Hi guys! Thanks again for reading this story! This time, this chapter is a little bit short, but don't worry, there's plenty coming. I think that from now on, I'll rate this story M. There's a lot of blood coming and an interesting plot developping.

I decided to make 11 chapters to this story and to update it every wednesday (Well, wednesday in my country). I hope you'll like what's coming next.

When the sun disappeared below the horizon, they established a camp to rest for the night. Gilsa was sitting on the root of a tree looking at all the vikings bustling as Rollo was giving his orders. He was strong, she couldn't deny it: he was carrying all the luggages and he already assembled their tent all by himself. She saw his muscles move at every movement he did. She spaced out for a moment as she appreciated the manliness of her husband. Then, she saw his eyes, staring at her and looked away violently. She blushed: Oh god what am I doing? I can't possibly like him! He is a barbarian! A killer! Why do I stare like him? And why is my body so hot all of sudden, she asked herself. When she dared lift up her head, Rollo was standing in front of her with his usual smile.

- Dinner, he said offering a plate full of meat and vegetables to her.

- Is it poisoned,she asked very suspicious

Rollo looked at her for a moment. He seemed offended by what she just said. Gisla expected him to slap her and be the brutal bear he was, but what he did was even more surprising: he sat next to her and began to eat in her plate. After a few bites he gave back Gisla's plate and said:

- See? No poison.

He smiled again and when Gisla tasted the meat and vegetables, she couldn't ignore the fact that he kept staring greedily at her. How odd it was to be desired by a man that was such a beast sometimes and a knight some others. When she finished to eat Rollo took her to the tent where he made a bed of straw covered with fur and some other fabrics. He looked at her and showed the bed as he was saying "you can go first". She turned to him with her usual bossy face.

- I need you to get out of here while I am changing.

- Why? We are husband and wife, you and I. You don't need to be embarrassed by me. After all, we will see each other naked plenty of time in the future.

- YOU ARE NOT MY HUSBAND! I AM NOT YOUR WIFE! I WAS FORCED TO MARRY YOU! AND NEVER, NEVER, WILL I ACKNOWLEGE YOU!

- Yes, you are, he said calmly, looking straight to her eyes.

Gisla blushed. He could see straight in her heart. As a defense move she turned her head but was soon recaptured by Rollo's hand. He held her chin in his fingers and said, his head close to her's:

- The moment I saw you, I knew you were my destiny. You are the most beautiful, astonished, strong woman I have ever met, he said in a breath.

Then, he began to kiss her, gently, just as if his lips were a butterfly landing on a flower. When he moved aside from her, she was red and her eyes sparkled. She headed toward the end of the tent and began to undress herself while Rollo was doing the exact same thing. When she came back to the bed, she was wearing a simple white linen dress and slipped in the bed, under all the fur her husband carefully chosed. The smell wasn't that bad it just had that animal smell mixed with some strange fragrance of flowers, grass and sliced wood. Oddly, it gave her a strange feeling of cosyness and safety. It was so conforting she began to let some tears drop on her cheeks, but soon, she fell in a deep sleep and when Rollo joined her in the bed, she was already dreaming.

When they wake up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky and the vikings were already taking down the tents.

Rollo woke up far before Gisla, who was, he assumed, still used the the palace's schedule. Still, he didn't want to wake her as she was so pretty when she slept. Besides, he didn't want to make her cry again, or worse. He was so confused when he saw her sobbing that night in the bed. He didn't want to make her suffer. Suddenly, all that time he spent with Siggy came back, all these feelings, the loss, the guilt, love, betrayal, desire. He was so full of remorse he felt like he was beginning to cry and to drink to drown these feelings the same way Siggy drowned.

- I hope you are well with your sons and your daughter in Valhalla. I miss you Siggy, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, he said looking at the sky.

- Who is Siggy, a sleepy voices asked.

Rollo suddenly looked at the person who talked to him. It was Gisla. She had changed and wrapped herself in a fur to fight the cool of the early dawn. She was staring at him.

- Who is Siggy, she asked again without any delicacy.

- A woman I knew, he said a sad look on his face.

- Why did you say it was your fault? What happened to her? Did she died?

- Yes, she died.

He hesitated for a moment. He didn't like to talk about the past. It was too painful for him. But he talked anyway.

- She drowned saving my brother's son. It was my fault because I didn't treat her well, I couldn't protect her.

Then he went away from her to check on the ships and the horses. He felt he said too much to Gisla. He should have kept it for him. He was sure she felt his sadness, unfortunately, he once was weak enough to let himself fall into this sadness and he came back weak, now, he couldn't afford to be weak. He felt her sight on him, so he gave the departure's signal.

The rest of the trip went well, but Rollo and Gisla remained both silent as the Seine widened, revealing several woody island and hills and cliffs. It reminded him so much of his home. And it was soon going to be his new home, with a new love and a new family. The gods had given him so much. It was just as if he started a new life from scratch and at the moment he blessed the gods for their gift.

That night, when they went to sleep, Gisla waited until Rollo fall asleep, then, when she felt like nothing would wake him up, she finally fell into a dreamless sleep.

But suddenly she heard a man screaming. She opened her eyes and while they began to get used to the dark, she felt someone moving quickly beside her. Rollo grabbed his axe and his sword and rushed outside of the tent as someone was screaming with a panic voice:

- The camp is under attack! The camp is under attack!

He was screaming something in his strange language and she heard a following clamour rose from the woods and the boats. Intrigued, she dare to go outside, as her heart was beating in fear and lack of comprehension. Thanks to the campfire, she was more than able to see what was going on; They were attacked by what seemed to be an army of bandits and the viking warriors were fighting in a bloody battle. She saw her knight, her bodyguards rushing to her, to protect her, she assumed. Despite their low number, the northmen fought like they didn't fear death and their screams, grunts and faces spattered with blood seemed to terrify their ennemies. She saw their axes slicing throats, their sword cutting flesh, their spikes piercing trough bodies and all the brutality that usually belong to beasts. But the most fearful of them was undoubtedly her husband. He was entirely covered in blood and looked for any man he could slaughter, with crazy eyes and a bloody axe in his enormous hand he knocked one of the bandits down and hit him several times with his axe. She saw his blood splatter on the grass as she restrained herself from vomiting.

When there was no one left to kill, the northmen took the bodies of the bandits and began to burn them. The vikings only suffered one death: the poor man who was on duty that night. They made a raft in a hurry and let it burn while the sun was slowly rising. When Rollo looked at her wife, she still had this terrified look on her face. How could a man that was able to kill so much people in a few hours looked at her the way he was staring at her in this moment. She couldn't tell how much things she could read in is eyes. Regret. Fear. Victory. Pride. Anger. Melancholy. Sadness. Panick and shock. He swiftly walked toward her and asked with a fear she hadn't yet saw in him:

- Are you okay princess?

Gisla stepped back at the sight of this man covered in mud and blood.

- I'm not gonna hurt you princess. I swear, I'm never gonna hurt you.

- It … It was so violent, she said.

- You should have stayed in the tent. If anything had happened to you … I could have never been able to forgive myself.

- What do you care?!

- You are my wife. I must protect you.

Gisla felt some tears drop on her chin. She was in a deep shock and needed some confort she obviously couldn't find here in the middle of nowhere, with a man she barely knew, far from her home and an army of beast she didn't trust. Yet, she let herself in the arms of this crazy bear and cried all she could. At first he stepped back, surprised but soon he let his arms embrace tenderly his beautiful wife and stroked her hair to confort her. Even though she was afraid of getting dirty cause of the blood and the mud he was covered of, she fell even more and more into his arms. His hands were so warm, so soft despites all he could do with it. She cried like that for a few minutes until someone came and told Rollo they needed to go. He grabbed her chin, rose her sight to his, and while the remains of the bodies were thrown into the Seine, he told her:

- I need to clean up. You too, he said looking at her dress. We need to show good figure to our people.

She nodded, and went in the tent to clean and change herself. She felt terrible. Not only did she witnessed a scene no princess should ever watch but she also let herself in the arms of the man she despised the most of all. What a shame! He saw her being weak, and for the sake of her people, she couln't afford to be weak. She felt so remorseful! God! She hated herself at this moment.

When she went back to the ship, Rollo was already ready to leave. He cleaned his beard and braided his hair. He was wearing a blue embroidered tunic with a leather armor and a sword on his belt. Around his neck and on his back was a long fur cloak closed by a fine buckle of bronze. He looked like a war lord, or a rich merchant. Gisla was surprised a man like him could be able of such a refinement. They left soon after le last horse disappeared in the forest with the packages of the Duke and his wife.