Chapter Fourteen

The last week of my recovery period ticked by. My body had healed, and I knew I was ready for Asvald to lie in my arms again.

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The sun was setting, the evening quiet and calm. Asvald would be home soon.

I spoke in a soothing voice to Toki as he rested in his cradle, his feet in his hands, his eyes fixed on me. He gurgled back at me and I laughed softly.

"Mmm, I love coming home to you," Asvald's voice said in my ear and startled me. I turned to face him.

"Hello Asvald," I said and wrapped my arms around him. "Do you know what?"

He leaned down and kissed my neck, his lips sending shivers down my spine. "What?"

"You're supposed to guess, love," I said and threaded my fingers into his hair.

"I don't want to guess, I want you to tell me so I can use my mouth for better things," he murmured and kissed my collarbones, though I knew he really wanted his lips on my breasts.

"Tonight...we can make love," I said and instantly his body began to react.

"Praise the gods," he moaned and brought his mouth to mine, kissing me with passion as he backed me into our bedroom and towards our bed. Grabbing the hem of my dress, he attempted to lift it over my head but I resisted.

"Wait," I said quickly, my face turning red. I began to chatter on and on. "I'm...my body is not the same as it was, as I'm sure you know, but I just want to sure that you understand that everything might not be exactly like it was, but I am hoping that you will still find pleasure-"
He silenced me by placing my finger over my lips. "Quiet. You are still my beautiful wife."

"But my belly isn't as flat as it was, my waist is thicker. I am fat." My voice trembled, my eyes moist.

He tried to hold back his smile. "I like a fuller woman. Your breasts are larger as well and that makes me happy."

"But my belly..." I touched a hand to my stomach that poked out a little since Toki came along. It was true that I carried more weight in my thighs, tummy, hips, and ass. I didn't mind at all but I thought perhaps Asvald would.

"Your belly reminds me that you gave me a son," he said truthfully and covered my hand with his. "You are beautiful."

I smiled and he leaned down and kissed me gently, longingly. Slowly he began to lift my dress again and this time I let him remove it. His eyes roamed over me, over my full, pink-tipped breasts, my belly, the curves of my hips. The dark patch of curls between my thighs, my smooth, creamy thighs, and even my wee flat feet which looked more like flippers than feet.

"Ah, so beautiful," he said and pulled me into his arms, claiming my mouth again. I parted my lips and touched my tongue to his. Asvald's britches were getting a wee bit tight, so I pulled on the tie and yanked them down, and he kicked them away, never taking my mouth from his. When his hard manhood made contact with my belly, I gasped and removed my mouth from his, looking down upon him.

"I've missed that," I whispered, almost too embarrassed to say it out loud.

"Good," he growled and pushed me back onto the bed, shrugging out of his shirt. My hands instantly went to his chest, my fingers twisting in the golden curls there. Spreading my legs, he looked down upon me. My head became foggy and I just needed him. I needed him to be inside me. Moving up my body, he tried to control his breathing and kissed his way down my neck, heading toward my breasts.

"Stop," I said and he looked up at me. "Do not touch my breasts or my milk will leak." My face must have been bright red, I could feel the blood rush there. He kissed my heated cheek and whispered in my ear,

"Don't be ashamed. I do not mind." He avoided my breasts like I asked and played with my navel instead, tracing it with his tongue. His grunts of excitement made me ache even more for him, and I just couldn't take it anymore. Placing his hands on either side of my head, he met my eyes and thrust inside me. My lips parted and my eyes closed, and as he soaked in the feeling of my warmth around him, he couldn't help the guttural moan that passed his lips and his whole body trembled, having difficulty holding himself up. My legs wrapped around him, and when he moved against me, my heels pressed into his backside, forcing him deeper.

"Oh gods," he panted, overcome with need. He rolled his hips again, starting a fast pattern.

"Slow," I said, my voice scratchy. "Keep it slow. It's been awhile."

My head was so fogged, it took me a few moments to realize that he moved a bit slower, and rested his forehead on my shoulder, letting out moans to let me know what I was doing to him. My hands went to his back, my nails digging into him.

Lifting his head, he watched my face as I reached my peak, gasping for air.
Asvald's body tensed and he ducked his head as he pushed deep inside me one last time, his seed spilling out to fill me.

He rolled off me and tried to catch his breath, intertwining his fingers with mine. It was then I realized that Toki was whimpering in his cradle. I groaned and got to my feet and went to him. He stopped crying as soon as he rested in my arms. I smiled as I lifted him to my shoulder, rubbing his tiny back soothingly. Toki's golden hair stuck up, his eyes blinking sleepily.

I settled Toki back into his cradle and slipped over the blankets to cuddle against Asvald's side again.

"I think we woke him with our passionate cries," I giggled, my fingers playing with the curly golden hairs on his chest. He smiled and kissed my forehead.

"I suppose we did," he murmured. "Eachna?"

"Hmm?" I answered, already half-asleep. My body relaxed next to his.

He opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it. I closed my eyes and soaked up his warmth, feeling myself beginning to drift off. But before the darkness swallowed me completely, I heard him whisper, "I love you, Eachna."

My lips curled up just a bit at the corners, and then the sweet darkness carried me away.

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The next day I woke up with a sense of dread. Something was wrong. Something was going to happen, and I had a horrible gut feeling about it. Sitting up, I glanced about the room and saw that everything was in order, except that Asvald wasn't sleeping next to me. But that was nothing unusual, he often rose before I did to attend to his work. I dressed and washed my face. After re-braiding my hair, I changed Toki and joined the rest of the family in the main room.

Alanna greeted me with a grin and reached out for Toki, and I handed him over. Groa nodded at me. "Good morning."

I smiled and went to wrap an arm around her shoulders. With soft brown hair and big hazel eyes, a round, gentle face, she was the very image of beauty and motherhood. "Indeed, it is a fine morning." I couldn't keep the smirk off my lips.

Alanna came to my side and waved her hand in my face. "Oh, don't act like it's such a big secret. We all heard what you and Asvald were up to last night."

I threw my head back and laughed. "I apologize if we disturbed your sleep." We all laughed together and I felt aglow with the warmth of the love I was surrounded with. I would never imagined two years ago that my life would end up like this. Imperfectly perfect.

Alanna placed Toki on his little mat beside the loom, where he lay on his belly and watched us work, his little arms and legs pumping. "Ah ah ah!" he grunted, a little bubble of spit of his lip.

We all stilled as the ground seemed to hum beneath our feet.

"What is that?" Groa frowned and reached for Ulf, drawing him to her side. I went tense, listening. A sound like thunder shook the longhouse. But it wasn't thunder. It was hoof beats.

Thord grabbed my hand, and hid behind me. My heart pounded and I started toward the door, wanting to peak out and see what was going on. But all of a sudden, screams rose up and filled the air. Terror arched through me and I felt Thord tighten his grip on my hands. I looked at Groa, not knowing what to do.

"It's a raid, a neighboring village probably," she whispered, her eyes closing for a moment before fixing on me with chilling strength. "Hide the children. They will be upon us soon."

Alanna sprang into action, pushing the children under the beds and tossing blankets over them. I stayed frozen in place, my mind numb as I listened to the sounds of battle, seeing it through the doorway, the men with swords, and the blood that stained the road. Stepping cautiously into the doorway, I called out into the midst of the fighting, "Asvald! Asvald!" I searched the faces, seeing Ragi engaged in a fight with three other men, and Halla's husband, whose face was smeared with blood.

"Eachna, step away from there!" Groa shouted and I screamed with fright, retreating into the longhouse. Toki! I turned and started to bend to pick him up from the floor, when suddenly I felt two strong arms around my waist, lifting me up and away. Screaming, I kicked and struggled against him, but it did little good.

I saw Groa cowering in a corner, and Alanna was nowhere in sight. Smoke burned my nose, and as I was pulled out of the longhouse, I saw that the roof was on fire.

"Toki!" I screamed and kicked against the strong man who held me. "Please, my babe is in there! He will burn!"

The man ignored me and tied my hands together with rope, then my ankles. I sobbed and watched franticly as the house burned quickly. The air was thick with the smoke, for several other nearby houses were also burning. The man in battle disappeared into the smog, leaving only the sounds of their screams and the clank of their swords. I watched as Groa and her children ran out of the longhouse and towards the woods.

"Groa!" I screamed after them, praying she would hear me. "Toki is still in there!"

But she did not hear me and instead kept running, Ulf in his arms, Thord dragged behind her. Inga looked over her shoulder at me, but Sibbi tugged on her hand and they disappeared into the haze of the smoke.

I sobbed and screamed in rage. My child was burning and there was nothing I could do. Never in my left had I felt such a helplessness, an intense shredding in my chest. I was thrown across the horse and soon all I could see was the ground rushing past me. They were stealing me away.