trembling.

The man's appearance and abrupt leave confused her. The distant storm provided her no answers. The amber stones in her hand left her with even more questions. Her meditation was proving fruitless, but she was not ready to end it. Nothing catastrophic had happened yet, so she decided to remain in that state for as long as she could and focus on the runes she had cast. She needed the practice, and maybe with time her existence in that other world would be as natural as it had been for the man.

She made herself comfortable on her branch and settled in to study the storm. She thought of the nature of a storm in her world, of the charge lightning left in the air, the sweet scent of the rain, the chill that came as the wind swirled about. She couldn't feel that same shiver run down her spine that she usually did before a storm at sea. She couldn't feel her hairs stand on end at the rumble of thunder. It was too far away, but still she focused with everything she had.

If she could feel a storm coming sooner, then that meant she had more time, more options to save those who depended on her.

Even caught up in her vision, a piece of her remained aware of the world she truly resided it. She could hear Halle humming, the waves lapping at the shore, the shifting sand beneath those that sat near here. It was hardly enough for her to be conscious of all that was around her, but still she heard the echoing bellow of a horn. She paid it no mind. She was safe where she was. If there was danger, Heat would have pulled her from her trance if her own instincts didn't rouse her first.

The tree cracked around her. The branch she sat on stretched out and grew wider while the tree grew taller, reaching further into the heavens. She didn't take her eyes from the storm, not even when she heard her branch creak with extra weight.

A breath fanned over her ear, warm and inviting.

"What do you see?" a voice rumbled beside her, his words deep and rasping, almost laced with a growl.

"A storm," she answered.

A weight leaned against her side and she could feel his chest shake with a quiet chuckle. Soft fur grazed her hand, a simple comfort she had missed in their days apart. She smiled as she leaned into him.

"And a wolf," she added teasingly.

He chuckled again and she felt his hand slip into hers. "Does the storm scare you?"

"No."

"And the wolf?"

"Not even a little bit."

He laced his fingers with hers and squeezed. "Good."

They sat together as Nami continued to concentrate on the storm in front of her. It was difficult to do with Kid there, but she stubbornly persisted, even as the storm seemed to move away and the canopy closed in around her. The heat and weight of his presence proved too much of a distraction, and the idle stroke of his thumb on her hand sent sweet thrills up her arm and filled her with an ache that demanded more of his touch, an ache that she could no longer ignore.

And that was when she fully realized he was holding her hand and she couldn't understand why.

"I thought you were angry with me," she whispered as her fingers flexed around his and the world within Yggdrasil's branches slowly bled away.

She felt his head rest on her shoulder as he let out a tired grunt. "Angry at myself," he muttered. "Not you."

Nami blinked her eyes open, clearing the last of her vision and replacing it with the dark sea in front of her. Night had fallen long ago. The only light there on the beach came from the flickering campfires far behind them, their glow hardly enough to cast away all the shadows. She could hear laughter and song, revelry to celebrate the return of their men. The raucous noise did more to chase away the darkness than the flames.

She turned to find Kid leaning against her, his gaze set off over the horizon. He didn't look any more bruised and beaten than he had been when he left, only tired and in desperate need of a shave again.

"Did you fight the giant?" she asked.

He snorted and settled more of his weight against her, rubbing his cheek over her shoulder. "No. Couldn't, even if I wanted to. Lucci fought him, though. Somehow survived."

"And did you get your answers about the monk?"

His lips pursed in a frown. "Some, not much." He tilted his head back to meet her gaze. "I learned more about your clan than that monk."

She cocked her head in confusion. "My clan? What would a Saxon lord know of my clan?"

"His father's family came from Birka," he explained.

That didn't explain much of anything to her. She had heard of Birka, knew it was not far from where her people once lived, but she didn't know what the village had to do with her. Bellemere had only told her that a congregation of Christians lived in that region and that the church there was the reason her father had visited Svealand in the first place. Otherwise, she knew of no importance that village held for her.

Kid's glower deepened at her obvious confusion. "He said there was a family from Birka that once swore themselves to your clan's cause." He turned his gaze forward with a huff. "Generations before you were born, one of their patriarchs fell to your curse and warred with the Christians. The head priestess slew him and exiled the rest of his family for the danger they presented to their order."

Nami hummed thoughtfully, wishing, not for the first time, that she had asked more of Bellemere about her family and birthplace. She had a feeling her mother wouldn't have answered many of her questions, only shared what she felt was necessary for her to know. Nami wondered if her mother had hoped to let her live a peaceful life, divorced of the world her family knew. She wanted her to live free and happy, not in a world filled with war. Nami wished she could have that life, but then she wouldn't have met the people she was with now, wouldn't be sitting there with Kid at her side, her steady rock to hold fast to when she needed.

"They called themselves the hammer of the gods, the thorn to protect the northern rose," Kid added, a muttered afterthought.

That had caught her attention more than the village of Birka. "The thorn?" Nami stared down at her runes and brushed aside the acorns covering thurisaz. Kid angled his head to see the rune and grunted his own confusion. "You say a clan devoted to Thor was a former ally to my family?"

"Supposedly," Kid mumbled, glancing up at her. "Does that mean something to you?"

"I had a vision," she said, pointing at her runes. "We were riding north, near the monastery the Christians call Lindisfarne, when a storm came. The lightning brought me a vision of a man clad in gold, and I just saw him again, overlooking the same storm in my vision just now. I think Thor is trying to tell me something about him. Warn me, maybe. I'm not sure yet, but maybe they're connected."

Kid stared at her, his expression devoid of emotion for a long moment. It slowly morphed into a look of annoyance, his brows furrowing and lips curling in a silent growl. "What do you mean you went riding north? Why the fuck did you leave camp?"

Nami rolled her eyes. "That isn't the point, Kid," she huffed as she shoved away from him and stood.

"I don't care if it's not the point. You weren't supposed to leave this camp. I thought I made it clear you were to stay here, where it's safe?" Kid growled as he slowly stumbled to his feet and loomed over her. "What if that monk was near and followed you?"

"I had a guard with me. I was perfectly safe," she argued. "We saw no monks, no soldiers, only farmers."

"Farmers can be just as dangerous if they feel threatened," he bit out, waving off toward the camp. "Plenty of our people are nothing but farmers at home. My family were farmers. Give a farmer an axe and they'll know how to wield it just as well as any warrior when they're defending their lands."

She wanted to strangle him. "Again, that is beside the point. If Thor is trying to warn me-"

"Then he can warn you from the safety of this fucking camp," Kid interrupted. "I told you not to leave."

Nami threw her hands up in exasperation. "You're just being stubborn now. Nothing happened to me. I had a pleasant couple of days traveling and clearing my mind after the battle, and returned whole and well. You have no reason to be upset with me."

"I told you to stay," he growled lowly.

Rather than succumb to the overwhelming urge to smack him, she sighed and grabbed him by the hand to drag him back to camp. "Let me show you what I did while you were gone."

"I don't give a shit what you did. You shouldn't have-"

"I shouldn't have left. I know! If you say that one more time, I will hit you," Nami yelled, picking up her pace even as he stumbled up the path behind her.

She ignored the lecherous whistles from the men as she yanked Kid into her tent. The other women were still sitting by the fire, and Gunda didn't follow them from the beach. She was likely wary of Kid's thinned temper, so Nami was left to calm him alone. That was fine with her. She could handle his anger.

"I don't know why you would think it wise to leave the safety of camp," Kid continued to huff once she released him. He didn't see her roll her eyes again as she dug through her pack. He was wasting his breath complaining about her journey when she had already returned. "At least you went north. If you had gone south, toward the village we raided, you might not have had such a peaceful journey," he muttered to himself. He was already beginning to calm as he convinced himself that there was no danger. "Still don't see why you needed to leave."

Her new maps in hand, she turned to find Kid wearing a sulky frown, with his arms crossed over his chest. He tried to narrow his eyes into a menacing glare, but it didn't hold the intensity it should. She felt herself soften at the expression. He truly was cute when he worried, even if it was needless.

"Your men tried to stop me," she reassured. "But I was feeling restless here. We had lost two more after you left, and Heat no longer needed my help with the wounded. I couldn't stand to sit here and wait in a camp where so many of our friends were lost to us. I needed to remember the life I'm still living, the life I've dedicated to you and all of your men that are still with us."

His scowl turned thoughtful and somber. She could see in the stubborn set of his gaze that he still wanted to argue with her about it, but the last traces of his annoyances vanished once she offered the parchment in her hand. His eyes flit between her and the maps before he gently took them. His mood turned curious as he flipped between each piece.

She was eager to see his reaction to her work. He had never seen one of her maps before. Even if he believed her to hold a talent for it, he couldn't understand it without seeing her work.

Kid's brows rose when he came to the map and sketching of the Lindisfarne region. He looked up at her, surprise and awe in his eyes. "You made these?" She nodded and his attention returned to the maps to inspect them closer. "The details… They're better than all the maps I've seen."

"They'd be even better if I had the time to explore all the isles, by sea and land. Those are only rough sketches of all that I saw," Nami explained, fighting back a smile at his praise.

"They're beautiful," he muttered before his eyes glanced at her. She couldn't hold in her smile under the full weight of his gaze, nor could she stop the blush she felt heating her cheeks. Kid's lips curled in a lopsided smile. "I'm glad I brought back the parchment for you. These are worth their weight in gold, if not more."

Nami snickered. "I suppose they are. I think they're worth enough to at least forgive some of your debt. Maybe I could deduct… half a chest of gold?"

"Stingy," Kid said, chuckling.

"It's the best offer I'm willing to make." She shrugged.

"Of course it is, greedy woman," he teased.

She smiled up at him, unrepentant in her greed. "Do you forgive me for leaving camp while you were away?"

His good humor left him and he dropped his gaze back to her maps. It took a minute of thought, but he finally let out a resigned sigh. "I'd rather you had waited for me to return. I would have liked to join you. How far north did you travel?"

"We rode for about three days but turned around just when we reached the Scottish territory," she said, a wistful sigh lacing her voice. "I wanted to go further, but Hróarr didn't want to stay away any longer than necessary, so we turned back before the highlands."

"That's unfortunate," Kid mused. "You would have loved it up there." He held her maps out for her to take, a thoughtful frown on his face once more. "I'll talk with Franky before we leave, see if he's willing to take a route up the coast before we venture back to Álasund. You can at least see the mountains and isles from the sea if we go that way."

"Really?" Nami asked excitedly, bouncing on her toes.

Her reaction made Kid laugh. He stepped closer to her, wearing a warm smile, and she fell still as he reached out to brush the backs of his fingers over her cheek. "If it makes you this happy, I can't possibly say no."

He spoke at a low hush that made her heart flutter and breath grow short. Her whole body warmed at his touch and intense gaze. A fire was lit in his rusty brown eyes, giving them an inviting glow that drew her closer. Her stomach flipped when his fingers ran over her jaw and tilted her head back as he bent down.

And then she panicked.

She snatched her maps from his other hand and spun away before he could come any closer. She ignored the trembling of her hands as she busied herself with packing her maps away. She needed to do something, anything, to distract herself from the spark he lit in her. No matter how much she wanted to give in to it, she knew she couldn't. She couldn't hope that all would end well. She was cursed, and even if she wasn't, it was only a matter of time before Arlong found her and put her life with Kid to an agonizing end.

She wasn't free yet.

Once her maps were away, she stood and searched for something else to distract them from the tense air building in the tent. If she couldn't find anything, she was tempted to flee him entirely.

All her plans of escape were put to bed when he let out a frustrated growl, snatched her hand, and yanked her back to him. She crashed against his chest with a startled gasp. He steadied her with a hand at the back of her neck, his fingers twining with her hair. And then his lips were on hers, firm with determination, and she forgot all her reasons to run away.

She sank into him, reveling in the heat of his kiss and the way it made her heart thunder in her ears. Her lips tingled and warmed, and when he drew away for the briefest of breaths, they ached just as they had when only thinking of his kiss before they were soothed with another kiss. His touch gentled with every kiss she returned. His arm wound around her waist to support her as she clung to his leather armor. His hand untangled from her hair to cup her jaw and tilt her head as he deepened the kiss.

Her knees weakened when his tongue brushed hers and she mewled quietly at the raw need kindled within her. The muffled sound was answered with Kid's deep groan. He held her tighter, crushed their bodies together until she could feel him with an intimate detail that teased her with thoughts of how his skin would feel under her fingertips, sliding against bare flesh.

"Don't run from this," he rasped against her lips, allowing her only a short breath before he was kissing her again.

Run from this? Why would I run from this? she mused to herself amidst the haze of desire clouding all her other thoughts.

"I want you," he whispered as he backed her toward her fur bedding. His hand ran down to cup her backside and press her hips to his, letting her feel his hard length as it strained against the wool of his trousers. "Only you," he growled, the words filled with a hard resolve that spoke of their truth.

He captured her lips before she could even find a thought to give voice to, let alone find her actual voice. Their kisses turned hungry, desperate, longing to satisfy the needs that only grew stronger with every savoring kiss they shared.

Kid's hand fell from her jaw to trail down her chest. She gasped into their kiss when he roughly kneaded a breast. He moaned at the back of his throat before finally relinquishing her lips to kiss over her cheek. She drew in a sharp breath as his lips grazed over her jaw. Her legs forgot how to work the moment his lips wrapped around a spot beneath her ear. The coarse whiskers growing along his jaw and cheeks tickled and teased her and sent shivers through her whole body. He sucked and nipped and laved the flesh with his warm tongue until she grew breathless and had to cling to him for support. Her eyes rolled back and she gasped his name, silently pleading he lay her down and satisfy the urgency he roused in her.

She felt her bed at her feet and nearly stumbled back, but a throat clearing broke into her lustful haze. She tried to ignore it, just as Kid was intent on doing, but the person cleared their throat louder and Nami swore she heard a child's laughter.

She blinked in a vain attempt to clear the fog hanging thick in her mind. Kid continued to kiss her neck while his hands moved on to pluck at the ties and hem of her tunic, too desperate to disrobe her to care about anyone wishing to interrupt.

Her gaze found the entrance of the tent where Killer stood, a hand covering his mouth to hide a smile and laugh. The child clinging to his leg didn't bother to hide their own amusement.

Child?

Nami's confusion banished her lust, and as reason returned she remembered that she was supposed to be avoiding exactly what they were doing. She shoved at Kid's chest. He growled and clung to her as he nipped her ear.

"Kid," she hissed, shoving him again. "Stop. There's a child. Why is there a child?"

Kid snarled as he tried to hold her tight, but she pushed at his face and finally managed to break him from his frenzied assault on her neck. He glared at her for the interruption. She glared right back.

"A child, Kid," she stated firmly and pushed at his chest until he grudgingly turned his glare toward Killer.

"What?" he barked at his cousin while his fingers dug into her clothing around her waist. He refused to let her go, even with the audience there.

"You were supposed to introduce someone to Nami," Killer reminded, nodding down at the child beside him.

"Introduce?" She looked at Kid, demanding an explanation to what was going on. "Why do you need to introduce me to a child? Where did this child come from? What are you even doing with a child in the first place? Kid… Please don't tell me you kidnapped this boy?"

Kid hissed. "Does he look like he was kidnapped?"

He grudgingly released her to wave the boy over. He had a point. The child didn't appear frightened. He wasn't bound and gagged, and he willingly came to Kid without a hint of fear. Still, what in the world were they doing with a child?

Kid stood behind the boy and placed a hand atop his head. "This is Sind, son of Sindri," he introduced.

Nami stared in utter confusion. Was she supposed to know this boy or his father? The name Sindri was familiar enough, but she doubted the boy was the son of a dwarf, no matter how amusing that thought might be.

"Sind… Sindrisson?" Her mouth gaped a moment, then she scowled in thought at the pair. Kid's annoyance had morphed into a lopsided grin as he tousled the boy's hair. "And where did he come from?"

"He's an orphaned bastard from Urouge's village I took I liking to," Kid explain, his smile only growing wider. "The little shit followed us when we left and refused to return to the church in charge of his care, then gave me a sob story about his father and wanting to go home."

"He's from the north?" She crouched down to look closer at the boy. His blond hair and green eyes weren't necessarily uncommon, but she supposed the ruddy complexion was more northern. There were plenty of Norse and Danes settled in those lands to account for his appearance. But why a northern orphan would be in the care of a church and not a settlement of their own people made no sense to her.

"They said his father had been a mercenary from Svealand, hired by the Danes. His mother was a Saxon, died in childbirth. He was raised in a church that looked at him like he was the son of a demon at worst, vermin at best. Urouge might have been doing right by him, but others didn't hide their contempt for him."

Nami's heart ached with sympathy for the child. "If he was born and raised here, though, he will be out of place in the north. His father may have come from our lands, but he does not. He would be better off here."

"I tried to tell him that." Kid sighed. "Boy's as stubborn as an ox, swears he doesn't belong here. He followed our company for hours. The men tried to scare him off, too, but he never turned back."

"You made him follow you on foot for that long?" Nami glared up at Kid.

He rolled his eyes. "I wasn't about to make any Saxon spies believe we might be encouraging his foolishness. If he was truly determined to come with us, then stumbling through a forest for an afternoon is nothing if it proves his resolve. He earned our respect with that." Kid crouched behind Sind, taking him by the shoulders to push him closer to Nami. His grin returned as he chuckled. "And look at him. He's kind of cute."

Nami snorted as she wiped at a smudge of dirt from his face. "He's filthy and smells like he rolled around in a sty."

"So, he needs a bath." Kid waved her off. "We'll wash him a bit before we leave so he doesn't stink up the boat."

"And he'll still be an outsider to our people," she tried to reason. It was half-hearted. She wanted to help the boy. If he did not feel at home with these people, then she would help him find a home more welcoming to him. She couldn't ignore a child in need, even if she knew better.

"Don't worry about that," Kid reassured. He pinched the boy's cheek and laughed when Sind struggled and whined until he was released. "I'll see that no one in Drafn harms him, and we've already begun teaching him Norse."

He cupped Sind's ear, whispering something to him, and then nudged him while gesturing toward her. The boy cleared his throat and forced a confident smile. "You are pretty, Lady Nami," he said with Kid's encouragement, his Norse coming in a stuttered, uncertain lilt.

Nami's heart skipped a beat as she glanced at Kid to see him wearing a cocky smile. He arched his brow suggestively and she felt her cheeks warm before she buried them in her hands with an embarrassed moan. "Charming me with a child… That isn't fair," she whined.

Kid chuckled. She peeked between her fingers to watch him wrap his arm around Sind and muss his hair to show his approval.

"Does this mean we can keep him?" Kid asked.

Nami dropped her hands to glower at him. "You sound like a boy asking his mother about a dog, not a grown man who has obviously already made up his mind on the matter. And you're the jarl, if you want to take him in, then that's your decision." She slumped with a sigh. "I certainly couldn't turn him away, even if I wished to."

Her agreement brought another loud laugh from Kid as he locked his arm around the boy's head. His cheerful mood waned when Sind glanced up at him and said something in English, gesturing to her as he spoke. Kid's brows furrowed at whatever the child said, then he bit out what Nami guessed was a warning. Kid gestured to her, then to himself. The boy shook his head and they continued to bicker while Killer stood by the tent's entrance stifling his laughter. She understood enough to tell they are were arguing about her, and Kid had said something about her being his that prompted her to glare. He ended the argument with a smack to the back of Sind's head before he shoved him toward Killer.

"Give the little shit a bath and drown him in it while you're at it," he barked at Killer.

"Kid," Nami snapped, reaching over to smack his arm. "Whatever he said does not justify that punishment."

"He said I was too ugly to have a woman like you," he huffed, his lip curling into a sneer aimed at Sind as Killer ushered the boy out. When the tent flap fell shut, he turned back to her with a tired frown. "He ain't wrong, but he doesn't have to be so rude and point it out."

Nami sighed, her head hanging in resignation. They had a lot to talk about concerning their relationship. She couldn't allow him to keep claiming her.

Her head snapped up when she felt Kid's hand on her jaw. He moved closer, throwing her off balance where she crouched, and pushed her to fall onto her bed. She squeaked in surprise as he followed her, aiming to settle between her legs as he leaned in to continue where they left off before the interruption.

"Wait," she snapped, grabbing him by the shoulders to hold him back. She turned her face away to avoid his kiss, but he contented himself with grazing his lips over her cheek. "Kid, we need to stop. We can't do this."

He pulled back with a growl. "Why not?"

She glowered at him. "You know why."

"Tsh, I ain't worried about some ill-conceived curse or a fucking giant or whatever else the gods think to throw at me." He cupped her face as he leveled his gaze on hers. His eyes were hard with his resolve and the intensity urged her to listen. "All that matters is that I don't want to lose you. I don't want to live a life without you in it, no matter how short that life might be. I want to enjoy it with you in every way imaginable…"

"Kid," she sighed, prepared to argue with him on this, but he gripped her tighter and glared.

"I don't give a shit if this is supposed to be forbidden. Freyja was wrong to separate her daughter from her lover. That decision is what led to this fucking mess you're in, and I won't let them ruin your life more than they already have. Freyja, Hnoss, the damn chieftain – they can all go fuck themselves if they don't think I'm worthy of you. I'll prove them all wrong, and I'll prove it to you, not them. I don't care what opinion they have of me, all I care about is what you think of me." He shifted to settle on his knees in front of her, letting out a sigh as his expression softened. She was too stunned to speak and waited for him to gather the rest of his thoughts. "I told you once that I mean to become a king in legend, and that's exactly what I'll do. I'll become a king and make you my queen. I'll travel the whole world to bring you every treasure, every piece of gold, every roll of silk. I'll bring you spices, precious stones, more maps. Whatever you desire, I'll bring them back to you to prove my worth. And if that isn't enough, I'll take you with me, let you see all the lands you've dreamed of, and discover more than we ever knew existed. I'll shatter that fucking curse that's holding you back. I won't let that stand in our way."

He pressed his forehead to hers. "And if it's Arlong you're worried about – don't. I will kill him, and I will survive. Because I believe in my own strength, and if that isn't enough, then I believe in you and your magic. Neither of us will fail in bringing your family's prophecy to fruition. I'll free you from him, and I'll convince you to stay with me because it's what you want."

Her eyes burned with unshed tears as Kid stole a firm kiss. She wanted to believe every word he said. She wanted to trust that he was right, have faith in his courage and determination, but she was scared that to hold onto this hope would mean their downfall. Every kiss they shared made her heart ache. She wanted to hope, she wanted to take this path, but the burden was too much.

She grasped his hands where they clutched her face and pulled back to catch a breath. Her gasp mixed with a sob she tried to restrain, but the sound leaked out when Kid pressed his lips to her forehead. He didn't release her. She doubted he would let her go without a fight.

"I know you're scared," he whispered.

"For good reason," she snapped, fighting to rein in her turbulent emotions. Why was he doing this to her? Why did this have to turn so complicated?

"No, for a stupid reason," he growled. "But that ain't your fault. I blame the gods for this. If it weren't for their meddling in your family's affairs, I know this would be the simplest damn decision in your life." He pulled back to let her see his scowl. His gaze fell to her neck as he pushed back a few strands of her hair and his lips curled with a smile. "There's no arguing with me on this, Nami. You've already let me leave my mark on you." He chuckled as his fingers brushed over the spot he had been kissing earlier. The skin was tender to the touch and she belatedly realized he had left a bruise. "It might not be permanent like the one on your shoulder, but I'm prepared to kiss you every day to see that it doesn't fade."

She slapped her hand over the spot and glared at him. "What is it with you men and marking women as your property?"

His eyes narrowed. "I'm not marking you as property. I'm showing everyone that you're the only woman I desire, that only I can touch you like this, and that you want me just as much. Don't lie. I know you want this, too."

She groaned at his obstinacy. "But – "

"No buts. If you didn't want this, didn't enjoy my touch, I'd be curled in a ball nursing whatever was left of my manhood right now." He had a good point there, one she didn't know how to deny. He chuckled at her defeated pout and ran his fingers through her hair, pushing it behind her ears as he leaned in to steal another soft kiss she wished she wasn't so eager to receive. His laugh fanned over her lips as he pulled back. The warmth made her shiver. "See? You want me."

She shut her eyes and grasped for some reason to refute him. "I don't know what I want, Kid. I've been little better than a prisoner for most of my life. This… Whatever I feel for you, whatever my body might feel for you, it's nothing I've experienced before. This is all new to me."

"I know," he said, sighing as he slowly drew away. His hands fell to her thighs and squeezed firmly. "But I know what I want, and I'm prepared to convince you to choose me over anyone else who might think to take you." She looked up at him as his palms rubbed over her legs and found him grinning confidently again. "I know I ain't the prettiest of guys, but I got my own charms." She snorted at his lighthearted jest. He gripped the tops of her thighs and she went stiff as his thumbs dug into sensitive flesh, rekindling the fire he had built in her with his kisses. He tugged her closer for another kiss that made her stomach flip. "I'll make up for my ugly face with all the gold and ecstasy I can shower on you."

She couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think you're ugly. Far from it."

Kid's eyes lit up with his grin. "I'm glad to hear it, but tell that to the brat we're taking in."

"I'll still accept the gold, though," she teased.

"That's my greedy little witch," he said, laughing as he dipped down to trail his lips over her neck. She shivered when his light kisses and the coarse bristles of his patchy beard tickled her skin. He nipped her with a mischievous chuckle, making her shriek and push at his chest. "Sharing a bed with you is going to be so much more enjoyable now."

She shoved him harder, until he pulled back to meet her glare. "I'm not having sex with you, Kid."

"Maybe not now," he said, grinning lecherously. "But you'll eventually give up fighting yourself on this. I'll see that you do."

"Then I'm not sharing a bed with you at all," she said flatly. His grin fell away, replaced with a disappointed frown. "I can't share a bed with a man I can't trust to keep his hands to himself."

He rolled his eyes. "I've hardly kept my hands to myself when you've been in my bed and you haven't had a problem with it."

"It's different now and you know it." She smacked his chest when he looked to argue with her. "You can't push me into this, Kid."

He groaned but slowly drew his hands down her legs to rest on her knees. She breathed a sigh of relief as the temptation in his touch was taken away. If he didn't retreat now, he might very well break her down. She couldn't give in, not yet, not there, even if she wished that she could.

"I'll be patient," he promised. "At least I'll try. Suppose if I'm going to prove my worth to you, I've got to show you how determined I am to keep you."

His understanding eased her worries and made her genuinely hope he could accomplish all he set out to do. "Just be grateful I'm not making you prove it by walking through the woods like you did to that boy."

He snorted. "No, you're just making me fight my own urges that keep telling me to shove you down right here and now and fuck you until you can't argue with me anymore. If you ask me, I'd prefer to walk the whole length of Noreg in the middle of winter."

She fought back her blush at his vulgar remark while rolling her eyes. "You're exaggerating."

"I wish I was," he muttered. She smacked him on the shoulder in response, and he chuckled and leaned forward with a grin. "Give me one more kiss to remind me why I'm making the effort."

"Kid…"

He crooked his finger to beckon her in. "Just one."

She found it too difficult to refuse him, especially when he gave her a mocking pout. The look was cute and made her laugh. "Cheater," she said as she leaned in.

"You do it all the damn time," he mumbled against her lips before they shared a long peck. He pulled back with a smile. "One more."

"You're being greedy now," she huffed.

"And you would know. How much gold did you steal from our chests?"

"None."

"Liar," he chuckled before stealing the kiss he wanted. "I'll play dumb if anyone asks. But, it'll cost you another kiss."

"You just took another kiss."

He shook his head. "No, not payment enough."

"Greedy and taking advantage of me," she said, but gave him his kiss, anyway.

He hummed against her lips, pleased with the gifted affection. She began to pull away, and he chased after her to steal another while muttering one more under his breath. That one more turned into ten more before she finally managed to push him away and clamped her hand over his mouth to prevent him from taking another. Mirth shone in his eyes as she glared at him while resisting the urge to run her tongue over her lips to taste him and soothe the tenderness left from his kisses. He licked the palm of her hand and her eyes narrowed.

"No more of that tonight," she said firmly.

He grasped her by the wrist to pull her hand away. "Only tonight?" he asked suggestively. She tried to darken her glare, but he used his grip to yank her into another kiss, startling her. She shoved him away, spluttering in surprise while he bellowed with laughter. "You can fine me for that one. Add it to my debt," he said as he finally released her and pushed to his feet, hiding a wince as he favored his injured side. She let out a relieved sigh as he stepped back, giving her room to breathe. "I won't kiss you again tonight, but tomorrow…" He grinned wide and limped toward the entrance of the tent. "I'm going to prove to you that this"—he gestured between them—"this is how it's meant to be. And I can promise you that I'll make this happen and you won't regret it for a moment."

He left before she could argue with him again. Not that she would try to argue with him over the subject further. She gave him all the reasons she had against exploring their mutual attraction and he brushed them all away as inconsequential obstacles he would overcome. He was certain that he would succeed, that they would succeed, and he would see it through with only stubborn determination.

And stolen kisses that left her breathless and unable to think straight.

Nami fell back in her furs and covered her heated face. She whimpered as she tried to will away the sensations that awakened with his urgent embrace. The memories alone were enough to light a fire that threatened to consume her. All it took was one touch, one kiss, and the thoughts and images of having him were burned into her mind. She craved more. She craved the freedom to enjoy the ecstasy he promised.

If her foremother's prophecy was true, and she was meant to change his fate, to save him, did that mean they could break her family's curse? That she wouldn't have to lose him?

Her heart desperately hoped so. She wouldn't be able to endure it if she failed.

---

A/N: Very long chapter with lots of stuff happening, being hinted at. As I said at the beginning of the fic, while I am trying to keep this as historically accurate as I can, the fic itself is going to be based heavily in mythology and magic, and this is the point where it's making a sharp turn toward mysticism and spirituality.

Some notes on subject matter - I feel like I give Christianity a lot of shit in this fic and I feel bad for it. I hope I'm not offending anyone. In my defense, this is Christianity viewed from the perspective of people that had a great deal of conflict with Christians during this time (between their own actions via raiding and the migration of Christianity into the north that brought with it wars and destruction of spiritual symbols, temples, and the eventual blending of pagan cultural traditions with Christian traditions - all of which happened over the span of three centuries with a lot of back and forth between which spiritual traditions held supremacy over the Nordic countries - these people have very complicated views of Christianity). To this day Christianity and religion aren't viewed as particularly important in these countries outside of the cultural practices that became tied up in the religion. They're actually considered the least religious nations in the world (particularly Sweden). Many of them hold personal spiritual beliefs, but very few are actually religious.

Also, in contrast to my perhaps more contemptible portrayal of Christians, it will probably seem like I am doing the opposite with Muslims in this fic. But, unlike the clashes between pagans and Christians, the Norse had better relationships with the Muslim scholars they interacted with. Yes, they also went to the Mediterranean and raided their countries, but Muslims hadn't gone to the lengths that Christians did to convert them from their pagan beliefs. The Muslim scholars from this age are also some of the best sources of information we have on the practices of Old Norse society. They literally did anthropological studies and observations of Norsemen and Rus. Their viewpoints are not colored by wars. These people were not seen as enemies or as particularly vicious threats the way England and the rest of Christian Europe saw them. So, since they had a slightly more amicable 'working relationship' in some contexts, I'm going to make sure that the scholars of this time period are portrayed accurately, especially considering this falls right in the middle of the Islamic Golden Age, and their advances in science and medicine are going to be of vital importance to another character in this fic, so I need to make sure that is portrayed well.

No, Nico Robin does not appear in this fic, but I could not resist making mention of her in order to bring up the subject of Muslim scholars. It helps that Oda stated she would be Russian in our world (though I view her as indigenous Russian, not actually from the 'Rus' where there is a lot of debate about whether they were a tribe of Norsemen - the more favored view, or from elsewhere around the Baltics). If anyone is curious to know who Robin is married to in this fic... please don't kill me if you hate this ship... but she's married to Crocodile. There is a subplot, of a sort, that I have in mind that would be a continuation of this fic once I was done with Nami and Kid's saga, but I can't say anything on it since it would spoil parts of this fic. I can safely say that Kaku's interest in Robin is related to this other plot idea, but other than that, we'll just have to see if I want to write a Robin-centric medieval fic.

And, I also want to remind people that the Christian faith and Islamic faith are related and actually worship the same God. They have different books of worship, different Messiahs, but their God is the God of Abraham, the Hebrew God, and I wanted to use Urouge to highlight that while these faiths have warred for a long, long, long time, there are people within each faith that understand they share the same God and are capable of respect, civility, and even union. While Urouge does not have a good opinion of Norse pagans (understandably so - they have done terrible things to his people), he is a religiously tolerant person and is capable of respecting all peoples' personal faiths.

Lastly - the boy, Sind, he is one of the kids from Punk Hazard. Why did I pick him? I don't know. It's entirely Kid's fault. As I was writing the chapter, he just decided that he needed to find a random child to take in and so I went looking through kids that appeared in canon. Well, what do you know, there is a child named Sind (or Synd) which is a name element used in Old Norse, and then when I went looking for names that use it, I found the name Sindri. Sindri, as stated, is a dwarf (and also a hall for the souls of the virtuous after Ragnarok, maybe?) who is responsible for the creation of some of the gods' treasures - Freyr's golden boar, Gullinborsti, Odin's golden arm ring, and the ever-famous Mjolnir, i.e. Thor's hammer. Sindri means blacksmith in Old Norse; some texts refer to the dwarf as Eitri, and there's debate on which name is accurate, but Eitri is probably most used, while Sindri is acceptable since the dwarf is a blacksmith (and goldsmith). Anyway, I gave Sind this connection because... why not? It actually is kind of amusing to me that I pick a child that was going through giantification in canon and finding a mythical name related to his canon name, that happens to be derived from a dwarf.

This isn't the only child Kid sort of adopts in this fic, he's just the one I didn't actually plan on.

Oh, almost forgot - the runes I mention are explained in the chapter, but I want to make a special note on 'kenaz'. It is originally called kaunan in Old Norse and means ulcer, but the Anglo-Saxons gave it the name cen, which means torch, and to this day that meaning has been attributed to the rune more so than ulcer. Even runology books that are heavy into the historical study of the futhark runes and their poems use both meanings. The meaning of torch it has taken is connected to Freyja and is used to symbolize passionate love and sex. (Thurisaz and Naudhiz also have attributes related to sex and fire, by the way).

I think those are all the notes I have for this chapter. Sorry, I rambled a bit. I hope you guys enjoyed this extremely long chapter, and the sexy fluff that was a struggle to bring to an end because Kid is... Kid. It is really strange to me, by the way, that Viking era Kid is capable of having a fairly healthy relationship with Nami. But he is. While still getting to be cruel and violently murdering people. Who knew he could balance his personal and professional life so well? lol