Wow! I have gotten so many people favoriting and following this! Thank you all so much! This is quickly becoming my second most popular story!
I absolutely love this chapter. Seriously, it's amazing. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do, but this has turned out better than even I expected. I have work soon, so I didn't have time to read through this and edit, so it's still a little raw. Please tell me if you find any major mistakes, or any that just bug you. Thanks! Enjoy!
The stars blinked down at them as they gently rocked in the waves. Temperance was resting against her, wrapped up in the coat she'd given her earlier that day. Lifa had commandeered Rollo's own coat to use as a blanket soon after their small skirmish. It was a small price to pay since her anger had deflated after his whispered confession.
"It was you. I saw you in her and I could not stand the thought of you being captured."
It was still no excuse for killing the woman's father in front of her. In fact, it should have been more of a reason not to do it, but Rollo wasn't the most logical creature in the world. His emotions, whether he be upset or excited, usually manifested in some sort of violence. The king and princess were merely unfortunate enough to be the only enemy within arm's reach when he'd been hit with the fear of what could happen to her while she was out of his protection.
She shivered at the thought, wrapping the coat more firmly around her. Memories she had tried to suppress threatened to overwhelm her as she shrunk against the mast. Part of her wondered if it had played out differently if she had taken one of her brothers with her when she ran off to explore. They would have protected her, that was simple enough, but would she have willingly chosen to go home if that had happened. After all, it was that monster that had made her long to return sooner rather than later. She had been looking for a way to return when she'd ran into Asgeir at the ship. Being around her people again was like a balm to the wound, but it still wouldn't heal. She was more herself here, with a new chasm in her mind and heart that wouldn't go away until she told someone. She knew this, but that didn't make it any easier to do.
She looked around at her companions. Temperance was a sweet girl, kind hearted as far as Lifa could tell. However, just her reactions to everything around her made it obvious she wouldn't know how to handle something like what had happened to the blonde. More than likely, it would only make the situation worse for the both of them. Ragnar, though a wonderful older brother on his good days, was far too focused on himself and his newfound wealth to really listen to whatever she had to say. Even something like this. Floki…she couldn't even contemplate telling him. Not only would it be awkward and embarrassing, but she wouldn't be able to face the shame of admitting how she had ran. He wouldn't judge her for it, but as his only family (besides his wife) it was her duty to keep their honor intact. Running without getting her revenge would tarnish it almost beyond repair. No, she couldn't admit this to her brother.
Her blue-green gaze landed on the slouched form of Rollo as he stared unseeingly out into the ocean. She tilted her head in consideration. The warrior wouldn't judge her, wouldn't even tell the others, understanding that it was something she'd want to keep between them. He would help her heal and make her feel protected again. He was doing that already, although he didn't know it. She nodded to herself, resolute.
His head snapped to her as she carefully stood, readjusting Temperance so the girl wouldn't fall over as she moved away. He followed her with his eyes as she picked her way around sleeping forms while balancing against the gentle rocking of the ship. She settled down next to him, pressing into his side with a small sigh. Her head automatically found his shoulder and she tilted it back to look him in the eye.
"Hi," she said quietly.
He just stared down at her, expression unreadable. He was like that. Not liking to show even an ounce of emotion. Every so often he would crack when it was just the two of them. But with so many of his brothers-in-arms around, he would keep his face blank, just in case. He didn't want to seem weak.
Finally he turned away, "Abandoning your new friend?"
"Coming to see an old one," She murmured, nuzzling his arm until he lifted it for her. She curled into his body, secretly delighting in the scent that always wafted off him. Leather, sweat, and musk with just a hint of something that was quintessentially Rollo. It made her heart rate pick up even while her eyes drooped and she sank further into his side. She felt more than heard his light chuckle as she cuddled against him.
"Go to sleep, Lifa," he mumbled, his hand steadily rubbing up and down her arm in a soothing motion.
"Wanted to talk," she breathed, her head falling to rest on his chest.
"Later," he answered just as quietly.
She hummed in agreement, finally allowing her eyes to slip closed. The memories had been pushed back by the warrior's presence alone, as if they were afraid of him, allowing her to float into unconsciousness more easily than she had in years.
Temperance blinked awake with a violent shiver as a strong gust of icy wind hit her. Had she forgotten to close her window? Her heart stuttered in fear as she discovered, not her bedroom as her sleep-fogged mind had thought, but the deck of a painfully familiar ship. She was propped up against the mast with Lifa's coat bunched around her hips where it had fallen. And if she remembered correctly, the other woman had been beside her when she had managed to drift off. She felt so much more exposed without the blonde woman, the one person who had stood up for her since she'd been taken, at her side.
Her eyes almost frantically searched the deck until they landed on a couple tucked into a corner at the front of the ship, hidden behind a big enough pile of riches to give them the illusion of privacy. The shock of blonde hair glinted in the moonlight though most of her body was hidden behind the large specimen of man beside her. The monster was practically gentle with the woman as he wrapped his arms around her, smoothing the hair from her sleeping face. It was a completely different image than the one in Temperance's mind.
She turned her head away as she shuddered at the thought of that murders hands on her. She didn't understand how the blonde could stand to be around any of these men. Then again, she had been more than capable of violence, though she used it differently. Temperance wondered if she would see their actions as they did if she had been raised as they were but quickly discarded the thought. As kind as Lifa had been, Temperance didn't want to be like any of them. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to go home. She wanted her father back.
Tears began to stream down her cheek and she bit her lip to keep the sobs at bay. Crying, she knew, wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't bring back her father. It wouldn't magically teleport her back to her kingdom (or what was left of it). It wouldn't make it so these people, these monsters, had never landed on their shores. And yet, she couldn't stop the salt water from falling over her reddened cheeks. One shaky hand flew to her mouth to help muffle the cries she couldn't quite keep in any longer. She felt trapped, caged within the ship, the situation she had no control over.
Lifa had managed to explain a few things after the small fight she'd had with the leader. Temperance was expected to marry that brute in their way, not hers. Her traditions wouldn't even be considered. She had been taken to be their Earl's wife and bare his children, to watch over his people whenever he left for more raids like the one he had waged on her people. She would be the Queen in their eyes. She had always known she would rule, but not like this. She couldn't do this.
She stood faster than she intended. Not having been able to swallow any of the food they'd offered her and only taken the minimal amount of water since she'd been stolen, she swayed with dizziness as she leaned against the pole at her back. More slowly, so as not to fall in a fainting spell, she stumbled her way to the edge of the ship, looking out over the dark crashing waves, glinting stars, and bright moon. It was beautiful, perfect. It would be the last thing she ever saw.
Her hands shook as she gripped the railing and pushed herself up, her bare feet slipping a little on the slick wood. Sea spray hit her exposed skin, making shivers rack her body with newfound intensity. She trembled and swayed as she slowly straightened, almost tumbling into the sea before she was standing tall. She looked once more out to the scene in front of her. Back home, she had once tried to imagine adventures like this. Being swept away by foreigners to a new and exciting land. She had never wanted this though. It was too much.
She closed her eyes, cutting off the entire world as her mind went blissfully blank of all troubling thoughts. She thought of home, of her father. Heaven would be lost to her, she would never see her father again, but she saw no other way out of this situation. With a deep steadying breath, she lifted one foot to step forward into oblivion. Having never learned to swim, it wouldn't be long before the violent waves dragged her under and kept her there.
What she never expected was two large, strong hands clapping over her hips and yanking her back, her feet flying into the air as she tried to fight her way back to the ocean.
"NO!" she screeched, sure she had woken most of the ship with her high-pitched yell. "NO! PLEASE!"
Arms banded around her, holding her upright against a firm chest as her knees gave out and sobs shook her frame. She refused to turn to face her captor, instead covering her face with her hands as she wept. When the tears had slowed and faded to quiet sniffles and whimpers, she came back to herself, realizing she was still being held against someone. Someone distinctly male. She gasped, pushing back with her elbows as she tried to struggled against whoever had her only to be spun around. The hands clamped onto her shoulders to hold her somewhat still an she gazed up angrily at the intense blue eyes of the leader, her future husband.