I'm trying not to fall into the old western movie trap with Arnporr, where the Indians spoke such broken English and put up their hands to say "how." Still, he is only just learning the language and while English is considered a Germanic language, the sentence structure and verb construction is sometimes quite different. Or at least, I found it to be so when I was trying to learn German back in the olden days. What was fun with that class was the student we had straight from the UK, who was also trying to learn German. He would ask questions of our very German instructor using British idioms. The class and the instructor would simply sit and stare at him, wondering what in the world he was talking about. I had always heard that British English and American English are at times two different languages, but that experience was a proper lesson in how different they can be. Seems we colonists took the proper language and twisted it a bit ;-)

Anyway, I do hope you enjoy this latest installment. Not to sound needy or anything but reviews and comments are awfully nice.

The following day Ead waited eagerly for the return of Anzo, or Arnporr as he insisted she call him. It was after the sun was high before he came. Seeing her waiting outside the house, he smiled, apparently understanding that she was eager to walk with him again. And once again there was no sign of Winfrid.

Ead turned and spoke into the house. "I'm going to walk with Arnporr," she said and then hurried to his side. Arnpoor looked down at her with a gleam in his eyes that made her believe he was almost as happy to see her as she was to see him. The two turned and walked back into the woods.

They walked back to the clearing where he'd given her the brief but enlightening lesson. To Ead's delight, he held her hand the whole way, firmly but not possessively. Once they were in the clearing, Arnporr turned to her with sparkling eyes. "Stay here? Not wet." Ead was confused until he looked towards the bank to the stream and chuckled. Relieved, she laughed too. "Right. I'll manage to stay out of the water this time," she told him. His smile was broad and crooked slightly to one side as if the corner of his mouth was reaching up to light the sparkle in his eyes.

Arnporr looked around and found a place beneath a broad tree and motioned for her to sit. He settled next to her with both of them leaning against the tree. "This good place. My people," he waved his hand to take in the clearing, "find good," he said softly as his eyes scanned the clearing.

"It is beautiful here," she answered quietly, scanning his face.

"In my old village, it was always fight, fight. Always. Others raided. We raided. My woman was killed in raid. My boys too… no, more…. Children. All dead while I away on a raid. I not let that happen to you, to our… children."

Something in his tone excited Ead unexpectedly. He spoke of them, of children, so matter of factly. He would protect her and their family. She knew he would keep his word until his last breath. "You won't go raiding then?"

"No. Only fight to…. To make safe." He frowned. "To…. Keep you safe," he amended. "We work hard. Make… grow food. Have animals for food. We hunt. But we not war."

Ead wrapped her hand around the strong sinewy muscle of his arm and squeezed. "I like that. I want that too. No war. Just us, our family." She paused for a moment but then was curious. "What was her name? Your Woman?"

"Mathilda. She...she not pretty like you. Eyes like me but hair like straw, very long and like straw. And face... not pretty. But she good woman. Make me smile."

"And your children? What were their names?"

"Ellanher and Gerbold. Good boys. Strong. Ellanher fought raiders. Just a boy but he fought. Gerbold little, not strong to fight. Found him on Mathilda. He try to protect." His eyes spoke the pain that he felt. "He... he ... so much blood for little boy." After a moment, Arnporr looked down at her, his expression serious. "You want child?"

Ead smiled. "Yes. I don't think I even thought about it much until I met you. But yes, I want children, your children."

He blinked, the surprise evident in his expression. "How you sure? We not know other."

"I'm sure because of the way you look at me, because of the life you describe that we will build together, and because no man has made me feel as you make me feel."

He searched her face with a piercing look and then tenderly dipped, his lips capturing hers in a soft kiss. "You make me feel too," he whispered before capturing her once again in a firmer, more forceful kiss. "I want put child on you. Maybe first summer we have child."

Ead was relishing his kisses and then his hands as they explored around her back, down to her waist, and then across her abdomen. His thumb strayed across her breast as his hand moved across her stomach and it felt like a bolt of energy and desire shot through her. A moan of exquisite pleasure and yearning erupted from her which was answered by a soft one of his own. Caught in the building frenzy that was growing within her, Ead reached for the "fish" he'd let her feel the day before. Just as her hand found the prize, his hand covered hers and pulled it away. "No," he said heavily. "I will honor you."

Ead sighed. "But I just wanted to feel it… your... fish."

"And feel too much. Make me feel too much and … and dishonor you. We fish when married." His expression left no doubt that the day's exploration had come to an end, much to Ead's disappointment.

They sat quietly for awhile and then finally Arnporr stirred. "We go back."

Ead did not want their time to end so soon but she was quickly learning that once Arnporr decided something, he would not be deterred. "Yes, alright," she said with a deep sigh of disappointment. Arnporr looked at her askew and then chuckled. "You like us here," he said as he leaned over for another, somewhat more chaste, kiss.

"I do, I really do," she replied once he pulled away.

They walked back to the village hand in hand, silent but their hearts and minds not quiet. At the edge of the woods, they paused. "Tomorrow?" Arnporr asked softly.

"Yes, tomorrow," Ead replied with a smile. Then boldly, she reached up and kissed him. "I'll wait for you here. Perhaps you will let me fish tomorrow?"

At first Arnpoor seemed surprised by her kiss, and then amused. Finally, his face settled into a warm glow as he gazed down at her. "Yes, here. But no fish." He turned, chuckling, "we wait to fish after married," he said over his shoulder as he disappeared back into the woods leaving Ead smiling behind him.