Disclaimer -I do not True Blood sad as it seems i also to not own Eric Northman :'(

but,,, i do own Katarina she's all mine, Mine!

Thank you everybody who reviewed, story alerts and the people who favourited (word? meh!) my story so far xxx

Now on with the story :P

Chapter Four

As I swim back to consciousness I can feel my body come alive with overworked muscles in places that I had forgotten about. Rolling on to my side with a soft groan I opened my eyes. I was in a room with genuine wooden walls. Looking around the room I realise that though the walls had crude nails sticking out, there was nothing to decorate them with. Peering over the side of the bed I was met with a bear skin rug and a compact mud floor. Sitting up stiffly I realised that the air around me was freezing but under the covers I was snug as a bug. Shuffling further into the quilt I realised it wasn't anything I had ever slept in before animal furs layered the top and underneath it were surprisingly soft woollen sheets.

Taking all of this in, I came to the conclusion that it wasn't a dream and I was in Viking territory. I was absolutely terrified.

The only light in the room was two candles lit on the shelf near the door. I laid back in the bed to relax a bit to rest my muscles, from over working them yesterday. As I lay there thinking of nothing in particular, I closed my eyes again as I was still very tired and before I knew it darkness had claimed me again.

~*Dreams*~

I am running through a densely wooded area, very little light is coming through the trees. I am being chased but I don't know who is trying to catch me. The trees turned on me, stretching their gnarling spindly branches out to grab or trip me.

I keep running, dodging branches but I can't find a way out.

"Someone help me!" I am terrified, no ones here. Well, apart from the mysterious person chasing me.

Their getting closer to me. Not safe!

"Please! Help!"

I can hear the cackling of the person chasing me, I feel their breathe on my neck.

I can hear screaming now feminine and frightened. The ground shakes and rips apart.

I fall into the black.

~*End of Dream*~

Jolting awake, I realise that I am being rocked gently back and forth by somebody. Looking up I see the kind grey eyes of a woman, she is making cooing noises at me. It takes me a minute to realise what just happened. I've had a nightmare and I'm still crying silently. Only when I've calmed down does she speak to me.

"How do fare, Child?" She asked me kindly.

"Better." I replied not able to say a proper sentence yet. A voice came from the doorway, flowing over me like warm water and pimples on my arms.

"I am glad you are feeling well, Little One." Looking towards the voice vaguely remember his voice and a blurry face.

A man about 6'2", shoulder length blonde hair, deep blue eyes, tanned skin, and a chiselled face. I bet he has a chiselled body as well. All in all, a very very sexy man.

"Sexig." My voice nearly purring around the word in Swedish. From the smirk the sexy blonde knew it was a compliment.

"Our family thanks you, Little One, for helping Leif escape from those men. My name is Erik Olafsson." He gestured to the woman holding me like a small child. "The lady holding you is my mother, Nova Wife to Buðlungr Olaf."

"Buðlungr? A royal?" I asked not sure on the word for it translates into. Nova nodded her head when I looked at her and I stored the word in my head.

"Leif, good?" I asked them wanting to know if he was safe. The little boy had wheedled his way into my heart.

"He is resting now, had quite the day. As you can imagine." said Nova letting me slide off her, I was surprised she managed to get me on her lap as she was heavy with child, and stand up to and faced Erik.

There was just something about him that drew me to him. It was maddening, I couldn't figure it out. The tingling of something that I should know about. As I stood in the middle of the room, without shoes or socks, watching as Erik came closer to me. The way he was looking at me. Gods, it made me hot and heat pooled in my belly. It was intense and heated, his aura was the same with a whole load of lust mixed in as well.

I vaguely registered that Nova had gone out of the room. My attention was focused on Erik and his movements. As he started to circle me, almost lazy in his gait. His aura snaked out and caressed and mixed with mine. The shock that his aura did that and the feel of it nearly made my knees buckle. He had circled me once and was going round again. I followed him with my eyes, turning my head then my body to turn with him. Our eyes were locked together and as I felt a hand twist itself within my hair, his other arm snaked around waist, I was overcome with desire at the contact.

"Why do you make me feel like this, Little One?" Erik murmured to me resting his forehead on mine and shut his eyes. When his forehead touched mine I inhaled sharply, nearly lost in his aura. Erik's eyes flashed open to look at me with a curious gaze. "I feel so connected to you and I find that I would like to know you more. Intimately." As he said the last word brought his hand from my hair and caressed my cheek gently. Gasping quietly, I leaned into his hand and closed my eyes. I enjoyed the contact of his hand and was surprised by the soft lips that touched mine lightly in a caress.

The contact sent electricity through my body, I moaned at the sensation. Erik moulded me to him as his hands slid their way down body setting me alight.

"No." Forcing the word out reluctantly and watch as he pulled back, rejection now singing through his aura. "I want." 'Boy did I ever want him.' "Knowledge here." I softly trailed my finger down the side of his face. Before running my hand down his chest, across his abdomen and finally cupping him through his leggings. "Then here." Relishing the moan he released and the size of him that I could feel through the temptingly thin fabric. Erik eventually stepped away from me and took a deep and unsteady breath, while I stood panting and missing his body keenly.

"Agreed. But you will yield." He said voice still husky with his lust. I just smiled at him knowing it to be true but I wasn't going to give in with out a fight.

"Come, Little One." he said after he had composed himself. "My Father waits to meet with you."

Eric walked to the door and held it open for me to walk through ahead of him, the door glowed softly with the firelight in the next room. As I brushed past Erik, the heat coming off his body near made me want to jump him. I could still feel his aura intermingling with mine, and I tried to suppress the shiver that went up and down my spine.

Walking cautiously into the main room I could make out four men stood armed in each corner of the room and two more armed guards either side of the door adjacent to were I just came from.

The room was sparse with little decorating the walls, apart from the furs of different animals. There were wooden beams holding up the thatched roof and a big long table in the centre of the large room.

Sitting at this large table was Astrid sitting at table laden with food. It was mostly meat from the looks of it. I was slightly giddy at the prospect of watching Vikings live their day to day life. Next to her was Leif who smiled and waved to us as we entered.

At the head of the table waiting patiently for us to come nearer was a man who wore a metal crown, with strong features that I could see that he was Leif and Erik's father. Olaf stood and could see more clearly that Erik's height was his father's as well. The King had long wavy blond hair that stopped just passed his shoulders. He wore good clothes for that era, expected as he is the King of his people. He had a shield leaning on the side of the chair he just got up from and his clothes were a bit muddy and had a bit of dried blood on them.

All in all a very intimidating sight.

Have I ever been bothered before? Nope, and I don't plan on starting now. I will be polite though.

Well, he is King for a reason.

"So I hear you helped my youngest son out of a bad situation." He paused looking me up and down speculatively. "Such a small girl could not of taken on a band of grown men and won." The disbelief and confusion ran through the king's aura, just as shot of anger pulsed from Erik.

"No, I no fight men." I said deciding to be diplomatic. "I ran from them fast with Leif. Hide when we can. Lead off."

Olaf raised an eyebrow at that and asked "Why did not you fight them?" He was curious as was everyone else listening to the conversation. Well Leif was confused and when he opened his mouth to speak his mother put her hand over his mouth.

"Many big men." I replied holding my left palm up, before holding up my right and saying. "Me, little and small. No think and run. Fast."

"She was really good Father! Carried me for ages and went up tree to hide us!" Leif said babbling excitedly and talking so fast that I only caught a few words.

"What?" I asked slightly confused and blushed when Astrid and Erik started laughing. "Erm… Why laugh? What's so funny? C'mon Erik, Astrid no laugh, please?" I was getting more and more flustered that some words just weren't coming to me.

"Sorry, Little One. It is your expression, is comical." Erik chuckled as he walked past his father to sit at the table.

"Would you like to join us for a meal, Katarina?" Olaf asked her as he to made his way back to his place at the table. "I have just come back from hunting so the food is plentiful, for a girl as small as you to eat." Olaf said his voice betraying the teasing in his tone. Erik gestured for her to sit next to him on the bench.

"You sure, King Olaf. You kind." I said as he nodded his head. As the family started eat Erik commented. "I noticed, Little One, that you are not familiar with the tongue that we speak. You can hear well enough but you can not speak it very well. Would you like us to repeat the correct wording back to you so that you learn?" Erik's suggestion was a welcome one. I could understand some of the words spoken but most I didn't know the meaning of and just got the jist of it. So far it had worked. I knew commands and pro-nouns as well as a few words here and there. Everything in between was a mystery to me.

"Yes, Erik." I replied, smiling at him gently. "I not here."

"I am not from here, Little One." Erik replied, tilting his head slightly to the side so he could see me out of the corner of his eye.

"I am not from here." I repeated dutifully, before carrying on eating the food placed in front of me. The meat was venison and some type of bread. It was very nice and the meat was still warm. I drank the wine that had been placed in the goblet for me.

"No more talking now. Let's fill our stomachs with the food I have provided." Olaf ordered, obviously planning to interrogate me afterwards.

I was so looking forward to that. Not.

TBC...

Right finally got this chapter up never thought i would get i up this soon. it's all chaos! still trying to find a house, and i have a pantomine to help organise and take part in. and my brother is an absolute TWAT!

anyway, gimme some love people and REVIEW!