Chapter 12

By dawn the next morning, all the wolves had returned to human form, dressed and then returned to their homes. Although the nights before and after the full moon seemed just as bright, they did not cause the transformation.

Rika came to see Finn as soon as she could. "My father says last night helped heal his ankle. It's much improved."

"That's good. How does you ankle feel?" He had his arms around her and held her close, but he was careful not to knock away her crutches or to brush his wound against her clothing. There was no bandage on it and there was a little seepage. His mother wanted the wound to seal in the air.

"About the same, I guess. Twisted ankles take a long time to heal."

"I could ask my mother to cast a healing spell," he joked, knowing that Esther was unlikely to do so.

Rika knew it too. Her own mother had confided that Esther had reduced powers since losing one of her pregnancies. That had happened in the space between Niklaus and Kol. Finn was also aware of this, having heard his mother mention it to Bennett's Wife. The latter had told her that her ability would increase over time. Finn had no idea what level of magic his mother could conjure now, but he thought that she was unable to heal his wound faster.

"She would just say that time will heal my ankle and that I have to be patient," the girl said and she planted a kiss on his lips. "She's a Viking woman and would expect your wife to bear the discomfort."

"Mother wasn't born a Viking. I mean she was captured by my father on a raid further south of our homeland."

"Oh. I didn't know that. She is a strong and brave woman and seems to love your father."

"She is all that, so it is as if she had been born to the Norse life. In my opinion, my father has considerable respect for her. When I was small, I remember her hefting one of the big swords when some of the natives made threats to the settlement. She is no less a Viking woman that others."

"I see. I can hardly lift my father's sword."

"You probably could if someone was threatening you or your children. I wonder how many we will have."

"I don't know. But I do know that it will be I, not we, who will have them," Rika said with a chuckle.

"Of course. You know what I mean. I intend to do my part."

"I'm sure you will."

They both laughed and Rika almost fell over when she dropped one of the crutches. Finn kept her from falling with his strong arms around her.

That day he and several men made a small and temporary hut for the couple who were to marry soon. His efforts were limited when the men insisted that he not accidentally scrape open his wound. Since this was to provide privacy on their wedding night and when they slept, the interior was to have little in the way of furnishings. There would be the bedding laid on soft boughs from pine trees, a bison hide on the dirt floor, a couple of tree stumps as seats and a small table. They would have a candle for lighting. There was no place for a fire inside, so meals and heating if needed would be in the homes of the couple's families. As long as Mikael was gone, Rika was welcome in Esther's house and could even sleep with Finn on his regular bed if the young couple chose.

A week of busy preparations followed. Weddings in the settlement were limited by the number of people and the supplies that they had, but there seemed to be all that was needed. Rika had a new dress made of fine wool and she looked very lovely for the ceremony. Finn too was dressed in his best clothing.

Everything seemed to go as planned and Finn could not tell if Celesta had tried to do anything to interfere. He hoped she had given up any idea of winning him over or of hurting Rika. Both he and the bride were nervous as the ceremony proceeded, done by the old man who knew the Norse ways. Because of their location far from normal Scandinavian supplies and relatives and the sea, there was much that was left out of the traditional preparation and ceremony. For Finn and Rika, the important thing was that they were officially husband and wife.

When it was time for them to retire to their hut, they were both nervous, although Finn tried not to show it. He was the man, the husband, the bold warrior. He was in charge and he was supposed to be experienced in the matter of sex. Unfortunately, he was not. It would have been alright if he and Rika had had premarital sex, but they had chosen not to do so. Therefore, he approached the hut hoping he could perform properly.

Rika's mother had already helped her out of her wedding dress, so that she now wore just a light gown. Finn didn't go in until the older woman came out. Once inside the dim hut he grinned at his bride. Behind him, words of encouragement and joking came from the crowd.

"Well, here we are, wife," he said, suddenly feeling shy. He made sure the hide door cover was closed. He would not have been surprised to find Kol peeking in.

"Yes, here we are," Rika said, also shyly. "Finally, you are my husband." Leaning on one crutch, she helped him remove his layers of clothing until he was dressed only in short trousers. He had nothing on underneath. Rika let her gown slide to the floor.

"You are so beautiful," Finn said, staring at her nakedness in the candle light. He was getting quite aroused and he thought he should take his pants off. Almost hesitantly he let the last of his clothing fall. Not surprisingly, he saw Rika's eyes observe his private parts.

"I think this is going to hurt," his wife concluded after seeing him in his aroused state.

"So they say, but I'll try to hurt you as little as possible." He really didn't want to hurt her at all, but this was a rite of passage and had to be done. And since she was a virgin, he was pleased that he would be the one to do it. No other male had been there before him.

He had received plenty of advice, some good and some bad, on how to treat his wife, and she had been instructed by her mother and her aunt. Despite some awkwardness, they did the deed successfully.

"Are you alright?" he asked, still lying on top of her.

"A little sore, but yes, I'm fine. We did it! That part is over. It will be better from now on."

Finn grinned at her and gave her a kiss. He knew he was looking forward to plenty more of that kind of entertainment and pleasure. Realizing that he had much of his weight on her, he rolled onto his side. Then he realized that the left side was not the best choice. His wounded arm ached, which he had not noticed during the excitement of intercourse. He rolled onto his back.

Then he asked the age-old question, "Was it good for you?"

"Well…"

"Not so much, huh? It hurt you, so it was not good. I hope it will be better next time."

"Which will be when? I would like to wait a while."

"Tonight? Tomorrow? What is a while?" he asked. Did he only get the one shot?

"They say a woman can reach a feel-good level. I didn't get there." She scowled as she stared at the rough beams over their heads.

Finn knew he had reached a good release, but he didn't say so. He tried to recall what it was that allowed a woman to reach the same peak of pleasure. So many men had given him advice that he had no idea what was real or the best. He wondered if he should ask his mother. Did his father know how to really please her? Did he care? Did she care?

What he did discover was that kissing and caressing began to make her excited. He kept at it until she urged him to try intercourse again. This time she was much more satisfied with the result and he could see when that happened. Success!

Then there was a loud cracking sound and part of the hut's roof fell down. It knocked the candle to the floor, but the flame did not go out. In moments, Finn and Rika realized that their damaged hut was on fire.

A/N Was this an act of nature or did Celesta do something?