Chapter Three - The art of caring
The rope holding Gudrun's wrists together was hurting her. She had forgotten how bad it felt to be treated like an animal when she had been able to live as a privileged slave for weeks. Today were gathered all the people of Kattegat to the Earl's mansion for a secret purpose. No one knew what was so important, but one morning servants from the Earl Haraldsson had all delivered the message.
However, there she was, lost in a crowd before the Earl's house, with only Rollo as her landmark. She spotted Ragnar and Björn, but couldn't see Lagertha or Gyda. Athelstan was there too, but she sourly noted that he had no rope. Some days she wished it were Ragnar who found her, and not his brother.
The crowd stopped chatting when Haraldsson stepped on the terrace, and all eyes were suddenly locked on him. Gudrun looked at Ragnar and saw his gears working again. There was something going between the two, something she knew was rather unhealthy. It was dangerous for Ragnar.
"I have gathered you here today to share with you very sad news. My personal guard, Hörr, has been murdered two nights ago in the forest nearby. We have found his body the morning after. I, and all my family, are sad of his departure. May he leave to Valhalla and live happily ever after, hunting in the palace of the Gods. Still, you're here on this day for his burial. I also have to add that the murderer will be found. I'll lead an inquiry on each one of you to know who has murdered this honourable, strong and brave man who was also a dearest friend. You can go." said Haraldsson.
"Honourable..." mumbled Rollo for nobody to hear him.
But Gudrun had heard. She was now terribly anxious and even if she was surrounded by a winter cold, she still felt too hot. Her hands were shaking, and when Rollo noticed, he turned to hear and looked deeply in her eyes. It was impressive, but she got the message. She tried to stand still and definitely not look guilty.
Rollo was thankful Gudrun hadn't seem too much obvious during the Earl's speech. He had seen the fear in her eyes, and felt annoyed with how she looked at death. He and Ragnar had learnt from a young age that death could happen at any time. It was sometimes painful, but you had to handle it since it was a casual thing. Killing that former rapist of Hörr hadn't bothered him at all, he had even felt pride at killing a vile man.
It had almost been funny when Haraldsson had called him "honourable" if death was funny. If the Earl found out it was him, he would have serious problems. But he didn't care for the moment. All that was important was that he had not dishonoured Gudrun and was now dead.
He saw Ragnar look at him significantly in the crowd.
He knew.
Rollo did as if nothing had happened, but he wondered how his brother had found out such a thing. If so, he hadn't spoken of it to him. Not a single word.
At the burial, in the cemetery, no one spoke yet everyone was eyeing his neighbour suspiciously. Some women cried, but as Hörr's body was taken down in the hole in the ground, the Earl didn't even look at it. He just looked away in the horizon, getting lost in the misty air.
With astonishment, Rollo saw a tear escape from Gudrun's eye. He contained his anger and his surprise by forming a ball with his fist. How could she cry?! He had tried to rape her, and maybe he would have killed her after that. Didn't she know?
He mentally cursed for her to be so weak. Hörr was the worst ass he had ever met, and he had enjoyed killing him. While he was happy, she was crying. He discretely placed a hand in her back and clenched it around her. He didn't exactly know why he had done that. Maybe to make her shut up, maybe to give her strength. Maybe both. She seemed not so uncomfortable with that act, but when Rollo retired his arm, he saw Ragnar eyeing him again. He stared at him, trying to impress him, only earning a smirk from his brother. He silently groaned and got back to his false sad posture. But he was happy.
Before going back home, Rollo had promised to accomplish his vow. He pulled Gudrun to the Earl's level when the people were beginning to leave. Siggy, his wife, was there with him too. She looked at Rollo seductively when her husband wasn't watching. Though Rollo liked it when women looked at him like this, he concentrated on his mission.
"Earl Haraldsson." he said.
The Earl turned around and saw him. He eyed him scornfully before answering.
"Yes, Rollo Lothbrok?"
"I have a request."
Rollo was confident, as always. He looked at the Earl with eyes full of pride, and seeing he was waiting, he spoke again.
"This is a slave I have earned during our last raid to England." he said, pointing at Gudrun. "At first we thought she was English, but she then revealed her mother came from Kattegat, when she didn't even know the name. Therefore, she has Viking blood. And she shouldn't be our prisoner, but a member of our tribe."
The Earl looked neutral yet suspicious. A strange expression was locked on his face. He looked at Gudrun.
"Maybe I know your mother. Speak, child. What was her name?"
She didn't looked very pleased with him calling her "child", but she knew everyone had to obey to the Earl.
"Hilda Varnsdottir."
The Earl looked like as if he had been punched in the stomach. His face turned a bright shade of red and he began to shout at Gudrun.
"There is no such woman as Hilda Varnsdottir and there never has been! Your slave is lying, Lothbrok! She is lying for her freedom, like all those of her kind! Now leave my house if it is only to spread lies! Go!"
Rollo was shocked at the Earl's behaviour. He quickly left with Gudrun and when they were far enough, he untied her wrists.
"But... What are you doing?" she asked.
"You're not a slave."
"I am! You've heard the Earl!" she said with tears in her eyes.
"But you're not lying. He's the one who's lying."
He had gripped her shoulders and glared at her with his usual dark look.
"You have heard me. The seer knew who your mother was. She was a woman from Kattegat and apparently, your father too. The one you had in England wasn't your real one." he said tensely.
Without telling her more, he grabbed her arm and pulled her with him forcefully. She resisted but he was too strong for her. Sadly acknowledging her defeat, she conveniently followed him.
"Where are we going?" she asked in a little voice, still on the verge of crying.
"Ragnar." was all Rollo said.
He pulled her through the forest, never stopping and not caring if she got hurt by branches or ferns. A small one scratched her cheek and left her bleeding, but Rollo obviously didn't care. It was beginning to grow dark, so they slowed the pace. They arrived in a place with higher trees, and higher bushes. They almost didn't see anything.
Suddenly, a man sprung from behind a rock where he was hidden, screaming loudly. One other man jumped from a tree, just in front of Rollo and Gudrun. He had a big double sided axe, whereas the other one had two daggers. The first one jumped on Rollo, but was not quick enough for him. Rollo punched him hard in the jaw and with a scream, he fell in the ferns. As the other man got to him and engaged in a fight, Rollo shouted for Gudrun:
"Run! Find Ragnar!"
She ran, looking back once to see Rollo struggling with the armed man. She was beginning to cry while she ran, suddenly realising that wherever men came from, they were still monsters. As night threw its dark cloak over the forest, she had arrived on the other side of it, relieved at the warm light emanating from Ragnar's house.
She almost smiled, but before she could do one more step, she felt as if she was hit in the head and fell down. All went black.
Gudrun was lying down in a dark cave and every part of her body hurt her. She couldn't see anything. She was breathing sharply, as if a knife was slicing her lungs as she did. Still, despite all of that, she felt good and appeased. Strangely, she felt at peace in all this coldness and physical misery. Everything was cold and she didn't care. Her eyes began to accustom to the darkness. Slowly, a light began to emanate in front of her, on the side of the rocky den.
A tall man was holding a torch and coming towards her. Suddenly, she felt indescribable fear. Was this man there to kill her? To make her suffer in some horrible way? Athelstan had once told her about the bloody eagle. Maybe it was why the man had one axe in his other hand. To carve one in her back.
As he got closer, she could see with the light of the torch that it was Rollo. He was taller than has ever realised and he wore nothing on the first half of his body. Her heart jumped in her chest. His axe was bloody and one could hear the droplets fall on the ground. Actually, the droplets of blood were not only falling from his axe, but from his arm, and from his chest. Except Gudrun knew the blood wasn't his own.
He looked extremely dark and malevolent. Well, more than usual. His eyes had the most dilated pupils she had ever seen, and she could almost hear a low groaning in his throat. She felt no more at ease and began to shiver, the coldness becoming omnipresent.
He planted the axe in the floor just in front of her before kneeling to her level.
Rollo suddenly gripped her by the hair, pushing her against the wall of the cave. It hurt her, and tears came from her eyes. Yet, a small part of her wanted him to continue. And that horrified her.
He then tore her clothes away violently, like a beast. She wanted to scream, but realised with horror that her voice was gone. She could not utter a single word. So she watched. She watched him tear the poor fabric away, ripping it. He took hold of her arms and pinned them above her head with one strong hand. Her wrists felt sore, as if they were encircled by the slave rope again. She was internally crying.
She wanted to hide her nakedness from his stare but the hungry look he was giving to her sent shivers run down her spine. Her skin was shivering, and only but his eyes could make her warm again.
Suddenly, at her surprise, he dropped her arms. He seemed to let her go. A part of her felt reassured as his human nature was coming back, but the other had dreaded for him to do that. She didn't want to let this fade away, just like that.
She touched his shoulder and leaned closer to him. She closed her eyes, hoping that she was not fooling herself. A knot was violently tied in her lower belly, which sent flames down in all of her limbs.
With this strong hands of his, he pushed her back against the wall before hardly crushing his lips onto hers. She felt his hotness, the roughness of his skin yet the smoothness of his lips. She didn't reply to his kiss at first, him being too strong and her too overwhelmed by his action.
And yet, it was true he was too strong. His weight was nearly crushing her, but despite the pointy edges of the floor tearing her flesh, she enjoyed him doing so. At her great surprise, she felt his muscled arms embrace her and therefore lifting her from the ground. It was an obvious attempt to protect her, and she melted at this realisation.
Her skin was pleasantly reacting against his own. She liked this roughness, this male hotness that was all over her. His hair was scraping against her and soon , their sweats mixed.
She felt a hardness in his breeches and she gasped. She wasn't going to deny she had a similar hunger at the junction of her legs, but she was scared of it. It was new to her and she feared it.
Rollo suddenly began to stroke her breasts, then got down to her stomach. He didn't linger there much since she knew where he was going. She tried to shut her legs but he was obviously too strong to be stopped by such a useless fight. He opened them, still kissing her. His tongue was invading her mouth and she flt that he tasted like salt and... something else. Something she had never tasted before.
His hand began to stroke her dark curls above then went further. He caressed the pink flesh softly, which earned him a few silent moans from her. Her legs clenched at this new feelings and her hips moved against his hand, wantonly asking for more.
Wetness was beginning to sweetly drip from her. Rollo leaned even further against her, almost cutting her breath. Her breasts were crushed against his chest, and she intentionally moved in a way so they rubbed against him. He groaned and plunged a finger inside her.
She moaned at this sudden intrusion, which was rather pleasant. Her fluids and her clenching lips were asking for him to pus further, and so he did. He set a slow pace of in and out, rubbing against her clit. She whimpered again and he added another finger.
She couldn't control her legs any more and they wrapped against Rollo's back, pushing him even more against her. Her hips were grinding faster, and something indescribable was building inside of her.
When she was about to be sent over the edge, she suddenly felt sheer pain in the place that no more than a few seconds ago brought her pure pleasure. Rollo had plunged his length into her, and was gripping her shoulders. Her walls were so tight against him that he had to hold himself from tearing her in two. She cried out at his unimaginable size, wishing he had been smaller.
Her hands clawed at his back, earning her a moan from him. She couldn't even adjust to him so he was thick. Her slit hungrily poured around him, inviting him in even more. He couldn't stand this any more and pushed in her again.
He set a slow pace between them. She tried to move her hips in order to avoid the hurt, but it was just pushing him further in her. She felt sore but she also knew a small amount of pleasure was hiding behind the pain. She tried not too cry, even if it was already too late.
Meanwhile, Rollo was going quicker and quicker, slowly forgetting his partner underneath. He didn't notice her tears or her cries. She just felt tighter and tighter against him. She was going to kill him.
He just couldn't hold himself any more. He clawed at Gudrun's skin and spilled his seed in her, being sent over the edge. She moaned too, and as he came into her she felt her own liquids drip out.
The aftermath of their release was him holding her tightly against him, his head buried in her neck. He had his eyes closed and was breathing loudly.
He then looked at her and took her head between his hands. Her face was swollen and red, yet she was beautiful. She was still breathing with her mouth open, and looking at him with bright and wet eyes. With his thumb, he pushed the remains of her tears away and kissed her forehead.
Gudrun felt sore but happy. Her chest against Rollo's was heaving peacefully and their skins were now like one.
Suddenly, everything changed. It became all dark and the torch disappeared. Gudrun saw nothing, and the shiver of the previous coldness ran down her spine again. She felt paralysed and saw nothing. She felt like Rollo was gone, and she began panicking.
A pair of bright red eyes shone in the darkness. One could only see them. Gudrun's chest tightened and she tried to scream again, but she couldn't. She was stuck.
The owner of the red eyes approached her. And as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she realised with horror it were those of a wolf. A giant grey wolf, with long gleaming white fangs and sharpened iron-like claws. The wolf blew out a cloud of steam out of its nostrils. It approached her slowly, like when hunting, and sniffed her like it would with a prey.
Gudrun didn't breathe any more and she felt like choking. The wolf smelt her fear, and after a long and stressful pause, it howled.
[A/N: I'm sorry. There was some smut in this chapter. And it's only the third! :( Tell me if it bothers you, I just wrote this last night and I felt like writing smut... Sorry...
In case you hadn't noticed, last chapter was a dream. It's in Gudrun's head, explaining the weird events that happened there! ^_^'
I'm SO GLAD some of you followed! 9 of you did and I can't tell how happy I am. I'd also like to thank Emy and the lovely Guest for their nice reviews, it warmed my heart again!
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